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Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 9:36 pm
by Hydrostatic Dazza
pandsrowe wrote: ↑Thu Aug 30, 2018 8:37 pm
Dazza, having followed your description of how you are operating your points I wonder if you would be good enough to answer a couple of questions for me. I have now got some gear casing and stainless wire ready to do a similar arrangement on my points, I'm wondering how you cut them. The gear casing could be cut with cutters but I suspect that would crush the casing and a hacksaw I think would fray it. Also the stainless wire that I have got is dead hard, OK I could cut it with wire cutters but I don't think the cutters would last very long and soon develope gouges on the cutting edges rendering them useless.
Any pointers as to how you have dealt with this would be much appreciated.
? are welcome. Sharing is fun. As Tom Tom mentions, you need the bike gear cable casing cutter as per his link or similar.
For the stainless wire, use junk cutters knowing it will die or a Dremel with the cut off discs. A Dremel or mini die grinder with the small cut off discs are simply brilliant . Slice through egg shell or tool steel. Can you bend the stainless wire end over 90 degrees with pliers ? If not you might need to cook it up with a small torch to anneal it.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2018 8:13 am
by pandsrowe
Thanks to you both, brilliant solutions. The pro tool looks a very handy tool to have in the workshop for all sorts of other applications and would you believe I never thought about using a Dremel. Obviously a brain malfunction as I've been using mine over the last couple of days for cutting the track I'm laying!
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:32 am
by Hydrostatic Dazza
I was off to empty the scrape bowl to the worm farm and compost bin and our local
Green Tree Snake who we suspect lives in the walls of the garden railway is warming his or herself up in the spring weather and no doubt off to gobble up skinks and grass hoppers etc. (they are not venomous and have large eyes as the do hunt at night as well) Lovely little fella. We had some rain recently and warm weather so the weeds are off and racing these last two weeks.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:50 am
by Andrew
That's a fine-looking beastie - rather more impressive than the slow worms that sometimes visit my line, although I'm very fond of those...
I don't blame the snake for choosing to admire your permanent way at close-range, that's a lovely smooth curve in the background. You're going to end up with a wonderful railway...
Andrew.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:30 pm
by Hydrostatic Dazza
It seems that a family resides in the wall at the Orchid House Loop. MAM reckons we name the area "Tree Snake Curve" . MAM and I will take care when the time comes to do the terra forming, leaving a passage for them into the wall.
The little skinks are going to live a dangerous life this summer around the POR.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:35 pm
by Peter Butler
Nice as they are I would prefer it if they visited elsewhere. I thought my own natural wildlife was intrusive but nothing compared to yours.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 12:43 am
by Hydrostatic Dazza
Peter Butler wrote: ↑Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:35 pm
Nice as they are I would prefer it if they visited elsewhere. I thought my own natural wildlife was intrusive but nothing compared to yours.
They are harmless and do zero damage, they can be bright green with yellow bellies, the Carpet Pythons are every where here and they goggle up small dogs, however the Brush Turkeys,t
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_brushturkey
hey are the worst, tough birds but they crash through everything, step on every thing and will scratch or better described as plough up every thing.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 10:09 pm
by invicta280
Looks like you'll have reet proper grand signalling there!
I do like that MVR loco. Is RM76 still in serivice?
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 2:39 am
by Hydrostatic Dazza
invicta280 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 09, 2018 10:09 pm
Looks like you'll have reet proper grand signalling there!
I do like that MVR loco. Is RM76 still in serivice?
Thanks, with a simple unhook of two points the lever frames are off line and one can can run non stop while sipping red wine :-)
I had hoped to have the signalling installed by now, but I am away every second weekend as a trainee on steam and diesel at the Rattler.
The loco is #974 from the heritage fleet at Ipswich. It is on lease to the Mary Valley Rattler till 967's rebuild is complete. 974 is steaming and running well. My firing is getting better, I am landing it down the front of the 8 foot long grate much better these days.
Rm76 is still in service and soon to be earning its keep with bums on seats. Also the Rm2017 and RM2023 are in service and they run on Friday mornings on the breakfast cafe service.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:43 am
by FWLR
Very well thought out production line there Dazza.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:10 pm
by Hydrostatic Dazza
FWLR wrote: ↑Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:43 am
Very well thought out production line there Dazza.
I think I have you fooled, I am just winging it as I listen to the Indian batsman wear down out bowlers who insist in bowling too short and wide and our 20 -20 batsman who cannot occupy the crease and ...............................
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 2:06 am
by IrishPeter
Hydrostatic Dazza wrote: ↑Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:10 pm
FWLR wrote: ↑Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:43 am
Very well thought out production line there Dazza.
I think I have you fooled, I am just winging it as I listen to the Indian batsman wear down out bowlers who insist in bowling too short and wide and our 20 -20 batsman who cannot occupy the crease and ...............................
"Mix it up a bit when bowling. Keep a good line and length, then given the odd long or short one to unsettle them, but above all don't let them score." To quote our Latin teacher 35 years ago.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 10:43 pm
by Hydrostatic Dazza
It has been awhile since the staff have devoted some time to the POR, due to them being involved at the Gympie Rattler. They go off and drive and fire steam locos at Gympie most weekends and have neglected their duties at the POR.
However recently some labour hours have been directed to the signal and telegraph workshops and some progress has been observed on the signals for the Orchid look section of the POR.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:25 pm
by DonW
I shall be interested in seeing how you do these.
Don
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2019 11:42 pm
by Hydrostatic Dazza
DonW wrote: ↑Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:25 pm
I shall be interested in seeing how you do these.
Don
I have done a prototype, it is in this thread some where, kits and I have these to do and later a second bigger batch for the other end of the railway.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 1:25 pm
by Andrew
The Gympie Rattler looks great - I particularly like the look of the luggage van behind the loco...
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 10:06 pm
by Hydrostatic Dazza
The workshop staff switched from Locomotive work last night to the S&T department. Senior management is pressing junior management to get cracking on the signalling, lighting and irrigation installed so the landscaping can be started this summer. We are not sure that this can be achieved by the end of this summer 
!
for a wee while. The POR managment team are not seeking a detailed scale reproduction, rather operation is the fun direction with the fully interlocked frame that has been installed at the Orchid House Loop.
