More weathering!

As I work my way along the baseboard I am weathering the track with an airbrush and some earth/rust coloured paint. It takes the shine off the metal rail and makes the sleepers look more like they are old and worn - just like me!

As in previous episodes of this rather boring job I have mask off points and track joints to ensure no  electrical issues arise later. I can use a brsuh later to touch in these areas.

There is a fair amount of track on this baseboard and painting it all has taken some time. The four tracks towards the back of the baseboard will be hidden from view so don't need painting or indeed ballasting! 

 I believe that is all the track done on that base board now so a bit more wiring to do and then realign it all and glue it down!

Sleeper time!

Time to cut some sleepers from the copper clad strips that were in the WMD Stores. You have got to admire the Stores as they do have good stocks of required materials or as Mrs. Woody would term it, junk!

The sleepers were cut to match the plastic sleepers of the track. Where the rail is to be soldered to them I pre-soldered some spots which should make that process a bit easier. I also remembered to cut through the copper film so that there would not be any short circuits and just to make sure I had cut right the way through I tested each sleeper with a circuit tester - work smarter not harder as I get older!

The sleepers were then glued with superglue to the already glued in place plywood subbases. That s a lot of glue in one sentance!

Then the plastic sleepers were removed from the rails where they went over the copper clad sleepers. The four tracks at the back of the baseboard will need a similar procedure but as they will be hidden I have some copper clad sheet in stock which might make life easier.

Once I get the rest of the track in place, glued down and wired I can then cut through the rail. Hopefully I havent forgotten to do anything in this process or you could say I was sleepering on the job!

 

 

Modern antique art?

Back at the Rocks By Rail Museum today and having completed the Easter holiday events it was time to change the banners for the next event.

The old banners that I altered with stick on new dates have weathered but they did the job proving the concept works and saves cash.

Then it was back to grass cutting! However a new feature has emerged! The old wagon that fell apart when moved that I posted about some weeks ago has had its surviving parts mounted on display in the car park offering a unique, in my view, take on modern antique art!

I like this! Maybe Mrs. Woody would like something similar in the WMD garden - or maybe not!

Spaghetti?

Things move on with my 00 gauge Last Great Project layout. They may be moving slowly but they are moving which given my usual rate of progress is about right!

Some more track underlay has been cut to size and glued down and a start on wiring the track has been made, I may be over cautious with the wiring but there is a basic principal that each section of track should have power feed which means a lot of wires! It does, at the moment, look like a scene from the WMD kitchen where my spaghetti cooking has gone somewhat wrong and Mrs. Woody is booking a table at a restaurant in order to get something edible for dinner! However, once fed through the baseboard the spaghetti of wires will be hidden until I reach the point of cutting through the tracks at the baseboard join and then being able to turn the board over which will make sorting the wires and connecting them so much easier - I hope!

With major work comes chaos - or at least when I am doing it. However it needs to be done and I just need to get it done as quickly as I can and keep thinking of the end product. Hopefully it will be a good product! Meanwhile I better cook Mrs. W's dinner which is not spaghetti but quiche which given it is bought in should be edible!

 

More track work!

Back to model track today after playing with the real thing yesterday. On my 00 gauge Last Great Project Layout I have glued the base board track joint sub bases in place as well as beginning to finally cut to shape and glue the track underlay in place. 

 Lots more to do so that will keep me busy for a few days if Mrs. Woody is reading this!

Reunited - The sequal!

 It has been a while but today I was reunited with this point lever at the Rocks By Rail Museum. Being a quarry day we were shunting and much as I feared that the weather would be a washout it was actually dry apart from ten minutes of drizzle.

The point lever however got heavier and heavier to operate as the day went on and what with coupling, uncoupling, putting on brakes and taking off brakes on the wagons being shunted I am shattered! However a good day and reasonable numbers of visitors on both days making it even better.

I had a chance to examine the face excavator a bit more closely and see the controls which are a lot different to the drag line excavator.

I must admit I prefer the drag line! It may look a lot more complex to operate but most of those levers are air assisited unlike the face excavator where everything operates through brute strength!

I did have to smile to myself as I went for lunch and looked in on the steam loco crew.

Their lunch had been cooking whilst they worked with these foil wrapped baked potatoes cooking on top of the firebox! Given how tempting they looked they were almost un-united from their owners!

More greyness!

 Having woken up seemingly an hour earlier then normal due to the clocks going forward I peered out of the window into the greyness of the mist that enveloped WMD HQ. However I did not put me off going for a bike ride which brought my total for hi year up to 946 miles. Not brilliant but better than last year at this time. There was a glimmer of sunshine so I thought that it might brighten up for an afternoon ride but no! More greyness of clouds and drizzle! Well that is the delight of the Easter break. You never know what weather you might get and it is certainly better than two years ago today when I looked out of the window to be greeted by this as I blogged about - click here.

Anyway, having generated enough enthusiasm to get something done I decided I really needed to start on making the joints in the track between the baseboards on my 00 gauge Last Great Project layout. On the first baseboard that I did this on back in July of 2023 it looked like this.

Those are plywood bases to bring the copper clad sleepers which are glued to them to the right height. The post about that is here. I am going to use the same method on the rest of the baseboard joints so the first job is to cut some plywood bases. Luckily I had an off cut of suitable thickness in the WMD wood store!

Out in the murkiness of the garden I cut the necessary strips using a fine bladed saw - always best for cutting plywood.

With the strips cut they were then cut to the required lengths which I had actually managed to measure before starting this work!

Once sanded they were then painted with, what else, but grey paint!

Even Milly the cat has seemed a bit grey in her  basket. I think though she has the best idea on a day like this - just relax inside! Tomorrows not looking any brighter and I am the Rocks By Rail Museum tomorrow working outside on the Easter Monday Quarry Day! Could be another grey day!

Distracted!

Following on from finishing the current stage of ballasting on my 00 gauge Last Great Project layout I thought I better run some trains to make sure all was well. However, in one of those easy to experience but difficult to explain reasons for moments, I ended up distracted and running trains on my USA switching layout. 

Part of the reason for ending up playing with operating this layout was never having tried this Bachmann Soo Line GP40 loco on it.

It may only be shuffling wagons about but thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable! I do like this layout too!

Well having been distracted yesterday I better get myself back to doing what I intended to do, today, but that could all change if I get distracted again!

Looking forward to cloud and rain?

 

Sometimes a picture is better than words and this one of clouds and rain perhaps illustrates best the weather in the UK at the moment. I did not realise until this morning when I heard the news report that last night Storm Norman crossed the UK . I think we have had that many storms over the past few months that we have just become accustomed to them.

Anyway there is always an upside to a situation and that is if you cant do things outside you can get on with indoor jobs. Now, whilst Mrs. Woody might consider that an opportunity to reduce the size of her ever expanding indoors chore list for me I took it as an opportunity to finish off some ballasting on my 00 gauge Last Great Project Layout.

As I had put petroleum jelly on the point tie bar they remain operational as the glue sets and the orange electrical ducts have been fitted so hopefully all is well! Just have to run some trains to check it out. Maybe I might look forward to some more cloud and rain if I get to spend some more time in the Man Cave!

Reunited!

I was reminded of that old hit track from 1978 by Peaches and Herbs, Reunited (on YouTube by clicking here ) when I arrived at the Rocks by Rail Museum and I was reunited with the lawn mower!

Nearly six months since I last saw and used it and it has left me shattered and aching! The grass was wet and long and it was raining which made for a battle to get anything cut. I use the work 'cut' loosely as it was more like vegetational butchery - which is something I am quite good at! 

So why didn't I leave it for a dry, warm and more grass cutting friendly day? Well this Easter weekend the Museum opens its doors to paying visitors and the place needs to at least look as though it is cared for. Despite the weather the quarry area is looking very tidy with a great deal of cutting of hedges and grass which Pam and Pete have been involved in between painting the inside of the Sundew cab. The path leading up to it is still like a stream though! However we can hope for that elusive warm and dry weather!

Even if it rains visitors can at least view the indoor exhibits and the ever resourceful John has been out with the floor paint again making the place look really smart. I just hope that I can remember that just because it is green it doesn't need cutting with the mower!