Back Into the Shed

Saturday afternoon, following a good lunch and a morning at my Son’s soccer match, I ventured to the shed for some very productive activities.  My son’s A team won 8-0, his team won 5-0 – he scored twice and missed about two by just kicking the ball over the cross bar, the C’s won 2-0 and another team won 5-0.  So it was not a good day for the opposition school in my son’s age group.  Now back to model trains.  This is the first time I have been productive in the shed for quite some time.  Work activity included installing two 12mm points in Clapham Yard.  These were purchased back at the Brisbane May Exhibition.  This was followed by some wiring up a couple of dead sections in the 12 mm track following installation of the points and installing some point control mechanisms via push/pull throw rods.

The installation of this 12mm track has motivated me to install three more sets of 12mm points in Clapham Yard and purchase another length of 12 mm track and I think that will see me through with my track laying activities on the layout for quite some time.  I had planned on getting two more points, but I think I will also install a third one.  I also added a small taper onto the baseboard, that is about 3cm wide at one end and 30cm long.  This will allow the third set of points to be fitted onto the baseboard.

I created three buffer stops from an old (I think) Uneek kit.  I made two up as 12mm buffers and one as standard gauge.  After I install this next purchase of track, the activities will turn to purchasing some 12 mm rollingstock and installing the various 12mm buffer stops in the yard.  I will also try and make a few more myself out of some track offcuts.

While doing some test runs around the dual gauge track in the yard, it dawned on me that I had one set of points that I did not have a manual throw rod installed on.  I also was lacking a sign on the facia that advised what way to throw the point rod, to get to what track.  I did have a piece of paper just lying around, that I thought why was this here.  I could not see where it went and thought I had created two of one facia sign by mistake.  I think I was just blind to where it went, and this set of points was just left untouched.  Anyway, it has now been found, and the facia sign was installed and I just need now to find about 30cm of steel wire to allow the point to be controlled from the facia.

I also painted four water tanks that I purchased at a buy and sell a few weeks back.  I then painted up some more lineside detail parts – like phones and signal cabinets.  I’m sure I have some more of these items around the layout.  I will have to undertake a bit of a logical search mission, to try and uncover where I have hidden all these types of items.

I also positioned two wooden laser cut picnic tables, that I purchased at the May Show, on the layout.  I then was tempted to put together another two tables on last night.

So on Sunday, I ventured over to my mate David’s place in my role of Inspector and ideas man, and layout consultant.  I also had to address a question from another mate - Shelton.

So when I got back down to the shed today, I found a length of wire that I installed to help actuate yesterday's newly located point.  I also found a short in a section of dual gauge track, as the PC board sleeper, was touching a rail on a parallel track as they were diverging after a set of points.  The old dremel helped by allowing me to cut off about 3mm of PC board and problem solved.  I then installed three buffer stops and the southern end of Clapham Yard seems pretty much complete.  I found a length of dual gauge track, that I located where I needed a length of 12mm track, so that saved a future purchase.

I also ran my banana train from Murwillumbah back to Grafton, as it was given a run a few weeks back when a visitor wanted to see a train run on the layout.  My posting a some photos of Old Cassino a couple of days ago, had me thinking about a shed I wanted to build for the layout.  Well, a further viewing of the original track plan, showed that the shed I was going to build for the Diary Siding, was actually a shed in the yard of Old Cassino, and the Dairy Siding was just that, a road that runs behind the very large diary.  Bugger!  That means I have some more work to do.  I also realised that the platform was shorter than I was building, and I needed a water tank next to the main line .  I also need an access road beside the diary and around the back of the platform.

We have Tuesday Nighters' this week and I have to return some goods to a number of the crew.  Should be a good week ahead with some more photos being posted from the trip to the Modelling the Railways of NSW convention two weeks ago..