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| Links to Notebook Pages: | Model Trains |
Friday July 14, 2006 6:15 am Lethbridge Alberta
A. Morning Musings
6:15 am
The temperature is currently 8 C with a high forecast of 28 C.
Chores will be relatively light today. I need to mow the lawn and, hopefully, pick up the 5th wheel.
Model Trains: I noticed a problem with one of the flexitrack sections last evening and may need to replace it. I also added three more cars to my train. I would like to begin keeping track of these cars (lubrication, check trucks for NRMA standards, check couplers for proper height, check weight (I need to find some standards for this) and update my data base as I slowly begin to operationalize my rolling stock. I also want to begin working on some of the kits that I bought a few years ago. A fairly simple one is about setting up a prototypical set of pipes for my oil refinery. I need a small table for working on - I may visit Costco and check the dimensions for their folding tables (I seem to recall that they have a fairly small one).
B. Plan
Immediate Chores Mow lawn 1 hr Health Walk & exercise 1 hr Technology Make notes for chap. 3 of "Switching to the Mac" 1 hr Model Trains Begin assembly of oil refinery piping 1 hr Literature Continue reading "Grizzly Lies" 1 hr Later Chores Take cement blocks to landfill 2 hr Fill cement cracks in garage floor 2 hr Fill mortar cracks in brickwork near garage front door 1 hr test saw blade for cutting 3/4" plywood (for book boxes project) 1 hr Investigate water softeners for home 2 hr Build 4 more book boxes Technology Read manual for cell phone 1 hr digital photography try using extender lens and monopod 2 hr Mathematics Larson "Calculus" Read "The Computational Beauty of Nature" Chap 2 1 hr Gardner "The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles" History Continue reading "Citizens" Watson "Ideas" Model Trains Add blue backdrop to layout 2 hr Review layout for under the table turnouts Purchase an NRMA gauge and some terminal blocks while in Edmonton Wire lower mainline track for a power block
C. Actual/Notes
8:55 am I began the day by replacing one section of Flextrack to correct a problem with a gap between two sections. I then dusted off the locomotive (CN 7847, an RS-3 diesel) and 4 rolling stock:
- CN 501417, a 40' boxcar
- CN500899, a 40' wood boxcar
- GATX 22691, a 36' tank car
- CN 78213, a caboose.
The train ran smoothly around the Lower Mainline track. I noticed that the caboose was missing a smokestack, so that means the crew will not be able to have coffee. It is genuinely satisfying to actually have a train moving on the layout again.
I tried updating one of my databases to indicate that the above 5 units were now operational, but I do not have the appropriate software installed on my computer. Hopefully I will get this fixed up in the next few days.
2:00 PM I bought a small folding table at Costco and now have a place where I can work on my models. I have opened a kit for making the piping that surrounds a oil tank facility and have begun assembling it. It has been about 5 years since I last did this. One of the advantages of working on these kits is that it gives some variety to the tasks surrounding the model train hobby. This variety now includes wiring, making scenery, learning about DCC, making buildings, reading about history of CN trains, and actually operating the trains and turnouts.
D. Reflection