after the long pause

Nothing happens for a long time, then everything happens at once.

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The recent Schomberg Narrow Gauge Show (the 10th annual!) was an excellent outing; a full day of discussion, diversion, and divesting.

I was happy to find new homes for a number of items, including a bunch of On30 equipment that has been ageing in its boxes in my basement. I was also able to pass along sizable quantities of good reference material to two fellow modellers in the area; all the Mainline Modeler mags & all the Railroad Model Craftsman mags that have been thumbed through and referenced for several years. These go on to a new life and stay out of landfill (where they don't belong).

In a feat of heroic restraint, I purchased nothing for myself save a delicious currant cake from the Scottish bakery down the street. Ravening hordes of model railroaders had already swept the venue clean of meat pies prior to my arrival.

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note how I blend into the wall using urbane camouflage

Not long before the aforementioned event, a show organiser asked me to present a short clinic on the use of machine-tools for model making tasks. I had no idea what would be appropriate to offer, as the days of Model Railroader magazine contributor Carl Traub & home lathes seem long past. After much head-scratching, I decided to cover what could be done with a basic drill press that went beyond just drilling single holes in pieces of wood. Different accessories and processes were presented, several of which the group were unaware. One retired machinist told me that he'd never heard of one item I'd shown; the sensitive drill chuck. The talk went long (and cut into lunch time) but it was well attended and everyone stayed until the end. Enough interest was shown to prompt me to think about a recorded demo (on that, more later).

Dinner with friends at the local pub afterwards put the icing on the cake that day.

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The module wiring episode of TrainMastersTV has been released, where Trevor Marshall and I tackle the problem of getting electrons to the trains. Hard to believe this segment was filmed several months ago. Great fun to do, though I wish there were more time to explain some of the "whys".

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In moving the RMCs to their new home, I was able to stop by the TrainMastersTV studio and check out producer Barry Silverthorn's latest layout build progress. It looks like a great start to an engaging track plan, offering some unique viewing angles of the trains in operation.

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Trevor Marshall held an op session on his Port Rowan branch layout last week. I finally got to meet D&H modeller Michel Boucher from Ottawa, and learned some new ways to think about train moves during switching. Premium resin kit designer & builder Pierre Oliver joined Trevor, Michel and I at a favourite local restaurant to have dinner with 23 other railway enthusiasts to top off the day's activities.

A visit to the Credit Valley Railway Co. for more supplies  (followed of course by lunch) the next day made for a well-rounded visit with a new friend. I now own my 5th set of Xuron cutters which hopefully will not share the sordid fates of its earlier brethren (lost, stolen, destroyed, lost).

boxed in

I was able to kill two birds with one stone recently by combining wood working with model railroading; but not building a piece of rolling stock or a structure, or even the benchwork supporting the track.

Just knocking together a couple of boxes...

My friend Trevor Marshall wanted to add the use of waybills to the operating sessions on his S scale "Port Rowan" layout. Many operations-oriented modellers use cut-down representations of prototypical railroad forms - often stuck in little Masonite pockets on the front of their layout fascia. Trevor, however, didn't want to adopt this methodology. He was after something more realistic in appearance to hold his paperwork.

After evaluating several pictures of real waybill boxes, he eventually stated a preference for the Southern Pacific style. Based on the visual aesthetic, I had to agree.

 one basic shell and the start of the second

The real boxes are made of plywood and are quite tall, but the Port Rowan layout fascia would not allow a full sized box to be attached without intruding into the scene. I scaled down the box while trying to retain the functionality.

I needed to reduce the size of the materials to effectively reduce the size of box, but they still had to be robust. Sections of 1/2" and 1/4" poplar were used to create the box, with cast brass hinges & hasps from Lee Valley Tools replacing the (likely) zinc-plated steel hardware of the original.

heavy duty hardware

Brass #8 and #4 fasteners were obtained to attach the hardware; they really should all be slot-head to match the era. The hasp screws may yet get replaced if I can locate a handy source.

Overall dimensions are 2"d x 5-3/4"w x 8"h. A forward-tilting lid (not shown here) is 7"w x 3"d and 1/2" thick. The 1/4" thick front flap is taking on a bit of a bow in an obvious effort to "weather itself".

You can see the prototype inspiration at Tony Thompson's SP blog entry about their own waybill boxes. Trevor has already created a blog post about the installation of these two items on his layout, with links to (much better) pictures of the finished product.

plate progress

The sector plate is progressing. See the sector cut and cork down on Trevor's blog. Still to go is the crank mechanism. I'll need a bit more thinking time to sort out the details.

We are also going to add a flip-down tray to extend the plate deck. This will allow a locomotive cassette to slide around on the deck to reduce handling of the engines. The reason this extension has to be a flip-up-down is so that it doesn't block the lid of the nearby chest freezer.

stop and go

The bead spinner sits idle. Did it work? Oh yes, it threw them everywhere with verve and gusto. Is it quiet? Yes, can barely detect that it's running. Is it user-friendly? No, it needs a speed control and some guards for the moving parts. Another project on hold for the moment.

On the railroad front, the trestle bents were all assembled during the last work session. Making a jig sped things up and ensured consistent results. I'd do it differently were I to do it again; making some refinements to the jig to aid cutting of the pilings, etc. The trestle looks great and there will be a riverbed raising party soon to match it all to the height of the pilings. See the progress at the Lynn Valley Trestle entry on Trevor's blog.

write right rite

Having taken the time to write out all of the requirements for this project in order to illustrate a point, I noted that I had failed to take care of several of the sub-tasks. I would have noticed this when it came time for assembly, however it's always nice to be able to check things off in turn as you progress through any project. The corporate world makes a big fuss over celebrating milestones - I think that people need to do the same in their personal lives. Rejoice in success, however small.

The point is, taking the time to visualise and document the task you are about to undertake can go a long way towards ensuring a successful outcome. Imagine each step of the process before you start the actual work. Note which tools and materials you will need before you set foot in your workshop. Cutting down the number of trips to the store and reducing wasted material are both good things. The exercise of planning it all out in your head will probably reduce your frustration level when the work is being done, too.

the fear of all sums

It's easy to envision a basement filling, model railway empire. One that spans the limits of your imagination, with hundreds of turnouts, and hundreds (or more) of pieces of equipment rolling over the rails.

It's also easy to overlook the work involved in building such an empire, and maintaining the behemoth once it's brought to life.

An example is the eight (only eight?) turnout controls for the Port Rowan project. Admittedly, it's a little more complicated than some methods, but it's still small potatoes, right?
Let's add up a few points:

several hundred wooden ties to layout, glue, sand and stain
8 complete turnouts worth of parts to cut, solder, test fit and hand spike (no small job!)
8 slots to cut through the roadbed to pass the throw rod
8 pieces of brass tube to cut to length, cross-drill and lap
8 pieces of larger brass tube to cut, deburr, lap, and press fit
8 lever arms to cut, file, solder and drill
16 headblock ties to cut, glue and pre-drill 2 holes in each
8 shelves to cut, shape, and drill
8 machine screws to install at an awkward angle

32 very tiny wood screws to install

8 Bullfrogs to punch-out, trim, glue and modify 

16 screws & washers to install upside down to hold the Bullfrogs

8 outer R/C tubes to cut to length

8 inner R/C rods to cut to length

8 throw rods (hardened music wire) to test for length, remove, cut, and reinstall

16 threaded rods to cut to length

16 clevises to thread on to the R/C rods

16 oversized mounting holes to drill for shelves

16 screws and washers to install the shelves

8 holes to precisely locate and drill for the R/C tubes

8 switch stand targets to adjust

This does not include the addition of a lock for each switch stand (more on this later).

Does this list appear daunting? Well, it is and it isn't. Each bite-sized task can be done and set aside until final assembly. There's no complete sequence that you have to start and finish all in one go. These sorts of sub-tasks can be done when you've got 15 minutes or 1/2 hour to spare.

But, if you had 20 or 50 or 100 turnouts, the amount of time required goes through the roof. And this is just the turnouts. Never mind the rails that links them all together, the roadbed, the ties, the benchwork and all the scenery and buildings to flesh out this miniature world. Dream wisely.

Now I'm not trying to dissuade people from building large layouts; just trying to encourage some critical thought and planning before taking the big plunge. If you have the time and attention to devote to a large project, by all means undertake it and reap the long-term rewards of your efforts.

"Wait!" You say "I'm building my layout using Kato Unitrack with built-in turnout motors! I don't need to worry about all this stuff!". And, of course, you are (mostly) correct. Using pre-made items greatly speeds the process and reduces (modelling) labour. But you are trading time for money. If this is acceptable to you and suits your plans and budget, then go for it. There's a massive appeal to getting the trains running TODAY instead of trudging through the slough of despond to reach each milestone.

And now, back to the fettling and fitting.

why why why

The question of why we were implementing this particular style of turnout control was recently asked. After all, it looks like way more work than simply sticking the control cable through the fascia and gluing on a knob or handle to move the Bullfrog, and it doesn't do a more efficient or reliable job of throwing the points.

There are a few really good reasons:
1) Moving the turnout points now feels a lot more like "the real thing". Our experience on the Maine Narrow Gauge RR gave us a taste of how the real railroads did things in the days of steam, and we've been looking for ways to reproduce that sense in the model realm.
2) It adds just a little more time to the operation of setting a turnout. This layout only has 8 turnouts total, so an op session using Peco solenoids or simple buttons would make things go a lot faster. We're trying to slow down and enjoy the process of running trains in a prototypical manner.
3) We would like to implement a feature that would prevent the turnout from being thrown without the extra unlocking step that a real brakeman would have to perform. Again, this is in aid of reproducing the sense of doing things like the prototype did, and slowing down the pace of operations.

Right now I've got all the parts cut up and ready for their secondary operations (drilling, sanding, soldering as required). The plan is to complete the assemblies and start installing them this week.

stand up

Some measurable success in the prototype department. The first switch stand assembly worked as hoped, with just the right amount of resistance to give a sensation of doing "work" when throwing the points.

See the whole post at -> Port Rowan in 1:64 - Switch Control Concept

clearance, Clarence

Can't seem to create much slip between two pieces of K&S brass tubing. Just too close in fit. Even spun the smaller one inside the larger one with a shot of Brasso using a cordless drill to see if I could lap some gap into the assembly. It moves slightly more freely, but not as much as I'd like.

Now, had I wanted a tight fit without fasteners or adhesives, no amount of mucking about would have produced it.

This is in pursuit of a slightly different turnout control for a layout project. The stands are from Sunset Valley, and they will actuate a FastTracks Bullfrog under the points. The Bullfrog has it's detent spring removed, and the two devices will be connected together using Sullivan R/C aircraft cables. The SV switch stands operate just like the real thing, and are sized for use with garden railway equipment.