26/10/06: Oops

Progress has been slow, not to mention in the wrong direction!

Whilst trimming the plywood carrying the railway over the road back to match the correct dimensions for a bridge disaster struck. A momentary loss of concentration resulted in the plywood being ripped away from the timber supports, a few wires being pulled out of their connectors and a couple of wires being severed. Serves me right for using a jigsaw for speed. How is it that a five minute job always ends up taking hours?

Fortunately I not only had a wiring diagram but had also labeled (most of) the wires. This meant that reinstatement of the electrics was relatively straightforward. A spirit level, some Resin W and G-clamps dealt with the loose board.

Apart from that bit of excitement progress has centred around acquisitions. A number of cement wagons for trains to the cement terminal that will appear at the other end of Redhill, some mineral wagons for passing trains (ah, yes, the railway will have passing trains when operating at home), a copy of Visual Basic 5 for the elderly computer that lives inder the layout (eBay as usual, cheaper than a newer version of Windows or even a new computer capable of running Visual Basic .Net) and a selection of cars.

Most of my spare time has been spent on books that I am writing for Ian Allan. The first title, which was finished earlier this year covers Digital Command Control with two further titles which will cover Baseboards and Road Vehicles. You can place an advance order for the DCC title here or you will be able to order it via this web-site when it is released - currently scheduled for March 2007.

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