Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

G`day Pete,
I`m glad you like the bell codes.
At this point in time, and because of other factors and Covid, I have only had, let`s say one and half operating sessions with more than one operator, using the block instruments.
And those other operators were my little Grandsons..........so the system has not had a proper run with adult operators yet. Mind you the boys do a sterling job when they were willing to work with each other.
The system is slowly moving towards fully functional and requires still some more elements, such as scheduling and signalling.
These additional elements will add a certain amount of stress to a running session with time pressure being the main problem.
With adult operators, I can see tempers being tested at times.................
I have created a monster.......
Gormo

 

Well yeah......
That`s going to throw a spanner in the works.
Gormo

 

.......you better stay away from block instruments Sol.......don`t want to upset the lads...
Gormo

 

I`ll be over to your thread to check it out Richard........
Gormo

 

Thanks Chris,
Welcome aboard.
I am into my third week away from home, so not much to report on about the railway
Cheers
Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
Well we arrived back home last Thursday the 8th in the evening.
We have been in Queensland with our daughter since the 17th June, a total of three weeks away. Covid changed significantly in NSW while we were away and consequently we had to fill in Covid declarations on line to legally cross the border back into NSW.
Our departure from NSW, on the other hand was rather timely, as we avoided the early spread of the Covid - 19 Delta variant here in Sydney. However there were some concerns in Brisbane while we were there, and we were subjected to a four day lock down in Brisbane. All our family were OK, and Julie and myself and family dodged a bullet a couple of times by being at certain venues at the right time and day.....in other words we were not there when infectious people were .....Phew !!!!!
The main purpose of our visit was to be with our daughter on her birthday and that happened during the Brisbane four day lock down......well what can you do.???
I had promised our daughter that I would restore an old piece of family furniture for her. She had taken quite a fancy to it so we agreed to tackle it together.
The piece is an old telephone table, probably from around the 1930`s......basically still well intact, however the finish has degraded over time, plus someone had attempted to restore it years ago and their attempt was not very successful.

This is what we started with.....the finish is dried and cracking in places and the effect is very dark not allowing us to see the beauty in the timber, however it`s still an interesting piece and worth a crack at restoration.





Removal of the old finish was painstaking and took a few days of part time work and consumed a whole tin of paint stripper.
The way I was taught to do this employs paint stripper to save what`s underneath, rather than sanding it all away. The stripper is removed with a scraper and the residue is removed with course steel wool and Methylated Spirits. Water could be used to wash it off, but Methylated Spirits will not damage the timber and make it swell. The bare timber is then sanded back with fine grade steel wool, which makes it very smooth without removing too much history.
The table was then given two coats of Cabothane Clear Gloss polyurethane, with rubbing back to a flat finish in between coats. The final coat was rubbed back to a flat finish and then polished with a Beeswax cream to reveal the results below. The Cabothane was preferred, as it is absolutely clear like water, whereas the Estapol Clear products have a yellowish tinge to them over time.















So....as you can see we don`t have the full gloss that the modern products give us, but rather a more subdued shine in keeping with the age of the piece.
What I have referred to, quite a few times now, as the old but cared for look. The polyurethane finish will be more durable than a Shellac, because there will be a pot plant living on the table top, and Shellac and water do not get on very well.
So the table retains it`s knocks and dings and dents, it`s history, although I did remove two pieces of ancient chewing gum from underneath the seat and the drawer. The drawer sides have drawings on them that children have done with colour pencils and the top edge of the drawer has a persons name carved into it..............all part of it`s history and points of interest.
Well it`s nothing to do with trains, but I`m taking my Mojo pills to get back into that side of life once again.
Sydney is currently in a lock down that may go on into next month, so I will have plenty of time to work on my railway.
Gormo

 

Thanks Vinylelpea......
Gormo

 

Thanks Pete,
Yes it`s good for quite a few years now..........it will probably need a polish every six months or so, but my daughter will take care of that.
Gormo

 

Thanks Chris,
Yes I am pleased with it........the end panels and the drawer front especially, have revealed a beautiful pattern in the silky oak.
A couple of pics below show how the grain revealed itself during the process of restoration





Gormo

 

Thanks Gary,
Yes I`m sure she will treasure it and eventually pass it on to a family member who will appreciate it.
Gormo