Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 11:15 am
Epic !!!!
This is becoming a literary masterpiece.
Rik
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The Potters Orchid Railway
Page 35 of 49
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 12:29 pm
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 2:41 am
Almost don't want to see this inspection end! 
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 7:46 pm
Stay tuned in the weeks to come
More to come.
I have a lot more material on hand
Mr Spectre inspects the POR Part Four
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:53 pm
Mr Spectre has a very long and deep sleep the night he arrived which is most understandable. However as first light appeared around 04.30 the Spangled Drongos, Channel Bills and the Koels commenced announcing to the world their existence and Mr Spectre could not help but consider this awful early morning din as most unwelcome in his current fragile state. He managed to roll over, stuff a couple of pillows over his head and get some more snoring time. Around 08.00 Mr Spectre was aroused from his comatose sleep by the familiar sounds of steam train operations, shunting, laughter and some not so choice words. As he lay in his private room upstairs at the POR headquarters from the bits of conversations he could hear on the breeze he suspected some spillage of product being conveyed had occurred and it seemed most likely due to a derailment caused by bad train handling by a couple of young drivers.
“I will have to look into the details of this today during my inspection. “
(At this time Mr Spectre was not aware that POR Waiver Book # 1 was already enabled, so now everything and anything un desirable is ignored, covered up, hand of God interventions and the only alcohol policy enforced is to enjoy responsibly if you so desire.
Early this very morning Mr Spectre’s traveling Trunk had been rescued from Red Bridge Gorge by Preston, Feathers and Trousers and then delivered to HQ. When they got back at POR HQ it was noticed that Mr Spectre’s Dictaphone had been left on the dinning room table and the low battery light was flashing. As the latches had been popped during that eventful plunge off Red Bridge they were able to rummage around inside his trunk and there under many Lingerie souvenirs they found his Dictaphone charger and plugged it in for Mr Spectre as he slept. It will be noted that after a period of previous criminality these three are well reformed and much valued hard working staff for the POR.
Morning, showered, shave (Yay, as he smelt like a Gorilla’s armpit after all of yesterday hiking under that heavy coat in the humidity) 09.00, Mr Spectre consumed a hearty cooked breakie (breakfast) prepared by MAM (Mary Ann) who is also the POR’s chair of the board of directors. This morning meal was most welcome by Mr Spectre as he his only nourishment the day before was a few aspirin and a very big glass of wine. After flossing and brushing his fangs, Mr Spectre disconnected his Dictaphone from the charger and with fresh underwear, ironed shirt, charged Dictaphone along with two brand new red and black pens and a yellow highlighter pen attached to his clip board Mr Spectre confronted the day in very good spirits.
He even said hello to Mr Ed and Francis as he paused while crossing the stone bridge that leads to the POR HQ and lodgings.
“A Lady Ann with quarry tippers on the hook, operational whistle, runs smooth, realistic speeds, obviously Slomo equipped.”
“Did that horse just say G’day to me?”
"Big Hairies, talking horses, what is this place down under?
He continues on his way, whistling and singing another Johnny Cash tune.
"Cause he was going down a grade making 90 miles an hour,
The whistle broke into a scream.
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle,
Scalded to death by steam."
“Ello Ello, what do we have here ? Evidence from the commotion I heard this morning? “
“Check POR incident reports are completed and filed correctly “ (The newly introduced waiver book now takes care of this sort of stuff as well as anything and everything)
Mr Spectre continues to the yard and sidings at Potters Junction as there are locomotives in the yard that he was most keen to inspect.
“Visiting locomotive, Roundhouse Billy kit. There may be shortcomings on the security on the cylinder fixing to the frame.”
“Another visiting locomotive, Lady Ann chassis, home built coal fired boiler. Build quality appears satisfactory"
“Ello ello, another derailment, not caused by a track or rolling stock defect. Cause due to young drivers not heeding the strict POR policy of not pushing tippers.” “tail lamp upside down”
“Fine looking Lady Ann, private owner, apparently a regular visitor to the POR. Tidy cab, well set up, kit built, resonator whistle fitted, Slomo equipped, smooth runner. Most satisfactory”
“Working SLR lamps fitted for evening runs. Splendid.”
“was that the effing guard I had to contend with yesterday ?”
“I will have to look into the details of this today during my inspection. “
(At this time Mr Spectre was not aware that POR Waiver Book # 1 was already enabled, so now everything and anything un desirable is ignored, covered up, hand of God interventions and the only alcohol policy enforced is to enjoy responsibly if you so desire.
Early this very morning Mr Spectre’s traveling Trunk had been rescued from Red Bridge Gorge by Preston, Feathers and Trousers and then delivered to HQ. When they got back at POR HQ it was noticed that Mr Spectre’s Dictaphone had been left on the dinning room table and the low battery light was flashing. As the latches had been popped during that eventful plunge off Red Bridge they were able to rummage around inside his trunk and there under many Lingerie souvenirs they found his Dictaphone charger and plugged it in for Mr Spectre as he slept. It will be noted that after a period of previous criminality these three are well reformed and much valued hard working staff for the POR.
Morning, showered, shave (Yay, as he smelt like a Gorilla’s armpit after all of yesterday hiking under that heavy coat in the humidity) 09.00, Mr Spectre consumed a hearty cooked breakie (breakfast) prepared by MAM (Mary Ann) who is also the POR’s chair of the board of directors. This morning meal was most welcome by Mr Spectre as he his only nourishment the day before was a few aspirin and a very big glass of wine. After flossing and brushing his fangs, Mr Spectre disconnected his Dictaphone from the charger and with fresh underwear, ironed shirt, charged Dictaphone along with two brand new red and black pens and a yellow highlighter pen attached to his clip board Mr Spectre confronted the day in very good spirits.
He even said hello to Mr Ed and Francis as he paused while crossing the stone bridge that leads to the POR HQ and lodgings.
“A Lady Ann with quarry tippers on the hook, operational whistle, runs smooth, realistic speeds, obviously Slomo equipped.”
“Did that horse just say G’day to me?”
"Big Hairies, talking horses, what is this place down under?
He continues on his way, whistling and singing another Johnny Cash tune.
"Cause he was going down a grade making 90 miles an hour,
The whistle broke into a scream.
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle,
Scalded to death by steam."
“Ello Ello, what do we have here ? Evidence from the commotion I heard this morning? “
“Check POR incident reports are completed and filed correctly “ (The newly introduced waiver book now takes care of this sort of stuff as well as anything and everything)
Mr Spectre continues to the yard and sidings at Potters Junction as there are locomotives in the yard that he was most keen to inspect.
“Visiting locomotive, Roundhouse Billy kit. There may be shortcomings on the security on the cylinder fixing to the frame.”
“Another visiting locomotive, Lady Ann chassis, home built coal fired boiler. Build quality appears satisfactory"
“Ello ello, another derailment, not caused by a track or rolling stock defect. Cause due to young drivers not heeding the strict POR policy of not pushing tippers.” “tail lamp upside down”
“Fine looking Lady Ann, private owner, apparently a regular visitor to the POR. Tidy cab, well set up, kit built, resonator whistle fitted, Slomo equipped, smooth runner. Most satisfactory”
“Working SLR lamps fitted for evening runs. Splendid.”
“was that the effing guard I had to contend with yesterday ?”
Mr Spectre inspects the POR Part Five
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:22 pm
“Visiting rolling stock, issues with flange thickness and wheel back to back dimension not meeting the + - 0.20mm tolerance of 28mm, currently not certified to run. “
“Battery powered section car, working front head light and tail lamp. Used check to run the road before running of train services proper begins. Driver looks extremely pale, requires skilled painting, book this task into the improvement notices for 2022. “
“Personal locomotive of the chairperson on the board of director.s (MAM) . Seen running just earlier this morning. Kit built by MAM, Slomo equipped, Regner whistle fitted, after raising steam, when the burner is tuned to maintain a boiler pressure of 20-30lb will give actual moving run times of 40 to 43 minutes with a 12 axle train or a string of tippers. But whistle is asthmatic at 20 psi. Excellent performer and reliable. Completion of the paint work and details are a scheduled workshop task for 2022. “
“Accucraft open bogie wagon, carrying empty wine bottle. No doubt consumed by the POR board directors. What was that noise in the cactus garden ? Best I move on.”
“Factory supplied Taliesin, lined by Mark Acton. Owned by Captain Plod. Runs satisfactorily, but cannot be Slomo equipped so a high degree of realistic steady running is not possible. Slomo wagon will be fitted with a zero back lash coupling, booked as a workshop task, possible Red Room project in 2022.” "Best run times is only 30 mins, but not yet run in and also Captain Plod suspects the forward running valve timing can be improved. Unstable burner till warm, can cause damage with blow back into the cab. Suspect this is due to the return superheater restricting flame gas flow. Protective shielding has been to prevent re-occurrence of servo arm melt damage due any future blow backs when lighting up. “
Mr Spectre spent considerable admiring this loco.
Taliesin is often seen as the lead loco when double heading.
“Bundaberg Fowler. Slomo equipped, excellent runner. At this time a working resonator whistle is being made by the owner. Regular visitor to the POR.“
“Replica Queensland steam driver’s tool box is used by the owner of the Bundy Fowler for stowage and transport of his loco and tools. This earns significant Garden Railway Kool Kat points. “
"The Bundy Fowler owner’s string of cane trucks for running behind his loco. Steel ballast fitted to leading truck to remove derailment problems”
“Under utilised go pro camera fitted to four wheel open wagon, a couple of videos have been posted on utube. There needs to be improvement of camera operation and frequency of filming followed by publishing.“
“Kit built guards van by MAM POR board chair. Has a manure odour emanating from it. Guard is a bit iffy. Van is well stocked with Aspirin. Working SLR models tail lamp also working SLR lamp inside. Currently not booked for any scheduled repainting”
After an uneventful morning in and about Potter’s Junction Yard Mr Spectre then proceeded on his walking track inspection beyond the Potter’s Junction yard limits.
To be continued.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:05 pm
Ah yes, the waiver book. Great idea! Was that Mr Ed we saw, the famous talking horse?
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:06 am
Are you sure your surname isn't Dickens, Dazza?
Rik
Rik
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 10:15 am
invicta280 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:05 pm Ah yes, the waiver book. Great idea! Was that Mr Ed we saw, the famous talking horse?
Yes it is Mr Ed, with his girlfriend Francis who has to spend some time with him train spotting before she sees some action from him later on .
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 10:20 am
Well I have read some Dickens and I have a few more to read, after all he was involved in a railway crash. I have a decent pile of books to read and I do like to reread some books after 5 -10 years have passed, I feel I get more out of them. Hitchhiker's Guide the Galaxy and the books after I read every 10 -15 years.
I am currently reading some Mr Stinger railway detective novels.
As long as some find some light entertainment with Mr Spectre's POR visit I will continue for a wee while longer as I think I maybe half way through my material.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2022 9:53 pm
It seems Mr Spectre is still about and he heard a whisper at a local eating and drinking establishment that there are some things going on at the POR.
A LASER level has been sighted, a tree removed and some string lines and tap measures are laying about.
Sound suspiciously like an extension is being planned. Considering the railway's staff workload with the testing of the coal fired build, trips to the full size railway, no ballasting done, infrastructure not completed and the usual machinations Mr Spectre thought it best to make a visit and see for himself what was going on. As he suspected, grand plans, even a spiral was talked about but the POR staff realised there is not enough room and sensibilities prevailed.
The acting general manager commented "It will certainly clean up the last of the railway terrace area and so the weed problems will vanish and the POR's head horticulturist will be most pleased."
Winter time sport is about to begin.
A LASER level has been sighted, a tree removed and some string lines and tap measures are laying about.
Sound suspiciously like an extension is being planned. Considering the railway's staff workload with the testing of the coal fired build, trips to the full size railway, no ballasting done, infrastructure not completed and the usual machinations Mr Spectre thought it best to make a visit and see for himself what was going on. As he suspected, grand plans, even a spiral was talked about but the POR staff realised there is not enough room and sensibilities prevailed.
The acting general manager commented "It will certainly clean up the last of the railway terrace area and so the weed problems will vanish and the POR's head horticulturist will be most pleased."
Winter time sport is about to begin.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 8:46 am
You will make another superb extension there Dazza I have no doubt. Can't wait to see it in full working order, though I guess it may be a few months before it's finished due to the workshop staffs workload 
Bet MAM is also dying to get her hands on the greenery side of it...
Bet MAM is also dying to get her hands on the greenery side of it...
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sat May 07, 2022 9:49 pm
The extension post hole digging has commenced for the POR's extension's concrete sleeper walls.
Captain plod says that Gym fees are a waste of gold coin dig the holes by hand and that coin is better spent on garden railway stuff.
The forecast of a heavy week of rain will delay further progress at the POR extension site, so to the Red Room goes Captain Plod.
IMG_9545 by Darrell McCulloch, on Flickr
Captain plod says that Gym fees are a waste of gold coin dig the holes by hand and that coin is better spent on garden railway stuff.
The forecast of a heavy week of rain will delay further progress at the POR extension site, so to the Red Room goes Captain Plod.
IMG_9545 by Darrell McCulloch, on FlickrRe: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 6:24 am
This'll be good. 
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 8:30 pm
Blimey - no sooner has the mainline been laid than the extension takes shape ..... Sounds to me like a railway boom Mk2
Of course, there is no envy involved in my statement ......
Rik
Of course, there is no envy involved in my statement ......
Rik
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Mon May 09, 2022 10:17 pm
The track was laid in 2017 and then nothing happened till 2020 then the Terra Forming occurred. Nothing in 2021 but for gardening and concentration in the Red Room Workshop. However with the loco ready for more test steaming when the current big wet passes it is time to finish off the back yard and railway and clean up the detritus.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Mon May 09, 2022 10:20 pm
Saturday, back wall and side wall post holes dug by hand, before the rain arrived. Ready for concrete when yet another big wet passes. Then the front wall is to be done. It is to be a concrete sleeper box garden bed with a railway on it.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 10:14 pm
No further work.
It has not stopped raining, in fact it has only rained twice this year.
The first time for 61 days
The second time for 40 days and still going.
In our 59 laps around the sun we have never seen it rain this much.
Two years ago Australia was burning down.
Now we are a rice paddy.
It has not stopped raining, in fact it has only rained twice this year.
The first time for 61 days
The second time for 40 days and still going.
In our 59 laps around the sun we have never seen it rain this much.
Two years ago Australia was burning down.
Now we are a rice paddy.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Wed May 25, 2022 8:16 am
Sorry, I know it's not funny, but did make me smile, the way you described itHydrostatic Dazza wrote: ↑Tue May 24, 2022 10:14 pm it has only rained twice this year.
The first time for 61 days
The second time for 40 days and still going.
Re: The Potters Orchid Railway
Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 10:53 am
Jimmyb wrote: ↑Wed May 25, 2022 8:16 amSorry, I know it's not funny, but did make me smile, the way you described itHydrostatic Dazza wrote: ↑Tue May 24, 2022 10:14 pm it has only rained twice this year.
The first time for 61 days
The second time for 40 days and still going.
[/quote]
We had a weekend of sunshine, so I got the posts in and the first walls are done. More walls to come to make a narrow garden box for the station yard.
and when the next drought comes I will left the track and clean the concrete base, refit the track and ballast. Hopefully before my earthly demise.
