Progress on the Triple O

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha!

 

Just a quick post to report an attempt at a HardieBacker building is under its dusty way and that the foamworking kit is finally on order.  The solar powered pumps for the pond will have to wait.  If anything, the we have more shade over the pond this year, and the guppies did just fine last summer.

In the meantime, we had a recent "Little People on the Railroad Day," which, beyond being a lot of fun, got the clan revved up to try their hand at structure building.

For fun, here are a few of some of the more railroad oriented portions of "Little People on the Railroad Day" that highlight some of the progress we have made...

For starters, this time we used some drop cloths to catch detail parts as we set up.  We also topped off some of our gravel to get level tracks and buildings:

We incorporated Tom's suggestion to use "Charlie," our broken railtruck, as the center for a vignette.  This sort of got the crew to focus on how to populate scenes around the line.

This is the pond area, with my father-in-law's handywork clearly visible behind the water hyacinth.  Adding a siding led to a brief argument with Charles of "Charles' Marine Supply," but after resolving it, did add interest and fun.  This is part of my effort to get folks to think about "What does the Triple O do?"

"Hell's Mountain" in bloom!  We've since trimmed back the daisies to let the sedum continue to come in.  The mountain is scrap concrete and lava rock.  There isa plan to add a mine with a track for mine carts to come out over the siding.  First the fairies will have to move...

OK, I just think this one is cool. 

Cattle ranch...mine...dock...and the theme became "Trains moving critters and folks to a wedding party."  Oh, well, the kids figured out which cars to use, switched them about, and got everyone to the nuptials on time!

 

That's it for now from Sunny Hawai'i! I imagine the next update will include what I shall generously call "handiwork" with my attempt at structures.

Until then, ALOHA!

 

- Eric 

 

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha!

I will provide pictures shortly, but this week we started foresting one corner, using my "poor man's pine tree," rosemary.  I topiaried two of these over the last couple years into a tunnel, which I now loathe and everyone else loves, and it convinced me to try "bonsai-ing" this stuff.  It lives, it takes aggresive trimming (kids love to trim!), and it is less than $2 a plant.  I also got out the pond foam to hide the last of the unsightly vinyl liner.  Not a perfect solution, but slate is absurdly expensive out here.

Unfortunately, on the train side, the weekend was frustrating.  We had not run them in about a month, and there were many testy rail joints.  Needless to  say, this weekend was one of chasing faults and not enjoying the trains.  This has convinced me to really look into soldering my foot long sectional tracks into longer sections, especially in those areas that really preclude much more fiddling with the track plan due to space or where I feel a stub siding is a long shot.

This week or next, I am going to get some half hollow tile to use as foundations for my building under construction, for a few out in the garden, and as a subradoadbed for some switches.  The latter float on the gravel, and, beyond the stray rock getting wedged in them, also seem more subject than the rest of the road to getting off the level and causing derailments. 

Looking ahead, I've noted some areas that have settled about 2 inches, and I will need to shore up the right of way.  I like the look from the settling, as it makes the terrain less sterile, but it causes more swaying and electrical connectivity issues than I like.  I have used some broken hollow tile, glued wood to it and used it successfully in one are.  I might try this or something similar (foam?) on a larger scale in another area.

Busy this week as we close on Memorial Day, but I will try to show photos of what was accomplised and issues that need addressing later.

Aloha,

Eric!

 

P.S. 15 month old vs. a mountain and my long-suffering sedum.  15 month old won!

[Greg Elmassian]

Rosemary makes nice trees!

[PVT Kanaka]

Ah! Saw this picture somewhere when I did some cursory research on the use of rosemary!

[Greg Elmassian]

That picture is from my web site, my site does have about 1.5 million hits, and that Rosemary bush is on a layout here in San Diego. So, you probably saw it from my site, under miscellaneous trees.

https://elmassian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=128&Itemid=151

Often, I post a question on a forum, and then google it, only to find my post or my site as the "answer"...

Greg

[PVT Kanaka]

Too funny!  Also, for the funny column, note that my oldest daughter discovered I had bought 3 blue lavendar and 1 "tuscan blue" rosemary, so now I get to see if lavendar can be "bonsaied."  We have had OK luck with dwarf lavendar, but the real stuff, which CINCHOUSE wanted for cooking, has yet to survive a summer.

We shall see how these "trees" work out this time.  For the moment,  they do smell nice!

[ttrigg]

PVT Kanaka

but the real stuff, which CINCHOUSE wanted for cooking, has yet to survive a summer.

That means you just need more!

After multiple failures with 'minatue pines' (they only got about 3~4 hrs of direct sun per day) SWMBO brought home a dozen Thyme 'trees'. The first Saturday of each month she would harvest (trim) them to shape. After 15 years they are still going strong. Truth be known, I really need to trim them back, they are starting to interfer with coal tipple.

[PVT Kanaka]

Hi Tom.

We have had mixed luck with thyme.  Most got scorched.  We have one next to our loco shed that is doing quite well, and I am going to experiment a bit more with plantings close against our "mountains" where they will get some shade.  Rosemary has been successful to date...when I don't confuse it for lavendar.  Speaking of which, stepping on lavendar pretty much does it in...

Below is the corner where our forestation efforts are taking shape:

We are also taking another crack at heather as a tree stand in, trying the same trick of putting it in a place that gets a bit of shade.  My oldest daughter wanted it to frame her building and to offer a mid-height plant as a foreground for the "archangels." Aesthetics are finally factoring into her choices!

Other planting experiments this summer will focus on ground cover.  We have had blue daze and oregano go for a couple years.  The former makes nice bushes; the latter makes tasty pizza.  I bought someting called "pink danthius," which at least looks like grass, but is a bit expensive, and tossed in some purselane, which apparently likes blazing sun and poor rocky soil.  Sedum has taken to "Hell's Mountain,"  and I have been using trimmings here and there to see where it might take.

I'll close on a humorous note, showing at least one way to spread sedum!  Behold, Kid-zilla!

 

Up to that point, Hell's Mountain was starting to look nice.

 

Have a great weekend!

Eric

 

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha all!

 

Just a quick update as we ponder our next effort...I finally attacked our track plan a bit, replacing some stub sidings we weren't using with another passing siding, as all hands deem passing sidings "more fun." As an upshot, I got to operationally test some turnouts I had to repair (one had a pinch in the rails; the other had an issue with the frog.  Both had a date with my Dremel.).  Success!  I guess I am learning something after all...We will wire these for multi-train operation later.  Of course, monkeying with the track had second order effects as I had to push and shove the rest of the track to get everything to line up correctly, and I had to repostion our POLA loco-shed.  Oh, well.

Plantingwise, I found purselane seems to grow in our climate conditions, with clippings even sprouting.  This has addressed our ground cover isse in our forest are.  In that same region, the lavendar is barely hanging on, but that means this time I can buy the rosemary I meant to buy in the first place!  Our heather seems to be on the verge of dying, and our poor thyme did not survive a transfer mandated by the track move.  Based on the August 2017 GR article discussuing mulch, I am wondering if my low plants get cooked from the heat reflected off the stones.  

Our next project will tackle some of the settling.  As we've planted, we have replaced gravel with soil, we have moved the gravel elsewhere to fill low spots, especially in areas I have designated for urbanization.  We have so much planting to do, this should suffice in some areas for years to come.  Over by our little pond, however, this won't work unless I build up the pond's walls.  I don't want to do that, and, actually, I enjoy the sense of a changing, rolling terrain the limited settling provides.  Anyway, I stuck a bunch of "boulders" under the track to serve as a retaining wall in one area.  Functional and attractive, I think!  In another area that has sunk about 1-2" and runs for about 48", I think we are going to engineer something out of bricks, then cover that with a foam sheet we can texture and paint.  I had some ideas I gleaned from this site and another forum I think I can apply.   I'd hang a photo for a scope of shot, but PHOTOBUCKET no longer allows third party posting.  

All is well, the trains are rolling, and we are still having fun!

- Eric

 

[ttrigg]

PVT Kanaka

 

 I am wondering if my low plants get cooked from the heat reflected off the stones.  

 

Very possible. In my case I found yellowing of the leaves on the underside close to the stem. I substituted a darker crushed rock to solve the issue, with a bit of extra watering.

[PVT Kanaka]

Thanks as always, Tom.  I have to make a stop by the hardware store and local nursery this weekend, and I'll see what they have.

 

- Eric

[PVT Kanaka]

OK,

Lots going on in parallel on the Triple O!

1. We are attacking the settling, using Tom's recommended board-scribed-to-look-like-a-timber-retaining wall method.  I will also make the form for some concrete culverts, both to spot fix a few areas and to get some basic skills in pouring concrete forms.
2. Attempts at making buildings are going forward, with my HardieBacker monstrosity on site and a rehabilitation of my father-in-law's water tower in progress.  The latter involvled cutting off the legs that had fallen vicitim to cattle dog, constructing a pump house / support structure around a foam core (foam...much easier to work with than HB! Still needs to be developed skill...)
3. Reforestation continues apace with rosemary.  The purselane is developing into a nice, dense mass that at least evokes a green rise.  I'll take it!  We are also experimenting with sea urchin sedum.  Sedum is sort of catch-as-can out here.  Sometimes you sedum in da store, sometimes you don't!
4. Mulch is on hand for an effor to plant a yard around our new "house."  We are waiting for dwarf elfin thyme to appear on the local market.  With the avocado tree keeping the temperatures down, I am hoping the mulch may not scorch the thyme like the rocks may have, assuming that was part of the issue.  

On the downside, Little People on the RR Day did not come off as planned last Friday.  A cartoon and the arrival of the kids' playmate preempted the effort.  I have had, upon reflection, a good run as the center of the children's universe. Still...

Lots going on in parallel, but the trains are really running great, and they provided a wonderful backdrop for the summer.  Pictures of my latest efforts to make them run better (the settling solutions) and to make a better backdrop (the plantings) as they are warranted.  

Have a wonderful week!

Aloha,

Eric

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha all!

OK, per my Q&A post on the subject, thre first "timber" retaining wall is in!  What a visual improvement!  Now, if I could get over my reticence to try to solder my sectional track, I'd get the operational improvement, too...I've gotten lots of ideas how to proceed, but, for the moment, jiggling joints is OK by me!

The rehabilitation of my fatherr-in-law's water tower is effectively complete, besides some touch up paint and some shims to level the tower..  The legs fell victim to the dog and kids, so I mounted the structure on a "pump house."  I had intended to make a foam core and scribe stones.  Botched it.  Then I planked the sides and intended to scribe a foam base.  Botched the base.  I shaved off the excess foam, mounted it on HardieBacker, made a fill pipe, and called it a day.  Beyond the door, I do not intend to add much detail.  The cattle dog has discovered the amazing cooling properties of the nearby guppy pond!

Anway, here is the project's start:

And here is its effective finish: 

I am much enamored of the sticks-on-foam method I used here, and I plan to experiment with it a bit more.  I have a need for a tool-shed / siding isloation switch for which I think this would be very applicable.  Given I have no workshop, no storage space, lots of people interacting with the garden, no hobby shops, and limited skill, this may be a good way to start getting something - ANYTHING - out on the road that can last!

Reforestation is at a standstill as I wait for my preferred rosemary - tuscan blue or verbano.  They seem to be the most treeish.  At least the sea urchin sedum is not dead. Yet.

As for a final follow-up, we place some mulch over the newly planted strawberry beds.  The plants did not fry.  We will continue the experiment if dwarf elfin thyme ever shows up in the area again.

 

Finally, I thought it would be fun to close with a series from earlier this summer...

Cue "Jaws Music..."

The predator lurks...

An innocent railfan surveys the surroundings...

THE ATTACK!!!!

But, don't worry, this story ends with a rescue!

No actually offspring or railbuses were injured in the capture of this story.  In fact, no actual railbuses were even derailed!  Got to love LGB!

At any rate, have a great week, and thank again in indulging me and letting me use this blog as a way to keep me honest and (wait for it) on track with this project!

Aloha,

Eric

 

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha,

 

As summer bleads into fall and winter (time to get out my 5 mm wetsuit for diving!  72 degree water...Brrrr....), I thought an update was in order on this "build log."  To be honest, progress was a mixed bag.  On the one hand, we addressed some niggling issues with electrical connectivity and with settling, installing scale retaining walls to address the latter.  We also experimented with materials for buildings, though I made less progress in urbanizing than I'd hoped as RR time had to go to repairing a loop coupler on the kids' battery powered loco and some other locomotive repairs (one is ongoing.  I now get to learn to replace idler gears in LGB's 0-6-2T!  What could go wrong?).  The biggest disappointment, however, came in the reforestation department.  The lavendar bloomed and bit it.  Half of the 6 rosemary trees followed into the compost bin.  The heather struggled mightily then succumbed.  The mulch allowed strawberries to take root and flourish, which brought back snails and slugs.  Snails and slugs love strawberry plants, apparently. Worst of all, white flies found my purselane, which had formed a nice mound of green simulating a cut.  No more purselane.    You can get a sense of it below:

At least half my dwarf lavendar died to make sure a little bit of everything got off to the compost bin.

The return of cooler weather, though, will bring with it another go at reforestation.  Sedum and native succulents seem to be doing OK atop Hell's Montain, even spreading in the case of sedum to the mountain's base.  Experimentation will continue, one $2.00 plant at a time, and I hope cooler, wetter weather will give things the chance to root before the summer.

On the upside, the effort continued to keep folks entertained.  We had another little people on the railroad day, and, of course, the Triple O delivered many a libation over the last couple months.  I also had a chance to get some 1:1 motivation at the Colorado RR Museum and chat with the volunteer running the garden RR.  Having been inspired to at least think about kitbashing (Why do used bits cost more than whole used locomotives?), I picked up "Next Stop Honolulu" at a revisit to our historic line last weekend.  A quick skim showed, with regards to Hawaii, anything went and thus anything goes!

 

OK, I don't like to end on too negative a point, so here is a shot of part of the RR where plants did seem to grow.  The flowering things are impatiens, which a.) don't die, b.) serve as a nice view break, and c.) look nice.  Native Akulikuli is growing over the tunnel complex,  "some kine tree thing" and Thai basil serve as trees, our roses are recovering from white flies, and blue daze is, if not thriving, at least surviving.  

Off to ponder getting at those idler gears!  Have a great week!

 Eric

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha and Early Happy Thanksgiving!

Lots happening on the Triple O.  The last two weekends proved too windy and rainy for beach activities, so the crew (or elements thereof) and I took to the garden.  Pictures will follow later this week.

Rosemary trees have gone back into the "forest," and I have noticed that as dust and debris settle into the rocks, my sedum seems to be grabbing little toe holds here and there.  At least one of the 3-4 species I have tried seems to be working...Today, for fun, we also planted some out-of-date seeds we got free from our nursery.  At worst, we get nothing.  At best, some greenery for the railroad and the kitchen.

We also turned-to on the bridges spanning our gorge.  Shifting tracks had caused the mainline and trestle to misalign.  Rather than break the trestle free (I had accidentally cemented it in place when I installed it.  Ooops.), I ran a stringer along its length.  The track now sits on the bridge again.  This left enough space on one side to run a walkway along its length.  Of course, as soon as my daughter and I got the glue down, it rained, the wood swelled, the walkway buckled, and we learned another lesson.  Suprisingly, the glue remained in place, and by noon today the good folks of Pu'u'o'ma'o (Green Hill when we are in Wild West theme) had a safer way to cross.  We plan to install a safety rail next.

I have never like the approach to the neighboring truss.  The Triple O doesn't have much going for it  in terms of "realism," but I loathe "flying tracks."  I am happy to report my oldest daughter used a handheld hobby saw to cut some timbers and assemble some cribbing.  Looks much better.

Meanwhile, the I broke out the foam cutter and some scrap wood to build a new steeple topper for the 1st Congregational Church of Haluku'ilio (Dog Wallow in the Old West), an old PLAYMOBIL builiding I have on my shelf.  Not overly detailed, but a good enough solution and good way to develop what the ancients called a "skill."

On the downside, "Gustav," my LGB 0-6-2T, remains down as I ponder how to get at his fried idlers.  Tonight, just as I sat back to enjoy dinner, a beverage, and a sunset, "North Star," a BACHMANN 4-6-0 started whining and stopped moving.  This leaves the Triple O with no prime movers and only one operating American locomotive.  Frustrating, but I suppose this is the price I pay for starting with 30+ year LGB and gambling on a used BACHMANN starter set.  Got to do some headscratching on how to proceed.

Anyway, again, let me extend a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 

Aloha,
Eric

 

 

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha!

 

I trust all had a Happy Thanksgiving.  All was well here, if "cold" in the low 70-s...

Anyway, as promised, photographic "proof" of some attempt at progess follow.

     First, the little steeple top. To be clear, the old PLAYMOBIL buildings only come out for special occassions and then go back inside.  They also come off the shelf if I need a diversion for the crew during inclement weather, which does, in fact, occur.  I opted to use foam for its price, ease of cutting, and forgiving qualities.  I did purchase a block for this at a craft store.  I shaped it with a HotWire foam knife, and after  gluing back on some "over shaping" planked it over with craft sticks:

  

I sealed the lot with exterior paint, before painting the front and back blue.  100 grit sandpaper serves as roofing material, and bit of a shattered epee became my roof topper (the second function beyond staking plants I have found for broken epees).  I think the reverend is quite pleased, even if his congregation seems a bit tardy this weekend:

Meanwhile, my much simpler if rain addled efforts to put a foot path over the trestle seems to have held up well.  The Triple O's work crew was pleased with the results:

And "North Star's" crew posed shortly thereafter...and shortly before she ate her own gearing for lunch...

Saftey railings will have to wait.  They will not survive Kid-zilla, even if they would make life better for the good folks of Pu'u'oma'o!

A new chassis for the 4-6-0 is on the way.  "North Star's" gearing failure coincided, happily enough, with a sale at BACHMANN (Whatever will I do with all those spare wheels and rods?), and this week I am going to get up the nerve to cut that part holding 0-6-2T "Gustav's" two sides together so I can replace his idlers.  The part is not structural, barely visible, and standing between me and getting the old fellow back on the rails.  The Triple O will have a prime mover before long!

Have a wonderful week!

Eric

 

 

 

[ttrigg]

"Saftey railings will have to wait."

I was going to ask. Well done. Keep expanding your skill levels.

[PVT Kanaka]

Thanks, Tom. I...and to some extent we...keep trying!

[PVT Kanaka]

I just scratched tunnel portals off of my 2018 "to do list" based on this just discovered photo:

This could've gone terribly wrong, but the little 0-2-0 just barely had the clearance!  The photographers have been advised next time they should work to prevent the attempt...

Hauoli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year) to all!

 

Eric

[PVT Kanaka]

Holy smokes!  This weekend marks three years of operations - such as they are - on the Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana RR!  As such, below please find the obligatory overhead and crew shots when we brought out everything but the Christmas stuff to celebrate the occassion:

And the crew, to include the oft alluded to, rarely seen, CINCHOUSE:

 

And, yes, the above are shameless "proud parent photos."

 

To be honest, when I reflected over the last year, I was a bit disappointed about the progress.  We suffered plant die offs, and my efforts at building making were, while educational, a bit rough and even more infrequent.  On the other hand, with lots of help from you guys, we got this system up and running well.  Whereas it used to take an hour of trouble shooting to get a train to move, with a little spot polishing, our iron horses are off and running in minutes these days.  Also, time intended for buildings went to locomotive repair, so, while I regret the mechanical issues, learning happened.  Likewise with the plants.  We now know what works.  We can move forward from there.  Overall, we have firmly set what is possible given costs, interests, and stage of life to make this a living, breathing, family (if dad-led) project.

The kid of course have drifted in and out in participation, with Oldest Daughter being my chief companion and Youngest Son (aka Kid-zilla) being the most enthusiastic - if dangerous - partner.  CINCHOUSE has determined that the whole project is of sufficient value that non-railroad items count as household, vice entertainment costs (I cannot convince her that LGB's "Olomana" would improve our property value...).  The project also continues to serve as a center point for entertaining and family get togethers.  I would score these all as successes. 

Looking ahead to 2018, I hope a few more buildings will pop up and that the environment will continue to green as sedum, rosemary, blue daze, and impatiens begin to spread.  We are debating a "strategic purpose" - a table saw for modeling?  a new loco to give my decades old locos a break? more long lengths of track to make things more reliable?   We shall see.   There will be more stabilizing of the roadbed (might actually try those culvert!) as well as more strategic rail clamping on trouble spots in the meantime, to be sure.  We are pretty happy with the track plan, so I MIGHT actually solder some of those 1' tracks together this year (Soldering as a skill continues to allude me.).  Even better, the first rumblings about an expansion have emerged around the dinner table.  If the road serves Hawai'i in the sugar era, shouldn't it have a mill at Pu'u'oma'o?  Hmmmmm....But that is for another year!

I would be remiss if I did not offer thanks for the guidance on this forum, to include some personal correspondence from "Chochowilly."  It hard to be the only show in town.  You guys make this a lot less  lonely proposition!

So, with that I close a year of operations and start a new one.  And remember, when booking your Hawaiian vacations, tell your travel agent, "Eh!  I like go on the Triple O!"

Aloha!

Eric

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha All!

I am overdue for an update, but, in fairness, we have been busy!  Also, the regular maintenance routines are far less dramatic than  creating mountains from rubble or the Wild West from PLAYMOBIL.  Progress though is progress and deserves some mention (and even some bragging)!

In February, we took part in the Large Scale Central sponsored "Mik's Annual Build Challenge".  This got me off my duff and into the woodpile to make a building that would house electrical switches for a passing siding and enable even more trains to operate at once.  The kids and I missed the deadline to finish, but we had a gas making our 2x4, popsicle stick, and shishkabob skewer wonder.  I'll post the final picture when the Pu'u'omma'o Yard Station and Observation Platform is in in place.

Spring also saw the renewed effort to reforest a section of the railroad using rosemary, our preferred plant.  In the picture below, you can also see how our sedum is finally starting to spread:

Oldest Daughter also helped with beach restoration.  Cattle Dog baths and guppy fishing took their tolls on the pond foam that we use to hide the liner.  I should mention that covering the exposed black liner also kept the pond cooler, which did wonders for the guppy survival rate:

The foam will weather away nicely, and we actually salvage chunks of the old stuff to serve as "rocks" in areas where we needed to shore up and level the mainline.

Meanwhile, my ever resourceful father-in-law spent a buck fifty and saved this toy loco from the scrap heap:

You can see Kid-zilla sneaking up on the poor thing.  Though this thing rarely makes a full loop without derailing, it serves both as a distraction while we are engaged in other activities and a as training device for little engineers. 

  

Given Kid-zilla's propensity to attack non-moving trains, this loco has probably saved more than a few handrails on more valuable rolling stock!  It really deserves a name for its prophesied martyrdom, but none has come to mind yet.

I should again give credit to my father-in-law's creativity tonight as well.  He recently applied it to salvaged toy cars to make the hand car and little diesel pictured below:

 

Both went back to his shop for tinkering.  We'll see if they return to the Triple O or morph into something new.  Oh, and yes, I am plumbing him for every trick he wishes to divulge in what is for me the black art of tool wielding!

The other big arrival, as mentioned elsewhere on this forum, coincided with my parents' visit.  By shear coincidence, a model my brother and I lusted over in the 1990-s was available locally.  Like all new motive power before her, the newly christened Nuernberg poses with the Triple O work crew on the Pu'u'oma'o Trestle:

I had wanted to give her a Hawaiian name, but CINCHOUSE said the new mogul had Christmas colors, Oldest Daughter wanted the mogul to have a German name, CINCHOUSE suggested "Nuernberg" because of its Christmas market, and I let slip that this loco probably came from Nuernberg based on its "Made in Western Germany" stamp.  I posed the issue to my Dad / the kids' "Opa," who happened to mention that same fact and then preceeded to remind the family he had lived in Nuernberg.  That sealed it.  Someday, I will have my way on something...anything...

Naturally, like all my purchases, this one had its issues, and I had to rip the old girl apart to get at a connectivity problem.  "Fortunately" I had help:

It turned out she had been reassembled incorrectly somewhere along the line, and simply cleaing the innards and flipping the brass busses did the trick.

Back on the line "Opa" volunteered to serve as track gang, got dirty doing some regrading...

...and the Triple O is now able boast Nuernberg as its second - and last (Is there really ever a "last?") - big American locomotive.  We can now go "all in" American, inching the Triple O closer to its real world strategic guide - the OR&L.

I may as well update all on our venerable 0-6-2T Gustav tonight, too.  Gustav hitched a ride with my parents back to the Mainland for repairs.  I simply could not crack the code as to why the after idler would not enage the after set of drivers.  With luck, Gustav will again pull the Triple O's "Festzug" come later this summer!

Lots to mention and lots of ground to cover tonight!  Thank you for your continued forbearance as I document obstacles and the occassional spasms of progress!

Aloha,

Eric

 

 

[ttrigg]

Looking good, my friend. As for the "black art of tool weilding", looks to me like you are doing rather well. "Made in Western Germany", haven't seen that one in a long time. Back then, they were made to run forever. A little TLC andd it should keep running after you stop.

[chocho willy]

   Personally I think Nurnberg is a great name, very fitting being as your father was very instrumental in it's arrival. There will always be time for you to have your way. congratulations on your new "Hao Lio", Bill

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha All,

 

In the spirit of Bill (aka Chocho Willy), I saw opportunity in "garbage."  Today, we slavaged four wheelbarrow loads of lava rock from a neighbor's yard.  There is some concrete, but careful placement should allow for any of a number of uses...

• ...footstep where the kids access the pond.
• ...shoring up a few areas where settling has left the track prone to shifitng off the level.
• ...beefing up our tunnel area (it always looked spindly in my mind).
• ...slightly raising the inner loop (Strictly aesthetic; it sank a bit below the outer loop in one area which I find disconcerting).

I have had a number of projects founder on the Shoals of No Locally Sourced Parts, but Quickcrete and dirt are always available.  With things largely working, I am approaching the future with an attitude of having multiple projects at the ready so I can get folks moving as tools and parts and whatever come available.

Speaking of tools, I will be getting that cheaper table saw when I pass through the Contiguous 48 later this year.  No point in paying 1/3 of the price of the product for shipping!

I have now put myself on notice I intend to do something with these rocks. The crew and I will hold a council, then I'll post an update.

In the mean time, malama pono (stay well)!

 

Eric

[chocho willy]

Well where is the proof, no picture, LOL

[ttrigg]

Hope these lava flows are not raising too much havoc in your area.

[PVT Kanaka]

No photos, no proof!  What is this, one of my SCUBA or tropical fish forums?  

On a more serious note, no, Tom, the lava won't impact us.  We will get hit with the sulfur rich gas plume, but I am typically not much impacted by it.  Now if Pele really wants to speak, a tsunami could be an issue.

As it happened, I was at Kilauea Crater on 1 May (I was in Hilo for May day for, of all things, a Civil War living history.  Google "Spencer's Invincibles" if interested.).  Halemaʻumaʻu was filled to the rim and overflowing in a few areas.  Quite an awesome spectacle that puts human power and time itself in perspective.

 

Not train related, but neat (and photographic "proof" )...

Aloha,

Eric

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha!

OK, first, proof of rocks:

You'd think on a volcanic island, these things would come cheaply.  They do not, costing about $10 a rock minimum.  We can easily hide the concrete when we place them.  This was a real rock...I mean WIND...fall!

As for use, one will go near our guppy pit to serve as a stepping stone.  No point in fighting kids or dog on their preferred access to the pond!

Some of the smaller ones will be countersunk to shore up the mainline and to help blend it visually to the lava-rock tunnel and cut network.  Our shattered but venerable "Little Thomas" came out to help me visualize the project (He may yet get a makeover if for no other reason than to gain practice.):

As I alluded to earlier, that tunnel lacks mass and thus looks a bit spindly.  The inner loop has sunk beneath the outer loop which bothers me a bit aestehtically.  The pictures below help scope the issue (pardon the foot):

      

I can add mass to the mountain by building "back" (travel right from my foot in the left hand picture) towards another mountain.  It has the advantage of space, would allow an elevated section for structures, and would add a sense of trains going somewhere by providing a visual block. The back side would be half hollow tile, and, yes, I'd leave plenty of access ports as otherwise it would put my most notoriously cantankerous run of track out of reach! On the other hand, this would accelerate funding authorization for additional 4' lengths of track.

The other option would add mass and attack that aesthetic issue by raising the inner loop where "Little Thomas" is parked in the right hand photo.  I like the idea of a vertical separation between the two loops, as it reinforces the idea they serve separate communitites and industries. My tunnels have the extra vertical clearance to allow the trains to start their climb, peak about where "Little Thomas" is sitting, then drift down back into the tunnels.  I am wondering if I have the clearances, however, between the loops to allow this, especially where that tank engine is sitting.  As the area sees lots of 0-2-0 and cattle dog traffic, letting the tracks leave a raised peninsula and arcing out on a trestle is not in the cards.   We have salvage rights on some hollow tile we found abandoned at our church, so that provides options in terms of a sub-roadbed and / or wall, using the scribed and stained concrete technique we employed elsewhere early in the project.

Anyway, these rocks are our summer project!  In general, rather than fight logistics, I am trying to remain open to projects as materials become available.  Others in the works include lights for my coaches (the electronics store may as well be in Idaho given its locaiton and hours), the "Little Thomas" makeover (Pending a parts queen of any make that appears locally), or a buildng (getting my little table saw this summer on a run to CONUS!).  In the short term, it is time to work a few weeks' rain and oxidation out of the line to prepare for our annual "Grill & Chill" next week!

Have a good one!

 

Eric

 

[PVT Kanaka]

Aloha all!

I thought a quick update was in order.  We hosted an annual potluck for my work teammates, team alumni, and their families late last month.  An unspoken rule is the first drink comes by rail!   The Saturday beforehand, it was all hands on deck to ensure the Triple O ran smoothly..

Rails got buffed, joingts got clamped, trees got trimmed, etc. to ensure that the Triple O ran like clockwork!  Although some of the luster of having a garden railroad has worn off, the kids all still take pride in showing it off!

The next day, the snapshot below reminded me of an important element of this hobby and this undertaking...shear joy:

The anticipation of kids and parents alike as a train rumbled by with a load of beverages made the previous day's efforts worhtwhile. 

Anyway, this weekend we began moving rocks to shore up some of the mainline and took possession of the oft-mentioned cinder blocks for a possible future project.  The former is, if nothing else, a visual improvement!  Photos to follow!

Have a great week!

 

Eric

[ttrigg]

Looking good.