CRAG Meeting 11 Feb 2016

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SteamAle
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CRAG Meeting 11 Feb 2016

Postby SteamAle » Mon Feb 22, 2016 2:07 pm

Only a small turnout, three of us, for the monthly meeting held at Chris King's house in Glasson, Cumbria. Following a nice meal in the bar of the Highland Laddie in the village, recommended for its Real Ales as well, we adjourned to the railway room at Chris's.
It turned out to be a very useful problem solving afternoon for Chris. First up was one of his locomotives derailing on a rebuilt point! After several very slow movements it was pointed out by Bob that the point blades were too close to each other. A quick touch with a soldering iron and then more slow running proved his point and our first success of the day.
The locomotive itself was a bit noisy and it was agreed that it did need some oil on its bearings. Chris had been advised by the locomotive builder that it would not need oiling. A few drops from his special bottle of oil, which Bob ended up getting some to take home as he had run out, saw the locomotive gradually get quieter and run even better.
Next up it was my turn to try and figure out what I'd done wrong to the wiring last time I visited. When Chris had started to build the layout he began from the buffer stops and wired it as he went along. This resulted in numerous problems as power was flowing in the wrong direction. I had spent quite a number of visits wiring from the station throat to get it to feed correctly according to the route set. Having sorted everything and tested that it worked I then started to tidy the wiring up underneath the baseboards but somehow one wire had gone in the wrong way and was causing a problem. I eventually found it and we tested the layout to make certain everything was working correctly. Another success.
Chris had been trying to source some pins for use when he comes to replace the copperclad strip he uses for point blade control and low and behold Bob said he had more than enough at home to fulfill all of his requirements. Oil for pins? Not a bad swap.
Afternoon tea was provided by Jean. The spread would have fed all of the CRAGIES if they had turned up. We tried our best to clear the table but failed. Doggy bags were the order of the day. Many thanks Jean the kids enjoyed the flan!
Our thanks to Chris for hosting the meeting. We all went away with a sense of achievement and satisfaction at having sorted out so many problems. Next time we visit it should be possible to run the full length of the layout from the fiddle yard if all goes to plan!
Next meeting is planned for Thursday 10 March in Askrigg I believe.
Philip

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