Our scrapbook - Barchester Towers Railway

Started in February 2006, these scrapbook pages are where we can put some of the photos and stories that don't belong elsewhere. If you want to print these photos please ask for the original as the ones on this page are compressed for display. Of course if you have any story or photos to add please send them to us! There are some YouTube movies on this page - you might have to tweak your browser to see them.

Page 1: 2006. Page 2: 2007.

This year our project is to clear more of the lantana from the bellbird gully.

Problem! The electronic variable speed drive on the solar engine failed, probably due to an insulation failure on the load side. The electronics board looks like it was made by IPC. I bought it from Plum Cove Studios. Both companies are in America so it might be a while before we get it fixed properly. However the motors and gears (also from Plum Cove) seem to have survived, so the trains are still running. For the time being there are only two speeds: half speed and stopped, achieved the old way with relays. Unfortunately, half speed is probably too slow for public days at the club track and a little too fast for small children on our railway.

Half speed is just fine for big kids though!


Trish and friends movie should show here.

26 January - Yoo Jin came for a quick visit.

Easter 2008


かおるさんは好かった


Kaoru and Tommie descending from the top railhead. Kaoru learns to keep his feet inside the car when passing through our Festiniog-sized cutting.

$10 Bet

Kate bet $10.00 that he would not do it.

April: Finally able to get over to a running day at the train club up the road at Narara. The photos and movies in this pink section are from the Narara trip, not from Barchester Towers.

"How does that one work?"

Solar electric crossing the mangrove swamp trestle at Narara, 5 April 2008.

25 & 26 October 2008 - Yuki and Benjemin


Children (and everyone) should look before picking up anything that has been left on the ground, even a bucket in the garage!


Returned to the garden.


Yuki driving. On the left is a load of soil placed to strengthen the embankment.


Benjemin excavates at the cutting face while Yuki takes a break from trimming the new roadbed to take a bull-ant out of his sock.


New track laid to level (but not final direction yet).


The first train arrives to collect a box of spoil.


Thanks for the help, men. You now have four more metres to play on.


三山の猿


かえります

Christmas

Christmas this year found us in Sydney hosting both the family party on Christmas Eve and also dinner on Christmas day for those who could not make it down to Brogo. The electric locomotive and one of the riding cars that were home for service were hurriedly set up in the back garden, supposedly for the interest of visitors, but actualy to protect them from the inevitable frantic pre-party clean up.


Wednesday night, sitting around, talking about ...


Thursday night was more formal


Safely hiding at the bottom of the garden

New Year's Eve

We decided not to bother with the festivities this year, so to get some exercise it was trackwork time.


Rocks dug out in the cutting, more lantana jungle in the background.


This piece of track had to be relaid as some of the 1996 sleepers had rotted or screws rusted through.


Dinner time - almost ready to lay track up to the face but that will have to wait until next year.


Funnel-Web Spider hole. One of the hazards of track repair. (Learn more about these spiders here: http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/funnelweb.htm.)

Back to the main page: BTR. Scrapbook Page 1: 2006. Page 2: 2007. Page 4: 2009.

This page is: http://dazed.org/btr/scrpbk08.htm (Page 3: 2008).

This line last edited: 31 December 2008.