Something very strange and unexpected happened to me about a week ago. I lost my modelling mojo. One minute I had it and everything was normal and then the next minute it was missing. Try as I might I just couldn't find it and the more I looked for it the more obvious it became that I wasn't going to find it. It was all very odd and it was at the time a little worrying as I had never mislaid it before. I even started having random thoughts about throwing in the towel completely and walking away from the Corkscrew-Lines project - seriously, that really did happen. Maybe I had started to take it all a little too seriously and forgotten that when all is said and done this is just a glorified train set. The Corkscrew-Lines adventure is supposed to be fun and an enjoyable way to unwind and relieve the numerous stresses that life likes to throw at you. Thinking about it, yes, I had definitely started to take the layout and myself a little too seriously. I locked the door to the layout room, put the key in my pocket and didn't go back for well over a week. I even sent an email to Napier-Boy and Master Dover confirming there would be a cataclysmic announcement in this update regarding the future of the layout - or rather the lack of a future for the layout.
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| Even the arrival of this beauty didn't help - extraordinary! |
It was all very depressing and even the thought of producing this blog update, something I normally relish, filled me with dread. However, do not worry my Corkette chums because last night I made myself a cup of tea as I normally do and just wandered out to the garage to see how I would feel about things and to establish whether my feelings had changed regarding the whole Corkscrew-Lines malarkey. I tentatively entered the room and looked at the multiple levels of empty baseboards and the boxes of stock and piles of track and my thoughts immediately turned to all of the overly ambitious plans and schemes I had been mentally conjuring with just a week before. And then it happened. There it was right in front of me once again. I had found my Corkscrew-Lines mojo again. It was just where I had left it after all. Thankfully I was once again filled with that dangerous cocktail of excessive enthusiasm and naive optimism for the future of the layout - phew...what a relief! Corky had returned - Dreadful! The moral of this story is all too clear to me now of course. Never allow yourself to become too absorbed or obsessed with something that is supposed to be fun. Never forget that this is just a hobby and if it ever becomes a chore or repetitive and dull then just walk away for a while.
So it is of course excellent news that I am once again fully committed to this wonderfully mad project but unfortunately there have been some consequences following my absence from the garage for an extended period. Compared to previous updates this one is looking a little under nourished. Whilst I have certainly done plenty of work on the layout since the last update - mainly at the start of the month, I have not been documenting progress with the camera as diligently or comprehensively as I normally would. This will be an unusually lean update with simple reports on the areas where things have progressed and little else. For those Corkettes who have grown used to my seemingly endless waffling and verbal excesses I apologise but under the circumstances I hope you will be understanding.
Harbinger Yard & Doombe Sidings
At the start of the month I spent my modelling time laying the first few feet of the 6 through storage roads that make up Harbinger Yard. Each road so far will now hold a complete train (loco plus 8 coaches) and it looks likely that most when fully laid will actually be able to hold two full length trains before reaching the yard throat at Harbinger North. The yard tracks are now awaiting connection to the rest of the layout electrically but the 5 points forming the yard throat at Harbinger South are now fitted with their point motors.
I took great care when laying the yard tracks around the corner of the room to ensure rakes of coaches or bogie freight vehicles on adjacent tracks did not make contact with each other. Side swipes are a very poor show and to be avoided at all costs old boy! - Dreadful! This area is consuming enormous quantities of track (see the Totaliser) but in a few years time when the layout is bursting with trains and stock I will hopefully reap the rewards of having so many feet of storage space on the lowest level of the layout. Come the first CLAG day on the layout (Corkscrew Lines Alternative Gala) then even the likes of Rooster and Wibble would struggle to empty this yard! And that's not a challenge guys!
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| Track is laid and stock is tested in Harbinger Yard. |
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| The yard now extends around the corner towards Harbinger North |
Work is progressing with the board which holds Doombe Carriage Sidings. This has now been covered in sidings and is awaiting it's installation above the Harbinger South area. When completed this yard will comprise of 6 tracks which can each accommodate a full length train. The link line (Up Relief) from Harbinger South Junction has now been installed and a few days work could see the points installed and these sidings become operational. I am hopeful that this area will be completed in time for the next update. If things work out as I hope there will be storage for 18 complete trains in the Harbinger and Doombe area.
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| Track-work commences on the Doombe carriage sidings board |
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| Main lines trackbed board now sweeps over Harbinger Yard |
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| Branch-line trackbed now runs behind the yard |
Full Sized Adventures
A couple of weeks ago I was joined by Posh Colin and Wibble for a thoroughly enjoyable day at Alexandra Palace in North London. We attended the Festival of Model Railways show and great fun it was too. The venue was spacious, welcoming, clean and well equipped for refreshments and all three of us commented favourably on how pleasant it was not to be constantly jostled by the crowd as is so often the case at other venues. The layouts were impressive with a good mix of scales and eras and there were plenty of interesting traders stands to visit. Wibble couldn't resist a bargain Peak to add to his stud...apparently you can never have too many Peaks! I managed to resist the temptation to buy anything - extraordinary under the circumstances!
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| Surely the most impressive model railway show venue of them all? |
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| Plenty of room for everybody to enjoy themselves |
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| My jovial chums - Posh Colin & Wibble |
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| Wibble comes over all unnecessary and "Peaks" too soon! |
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| A male model fashion shoot perhaps - or then again maybe not! |
Visiting Corkettes
I have had the great pleasure over the last few weeks of visits to Jones-Towers by the always affable Wibble and the irrepressible Napier Boy and his Co-Pilot ...that's Johnny Herbert and the lovely and long suffering Tracey to you and me. Wibble helped me out with some feeder wire soldering in Harbinger Yard and Napier-Boy insisted on running something called a Black Five (whatever that is!) up and down the helix. Well he seemed pleased and it kept him quiet so who am I to complain? As the helix is still isolated from the rest of the layout I am restricted to running DC locos around the spirals so far. This is good news for Johnny as he considers anything manufactured since 1970 to be "new fangled" and is therefore openly suspicious when presented with a DCC decoder! Next month I will begin the process of comprehensively testing and equipping my loco fleet with magnets to be used in conjunction with the DCC Concepts Powerbase system. Once this is completed I will probably make the DCC connection to the helix permanent. His elderly Black Five incidentally managed 6 coaches up the helix with relative ease which bodes well for the resident Corkscrew-Lines steam fleet once appropriate magnets have been affixed.
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| Soldering is such fun! Thanks Wibble. |
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| "That's my Black Five that is!" - Bless! |
Latest arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines
A couple of deliveries of sundries and DIY bits n bobs arrived earlier in the month. Some of these items will be used for railway modelling including glues, wiring and tools.
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| Foam trackbed, PCB boards, electrical solder, points and 100m of twin n earth cable! |
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| Ironmongery fest! |
Another couple of die-cast vehicles have arrived and this time it is a pair of small commercials by Oxford-Diecast. Two generations of Ford panel vans are represented by the lovely Thames and the classic mk1 Transit. Wonderful models as always.
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| Fabulous models of Ford's best. |
Traction Action - The Future is here!
The most spectacular arrival by far was the extraordinary Rapido Trains APT-E which was delivered about a week ago. The packaging, comprehensive instructions, glossy book and included accessories impressed deeply and that was before the model had even been removed from the box. There is no getting away from it however - this model is a bit of a pig to assemble. Each coach has to be clipped into the next to establish an electrical connection and it is not a job for the faint hearted. Once assembled the train has to really stay that way because taking it apart is just as awkward as putting it together. Now don't get me wrong - the engineering is superb because it allows the assembled train to tilt on it's articulated bogies whilst still providing entire train lighting and full sound through a speaker in each power car. A remarkable feat and one which inevitably results in an unorthodox and complicated coupling process.
Unfortunately for me one of the electrical connections is faulty on my particular model so I can presently only run the train as a 3 car set. One of the trailer cars causes a short circuit whenever it is added to the rake so I cannot yet enjoy the full splendour and spectacle of a full 4 car train leaning into the curves. A few emails between Rapido and myself have established the probable cause and I am preparing to send the offending coach off for repair at no expense to myself. Disappointing certainly to have a fault but the reaction from the manufacturer has been excellent...these things do happen after all. Even in 3 car form the slippery silver monster is a beast - Oh My Lords - Hellfire! And what a racket it makes! "By the Cringe!" Once the gas-turbines have started spinning at both ends it's like having a couple of Harrier Jump Jets sat on your baseboard. The neighbour's cat legged it pronto when my fat little digit first prodded the engine start function button! When my depleted rake is back to it's full majestic length I will be producing a video of it tilting to it's hearts content as it screams up the helix. All right let's deal with the large grey trumpeting creature with a dangling trunk standing in the room. I can almost hear you all shouting "The Corkscrew-Lines is supposed to be set in the 1960s so what's an escapee from the 1970s doing at Jones-Towers?" Simple - I like it and it's my train set - so there! It will make special guest star appearances (along with my eagerly awaited Class 74 Electro-Diesel) so as long as you turn a blind eye then everybody is happy - Hellfire!
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| Easy to guess what's in this box! |
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| Limited edition certificate, souvenir book, data sheets and instructions - impressive. |
The Corkscrew-Lines Progress Totaliser - Groovy Baby!
The mainlines at the foot of the helix have been extended into the area called Lowgate East adding another 20 feet onto the mainline total. I will cover this area in more depth next time. The yard at Harbinger is responsible for the growing storage and Fiddle Yard total.
So there you have it once again my friends. I hope you have enjoyed this slimline version of the Corkscrew-Lines Update. Remember the old adage - size isn't everything! - Oh My Lords! Next month, subject to me not having another crisis of faith so to speak, the update will hopefully be a little larger and there will be a lot more photos of higher quality. Until then my friends take care and I will speak with you all again soon.
That's all for now folks!
Corky
