More Clotheslines

I had lots of plans for this weekend.  But they didn’t all eventuate.  I had some work related activities on Thursday and Friday night that involved a few drinks.  Saturday was Club meeting day, so I went to the club and had a good time talking to the guys there.  I also cooked the lunchtime BBQ.  Before the Club meeting, I was watching one member run his NSW train with 2 x 81 class locos on it.  He was having trouble with it not moving.  I had seen that before, so I checked out the locos.  I thought that one loco might have lost its address or lost its consist address.  The lead loco was just not running and had just seized.  The motor was trying to turn, but the wheels wouldn't budge.  I took the loco to the test track, took the top off it and watched it as we tried to move it back and forth.  The wheels would turn about 3 mm and then lock up and the ammeter on the DCC workstation would just go through the roof as we moved it from forward to reverse and back again.  Not good, given it is a new SDS sound equipped loco.  So that member will be contacting his dealer on Monday.  Just before I left the Club I got a call to order some more clotheslines and tarpaulins.  So on Saturday night I cut out and wrapped up about 40 tarpaulins.  

Sunday was Bathurst day.  So I spent it in front of the TV watching the great race.  While there I cut up the components for some N scale clotheslines.  I also cut up and assembled 20 HO scale clothesline posts.  I have started on the top part of the clotheslines and I should finish these by mid-week after I pick up some more styrene tomorrow.  I couldn't be bothered in heading to the hobby shop today.  I did already have about 8 clotheslines that needed to be painted so I did get the paint out later in the afternoon during one of the safety-car periods in the great race and painted the first 10 clotheslines posts and the 8 clotheslines tops I had already completed.  When the race completed, I painted the next 10 clothesline posts.

I did have a list of tasks to complete for the diorama I am taking to the New England Convention at Armidale, but I did not do anything on that front.  I do not have too much to do to complete it.  However, there is always next weekend.  I was planning on also painting about 40 to 50 pallets in various colours, however the morning was rather wet, so I decided against doing any painting in the morning.

On Tuesday this week, we went to Kevin’s place and checked out his layout progress.  He is concentrating on his logging area at the moment.  We all then had a discussion about the size of the diorama for Armidale.  The rules state that they were to be 12 inches or one foot x one foot.  Some of those in attendance and I will not name Kevin directly, are making their diorama 300mm x 300mm.  That is undersize, so I think it should be excluded from the competition (Hehehehehe - what are friends for).  If he wants to make it 304.8mm x 304.8mm then he would be OK to enter it into the diorama competition.  So there was a bit of jovial debate raging.

Tomorrow I have a full day planned.  Do my Tax, look at a couple of new cars for the boss and then pick up some more styrene from a local hobby shop.  I might then start completing the next few clothesline tops, and maybe paint some pallets.  On the subject of clotheslines, it seems that PK might actually be progressing his outdoor clothesline, so he can eventually line his shed and maybe start his layout.