Update - No.16 - 16.08.11
Originally sent via email to friends and family only in August 2011
Hello Everybody, I hope you are all doing well.
 |
| Apertures for helix access being cut |
 |
| Apertures for helix access being cut |
I
have yet to lay an inch of track but that doesn't mean I haven't been
busy. The baseboards have been cleared ready for the track-laying to
begin and I have accurately measured out the areas available and started
to devise possible
track formations for the low level storage loops. A last minute
rethink of
the track-work leading to the Docks Branch on the lowest level has
resulted in a
radical solution...a flyover! Although this will be out of sight in
the gloom of
the hidden storage area, it will allow trains to run to and from the
Docks Branch and join the mainlines without the need for a reversal
en-route. I'm still thinking through the options but this will probably
be the way I go. Progress has also been made with the first section of
the outer helix and the first of the threaded rods have been
installed. When I start work on the inner helix I'll describe more
fully the techniques I'm using and include plenty of photos. You'll see
from the photos I have started to cut the access holes into the end
frame sections adjoining the helix. This will allow the mainlines to
access the helix and climb or descend between the 4 levels.
Running Totals on the Corkscrew Lines
To act as a kind of incentive for me to keep going with the more mundane aspects of the layout such as track-laying and wiring, I have decided to create a sort of totaliser showing my progress to date. I hope this doesn't backfire with Corkettes haranguing me when none of the totals change over the course of a few updates. I will no doubt be fascinated to see what the grand totals are myself at the end of track-laying, so this will let me do the calculations as I go and save me an awful lot of time at the end. Anyway, just a bit of fun and I may add a few more headings as things progress. Hopefully the totals will start changing with the next update....I have no intention of missing my end of August deadline for track-laying! I'll create an additional page for the totals so they can be easily checked.
Full Size Railway Adventures
To act as a kind of incentive for me to keep going with the more mundane aspects of the layout such as track-laying and wiring, I have decided to create a sort of totaliser showing my progress to date. I hope this doesn't backfire with Corkettes haranguing me when none of the totals change over the course of a few updates. I will no doubt be fascinated to see what the grand totals are myself at the end of track-laying, so this will let me do the calculations as I go and save me an awful lot of time at the end. Anyway, just a bit of fun and I may add a few more headings as things progress. Hopefully the totals will start changing with the next update....I have no intention of missing my end of August deadline for track-laying! I'll create an additional page for the totals so they can be easily checked.
Full Size Railway Adventures
Sarah, Bex and I visited London a couple of times a few weeks back to do some tourist type things which proved to be great fun. The first day included a stroll along the South Bank which was hosting a sort of retro festival. Included in the exhibits and activities were a few very old vans which had been beautifully restored as refreshment and ice cream vans. Whilst the Citroen's were nice, the Morris J vans were fantastic. I already have some Morris J models for the Corkscrew Lines so these full size examples were a real treat.....Dreadful! We finished that first visit with a trip along the Thames by boat to the London Flood Barrier and back via Greenwich for a refreshment break and a spot of much needed but probably wasted culture. All in all a great day out and recommended. The second visit to the Capital was based around a "flight" on the London Eye. We had done this about 7 or 8 years ago but it was still great fun getting such a spectacular view over London. Whilst not specifically a "Railway Adventure" it certainly included trains and I have included some shots of the highlights which include the odd multiple unit or 2 although quite small in the image!
The main "Ned" event regarding full size trains took place last Wednesday when Johnny Herbert and I went big game hunting in the Boston area......that's Lincolnshire not Massachusetts unfortunately! Once again I got some shots of the Colas operated steel train which runs from and to the West Midlands. You'll see shots of the train being shunted over the main road through Boston, causing traffic chaos, then a newly refurbished "Gronk" shunter which is used by Boston Docks attaching the wagons to the waiting Class 47....47 739 Robin of Templecombe. The final view shows the train heading back to Birmingham through the sleepy halt at Hubberts Bridge deep in the Fens....My Lords!
Visitors to the Corkscrew Lines since last time have included Lord Dowsby and Napier-Boy. I told you it would revert to middle aged men didn't I? Always a warm welcome for all Corkettes at the Corkscrew.
 |
| Lord Dowsby, Napier-Boy & Corky |
 |
| Corky & Napier-Boy |
New Arrivals on the Corkscrew
Unusually for me, no new arrivals to report. I suspect track-work purchases will feature heavily over the next few months though!
In the next thrilling instalment...
Next time it will be shots of track-laying, recent visitors....including yet another female visitor - yes, really!
Unusually for me, no new arrivals to report. I suspect track-work purchases will feature heavily over the next few months though!
In the next thrilling instalment...
Next time it will be shots of track-laying, recent visitors....including yet another female visitor - yes, really!
 |
| A lovestruck boy gazes in wonder at his true love! |
Until next time my friends, keep those kettles boiling!
Corky
No comments:
Post a Comment