I Seem to Have Lost my Mojo Again

So following a pretty intense period of Model Railway operation, I seem to have lost my mojo.  While I have undertaken quite a few railway activities this week, when I go to the shed, I feel like walking back out again.  I just can't get motivated to do something.  maybe I have quite a few other things on my mind.

With Monday being the New Year's Day public holiday I did spend some time down the shed.  I fixed up the couple of items that caused issues with the last Operating Session.  It appears that the dual gauge track just north of Clapham Yard, had developed a bow.  One of the check rails was on one side of the bow and it then sat proud of the track.  Every loco that ran through the point heading south ran into the check rail and got caught on the proud check rail and caused a derailment.  So a few strategically placed nails to make the track section sit back down flat and trains have now resumed running through that section of track.  A similar bow developed south of Clapham Yard but not to the same extent and this was also fixed via the same method. 

A few more sections of track were ballasted.  The mainline section covering the points either side of Cassino Meatworks has been ballasted.  A few more feet of track was also completed around the Rocla Sleeper Siding leading to Rappville Loop.  While on the topic of ballasting, today I also did a bit more around Cougal Spiral in the section that I basically ripped up out of the ballast before the last Operating Session when I added some cardboard underneath the outside rail to add a bit more super-elevation to the track.  That has all been covered up now.

During the week I put my order into for a set of Auscision RUB cars.  The next night I received $27.60 in Thursday’s big lotto draw.  I don’t think this will cover the cost of RUB set but it will buy a pair of wheels in one car.  I would have liked to be part of the $55million dollar syndicate that won.  I hear that the Auscision car carriers are heading our way.  Hopefully I will be on the luck ones getting the scares motorail cars first.

Friday night this week, four of our modelling group went to Simon Says Hobbies and Games for their regular modelling night.  It was certainly a full house. I decided to start building the gas unloading facility that I will install at Lismore so my Speed-e-gas tanker can get unloaded.  I have built a base frame all from 0.040” styrene rod.  It has a lot more re-enforcing to add as well as the top pipe work.  This model has been built from photos that fellow modeller Rohan Ferguson of Bolivia fame sent me after my request for photos a few weeks back on my blog.  His photos are just amazing and hit the spot perfectly.  Thanks mate.

Yesterday I went over to Austral Modelcraft and picked up a couple of right hand medium points.  I installed these into Clapham Yard at the southern end between tracks 2 and 3.  I will pick up another set of points, when money allows, which will be installed at the other end of the yard between tracks 2 and 3.  This will allow the Railset train to have its loco run around, without venturing out of the yard and asking for a staff at either end of the yard.  All movements can now stay within the yard.  Also when there is some shunting in the Yard during the timetable, the shunt loco can also go from track 3 to track 2 and run around his train before he adds these wagons from track three onto the end of the container train that will soon take track 2 heading south.  I am also thinking about another set of crossover at the northern end of the yard between track 2 and track 1 to facilitate this shunt loco moving from track 2 back to track 1, as it picks up its next loading from track 1 left there by another container train head north.  This loading then goes to Park Road Siding and onto South Brisbane Interstate.

Last night I started building a hen house for Baker’s Farm.  I initially started building it from styrene.  When complete it just looked really crap.  I then decided to give it a go building it out of 3” x 2” scale lumber.  This looked a bit better.  Today I cut out a few lengths of Tulle to be used in various wire fencing sections around the layout, and at the same time, cut some for the hen house.  The tulle was all sprayed with grey primer.  A job over the next few weeks is to affix the tulle (aka wire fencing) to the many fence posts I have around the various oil sidings on the layout.

Also today I spent some time adding jumpers to the various sidings in Loco Pilly.  There were about 4 tracks there that were not powered if the point was not set for those tracks.  So this has been rectified and all tracks are now live all the time. 

I’ll see if I can regain my mojo over the coming weeks.