A Bit of a Plug

I recently received a package in the post with some items from the Laser Rail Bits range of NSWGR timber infrastructure kits. For those who don't know about these I suggest you check out Rod Kelly's NSWGR Southern Line Layout in a Shed blog and his ebay store. Now I personally think Rod is undervaluing his work but for the modeller they represent very accurate representations of NSWGR infrastructure at more than reasonable prices.
I used the 7.5M recycled sleeper level crossing for the road crossing at Wollar near the flour mill. This pack contains two level crossings, presumably for those who have a double track main line, for $7:50 plus $3.50 postage.
Here is a photo of the crossing, I choose to weather it with light and dark grey/black pastels rather than use anything liquid based as it is quicker (no drying time) and it eliminates any possiblity of warping.

I also built the small loading bank facing kit but used it as the platform facing for a small 'whistle stop' station on my Cassilis branch to pick up those local school children and add another operational dimension. This kit was just $12.95 and the same postage, of course if you buy several kits they are so light that the postage should just be $3.50 for the lot.
Here are a couple of photos of the station with a Rail Central PC1 station building recently donated to me by Bob Lynch when I was talking about my proposal for the station at one of my Bylong running nights.

Once again I weathered the platform face with pastels but unfortunately because of the position on the station and the layout room lighting, the detail of the laser cut kit doesn't show.
I also have yet to build one of the timber ash buffer kits but I won't be adding the angled side bracings as they were later repairs, the actual plans do not show them (the three at the rear are on the plan).
Well done Rod, I look forward to the other kits you have coming, particularly the paling fences, I know where I can use a few and the small coal stage version for the Cassilis loco depot.

Do as I say not as I do

A while back I told of a short circuit on a friends layout that could have caused a fire (actually it did cause a 1cm round fire that went out when I called for the layout to be shut down immediately). The short was caused by placing two track spikes on the same PCB sleeper, one with copper on top and bottom. The top of course had been gapped to stop short circuits but the bottom hadn't and possibly due to expansion and contraction, both track spikes came into contact with the bottom layer of copper completing the circuit from one rail to the other.
Well, I had the Ramblers over recently for an impromtu operating session and when I turned the layout on at 7:05pm I found that it had a short circuit that shut down the DCC, it wasn't there the night before!
The boys started arriving around 7:45pm to find me trying to track down the short. I had worked out that it was in the new Cassilis branch terminus station.
A careful examination found three rail gaps at points that had closed up, these were cleared but the short remained. The Rambler with the previous 'fire' short asked if I had removed one of the track spikes from the two on sleepers of the hand built points as I said I was going to do after reporting his shortcircuit 'fire'.
By now you know the answer!
Five minutes later with a number of track spikes laying on the Cassilis baseboard the short was gone.
The moral of course is don't put off something that you know that you should do and do as I say not as I do (or don't do as the case maybe).

Mini Sand Blaster Fine Grit Supply

Earlier this week I received an email from Scott Hamilton with information about where to get supplies of the fine sand blasting grit for the mini sand blaster in my last post.

Scott sent the following information and links:

"I have found that Micro-Mark in the US sell the blasting medium in 5 lb to suit your sand blasting tool. The gun that you have seems to be based on the Passhe model which Micro-Mark also sell."

Links - blasting medium - http://www.micromark.com/paasche-aex-5-aluminum-oxide-abrasive-5-lbs,9120.html

replacement tips - http://www.micromark.com/extra-steel-tip-for-paasche-air-eraser,9119.html

air eraser - http://www.micromark.com/paasche-air-eraser-mini-sandblast-gun-set,9117.html

 

"Hobbytools Australia also stocks the abrasive medium for these 'air erasers'."

 http://www.hobbytools.com.au/category47_1.htm

 Just a short post this time but I will post again soon.

A Sometimes Useful Tool

The other Sunday my daughter and her family visited and I was given an opportunity to get out of the house while they looked after my wife Chris. I decided to go to Super Cheap Auto to get a small clamp I needed and while there I found a Mini Sand Blaster for $39.95 that needs  a 30-60 p.s.i. air supply. Now imagine an airbrush that sand blasts and I thought that here is a tool I can use. I must admit I have my fathers disease and I love to collect tools just in case I might need them.

Of course you have to take it home and try it out right away but I had visitors, I got to it later that night. Some years ago I inherited some model trains from Chris' uncle and among it there was an original run Model Dockyard C38 that had been stripped of paint and a few brass parts as well after it had been left in the stripper for a number of days. It had remained in this state since then and was very tarnished.

I set up a plastic storage box as a temporary sand blasting cabinet and had a try. Now I thought that some of you would be interested and have a use for one of these so I set up my video camera of the sand blaster in action.

Unfortunately the sand blasting grit is 220 microns (0.22mm) grain size and after I was finished the video I found that the grit had flown out of the box and was everywhere for a half a metre or so. This led me to buy another storage box that had a lid that was reasonably see through and I cut a couple of hand/arm holes into it. I thought about fitting gloves like the real cabinets but figured that not much grit would escape when my arms virtually fill the holes. I also fitted a grommet into the side of the box to allow the hose to come into the box, attaching the sand blaster inside the box. A small bracket is supplied to hang the blaster on so I screwed this to the wall of the box also.
Here are a couple of photos of the 'cabinet'.

The blaster comes with a small container of the grit and I didn't see any other supply at Super Cheap Auto (I will watch for it). I would suggest that you save the used grit for re-use as I am sure that the small amount of brass, etc. wouldn't be a problem. I should mention that the nozzle has a ceramic insert.
I am interested to try this blaster on scenic elements such as ageing wood structures/parts, 'weathering' wagons and perhaps ageing signs on the side of model buildings to name a couple.
If you buy one and come up with some other uses let me know.

A little work along the way

I have been looking after my wife after her recent back operation (everything went well and she is doing OK) and having little time for modelling I reverted to a system that I have used down the years. It is simple really, just try to do maybe half an hour every second night or so and you will be amazed how much gets done. I think it is that you know you don't have much time so you focus more instead of navel gazing on "how will I do this"?
Anyway I decide to upgrade a Bergs NSWGR D50 class brass locomotive that would be about 42 years old.
Why bother do I hear you ask, when Eureka is doing the D50?
Simply because I already have one Bergs D50 (5221) which I received as a 21st birthday present and that loco is going nowhere when the Eureka 50s come along.
I upgraded my 5221 way back when David Anderson had his shop and brought in his Mansfield D50 and its brass detail castings. I also have a Mansfield D50 but I couldn't say it is a good runner, it has always had a small bind that I haven't been able to find and rectify.
I thought that I would take my time and add the same details and changes to the second Bergs D50 that I inherited a few years ago from Chris uncle.
Unfortunately I didn't have a can motor to put into this 50 as I did to 5221 several years ago so that will have to wait until I can source another (it requires one with long shafts, most have short shafts to suit diesels).
Now the Bergs 50 had several issues, one being that the cab roof was maybe 1'3" too short at the rear cab overhang, the cab roof had no detail, the marker lights were too large, some of the piping wasn't right, added some more piping and the funnel and dome were a bit small.
I was also lucky to know someone in the electro-plating industry who re-plated the driving wheels of both Bergs 50s as the brass was showing through on the treads and this caused very poor electrical pickup.
Here is the loco with the work underway.

And here it is completed with its sister D50s.

I added a Soundtraxx DRGW K37 Tsunami sound decoder and speaker in the tender like my other two 50s. The tender also had new marker lights fitted and the poor turret tender bogies that were originally fitted had been replaced with the correct ones some time ago. I do have a Lloyds Turret tender kit which I will make up some day to replace the original, or maybe I will use one of the Andian ones when they are released.
Extra pickups were added to the loco and the tender bogies as well as a wiper for the chuff using my method of ACC Super Glue applied to the rear wheel rim  of the last driving wheel to make insulated sections.
I have noticed now that it is painted that there is a circular hole in the cab side for access to the sanding gear, for filling I think, so more work to come.
One day I might try re-gearing both of the Bergs 50s to get rid of the worm gear by mounting a gearbox on the rear axle inside the firebox and then sliding the motor inside the boiler barrel but don't hold me to this.

A warning - Please read

While reading the Aus_Model_Rail Yahoo Group tonight I noted a discussion on the use of DCC high amp boosters (10amp), short circuits and the way to handle them with circuit breakers, etc. The discussion has prompted this post and I pass on a warning for those using PCB sleepers with copper on both sides.
Recently I was at the first running night on a friend's new layout, now this layout had handbuilt points using the Fast Tracks method. My friend had been having mysterious short circuits that very day and said that the layout was out of action due to the short. On turning the system on so that we could check for the short he found that it was now working so the running night proceeded.
All was good for a while then as I was shunting his branchline terminus I saw a small approximately 8mm ball of flame erupt from one of the sleepers on a point. I quickly called for the layout to be turned off as the cause was immediately apparent.
There was a short caused by the track pins/spikes passing through the sleeper which had the usual piece of copper removed between the rails, however the copper layer on the bottom was still there and both pins/spikes were touching the copper at the top and the bottom of the sleeper hence a short circuit.
The scary thing here is that this is relatively standard practice in point building and as we often leave the power on the layout when we leave the room a fire could result.
The solution is simple, do not put a track pin on both ends of a PCB sleeper if it is double sided.
I checked my handbuilt points and sure enough I have the same situation on my Cassilis branch terminus but luckily mine aren't shorting.
I am going to remove one track pin/spike from one side of each PCB sleeper.
The interesting thing with this situation is that the booster didn't trip it just kept putting out the amps. I should also point out that the DCC booster was only rated at 5 amps, a very normal booster.
So beware, you have been warned.

Thornleigh Brick Pit Exhibition

I managed to get to the Epping Club exhibition on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and the number of new layouts on show.
Of course there were also the commercials to visit but I had to restrict myself a bit this time as Chris is not working due to her bad back problems. I picked up a pack of Austrains CWs and two of the Andian lever frame etches, a two lever and a three lever frame.
Well, I took a few photos while walking around and meeting people so here are a few of layouts that particularly caught my eye.

ARAKOOLA - A 7mm layout, very nice and not possible to all of it into the picture, there is a little more to the right.

WYEE - Very nice, there is more to the left of the first photo.

BOOROWA - A well done implementation of the scenery leading into Boorowa with photos of the real locations. The bridges need to be greyed up to represent old timber but still nice. The station area was highly compressed but this was likely done so that the interesting approaches could be modelled and space may be limited where it lives normally.

BULLENBUNG CREEK - A delightful, less is more, fine scale layout with a number of those quintessential NSWGR infrastructures features we love so much.

YENDYS - If you read YENDYS backwards you will understand the name. I quite liked this suburban themed layout which surprised me as I don't have any real interest in the Sydney electrics. You need to read the sign to the left of the road that is blocked by the police in the first photo then move onto the second. While the flooded creek is a bit 'cute' it is done very well. The street of flats and the shops also give a sense of perhaps a North Shore station. There is another half of the layout with an industrial theme to the left of the first photo. Over all well done.

GEOFF KNOTT - Of course you can't go past Geoff's work. Geoff and co. were running a scenery clinic for the kids and I saw several proud young ones walking away with a small diorama that they had made with guidance from Geoff and his friends.

AUSTRAINS - Finally, here are a couple of not too good photos of John Eassie's SRC, ICV, MV and LV wagons. Unfortunately they were at the back of a layout opposite the Austrains stand and with the barrier and gap to the layout front it was tricky getting a good photo.

I hope that you have enjoyed this rather disjointed view of the exhibition.