This month’s meet could have been the first in a long time (if not ever) I would not have been able to attend – I was to return from my holiday in Amsterdam the day before. But alas, I made it in fine for some freight ops this time around.
We had a very healthy contingent attend today, with both layouts setting up in time for around 11:00 for some good sessions that lasted until 15:00. I had the opportunity to test out my new RSD-15 after a full tune up, hauling several box cars (mostly ATSF) very successfully. The HO found a few issues to address, including the Raspberry Pi no longer working with the ethernet port (for WiFi throttles). Paul H has very kindly mentioned potentially replacing it before he had to leave early, but was still able to leave us with a running setup where we could utilise the regular Lenz controllers.
The N Scale saw the return of Dean, albeit still struggling with his back so the setup was favoured by a straight run with the return loops at either end for a more cautious setup and break down time. We also had the pleasure of a potential new member tagging along after reaching out to us; he models both HO and N so there may be some contention in future if he decides to join us!
The main theme for the HO was troubleshooting issues and general tests. Lots of leg adjustment and levelling, including fixing a damaged main. We also picked up some small issues on Peach Meadows, but can hopefully fix those up during the next meet.
The N Scale hosted well for the interested party hopefully willing to join, whilst Paul E continued his work on the bridging board where, as of this meet, is looking very good in my opinion. The N Scale generally had Santa Fe running and/or dominating the layout (hell yeah!), where I spotted dad’s RSD-15, David’s own SF freights and some Alco PAs in the mix. You could tell I was having a ball during this meet.
With the excitement at the N Scale, the HO admittedly did have a more silent session, however we did see a Pennsy Passenger Express, a Maryland and Pennsylvania railroad 4-6-0 hauling a mixed freight and then a revisiting Amtrak. We were also pleased to see Laxton fully integrated into the booster setup, allowing us to run something larger as and when we desire.
We all started packing up at 15:00, with everything packed away by 16:30, leaving just general clean up and clearance where myself and Paul P left the hall closed and the store locked up. Prior to packing away, I did a walk around of both layouts capturing pictures of the track setups, where I hope to translate into track plans and diagrams for the website. Once we have those, we can then pursue different layout setup planning, plus opening up a more coherent (and multi-select option fpr) our proposition to exhibitions.
The future is bright but for now, we’re progressing at a steady pace.
Neal K
Santa Fe all the way.
Thamesiders MRG 