Now for the Kitchen Sink.....

On Saturday 20 November, we again called in to Bunnings at Mansfield. This time we purchased another ten sets of double slotted steel tubing and ten 470 mm brackets. This gives us a total of 15 double slotted brackets and tubing which will allow us to build the top deck of the layout down the left hand wall of The Shed. We also purchased some bolts with which to affix the tubing to the wall studs but these ended up being too short, Bunnings did not have the range suitable for our requirements. I will try a fastener specialist to see what we can get.

The double-slotted tubing and a bracket purchased for the first stage of our layout. The bracket is 470 mm long and will support the top deck on the left hand side of the shed at 750 mm width

Our next stop was our usual Saturday morning visit to Austral Modelcraft where we received a rather boisterous greeting as besides Ray and Aileen there were a number of the Tuesday Nighters present. GeoffB, MikeB, Tess and Son were there and they gave me a rather “warm” reception. I thought it must have been “get David day” with all the jibes. Fortunately, Craig wasn’t there as it could have been a riot (at my expense).

Raymond purchased some more HO Scale flat car loads. He had purchased some pipe loads previously and they do not look out of place on an On30 flat car. He now has some slab steel. They cost $29.95 and $27.95 respectively from Austral Modelcraft.

A Bachmann On30 flat car with a pipe load. The slab steel is in the foreground.

We spent the rest of the weekend tidying up and planning future action.

Raymond spent some time installing a DCC sound chip and speaker in my K-36 but when he tested it, it blew the chip. Much to his chagrin he found that the wheels on the tender of the loco were not installed correctly giving a direct short circuit. Oh well, another couple of hours work and a new chip when he gets around to it.

My K-36 No.481 disassembled ready for a second attempt to install a DCC sound chip.

On Saturday 27 November we again went to Bunnings at Mansfield. This time we purchased a mobile tool trolley which was on special. We plan to use this when we are building the layout to keep our tools, screws and sundry bits and bits together. We can wheel it around The Shed as we progress. Our Saturday morning visit to Austral Modelcraft was next where Raymond purchased some wiring harnesses and Tamiya weathering pastels. I thought it was rather quiet even though there were several other customers. Oh! I know the Tuesday Nighters weren’t there.

On Saturday afternoon, Raymond assembled the tool trolley then he set about making the kitchen cupboard. Neither took that long to make although Raymond kept muttering something about Ikea when he was making the kitchen cupboard. I said “But there are no Allen keys so it can’t be Ikea”. Actually it was a Bunnings product.
The Tool Trolley
The kitchen cupboard unit is now in place with a 5 litre urn ready for lots of tea or coffee when the guys come around. I am hesitant to put in a mini bar fridge as well just for milk (and a few stubbies of beer) as we have a fridge nearby in the laundry already loaded up with milk, beer and even some wine.
Well not actually the kitchen sink. This is our kitchen cupboard with the 5 litre urn ready for cups and teaspoons. We will be able to enjoy a nice cup of coffee.

Not the Kitchen Sink.....

On Saturday 13 November, we called in to Bunnings at Mansfield to purchase another two sets of shelving and a kitchen cupboard unit. We then went to Austral Modelcraft where I spent some time drooling over what I might buy (but couldn’t afford) while Raymond opened his Debit Card to purchase two N Scale Kato SD45’s in Rio Grande colours and a 1:20.3 Bachmann Spectrum Long Caboose in Rio Grande Southern colours.

Saturday afternoon we spent in The Shed assembling the two sets of shelves. The assembly itself was very quick. I then started transferring our modelling magazines to one of these while Raymond moved some more of his stuff to the other.
A second set of storage shelves which Raymond has started to fill.

We have a large collection of Australian Model Railway Magazines but our collection of narrow gauge magazines is growing very fast too. Titles include Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette, Narrow Gauge Downunder, On30 Annual and Narrow Gauge and Industrial Modelling Review.
The library shelves for our modelling magazines. I have already started to fill these up.

Raymond also spent some time testing his MMI K-37 which he has fitted with a speaker and DCC sound chip.

Last Sunday Raymond went to fit sound and DCC to his MMI K-36. After he had dismantled it he found some serious rusting on the end of the can motor. There was also corrosion on a number of soldered joints as well. He e-mailed Precision Scale Company in the USA on Monday and had a response by Tuesday. He had told them of the problem and included a photo. He told them we had two of these locos. Their reply was to check the second loco and that they would send out one motor or two if necessary. My K-36 was fine except for some corrosion around some of the soldered detail parts. PSC are now to send out a replacement motor for Raymond’s loco.
The brown rust on the end of the can motor of the MMI K-36. Precision Scale Company responded very quickly to this problem.

Raymond has also started to fit a DCC chip to a Bachmann Porter 0-4-2T. The number of complicated parts and sub-assembles that this loco has to be broken down to is unbelievable.
A dismembered Bachmann Porter 0-4-2T. A myriad of parts for such a small loco.

We have yet to put together the kitchen cabinet unit, perhaps next weekend.

Work Benches and Storage.....

Raymond and I purchased a set of shelving from Bunnings, Browns Plains on Sunday 24 October. Raymond went out Sunday afternoon so I tried to assemble them myself but was severely hampered by my wrist. Raymond helped put them together on Saturday 30 October. The task took us about 15 minutes unlike the bolt-together shelving I had used in the garage which would take several hours. This shelving kit makes up into a very nice sturdy piece of furniture with five shelves. The only tool needed was a rubber mallet as it was all clip together. Once assembled it is very sturdy unlike the bolt-together shelving I had bought previously for model railway storage in the garage. After assembly we spent a pleasant couple of hours transferring more than 100 boxes of Bachmann On30 models from the garage to The Shed. There are still more to go but we can’t get at them as there are four full sheets of plasterboard, left over from The Shed leaning against those shelves in the garage. I have offered to give the plasterboard away to one of the Tuesday Nighters so we can get it out of our way.

Our first set of shelves in The Shed loaded with some of Raymond's Bachmann collection
Raymond still has a lot of boxes to go but we need the next set of shelves for those. By comparison my collection appears rather sparse.

My collection of Bachmann in the green boxes. The red boxes on the right are the AMS wagons that Raymond bought from the UK recently. The wooden carry trays are Raymond's also.

We are planning to purchase at least two more or possibly three of these clip together shelves. We need at least one more for the remaining On30 boxes, one for our library of model railroad magazines and hopefully another for all the kits and bits and pieces.

On Saturday 30 October we called in to Wallace’s Office Furniture at Annerley where we purchased two new office desks each 1500 X 750 mm plus two second-hand mobile drawer units to fit under the desks. These were delivered on Thursday 4 November and Raymond had them placed in position. We are now planning to build some shelving at the back of these desks (work benches).
Our two work benches in place along with the mobile drawer units

This weekend Raymond and I repaired the drawer runners on one of the second-hand drawer units. We then spent a pleasant Saturday afternoon starting to move our modelling tools and various models under construction. At the same time we began discussing the shelving we thought would be desirable on the top of the work benches in order to organise all our tools, paint, glue and spare parts including DCC chips, speakers, lighting, couplers and detail parts. This is Fun.

Setting up the work area
There will be some things that we can’t/won’t do in this work area. Spray painting and drilling and machining metalwork will be done just outside The Shed under the Pergola. It will be too hard trying to vacuum metal shavings out of the carpet. Walking on the soft carpet in bare feet is a pleasure to the senses although one of us will probably step on something sharp one day. Ouch! I suppose we will have to wear good quality sneakers or slippers when the Tuesday Nighters come over. We do need some decorum.

Looking from the back of The Shed. The blue chairs and table are for our Tuesday Nighters meetings but will be moved once the layout is under construction as the layout will extend that far. The Pergola area can be seen through the sliding glass door.
Raymond started putting his work area to good use this Sunday afternoon by wiring in a DCC sound chip and speaker into an MMI D&RGW K-37. Sounds great but there are a few hiccups to deal with especially the lighting.