Well....Maybe?

All,

Where has the time gone?...In my last blog posting I explained my reasoning behind a change in direction for me in the hobby.  I must explain at the outset that I have not indeed succumbed to some sort of life threatening illness nor have I "gone around the twist completely" as some other people ( including some family ) proffered.

While working for yourself allows some flexibility and other "perks", it does come with some other pressures that are sometimes hard to explain...even to those that are closest.  Lack of day to day interaction with human beings is one of the downsides which does mean that any issues going around in your mind are only ever shared over the nightly meal or through telephone conversations in most instances.  Another issue that came on board around 8 or 9 years ago with the advent of Laser Rail Bits was that my hobby was now becoming part of the business and vice versa.  Consequently this also started to blur the lines with home life and the hobby as well and I was finding it increasingly difficult to find enjoyment and escape in the things that mattered the most.  Again...don't get me wrong, I love all aspects of my life but I needed to take stock, make some changes and start to focus again.

As this is a model railway blog...I won't dwell on the business side of things too much other than to say that certain changes have been made that have jettisoned some unprofitable and time consuming aspects of the business that has now freed up time to concentrate more on Laser Rail Bits and has led to an overall increasing clarity on where I am and what I am doing.

On the model side of things...the decision to mothball the layout was made and a fair amount of rollingstock and structures were liquidated in haste. In hindsight, some decisions to sell some items was probably regrettable...but strangely refreshing as it now gives a blank canvas approach and recent trips to the layout room have had a feeling that the juices are starting to flow again and a return may not be too far off.  These train room visits, armed with the obligatory cup of tea have seen me run a loco or two and I have found myself playing the "what if" game inside my head about changes to trackplan, era and operations in general.   I guess my "brain explosion" of the last few months may have worked?

During these trips to the layout room I have decided that a couple of items must be omitted from the trackplan and they are the two double slips which were originally placed at the up end of  Fish River yard and the junction of the yet to be named branch.  It must be explained that these double slips were placed at a time when the layout was to be based on a double track mainline and now with the decision made ( some time ago ) to revert to a single line working...the function and space saving features of these slips is now redundant.  I personally find double slips a visual blot anyway...so it will be a happy day when they are lifted and traditional points are installed.  At least I was able to master the DCC issues that arise with double slips if nothing else...so the experience was worth it.


    

    

   The photo above shows the location of the double slips and a quick explanation should clarify the location... Tracks from left to right in the distance are...Branch, Up Main, Down Main and Flour Mill Siding. 

While behind the photographer is Fish River Station and the track leading away (bottom left) is the Fish River Yard access road.

This shot is taken from the opposite end of the yard looking in a down direction with the offending double slips visible centre left...


With the decision to revert to single line working....the Up main is now redundant and will revert to being used as a loop or master siding... The issue I need to address is that if the double slips are removed...the section of "old" up main between the two slips will be removed as well to allow for traditional points to be fitted.  This in turn will not allow the "old" up main to be used as a headshunt for the yard...and will also shorten useable length of the "old" up main as a loop.

There are many permutations to solve the issues but the "not negotiable" aspect is that the slips must go....for both smooth operability and pure aesthetics.  So with Christmas coming up and the possibility of some down time...This puzzle must be solved and a track "shutdown" planned.  Any input from you guys is of course welcome...

On the rollingstock front, I have also booked 6015 in for a strip down, repaint and weathering job and the boxes of remaining 4 wheelers will need to be aged as well...see the juices are beginning to flow!....I wonder if the airbrushes will remember me?

It has been great to actually sit down and "Blog" again and I certainly won't be leaving it this long between posts again!

6015 will soon enter "shops' to be repainted and weathered....here it is coming off the branch and returning to Fish River light engine.

    

  

A Change In Direction...

All,

Has been a while between posts and a few more decisions regarding the layout/hobby etc. have been made.  In an earlier post I touched on some of the influencing factors regarding my involvement in the hobby and where I derive the greatest enjoyment.  These factors coupled with work and family commitments has led me to the decision to moth ball the layout and liquidate a fair amount of  locos,  rollingstock, buildings,  etc.

While I recognise that I am not alone in regards to all of the pressures that family, work and life in general puts upon us...I am just finding it difficult to achieve all of these things adequately and still feel comfortable in my own skin.
I have noticed for some time that my leaning towards "building" rather than "running" has been growing and my frustrations at not being able to adequately attend to these pursuits has been weighing heavily for far too long.  Indeed I have a few "foreign orders" that have been sitting partially completed for some time and they need to be finalised as well and I thank these people for the patience shown...well I have not received any death threats so that is a plus!!!.

The lack of progress on the Laser Rail Bits range is also a determining factor in all of the decision making as the development of these items is certainly a happily self imposed commitment... and presently is not moving at the speed that I feel comfortable with.  I am tired of the stop start approach as time permits and this also has to change.

The decision to liquidate the majority of layout stuff may seem drastic to some...but I suffer from the problem of too many distractions and if the distractions do not exist then...problem solved.  I will be keeping a fair amount of items and equipment that will be utilised in building dioramas and mini dioramas and I look forward to being able to commence work on this aspect of the hobby as soon as things settle down.  As for the layout room, well this room has been built with a fair amount of creature comforts and alternative uses in mind and if it never sees a completed layout it will never go to waste.  I will complete the modelling room as I will still need an area away from "family life" and an area that will allow airbrushing and construction of some items.

The family has asked me about the future of the Blog and I do not see many changes occurring.  The Blog was initially started to follow the trials and tribulations of a self confessed  "dribbler" and his quest to build a layout.  Along the way a smattering of  Laser Rail Bits posts crept in and this has been valuable in discussing these items prior to manufacture and gauging reactions both good and bad from fellow modellers. It will continue in the same vein as a place to post my thoughts, ramblings and the latest topic that I am dabbling in and hopefully will continue as a place for exchange of ideas etc.

I have learnt a lot since embarking on what has become known as Fish River and even though the layout is far from complete, there are a multitude of skills that I have been able to hone and certainly some long held fears that have been overcome and if the future lends itself to a new beginning in the layout phase...the lessons will not have been wasted. 

So where am I up to in the "Life Change" program....

The streamlining and transition of my main "real" business is nearly complete and we have now almost settled into a routine of an acceptable and predictable workload.  From the Laser Rail Bits perspective...we are now working towards completion of  re-stocking the entire range and making ready the "Wheel Painting Jig" and the "Trestle Range" for market.  I will commence work on the "Camden Line Wayside Stations" project in the next few weeks and this may present an opportunity to build to order as well as offer kits.  Of course a priority now exists to "decommission" the layout and make ready items that will be liquidated...a daunting prospect but necessary.  Benches, track and electricals will stay for the moment...but most structures, stations, rollingstock and locos etc will find new homes...

Thanks to everyone for the last few years...the contacts and mateships established are all greatly appreciated and hopefully this aspect will not change.... Apart from the layout...nothing much will change...    

         



    

An Unannounced Announcement

All,

We have been working on a little project for some time that should make the drudgery of painting and weathering wheel sets a little bit easier.

A few years ago I got sick of wheelsets being blown all over the place, paint all over my fingers and then having to remove the paint from the treads of the freshly painted wheels so as to not transfer it to the track....so I made up a rudimentary painting jig that while acceptable was not entirely reliable.  Late last year I decided to look at the concept again and during the design phase became aware of a unit being sold in the states.  The unit in question holds 4 axles and while it basically solves the problem of painting I knew I could design a better "mousetrap" as I was the poor sod that needed to be satisfied with whatever I conjured up. 

The design brief I had set myself was that the unit had to hold more than 4 axles, had to be heavy enough so it did not blow around or over while airbrushing and it had to offer the best access for the airbrush to get into all the "hard to get at" places easily...not just the wheel faces.

The design ended up being a unit that has the ability to hold 8 axles with a tread diameter of 10.5mm or 36" in 1:1 speak.  We will offer an alternative unit that has 4 x 10.5mm and 4 x 9.5mm positions should the need arise.  With the possibility of custom sizes should the unit prove popular.  Each pair of retaining fingers are offset to each other which provides plenty of comfortable access to not only the wheel faces but all other surfaces that require painting.  The fingers are manufactured from 2mm cast acrylic which while offering plenty of protection for the wheel treads does not leave the face partially obscured by the use of a thicker material.  We have also avoided the use of any acrylic welding or glue joints and have designed the unit to be easily disassembled should alternative fingers need to be fitted down the track...or in the case of a component being accidently broken a replacement component can be sourced from us and repairs made rather than the unit being tossed away.  There was also a plan to include a couple of stabiliser feet for the unit but after exhaustive testing and the use of 6mm acrylic for the base...I feel it is steady enough although we will keep some in stock should someone ask for these items.

The only minor drawback is there are some variable tolerances in wheel tread diameter and while we have settled on a nominal hole size...some brands of wheels certainly sit better than others in the unit due to these differences and tiny tapers on some examples.  We have tested most of the local wheelsets and likewise for overseas examples and have not found any examples that will not fit in the unit...but some just sit better than others.

So we now have our first run completed and the units will be available from early next week and will be available on the Laser Rail Bits ebay shop....or from hobby shops should they prove their worth and we get approached...

As for price...while this has not been entirely decided upon...we would anticipate a price around $23.00... in reality we are awaiting an answer from our supplier of acrylic who has signalled a hefty price rise on the back of the falling Aussie dollar and when we are made aware of the magnitude of this increase we can then set a price that should remain static for some time.

It is amazing that we get bombarded by suppliers when the Aussie dollar falls but never hear from them when it goes up...

BTW we have named the jig...the WheelWiz which was decided by my daughter Sophie when she was asked what she thought while watching us testing the unit earlier last week...

At the end of the day it is Aussie designed and Manufactured....and that is the important part for me.

I have included some pics and of course welcome any feedback...

    

Trestles and Termites...

All,

As I commenced writing this post I became aware that this is Post No. 100.  When I informed Vanessa of this fact her reply was "Amazing how one person can dream up and write that amount of drivel...Congratulations anyway".....Sophie was less celebratory as her reply was "Whoop De Do Basil"....in reference to her love of the Austin Powers movies...all tongue in cheek I hope.

Firstly I would like to address a comment made in reply to the last post regarding trestles and in particular the wing assemblies and the possibility that we may have erred in relation to the angle of the wing wall sheeting timbers.  I thank Graeme for posing the question as I must admit that the wings ( as simple as they are in design ) had me baffled for some time as each consecutive trial assembly just did not look right.  Apart from the wing wall pile diameter I thought the last attempt was almost there....but the comment did have me rushing for our research material file to check the facts. Even though we have departmental plans and some early photographic evidence that the timbers on some structures were indeed angled... after lengthy pondering I feel Graeme's comments are valid and the vast majority of trestles ( that had wing walls incorporated ) do show the timbers to be level....so we will work toward this modification and will post the results when complete.  While on the issue of comments...I take the opportunity to thank those who contribute as this exchange of info is important to the decision making progress of both the kits and my modelling experience as a whole.

    

The remainder of the week has been taken up by normal work, kit stock replenishment and a little job that I have been meaning to get to for some time.  Apart from the main layout room I do not have a dedicated modelling room and remnants of my hobby participation are pretty much scattered all over the house, business and layout room.  I have for some time had a corner of the layout shed earmarked for conversion to address this issue and as the doctor said "take it easy for a couple of weeks" ...I felt now was the time. 

As an aside we removed two large gum trees that were located about 10 metres from the layout shed about 4 months ago due to the trees exhibiting some major cracks at the bases and a general appearance of not being well.  The resultant findings were that one of the trees was sponsoring a large termite nest in the lower trunk and indeed it was time for these two gums and infestation to go.  This revelation left me with a giant hole in the pit of my stomach as the proximity of these trees to the timber "mother load" that is the train room was too close for comfort.  In hindsight it was a dumb decision to partially line the existing portion of the shed with normal framing timber and this new addition of a hobby room would be lined with termite treated timber and extra vigilance would be exercised both now and in the future for the shed as a whole.

But I digress....the proposed modelling room will be a 3 metre x 3 metre area with benches on 3 walls with the main criteria(s) being a permanent location for the air brush cabinet with the exhaust plumbed to the outside and a spot for an old rotary engraving machine that is now utilised as a hobby milling machine.  There are two good size windows in this room for natural light plus good views of passing trains on the main south and I have run enough power to the room for most future needs and a reliable security system with remote cameras.  The rest of the room will be used for general kit building and hobby storage.  I will also take advantage of the room's proximity to the layout room and will run a "repair road" through the wall so that troublesome trucks can be easily despatched from the layout to the workshop for repairs etc...

I have included a shot of progress...The layout room is adjacent to the wall at right of shot...

        

Back On The Horse...

All,

Well it was back to the grind this week and while completing a rather repetitious engraving job today I had time to devote some time to the Trestle Project.  The wing assemblies required some more refining and apart from the wing pile  choice... I think we have nailed it.  There is not a lot of small diameter timber dowel available and with the variations required for HO modelling some compromises are essential.  The main thrust of today was to get the overall wing dimensions, batter and close fit of components right. With this achieved I attempted a trial fit to the main trestle assembly and utilised some commercially available basswood half rounds for the wing piles and while it was good to get a "prototype" completed... the choice of the half rounds has detracted from the overall appearance as they look too lightweight.  I will construct a couple more differing trials and a decision will need to be arrived at so kit manufacture can then take place.  I will try and complete the instructions this weekend and a small delay will then occur while we bring all other kits back into stock in particular the first bridge release, tank stands and station facing kits.

I must admit that I am looking forward to converting this finished trestle into a completed scene and again I will post the progress as this goes along.

Rod

   

Time For Reflection

All,

Well it is now a week ago since surgery and I am out of the grasp of the NSW Health System.  This has been my first major foray involving a regional hospital and I must state that even though Goulburn Base lacks the sheer resources of Sydney hospitals...the staff here certainly do step up.  The care I have received has been above and beyond and I cannot but be in awe of the dedication they show.  On the other hand...my private health insurance v's a medicare stay bought me a daily paper and a television...what value!!!...Anyway today I received the news that the tumour ( and other iffy bits ) removed are B9 and there are no signs of lymphoma... and I live again to wreak pain and misery upon my ever suffering family and friends!!!.  The only downside to the whole kerfuffle  is the loss of hearing and loss of feeling over a fair portion of the right hand side of my face which will in all likelihood prove permanent...I was warned of nerve damage and I feel it is a small price to pay!...

Anyway...over the last week or so I have had plenty of time to contemplate the hobby and where I fit in it all.  Don't worry I have not had one of those "religious" type epiphanies....if that were the case I would probably be announcing a shift to Victorian Railways...No, I have just spent a bit of time going through the differing strands of the hobby and working out which of the strands I most enjoy and why.  The underlying factor in all of this is that I have found it very hard to get the juices flowing where the layout is concerned and obviously that would be apparent when I look back over the 90 or so postings since beginning this Blog which was initially created to allow me to chronicle the building of  what has become known as "Fish River"...and in recent times has emphasised  the lack of any real progress. 

While I understand we all find ourselves questioning our hobby involvement at some time or another...for me it has reached a stage where I do have to deal with the issue or risk some sort of mental implosion and while those close to me would proffer that this event would be a minor event based on the total mass involved, it is important for me to prioritise what I LIKE to do and those I feel somehow tasked to achieve. 

So what have I decided so far...

Firstly my dreams of a railway empire have been laid to rest for now.  The part of the layout known as Fish River will have all rail laying and pointwork finalised and scenery also completed.  A single track that circumnavigates the balance of the layout room will be laid and that will allow continuous running.  It will be nice to just sit and watch a train or two traversing the Fish River environs and not having to worry about said trains falling of the limited world I have in place now.

Secondly I will spend more time on the Laser Rail Bits range.  Apart from being a semi commercial venture, I absolutely live for the limited time I spend on kit development presently.  The joy I get from birthing an idea to ready for market is second to none and it requires more time to achieve the goals I have set myself.  I am frustrated with the present speed of kit development and this must change...

Thirdly ( Gee all this firstly and secondly stuff is starting to sound like K Rudd ) I plan to restructure the main business to focus more on the type of work that reflects time input v/s dollars.  While this may seem conceited...it is certainly not intended to be.  The business has grown steadily and we have worked hard over the last 20 years or so and I feel that it is time that the business become more tailored around our lives and not the other way around.

Lastly, I am thoroughly enjoying the creation of mini scenes or mini dioramas. It brings together many disciplines of the hobby into one single focus and I would love to explore this facet some more and hopefully discover some added skills and hone existing ones. The resultant scenes will either be stockpiled and end up as part of the layout in the future or will be sold if so desired...either way they are very fulfilling and in most cases gives me the ability to construct and place in context some of our kit products. 

The end result of all of these changes will hopefully provide a more balanced life and isn't that what we all try and achieve from being involved in a hobby in the first place???

Have a Great Week!!!          

Backdrops and Scenery...

All,

A few weeks ago a certain recently retired chappie from Bylong made a comment regarding the surface that I had chosen to photograph a piece of infrastructure on, being unflattering to the subject.  As much as this comment was tongue in cheek, it certainly got me thinking about the layout and backdrops etc.  To be believable a scene, diorama or layout does require the blending of rollingstock, infrastructure, scenery, lighting and backdrop to be in concert with one another to portray what we are all trying to achieve.... realism in "little" form.  There are certainly some modellers who appear to make it look simple to achieve the masterpieces that grace the blog sites and printed media that we can easily access...but for me it has and will be a long learning curve of trial and error until I am happy with the finished result. 

I have been studying backdrop methods for some time and my decision to end the procrastination and give it a go was made in the last few days and to begin I thought I would go out and take some landscape photos and just have a play.  As a fortunate aside we have large format digital printers as part of the business arsenal and I figured that this methodology of backdrop creation may as well be attempted first.  The attached photos show the results after printing a photo onto adhesive sign vinyl with the resulting print mounted on to some sheet substrate. The diorama was then placed in front of the backdrop and initial shots taken. 

So what have I learnt from this first attempt...

Firstly the chosen season would need to be mirrored in both the photo and the 3D modelled landscape so as hues, grass colours and general landscape items marry well.  The angle of the sun when taking the backdrop shots would need to be carefully selected to reflect the desired time of day of the layout if this is an important criteria.  It may be that shots need to be taken in flat light or on slightly overcast days so the shadowing is minimised.  The biggest problem I see in adopting this method for the whole of the layout is blending one shot into another to create a seemless backdrop over a large length of layout...in my case most likely around 9 metres between scenery breaks.  Of course there are computer programs that can stitch together several photos if taken in a careful method...but I wonder whether this would produce an optically curved finished result?.

I will continue to play around and see if most of the above issues can be solved adequately or it may be that the present method is good for diorama or infrastructure shots and painted backdrops may be utilised on the layout. I certainly have no artistic talent for painted backdrops...so it may end up that the job is "subcontracted".  Then again if I look at the present layout progress speed...backdrops may just be a job I can leave to the grandchildren...if I ever have any.

In finishing this post...just a note to the readers of this blog... I have an appointment with a surgeon ( who has promised to put everything back where they found it ) come Monday morning and I hope the next post will be sooner rather than later.  Thanks to you guys for your messages of support...They are greatly appreciated!!!

Regards,
Rod