Report No.10

First work train to use Omega Siding.

Notice, Marble spur not in then.

I have arrived at Omega Siding,(work train tested it Nov. 15),and I am working on the Marble

spur. I plan on stopping here while I go back to work on locations that need ballasting and

site work. Maybe a building or two also.

Saturday Nov. 17, I got to take the white flags off  No.8 and ran the first scheduled Mixed

train from Jamestown to Omega Siding with one car, (I did take the two hoppers out to the

Gravel Spur also), and return to Jamestown with three cars. It took a long time to switch

at Omega due to the main on the east end was too short to back the whole train out of the

way and the siding can only hold four cars, plus I had both coaches 5 & 6.

It was a fun first trip.

Oh yea, I did add the most simple sound to No.8, a Bachmann Big Hauler chuff board. Sounds

better than nothing.

Spent last few nights finishing Shay No.10. Also added the same sound board. She took out

today's Mixed to Omega Siding.

See video of first train at bottom. Yea, I now know to film in landscape only...

Sierra Railway 
Manifest for train (Omega 22 East) Valid 9/24/1912 22:54 
Scheduled work at Jamestown Yard, departure time 18:34 
[ ] Pick up TCX 424 Tank Oil Silver E from Oil Spur 
Train departs Jamestown Yard Eastbound with 1 cars 
Scheduled work at Jamestown Yards, arrival time 18:54
ALWAYS KEEP MAINLINE CLEAR AFTER WORK IS DONE THERE! 
[ ] Pick up EL 1877 Flatcar Orange L from Freight Siding 
[ ] Set out TCX 424 Tank Oil Silver E to Main Siding 
Train departs Jamestown Yards Eastbound with 1 cars 
Scheduled work at Omega, arrival time 19:34 
[ ] Set out EL 1877 Flatcar Orange L to Marble Spur 
Train terminates in Omega

                                         First scheduled train ready to leave Jamestown Nov. 17.

Set out hoppers at Gravel Spur.

                               

                                                             Arrive at Omega Siding.

Sierra Railway 

Manifest for train (Omega 21 West) Valid 9/24/1912 22:54 

Scheduled work at Omega, departure time 19:45 

[ ] Pick up SRy 20 Boxcar Lt. Brown E from Marble Spur 

[ ] Pick up SRy 42 Flatcar Brown E from Marble Spur 

[ ] Pick up F&CC 588 Boxcar Brown L from Omega Siding 

Train departs Omega Westbound with 3 cars 

Scheduled work at Jamestown Yards, arrival time 20:05 

ALWAYS KEEP MAINLINE CLEAR AFTER WORK IS DONE THERE! 

[ ] Pick up SVX 1443 Tank Oil Silver E from Main Siding 

[ ] Set out SRy 20 Boxcar Lt. Brown E to Indust. Siding 

[ ] Set out SRy 42 Flatcar Brown E to Indust. Siding 

[ ] Set out F&CC 588 Boxcar Brown L to Storehouse 

Train departs Jamestown Yards Westbound with 1 cars 

Scheduled work at Jamestown Yard, arrival time 21:05 

[ ] Set out SVX 1443 Tank Oil Silver E to Oil Spur 

Train terminates in Jamestown Yard

Cars in background are on the unfinished Marble Spur.

Ready to return to Jamestown.

                                                      Pulling out of Table Mt. cut.

                                                              Crossing Woods Creek.

                                         Spotting flat and boxcar at JT Industrial Spur.

                      Mixed today was made up with 0-4-0 No.1. Here No.10 is ready to highball.

                                                         Heading into Table Mt. cut.

Spot to Marble Spur SRy flat 42 and OSHX 1992 in memory of our favorite hardware stores that closed. I have two OSHX and was going to paint over one till I heard they were closing. Changed my mind to save them.

                                                         Running around the coaches.

                                              No.10 looking good over Woods Creek.

                        After setting out the freight cars a special raifan trip departed Jamestown.

                                                              Stopped for a photo run by.

                                                                   Omega Siding.

                                                                     As it looks today.

Report No.9

Woods creek Trestle.
Per Brian Curnow- Bridge 42-A, 16 feet high and 224 feet long. Had 15 bents. ten bents had Redwood footing blocks, and five bents had concrete footings. Mine is curved and has 7 spans.

Picture of my copy of Newell's 1916 track plans.

Found this picture six months after building it. I will modify my trestle.

 Last week I got around to cutting the 6x1/2 inch ties and 5/8x1/2 stringers out of redwood.
All the redwood is old 2x6 deck boards from when a neighbor replaced theirs.

The bents are recycled from another garden Ry. in the area.
 Here is a good site about trestles. Trestles 101

 Saw another trestle online that incorporates the LGB track w/ties, so the LGB track is removable and more important, floats a little for thermal expansion and contraction.

 I used Gorilla wood glue I got a Lowes for $3.98 8 oz bottle, non-expanding, dries natural color, non- foaming, indoor/outdoor type 2.

 I bent the rails w/ a bender and put the track in place between abutments held up w/ pieces of wood. After it looked right and had proper grade, I propped it up w/ two tubes driven into the ground that had T shaped wire inserted in the tops to hold the track w/o the wood pieces. I then took the track to a flat surface and put it rail side down. Next inserted the bridge ties, made a spacer jig to center them on the LGB track. Glued the stringers on, each joint is 10 inches at center of ties. Added an extra piece to join the stringer joints, except two on right side due to need to be flexible for slope change.
 Let dry overnight. 
Next day I set the whole bridge on the T topped tubes w/ help from my son. It lined up perfectly.

Bridge crew ready to leave Jamestown.

Heading down to Woods Creek.

Ready to start bridge building.

Notice rod under right flatcar. Used a few blocks to level track.

I then modified and installed the bents, put them 10 inched apart at the stringer joints, checking slope and rail to rail level. After a few dry fits, glued tops to stringers. Then added sway and cross braces.

 Some more parts were needed, so a train was quickly filled by the office staff and headed out to ride the trestle whether done or not.

It works! Would have made a great picture if it didn't though.

Picking up work cars from Jamestown Industrial spur.

         One more time back over for the enjoyment of all aboard.
      Very rough grade for the gravel spur below the train.

Crews still have to add more details to finish. 

Report No.8 and Garden Railway Naked Lady

In this post I will show you some Naked Ladies and the way I had to deal with them in the garden.
Well, some of you may already know I'm talking about  Amaryllis belladonna. A flower native to the Western Cape region of South Africa. They have long strap shaped green leaves that emerge  from the large bulbs in the spring that engulfs the area and die about July. They must be  removed by hand when they dry up to an crispy onion skin texture. It usually ends up to be a couple of stacked high wheel barrows worth.

Of course this is where the roadbed and the Jamestown industrial spur has to go, right through the middle on them. I watched last spring and thought I could weave through them. But they really flood the area about six inches deep.
In the fall, usually early August, the flowers on thick stalks come up to mid October with no leaves. Thus the name Naked Lady where I live. It goes by other names around the globe. Sorry no nymphs dancing around the garden.
I had thought that something to block them would work, but the leaves would just cover everything. I finally had the idea to raise the roadbed above the ground so the Naked Ladies could do their thing.
Next spring will be the test.
Otherwise I have gotten through the Lavender, across the Naked Lady beds and Jamestown Industrial Spur, (right behind the freight cars in the pictures).
I am now working on the Woods Creek trestle bridge abutments and Gravel Spur grade.

Spider Plant foreground. Lavender right.

Most of the Naked Ladies are gone now.

UPDATE! The leaves are comming up now 12-1-18. The crew is worried. Thought they came up in Spring.

Newer update 1-13-19

5-15-19

6-18-19 Going

7-10-19 GOING

8-9-19 GONE!

8-20-19 New flowers.

They are back. 8-20-19

10-5-19

The cycle stars again. 12-15-19

As of October 24, 2018

Report No.7

I got the crossing done before it got in the hot sun this morning. Had to add a few 10ths %  last 3 ft near the crossing to get the grade crossing flat w/ the path, about 4.25%. 
Late afternoon I tested w/ train Mixed 21 being pulled by No.15. Pulls just fine, even when I switched out the tank car for another heavier LGB boxcar. No.15 is a 4-6-0 from an old Chattanooga set I bought new years ago. I rebuilt it last spring w/ new running gear and metal rods from Bachmann. Still has its sound card, but modified the pickup for 4 chuffs per rev.
No.8 really needs sound!

Bachmann coupler fix

As I said in report No.5, I would post this fix that works for me.

💀Liability/ safety warning. 👉I am not liable for your accidents, damage or misuse during this fix. Tools are sharp and can cut you or other things, 💩, always follow the tools safety instructions first. 👷

Having troubles w/ your Bachmann couplers uncoupling or not letting the pin drop to lock the knuckle?

Yea, there are better couplers for operation and looks, but unless someone wants to buy me 30+ pairs at $10.00 +- a pair... That's another locomotive.

Well this is my fix for those issues.
It is easiest do this w/ the coupler still attached to a truck, but the truck must be removed from the car.
1-Find a piece of 1/8 square wood or plastic to hold the knuckle open as in picture.

2- You will be taking slices off the RED face using a #11 blade in your hobby knife. This RED face is what keeps the pin from dropping until the other knuckle pushes it past the top pin ledge. Thus won't lock or makes pin pop up and uncouple. ✋DON'T START, READ ALL OF #3 FIRST, YES YOU!

Area painted for clarity. Left coupler has plastic pin, right has metal.

RED face you will be slicing a little off.

3-It works best if you push your blade down from the top with the point facing the inner void and the rear of the blade resting on the top of the knuckle. Slide the blade towards the void, slicing the red area about 1/64th. Then use the point to free the red slice where the red face meets the white face. Make sure the face you cut is smooth w/o any burs that can hang up the pin dropping.
WARNING, test before taking another slice, too much will make the knuckle stay open too far and slip apart=uncouple.

4-To test, I have an extra truck w/ coupler that works ok to test the pin drop on ALL cars, I make it so the pin drops with moderate pressure and within a half a second of the test coupler pin drop. Repeat #3 as necessary.
Also, Bachmann couplers have plastic and metal pins. In picture above, left one is plastic, right is metal. The metal ones work better. The plastic have a large hole on side of pin and a seam on very bottom, metal has a very small hole in top of pin, flat on bottom.

Good coupling.🚃🚃

Report No.6 "Elvis has left the building."

I mean the track has left the yard.
Yes it finally has crossed under the fence,(not a prison fence, its my copy of a Japanese tea garden style w/pine instead of bamboo), heading for Angels.
Its dropping 4% down to a level crossing of a foot path. There I will put down concrete stepping stones to secure the track too. I plan to do that every 5 ft or so to keep it from moving from thermal stresses.
Tested it w/ 6 heavy cars and short caboose No.7.  No.8 pulled w/ no slippage.
I'm using a 4 ft level w/ a 2 inch block taped to the bottom end to check 4%. I've tested 5% w/ 5 cars and caboose. No.8 just starts to slip.
When I get Shay No.10 running, it should pull a lot more.
But max length on this section from Jamestown to Omega siding is 5 cars anyway, the longest allowed on the whole branch.

Report No.5

Tested east main and main siding w/ 8 cars and No.8. Track was semi connected together. Don't like the small radius switch to the main siding, so will try another w/ larger radius this week. Also made some switching moves for fun. 

One of the stock cars kept uncoupling, I have it fixed and will post on how to fix/adjust Bachmann couplers later.                             

Pulling 8 cars from east main.

Only room to pull 4 cars.

Report No.4

Installed turntable turnout and mainline turnout last Sunday 9-2-18. Worked on west mainline during week and installed track. Worked on east mainline and siding grade today.

Combine 5 sitting on turntable leed. Turnout to right is mainline looking toward track east.

9-10-18
Coach 6 on yard main.
The dirt is like cement and takes a lot of water to soften, may wait to make cut for oil spur.