New Workbench

It’s been more than three years since I took down my workbench and started on the basement renovation. This weekend, I finally installed the table top on the new one, which is built into the cabinets beneath Pembroke. Here it is cleaner than you will ever see it again. I had thought I would get […]

Shapeways Turnout Control

Well, I finally gave up on Mitch’s FDM printer and went back to Shapeways. I tried a couple of different designs on the FDM printer, but they all came off the bed. Mitch has loads of success printing quad-copter parts, but they are substantially less complicated than what I am trying to produce. After the […]

Force Majeure!

My kids like to play Zombie Apocalypse on the front lawn. I thought it was just them shooting imaginary zombies with imaginary guns. However, today Canada Post tried to deliver a turnout control from Shapeways, and must have run full-tilt into the apocalypse:

Staging point throw bars

Tonight, I finished all the staging point throw bars. This followed the same springing scheme I explored with a proof of concept a couple of weeks ago. As I was finishing the last one, I thought to myself that not only was I in danger of almost knowing what I was doing, but that perhaps […]

Staging Yard Closure Rails

Last night we completed the closure rails in the staging yard. Also, Andrew prepared all the springs and throw bars for the switches. Tonight, I prepared the remaining points, ready for soldering up tomorrow or on the weekend. It was a good point to clean up and take a quick photo.

Thoughts on Shipping for Pembroke 87.1

So far it’s just a thought experiment, but Dave Doe recently put me in contact with Maurice Hopper, who, it seems, is a bit of an expert on building layouts that really travel. When I mean travel, he doesn’t bung them in the back of his estate wagon and cruise out on the interstate. No, […]

Staging Frogs and Stocks

I just finished soldering down the frogs and stock rails for the staging yard. So now it is a little more apparent what it looks like. I had hoped to be finished last night, but some misalignment in the mid-way crossover required a night’s sleep. Well, it’s done now, and I think it looks good […]

The Screaming Banshee Rail Grinder

Today the boy and I set up the Screaming Banshee Rail Grinder (SBRG) and in relatively short order, ground all the frogs and points for the staging yard. I thought I had described this machine previously, but I can’t seem to find it, so here we go again. It’s just as well really, because some […]

Filing the gauge side

I suppose if you have to reinvent something, it’s time to write it down so you don’t have to invent it yet again later. Tonight, I had hoped to get the Screaming Banshee Rail Grinder out, but I only got as far as filing the gauge side of the frogs and points before the noise […]

Staging Yard Ties

I’ve been spending most of my recent train time trying to get the turnout controls to print. The good news is that it looks like they’re going to be sufficiently robust. The bad news is the original design had a lot of overhang, and would come off the 3D printer bed at the least provocation. […]