On Friday I got an email from Arthur, asking if I was available over the weekend as he wanted to come over and evaluate my trackwork for my CIVIL AP. So we made arrangements for a Sunday meet.
So on Saturday I went to the shed just before midday and decided to clean the track around my three pieces of trackwork that needed to be assessed. So I started with my dual gauge point in Acacia Ridge Yard. Things ran quite well.
I then moved to the Clapham Yard and tested the gauge splitter track. I ran a standard gauge train – loco and 4 wagons over the dual gauge splitter in both directions. I also ran a narrow gauge locos and 5 wagons through the splitter in both directions. So that was all good.
Next test was to run trains through the narrow gauge conversion or 3rd rail transfer track. This changes the third rail from one side to the other, i.e. from the left and side to the right hand side. So I ran a standard gauge loco through the track and everything was good. I then ran the narrow gauge train through the track. It ran pretty well as well. However, I did discover that I needed to clean some ballast out of the flangeways. But while running the narrow gauge trains, just past this piece of track, the train was getting into trouble on some other pieces of track. So I spent some time trying to adjust that piece of track. I needed to adjust the joint, as there was some mis-match in the rail heights and one of the rails was out of gauge. So I adjusted that and now the narrow gauge trains run a lot better.
However, when I was running trains on the layout, I all of a sudden got no power in one of my power districts. It was pulling quite a few amps. I had no idea what the cause of this short circuit was. I could turn the power off and on and it would go away, So that is not a good thing.
But I did decide that I would have to make a small adjustment in the track layout in one section at the dead end of the dual gauge tracks in Acacia Ridge Yard. I have a curve that I realised is far too tight. I did plan to do that after Arthur leaves. So eventually after Arthur did leave, I did rip that section of track up and relocated a set of points about 10cm to the right and now I believe travel through this area is much smoother. However, I will have to spend some time next weekend reinstalling all the track jumper wires. That could be a bit of a mammoth task. I also have to adjust the point throw on a tillig dual gauge point. It was controlled by a DPDT switch imbedded into the baseboard and connected to the point blades, but as the point changed location, the switch needs to as well. However, there is no longer any room for the switch at the new location. So I might have to run it through some sort of pivot linkage and locate the switch at 90 degrees to the track, just to fit it in. We will see.
So getting back to Arthur. He rocked up at the appointed time and ran some trains through the various pieces of track. Well two worked pretty well, but the third was causing issues with all my standard gauge locos derailing as they went through it. This was not happening the day before, and even a couple of hours before Arthur arrived, when I tested it again. So I have no idea what was occurring, maybe it was temperature related. So the end result is I will throw that dual gauge point out and make a new one. So that is a job for the next couple of weeks, when I get all the components. It doesn't take an intellectual giant to work out I would have fail my CIVIL AP.
Epic Fail. Oh well, there is always next time.
I'm still waiting for the local hobby shop to get my plastic brick sheet in. Apparently the distributor had everything but that, as I went back on Saturday morning and his stand was overflowing but not the one I wanted.
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