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Thursday, December 14, 2023

A buffer in place saves a fall!

Time to put a buffer stop on the wharf siding on Chalkdon my 009 layout. Up until now nothing has been in place to prevent rolling stock running off the edge of the layout and taking a near scale 250 foot drop down to ground. Like Elon Musk's recent rocket launches, this would be a 'Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly'! However unlike Mr. Musk's seemingly bottomless wallet which appears unharmed by such unscheduled events my wallet, especially after yesterdays tyre expenditure, cannot afford to see a rapid unscheduled disassembly of rolling stock so the installation of a robust buffer stop is advised!

The Peco buffer stop is ideal as it is robust and the rails actually thread through the uprights, as shown in the photo below, which together with a solid base means that once installed it should be almost immovable unless hit by a 00 scale Musk rocket!

009 gauge layout,

Fitting it to an already built up area was not going to be easy despite part of the cobble surface having bent up and needing gluing down.

009 gauge layout,

However, some brutality with various tools saw parts of the cobbles cut back ready for the installation. I did also need to cut part of the sleeper base away from the rails. It may not look pretty at the moment but that can be sorted out in my usual manner of bodgery!
 
009 gauge layout,

With the necessary cutting done the buffer could be installed and glued in place with superglue just to make it extra secure.

009 gauge layout

It doesn't look to bad but standby for bodgery! As in real life where weeds and grass grow around things in a hard surface because detritus usually accumulates over the years allowing such growth, my model takes the same approach with grass growing around the buffer and hiding what lurks under it! I think that works well! At least my rolling stock cannot rapidly disassemble by plunging off the edge anymore! 

009 gauge layout

One down, one to go with the siding up by the two blue sheds in the background of the photo needing a buffer stop too! A bodge job for tomorrow!

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