Raking Through the Lego

One of life’s bittersweet experiences is watching your child grow up. On the one hand, it’s wonderful to see them grow into increasingly independent and self-sustaining people. On the other, they no longer want to be with you as much, being increasingly independent and self-sustaining. So, when the boy invited me to play Lego with […]

Those Remote Turnouts

As you might recall, the first two turnouts on entering Pembroke are actually on the windowsill. I think when I made this design decision, I figured I would use ground throws for these two turnouts. However, since then, I changed my mind and decided they should be remote from the front of the fascia like […]

Bullfrog Mutations

I decided to use Fast Tracks Bullfrog Manual Turnout Controls for controlling the turnouts on Pembroke. I tested these out at a show a couple of years ago, and liked the positive clunk compared to some other systems. I also liked the price (you’re getting to know me by now), and finally I like the […]

Home Spectroscopy

Since I primed the backdrop, every time I look at it with the layout lights on, it feels awfully blue. So, I decided to see if I could really understand what is going on with the lights. This Saturday, we mostly had rain (go figure, it’s Vancouver!), and so, the kids and I set off […]

And there was Light

Andrew came by last night, and I think it was the first time we have ever achieved what I’d hoped in the time available. At first it didn’t look like we would achieve anything. We opened the container of contact cement that I’d bought on Sunday, and found it had gone off. Looking at my […]

Smoothing out the Backdrop

This morning, before leaving for work, I sanded the second layer of drywall mud on the backdrop. It’s looking pretty good now, but I’m sure glad I hired someone to do the drywall on the rest of the basement (Amazon Contracting were excellent by the way; if you need drywall in Vancouver, look them up […]

Soldering up LED Light Strips

When it comes to bending, the LED light strips act a little like thick tape. They will go around quite a broad curve, but you have to break them to go around a sharp corner. Fortunately, every third LED, the strips have a line where they can be cut, and little solder pads to wire […]

Thanks for all your Help, Jim

I’m devastated to let you all know that Jim Peters passed away suddenly last week. He was one of the Proto:87 Posse, who regularly came to my place last year to work on Pembroke. Apart from all the help with putting ties in jigs, he was a source of endless amusing stories. He enjoyed his […]

Top Cabinets Finished

The top cabinets finally got finished this evening, and they look better than I’d imagined. Indeed, it’s pretty amazing how close they come to looking like the original design. The face frames are mostly poplar, with a couple of plywood panels thrown in around the corner. For strength, they are assembled with dowels and glue. […]

First strip of lights goes up (temporarily)

Andrew came over last night, and we installed the first strip of LED lights to try it out over the whole layout. As I mentioned previously, one strip is definitely not enough. Also we both agree that the mixture of warm white and cool white is more pleasant than just the cool white (shown below). […]