Not exactly idle

No new work on the KIP but still idle hands were kept busy in the back yard.

What it was

Last year the back wall collapsed

What it looks like now: Top soil and sod to be added.



Action over the weekend

Work on the abandon mine at churcher nears completion.

The goose is now DCC with sound. However, even though I notched up CV 135, the volume is still very low.

Took an inspection trip of the line:



How the loggers and miners get to work

Back on March 14 I showed a test of a vehicle to be used to get the workers to work. It was decided that while the conveyance was a good one, it was not designed for mountain, logging use.

So the search continued for a more suitable vehicle. Eureka!! one has been found. The following clip shows the maiden run of the new goose that will be employed in getting folks to their jobs. Just watching it go around the layout is a joy and Wow are there ever lots of good photo opportunities that I will publish in the future. Now all that remains is to figure how to dismantle it so a sound decoder can be added, --- more to follow.



Work Continues

Additional scenery, bushes and scree was added to the cliffs below Bellamy Mine siding.

C424 #4242 approaches Scott Junction passing by the Bellamy siding cliffs

Ever wonder what a tunnel looks like inside? here is a chance to see without venturing inside the tunnel > remover the tunnel.

A problem developed in the tunnel that will require the track to be re-laid. A decision will have to be made to realign the track and either leave the tunnel day lighted or re-align so as to allow a tunnel to be reestablished, - preferred option.





Lots of action

Well the visit by SLD went well. 12 visitors seemed to enjoy themselves. A lot of sprucing up to the layout was done in preparation for the visit so maybe there should be a visit every so often???

In the morning Gord and I did some last minutes checks and found the the trailing tender on the shays were derailing in the tunnel. not the main trucks nor any 4 axle diesel. So for the open house we ran a 44Ton up and down the mountain.

We could not figure out why the lighter trailing tender of the shays would not stay on the track. It is hard to see the track in a tunnel so the only answer lay in the solution pictured in the following

Day lighted



 Approaching the bad track

Bad track (I think)

More to follow as we try to solve mystery of bad track in the tunnel.

St Lawrence Division NMRA will visit next week

The SLD called and asked if they could visit as part of their meeting next week. The crew has responded in sprucing up the KIP.

Gord replaced a troublesome turnout at Beauchine,

just in case someone wants to see a train run!!

Colin finished off the scenery along the main line:

Check out that fence!!!

Colin's son Paul joined us this morning and installed the power poles throughout the layout. Hopefully he enjoyed himself enough to come back.



Haulin' Logs

Not much to say just take a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnIRjs3mOhE

An exciting day on the KIP

At long last a picture of the gang. Not a big gang but a very hard working and effective one.

Electrical gang on the left is Gord, Forestry/landscape gang on the right is Colin.

We experimented with a different way to get men to work at the mill and mine.

A new Shay

Well here we are in the middle of the week and Colin was complaining that there was no record of last weekends work on the Scot Junction connecting track: It was ripped out and has been re-layed.

Well Colin here you are this shows the track and how well the track laying section did in re-laying.

Oh yes you might also notice the newly acquired Shay taking a load of logs over the track



Via over the line

Well although there has been a vacation from work on the line, There has been action. A new train has been established with Athearn'sP42 and Rapido LRC cars all in VIA paint.

Passing Beauchine signal entering the Beauchine sub

Crossing the trestle into Beauchine

In Beauchine on to Kipawa sub



I know, VIA was not around in the time period of the KIP. However, I think I have just discovered how great VIA looks and had to have a P42 with a train.

Work never ceases

This Saturday's work session saw the lights go on along one side of the street in Kipawa and additional landscaping at Scott Junction.

Now the staff at the fuel distributors, as yet un-named, can work after dark. Their lights were connected. Remember some time ago I mentioned about taking pictures to see how your efforts turned out? This is the first time I have seen the tanks since they were installed and it looks like one needs to be re-installed in a level position.



If I knew someone (and I do!!!), who has built and installed one of the Walthers kits, I would be tempted to ask him to install the piping I need at this location. Gord Larabie are you listening???

The line shack at Scott junction and surrounding grounds, received a face lift including planing a flower garden. Guess the line crew missed being at home planting gardens under the watchful eyes of their wife!!!.

The lights come on at Beauchine

Today was a milestone day. I have been talking about the lights at Beauchine for sometime now: Today was the day! The electrical crew (Gord) worked particularly hard and turned on the lights!

The station is open late

The yard crew are getting their orders for the night in the yard office

The problem now is there will have to be an extra shift put on since work can be done under the lights.

The landscaping crew moved out of Beauchine towards the East.

This effectively completes the Beauchine area of the layout. On to another section.

Keep watching.





Beauchine nears completion

Some say that a model railroad is never complete. I sure hope that is the case with the KIP. I am not sure what I would do if there was no work to be done on the railway. I might actually have to run trains, I think I remember doing that!!!

Nevertheless, the Beauchine section is nearing completion.

The electrical gang (Gord) has about one half the necessary wiring installed. Probably the next time we meet, the lights will go on at Beauchine. Being the master electrician he is I am grateful he is doing this aspect of the building, If I were doing it the lights might never go on. With Gord at the helm I know it will not only be done but done right.

The section gang (Colin) continued his mastery at scenery. You will recall on the last post I mentioned we ran out of the material for 'Scree', (these are stones at the bottom of a rock face that have 'fallen' off the rock face). Well due to the generosity of Bill Noel, who visited the KIP yesterday, we obtained more scree and Colin was able to complete screeing the Beauchine area.

Not wanting to do nothing, I embarked on a project I have wanted do do for some time: Build some shelves to store/display my passenger equipment. Might as well show it since none of it runs on my tight radius curves.

A start

Opps! did not buy enough brackets

- need two more to complete bottom shelf -

Some things never change:

Very often I used to take some pictures that I could not wait to get developed, only to find that I had not loaded film into the camera. Hey, we don't use film any more so that does not happen any more, right? - Wrong yesterday after taking pictures of the section gang at work, I discovered that the modern day equivalent of not loading film is to not insert the chip into the camera, thus no image. Some things never change.

Till next time, live long and enjoy life.



Saturday 15 Jan 2011

Another good day with friends. Off to Breakfast, visit the hobby shop then back here to work on the KIP.

Gord crawled all over under the layout looking at all the wiring trying to determine what was causing a layout wide short circuit. He finally found a couple of wires he did not like they way they were connected, re-wired the reverse loop and we are now back in the business of running trains. That is a good thing because the layout was becoming a very large diorama.

Today's efforts by Colin resulted in the Beauchine yard being almost finished.  I ran out of scree, the rocks at the bottom of a rock face. That will be put in place next work session

Like the fire?



Gardening in winter

Last weekend there was not a work session,it was the HO Track modular set-up. This occupies the time of the work crew so I was on my own working on the KIP.  I did not want to tackle anything to technical or complicated so I just worked around the Beauchene station tidying things up and planting a flower garden.



Saturday January 1 2011

No rest for the wicked: Regardless of how long the party went last night, there was work to be done on the KIP this morning!!

First there were some extra items laying around that had to be disposed of:

The sub-station basic structure is ready, wiring, fencing and transformer have to be added.
I thought I had a hand car or 'speeder' to put in front of the shed. Oh well, I will have to buy or build one

 

The ballast crew, (Colin) ballasted up to the Bauchine yard throat



Another very essential task done this morning was by the engine servicing crew (Gord) in programming engines and preparing them to be MU'd.

Finally, with the advent of digital cameras and instant viewing of pictures, I have discovered a new at least new to me, trick that I have started to use. I take pictures of my work and use them to determine if further work or enhancements should be done. Look at the work that needs to be done to the station to make it more presentable and less toy-like.



No work crew next week, it is HO Track modular set-up. I am told will have over 10 actual miles of track. Should be something to see. I always find some inspiration when visiting HO Track set-ups