After constructing the relatively easy two track narrow section that is situated at the rear of the monitors on the desk, the next section is also custom made to fit above a computer server. This is also where the layout will reach the maximum height which also allows a grade to be built.
This board is designed on the corner to fan out from the double track across the join to a multi track yard that will run the length of the room and provide tracks for storage, an up and down relief road. Also two industry sidings have been provided into the corners. One will be for cement wagons and the other for a private industry. It is planned to serve louvre vans and will take about two wagons. And in the inside corner it is planned a container depot with two dead end sidings. The head shunt for these will require that siding to be vacant so that the container wagons can be divided and shunted into the two tracks. As there are currently more container wagons than the sidings can hold it will be necessary to hold the overflow in the storage sidings until the others have been unloaded or loaded and then shunted into position. This all adds to the operation interest.
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| Corner baseboard has been made |
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| The corner board |
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All lined up for a feed
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A ritual that happens from morning until dark is the feeding of king parrots where bowls of sunflower seeds are put out once their squaking is heard. There have been up to 14 at a time and it is true what they say about the 'pecking order' They will move around the bowls and squak at each other until they finally settle down and start eating. Naturally when they come all work on the layout stops as they have priority.
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| A male king parrot gets his lunch |
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| Dry fitting where the tracks might go |
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| Now connected to the previous section |
As each baseboard is constructed outside it is then painted, gaps filled, sanded and then moved inside and if ready is bolted to the previous section. Legs are provided where required as some baseboards share a set of legs.To get the feel of where the tracks will go a set of Peco point templates were printed and then put into place on the board. Doing it this way makes it easy to see what type of point is required without actually buying them initially. Old lengths of track from a previous layout can be bent into place to see how it all fits.
It is intended to lay the main line with cork sheet under. This is so the main can have a shoulder of ballast and be higher that the yard tracks and easily provide some distinction between them. It is intended to just use dirt around the yard tracks. If you observe yard tracks on the real thing ballast is not used.
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| This shot show the tracks on the corner board |
After some time the tracks were finally laid on the corner board. The above photo shows how the tracks fan out from the two tracks at the top of the photo. The container depot tracks haven't been laid in as yet as can be seen they will come off the next baseboard to be built. It has been decided that only the major points on this side of the room will be controlled by point motor with the points to the sidings to be finger operated. They are within easy reach and will only need moving when shunting takes place. |
| Trackwork nearly complete |
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| Cement plant and industry building in place |
The above photo shows the two buildings for the cement and industry sidings. It is planned to heavily weather the cement plant. Although it may not properly represent a cement plant once it is weathered I think it will look the part. The other building is a leftover from another layout and is designed as a low relief structure and will go up against the wall of the room. |
Looking back to the previous board. The join can be seen.
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The Peco point motors are installed on the main line points and will be controlled from a panel which will be attached to the next baseboard.So with the build of this board this represents about half way on the build, a lot more to go.
