Edgware GN, Bounds Green.

[Phred]

I recently had to replace a couple of 2.4 metre lengths of treated pine on my pergola, so I went to our local Hammerbarn (not its real name but I don't want to risk litigation). I had made the pergola 2.4 metres wide because that was a standard length.

When I brought the timber home and fitted it in place, I found it was slightly short. Must be a dodgy batch, I thought. I took it back and went to get some replacement lengths, this time armed with a tape measure. I found that every single piece of treated pine in the place was 10mm short of what was written on the sticker. So, if I want 2.4 metres I have to buy a 3 metre length (which is actually 2.9 metres).

Complaints to the service desk are just met with a blank stare, so I didn't bother. To be fair, the casually employed shop assistant serving me can't do anything about it anyway. Not practical to buy anywhere else either since Hammerbarn squeezed out the small hardware outlets years ago.

Rant over. Please continue.

Edited because I can't spell.

[Bigmet]

...Rant over. Please continue.

This wouldn't be the famous Bunnings would it? If so have a laugh: still remembered with hysterical laughter in my area, where they opened their first UK store. Hopelessly clueless doesn't cover it, they didn't even know that the seasons are in antiphase to the Southern Hemisphere, and were trying to sell olive trees in our maritime climate winter, which Mediterranean plants no like. The dingo proof fencing was impressive and well priced but since there have been no wolves here for over 250 years there isn't much demand... Bought the 'Homebase' store chain for £340million, and sold it for £1 just months later on exiting the UK.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I must have been very lucky, all of the sheets of Ply I bought were 2420mm long, so an extra 20mm for free. Good old 'Mitre 10'. 20mm makes all the difference, said the actress to the Bishop !

manna

[Phred]

Strange how Bunnings completely misread the market in the UK. They dominate the market in Aus. Stupid decisions made there yet seem to be pretty savvy here.
Don't know what they were selling as dingo fencing over there but the real dingo fence is just constructed from all sorts of wire mesh, e.g., chain wire, hinge wire, heavy chicken wire, all of which are in common use everywhere.

manna wrote:
20mm makes all the difference, said the actress to the Bishop !

[manna]

Don't know how much it is here, but I was told that the prices have gone up since we now import wood from the Far East.

G'Day Mountain.

We were told the Asian Plywood is cheaper, 'Because' it's Asian and not made in Australia

manna

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Going through my boxes of railway gear, most of it is in one piece, just the odd coupling has fallen off or wagon roof. My Artic Twin has tried to disassemble it's self, the roof has come off and one side is hanging on by a thread, I happy as there is very little damage. Had a little 'Play' posing trains around the layout, before I start wiring it up.

manna

PS. The wonky signal has been fixed with a magnet glued to the base and a screw in the baseboard, all signals will be fitted that way in future, as I'm always knocking them over and breaking them.

[Ex-Pat]

There's certainly something to be said for track-level photos (I like the O2 in particular) and the "half-light, half-dark" arrangement focuses nicely on the "action" rather than the (current) emptiness of the early-stage build.

Looking forward to more.

[Phred]

manna wrote:
fixed with a magnet glued to the base and a screw in the baseboard

Clever idea. Nothing is fixed on my base board. I sometimes think I spend more time standing things back up than playing with the trains.

[aleopardstail]

really liking the breakaway signals idea with magnets, need to have a think on how to make that work with operational ones but I really like that idea for not wreaking them

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I have to use a 'Flash' on the camera for a fair few pictures, no electricity, Yet ! but I'm working on it.

Now that the main part of Bounds Green is laid, it's time to start fixing the bit's that got missed, between the Flyover and the tunnelmouth, is a pair of sidings on the up side, these I've always known as 'Roundtree's sidings' as in the 1970's there was a Warehouse belonging to Roundtree's, I used to shunt those sidings pulling the empty wagons out of the warehouse and shunting the full ones in, and all full of Chocolates to, we used to get a few free ones as a bonus, Kit Kats, Walnut whips etc. But in reality there was four siding, so I've now added a 150mm strip of ply to the side of the main board to add the other pair of siding. As part of the shunt duty we also had to trip Sand wagons and oil tanks to a small yard a 150 yds South of Wood Green station.

manna

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Here is a series of pics following the Roundtree shunt train through to the fiddleyard, this small fiddleyard will only hold a couple of trains (at the moment)

manna

[Phred]

Looking very complex and busy.
Hope you got your electricity sorted.

[manna]

Looking very complex and busy.
Hope you got your electricity sorted.

G'Day Phred

The Power could take a while, the Electrickery Co. Have quoted a price, but trying to get a electrician come out and quote me a price from the pole to the house is the hard part, I've even sent the pictures of the house the meter box, but still nothing

manna

[Phred]

Even here in the 'Big Smoke' it's hard to get a reliable tradie to visit. Must be quite a bit harder out where you are.

Some years ago our outside hot water system started dripping from the release valve. Despite my protestations, my wife decided that we had to have it fixed by a licensed plumber, so I left her to it.

Three plumbers, four visits, various unnecessary bits fitted, and almost $1000 later, things were worse than ever. The good lady relented and I went to Hammerbarn, bought the $12 part required and fixed it myself, including the 'expert' stuff ups.

[manna]

G'Day Phred

Ain't it always the way.

manna