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The thoughts of Chairman Q


TheQ
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It was chilly but not actually frosty Saturday morning, the heater when straight on once I squelched my way up the garden and got into the shed. Another batch of skirting boards was cut and some trim for SWMBOs light table.

Then I made the shelves for the cupboard I mentioned last week. Slightly awkward to make as its on a curved section of wall although the inside edge is straight, I used a lot of bits of ply which were left over from other building work, as the joins don't matter hidden inside a storage cupboard. Then one more shelf on the straight area of that area of the shed for SWMBOs canvases.

After that it was time to move some stuff from the area opposite the Tea bar in the entrance, ready for SWMBOs 127 year old singer sewing machine to be installed, after I've built some shelves around it. With that done, some cupboards doors and a small area of ceiling completed then that will complete that section of shed and layout supports.

This should mean I can start making the baseboards for Collingbourne Station, the general construction of these boards will be extruded foam in layers to build up the base and hillside with ply sides and ends to protect the foam and form the the integral back scene. All electrics will be mounted on the back scene even if there weren't storage age below, I've had enough of lying under layouts to work on boards, my knees and joints are complaining now let alone in the future.

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The Cat is Terrified, it wouldn't go out yesterday. The farmer is harvesting the Sugar beet around us and the cat is terrified of farm machinery. I can only assume that with her previous owner she was caught out In the fields hunting mice when the harvester came and "chased" her. She won't like it this morning as the farmer started harvesting again at 05:30

With it being sugar beet and it being exceedingly muddy, the single track tarmac road outside is looking more like a ploughed field. With heavy rain forecast for later, it should wash some mud off, but the newly picked Beet are on a concrete pan upslope of the road so lots of mud will wash down from there.

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God Q you and swmbo sharing a workspace/hobby hut??? This could end in disaster!!! :lol::lol::lol: Thankfully my shed is out of bounds to er indoors!! I like to sit and chill out with some relaxing sex pistols in my train shed!! :lol::lol::lol: Er indoors prefers something with a little less life!!! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

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The shed is 54ft long, her art area is one end my workshop area is the other!! Although a shed layout I've decided each scenic section will be removable so much of the work will be done at my work bench. Luckily we have similar music tastes!

The cat wasn't so terrified yesterday when the farmer finished and went out, when she came back she brought a present and managed to get in with it. She then sat there while she trained her human to catch a mouse in the kitchen!!

In couple of days we'll get thump thump, thump as they load the artics with sugar beat hope the lorries don't hit the front fence this year.

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The shed is 54ft long, her art area is one end my workshop area is the other!! Although a shed layout I've decided each scenic section will be removable so much of the work will be done at my work bench. Luckily we have similar music tastes!

The cat wasn't so terrified yesterday and went out, when she came back she brought a present and managed to get in with it. She then sat there while she trained her human to catch a mouse in the kitchen!!

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Well I didn't get the skirting boards and cupboards done, SWMBO had other ideas. She had cleared a paper storage area I had built for her in the mobile home ready to move it into the railway shed. This involved undoing seven, 32 inch by 48 inch shelves from a corner with the third side supports being a book shelf. Then after getting them to the shed building a self supporting frame work for them. That is now awaiting painting when that's done I'll fit the shelves.

I also attempted to fit a roller blind to the glass door, but found it hit the door frame so I'm still trying to work out how to fit it. The electric distribution box is above the cupboard so it can't go there.

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Road works season is upon us, there are no less than Seven on the way in the 20 mile route between Home and work. At one point you are alongside one set of road works when you hit the traffic lights for the next set of road works.

Norfolk just North of Norwich will be chaos for the next two years as they build the Northern Distributer Route, it's not called a bypass 'cos it doesn't go all the way round due to wildlife concerns. Being a bypass on the cheap, most junctions will be roundabouts not fly overs. They put the roads signs up and closed minor roads on the entire route last week so far there are just a few JCBs digging holes in fields ( lots of ponds needed to collect water on the route as this is a soggy land place). However all the major routes have 30MPH signs on them, with no work going on, on the roads.

Pity the governments plan to fine councils for putting up road works signs with no work going on isn't already in place.!

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05:40 and they're loading sugar beet, rumble rumble bang rumble rumble bang.

Beep beep beep JCB reverses to pick up more...

Plus Artics doing 3 point turns 6 ft from my front door.

Typical I've got the day off....

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I didn't get as much done as I wanted this Saturday, the night after the Sugar beet, was storm Gertrude and as our house was somewhat exposed to the 60 mph wind. It was very noisy as it howled around and got little sleep. So Saturday morning I slept in, I'd slept for 10 hours.

The first job was to assemble a small plastic shed, I've got an electric concrete mixer which has been living in the railway shed but as work continues its awkward shape was getting in the way so I built it a new home.

During the week a LED panel I had ordered, arrived, I'm impressed by its light output. I was going to use Christmas tree lights for SWMBOs light table then I saw these panels so we tested a 2 X 1ft on the table, it worked extremely well so I started modifying the table for it. Then left SWMBO to paint it white, then next week I'll fit then light and finish boxing it in.

Then it was back to completing SWMBOs paper storage area followed by more shelving along side that, that set of shelves are for specific boxes but the layout frame follows the line of the railway so it was musical boxes till I found the most economic positioning. I'll complete that set of shelves next week.

The next storm is on its way they've named Henry, the 8th named storm of the season. More lost sleep...

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I agree - the seasons are so unpredictable lately. I'm not sure which I prefer at this time of year. I like to see some snow but it's great not having to trudge through it. I really don't like all this wet weather and I detest strong winds but isn't it better than sliding along frozen roads and pavements? Here's hoping things settle down come Spring and we get some nice dry and brighter conditions.

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I'd agree I wanting to see some snow , but it doesn't need much to cut us off, we don't get the roads gritted round here, let alone ploughed. You only need 6 inches of snow and the wind will cause it to fill between the banks and ditches closing the road.

Today I built another plastic mini shed and then filled it with offcuts of wood from the railway shed, then I got on with work in the shed. I made some bits for SWMBOs light table and painted them, then I got on building in more plastic drawers and places for tool boxes. A couple of cupboard doors were fitted.

I have in the back of the shed some wooden walls which came from a office which was inside a warehouse.

These are heavy chipboard both skin and frame, and then both sides are covered in a layer of thin white plastic. I'm going to use these as worktops for benches in my workshop end of the shed. So I cut one into a 2ft 6inch depth top, scrapping the rest. There is another one of these walls to demolish into useable bits, when I can get to it.

Next week I need to do a major reorganisation of all my stocks of wood and other accumulated junk in the shed,

A, so I can get to it.

B, so I can clear the next area to work.

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Well clearing the area took 4.5 hours, although this did include cutting up scrap pieces for the fire. During the clear up I found a box of bits left over from scrapping a triumph 2000 back in 89. I'd been looking for it as there are some of the gauges I wish to put in the landrover.

After that I fitted the light unit to SWMBOs light table, and cut a few more bits for it. Then we moved a unit from the shed to the mobile home, and her ancient sewing machine into its place in the shed. That allowed me to measure up for shelves in the sewing area.

Then I cut up a sheet of ply for more shelving, and fitted some of the battening for it.

Then it was a can of cyder and a rest before returning to the house.

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That was cold this morning and freezing fog , I had to stop on the way into town to scrape the ice off for a second time!!

Apart from getting a new tyre on the landrover, it was time for my annual diabetic eye test, luckily if I come straight back from the doctors I get home well before my eyes go funny with the drops they put in.

So once I got home I set to work in the railway shed I built a load of shelves to display my locomotive collection. These are the display models that were published over the last couple of years. I struggled to read the tape measure, also had to go outside a couple of times, and then everything was very bright due to the eye drops. I knew it would be too bright outside to work on the garden which is a shame as it was a very nice afternoon. As usual it takes two or three hours for my eye to recover.

Time to wind up the coal fired stove the temperature is dropping like a stone.

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Bad news the car wouldn't start Friday morning,

I metered the battery not good, 11 volts- ish well it was 7 years old.

Good news Tayna who I've used before, delivered a battery from north Wales near Chester to the coast of north Norfolk in 25 hours.

Bad news it's not just the battery the starter still just goes click ( I have rocked the car to disengage the starter) and checked / metered all the conections I could get at.

I can't even see the starter it's completely buried in the works near the bottom, without a car lift there is no way I can get at it. So I think it's going to be a phone call to the garage on Monday.

Well before and after that disaster, I worked on the railway shed,

first, I fitted 6 more shelves to display the railway models, but I'm short of a couple of Planks so I'll get more on Monday.

Second, while fitting the shelves I found a damp patch so out with the black gue and head out side, I eventually found a small crack in the join between the commercial shed and my build shed. That's the trouble with wood it moves drys and cracks, anyway it got a good dose of the black stuff, I'll check it again later and give it another coat if required.

Third, just inside the front door of the shed on the left opposite the T bar is SWMBOs sewing machine, I first built a divider on the back of the railway supports so low flying bits of cloth don't stray onto the line. The divider also supports shelves behind and above the machine. I also fitted a 3 ft square shelf, completely above the machine (6ft 3in up)under that I'll fit a couple of LED downlighters. Actually all the shelves are still loose as they need to be painted but all the mounts are on the wall, also the wall of the shed is clad with wood, and I need some more cladding to make the divider match up.

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During the week the garage fixed the car, they took the starter off to check it, it worked, eventually they found the engine earth cable was broken!! Most unusual,. When we got it back we found the entire front end of the car felt different including the gear change. My suspicion is the engine mounts were loose, and that garage has done all previous work on the car including MOTs!!!

On the way down the shed I passed many snowdrops, our best crop in the 15 years we've been here. Our daffs are nowhere near flowering but you only have to go a couple of miles inland to find them in flower. Also down the garden are the pheasants normally there are two or three males and half a dozen females. This year there is just 1 male but 14 females!!! Lucky boy!!!

I started by attempting to do some clearing work for the garden part of the railway, but even wearing normal clothing , fleeces, overalls, heavy boots, gloves and woolly hat it was too cold, so within half an hour I retreated to the shed and a fan heater.

Today I finally finished the shelves for the static model locomotives , and the sewing machine area. SWMBO will varnish and paint them when she is well enough, she was violently sick yesterday, and I've been rough today.

I then started building shelves under the layout for my railway books, as well as putting in more supports for the layout. At that point it's nearly 5 ft wide but has access both sides so the less accessible side Is the bookshelf, leaving nearly 4 ft depth the other For SWMBOs canvases and picture frames.

During the day I also built a shelf for the mobile home kitchen, I'd started 2 years ago and made the parts , but after the first shelf was finished it got occupied, so I couldn't fit the second until today.

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No shed work this week as I was helping run a club layout at a show.

Friday night I PAT tested all the PSUs and extension cables for the layout and then we loaded the layout into a car, oh and got the new point in electronic operation on the layout I am restoring.

During the day the club chairman was negotiating for layouts for our shows in 2017 and 18, and discussing our layouts for other shows, the layout I'm restoring is now provisionally booked for a show in 2018.

The show was 12 till 5 so after dropping SWMBO in the city for some shopping, I arrived at the church hall just before 10:00, I just had time to get a coffee and find our pitch, before the car with the layout arrived. It took just over half an hour to assemble. But then we tried running and found the Gauge master prodigy advance was dead!!!! Panic !!!!!! After much swapping of cables and voltage checking we found that one control and it's cable was shutting down the main box. So we were down to one controller. We then ran on all bits of track, cleaned all the track, and set up ready for the show.

At 11:30 lunch was called for the exhibitors, it was a choice of soups and a roll, then a large choice of sandwiches, and a variety of crisps, unlimited tea and coffee all day. I had the broccoli and stilton soup very good it was and then Coronation chicken sandwiches .

The weather was terrible outside heavy rain and so it was a slow start to the show though it picked up once it stopped raining. The layout across from us had a disaster of a show, it was a 16 by 10 roundy roundy two through lines,

a station and a branch line. For 3/4 of the show all they could get running was a train shuttling up and down from the branch into the station . then they managed to add one train trundling round a fixed circuit. And that was it!!

There were a high percentage of society and association stands but the show was run by a society not a model railway club.

There were also a large amount of "historical" layouts, 3 rail, O gauge tinplate, etc there were three or four average club layouts but no what I would call Finescale layouts such as P4 or EM. Or even in OO or N.

Our own layout which was a harbour shunting puzzle, with a cassette fiddle yard, it ran well, just repeated track cleaning needed. I learnt one thing though Permanent uncoupling magnets can be a pain in uncoupling when your train passes by and causes the train to break. I will definately go for electromagnets.

Mid afternoon SWMBO turned up, luckily for her after her finishing the shopping, her mile and a half walk to the show was during a dry spell in the day.

I picked up a gangers manual genuinely from 1918 for a couple pounds and three P.O. wagons for £6 each. At 5 we knocked down the layout and were away by 17:15 we then drove home in the pouring rain. We've had three days of heavy rain and some of the fields are flooded.

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Between the mobile home and the railway shed is a 20 ft long space between 4 and ft 5ft wide. It gets no sunlight and is getting wet and moss covered. So we've decided to roof it over. In preparation for this today I cut off the shed roof overhangs so that I can screw vertical beams to the shed. I painted bitumen goo over the bare wood to protect it. On Monday I'll buy the beams. It will slope from the inside corner of the L formed by the shed to the back of the L.

After giving the shed it's hair cut, I went into the mobile home to replace a socket with a smashed pattress. It been smashed since before we moved here, over 16 years ago but it's hidden in a corner and wasn't used. SWMBO decided we'd move the freezer there (top loaded 3ft square). So finally I replaced it, taking the time to swap the single to a double as the hoover will now need the other socket.

Then it was off to the railway shed, Building in more shelves and railway supports. It was a real killer on the knees as that side of the layout is between 18 inches and two ft wide. Kneeling down at odd angles to measure, get up, go mark out and cut. Kneel down and trial fit, get back up, adjust, sand, fit. Then repeat for five hours.

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This week I didn't intend to strain my self too much, we have a sailing club dinner and prize giving tonight with the end of season regatta tomorrow. So I started working on more shelving, I had made 2 when SWMBO turned up. She was wanting me to build the area under the layout to store her picture frames. We are expecting visitors over Easter and the frames are currently in the mobile home kitchen.. So I made the base and put up the dividers and that took me to the end of play. I only worked 6 hours this week.

Back to the house and turned on the bathroom heater, and settled down to watch a recorded episode of Stargate SG1 while waiting for the heater to do its stuff. The episode of SG1 involved one of the Stargate crew deciding to be a God to a planet they were visiting.

The Episode finished and it switched back to the news channel and there on the TV was.......

Donald Trump........

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