Well, I am back with the blog after a two+ month hiatus. Not that nothing has happened, it is just that I have spent on average 90 minutes a day working on the layout benchwork, as well as doing my photographic club duties, which included producing the 20 minute audio visual for Christchurch Photographic Society’s Laurie Thomas New Zealand Landscape Salon. I was luck enough to get a bronze medal in that competition for an image titled “The Heads”, a shot of Godley and Adderley Head in low cloud taken from the New Brighton Pier earlier this year.
I am also digital secretary for New Brighton Photographic Club’s annual New Zealand Photojournalism competition and will need to do an audio-visual for that as well, after judging (in a weeks time).
I have also been working full-time at Manning Signs and have often come home from work completely stuffed.
And then our first grandchild arrived just four weeks ago (Ethan Feroz Stewart) to my youngest boy (Alastair) and his partner Tania. They live across the other side of the city (44km round trip) so it is not a five minute drive to see them.
Added to that my main desktop computer decided it was going to go REALLY SLOW (20 minutes to start up) so after it locked up while I was scanning some railway pictures for a friend (DJ at Tuatapere) I decided it was time to purchase what maybe my last desktop. It has taken a few days to get the software across from the old to new (no data needed to be shifted as that is all on external hard drives (duplicated)).
I have also been busy loading up some photos on flickr (of everything from trains to family, some record shots, some competition shots), and you can see these by following this address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnstewartnz
Anyway, back to model railroads/railways.
Nearly 95% of the benchwork is complete, including the door carrying the lower level (mainline) across the entrance way. I have decided to leave the upper level (branch) fixed as a duck under, instead of having two levels of track on the swinging door section. Should not be too much of a problem as the duck under may be a “nod under” for some shorties as clearance is 1500mm (4’ 11”) from the floor to lower side of track base at this location.
I am also digital secretary for New Brighton Photographic Club’s annual New Zealand Photojournalism competition and will need to do an audio-visual for that as well, after judging (in a weeks time).
I have also been working full-time at Manning Signs and have often come home from work completely stuffed.
And then our first grandchild arrived just four weeks ago (Ethan Feroz Stewart) to my youngest boy (Alastair) and his partner Tania. They live across the other side of the city (44km round trip) so it is not a five minute drive to see them.
Added to that my main desktop computer decided it was going to go REALLY SLOW (20 minutes to start up) so after it locked up while I was scanning some railway pictures for a friend (DJ at Tuatapere) I decided it was time to purchase what maybe my last desktop. It has taken a few days to get the software across from the old to new (no data needed to be shifted as that is all on external hard drives (duplicated)).
I have also been busy loading up some photos on flickr (of everything from trains to family, some record shots, some competition shots), and you can see these by following this address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnstewartnz
Anyway, back to model railroads/railways.
Nearly 95% of the benchwork is complete, including the door carrying the lower level (mainline) across the entrance way. I have decided to leave the upper level (branch) fixed as a duck under, instead of having two levels of track on the swinging door section. Should not be too much of a problem as the duck under may be a “nod under” for some shorties as clearance is 1500mm (4’ 11”) from the floor to lower side of track base at this location.
I have now started on the layout ceiling and lighting valences, and hope to start laying track in the near future. Also starting to install the lights, and will need to get these wired us some time.
The photo below (from a few weeks ago) shows the door section (in a closed position). Tracks will be on the far side of the door.
I have been most impressed with Joe Fugate’s Siskiyou Line and ordered his five DVD set covering the layout design and construction and these arrived late last week, so I have been having a browse of these. Some interesting ideas!
Next weekend is the TraiNZ workshop/layout tour weekend here in Christchuurch and also the judging night (Saturday) of the Photojournalism competition, so I will have a busy two days and I doubt anything will be done on the layout those two days.
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