[kevsmith]

time for an update

So after the pandemic lifted and the shows recommenced Hakuho did a couple of shows last year

At Leyland show Brooklyn did his first two day show staying in a hotel and did very well

We had our new shirts ready for the Carnforth show

later on it appeared at Hartlepool. By this time the layout had settled down and was running really well

The back of the layout was still bugging me though. I knew I wanted to develop it scenically so the layout would be 360 degrees viewable but the plan to extend the town and make it more urban didn't really work so a decision was made to strip it down and start again

The bare bones

So I decided that it would be done as a railway museum called SL Railroad Park, Hakuho. I got my inspiration from the Otaru museum that featured in an episode of Train Cruise, a railway program on NHK world channel in Japan. This has a lot of static exhibits and working steam and diesel

A main line connection has been put in to allow steam charter trains in and out

An low relief exhibition hall has been put in front to the scenic divider and the old cab forward loco shed off Shasta has found a new home

So road 1 of the shed is for the mainline locos. Road 2 is a stand alone line inside the museum that was the terminus for the forestry line when it was still open. The entrance to the tunnel has been closed off with chain link fencing

More soon

Kev

 

[kevsmith]

Once the trackplan was decided I need to modify the control panel and started drilling the extra holes with a cone cut drill. Things were going well until I got to the last two when 'crack' the panel split into three. Probably pressing on too hard. Anyway. I used it as a template to make a new one

More wires to go in. The trackplan sections are the same colour as the feeed wires so I can trace them down to the baseboard

It also means the Excel sheets will need updating

Working deadline is end of January when the layout will be at Kendal model railway exhibition

More soon

Kev

 

[kevsmith]

The bad weather has slowed progress quite a bit as walking across the yard to the workshop wasn't pleasant and I'm reluctant to put the workshop heater on with the electric bills the way they are but it is coming on in time for Kendal next weekend

Laid out to see how it looks

Platz Kiha 40 in the foreground. The two American style steam locos are typical of early Japanese railways but really should be 2-6-0s not 4-4-0s. The series O shinkansen is the Atlas collectable one

The interurban is 3D printed and runs on a Shorty chassis. The C56 4-6-2 under the canopy is a resin collectable one I randomly picked up on ebay years ago

More soon

Kev

 

[kevsmith]

Ready for boxing up this afternoon for the show. After this weekend I'll make the rear photo extension board and photograph it for the magazines. I've added some extra semaphore signakls and telegraph poles

All the electric points are wired up at last

Surrounded by workshop cutter

More soon
Kev

 

[kevsmith]

Well the show went very well. It was the Kendal's club 60th anniversary and they pulled out all the stops

I went the night before to set up. Didn't get time to revarnish the waterfall and stream but everything else was done. Did some basic testing with a diesel railcar and headed home.

Saturday morning, set Brooklyn off putting all the Road vehicles out and setting up the container trains while I checked all the running lines and pointwork again. Damm! section G, the longer siding on the inner circuit wouldn't isolate. Checked inside the control paneln Nuttin there, Checked the big tag strip under the baseboard, nothing feeding it there either Hmmmmm.Split the D plug that goes into the panel, Nope.. Left a Platz railcar moving slow while I turned each section off until it powered down. The outer platform line in the station as feeding the volts in ??? These two sections are nowhere near each other in any way. Anyway we worked around it for the morning by using it for the railcar and lifting it off when not needed.

Around 11.00 the fire bells went off. Brooklyn was in the lift going up to the floor above and started pressing buttons just in case but after 90 seconds they went off again

30 minutes later they went off again and kept on going so the entire building was evacuated. The exhibitors, traders and public assembled out in the car park. God it was freezing! and because all the doors were left open the temperature in the hall dropped like a stone.

When we were allowed back in we started running again and, Guess what?, Section G had cleared itself and was working normally again. Spooky

The team

Video.

.

Safely back in the workshop I have pressed on with starting to get it photographed to submit to the magazines.

First thing to do was to knock up a photo extension board for the rear. This will allow a more flexible way to frame the pictures

No, its not gloss, it is coated with a mix of PVA glue and Burnt Sienna ready mix paint and is still wet

More tomorrow

kev

 

[kevsmith]

All three D51 2-8-2 are out in the yard as the C57 passes on an excursion train. The Railking is shunting one of the 4-4-0s. Rows of redundant box vans fill the sidings

Two DD51s head past with the Hokutosei sleeper train heading to Sapporo. The red DD51 on the container train waits for the Kiha 42 railcar to clear the section before proceeding

A D51 passes on a demonstraion mixed goods as the C57 waits to depart with a charter train. The DE 10 is on a short tanker train

With Hakuho town in the background two tanker trains led by DD51s block the lever crossings. A Ballast regulator trundles past

The most precarious shot. The layout stood on edge on the trestles, clamper very, very tightly! this was to do the overhead shot

Kev