So I went to the MRR club again wendesday night. We started by running a few passenger trains around the tracks. But we had a big derailment when one train was going over a bridge with a bad section of track. We had to bend the rails back inwards, check to see that they were the right distance apart, and then glue in postion. After that we ran some freights around, and I started to work on cleaning the tracks in Murphy yard with the track cleaning car. I had to pull out the cars from the sidings to be able to clean the tracks. One bad switch was causing trouble, but I managed. All of sudden without notification someone else's train came rolling though, and I had to quickly pull my engine and cleaning car off the main line and back into the yard. I threw the switch for the other train just in time.
The track cleaning car consists of a regular car - in this case, a caboose - with a holder on the bottom in between the trucks. The holder holds a sponge which can be soaked with alcohol or anything else. But I didn't soak mine in anything, it works just as well.
After I finished cleaning the tracks in Murphy yard, someone else's train derailed when a coupler in the consist got caught on a wire, and the engine pulled the train apart, derailing four other cars.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Found an abandoned house in the woods
Today I went for a walk in the woods with a few friends and we found an abandoned house!
The roof of the side of the house was caved in. Plants have started growing in the mess.
The gutters are just rusted through.
The official nickname of the house is "da crack haus".
Monday, February 27, 2012
Woodworking - Making a sandwich-board for PLC (my school) - pt2
We had a bit of a challenge putting in the dowel as a hinge. Of course, we didn't have the right size drill bit, so we drilled a small hole, which the dowel barely fit in. Then we tilted the drill to chop away a bit more wood from the hole, and we got it big enough for the dowel to go through!
A few nails got tapped in to hold the dowel. Then we put a strap to keep the sign from unfolding. I then went home, and in the following days, Paul let Ryan paint the primer on the sign. Paul had Ryan paint it outside, and of course Ryan made a mess, and Paul started scrubbing the paint off the pavement....
A few nails got tapped in to hold the dowel. Then we put a strap to keep the sign from unfolding. I then went home, and in the following days, Paul let Ryan paint the primer on the sign. Paul had Ryan paint it outside, and of course Ryan made a mess, and Paul started scrubbing the paint off the pavement....
Joined a model RR group
I joined a model RR group, at Kuser Mansion, in Trenton. I went there last wednesday in the evening; I got a form to sign, and a tour of the model RR. All the trains are in HO gauge, all the track is DCC controlled, and the layout is over 60 years old. A beautiful hand-painted sky background is the backdrop for the well detailed layout. Although it isn't realistic, there is a part with a town called Hamilton, there are two railyards, and a roundhouse too, with working turntable! So, the first 4 weeks I will go there, and then I will be 'sworn in' as a member of the club; the first junior member they have had for many years!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Woodworking - Making a sandwich-board for PLC (my school) - pt1
This weekend was around freezing, so me and my teacher (Paul) decided to work inside. We worked in his workshop, which is in the attic/loft of his house. I didn't know what he was planning to do, but when I got to his house, I learned that we would be building a sandwich-board for our school, PLC.
We gathered materials, which were all left-over scrap from other projects.We found a piece of 1/4 inch plywood, which was 4' x 2'. I suggested that we cut it in half, as to have two 2'^2 boards - one for each side of the sandwich-board. There were a nice piece of 2-by-4 sitting on the back of the shed outside, which we promptly cut up to make the legs. A bit of thought was put into how long the legs would be, but we decided that 3' was too small, and 4' was too high, so we cut them 3.5' (3' , 6") long.
Just as we were about to put it together, we realised we had no hinges that were of the correct size! We pondered a bit, and I came up with the idea of using a dowel as a hinge. Paul had a dowel that was 5/8th inch in diameter, and about 3' long - it was perfect!
To be continued int Part-2!
We gathered materials, which were all left-over scrap from other projects.We found a piece of 1/4 inch plywood, which was 4' x 2'. I suggested that we cut it in half, as to have two 2'^2 boards - one for each side of the sandwich-board. There were a nice piece of 2-by-4 sitting on the back of the shed outside, which we promptly cut up to make the legs. A bit of thought was put into how long the legs would be, but we decided that 3' was too small, and 4' was too high, so we cut them 3.5' (3' , 6") long.
Just as we were about to put it together, we realised we had no hinges that were of the correct size! We pondered a bit, and I came up with the idea of using a dowel as a hinge. Paul had a dowel that was 5/8th inch in diameter, and about 3' long - it was perfect!
To be continued int Part-2!
Technology - Engineering Applications - Dissasembling a Microwave Pt2
Continued from part 1 ... After taking all the wires out of the microwave, I then also took out the light-bulbs and their sockets. But there was still two wires going underneath. Turns out, they connected to a geared motor, which is 'supposed' to make the turntable inside the microwave turn. But there was no turntable, and no shaft to place one on; wtf!? :S Quite a silly design! xD
All that was left were the control circuitboard, the high voltage transformer, the high voltage rectifier, and the magnetron. The circuitboard was a bit tricky to take off as it was hard to turn the screws that were holding it in, which were parallel to the circuitboard and sitting right next to the casing of the microwave. After a bit of struggling I managed to get them loose. Then I went onto taking out the high-voltage capacitor, and the high- voltage diode, which were connected to the high-voltage transformer, and the magnetron. I had another sheet-metal duct to take out, and I found another fan underneath. The fan cools the magnetron and the transformer. Next up was the magnetron, and then the transformer. Those bolts holding the transformer in were quite tight, and the transformer is quite heavy too.
And so, I was left with the metal shell of the microwave, which we brought to our local municipal recycling center. But for now, that's it for the microwave dissasembly!
All that was left were the control circuitboard, the high voltage transformer, the high voltage rectifier, and the magnetron. The circuitboard was a bit tricky to take off as it was hard to turn the screws that were holding it in, which were parallel to the circuitboard and sitting right next to the casing of the microwave. After a bit of struggling I managed to get them loose. Then I went onto taking out the high-voltage capacitor, and the high- voltage diode, which were connected to the high-voltage transformer, and the magnetron. I had another sheet-metal duct to take out, and I found another fan underneath. The fan cools the magnetron and the transformer. Next up was the magnetron, and then the transformer. Those bolts holding the transformer in were quite tight, and the transformer is quite heavy too.
And so, I was left with the metal shell of the microwave, which we brought to our local municipal recycling center. But for now, that's it for the microwave dissasembly!
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