Spring Maintenance on the MDLR................

[MDLR]

Had a busy day today............ and not a train in sight (apart from the full-size ones one field away)

First job was to finally finish relaying the track which had been ripped up last year. There was only a yard-and-a-bit to do, and that was in the siding at Alport Junction, but it needed doing, so today it got done. I had actually got a short length made up in the workshop, so only had to make up one length (the curved bit) from scratch.

Once that was done - platform repairs. The MDLR's station platforms (apart from one which was going to be ripped up and replaced last year until Other Things got in the way) are all made of wood, so they (and the wooden bridge) get a dose of Real Creosote™ most years. The one at Alport Junction was fine, but one piece of the one at Lathkill Dale needed replacing.

In addition, when I relaid the loop at Haddon, I made the curve rather more generous than it had been in an attempt to get rid of a problem section of track, so the platform didn't come up to the track like it should. Building this was an absolute SWINE - straight platforms are a doddle, platforms with one curved face are a bit of a so-and-so, but platforms with both faces curved should be avoided if at all possible!

I also built and installed the shuttering for the new base for the windmill - needs a bit of fill on two sides as the ground wasn't level, but that's an evening job.

So - all in all a most constructive day!

Finally, all was done to my satisfaction and I came up to do computery things still smelling of creosote!

[Colinw]

Gulp, I am just starting to turn my line on stilts into a proper railway, and the only station (so far) has a platform that is curved on both sides. I was going to make the platform from wood strip cut from the side panels of an old shed. Any advice on what to do or what not to do would be appreciated.

Regards

Colin

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Sounds a useful day, I like the sound of a windmill, what type will it be?

[MDLR]

It is a steel "skeleton" water pump - if you go to http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/mdltrly/trip.html there's a picture of it around two thirds of the way down the page, which shows it in its old location. The juniper's completely overgrown that site - hence the need to re-site it.

[taliesin001]

You've certainly made alot of progress.

[MDLR]

Apart from the street lighting in Over Haddon, I'm now where I was just over a year ago.......................