Work list:
Unpack Stephen's car.
Review issues noted at Littlehampton.
Geoff and Laurence had unloaded their car straight after the show, but Stephen had waited until the regular Wednesday meeting to return his half. There seemed to be a lot of stuff that now had to be found storage places..... The general opinion was that Littlehampton had gone like clockwork and had been a thoroughly enjoyable event. Parking and unloading facilities had been excellent and the layout had generally behaved itself very well.
1) Investigate failure of lights in the
2) Paint the signal light posts and signal backs silver. This one had simply escaped the final work list and was quickly rectified. (Not a cosmetic feature - it highlights the black disk around the light and makes the post and sign diminish when viewed from the opposite direction).
3) Review fiddleyard storage and the need for additional cassettes. Opinions were mixed on this. The fact there were four operators keen to get their stock on the layout meant that space was a bit tight at times. We didn't have anywhere to store stock that had been taken out of wraps apart from the fiddleyard and cassette shelf. However, the consensus was that two more full-length cassettes would probably help. We will have to be more cautious about the amount of stock 'in-play', in future.
4) The trestles had been carefully marked with dimensions so that we could set them out to suit taped floor markings. However, they were uni-directional and required a bit of maths when working from the other end - say no more. The reverse dims need to be added as well.
5) The bell attached to the signal system was always thought to be far too soft, but at the show, it was totally inaudible. An amplifier was agreed upon and Stephen will investigate small kits which he has used in other projects. Something with a volume control would be ideal.
6) Track cleaning. This had been a non-stop activity with different methods being employed - paper/rags (with and without solvents), our 'tool' comprising a plate with fine emery paper and a hinged handle, and Geoff's favourite, a carbon brush from an electric motor. Geoff now used an HO Bachmann track cleaning wagon (a bogie fuel tank) that had a self-weighted pad. We might investigate something suitable for WC in due course.
Once the debrief was over, we ran a few trains. Stephen displayed a set of timber wagons that had not made the final exhibition running list because they had US style disconnect bars. However, Littlehampton had inspired him to modify them to provide another fulls/empties train (the timber loads being removable). They've been approved for Burton.
