Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

Thanks to Toto, Paul and Gary,
It is very nice to get pic of the week.........
Gormo

 

Thanks Ian, Jim and Andy....
Well the final piece of the puzzle was completed today.
I had to extend my lighting bus around under the board that has the engine shed area on it. It was fairly simple.....just extending the run but requires my presence under the boards to sort it all out.
Anyway......it works.










End of the engine shed saga.......Gormo

 

Thanks Pete.......
Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
Well as you`ve possibly noticed on your news feeds, Sydney has been drowned in rain for the last 16 days or so.
We have nearly achieved our annual rainfall in the first couple of months of the year.
Fortunately, my house is situated in an area and on a site that is not subject to flooding, however lots of people throughout NSW and Qld are not so lucky.
It`s interesting to see what implications so much rain has had on my model railway.
The railway is located in a garage that is fully lined and in the past has had some water come in, mostly at the back of the train room on the floor. It takes a hell of a lot of rain to do this and of course it has happened this time. Time to work on some serious drainage solutions to fix the problem.
The most interesting part of this recent rain event though for the railway, has been the fact that moisture in the air is starting to be absorbed into all the timbers.
I have one point on Little Bardfield which has axles in effect, passing through the baseboard ( 18mm ply ) and the baseboard is acting like a bearing. The axles ( 2 ) have nearly frozen in place due to the ply expanding and squeezing them. This is minimal expansion that really can`t be seen, but it`s just enough to make life difficult.
I have sorted that out this afternoon........so that`s number one off the list.
Number two is the drop down flap ( 18mm ply again ) that I have across the entrance to the garage. The flap has expanded just enough to stop being able to be lifted up into position. We are talking maybe a millimeter, but just enough to be a pain in the butt.
I have filed away said millimeter to make the flap operational again, however the thing to be noted, is that in the approximate 7 years or so that the flap has been in position, expansion has never been a problem. In that period we`ve had our fair share of torrential rain, but this recent event has just cranked up to another level.
So I think after this rain event, one has to reconsider clearances where timber is involved. Things are changing and weather events are becoming more extreme and new records are being set each time.
Gormo

 

G`day Gary,
It`s hard when you have to deal with idiots..........a small hole drilled to alleviate water build up can be repaired for a few dollars whereas replacing the whole ceiling runs into the hundreds. Of course then there is the leak in the roof.??
Good luck with it all and in my opinion, you did the right thing......
Gormo

 

G`day Andy,
We`ll be OK Andy......we can fix anything.....
You have a bit of an issue there yourself.......but sounds like you have it under control...
Australia is a very dry country, so much so that you get used to it. It`s not until you`ve been to somewhere like the UK, that you realize just how dry Australia is, especially when you are returning home and flying across the centre of it.
So we`re not used to this amount of rain and moisture in the air and consequently, we don`t plan for it.
I for one, may have to re-think a few things....
Gormo

 

Thanks Chris,
I guess all of that prevention should have been done years ago, but until this most recent event of persistent torrential rain for 16 days, it was never a problem.
Your information is absolutely right, and anyone reading this and just starting to build a layout probably should take this onboard and prepare your timbers accordingly.
At the moment, everything has been repaired or sorted and we are back to fully functional.........so we`ll keep the fingers, arms, legs and eyes crossed......I know it`s not a good look........and hope for the best.
We`ve had discussions going on at different times over the last year or so, about moving away from where we are now and trying to down size. The rest of the family all say, but what about your railway, to which I reply, I will start again.
It will be a great shame to let GCJ go, but what I`ve learnt from building it, will be a good foundation for building something new.
Anyway..........nothing is set in concrete yet.....so we`ll worry about it when it happens and in the meantime, I`ll try to finish GCJ.
Gormo

 

Thanks Phil,
I have an air conditioner out in the shed, but it would be useless next to the main door, however might help to dry things out in the train room.
I`ll give it a run
Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
Nothing much has been done over the last little wee while as I have had my Daughter and Grandson visiting from Queensland.
However, I have had the odd moment to contemplate my railway and have managed a couple of minor tweaks.
My wife Julie, had recently painted some figures for me, so I`ve installed some of them.
First there is this family group, possibly Grandparents ?, taking young Johnny by train, off to somewhere for the day.








Then there is of course some staff hanging about the engine shed.








And finally onto a different subject, I recently purchased the January edition of Railway Modeller, which contained a free back scene which may be of use on Bamford.
Of course, it only covers 4 feet of Bamford, but nonetheless, it`s a good start that can be added to.
Here is a trial fit.........it makes a difference even in this state.




Gormo