Line up

Tonight I mostly completed my Ruston LAT (note the different buffer beam) and so here is the final line-up!

Gradient installed

Woodland scenics 4% incline installed.

Testing

Work is progressing slowly:

- The 3mm 14.2mm RTR track has been attached alongside my 009 test track and all 3 chassis tested.

- The Ruston LAT chassis is complete and I have cleaned up the castings

- I have ordered the 4% woodland scenics incline which has been hard to find!

Awoken with sleeping

Now that the first set of turnout components are here, I have started preparation by glueing down all the sleepers I can. The turnout sleepers themselves are a bit special.

Pointing the way

I’ve now received one set of turnout wonderment from Stephen at www.borg-rail.co.uk

This is a common crossing and a set of blades for a left hand turnout and will allow me to construct the first point on the layout and consider whether I can do the others myself.

Test track completed

Some progress - dad bought me some 14.2mm track from the 3mm society.

After assembly this has created a useful test track for running my Locos. The 0.2mm is not a problem.

Couplings

Here is the first coupling successfully applied to the first wagon I built – a platform wagon on rugga chassis. A few things I’ve learned:

- The springs are very easy not only to lose but to damage, you need to be very careful.

- The lubricant ‘grease-em’ is proper weird stuff, like silver sparkling dust.  seems to work though

- You don’t need to overtighten the screws when mounting them as otherwise the coupling fails to work correctly

- My they are fiddly to put together, but once you get a system together, it’s fine.