Wednesday 18th December 2024

 

The basic framework was tackled first. After final discussion about the construction, we gathered suitable materials. A sheet of 9mm plywood had been discovered which was thought to be older than the workshop. A bit scruffy, but usable. Initially, this was considered for the cross-members as well, but then a length of new softwood was found, which decided things. Strips were cut from the ply.

And cross members cut from the softwood,

All of the holes for screws were drilled and countersunk...

... and the first frame assembled.

A few clamps came in handy.

As the final screws were inserted, the frame was checked against the existing station board frame for any issues, of which there weren't any. The new frame was clamped against the existing frame to dry out, to ensure as tight a fit as possible.

The cross-member blocks are set at existing track base level, the lowest likely datum. Additional blocks/packing will be added once the final track profile is agreed.

Finally, the track-bed strip was dropped into place, to see what it looked like. The sides will be cut down to suit the existing ground and the slope on the outside.

The final track level will be determined in due course and a slope up to the water tank is the aim. Issues such as magnet positions, run-away wagons, ease of construction and general appearance will all need to be taken into account.

And that will have to wait until 2025!

Wednesday 11th December 2024

It was crunch-time this week and we decided to investigate the 'siding-along-the-front' idea. The trestles came out and timbers were clamped onto the front, followed by some planed white timber laid on top. Then, some 00 flexitrack was laid down and the discussion started.

The extension framework would be plywood (9mm), bolted or screwed onto the existing baseboard. This would allow the current layout to remain as it is. However, the fence would be out-of-place in between the two tracks and technically should be moved to the outside of the new siding line. A big decision required there.

The basic concept

An option to represent a disused track to 'somewhere'.

A couple of options for the point location were possible.

It's early days and nothing will be decided for a long time, but at least we have 'a project' for the time being.

Wednesday 4th December 2024

We decided to skip the week after the show, so this was our first get-together. There was a quietness about the session as we realised there was nothing pressing to get on with. In fact, what to do now was a major issue. There would be invites to other shows coming in, but for now, we were definitely in a lull. 

We discussed repairs and set up the masons boards to tackle a slight misalignment of a point rail, which was quickly resolved.

We then settled on adapting the display cabinet cassette turning platform. This had apparently given some operators a problem, being a bit too low over the mainline cassette position. The existing platform was removed. Rather than take it apart, a new, simpler platform was made to the same profile, screwed in place and painted. The original will be kept just in case the new one proves to be a problem and a 'quick' swap can be made.

The gauge of the 'track' slots in the display case had been queried, but they measured wider than 16.5mm, so no action was taken. Maybe we'll be advised what the problem was in due course?

Geoff raised a possible project totally unknown to Stephen. He claimed that a long, long time ago, we discussed adding a 75mm extension to the front of the layout in order to fit a long siding to the Worton Court station area. He reasoned that there were only relevantly short sidings in the station and nowhere to 'dump' a full train of full or empty stone wagons. Stephen argued that they were normally run-around and sent to their destination fairly quickly, and rarely caused an issue. However, Geoff is keen to investigate further, if only to give us something to do!

Stephen promoted the idea of signage panels along the front giving details of various features we often tell the public about and which might go completely missed if we weren't able to engage with someone at the time. E.g. The gasifier plant and generator/battery room i.e. the process of generating electricity for the house. The tunnel to and from the quarry. Self-evident, but a description and map might make the arrangement clearer. Labels over the apertures in the end wall of the fiddleyard to explain 'the rest of the world'.

A fool proof way of storing the telephone wires/magnets was suggested. We'd experienced a tangle shortly before the show and the thought of it happening in future focussed our minds.

We can discuss these ideas in due course, but we do need tasks to occupy us.