Post Operating Session Fixes

So before the Monday Operating Session I discovered that one of my headset plug in points had a broken plug in connector.  Given that we had no North Coast Control (NCC) in operation, then we were not using any headsets so the broken plug in point did not cause any issues.  So on Tuesday morning I started doing some fixes.  The control panel at Murwillumbah was fixed.  The screw was adjusted and the wires re-soldered on.  

I found out that 8019, which wouldn't run, had its long address set to 0.  Whoops.  I was working on that loco prior to the Ops Session.  Maybe after a reset it I forgot to set is address again.  So that was my fault.  I then re-consisted 8019 back into its Brisbane Limited consist.  I inspected every ballast wagon on the ballast train and tested the wheels and they all ran well.  I gave it a run back and forth between The Risk Loop and Glenapp Loop and everything seemed fine now.  The next day I ran the troublesome ballast train from The Risk crossing loop to Nammoona Ballast Siding, and then ran it back again.  Guess what?  No issues.  So the work I did on every wagon the day after the Ops Session must have fixed what was wrong.  It must have been no use for 12 months that caused its issues.

As I was working the ballast train back to the The Risk, I noticed that some rails had not been painted.  So I then decided to paint some rails brown along the route.  Some points in Border Loop were also done.  I then started to look at a couple of narrow gauge wagons (12mm) whose bogies are slightly stiff.  I then turned my attention to two wagons that were bad ordered from the Oil train during the Ops Session.  One open wagon, was slightly high one end, but also very light.  So I removed one KD washer from one end and found some lead to put inside the wagon.  The second wagons was an oil tanker.  It has low couplers.  So I can add a washer above the bogies, but that makes the bogies unable to swivel.  The bogies are of the clip on variety.  So I am looking at maybe changing them to a screw in type.  We will see.  While fixing up these wagons from the Oil train, I got thinking.  The open wagon, which delivers full drums to the Oil Depot at Old Cassino, also takes full drums away.  The difference between full and empty drums is how they are packed into the train.  Full Drums stand upright.  Empty drums are laid down.  I have decided to add some more operations to the up and down Oil trains.  So after the open wagon is placed into the Oil Siding at Old Cassino from number 49 down oil train, its removable load of full drums will be replaced with a removable load of empty drums.  When train No. 50 gets back to Grafton Yard, the Empty drums will also be replaced with the full drums again. 

The loaded drums.

The empty drums

The wagon where the loads are placed

As a follow up to the previous week’s post about a loco (4836) not working this was the result.  I found that I had a spare NCE D13SRJ decoder laying around.  So I thought I would swap the decoder out of 4836.  I had an idea that it had a D13SRJ in it as well.  However, when I opened it up, it had an older hard wired D13SR.  So I had to unsolder and resolder all the wires to replace it with the newer D13SRJ.  It did not run.  So I took the motor out and eventually I got it running.  I have no idea why it would not run.  But it would tick away doing CV writes, but not move when full motor current was applied.  Anyway, I removed and reattached the motor wires, and used a 9V battery applied direct to the motor to test it and it ran.  I then tested the wires I applied to the motor and they then worked.  I then fully installed the decoder, and tested it and it was off and running again.  So maybe it was some sort of motor connection problem all along.  But that loco is now back in the roster.  I added this loco back into its 3 loco consist that I swapped it out from, and returned the loco that I swapped it with, back to being a spare loco.

I investigated three issues that Darren reported during the Operations session.  I adjusted three sets of point throws in the southern end of Cassino Yard and they now do a full throw in both directions.  The chance of derailments due to the blades not laying up against the stock rails here is now gone.  I also adjusted the fence line at the Rocla Sleeper siding and ran the car carrier through that location a dozen times and it now appears incident free.  I also fixed the power feed on the main at Rocla Sleeper Siding.  There is no more stopping when the point is set for the siding.

I also fixed a manual point throw at Kyogle that came out from underneath the Peco point.  I also found quite a few notes made to some of my Shunt lists from the operations session.  As trains have evolved over time, I may not have been too diligent in adjusting the current shunt lists.  I also realised that I could simplify a few timetable cards where the returning trains need to travel around the return loops at Grafton Yard before backing into one of the dead end sidings.  But to do so I will have to re-locate a train that sits on track 8A to somewhere else on the layout.  I will get around to that later on.  Today I updated the timetable cards and various shunt lists.  I found out that some of the changes I was to make to the shunt lists, were already made.  I just did not print new shunt list cards since the last session.  Again my mistake!  However, there were plenty of slight changes made to various instructions on the timetable cards and on some shunt lists.  I added the extra 2 cement wagons to the shunt lists for train numbers 3 and 4 the cement train.  I added the new wagons to the shunt lists for train numbers 49 and 50 the Oil train.  I also added the instructions to the timetable cards for the replacing the drum loads on those two trains as well.

Happy New Year everyone.