Who's a Dork?

Answer this ....

The track leading to Clapham Yard

 

Plus

 

The point at the start of the fan out for Clapham Yard

Equals

Who’s a dork?

Well this Thursday I created two new dual gauge points for my Clapham Yard. I glued this together and cut the wheel flangeways with the dremel on Friday night. Saturday morning I was all enthusiastic about laying the track through the southern end of Clapham Yard.  Just as I jumped up upon my chair to get access to the work area, to work out where I’d splice the point in, that is when it hit me.  If you didn't guess, the third rail was on the wrong side. Doh! What a let down. I had almost completed the point at the northern end of Clapham Yard as well.

The point for the northern end of Clapham Yard

So I had to wait for the boss to come home from shopping before I could nick out to the local hobby shop, in this case Austral Modelcraft to buy two more sets of points - ones to replace the two I had stuffed up. While I was waiting, I cut and shaped the various lengths of code 83 rail to get spliced into the new dual gauge sets of points I was about to create. So straight after she arrived home, I made my way out and came back straight away. I then sat at my modelling desk (the kitchen table) and glued the new third rails in. Last night I took out the dremel and cut the flangeways in. They seem to work quite well. I also added the third rail to two more lengths of flexy track.

 

Today I started to cut the points in at the southern end of Clapham Yard. I will be able to run into the yard once the wiring is complete.

How the southern end of Clapham Yard worked out!

 

I have laid the first three tracks through Clapham Yard.  The first two will be standard gauge and the third will be dual gauge.  I also spliced the point in coming from the north for the entry to Loco Pilly.

 

The point that will lead into Loco Pilly.

 

I think I will need a left hand medium point and a 3 way point inside the Loco facilities. That should allow me to stage at least five lots of double headers. I may be able to even put a triple header in one of the roads. So I may be able to have this complete by the end of December. I then put in the small amount of track from the Loco Pilly points to the northern end of Clapham Yard followed by the point at that end of Clapham Yard.

 

The Northern end of Clapham yard.  Loco Pilly is on the left in this picture.  On the level below (on the right of the picture) is the southern end of Glenapp Loop.

I’m still tossing up if I will replace the left hand point I have here for the the standard gauge tracks 1 and 2 with a left hand curve point. I think it will improve the track geometry just that little bit.

 

So little by little the track is being completed. I actually ran a loco up to the first point at the southern end of Clapham Yard today. I have started installing droppers for the track bus at the southern end of Clapham yard. I will continue installing track droppers for the northern end of Clapham yard and installing the track bus this week atnight and into next weekend.

 

I still have to install the signal panels at the southern and northern end of Clapham Yard, the panel for Loco Pilly, the panel for Dutton Park, Park Road’s Panel and the main panel for South Brisbane Interstate. This needs to be followed by the staff machines for the two staff sections from Acacia Ridge to Clapham Yard and Clapham Yard to South Brisbane, as well as the most important part – to get trains running into South Brisbane.