1st Operations session "Prep"

I really must write more often :-(

During the last club visit to my layout, and also a couple of months ago from my brother and a friend, the guys kept saying I must hurry up and get an operations session going. After a couple of false starts, I finally decided on a date being this coming Sunday the 8th November 2015.

If I new what I was letting myself in for, I may have kept quiet and not done it. I have been slowly working towards getting the layout operational, but as the date has approached, so have all the final jobs to be done grown and grown.

In particular is the cleaning. I must say, living where I do, dust is a big problem. However, I am slowly working at reducing that, in particular by insulating the ceiling as funds permit. Not only will it help in reducing dust falling through the suspended ceiling, but at the same time insulating the room.

Anyway, part of the preparation has been vacuuming, dusting and vacuuming! Wow, what a job! It has taken two solid evenings and still needs at least one more.

Some of the last minute projects done are as follows: -

• Fitted Microtrain couplers to the two outside couplers on a new 3 diesel lash up I purchased about 6 months ago. 2 off BNSF and 1 off GE ES44AC. Unfortunately I did not have enough to do all 3 locos.
• Repaired wiring to push buttons for the Tamvalley servo boards. I am using a wire that when hot gets brittle. I have another wire I will use, but no time to do the change now.
• Re programmed one loco to run in reverse. In a 3 unit lash up, the single loco facing one way is the lead loco and that number must be used. In this case, the loco behind the lead loco was running in the same direction and would definitely cause confusion.
• Re-programmed one of the switch motor CV's as it was not throwing fully.
• The switches to Stryker all have servos now, but the control panel still needs to go in. No time for that, so I marked with a pen on the bench work nest to each switch the number needed to throw it.
• Vacuumed to layout like it has never been cleaned as well as run the vacuum brush over wagons and diesels.
• Cleaned, cleaned and cleaned track some more
• Cleaned loco wheels using a paper kitchen towel over the rails and putting alcohol on.

And that was just some of the work.

Cross fingers for Sunday. Hopefully all goes well :-)