Cassino Meakworks and the Brisbane Limited Set

On Thursday afternoon after I declared pens down from work, I had some time to apply the labels for the point numbers and the track names in Park Road Sidings.  I had planned on trying to do some modelling before I started work each day, but I could not get motivated.

On Friday I decided to do some work on my Brisbane Limited set.  I swapped the NR class for my new sound equipped Jumbo, so I could give it a run, and to have a more time appropriate loco for the train.

When trying to run my Jumbo out of Acacia Ridge Yard to get it to my Brisbane Limited set, which had been in Glenapp Loop for the last few weeks, the points at the southern end of the Acacia Ridge Yard would not change from the control panel.  I’d push the buttons, I’d see the input light in the Mini Panel signifying that it received a logic input, but I did not get anything happening to the points.  But when I selected the individual point addresses, they moved.  So evidently, something is wrong with my Mini Panel.  That is the first time I’ve had an issue with one of these devices.  Another problem to fix.

The Brisbane Limited set runs like a bag of sh!t.  There is no play in the bogies, for any sideways and up and down movement.  The set has fantastic detail and is probably OK for the plonkers who do rounders a flat layout on a 8’ x 4’ boards, or even a club layout.  But other modellers who have track that goes up hill and and down dale will also have issues just like me.  My layout rises up over 700 mm and constantly changes grade.

One of the places I was having issues, was on the mainline in the Cassino Meatworks Siding.  Every wagon derailed.  That was not acceptable.  One wheel would lift off the track on a curve and the wagons would derail.  I'd rerail it and the next wagon would do the same thing at the same location.  Every other wagon I have negotiates this location.

For starters I decided to rip up the mainline track through Cassino Meat Works, and went and purchased a new length of track from Aurora Trains to relay it.  The issue I have is that the track has some rocking of the rails (Super elevation) and the modern Auscision carriages absolutely hate doing that. 

Ripping up the ballast and the track was quite a quick process and that was completed on Friday.  So the track was relayed on Saturday morning and I then I did a few laps of the layout with my Brisbane Limited set.  That set is just a PITA.  The bogies do not pivot enough to handle the curves and also any unevenness of the track, like super elevation.  So this is what I did to the bogies.  I drilled out the central bogie pivot slightly - like counter sinking the wagon end.  I had previously filed the bogie post to be narrower so that the bogies has some small amount of play.  The rear end of the coupler bracket either side of the retaining screw at the end of the wagons, underneath the bogies was filed down/cut away slightly) to give the bogies a little bit more swivel movement.  At the other end of the bogie, I cut out two floor based gussets at each end of the wagon to again ensure that the bogies could swivel and tilt just a slight amount more.

The Cassino Meatworks Crossing Loop with the mainline ripped up.

A slightly closer picture of the northern end of the Siding.

The same for the southern end of the siding

The after photo of the Cassino Meatworks Crossing Loop.  The track had been relaid.

A close up of the southern end of the loop after relaying.

A closer up of the northern end of the Loop after being relaid.

So today I have now run the train from Cassino, to Acacia Ridge, and then back to Grafton Yard and the consist is now sitting in Grafton Yard track 1 ready to continue its path.  The train now runs very well.  It would have been great to run that way out of the box.

Today when the train was in Acacia Ridge Yard, I ran through track 1.  The train stopped dead.  It was then that I realised that the last operating session there was an issue with that track.  I could not get my train to move.  A little bit of problem solving showed that It was a dry solder joint on the track feeder.  So the joint where the outer rail feeders for tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4 all join the track bus, was hit with solder again, and all is now good.

At this point I also decided to try the control panel for Acacia Ridge Yard again.  This time I pressed the buttons and a point fired.  I also unplugged and plugged the cab bus back into the Mini Panel.  So what ever the problem was, it is now solved.

One of the issues I had with the running, was that Kyogle Loop was occupied, with a CPH railmotor on the Loop and an over length container on the Main.  Just a slight problem for passing the Brisbane Limited set at this location.  So I moved the CPH into the siding behind my railset train.  That freed up a track, so that then allowed me to do a saw tooth operation on the container when the Brisbane Limited Set made its way into loop.  

After all the running.  I also got the "water" making compound that I use out and hit the various water puddles that I have on the layout and gave then another once over.  I think they came up quite well.