Always Busy at the Club

As usual, I got a fair bit done today down at the club and still working on the HO layout.

First up I got into a bit of scenery by getting various Woodland Scenics Turf foams and grassing up the dirt hills and areas I've been working on. I only did a few square feet, but it's a start. So my process to day was:

1. Wet the dirt down so it will absorb the glue. For this I used a 90% water and 10% Isopropyl Alcohol mix in a misting bottle.

2. Sprinkle on all the colours I wanted starting with a dry straw colour through to spots of Dark Weeds coloured foam.

3. Wet it all down carefully with the above wet water. You do it carefully so that the breeze the mist makes doesn't blow all the foam away!

4. With my little squeeze bottle that has a 40 thou hypodermic sticking out of it, I squirt (carefully) my glue mix over it all and soak it. The glue mix is 50% Aquadhere, 50% Water and 4-5 drops of dish washing detergent.

Next I adjusted the piece of test track we have connected to the club PC that runs JMRI. By moving the N scale track a bit I was able to make room for a piece of 12 mm track to be added and wired up. So members can now setup in JMRI, their locos that have 12 mm gauge.

While I was doing that, Bob P was busy giving the outer peninsula on the top deck a fresh coat of white undercoat ready for more work.

Now it was time for my own thing. So I got out my two decoders I bought at the RMCQ show the other day to test them so I can install them at home soon. Both are ESU decoders, one with sound and one without. I'll use them in my new 12 mm gauge QR 1550 and QR 2400 class HO scale locos.

To test them I got out the club's ESU Decoder tester of course! Works a treat - plugged in the decoder connected the tester o the test track and away I went testing the motor functions, lighting and sound when present.

Now while I was doing all this, B1 was at it on the N scale Exhibition Layout. He's finished installing LED's into the set of shops on the right hand corner of the layout, and they look a treat. He has also now installed the fittings and light for the new sign at the shops. We got one of those Miller Engineering signs that flash. 

This sign has 40 or so different patterns it can flash to and is a marvelous piece of work. So B1 now has it wired in and inserted into the scenery. The sign itself can be removed from it's socket for safe keeping as well. Once B1 finished this I touched up the grass around the base and it is like a bought one mate.

So this new sign adds to our collection on the layout. A few years back we got the 7-11 one and Peter A got it very nicely installed on the highway.

And there is another one now - the GE Appliances one which we need installed down in the industrial building area - we haven't told Peter A yet that he has a new job to do - hehehe.

Here is a quick video showing some flashing going on:  http://youtu.be/0nx4iUNWrMw