Point levers
Scenery
Quarry yard
A full house this week.
Geoff talked through the work he'd carried out on the yard road. This had been augmented with loose tarmac, repair joins, cracks etc., as well as being repainted and textured with talc, another Gordon Gravett technique. More grass and foliage had also been applied.
Geoff found a bag containing several packets of Roy Link point lever kits, which Stephen had purchased 20+ years previously and dropped in the 'bits' box. It took quite a lot of work to form a suitable base as the sleepers would normally be extended. A right narrow gauge lash-up! However, after painting, the unit looked great.
Attention moved to the next point along, which was 'compromised' by its proximity to a fence, and a standard lever could not be used. Geoff made a plasticard lever/box more commonly used in internal locations where rolling stock passes over the lever. This type has a latching mechanism that means the lever is lifted and dropped back down on the same side, rather than passing over to the other side.
Laurence laid areas of scatter material, extending Geoff's previous work. This is a base layer, over which, a layer of electrostatic grass. (see footnote)
Following the previous weeks discussion, Stephen had made two lengths (15ft & 5ft) of portable track, to be stacked at the end of the quarry siding. However, in re-scaling a drawing, the ends of the sleepers were noted to be too short, which will have to be rectified. Geoff had also made some trackwork, so we should soon have a lovely pile!
A snapshot of the layout shows that were making good progress.
The coal yard layout was discussed again, as a difference of opinion came to light. The area between the head shunt and the main siding had been earmarked for coal, but Geoff thought the loco coal stage should be on the outside of the yard - separate from any 'domestic' sales area. Coal would be delivered to the stage directly from coal wagons, so no other access was required. Stephen will make a new stage instead of using the unit that had been moved from beside the water tower.
Electrostatic grass: The charging unit that has been used to date, was purchased off eBay and was made from a fly swat and a tea strainer. Although it worked, it provided a very weak charge that could not make grass stand as upright as required. Geoff had made a new unit using an ozone generator housed in plumbing fittings. Unfortunately, it failed to work, and a faulty generator is suspected. Geoff will seek to get the unit replaced in due course.
