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Its been a while since anything's been updated. Actually that pesky REAL World keeps rearing its ugly head. The Rolling Outhouse project was finished and operational in time for the East Coast Large Scale Train Show in York, PA and I even got them weathered a bit by the one and only Mac McCalla. After York the Railroading went into a holding pattern while I had The Shop moved from one end of the yard to another, and spun round 180 degrees. My landlord was supposed to have helped with this, but after I demobilized Shop and contents, and waitied for THREE weeks not being able to work on anything, I decided to do it myself.
With the Shop moved and most of its contents stacked here and there, I figgered this would be a good time to make some changes inside. I swapped the benches around, and lowered the wider bench to accomodate a run in locomotive storage track for the larger more unweildy locos. I have lifeted Anns Creek Yard completely, with an eye towards moving the Cassville Yard that is currently out front, to the back yard and be raised on a 40" high benchwork. I'm sick of spending all summer fixing things that just get messed up again during the winter. In addition to the run in track, there will be a 2-3 track wide staging yard at the Side of the Shop that represents the rest of the RR. The concept is that Cassville will now become the far terminal of a larger narrow guage system, with some local industry and support a branch line that leads around th house to th front yard. Part of the old Anns Creek Yard trackage will be recycled here as a mining branch, the branch line will pass through an industrial switching area based on a TIMESAVER at the end of its house on its way to the mine. Plenty of operation for a one man band happening here.
Phase I will incorporate the moving Cassville Yard from the front to the back, and elevating it on a 2 x8 foot frame of 2x4s on 4x4 legs. Phase II will be installing the yard lead, indoor storage track and staging yard along side so maintenance and rebuilding of the yard ladder can occur. Depending on time and weather might start this project over a series of evenings instead of a dedicated days work. The outdoor railroading season has officially begun! I even have the lumber on hand for constructing the first module frame, and should be able to get the lumber for the second this weekend.
With the Shop being put back in order on Friday, I've also made inroads to doing the first Large Scale Project of the new season, a 24ft tank car based on D&RG practices, and starting with a piece of 4" diameter PVC pipe. I was able to clad the tank with styrene and mount a dome made from a PVC plumbing cap. Today the tank ends are planned. I've plotted for months on the best way to accomplish this and I think cutting out 4" disks form 1x material andd rounding the ends to the appropriate profile, then just sliding them into the ends of the pipe wwith a snug fit the best way. The wooden ends once shaped will be painted with a dilute wood glue and hand sanded to hide the grain. Once primed and painted, it should look pretty good!
Friday, April 28, 2006
0700
Got industrious and built the first frame for moving Cassville yard. It went together fairly quickly, and I was able to move the first half of the yard last night. I'm surprised at how well the plywood had survived over the last two years. The 40" height looks like it will be very comfortable both for operating and for carrying out track maintenance. This evening I think I'll work on the connector between the yard, Staging, and the locomotive storage track. The three way at the yard throat is definately gonna have to be relaid on new wood, and I'm considering a design for the staging yard.
