The Sharing of knowledge and other distractions

Now that I have a bit of real estate to play with, and with the layout in the spare room, combined with all sorts of fun I get up to in the shed. I believe now that I may have it good. 

Now for some thing different..........(drum roll..........cymbal crash!!!)

Da Da Daah.....

A colleague of mine has shown interest in having something to run his reasonably contemporary collection of N scale British rollingstock on, but has little to no idea of how to go about it. 

He questioned me on how one goes through the process, the first thing I informed him of, is "that it is his railway, therefore his rules". 

The design brief consists of an oval of twin tracks with two crossovers, an elongated external branch line with passing loop, plus a few sidings all to fit on a 1400mm x 900mm baseboard that can be accommodated in the back of a smallish hatchback. 

After a recon out to the car park to measure up, along a quick sketch of a baseboard frame plan, then printing off several Peco point templates combined with a quick trip to the local big box hardware store for some timber. The concept has been conceived. 

This layout will be DCC with an option to run the odd and only one loco/consist on DC with a flick of a switch. DCC will be provided by the NCE Powercab. 

After the frame of the baseboard was completed and the roughing out of the DCC bus had been installed.  Then there was a pleasant Sunday spent in the shed laying track, sampling some party pies and beverages, listening to old school music along with the VFL grand final on the tv in the corner. Thanks for supervising Brendan. 

The track work/damage in the shed.

On the Monday, I tidied up some cv's and sorted out some addresses.

Then Glenno Go-Box now features a N scale programming track. 

But it's not all squinting with N scale, I did manage to 'massage' the bend module back into Victoria Street, as I believed that having the racecourse terminus straight after the gates looked somewhat pointless, as any sensible tramway operator would have terminated short of the railway and let the punters walk across the tracks. After this recent foray into N scale, Victoria Street now looks massive!

Order has been restored. 

I have also organised a pull out shelf for the decoder programming laptop and the Powercab that slides neatly into the cabinet under the gates module, thus improving my standing with the domestic authorities. win/win.

Now you see it.

Now you don't. 

Then on top of that I now believe that I have completed my collection of the Victorian Railways motive power that was on offer from Hornby era of the 1960-70's. Mass market modelling at its finest for us in the antipodes. This only happened because Victoria Street was in storage and I had nothing to do. 

You can almost smell the ozone from these  'old school' user serviceable models. 

From the eclectic collection above and beside the slightly extended wires. 

Glenn

Back on track.

"Under the cloak of darkness of an early Sunday morning, after a sly reconnaissance mission during a weekday, it was decided to power up the trolley wire and it was time to knock off some oxide of the rail head. As the poor locals of Victoria Street have had to tolerate bustitution for over twelve months.

The tram, SW6 964, out of service with 'special' on the headboard, gently coasted into Victoria St from Albert Rd, then gingerly back shunted into 3 road of Westside depot. Replacement buses transferred from Footscray were laid up on roads 1 & 2. 

 
The next trip was out to the racecourse, with somewhat a minor delay at the gates, as the railway signal man was caught out, for he and his colleagues haven't had to throw the switch for the overhead from the 1500V railway to the 600V tramway for over a year.

It was rather quiet at racecourse terminus, there was no one there. The replacement buses had somewhat diminished the reliability of the trams, even with the bus idling there, no one was interested.
  

As this was the only tram service out this far today, the crew had chance to inspect the operation of the bundy clock and the track phone, together with a few cigarettes and a discussion about yesterday's football results.  

The return trip was interrupted by a slow moving freight train coasting through the gates at regulation speed, finally it passed off into the serenity of an early Sunday morning. 

The station crossover was next, it was decided to zig-zag the tram through in both directions as part or this rolling inspection. With a side trip to the milk bar to load up with some cigarettes and the Sunday Observer or maybe the Sporting Globe. 

The main reason this tramway was built is the Ammunition (Ammo') Factory, the issue is that during the bus replacement the service didn't 'cut the mustard', it was infrequent, not large enough nor offered a direct route to the station, this was especially noted during shift changes, upon which hundreds of workers would pour through the gates.

Today it was all quiet, an opportunity to use the facilities and to traverse the main terminus and the slightly overgrown siding. 

Then it was back to the depot, by this time the buses had moved on, this allowed the tram to be berthed on the top of 1 road. An inspectors car has been sent out to collect the crew, as all appears well with the route so there will overtime for some tram drivers to do some depot transport trips and bring the trams back to Westside Depot."

Finally from under the relocated wires.
Glenn

The things we do. (We all started from somewhere)

With the layout in exile, and with the family away up north while I have to work. Normally about this time of year I perform major works on Victoria Street. 

Question; What does one do and not yet indulge in self destructive behaviour before moving house? 

Answer; Plonk down some set track and run some retro train sets on the living room floor.  

First cab off the rank, remember the Christmas of 1977, Hornby punch out an Australian series that include the Victoria Railways S class with a ZL van and a loose collection of domestically branded British rollingstock all resplendent with tension lock couplers.  Sadly the box no longer exists, but I found this example online. 

From the catalogue.

As presented 40 odd years later. 

Not in bad condition for something over forty years of age. 

Then a Bachmann set with a Santa Fe F7 and a small collection of rollingstock in original box with track and controller. 

In the box.

Out of the box.

These were obtained by either the local buy swap and sell page on Facebook, or from the somewhat dreaded eBay, off loaded by individuals who had no real idea their historical or intrinsic value. 

As one can remember, set track can have its setbacks, rusty steel rails and flogged out rail joiners make for some iffy running, but add a track rubber and some new fishplates and its Christmas Day, once again for this child. 

Either way I can get my fix while the rest of my tram fleet resides in storage. 

Here is the recent arrival to my tramway fleet cutting notches on the 'set track'. 

My motto in life has been, always have a plan B. Mission accomplished.

From under the radar while the family is away, while running old school DC. 

Glenn. 

Some more distractions

What can I say, I'll do anything than tackle outstanding work on the work bench. The annual leave/household maintenance has come and gone, then closely followed by the Easter school holiday, these scenarios are the thief of modelling time. 

While there is not any pressing issues that require attention on the layout, the rollingstock (anyone remember 821?) are trundled from one end to the other to keep the rails clean and the mechanisms moving. 

When it comes to recent achievements, I have finished the distraction that is the per way loco, introducing SEC 1. 

Nothing like a bit of imagineering. 

The other side project features an aspect of interior design with a tramway theme. Framed genuine W class tram route numbers. 

 82 (Footscray to Moonee Ponds) and 
57 (West Maribyrnong to City via North Melbourne) 

These take pride of place at the top of the stairs leading to the study/man cave with full approval of the bride.

I did manage to tidy up the study.  

From under the wires at the clean work bench looking at 821 on blocks. 

Glenn 

Something different.

How does one make a layout a little different and offer some other entertainment. A narrative requires conflict in an effort to define a hero or a villain, enter tank warfare.

These were obtained in the Christmas Day draft that is Kris Kringle at the outlaws.
  

One of German decent the other somewhat soviet.

While Melbourne avoided direct contact with the enemy during WW2 other than the odd surveillance aircraft sporting bright red dots as an insignia, that what followed with the associated level of domestic anti aircraft fireworks. this city managed to continue on as a hub for munitions and logistics during the great conflict.    

The latest interaction features two small remote control battle tanks of indeterminable scale. but they do offer another dimension of theatre.

These little pieces of conflict are operated on the common remote frequencies of 27Mhz and 40Mhz, their only downfall is that they tend to run at full speed, regardless of straight line speed or turning and under certain circumstances prototypically throw their tank treads thus rendering them disabled.  I may have to 'adjust' their enthusiasm.

These micro examples of warfare use the concept of infra red signals to impact the other, after a four "hits" the receiver is disabled. The entertaining part is that the delivering tank 'recoils' on firing while the victim 'twitches' on  impact.

Waiting its turn at the gates.

The visitors are taking advantage of Oktoberfest at the racecourse.

The comrades are waiting in the siding at the Ammo factory.

"Sorry sir, but our insurance does not cover damage due to international and/or domestic insurrection or conflict."

A foot note:
' on July 14, 1943, tramcar No. X1 459 possibly made tramway history-- it collided with an army tank! It was outbound on the Russell St route '*
This happened while crossing Geelong Rd along Barkly St, outside the Plough Hotel,and..then...clout!.'

*Electric Traction, Footscray memories, Vol XVII, July, 1962.

Here is my take, sister tram X1 460 has had a run in with the interloper at Victoria St & Albert Rd.

(There will be some paperwork for this....)

There is nothing a spot of weathering cannot do to improve these.
 
Always learning under the wires and have a happy, safe and enjoyable new year.

Regards Glenn