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
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
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
Up to that point, Hell's Mountain was starting to look nice.
Have a great weekend!
Eric
PVT Kanaka but the real stuff, which CINCHOUSE wanted for cooking, has yet to survive a summer.
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.
Tom Trigg
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!
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
Visit my site: http://www.elmassian.com - lots of tips on locos, rolling stock and more.
Click here for Greg's web site
Rosemary makes nice trees!
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!
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
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
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
"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
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
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
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:
Solar powered water pumps. Have a look at "Camping World" (google search) or any RV store site. They carry a line of solar panels for charging RV 'house batteries' and water pump replacements for RVs. A neighbor, 3 doors down, uses them to pump his front yard pond. He has two of the $125 pannels, on a south facing fence, powering a $40 RV replacement water pump. He uses 3/8 inch clear 'rubber/plastic' tubing. His pump is directly below 3 plastic 'rock bowls' as a small waterfall. His intake line runs to the other end of the pond. He "de-greens' the pump and tubing twice a year by lifting the small stones from the tupbing and has the system pump from and to a 5 gallon paint bucket filled with water and one cup of beach for an hour, then flush the lines with fresh water before putting it back into normal configuration. In four years the only problem he has had was when some migratory rabbits found his wiring and ate trough the insulation. Just a thought for the future.
I have two units myself that I use when at a 'primative' camp site. One for the vehicle battery so I can listen to the cab radio and charge the phones.The other for the house battery. The only time I need to run the generator is for the morning coffee and the microwave for the frozen breakfast sandwiches.
Aloha Tom.
Our little pond is far simpler, about 50-75 gallons. The funds and space were not there for a proper koi pond, and I wanted to take advantage of year round tropical weather, anyway. I had intended to make this a water garden, balancing fauna and plants, as I had with an empty 55 gal aquarium for years, with Southeast Asian anbantoid species (Many evolved to live in hot, low oxygen environments.) as my target "showcase" critters. Long story short...too shallow, too exposed, and too quick to fill. We even lost critters to dragonfly larvae, and I put the whole thing in a reinforcing loop of stupid...no fish led to bugs, but not enough fish allowed dragonfly larvae to get established which led to no fish which led to bugs...We sorted the whole thing out by erecting a shade over 2/3 of the pond and backed it off until the water hyacinth - nature's sewer plant - took. We have had a colony of feeder guppies and a pair of mollies established for about 18 months now, so, at long last, i will try my anabantoids, probably blue gouramis.
I have been looking for a solar powered pump to move things around a bit, but no joy in that department. Internet research has come up dry beyond small decorative things of dubious quality. As the the pond serves as a source to water plants, the water gets refreshed regularly. Regular removal of water hyacinth and duckweed is how I get rid of organic material and keep the fish happy over the long haul.
Long term, the pond will be the sump for a proper water feature. With filtration and flow, the sky is the limit given our climate. I will probably take my cues from local hotels that have similar set-ups centered on African Rift Lake Cichlids. However, there is the foam tools, the tablesaw, that DCC controller, some rail clamps...let alone the mortgage, food, and car repairs...between now and that vision!
Have a great week!
A good number of us have a water feature in our garden empire. I have a 2,000 gallon Koi pond. The key to a sucessful fish pond is moving water and filtration. I don't know if you have a stream feeding your pond. If not good circulation is key. Step one, determine your total number of gallons, select a pump and filter capable of pushing your water total water supply every 3~4 hours. Read the information charts for pumps and filters. Look close at the 'lift flow rate' for the pump. In my case I have a waterfall 38 inches above pond level. To get the desired 800 gallons per hour over the falls I needed a 2,000 gal per hour pump. Splashing water is a good way to oxygenate the water. Since I don't remmber seeing a water fall you should look at airation bar or stones like needed for an indoor fish tank. When looking at filter systems, look to over size the filter. The larger the filter the less frequent the maintenance. If you have any questions, just ask. Of the seven Koi we started we lost two from flooding by rain and two from large birds. Actually saw a Red Tail Hawk take one.
Busy weekend on the Triple-O...Re-grading a few areas and adding rail joints to trouble spots occurred catch-as-can throughout the weekend. Our big project, however, was improving our pond. While most of the improvements were made with an eye towards fish-keeping issues that are probably beyond the scope of this blog, I am pretty proud of some of the scenic efforts.
I decided to take advantage of some settling to see if I could use last year's skills of cutting craft store "timbers" and gluing them to concrete to make retaining walls. Here is the before (Pardon the PLAYMOBIL. We were having fun!):
And here is the after: I am not sure if the sand will stick to the pond foam or not. We'll see. I use the rest of the can of pond foam to build a barrier around the edge of about half the pond, backfilling behind it with gravel. This is a major visual improvement. I sprinkled some sedum clippings in to see what would happen in 1/2"-1" of gravel. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I am not thrilled with the glossy look to the hardened foam, but I want to see how / if it fades before cutting it away. Likewise, I want to see if the foam holds up to kids playing and a cattle dog cooling before finishing this effort. Oh, and to tie up some loose ends from my last post, we did move some sidings around. It took about 30 seconds before the crew figured out what that meant they could do, and before long barnyard animals and what-not were shuttling around the Triple O. Still have my eyes on that controller, though! That's a wrap for now! Have a great week! Eric
And here is the after:
I am not sure if the sand will stick to the pond foam or not. We'll see. I use the rest of the can of pond foam to build a barrier around the edge of about half the pond, backfilling behind it with gravel. This is a major visual improvement. I sprinkled some sedum clippings in to see what would happen in 1/2"-1" of gravel. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I am not thrilled with the glossy look to the hardened foam, but I want to see how / if it fades before cutting it away. Likewise, I want to see if the foam holds up to kids playing and a cattle dog cooling before finishing this effort. Oh, and to tie up some loose ends from my last post, we did move some sidings around. It took about 30 seconds before the crew figured out what that meant they could do, and before long barnyard animals and what-not were shuttling around the Triple O. Still have my eyes on that controller, though! That's a wrap for now! Have a great week! Eric
I am not sure if the sand will stick to the pond foam or not. We'll see.
I use the rest of the can of pond foam to build a barrier around the edge of about half the pond, backfilling behind it with gravel. This is a major visual improvement. I sprinkled some sedum clippings in to see what would happen in 1/2"-1" of gravel. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I am not thrilled with the glossy look to the hardened foam, but I want to see how / if it fades before cutting it away. Likewise, I want to see if the foam holds up to kids playing and a cattle dog cooling before finishing this effort.
Oh, and to tie up some loose ends from my last post, we did move some sidings around. It took about 30 seconds before the crew figured out what that meant they could do, and before long barnyard animals and what-not were shuttling around the Triple O. Still have my eyes on that controller, though!
That's a wrap for now!
It's not plug and play, but there's enough expertiese on this site to walk you through the installation step by step.
If you already have track power, then what you can do is:
Run "normal" analog locos as you have been.
Leave the voltage on the track at about 18 volts and run "revolution equipped" locos with independent control - as many as you like.
Run some trains on analog, and then the revo-equipped one(s) would run at that speed or lower, but independent control. This let's you mix locos, but you know the revolution is pretty darn cheap, the receivers are pretty low in cost, and you can start with one transmitter and receiver and add incrementally. The additional fun of the bell and whistle is not to be underestimated with kids (or grownups ha ha).
In addition, your locos MIGHT be low enough current to run the HO revolution, I used one on an Aristo eggliner. That could save a few bucks on additional receivers, from $100 each to a bit less... (I'm beta testing them now).
Anyway, it's food for thought and you can convert over bit by bit. The independent wireless control with sound will definitely increase the fun factor.
Greg, I am assuming that the product at this link is what you are referring to: http://www.revoelectronics.com/product/57001.html. Is something that would be "plug and play" with our newer Bachmann 2-4-2 "Smokey" but would take some tinkering and skill to backfit into our older LGB stuff, assuming I was inclined to try that?
That being the case, could I hook up "Smokey" and let his analog pals run on the same loop, or would they be restricted to the separate, isolated loop? Thanks!
Multiple train control with trains going in opposite directions, the need to pass each other will liven up the action. I think you are track power, the Revolution Train Engineer is inexpensive, adds sound, and the kids will have a ball.
A quick post here to acknowledge two years of operations on the Triple O, celebrated in grand fashion with some older relatives and, yes, the hibachi and a the beverage train (on the newly islotable siding to the left awaiting its load!).
You can see some of the progress (not shown, the locomotives we learend to troubleshoot and repair over the last year!) if you compare it to last year's post. Mainly, the hollow tile is all covered, tinctured, and textured and there is a new mountain over to the right. Another key feature is the switchtowers barely visible to the right that serve to power the station's tracks on and off, which, as mentioned, has opened up some fun. I reviewed my posts from last year, and, barring inspiration, I think we will contine to focus on the world we have now defined by the existing retaining wall and geography. Key will be finding more "bullet proof" plants (the Jamaican mint just bit the bucket). I also have Mr. Jack Verducci's "Building Structures for Your Garden Railway" on hand and the new GR CD-ROM compendium on order to help address populating the Triple O with buildings. As ever, there will be constraints of cost and the maturity of my four most anxious helpers, the latter constraint balanced against a need to keep this project interesting for them. I did want to close with a question of sorts. My oldest daughter has said she "likes working on the garden railroad, but just watching trains run gets boring." Ouch...With the caveat that I have to be able to run two loops and I only have one fully functioning turn-out left in reserve, can anyone recommend modifications to the layout as shown? For now, I am considering removing the connections to the inner and outer loops at the far left, elevating that section a bit, and using those turn-outs as sgub switches serving the little farm off to the left and a too be determined industry elsewhere. Alternatively, and one that wouldn't force me to try to move plants that are actually growing well, I was thinking of reworking the "yard" off to the right. As ever, your thoughts are appreciated, as is my continued appreciation for the continued help and guidance! Eric
You can see some of the progress (not shown, the locomotives we learend to troubleshoot and repair over the last year!) if you compare it to last year's post. Mainly, the hollow tile is all covered, tinctured, and textured and there is a new mountain over to the right. Another key feature is the switchtowers barely visible to the right that serve to power the station's tracks on and off, which, as mentioned, has opened up some fun.
I reviewed my posts from last year, and, barring inspiration, I think we will contine to focus on the world we have now defined by the existing retaining wall and geography. Key will be finding more "bullet proof" plants (the Jamaican mint just bit the bucket). I also have Mr. Jack Verducci's "Building Structures for Your Garden Railway" on hand and the new GR CD-ROM compendium on order to help address populating the Triple O with buildings. As ever, there will be constraints of cost and the maturity of my four most anxious helpers, the latter constraint balanced against a need to keep this project interesting for them.
I did want to close with a question of sorts. My oldest daughter has said she "likes working on the garden railroad, but just watching trains run gets boring." Ouch...With the caveat that I have to be able to run two loops and I only have one fully functioning turn-out left in reserve, can anyone recommend modifications to the layout as shown? For now, I am considering removing the connections to the inner and outer loops at the far left, elevating that section a bit, and using those turn-outs as sgub switches serving the little farm off to the left and a too be determined industry elsewhere. Alternatively, and one that wouldn't force me to try to move plants that are actually growing well, I was thinking of reworking the "yard" off to the right. As ever, your thoughts are appreciated, as is my continued appreciation for the continued help and guidance!
Aloha, All!
As promised, some photo proof of progress!
First, one of the buildings we lit up using solar garden lights per a recent GR article. Gustav pulls his first train in months after repairs (he was jumping the track after his return to service. Turned out things had shifted pinching a curve. All is well!). You can just make out our rough portals for the tunnels in the background. Nothing great, but, by hiding the concrete block, it was a major visual improvement:
My oft-mentioned father-in-law inspects where his new swtich tower will go. He made a pair for our station. The signal flags move the light switch which now turns power to the tracks on and off! The project to emplace those towers and allow for multi-train operation was a most-hands-affair. Per company guidance, all major projects are voluntary, with "employees" joining and drifting away as they see fit. First, we prepped the rails for the new SPLITJAW clamps: Then, we used shards of hollow tile to make a level base: This was followed by some soldering and quick jiggering of one clamp (I had accidentally jumped across an "isolated" gap.): And finally, of course, testing the whole thing! Our newest "employee" beat us all to the punch (He crawled over, hoisted himself up, and was amazed at what those shiny boxes did!): All of this has prompted some discussions about where to put our throttles, and it has created a new position, yard master, for operations. Of course, my stress level is up a bit as the crew figures out how to avoid collisions... Meanwhile, we have contined plantings, testing something called "Jamaican Mint" as a possible "tree" and attempting to "bonsai" rosemary for the same purpose, again using recent GR articles as our guide. We may have even turned the corner with the sedum on Hell's Mountain! Maybe that gets a picture, too... Thanks as always for the interest, and do pardon me for indulging again in a few "proud dad" shots. Have a Wonderful Weekend! -Eric
My oft-mentioned father-in-law inspects where his new swtich tower will go. He made a pair for our station. The signal flags move the light switch which now turns power to the tracks on and off!
The project to emplace those towers and allow for multi-train operation was a most-hands-affair. Per company guidance, all major projects are voluntary, with "employees" joining and drifting away as they see fit. First, we prepped the rails for the new SPLITJAW clamps: Then, we used shards of hollow tile to make a level base: This was followed by some soldering and quick jiggering of one clamp (I had accidentally jumped across an "isolated" gap.): And finally, of course, testing the whole thing! Our newest "employee" beat us all to the punch (He crawled over, hoisted himself up, and was amazed at what those shiny boxes did!): All of this has prompted some discussions about where to put our throttles, and it has created a new position, yard master, for operations. Of course, my stress level is up a bit as the crew figures out how to avoid collisions... Meanwhile, we have contined plantings, testing something called "Jamaican Mint" as a possible "tree" and attempting to "bonsai" rosemary for the same purpose, again using recent GR articles as our guide. We may have even turned the corner with the sedum on Hell's Mountain! Maybe that gets a picture, too... Thanks as always for the interest, and do pardon me for indulging again in a few "proud dad" shots. Have a Wonderful Weekend! -Eric
The project to emplace those towers and allow for multi-train operation was a most-hands-affair. Per company guidance, all major projects are voluntary, with "employees" joining and drifting away as they see fit. First, we prepped the rails for the new SPLITJAW clamps:
Then, we used shards of hollow tile to make a level base: This was followed by some soldering and quick jiggering of one clamp (I had accidentally jumped across an "isolated" gap.): And finally, of course, testing the whole thing! Our newest "employee" beat us all to the punch (He crawled over, hoisted himself up, and was amazed at what those shiny boxes did!): All of this has prompted some discussions about where to put our throttles, and it has created a new position, yard master, for operations. Of course, my stress level is up a bit as the crew figures out how to avoid collisions... Meanwhile, we have contined plantings, testing something called "Jamaican Mint" as a possible "tree" and attempting to "bonsai" rosemary for the same purpose, again using recent GR articles as our guide. We may have even turned the corner with the sedum on Hell's Mountain! Maybe that gets a picture, too... Thanks as always for the interest, and do pardon me for indulging again in a few "proud dad" shots. Have a Wonderful Weekend! -Eric
Then, we used shards of hollow tile to make a level base:
This was followed by some soldering and quick jiggering of one clamp (I had accidentally jumped across an "isolated" gap.): And finally, of course, testing the whole thing! Our newest "employee" beat us all to the punch (He crawled over, hoisted himself up, and was amazed at what those shiny boxes did!): All of this has prompted some discussions about where to put our throttles, and it has created a new position, yard master, for operations. Of course, my stress level is up a bit as the crew figures out how to avoid collisions... Meanwhile, we have contined plantings, testing something called "Jamaican Mint" as a possible "tree" and attempting to "bonsai" rosemary for the same purpose, again using recent GR articles as our guide. We may have even turned the corner with the sedum on Hell's Mountain! Maybe that gets a picture, too... Thanks as always for the interest, and do pardon me for indulging again in a few "proud dad" shots. Have a Wonderful Weekend! -Eric
This was followed by some soldering and quick jiggering of one clamp (I had accidentally jumped across an "isolated" gap.):
And finally, of course, testing the whole thing! Our newest "employee" beat us all to the punch (He crawled over, hoisted himself up, and was amazed at what those shiny boxes did!): All of this has prompted some discussions about where to put our throttles, and it has created a new position, yard master, for operations. Of course, my stress level is up a bit as the crew figures out how to avoid collisions... Meanwhile, we have contined plantings, testing something called "Jamaican Mint" as a possible "tree" and attempting to "bonsai" rosemary for the same purpose, again using recent GR articles as our guide. We may have even turned the corner with the sedum on Hell's Mountain! Maybe that gets a picture, too... Thanks as always for the interest, and do pardon me for indulging again in a few "proud dad" shots. Have a Wonderful Weekend! -Eric
And finally, of course, testing the whole thing! Our newest "employee" beat us all to the punch (He crawled over, hoisted himself up, and was amazed at what those shiny boxes did!):
All of this has prompted some discussions about where to put our throttles, and it has created a new position, yard master, for operations. Of course, my stress level is up a bit as the crew figures out how to avoid collisions... Meanwhile, we have contined plantings, testing something called "Jamaican Mint" as a possible "tree" and attempting to "bonsai" rosemary for the same purpose, again using recent GR articles as our guide. We may have even turned the corner with the sedum on Hell's Mountain! Maybe that gets a picture, too... Thanks as always for the interest, and do pardon me for indulging again in a few "proud dad" shots. Have a Wonderful Weekend! -Eric
All of this has prompted some discussions about where to put our throttles, and it has created a new position, yard master, for operations. Of course, my stress level is up a bit as the crew figures out how to avoid collisions...
Meanwhile, we have contined plantings, testing something called "Jamaican Mint" as a possible "tree" and attempting to "bonsai" rosemary for the same purpose, again using recent GR articles as our guide. We may have even turned the corner with the sedum on Hell's Mountain! Maybe that gets a picture, too...
Thanks as always for the interest, and do pardon me for indulging again in a few "proud dad" shots.
Have a Wonderful Weekend!
-Eric
Tom,
A belated thank you for the tips above. We will probably get cracking on this after Christmas.
Speaking of which, Merry Christmas to You and Yours!
Aloha,Eric
Eric,
Over the years I have used many birdhouses in my GRR. The first ones fell apart after about 2 1/2 years. For the replacement bird houses I did a bit of advance repairs. Gently pry off the bottom foundation board. Cut a notch in a 2x4 to hold the house so that a corner was at the bottom, flow in a bead of liquid nails (or other wood cement) to the inside corner, let it set up for about half hour the rotate to the next corner. After all the inside corners are "glue up" paint the inside. Before replacing the bottom I let it soak in an old cake pan with a wood preservitive. Lots of copper to prevent wood rot. It takes about 2 days for the preservative to dry for paint. Reattach and paint the putside of the house. This extended the life expoctancy from 2 years to 10+ years. All of my birdhouses are from Michael's craft stores. When looking at birdhouses get out your credit card, if the long side of the credit card matches (or close to) the size of the door, the house will be in scale with most everything else.
I owe some pictures, but I did want to at least verbally report progress:
The above are small things, but they are things that, to me, mark a transition from defining the boundaries of the Triple O to defining the world that lives inside of it.
Pictures should be up again, but, should I be remiss, I wanted to take a moment to wish all those who celebrate Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) and wish all Hau'ol Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year)!
Aloha & Belated Happy Thanksgiving!
Not too much to report...After a quick trip to the continent, I picked up the railclamps for the planned passing siding project, some HLW "mini" gondolas for their kid friendliness, and a Dremel motor set for the heck of it (~$30 cheaper than I have ever seen it out here!). Oh what the latter little tool portends! The wet season has hit, and that seems to have given my sedum a boost for the moment, too.
I am back at work troubleshooting "Gustav," our venerable LGB 0-6-2T, but I hope to have some more subtantial update on the line writ large when the passing siding project gets underway.
Progress continues at a pace if not apace. We dove into the box-o-track to see about improving our passing siding in advance of readying for multi-train operations. All is we; however, a TV blew up ll, so the order for the requisite clamps may have to wait, given I was going to bundle it with some other odds and ends. Why we need TV in Hawai'i remains a mystery, but I like being married...
Other projects have kept me, and sometimes us, busy. Gustav, my LGB O-6-2T, decided to call it quits, so I had to open him up. The motor works, but one of the tabs was bent. Bent it back into shape, and he worked on the test track, though today when I finally got him out on the road, he remained touchy. Everytime he stopped, I picked him up, burnished his wheels, and let him go. Now it seems there are just a few touch spots that Gustav, and Gustav alone, will not cross, even as his headlights work. Oh, well, trouble shooting is free.
This work culminated about 10 days of tinkering with the roadbed. As Tom predicted, things have settled a bit. My gravel pile is starting to shrink as I fill and level things. On the other hand, the garden is taking on some terrain that makes it less sterile, and, as things level out, the trains run much better with fewer derailments and power interruptions. Also, it is free.
The garden has also undergone some minor alterations. Hell's Mountain, in which nothing seems to grow, has yet to kill some sort of sedum I stuck up there a couple weeks ago. After talking with the nursery today, the issue of bake and flood on our side of the island is at the root of it (no pun intended), so I mixed in more cinders to promote drainage. We'll see. We also hacked away at a white fly infection; the infection being too close to our pond, we are taking the trim, fertilize, and hope method. Not quite free, but no shipping!
Finally, we, and this is a WE, took a small saw and some half inch by half inch "timbers" to make simulated shoring at the entrances of some tunnels. This covered the most obvious concrete blocks and made the whole look so much better (Shokingly so, I think). I'd like to make portal wings, but, with too many small humans still tempted to make passge through the tunnels,they can wait. On the "downside," this inspired the need for a quick purchase of few other "timbers" to make vertical reinforcements (this week's project!) and a few other strips of "lumber" to make a simulated door frame on one of my in-laws' creations. All of the above has been practical application from some of the GR articles.
At any rate, I wanted to document progress, such as it is. With our weather going from dry and wonderful to wet and still pretty wonderful, beach activities are likely to slow, so I imagine more puttering will occur, especially as we begin to unlock what is possible with a few hand tools and some glue.
OK, Today's "update" is truly just for fun. As mentioned, a couple week's ago we got out about half of my 1980-s vintage PLAYMOBIL for "Wild West Days on the Triple O." To be totally honest, some of these may be stretching the purpose of these pages (exchange of technical advice), but, with GR's recent run of getting kids involved editorials and articles, I felt justified!
On the techical side, though, our fun did reveal a few issues I'll have to address,particularly horizontal clearances, building foundations, and ease of transport of buildings. For the moment, however, please indulge me in simply enjoying the moment.
Here we go...
We staged buildings, cowpokes, the 7th Cavalry, Winnetou, etc. at the bite in our dogbone...
The town took shape here. This is about 1/3 of the buildings in the collection... The photo of "North Star" pulling out gives a sense of both my clearance and foundation issues! The fort in the background of the previous photo took some jiggering to get trains to pass. Long term, I will also have to find a way to make sure buildings are level. For now, no one cared. Our rural section...The crew divined this is how I envisioned the Triple O would develop. Winnetou and his clan are in the dwarf roses, you can make out settlers far to the rear, and the crew, meanwhile, is loading boxes and furniture into a lowsided gondola. OK, "Proud Dad Shot." The crew populating the Triple O. Finally, for in order to end on something vaguely adult, "Smokey" pulls a short freight past some frienldly folks on a buckboard waving to gunslinger / strawberry farmer. OK, that is it for tonight! We had cavalry columns and wagon trains out there, too. We ran out of time, however, to see how that would've gotten integrated into the whole. Thanks again for indulging me tonight! I hope that the above justifies the time spent providing guidance to me over the years! Now on to those passing sidings... Aloha, Eric
The town took shape here. This is about 1/3 of the buildings in the collection...
The photo of "North Star" pulling out gives a sense of both my clearance and foundation issues! The fort in the background of the previous photo took some jiggering to get trains to pass. Long term, I will also have to find a way to make sure buildings are level. For now, no one cared. Our rural section...The crew divined this is how I envisioned the Triple O would develop. Winnetou and his clan are in the dwarf roses, you can make out settlers far to the rear, and the crew, meanwhile, is loading boxes and furniture into a lowsided gondola. OK, "Proud Dad Shot." The crew populating the Triple O. Finally, for in order to end on something vaguely adult, "Smokey" pulls a short freight past some frienldly folks on a buckboard waving to gunslinger / strawberry farmer. OK, that is it for tonight! We had cavalry columns and wagon trains out there, too. We ran out of time, however, to see how that would've gotten integrated into the whole. Thanks again for indulging me tonight! I hope that the above justifies the time spent providing guidance to me over the years! Now on to those passing sidings... Aloha, Eric
The photo of "North Star" pulling out gives a sense of both my clearance and foundation issues! The fort in the background of the previous photo took some jiggering to get trains to pass. Long term, I will also have to find a way to make sure buildings are level. For now, no one cared.
Our rural section...The crew divined this is how I envisioned the Triple O would develop. Winnetou and his clan are in the dwarf roses, you can make out settlers far to the rear, and the crew, meanwhile, is loading boxes and furniture into a lowsided gondola. OK, "Proud Dad Shot." The crew populating the Triple O. Finally, for in order to end on something vaguely adult, "Smokey" pulls a short freight past some frienldly folks on a buckboard waving to gunslinger / strawberry farmer. OK, that is it for tonight! We had cavalry columns and wagon trains out there, too. We ran out of time, however, to see how that would've gotten integrated into the whole. Thanks again for indulging me tonight! I hope that the above justifies the time spent providing guidance to me over the years! Now on to those passing sidings... Aloha, Eric
Our rural section...The crew divined this is how I envisioned the Triple O would develop. Winnetou and his clan are in the dwarf roses, you can make out settlers far to the rear, and the crew, meanwhile, is loading boxes and furniture into a lowsided gondola.
OK, "Proud Dad Shot." The crew populating the Triple O. Finally, for in order to end on something vaguely adult, "Smokey" pulls a short freight past some frienldly folks on a buckboard waving to gunslinger / strawberry farmer. OK, that is it for tonight! We had cavalry columns and wagon trains out there, too. We ran out of time, however, to see how that would've gotten integrated into the whole. Thanks again for indulging me tonight! I hope that the above justifies the time spent providing guidance to me over the years! Now on to those passing sidings... Aloha, Eric
OK, "Proud Dad Shot." The crew populating the Triple O.
Finally, for in order to end on something vaguely adult, "Smokey" pulls a short freight past some frienldly folks on a buckboard waving to gunslinger / strawberry farmer. OK, that is it for tonight! We had cavalry columns and wagon trains out there, too. We ran out of time, however, to see how that would've gotten integrated into the whole. Thanks again for indulging me tonight! I hope that the above justifies the time spent providing guidance to me over the years! Now on to those passing sidings... Aloha, Eric
Finally, for in order to end on something vaguely adult, "Smokey" pulls a short freight past some frienldly folks on a buckboard waving to gunslinger / strawberry farmer.
OK, that is it for tonight! We had cavalry columns and wagon trains out there, too. We ran out of time, however, to see how that would've gotten integrated into the whole. Thanks again for indulging me tonight! I hope that the above justifies the time spent providing guidance to me over the years! Now on to those passing sidings... Aloha, Eric
OK, that is it for tonight! We had cavalry columns and wagon trains out there, too. We ran out of time, however, to see how that would've gotten integrated into the whole.
Thanks again for indulging me tonight! I hope that the above justifies the time spent providing guidance to me over the years! Now on to those passing sidings...
PVT Kanaka
Nice pic.
I am pleased to report that our retaining wall is at last covered entirely in tinctured, and textured concrete! I won't pretend it looks like natural rock, but it looks a darn site better than plain hollow-tile! The red-brown hues just soften the transition up from the yard, and, of course, I can always stack rocks and dirt up against it later.
The final push brought all hands on deck. When help arrived, the process became slower and messier (scratch one t-shirt!), and my careful attempt at uniform inscription to mark the name of the road, the date of groundbreaking, and date of first run went pretty much out the window. It all added to a final, folky finish to what has been a tedious project, and the crew is looking forward to allocating funds to something else on the Triple O!
Before closing this chapter of the road's evolution, I wanted to mention that the wall bears the 5 handprints, 1 foot print, and 1 paw print of each principal crewmember. They have all had their hands / feet / paws in the project, now those hands / feet / paws are forever ON the project.
I have authorization - but not funding - to build a mountain and waterfall and to expand the pond, but that is years away. I am looking forward to working more on the railroad and less on the garden (beyond planting) anyway. The short list:
Lots to do as we tinker away! Thanks agains for a space to keep me honest and (pun intended) on track!
Have a great week & aloha!
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