About to Reach 100,000 Hits

Checking my blog counter, it is about to roll over to 100,000 hits since the blog has been active. To me that is a great achievement. I’d like to thank those that visit regularly or even just occasionally and follow my posts as well as use the tracking feature on the other blogs that I follow and work out which of these other blogs have been updated.  I know I use that to see what is happening in the Blogosphere.

 

Monday night this week we found out that Old Mike had taken a fall and had broken his wrist and his knee cap and was in hospital. Our thoughts are with him for a quick mend so he can re-join our fortnightly sessions. 

 

Tuesday this week, two car loads of guys went to the Buy and Sell at the Union Pacific Model Railway Club at Holland Park West. Not many people there, a very small amount of Australian outline gear and I think everyone in our group besides me walked away with something.  Shelton was the winner with two VR T class locos for a great price.

 

Thursday this week, PK and myself made our way down to the Anzac Square Building in the city to just perve through the window of a new shop that is opening in the city. It will be dedicated to Model Railways. They were still setting up the stock and were planning to open on Saturday morning. I intend to make my way back down to the shop one day this coming week to have a closer inspection inside.

 

Friday this week Geoff arranged a modelling night so we went over there for a beer, some banter and some beaut modelling.

 

I took along my 73 classes to do some more work. I started pulling apart the second with an aim to install an NCE Z14SR decoder in it. When I looked at this in detail, I though damn that is small. It has two small pads on the decoder where you must solder the traditional Green and Purple wires for the third and fourth function outputs. They were so small I could not see them. Well I quickly decided that I think I will not be using that decoder on that 73 and will resort to the use of a N14SR decoder when my local hobby shop eventually gets some more in.  When I took the top of this loco as opposed to 7304 I had already decodered up, this loco on the light boards at each end, has a blob of hot melt glue to assist keeping the 5 wires secure on the light board.  My 7304 did not have this and probably explains why the wires came off on one of my light boards and now on one end, the number board lights will not work.

 

My topless Auscision 7305 before I started cutting wires.

I have removed the provided circuit board which I discard to the spares box after cutting the track pick up wires and the motor wires.  I also remove the five pin plug used to connect to the light boards at each end.

This photo shows the plug that connects the 5 red and 5 black wires from the end light boards to the circuit board cut off - the plug is visible at the top of the photo.  I also cut off the top lug on the sheet of styrene that protects the wires from rubbing against the flywheel below.  I then use only one screw in the bottom (in this photo) to retain the styrene board in place.

I soldered the rail pickups together and tinned the motor leads ready for installation to the decoder. Unfortunately the boss from crook on Saturday morning, so I had to do the pickup and drop off of the kids at two parties back to back. I had planned to go from the second party to Ray’s shop, but I forgot. When I got back home, I looked at the clock and damn! 4:00pm and the shop would have been closed. I will try and pick up some decoders next Thursday before the long weekend.

Today I just could not get motivated to go to the shed.  My daughter wanted to do homework instead of paint some baseboard so I left it again until she is in the mood.