Boring evening, layout inoperable.

[Bigmet]

As a consequence of planned building work the buried mains wiring to the outbuilding where the layout is located was disconnected, as a consequence of some necessary demolition, and the electrician to put in a replacement armoured supply cable isn't due until Monday.
I'll find a way with a long extension lead tomorrow.(The previous supply was a totally concealed amateur installation which was present when the house was sold to the owner prior to our ownership, thus sometime between 1960 and 1969, and I had wondered about how dodgy it was, given the poor standard of the visible interior wiring in the outbuilding. Answer: Very. Much of the PVC jacket and cores insulation of the T+E that had been used was disintegrating...

I have tried 'operating' by pushing a rake of carriages along while shouting 'Southern Region' but unexpectedly this wasn't as entertaining as I remember from childhood... Perhaps because it was just me rather than with a couple of friends?

[Phred]

Bigmet wrote:
I have tried 'operating' by pushing a rake of carriages along while shouting 'Southern Region' but unexpectedly this wasn't as entertaining as I remember from childhood...

Heh - I bet it would have been well entertaining for me if you had posted a video!

[Mountain]

How about something like this?....

[SRman]

You'll have to buy yourself a small glass cabinet and a clockwork locomotive.

Put the locomotive in the cabinet and place a sign saying, "In case of emergency, break glass."

[Dad-1]

I'm not going to say 'Power to your elbow' that may not be wise by the sound of that
hysterical insulation, well it makes you laugh at what's hidden. We had a big blow up
in Bridport town centre some time last year - similar insulation I believe.

Geoff T.

[Bigmet]

Well, I got some operating time in this evening, but too tired to do much. Lots of experimentation with the building workers, ground levels assessment now we have some structure references installed; to achieve the target results of a smooth profile for both the walkway paving and driveway, to avoid trip hazards should we live into our 90's: as did all of our late parents; and they all managed to fall foul of the various trip hazards scattered around their homes and gardens, leading to all the excitement of trips to A&E.

...the electrician to put in a replacement armoured supply cable isn't due until Monday...

No one spotted my mistake! Being retired and all, didn't spot that next Monday is Aug B.H. : what with every day being a holiday. Better news, that gives me an extra day to clear space for the electrician to replace the 'amateur secondary distribution board' in the outbuilding: AKA mess of wiring attached to the wall with cable clips.

[Bigmet]

All done now, very neat and tidy, normal model railway service has been resumed. Ahh, so relaxing. What is it about the merry music of the wagons going through a point ladder?

[glencairn]

All done now, very neat and tidy, normal model railway service has been resumed. Ahh, so relaxing. What is it about the merry music of the wagons going through a point ladder?

Glad to hear trains are running again.

Glencairn

[Dad-1]

Merry Music of running through a point ladder ?
Just the clickety clack is enough to be company when working in the
garage. I would never want silent full welded, or long overlap rail
joints. I draw the like at a continuous diesel sound loco !!

Geoff T.

[Bigmet]

And even better, as yesterday evening revealed, the previous occasional flickering from the lighting has been eliminated. Given the visibly rotted state of the insulation of the previous supply wiring which was simply T+E buried under concrete for the past sixty years, and has been disposed of, there must have been some 'leakage' but never enough to trip the circuit breaker. The proper armoured cable should see me out.
And all the interior T+E has been stripped out, a bonanza of layout wiring supplies. A veritable bargain for £500 in total, as this is a consequent part of a project my wife decided to embark on and is paying for.

[Dad-1]

That sounds like a better than win-win situation.
Now look at your savings, if you'd Had to pay. Does that
mean more guilt-free railway expenditure !!

Geoff T.

[Bigmet]

...Does that mean more guilt-free railway expenditure !

Ah, there's a deal you see; I can spend all the cash saved by not regularly going pubwards to push up the value of brewery shares: meanwhile madam indulges in the delights of garden centres, and especially my carrying capabilities when compost bags and decorative cabbages etc. have to be moved to the car and offloaded when home into storage or selected planting locations. Thus never any guilt, just occasional backache.

(Some may find this hard to believe, but I am actually substantially in credit on the above mentioned deal.)