73 Class travails!

This week I finally took the plunge and dismantled the 73's chassis, top shell and deck. A quick look revealed possible space in the read below the decoder for the speaker but a bit more investigation required. This would be great as it is right next to the radiator grills. If this doesn't work out then perhaps in the cab. If I can get the speaker in the rear, this will allow me to place a driver and observer into the cab, along with a cabin light. So there is a part of the project.
Next were the lightboards. I had trouble at the cabin end board removing it. I hadn't yet tried the read board. I spoke to Mr Mackie during the week and he reckoned they just pulled out. So that night I tried the front end without success but the rear end pulled out easily. A closer inspection of the front board suggested it had been glued in at the factory for some reason! So out with the razor saw to remove the plastic shield holding the light board. Then clean out the slot of the styrene left behind by using a rotary tool to gouge out the plastic from the metal. During the process of doing this I have knocked off the lens of one of the marker light LEDs. So looks like I will have to place an order with LedBaron in Germany. I will also have to make up another shield, so I might have to buy some black styrene from one of the hobby shops. So during the upcoming week I will have to start looking at the decoder wiring.

My order from the UK also arrived during the week. This encompassed the Class 08 weathered diesel. and the quirky Sentinel Y1 vertical boiler steam loco.

Also another two NSWGR guards vans (FHG and GHG from memory) arrived from Coffs Harbour care of Mr Mackie. These were second hand but look hardly used.

The weekend just gone was the Club's annual Exhibition. I was only able to attend the Saturday session (due to family commitments on Sunday), but I had spent a few hours on Friday help setting up the show with some other members. I bought 8 packs of different Brawa decoder wire from Wuiske Models, and some whitemetal half bodies from John Guest (formerly Horizon Hobbies) to use in locos and passenger carriages. Probably the best layouts at the show was Splitters Swamp Creek which since its last viewing at our show two years ago has come along fantastically. Geoff is a master of detail. Darren and Brendon were also there helping Geoff out as well as doing some modelling themselves. The second layout was a new one based on an industrial British Steel works. It was small (end to end shunting) but full of detail. The Club members should all be very proud of themselves by helping out when needed and making the show a success, especially John Kennedy our Show Convenor who is giving it a rest next year. We hope to see a new convenor elected at the Club AGM next month.

I'll let the Pi reviewers go for another week, then if no further feedback, I'll make the necessary changes and publish the howto.

So some interesting things happening at the moment.