Layout All Reset for Operations Session.

Model railway activity this included a visit to Cliff’s place for our fortnightly meeting and we checked out his layout in his garage.  I was quite impressed with a few of Cliff's wagons.  I am also inspired by his layout plans that are hanging above his shunting layout.  Those future plans will make a very nice layout when he finally moves back home after finishing working in Brisbane.  We then adjourned to his lounge for a very nice supper and a great talk about all things trains.

On Saturday I resumed my train running activities on the layout.  I ended up running 16 trains to complete the reset of the timetable to put it back to the start for the next Operations Session to kick back off.  That night I changed a few of the timetable cards with more information that had been annotated from the last Operations Session, so an updated version will be available for the next session.  I am also looking at how I can add a few more trains into the mix.  I am about to embark on possibly adding a couple more narrow gauge trains as the first step.  Perhaps one from Clapham Yard into Rocklea Siding for some added shunting.  

I have some NSW paybus runs that I also want to add to the timetable, as the timetable is always set on a pay day.  While I had a paybus, I am waiting for the model from Auscision.  I also need an extra train from Grafton to South Brisbane Interstate, with car carriers, limestone wagons and oil/bitumen tankers, with its complementary return working also being added.  This working will allow another shunt working from Clapham Yard back into Rocklea Siding for the standard gauge, as well as a return to Clapham Yard.  I am also considering another shunt from Acacia Ridge Yard to Rocklea Siding with a few steel wagons.  Having both in that yard would be interesting for the two drivers, as they would have to fight to get over the dual gauge section as well as the mixed gauge crossover where narrow gauge crosses over standard gauge.  I am also looking at adding a water train from Cassino up the North Coast line to Glenapp or maybe The Risk to allow the topping up all the water tanks for the various fettler settlements alongside the railway line.  I am not sure I can add all these into the timetable.  It currently seems busier than Central Station in peak hour.  Additionally, it means that I need more operators to run more trains simultaneously.

Today I started off by picking up my mate David and we headed over to a local buy and sell.  I picked up the two things I was most after.  A Peco 3 way point to replace the one I moved out of Acacia Ridge Yard, and a couple of Peco point motors.  This arvo, I installed the point motor on a set of points in Rocklea Sidings.  I then transferred the crossover points from my Snap-It with my previously purchased NCE QSnap.  The QSnap was screwed to the fascia, and I wired up the last two points in Rocklea Yard to it.  These point outputs all work except for one standard gauge point that exhibits tendencies of sticking when being thrown.  I will eventually get around to looking at this.  I then noticed that one of the points of the crossover that I moved from the Snap-It to the QSnap was not working.  The point was getting power, but not enough to overcome the friction as it was not moving.  Again a job for another day.

I then did some more electrical work.  I also added some power jumpers to the relatively new tracks 14 and 15 in Grafton Yard and also a power jumper to one rail of the dual gauge track in Rocklea Sidings.  I also ran my narrow gauge trains through the dual gauge trackage and that all works well.  I have not yet run the standard gauge trains through dual gauge.  A job for another time.  I found a couple of power jumpers that have come adrift from the track and these were re-soldered as well.

So in the next few weeks, I will tidy up the shed a bit, before the Open Day for the Gold Coast NMRA Convention.  My layout is one of the open layouts on the Friday and Monday either side of the Convention.  So far I have no RSVPs from the exhibition attendees, but that will probably change over the next 3 weeks.

I have also come to the reality that I now need to get stuck into the preparing for my Presentation at the Modelling the Railways of Queensland Convention which I need to have completed by the end of the month.  I also have to complete two diorama modules by the end of the month as well.  No rest for the wicked.