Upper Level - First Test Run

Since the last update I have spent may hours wiring up the Upper Control Panel and Power District D. BJ has been doing more scenery work around Jimtown and there will be changes from the original plan! More about that later... Chris has been away on holiday in Canberra and the Monday night crew has met at Barry's but will be back here next week. School holidays are upon us as well which will curtail BJ's Tuesday's activities.


Upper Level Control Panel

Finalising the connections within the panel has taken many hours - especially when I missed some components in the design..... Luckily I picked it up fairly early on so only had to undo six hours worth of work before a fix could be applied.

Power District D

8 PSX's and 18 Block Watchers have been wired

First Test Run

Well after all the wiring stuff the tracks needed cleaning before the big test. The first test was to run over the Power District boundary between District "C" and "D" from Jimtown heading for Stanvac Junction and you guessed it "A Short" - Obviously the "A" and "B" rails were reversed again!

Once the "A" and "B" wires were changed the loco moved over the boundary seamlessly then traversed the boundary between District "D" and "B" - Yes a full loop as "B" and "C" had been previously sorted!

I attached a small string of cars and set them off slowly to traverse the inner loop of the Upper Level and in the first tunnel "S..t" happened the first half the train comes out of the first tunnel with the last bogie of the last truck off the rails with some cars laying on their side in the tunnel!

Further investigation finds a piece of scrunched up newspaper in the middle of tunnel! Obviously the loco was heavy enough to "push it aside" but the cars were not!

On the next test run things were somewhat different.


Watch below as the train comes out of the cutting.

and coming across the bridge on the approach to Jimtown.

Scenery at Jimtown continues

BJ finished off the plaster shell and has started the colouring process on the shell. When the colour was applied the proposed "Buildings - Those built by Chris" - it just did not work. Looked like a shag on a rock or as BJ said "a cartoon scene!".

Alas we have a reserve area on the layout where the structures are still to be determined.

As for Jimtown, well we have some industries, a freight station and some silos there already.  So we will have a diary in lieu of the town and add a cattle loading area.

So watch out for the proposed changes which will include some green irrigated paddocks of pasture!

Adamsville

Freight station and Silos for starters.... The cattle yard will be transferred to Jimtown and those lovely buildings that Chris made will be moved to a location with much more area at Adamsville.

Picket Fences

BJ is building some - he is including some broken palings!

Thanks again BJ for all your efforts.