Quick milestones.

A fairly brief but successful visit to the club on the 27th.


After my last visit I wasn’t able to get to the club for quite a few months. This time I didn’t get there as soon as I’d have liked but despite the reduced time available I was able to make progress.
Firstly, after removing the cover from the layout, I carried on connecting the droppers for Brookes sidings to their buss bars. Then I made a link from the buss bars to the temporary ‘choc-bloc’ plug that connects to the next board, and inserted temporary jumpers on that plug to connect to the wires for the main lines.
Next, the big moment, so out with a loco and do a bit of track (and wheel) cleaning. Then, connect the controller and see what happens.
The result… TRIUMPH! :-) The loco was able to run over all parts of the layout, especially Brookes sidings. The photos below show this and hopefully I’ll be able to upload a video.

Jinty Progress and the new Test Track

With moving house there's been little time for modelling, however I have been getting some done - firstly my Jinty conversion, using the association conversion for the current Farish model, is progressing nicely - indeed all it needs now is painting, renumbering and weathering once I've done a bit more fettling on it to discover why it seems to rock a little on the centre axle.

So here it is thus far, complete with a replacement N Brass Lines chimney...

My other project has been working on a new folding test track for use at AVRMC, this follows the pattern of Chris Arthur's test track as described in the August 2003 issue of the magazine, based around some MDF cut and stuck back together to allow a 2 foot radius circuit to be made -

It's almost ready for laying track, and it will be able to be set up on either a pair of trestles or flat on a suitable table.

Next Pennine Area Group meeting is on Saturday June 10th at Aire Valley MRC where more work will be carried out on this to cut holes suitable for carrying it when folder and also painting it in a suitable colour, probably green of some sort!