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The Applebee and Lavendar line.


markgd
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Hi Mark, have to agree going great guns, how wide are your benches going to be in the shed, looks like 2 feet +, haven't seen bees here for a few years, I think development be the main cause, even wild bees the same, too much of it happening here now and they are bulldozing the native trees down.

Yeah it is not good here in down under, was raining today  mostly afternoon, only showers tomorrow, hope to mow my grass   in the afternoon, Saturday the same and Sunday bad news, very wet Easter..

Have a happy Easter Mark and everyone else.

Tony from wet down under keeping on moving ahead.

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Good morning from New Zealand to Germany, Australia et al,

Hot cross buns for breakfast here and off to the England V New Zealand Test match in a few moments here in Christchurch.

The bees are in trouble everywhere. My one hive is doing its little bit to help I hope. I usually get around 20 Kgs of honey each year.

The storage yard is going to be 3 feet wide and just over 10 feet long. That should be enough for my two locos, 3 coaches and 3 wagons that I have right now.xD The size is dictated by the space I have available for it. Its basically one half of my shed in which I still need to store a lawnmower and all the other stuff we keep in our sheds. Once i manage to get it installed I will post some photos.

Happy Easter everyone.

Cheers

Mark

 

 

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Morning Mark, happy Easter as well, just up to a wet Saturday morning, haven't had our hot cross buns for brekkie  yet will after the morning coffee , it is real sad  not to see bees buzzing around flowers.

That is a good size station yard and length, my old train clubs staging yard was that size, and what my layout be lacking, but hope to have a double track set up section where I can make up trains and pack them up probable 10 feet in length.

Have fun watching England V New Zealand cricket, I hope when they play the fourth test in SA that all is forgotten and including the SA spectators  are fair the  Aussie cricket  team now must move on.

Sun is out finger crossed, no more rain so I can mow the grass in the afternoon, couldn't on Thursday, wasn't well.

I need to buy a full sheet of 12 mm ply for the back door corner module and bridge lower deck.

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead.

 

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  • 4 months later...

Its been a while. I now have a baseboard down in the shed that will connect to the garden railway. I am quite pleased with myself. Its constructed from 12mm plywood on a 2 by 1 battened frame. As the shed floor is so uneven I fitted adjustable legs so that I could get the top level. Its also constructed in two parts simply because a sheet of ply was 8 feet long and the shed is 11 feet 6 inched long. No other reason than that. The width is governed by the need to get lawn mowers and other stuff in. The top is not very high simply because it had to be at the same level as the rail outside. There is enough room to get under it with a drill to fit point motors and such like. The two sections are bolted together with coach bolts and so the two sections are able to be lifted out of the shed should the need arise. I may well take them out to put the track down to make life easier leaving only the join to the outside to fit once in situ.  I will have to fabricate portable covers to put in place when the layout is not in use to protect it from tools being dropped or falling in an earthquake from the shed wall above. Having the baseboard on legs and not fixed to the shed will also mean that if there is a bit of an earthquake rattle the baseboards can move inside the shed. The only thing that can then get damaged are the rails connecting it to the outside lines which can be easily replaced if bent. Now I had originally planned just to have a storage yard here. Now I am thinking of a station with storage sidings. That way I can operate in the shed independently of the outside line. We shall see. A few Peco track point print offs lying on the baseboards are tempting me.

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I am now going to buy some cork floor tiles which will be used as track underlay. That will probably be all I get done this leave. My ship will visit Torquay and Falmouth in September where I hope to buy my points. So much cheaper in the UK compared to here in New Zealand. Less than half the price in fact.IMG_0555.thumb.JPG.a9d757fef0a605f2a1676e28a8790c8d.JPG

And just to keep me going my Class 50, Ark Royal has just arrived from the UK. It is DCC ready but has no chip yet. I am tempted to fit the legman sound into it. But have to spend the money on points first.

cheers

Mark

 

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I bet it feels good to have finally made a start Mark. It's a pity that you have such limited time to spend on it but at the rate I work you'll still probably be there before I am.

I must say it's the first time I've heard of anyone having to make provision to protect their layout from earthquakes. It's easy for us to take things for granted and moan when the weather's a bit wet in the UK but I suppose we're very lucky when that's our greatest concern.

Hope you managed to get hold of those cork tiles. I started out using them before opting for a roll of cork sheet instead as it worked out more cost effective but I guess it all depends on what you're able to get hold of.

Look forward to seeing more in due course.

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The protective top plywood sheets are now in place.

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Dowels glued into the back shed wall battens and two supporting legs locate into holes drilled into the plywood sheets so that they can be taken in and out easily when working on the baseboards themselves. Afterwards they can be put back to protect the actual layout below from falling tools and so forth in the event we get an earthquake or a clumsy me when working in the shed but not on the layout. Now I can start laying track once my electrofrog points arrive from the UK. I have not decided on point motors to use yet. The SEEP PM1 with the frog switch looks good. But now there is the autofrog switch so am I am trying to decide which way to go. It seems to me the PM1 point motor is enough and cheaper than fitting a PM2 point motor and the autofrog beside it. Am I missing something??

I have purchased cork tiles to use as track underlay. Mick mentioned cork roll. I cant get it here. I cant import it either as it will be confiscated at the border under New Zealand bio security laws. As its a natural wood its a no no.  Even though if I bought it in the UK and brought it home in my suitcase it would be ok. Frustrating. I think the tiles will do for now. 

I have not done any more in the garden yet. Its still too chilly to be doing that. Spring is just around the corner and then I can work in the garden. I have around 8 metres of track bed in the garden available to lay track on joining the baseboards in the shed. So I am at least hoping to get an out and return line working when i get back from my next trip to sea.

There are some new houses being built not far away. I may need to check out the skips to see what off cuts of wire can be found for bus wires and droppers. Needs must you know!

Mark

 

 

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If you decide to go with the SEEP PM1 just solder short lengths of wire to the motor itself terminating them in a terminal block. That way it's easy to change your method or even the motor in the future. I still have one or two of my original PM1's changing frog polarity with the inbuilt switch but I now have several that failed. It's easy enough to add autofrog later should you find it's required.

Shelves! Exactly what I need above mine. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

With all these airmiles I do, I have amassed a fair few points. Air New Zealand have just started doing gift cards to be spent in Mitre 10. This is our equivalent of B+Q Mega in the UK. This is a new addition to their sky shop and I love it! 100 dollar card for 104 airports. I have over 2000 airports!  Most of our kitchen blenders and other stuff comes from spending airports. Not any more. I now have a new dremel and a coil of 2.5mm three core wire for the main bus. All courtesy of bum on seat time. Suddenly air travel does not seem so bad. Just got to keep with the Star Alliance airlines to get the points.

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Hi Mark, great to see you are making progress in your garden shed, so you are building two shelf levels, like the way you have done with your tools, neat and tidy, would like to buy those blue box shelling for bolts and screws, I bought a while back a peg board to hang up in my garden shed clamps and other tools,

Like the way you are building your layout bench work , not using screws using dowels instead,  I use screws and no glue, with the way I change my mind  on my layout.

Trying to get my wife to start those flyby points when we go shopping at Coles and Woolworth''s, take for ever, since you do a lot of flying make the most of it, new dremmel what's it like, I have a digital one had it a while now.

Not putting any underlay on my layout, especially my newer locos are that noisy, I need wire more than underlay, taking up Andrew's idea only on the bridge track which is close to the main panel at one end, 

Look forward to progress pics., it is still cool of a morning here warms up in the afternoon.

Tony from down under

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  • 3 months later...

Ive been busy this leave. The baseboards were removed from the shed and transferred to the garage to begin work on them.

I purchased a load of electrofrog points from the UK and had them posted out whilst I was away last time and they were waiting for me when I arrived home. Each point cost me 12 pounds. At todays exchange that's 24 NZ dollars. Here they cost 38 dollars each. Now I am all for supporting my local shops when I can but even allowing for a markup to make a bit of profit and postage I can't see where the price difference can be that much.

The baseboard is 12 feet long and varies from about 18 inches to 3 feet wide to fit the shed and under the work bench.

The first job was to alter the electrofrogs for smoother operation soldering wires between the stock rails and closure rails, cut the minute wires underneath and but seep PM1 motors to with the frog polarity. After watching a few youtube videos for guidance it was easy. 

Cork trackbed was glued down and track laying has begun.

Here is my progress to date.

Two main lines run through the boards and will connect to the outside track when its laid at the bottom of the picture. The station and sidings are at the top. My three old hornby coaches are placed for scale. Once the track is down I will begin the DCC wiring and install the point motors by turning the boards on their sides for ease.

Even pushing the coaches up and down and a single truck full of fishplates is quite exciting.

Cheers

Mark

 

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Hi Mark, good to see you back on leave, how long will you be home to your re join your ship, I had fun tracking your ship The World as I do with Corona Sea, know when you are in port and out at sea.

Nice lot of work there with those points,agree to fun to see the coaches going from one track to another coming into the station complex, how many coaches do you plan to run, 8 looks good.

Tomorrow I be starting the last stage of my layout, be good if I could get some help to finish the layout, could do it a few days with help, that is not with the track only decking, I wont be using cork added cost.

My friend want's to sell me his old Lenzs DCC hopefully at a good price, with a bit of work I can switch from DC to DCC, got a TGV 13 car set, it has DCC on  board and a Bachman DD40AX  Centennial loco 6900. Decoders are cheap to buy now , last one cost $24,, most locos come with Decoders now .

How is the weather, it has being stinking hot here, have had a cool change but starting to warm up again.

Tony from down under.

 

 

 

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I have a quick question for you. Do you incorporate a section of programming track on your layouts or do you have a separate piece of track on a workbench upon which you carry out your programming? I never thought about it until now and only have two sidings left to lay. If I am to include a section on the layout I need to do it now.

My own thoughts are to lay a separate piece of old hornby set track on a piece of pine 2x1x about a yard long I have lying about and transfer the locos using my locolift. It just seems less complicated than isolating bits of sidings and installing additional switching.

Let me know what your experiences are.

Thanks

mark

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Hi Mark, yes to your answer is best to have a desperate length of track for DCC programming, my old train club had that same with a friend on his layout , that way you can do the programming with out going outside on your layout, could be raining .

I wont need to worry, when I go DCC wont be any sound decoders, cost just as much as a loco, be nice if I replaced the decoders on the Thaly's TGV  locos , nice to dream.

How are you going Mark ,

Tony from down under 

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Thanks Tony,

I was going to make one of the sidings in the shed section a programming track but think I will keep it simple and have a separate piece on my bench and use by locolift to transfer the locos.

Warm and wet here in New Zealand. Forecasting 32C for Christmas Day. Being a Pom I still cant get used to that. I do however have my fake snow on the windows to pretend it will be miserable outside come the day.

cheers

Mark

 

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Morning Mark,  what brand DCC are you using, all goes well I hope to buy my friends old DCC  Lenzs next year at a good price and his remote hand set in the deal , a start,  it is so expensive to go Wi Fi  what I was planning to buy in 2017 , my son passed away the end of that plan still can happen.

Seen the progress on my ship build, finished closing in on the starboard side, need to fill in the gap joins, just finished the smoke vents on the port side of the main deck pics to follow.

I managed to get season 9 of BBC coast  and season 10 is in region 2 sadly , the last disc in season 9 they are doing the Canadian coast, a couple 100 years back the Scots got kicked of their farms and migrated to Canada, I now have the complete series of BBC Coast great program, 15 DVD's.

We had 41 degrees a couple of weeks back, hotting up  to the mid 30's, storms predicted for Friday and Saturday, can't do too much out side on the layout, see what Friday is like so I can start work into the car port ramp, two 6 foot deck lengths  already have track on from the old layout 

Don't you have snow where you live in New Zealand, in winter, would love to come over to New Zealand for a holiday, pay you a visit  , cheaper to fly over  there than flying  to our other capital cities in Australia.

I will send you a couple of  pics to your email or could text them to you, the Captain mightn't like me to post pics on the forum with out his permission .

Tony from down under.

Tony from down under

 

 

Edited by aussietmrail
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I have only got a very basic hornby DCC controller was have been looking into the Lenz p100, powercab, digitrax and the Z21 black system. Honestly at this moment I have no idea which to select.

I have three sound fitted locos that the hornby controller cannot operate all functions so I am waiting for now.

Your ship is coming along nicely. You have amazing patience with it! I am a volunteer coastguard so I am off to teach a bit of VHF and GPS tonight.

regards

Mark

 

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On 10/12/2018 at 06:26, markgd said:

I have a quick question for you. Do you incorporate a section of programming track on your layouts or do you have a separate piece of track on a workbench upon which you carry out your programming? I never thought about it until now and only have two sidings left to lay. If I am to include a section on the layout I need to do it now.

My own thoughts are to lay a separate piece of old hornby set track on a piece of pine 2x1x about a yard long I have lying about and transfer the locos using my locolift. It just seems less complicated than isolating bits of sidings and installing additional switching.

Let me know what your experiences are.

Thanks

mark

Hi Mark.

I set up a siding in my shed as a programming track and I found that I never use it. Now it just confuses me because occasionally it doesn't have power and I fail to remember that there is a reason why and what to do it fix it.

These day I do most of my DCC programming by directly attaching my PowerCab to the wheels of the loco using crocodile clips. It removes any issues with the wheel rail interface, ie a dead spot.

cheers

chris

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  • 1 year later...

It's been a while. A change of job and a change of scale. I have moved over to O gauge. I have spent the last 4 months at sea stuck on a cruise ship I cant get off but the end is nigh. I am due off in Falmouth on June 10th and airlines willing I can get home to New Zealand. Then into 2 weeks mandatory quarantine. I have taken advantage of the UK stop to load up with O gauge goodies to take home. They will be sent to our agents in Falmouth for me to collect on arrival. Track, points, a connoisseur etch brass kit ( my first attempt at brass) and Railmatch and PP paints which I cant get in New Zealand. (they won't post either). The PP paints could be an issue but I will decant them into nail varnish bottles and hope they get passed customs. BR Maroon and GWR brown nails are all the rage in NZ!

The Applebee and Lavender line will rise once again. Can I still be a member of the forum even though I moved to O gauge? pretty please?? A quick search of the forum reveals I may not be alone. 

I have sold off most of my OO gauge and realised it is impossible to get any O gauge stuff in New Zealand. I mean impossible! 

I will have a lot less rolling stock in O gauge than I did in OO but what limited stock I do have is easier for me to work with. Although there is nowhere near the selection I am finding it reasonably priced and easier to to handle.

Currently I'm  sailing north up the coast of Portugal, reading the forum and hoping you are all well wherever you may be.

 

cheers

mark

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