Doing Some Planning

So this week I was talking online to various people on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.  On Friday, being a Public Holiday in Brisbane I did some shed time.  Basically my job over the long weekend was to identify why I had a power issue at Acacia Ridge Yard.  Well no sooner had I got down to the shed, turned power on, and I saw a loco in Clapham Yard (same power district as Acacia Ridge Yard) and this loco was derailed across a set of points and I thought this might be the cause.  Well I re-railed the loco and I then started running trains through Acacia Ridge Yard again.  Everything worked, but I never had any indication that there was an actual short in the area, as opposed to a wire off and no power.  However I will go back and revisit this investigation when time permits.  But all is working now.

I have never had a paper plan of the track layout of my top deck like I have for my other two decks.  So I thought that I would spend some time creating one.  I thought I would create a grid made from thin strips of paper stuck end to end and placed 30 cm apart on top of the baseboard.  The track locations from each grid could then easily be transferred to a paper plan made out of an A3 sheet of paper.  So I did this for Clapham Yard and included Loco Pilly.  I then started doing the same 30 cm grid from paper strips for Rocklea Sidings and transferred this to the same sheet of paper as well.  So I now have an A3 sheet of paper with the basic layout of the track from Rocklea Sidings through to Clapham Yard and Loco Pilly and heading towards Dutton Park.  There was a method in my madness in doing this.  I needed to create a scale track plan for my paperwork required to submit my Model Railroad Engineer – Civil and Model Railroad Engineer – Electrical certificates.  So after a weekend of writing documentation and drawing various diagrams, I am very close to having a good enough first draft of both documents to show off to our local Divisional accessor on Tuesday night this week.  I am then hoping to get some feedback as to what I have not done, what I have not understood correctly and what else I need to do to satisfactorily complete these pieces of documentation for official assessment.  Activities will now turn to doing better and neater diagrams of all the required information that I need to present.

So as part of the Civil requirements, I need to present three pieces of track that I have scratchbuilt and demonstrate successful operation of powered locos through these pieces of track.  So some of the various pieces of track that I have scratch built are in slightly difficult positions to observe their operation up close.  So I have chosen pieces of track that are more accessible for observing.  So my submissions might be slightly more complex than most, as I am presenting dual gauge pieces of track.  So I need to be able to run standard gauge (HO) and narrow gauge (HOn3½) locomotives through the pieces of track, in both directions and through the different routes in the case of a set of points.  Well I spent some time on Saturday doing these run through tests and adjusting the track on either side of these pieces of track.  So the result was that these three pieces of track were working pretty well.  Some pieces of rollingstock run through very smoothly, while one item of track causes a bit of a rock and roll through the narrow gauge route, but they all work.  I tried running slow, and running fast so I am confident they will work well.  Everything works better when you have power going through the various parts of the layout you want to show off!

Today I was obtaining information to add to my track plan, which was the DCC address of each of the point motors, and trying to find another document that I had in my hand a few weeks ago, but I placed it aside for safe keeping.  The issue is, it is too safe, and now I cannot find it.  While doing my DCC point motor address investigations today, I found one wire had some loose from a point motor, so that was fixed.  I then found out that a narrow gauge cross over in Clapham Yard does not seem to be working at all.  I can’t even find where the Digitrax DS64 is, which is controlling this crossover.  Another task for another day.

Another Slow Week

Tuesday this week, I had a full house at my place for our fortnightly Tuesday Nighter's Meeting.  I think we had 12 visitors attend.  They entered the shed and had a bit of a look around.  Apparently a guy called Bob, has appeared on my layout.  He seems to be lacking any form of clothing.  I'm not sure if he was related to the person who placed him on the layout.  The model, complete with a beer gut, happens to be standing outside Ron and Marg’s B&B.  The layout is so vast, that I wonder what else the guys might have left behind, that will take me quite some time to find.  During the evening, Arthur scored the last of my model entries in my AP entry for Master Builder – Structures certification.  While the attendees were wandering around the shed, Geoff said to me, was that I needed some track diagrams in Clapham Yard and Fisherman Islands Yard to indicate what point throw actuator does what.  So I worked on that during the rest of the week and now have a bit of a diagram, that eventually I will place on the layout fascia in a couple of places to assist the crews working those yards.  One of the issues is that these locations are very high off the ground, and you really need to stand on one of the small steps I have located around the layout.

On Thursday Darren and Geoff came to my place, and I drove them via Brendan’s place and then to went to Toowoomba and back.  We ventured up there to say farewell to our modelling mate Barry (Baz/Bazza) Freeman.  I have known Bazza since the mid 90s.  We caught up with a few other modelling mates and quite a few members of the Toowoomba Model Railway Club of which Bazza was a member.  Three of our modelling mates, Bill, Brent and Doug all spoke at Bazza's funeral of our shared attendances and experiences at many Modelling the Railways of NSW Conventions, and Armidale Conventions.  These guys speeches brought tears to our eyes.  Tears of laughter.  Gee we had fun and plenty of laughs at various trivia nights, maybe at some sort of watering holes or two, and at dinner somewhere.  We will miss ya Bazza!

Saturday this week was the local NMRA Div 1 meeting day at Glen’s place.  On the way to the meeting, I stopped off at Aurora Trains and picked up a modern police car, that George was keeping for me.  It was a large turnout at Glen’s place, with about 40 member there.  It was a great day of presentations, information sharing and watching trains run around Glen’s NSW based layout.  I sold a couple of items that someone was after from my detail item collection production line. 

While at the meeting, young Arthur asked me to sign something, and it appears he is endorsing another AP for Master Builder – Scenery certification.  I gave some paperwork to Arthur on Tuesday night for him to consider and advise if there was anything else I needed to put together for the information pack to support my AP application for that category.  I guess he thought that I did not need anything else.  I have also started looking at the Model Railway Engineer – Civil and Model Railway Engineer – Electrical certifications.  I think these will take me at least 6 to 12 months to get everything together and then I will consider moving onto Master Builder – Prototype Modeller and Chief Dispatcher certifications.  But that is potentially the year after’s work.

Last night I received a phone call from one of Tuesday Nighter’s crew.  Peter advised us that his lovely wife had passed away following her battle with the dreaded C.  We offer our deepest sympathy to Peter and sincerely wish him all the best and hope he resumes our fortnightly get togethers when he is ready, as he always has some wise words and explanations for us all at these gatherings.  So it has been a bit of a sad week.

Today I eventually got down to the shed sometime after 4:00pm.  I actually ran a number of locos around in Clapham Yard and Acacia Ridge Yard.  That is the first time in quite some time.  I ran both standard gauge and narrow gauge trains.  But it appears that I have now lost power in Acacia Ridge Yard for the 12 mm area.  So next Friday – a public holiday in Brisbane, I will go down to the shed and trace back and resolve this power issue.  I’m certain it is just a wire coming off some feeder, that I might have knocked while doing some other task on the layout.  But I did have a method in my madness today.  I was testing the track in a couple of places, as these pieces of track will be the ones that I will submit for my Model Railway Engineer – Civil certification.

Buy and Sell Bargains

I had Friday off this to do my tax.  It looks like I get something back from the Tax man, but I never see any of it.  However, in the morning on Friday I dropped in at Aurora Trains after they posted the night before that they had some new Noch figures in, among a multitude of other things.  I went through the packets of figures and eventually picked up a couple of packets that interested me.  My mottos is that there is no point being half broke, when you can be totally broke.  

Early on Saturday morning I went over to the AMRA Clubrooms for their Buy and Sell which started at 8:30am.  I parked at PK’s place and we walked down to the Club together, and met two other Club members who also parked in PK’s street.  The Buy and Sell seemed quite well attended, by both sellers and potential buyers.  I picked up some second hand (deceased estate) QR wagons from the boys from Toowoomba.  Very reasonably prices.  The only issue is that they had standard gauge bogies and not narrow gauge bogies.  But that is easily fixed by spending a bit more money.  My understanding is that the QR wagons (or what is left of them) will be for sale again at the RMCQ Buy and Sell at Brendale in 3 week’s time on the 7^th of November.  There was also a large collection of NSW wagons also at very reasonable prices for sale from the same guys – Bill and Brent - The Toowoomba men.  So after that purchase on Saturday my narrow gauge grain train is basically complete.  The only question is if I now go for two strings of grain wagons, or just a single one out of my now 16 wagon collection of wagons?  If I decide to do with two strings, my timetable can have trains yo-yoing around the layout between Acacia Ridge Yard and Fisherman Islands.  I might have to do some tweaking to the timetable, but I do have some reserved paths in the narrow gauge timetable for some of these out and back trains.  On my layout this train will be hauled by a 1720 or maybe two.  I might need to buy another 1720 or two if I go down the path of two grain trains each with two 1720 locos at the front.  Hmmmm!  If I bought another two 1720s, I’d have more 1720s than PK has.  Maybe something to ponder for for next year’s budget.

At the Buy and Sell I also picked up a very small USB powered vacuum cleaner.  I gave it a test drive today on the layout and it runs quite well.  I was able to pick up various wood shavings (left over from drilling holes in the baseboard), small bits of polystyrene and the remnants of a few geckos.  I am most impressed!  Down in the shed this afternoon I did a bit of painting of some Miniprints figures – a couple of action figure dogs and two forensic investigators.  I’m not sure where the forensic guys are going to be placed on the layout, although I have a couple of skeletons to place around in a shallow grave somewhere.  These items will be co-located.  Yesterday afternoon I knocked up a small dog house for a back yard that overlooks the Cassino Railway station.  I painted it the same colour as the house.  I also knocked up a few sets of multi-tier shelves that will go into someone’s shed or garage on the layout.  I must continue down the track for building house number three backing onto the station at Cassino.  This is two separate buildings and a shed.  The first building is half built.

Tuesday Nighter’s this week is at my place, and I think there will be a good crowd.  I will await some feedback from the crew on progress on my layout.

Adding Detail

With Monday celebrating Liz’s birthday, I had the day off.  I went down to the shed and started experimenting with the power source for powering the headlights on a car.  I had to have a separate resistor on the source to make it work.  I drilled my hole through the baseboard, a hole through the roadway and poked a hole through the 4 inches of foam.  I fed the wires from the car through the hole and wired them up.  Just like a bought one!  I also painted up some white metal fence posts and also a styrene made farm gate that I had sitting around.  Once dry these items were installed behind The Risk on a little roadway that runs beside the railway line.  The styrene gates was glued to the fence post and now can swing in styrene hinges and can be opened or closed.

The Risk Crossing Loop with the backscene attached.  The gates has also been attached to the fence post.

The Risk Crossing Loop looking from the other direction.

Other jobs I completed was adding a small section of wooden fence on the southern side of Railway Parade.  I added corrugated iron fencing to 4 panels of fencing around the water tank opposite the station at Cassino.  I installed the Blue House in its block of land.  I then decided that the house needed a letter box.  So I painted one a matching colour to the house and installed it above the front fence.  The rear of the Blue House looked a bit sparse.  So I added a bit of a paved area out the back and installed a clothesline.  See PK, I can do it in a day –

 why can’t you?

On Saturday afternoon I added some people to the backyard tiled area of the Blue House.  I still have a dog house and some kids toys in the form of a Billy Cart and maybe a scooter – don’t say anything PK.  That is next week’s project.  Hopefully completed before the Tuesday Nighter’s come over on Tuesday week.

The Blue House with some greenery added.  The family in the backyard having a BBQ.

A closeup of the family having a BBQ.  The Table and chairs I mad from styrene.

I started planning for the next house north along Cassino platform side.  So I need to build two structure and a 10’ x 8’ corrugated iron back yard tool shed.

I also decided to try my hand at some backdrop painting – so to speak.  In a couple of locations I have some 1200mm long backdrops, but they sit just proud above of the baseboard.  Thus there is a bit of backboard visible under near the backdrops.  So I thought I would mix and match some paint and add it to the bottom of the backdrops.  Well I’ll be…..!  I did just that and it sort of works quite well.  It looks quite good.  I also used the same technique to apply some paint to the bottom the of the printed backdrop that I took (and PK stitched together) at Glenapp Loop.  It looks even better.

Glenapp Loop with my backdrop in place.  I still need to do some more work fixing the wires up to the baseboard above.

Glenapp Loop, taken from the same position above, but looping straight on instead of down towards the signal box in the middle of the Loop.

Glenapp Loop looking from the south side back towards the signal box

Glenapp looking at the southern end, where the disabled wagon siding remains.  This is a photo backdrop.

I was pottering around at my work bench and got out some old kits for semi-trailers.  I assembled one set of wheels in a plastic kit for a semi-trailer and then assembled a Herpa kit of 8 pairs of truck wheels.  I might have to scratch build a couple of trailers with these items.

I added some more plant material around the backyards of the houses I am currently working on.  I also added some more plant material around the backdrops I have just installed.

Kyogle - Anzac Drive where an accident has taken place

Kyogle, the other side of Fawcett's Creek, with the flying pig and the guy walking his dog and it is using the tree as a convenience.

Park Road Siding.  The Fire crew are attending to the industrial bin which is on fire.

Saturday this week involved a trip to the Club for the world’s shortest Club meeting.  But I had a good chat to some of my mates over there.  The trip over involved stopping off at 3 hobby shops.  I may or may not have purchased some items.  

Last night I set about building a Walther’s kit.  More info on that as it comes together along with a number of scratch built items to compliment and/or supplement the kit.  I will do some more kit building tonight while the cricket is on TV.

Today I spent about 90 minutes watching an Ops Session on Dave Abeles’ Onondga Cutoff.  Darren and myself sat in a whereby room having a chat, while watching the live stream, before we were joined by Jordan and Andy for the second half of the session.  A great way to spend a Sunday morning.

Finishing the Blue House and Adding Various Lights

So this week, I spent my usual Tuesday and Wednesday nights online talking to some fellow modellers.  I also got online with a number of British Modellers on Saturday night. There were other Aussies there as well as a couple of Americans.  On Friday with a half work day under my belt, I started doing some modelling tasks.  First task was to make a door for the Kyogle Butter Factory.  I was thinking what I could do to make a door handle.  Then I remembered that lace pins were the way to go.  I then had to find were my packet was.  That took just 5 minutes.  A hole was drilled into the door, and the pin slipped through, superglued, and the back of the pin cut off.  The door was trimmed to size and then glued onto the model.  So that model is now complete.

Second task was to joined the two roof sections of my Blue House together.  These were the main roof and the hip section.  I then set that down for the glue to dry.  Next I then added the individual window sliders/dividers to the window panes on the Blue House.  Once these were dry, I gave the house another coating of paint.  You guessed it – Blue.  This was because the adding of the windows, the window sills and the window sliders were a different colour to the original house.  I then added corrugated aluminium to the roof structure using Aquadhere to stick it down.  We will see how successful this is in the long run.  I then started to make a couple of fence posts for the post and rail fencing to be slid into – located at Baker’s farm.  These were added to the fence on Saturday.

Also on Friday night I got some clear plastic out and cut it to the size of the windows and sliding doors in the Blue House.  These were glued in place with Aquadhere.

Saturday’s day started with a driving lesson for my son.  This was to Modeller’s Warehouse, HobbyOne and then to Aurora Trains.  I might as well make use of my chauffeur.  I picked up a fire crew and some sun flowers.  Saturday’s modelling plans in the shed were for adding a fence behind telegraph poles at The Risk.  This was easily accomplished in the afternoon.  The Blue House had its roof structure enhanced with ridge capping added, made from 0.040” rod and two pieces of 0.010” x 0.030” strip laid next to the rod.  The roof was painted silver.  Next some gutters were cut to size from 0.080” channel.  These were painted a different shade of blue. 

On Sunday morning, I touched up the blue gutters with a second coat of paint.  I then went to the shed and installed the fences around Cassino station near the road overbridge.  These fences have been laying on the ground for almost I think a couple of years.  I also painted up three coffins and converted a car into a hearse by giving it a paint job.  Later in the day, the hearse was positioned near the scene of a motorbike accident under the rail overbridge at Kyogle with a coffin ready to be used.  I also decided it was time to try and give my police forensics team a basic paint.  I will have to touch them up tomorrow with detail bits picked out.

Next up was installation of some street lights near Cassino Station on road overbridge.  That took some time but eventually I now have two street lights working on the layout.  The next task is to add a car with head and tail lights parked next to the Cassino Station in one of the angle parks.  But I need to use a 12V power supply for that.  I will test that tomorrow.

This morning I got the idea of staging a fire in an industrial rubbish bin at Park Road Siding and have the fire crew attending to it, to extinguish the fire.  As I now have a fire crew, I installed the fire inside the industrial bin, but I do not yet have a fire engine for the crew to be delivered to the site in, and to have their flashing lights working.  I guess I will keep my eyes out at an upcoming Buy and Sell.  I also planted my many sunflowers around the layout today.

Tonight while watching the football and maybe the women’s cricket Test, I will attach the guttering to the Blue House and it will be placed on the layout tomorrow.

There is certainly lots of little detail jobs being completed around the layout.  However, there is still many years’ worth of jobs to complete, before the layout can be described as anywhere near complete.