Greymouth 1 - a start, and plans for Galactic Domination™

DB thinks:

Despite life and other bruises preventing me from generating massive dollops of progress, a few wee projects have made small steps forward. 

Most interestingly, I'm making some moves on the trek towards Greymouth station now that work on Elmer Lane has slowed down. I'll probably build a steam-era sanding tower there, add some power poles and people, and have yet to decide whether to include a water vat or not, but most of the key bits that I wanted at the depot are more or less done.

So it is high time to start progressing in a northeastererly direction, as has been threatened for some time. This 'planning' (I really need a much looser word here) started in March, and since then, I've been daydreaming about where this might lead. A Greymouth Empire Module Set could easily include:

• 'a main line connection' to other people's modules (with Omoto bridge and loco dump)
• The wharf, with its hydraulic cranes serving colliers tied up for loading
• The wooden Cobden 'S' bridge across the Grey river
• (and on to Rewanui).
• (in hindsight, a turnout by the roundhouse could have given a Hokitika branch too!

Greymouth modules concept (not all tracks shown)

It would seem logical to advance this in the following order: 

1. design the yard throat module, 
2. at around the same time, link those yard tracks with Elmer lane using 'Greymouth station'
3. build Omoto to provide a mainline module that can transition to other people's modules
4. add the wharf for more operational fun
5. Build the Cobden S bridge, because that would be really cool,
6. and at the same time, build the Rewanui station/state coal mine terminus.
7. build at least one Rewanui 'branch' connecting module between the bridge and Rewanui Station to provide a little more branchline running time and interest. The branch/bridge/incline etc wouldn't technically be 'mainline', so could have tighter curves and points than the usual, much steeper grades, and even a (low) centre rail for looks, which could be interesting. I doubt I would make Dunollie Junction (and the Rapahoe Branch) to slot in between the S bridge and the Rewanui branch, but someone else might!

So geographically, the module next to Elmer Lane will be a fairly plain 1.2 metres of straight tracks, but this will house the Greymouth station building (and between one and three turnouts to join the depot into the yard). 

The more 'interesting' module (from a Darryl perspective) is the next one - the yard throat, the tracks across Mawhera quay, the signal box, Riverside station, and the connections to the other future modules. 

The design of this throat should obviously enable trains to come off the 'mainline' and go into the yard/staging tracks (perhaps reversing using the Elmer Lane roundhouse loop first). 

It should allow 'Rewanui to Riverside' passenger or coal trains to operate without interfering with the core layout (the 'mainline'). This includes a runaround at Riverside station so it can be used even if the wharf or Rewanui modules never get built. Freight from Rewanui can be moved straight to the wharf yard, or into the Greymouth Yard. Passenger cars used on Rewanui trains might be stored in the Greymouth Station yard when not in use. 

The wharf should also be operable fairly independently, without upsetting other operators. Its layout should allow trains to come to and from both Rewanui and from the mainline.

So this is the current thinking, which is fairly fluid, but it hasn't changed too much since it was first laid out in March onto a triangley bit of ply. 

That ply baseboard is an offcut from Elmer Lane, and it has been braced with some bits of secondhand wood that live in the garage.

On with the show

 This past weekend I was agaian at Railex in Palmy. A great show with ideal weather (drizzly) and it was busy both days. Oddly, Cabbages flying circus was split up between the halls and it was me and Michael Gee in the usual spot. I only took 2 pictures and they were of the Scale rails Fremo setup. 20 metres between return loops.

 The module closest to the camera I would single out as the overhead trackage is something I have not seen anywhere else in the country (though I don't get out much).

On the work bench this show was the Johnson A. After a look at the bits I had I got stuck into the soldering. Mr G showed plenty of interest as he has not done much work in brass. I didn't take any work-in-progress shots but can report I did not swear once during the weekend (in front of a child anyway) even when provoked by trying to get the funnel in the right place for the 7th time.

Current progress. It looks like the real thing at least.

The tender looks a bit big but is close according to photos. I also discovered during the weekend that when soldering brass on a small scale like this a paper cup 1/2 full of water is very handy in that you can pitch the whole thing into it when things get a bit toasty. It also amuses the punters.

The Plan to power the beast had been to hide a small motor in the boiler.

However, despite my efforts it proved a bridge too far as the motor struggled turning over with even the slightest misalinement, and my meager engineering skills were not up to providing that surety. It also got really hot.

Plan B.

 Stick a bigger motor in the tender and hide the decoder in the cab roof.