No, it didn’t actually. Easter a Sunday was probably NOT the best choice of days to dig up and move plants! Not when folks weren’t up until about 1PM. And dinner having to be in the oven by 3:30. Have a small bunch of tulips right next to the track, that need to be moved. Will result in maybe an 18” hole next to, and probably under my track! It, they have not bloomed yet, so I gotta wait a bit. So,I’ve got a little time to get things fixed up a bit in places.
Finally ordered a couple switches needed to finish the front replacement program!! Plus a half circle of track, so I can swap out several small sections, for full sections where necessary. The 2 switches ordered, plus one that I already have, that was ordered for train show use, should finish up the switch upgrade program! Just gotta find a decent day or two, to get out and attempt to finish my track upgrades!! Last I heard, we could get rain/snow every 3 days through the end of the month! Next, I gotta pull one of my GP40's apart again, and reinstall a repaired sound decoder. Diode burned out, creating a short! Was repaired, no charge! Just gotta install it again! Maybe try to install Crest system into latest RS-3 from a year or so ago! Then, figure out HOW to add Phoenix sound to it! Witha speaker that WILL NOT interfere with decoder. Then, look into adding Airwire /Sound to the 3 truck shay! Finally starting to get stuff started!
Track and a couple of switches have arrived! Hope to maybe get out and get some work done this weekend, probably Saturday afternoon. Based on weather, it's gonna start raining Sunday afternoon, through Wednesday. Clear and warm again, on my dialysis OFF day on Thursday!! Right now, I'll be satisfied getting the front complete. Then, I can work on getting the connections to the back reconnected and lined up right! If I can get the front done, and find my track, I'm gonna try hooking up a regular DC power supply and see if I can manage to test run the shay finally! Hopefully, if it works, photos and/or video to follow!
Supposed to be really nice here tomorrow too. I live vicariously in garden railroading through yours.
Was nice today, so even after dialysis, I actually got out front and started dropping track in place. To try and get things lined up. Was thinking of changes, but Track placement, as is seems to work the best. Minor realignment needed, because of the USA switches.
Messed with another switch placement today. This one, the one in back, just past gate. Will drop in perfectly, and both tracks to back should line up just about perfectly! I figure I’m maybe 2 days work, from having things connected to the back again. That leaves wiring to work on. Figure out what was causing short to back.
Sudden downpour, with small hail about 45 minutes ago! Truck currently stranded under 3-6 inches of water and hail yet! From my vantage point, by window, during dialysis today: Maybe not the best, but gives you an idea!! Now, I gotta see how railroad faired, when I get home, in about 3 hours!! Got home and looked things over. Not as wet under the tree, as it is in other areas. Held up pretty good, considering. Weather says we got about an inch of rain, with another inch possible tonight.
Same here. Dusty and pollen a-plenty. Everyone is snuffling and sneezing. Worst allergy season I have seen in decades....
Not much better here. Slight chance for showers Wednesday. Then, 80* on Thursday, down to 70* by next Friday. Sunny one day, partly cloudy the rest of the time, no rain. Between test riding, and ordering an Ebike, I’m hoping to get out and get the last 3 switches to the railroad lined up and cut in! Maybe in time to host railroad club layout tour for June. Then, once front is done and running again, I can start working on getting to the back again. And maybe figure out WHY I had dead short last time. Crossed wires in back I’m thinking, when I replaced the 4 switches in back and realigned the track.
Well, since ebike demo ride did NOT go very well..... A few things are on hold for a bit out front. Might not get new switches lined up and spliced in. And I’ve offered to show the railroad to club, in person, and via Zoom in June. Took a rather wicked tumble on bike. Left knee scraped up a bit! Left elbow with a rather nasty cut, that bled for quite a while!! Not bad, but bad enough! And a few other scrapes. Don’t think I can get down on knees, to measure and remove track for cutting, much less clamping back together! If the weather cooperates a bit better, I’ll see what can attempt to do! Some nasty weather, with tornado warnings until late evening(8PM) last night! For areas on the eastern plains. So, what gets done and when, is an unknown at this point!! As if all the current issues weren’t enough, now this!!
Well, despite injury from a demo bike ride that didn’t go well..... I’ve been able to get out front a bit over a couple of days, and do some track work. Next switch, on south end of wye, is now connected. Just needs to be spliced in and clamped. Once I can get that done, and Mom can get some plants growing way too close to the track moved, I can clean my track, and try test running a train! Still have areas that will need to be filled in, as dirt under track has eroded! Maybe I can get the north wye switch spliced in soon as well. And maybe get wiring issue sorted out! If I can at least get to that point, I might be able to use the track to the back and turn a train on the wye. If I can get things sorted out in time, maybe I can use the backyard portion this time! In person and virtual(Zoom) layout open house on June 19. Anyone close interested in visiting, drop me a PM for more information. Of course, social distancing observed. Face masks not required, but optional if one chooses. Should be interesting.
Mom and I spent a bit of time, after dinner. Dug up several tulips that were trying to take over my track! Still have a large are of Veronica ground cover that a has to be removed. Mom says she’ll work on it tomorrow morning. Then, I just need to replace section of track. Had to remove so plants could be dug up! Then work on filling in a few holes, and adding a new drain pipe and fill, where a 4 foot wooden bridge used to be!! Maybe add a little granite as I can. Clean track and set up a train and hope everything runs without issues!! Or at least long enough to get me through next Saturday’s layout tour!! Will be available in person, or via Zoom, starting at 1PM Mountain time. Can send link, for Zoom meeting, for those set up and might be interested!
Turned out, link for Zoom meeting that was supposed to be sent out early Friday, never was! But, virtual tour went on anyway! Finished doing some ballast work, and replacing a switch, right at Noon. Finished getting a train set up, just as fellow club member, also G Scale, stopped by. Train ran pretty good, for almost a 2 year absence in maintenance or operations!! Was pleased that things worked pretty well. Only wish I could have had more done!! Health issues prevented that from happening! Well, maybe next year!!
Had to shut down, for about an hour though! Sky decided to open up, about halfway through my display time! But, I stayed out for another 4 hours or so after that! Gonna try a couple of GP30’s pretty quick.
So when it began to rain, did you need to frantically race to get things safely indoors? I can't imagine that the motive power is waterproof?
No real frantic. Thankfully, I had a short train set up! Moved everything into the garage while it rained. If I didn’t want to get wet, I could have continued running. Water really should not bother locomotives much. Same with snow. I’m sure something could get in, through exhaust stacks, but rather unlikely I think. Wasn’t gonna take the chance. When you get a red storm cell moving in, you clear out! Never know if it’ll contain hail. And if it does, how big??