Since I got back from Model Rail live I seemed to have spent every spare minute getting Shasta into some sort of shape to display at Zedex 2011 which is next Sunday at Kingston bagpuize with Southmoor village hall in Oxfordshire. As you know from my previous threads it is the one day of the year when all of us 'Zedheads' in the U.K can get together. I have been trying to start a U.K Z-bend track club over here for a while and I hope by showing how it works next weekend to drum up some more interest, wish me luck! The three boards I have done so far use a Z-bend interface between the Dunsmuir and Shasta Springs board whilst the Dunsmuir to Cantara Loop joint is my usual copper clad edged method that works so well on 'Cuyahoga' This allows to to carry the Dunsmuir yard tracks over. You will see I have put quite a large amount of superelevation on the Shasta Springs curve and I will try it with a wide variety of rolling stock at Zedex before I ballast it yesterday, before the rain came back I was able to get the boards outside to cut the Sacramento river and Cantara Loop out of the end board. There was MDF dust everywhere! Video is here, I have taken a break from the Berkshire for now as I really wanted to give Shasta its first airing in public http://youtu.be/xSo63cIBXBA All I need to do now, before Sunday, is display boards, Information sheets, set up a telly to show a compilation DVD of the Shasta Route, test all of the locos, make sure the spine cars go round. make up a wiring adaptor to use the controller pack off Midsomer Mardy. So no pressure there then? Then after the show it's a few mountains, highly detailed river with rocks and rapids, ten zillion trees ( I watched the video on youtube of the guy with the tree making machine so I know where I'm going with that task) and a few buildings for Dunsmuir and Shasta Springs. that should keep me quiet this fall! cheers KEV
Looks good Kev I like the Superelevation on the Shasta Springs curve and the River Crossing. Any plans for a turntable in the yard?
Yes. I'm going to use a Peco N gauge one slimmed down like the one I used on 'Cuyahoga'. I am going to model Dunsmuir as it is now so there wil be the 'Cab forward' sheds but no roundhouse
Looks good! They still had the turntable in place when I drove by Dunsmuir yard last year, so you can add it if you like.
I am coming over to see my folks early next year and intend to get up to Dunsmuir for a couple of days. Hiow deep is the snow in February?
It can be 50 degrees and sunny or a raging blizzard in February. Almost every other day will be a light sprinkling of snow, but the roads are usually well plowed and clear, except during the blizzards. Roads are usually plowed and back open within a couple hours of a blizzard. I would not drive through unless I carry a thick sleeping bag, a tin pot candle that can burn for many hours, and tire chains. Never know when you can get stuck for a couple hours while till they plow. Don't come down from Oregon, rather go up from Sacramento. Last year at the Oregon Border I went through a mini blizzard at the end of April, just on that Siskiyou Pass while heading to the National Z Scale convention. It got a little white knuckle at 4000 feet!
Thanks Robert. I might come up on the Starlight Coast and see if I can hire a 4x4 locally to go exploring. I might even try stopping in the caboose motel if it is still open! Needless to say I'll post a photo and video report of Zedex after the weekend and write it up for Rob at Z-track, looking at the list of layouts there seem to be some new ones appearing KEV
It's still open Kev! Railroad Park Resort 100 Railroad Park Road Dunsmuir, CA 96025 (503) 235-4440 http://rrpark.com/ Have fun! Bill Mock
Cool, meanwhile my seven year old grand daughter Nicole has just announced she is coming with me to play on the beach!
If you are coming up this way then Loren and I will show you all the hot spots (who needs a 4x4 when Loren takes his Accord off road) and some amazing layouts in Dunsmuir...my second home. You'll have to come up and stay with Kathy and I, we have a cottage out back and I have the key to Micro-Trains ) Loren and Karin are just 20 minutes down the hill from me. Joe MTL
My Buddy Bruce Petty owns that old mallet shed. Lots of history. John Signor of Signature Press lives down the street. Lots of rr action in a small spot. I go down with Loren from time to time to have a cup of coffee and and watch trains go by. Joe
Thank You. That sounds a wonderful idea. I'll need to start pinning some dates down for early next year. I recently got promoted as part of our big restructuring at Direct Rail Services and am now in charge of engineering at the Sellafield depot so the next few weeks are going to be busy. It does mean I have 6 full size switchers, over 100 specialist nuclear freight vehicles and whatever main line locos are on site to look after which makes a nice contrast to the little stuff! I'll keep you posted KEV
Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately but once I got Hull show out of the way, which was Cuyahoga's last show of 2011 I though I'd have a break and get some modelling done. However circumstances overtook me as when I was digging out some old colour transparencies for a future pattern making task I found that a lot of the 35mm E6 colour film I shot in the early 90's is starting to deteriorate quite badly. I've had to take the drastic step of scanning it in before it gets too bad. So that is what is taking up my time at present. I don't think it has been a storage issue as the Kodachrome from the same period is O.K It would be a shame to lose such classic shots as 'Taw Valley' blasting through Dore and Totley station on a special in a blizzard. and 'Duke of Gloucester' accelerating through Askam rest assured I'll be posting an update on Shasta soon. I think I'm going to concentrate on the Shasta Springs module as I want to make the Funicular railway, that used to be there, work KEV
