Detailing the Fettler's Camp Between Glenapp Loop and The Risk

This week started when we had Tuesday Nighter’s over at Peter’s place.  Just a nice comfortable group of about 8 or 9.  We had some good conversations and I think we solved many of the world’s problems.  Well you would when you have the type of people that comes to our Tuesday Nighter’s get together all in the same place.  Peter's NSW outline layout had an army train circulating all night that looked very nice indeed.

On Friday afternoon I nicked off from work early.  I went to the shed and undertook a bit of ballasting.  I ballasted the section between Glenapp Loop and The Risk Loop.  I also decided to ballast the crippled wagon siding at Glenapp and then decided to ballast the main and loop adjacent to the siding.  The sections that I ballasted came out pretty good I thought.

This is the crippled wagon siding at Glenapp Loop.  This was ballasted on Friday and the two tracks behind (Loop and Main) were also done for a short section of track only.

Friday was also a modelling night over at Brendan’s place at Woop Woop - or at least it felt like it when you get stuck behind dorks doing 80km/h in the 100km/h zones.  Brendan put on a sausage sizzle which was very nice, for our nice comfortable group of 4.  I was working on pulling apart some electronic flickering candles that I purchased the previous Sunday at Ikea.  The LED’s from these LEDs will go inside a couple of the bins I will be placing around the layout at fettlers various camps.  I tested some inside my old 44 gallon drums and they worked perfectly.  I plan to solder some extension leads onto these candles tonight so they will reach to the bins.  They might be operational next weekend for my Operation Session. 

I also did some work cutting up some pieces of scale lumber to make some fencing that was to go either side of some track access points.  Once cut up, I dipped these into my trusty stain solution and allowed them to dry.  I also cut up another bundle of sleepers and also stained them as well.  I also stained some square sheets of balsa wood to simulate a complete levels of sleepers in a neatly assembled multi-level stack at my various fettler locations.

This is the area between Glenapp Loop and The Risk Loop which was ballasted on Friday afternoon.

Today I got down to the shed in the arvo.  I glued together the fencing sections That I cut up on Friday night and allowed 4 of them to dry.  I then realised that I might actually need another four if I was to have two track crossings in the section between Glenapp Loop and The Risk Loop.  I decided I would also do some wire fencing around this area, so I drilled holes in the scenery and installed quite a few rustic old fence posts that I previously prepared.  I also installed about a dozen in another area on the layout that I will see if the crew can determine where this occurred when they visit next weekend.

I also installed some sleepers as road crossings over the track.  These were glued to the track and a couple of wagons pushed back and forth through the area, to ensure that the sleepers do not foul the track.

This is the first of the track crossings in the Glenapp to The Risk section.  The pieces of fencing either side of the gate is what I cut up on Friday night, and glued together today.

The fettler's camp between Glenapp and the Risk.  Lots more work needs to be undertaken here, like fencing along the back of the layout and quite a few more detail items like trikes and various tools.  But I think it is coming along nicely.

The second track crossing between Glenapp and the Risk.  The fencing that I've installed today is also visible.

   

I also decided to cut up a few more fence posts while I was working in the shed and then stained these as well.  I wish I could remember what I made the last batch of rustic fence posts out of as they looked really good, and the lot I made up to day are nowhere near as good.  Doh!  I might have to read back through my blog to see if I documented how I did it.

I then decided to try and make my own gates for the various rail crossings.  I do have a few white metal gate kits, but I found some solid core house wiring, which I had stripped the insulation from and bent these into eight gates and then bent up some bracing for these gates.  I plan to solder these up tonight.  Who knows, I might also have them installed before the Operating Session for next weekend.    At this stage I have 5 acceptances and another 6 who have not yet RSVP’ed.  I would dearly love to have about 12 in attendance.

While I was installing various 44 gallon drums around the layout I added a few more at the fettler's camp at Border Loop.  I will also install a burning drum (flashing LED inside) at this location.

I also added a bit more detail around the Border Loop Signal Box.