AFK A room sized layout that hosts intensive operating sessions.

[ianathompson]

Another forty or so photos have been uploaded in the latest update.

For those who don't click on the link you are missing much of the story.

There are now 194 photos of this session.

The tale is available here.

 

 

161. A glance over Gas Works Street wall a little later shows that the 2-8-2T has finished shunting and is waiting to go to Aspargo but that, as per usual the diamond is occupied by a conflicting move.

The late running KTT goods pulls in off the main line, onto the reception road.

A large number of tail lamps seem to have accumulated beside the yard office.

 

 

166. The lower half of the line is always busy and the decision is taken to allow the Urteno freight to run on the mixto’s path.

This puts a little more time into the mixto which leaves 35 minutes late.

It is unlikely that it will recover from this to make the evening connections with the train to Sarip, the capital, on the return working. Alternative arrangements are already being considered.

The evening train is, you will remember, heavily used by the regional assembly’s politicians and administrators visiting Sarip therefore it is important that it runs punctually.

The punctual running is not of great importance in itself but it does save upon a massive expenditure of hot air from the bureaucrats in the regional and national assemblies.

 

 

175. Jakarutu, in contrast, is a serene branch terminus, deliberately added to the mix as a counterpoint to the bustle of the provincial capital.

The loco unhurriedly takes water before providing the second, and last, service of the day.

The van arrived some days ago and has been marooned in this outpost without moving.

This again was a deliberate design objective.

It was not uncommon for wagons to stand in sidings for days on end on the prototype but it is rare to find this on a model, or at least one with regular operating sessions.

As is often the case, the van needs attention to finish it off.

Jakarutu was completed years ago by the simple expedient of painting the town onto the backscene, not that it has any artistic merit.

 

 

182. The express leaves the wilds of Ospicio passing between the melting snow drifts.

The shepherd’s bothy still awaits shutters and a door and some of the tiles have been knocked off.

It looks as though the disreputable thatch upon the barn could also do with some attention.

Some of the snow patches hide the microswitches and the bothy slots in alongside the barn.

When removed it reveals the light switches for the room, hence the frequent handling and damage despite building it like a battleship.

 

Back to the session now!

 

Ian T

[Barry O]

It's the fact that the layout is operated for a reason (ie not just trundling trains round and round) that makes it so fascinating.

 

Baz

[ianathompson]

Over 50 new pictures are now avaialble on the website.

 

You can find them here.

 

They now take some time to load up so youi will need to be patient

 

As I am currently short of time there is only one taster with this posting.

 

 

221. In addition to disconcerting the concerned matrons of ‘Isuri’ the shunter incurs the wrath of Janetta, the Vallisharimau, or “Vallis Tiger” in Marronĝaccan.

(Vallis is the diminutive of Vallisfissura, the Roman name for Fenditavalat.)

Janetta is in charge of the student accommodation in the Scolari (University Senate) owned buildings beside the gate.

She does not like locomotive crews who cover her washing in smuts and the diesel is well known for liberally disbursing oily exhaust.

She waves her furled umbrella in warning as though Inhodza, the driver, will take any notice of the pantomime.

Why on earth the French manufacturer included such an “everyday figure” in their choice of poses I cannot say.

I did chop the end off the umbrella with the intention of converting it into a rolling pin but then decided otherwise.

I paid for it so I might as well have some fun with it!

 

Ian T

 

 

[ian]

Sorry to be a bit of a nerd, but at 'three minutes a move' how does a train get to be other than a multiple of three minutes late? e.g.195: It is now 55 minutes behind time and faces little prospect of clawing any of this time back. I assume that that it has been rounded up from 54 or down from 57 for narrative neatness - but if there is a more cunning or procedural reason I'd be interested to know.

 

 

[ianathompson]

4 hours ago, ian said:

Sorry to be a bit of a nerd, but at 'three minutes a move' how does a train get to be other than a multiple of three minutes late? e.g.195: It is now 55 minutes behind time and faces little prospect of clawing any of this time back. I assume that that it has been rounded up from 54 or down from 57 for narrative neatness - but if there is a more cunning or procedural reason I'd be interested to know.

 

I am not too accurate with stating the lateness timings so guilty as charged!

 

However, in my defence, the running times between stations are not multiples of three minutes so it is possible to incur intervals other than three minutes.

The "lateness" cards for connecting trains tend to use five minute intervals for the probability charts to keep things simple.

These probabilities are expressed as per-centages with the actual values determined by a 100 sided die.

The connecting evening train from Narnia has three cards, reflecting who is on duty in Beruna Control.

This is also determined by throwing a six sided die.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Ian T

[ian]

11 hours ago, ianathompson said:

Hope that this helps.

Thank you Ian - yes it does.

 

That opens up a whole new set of questions about journey times and lateness cards - I think I may need to re-read the appropriate section of the website.

[ianathompson]

For various reasons the session has slowed down a little of late.

Here are the latest photos.

 

 

258. The stock for the returning Kasatritikakamparoj races special leaves Aspargo behind the 0-4-4-0T mallet.

This is a scratch rake of stock made up from whatever was to hand.

The mallet is acting as an additional pilot because it will have to go out on the Altingablecaŭtoj races train as, except for the spare engine, there is nothing else available.

 

 

270. The down KTT goods finished its shunting at Boursson early so Control saw a chance to run it without causing too much delay.

It is stopped at Glissent’s home signal to allow the railcar to enter the station without potentially causing a collision if the passenger train over runs, as is standard with the locking on simple single line block posts.

 

 

286. The mixto pulls into Lacono over the reverse curve that is the bane of the AFK.

There have been a number of irritating derailments here during this session so remedial work will be needed in addition to the fault fixing already carried out.

One problem is that the local controller lead is not long enough to stand at this end of the station and closely observe trains passing.

This is something else on the “round tuit” list.

The two long carriages present a challenge in any case.

They were originally fitted with individual buffers between them but these had to be replaced by a bar arrangement, visible below the door of the nearest vehicle, due to the number of unscheduled uncouplings and derailments that they caused.

The front carriage is based on a Vivarais vehicle and the second one on a Roslagsbanan prototype.

The less said about the loco’s grip on reality the better!

 

Ian T

Edited November 29, 2023 by ianathompson
error

[ianathompson]

The operating sesion has now finished.

The remaining photos are available here.

 

It now takes a little while to load up so you will have to be patient.

Around forty photos have been pasted.

A small selection is shown here.

 

 

296. The down mixto is surprisingly checked by a danger aspect from Breĉo de Glissent’s home, despite it running on time.

The difficulty of persuading all the signal arms to remain in perfect alignment is apparent, although I would not be surprised to find that there were similar problems on the prototypes.

 

 

310. The evening railcar was held at Relforka for connections, putting it 25 minutes late.

The horse box train arrived at Breĉo de Glissent at roughly the anticipated departure time and was given priority over the single line because the horses are valuable commodities.

The AFK wants them off it hands as soon as possible.

The passengers know their place and waiting for goods trains is not an unusual event.

The station is well resourced with warm waiting rooms, restaurants and bars to cover such eventualities.

The train is 45 minutes late when it finally leaves.

 

 

318. The loco from the goods train heads along the Kapra Pordego to service the industrial estate in the Danulbo quarter.

An “executive decision” has been made to relocate the cement silos to this area rather than pretending that they are “across the road”.

The theoretical map will need another redrawing but it seems a more credible idea. As the trip departs the yard foreman is on the phone to advise the paper mill that they will need to send the fireless as they have traffic to pick up.

This could potentially cause a problem if it meets the trip on the single line.

The section into the industrial area, set within the road, relies upon running on sight and common sense.

Speeds are deliberately kept low and if necessary the light loco can reverse in front of the loaded train before entering a siding.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

Despite the best resolutions to crack on with the AFK, and Inverness Citadel, little has happened for a few days.

The 0-6-2T is in bits on the bench but has taken a back seat because:

 

 

Yes. I was tempted by, and succumbed to, a Lionheart L&B train.

I did originally consider a two coach set up but then thought why get hung for a lamb when you could go down for a sheep?

It actually does not look too far out of place in this setting, at Varden lido. 

 

Initial tests suggest that the train runs well, once you have got it onto the track.

No easy task this.

Guess how I know!

 

The AFK uses a 24 inch minimum radius which is that recommended for the models.

The train coped with this radius without problems.

For any one contemplating buying I would point out that the chopper couplers are "handed".

This isn't a problem to me because the AFK couplers are similarly "handed".

 

 

David Jenkinson was  agreat advocate for "funny trains", that is nice models totally out of time and place with your choice of subject.

They ocasionally come out to play, at the right time.

 

Like most modellers who read the articles by Frary and Hayden in Model Railroader I have always been "taken" by the Maine two footers.

Years ago I bought an outside frame Forney and left it at that.

Having sought it out from an obscure hiding place it also took to the tracks of the AFK.

A small selection of rolling stock has been acquired to go with it, although I am waiting on delivery.

When it all arrives I might take another photo.

 

I took the Forney up the vulpafaukangulo with some trepidation because I had read about difficulties with the ovehang of the rear coupling.

Once again, 24 inches is the minimum recommended radius.

The loco and box car coped without any apparent difficulty.

 

I don't doubt that, over time, a couple of additional wagons will find their way into both trains.

The "funnies" are a nice way to indulge a whim without the commitment of building a layout to go with the theme.

Both examples are instantly recognisable and could in no way be passed off as "generic" NG models.

 

Hope that this is of some interest.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

Progress on the AFK during the shut down has been slow due to the decision to develop the Gilbertine Level layout.

It has not ceased entirely however and I hope to start a new operating session shortly.

 

 

It was always intended that Thalnia was one of the poorer European countries and that Marronĝaco province was an obscure backwater thereof.

Unfortunately the AFK’s major development coincided with the rise of the internet selling platforms and the explosion in availability of 1:43 road vehicles, such as the crane in the background.

I could not resist temptation and have always felt that there was too much road traffic on the layout.

One pet project, harking back to a scene that I remember from visiting Spain in the sixties, was the provision of an animal powered dustcart.

The original used a couple of mules but the Lacono Corporation prefer to use oxen.

The driver waits for the bins to be emptied into the back.

Looking at its horns you don’t want to mess with the ox!

The dust cart was made from a basket case Dinky toy.

 

 

A couple of loco projects have been picked up.

The CFS three-phase loco is now complete.

As I have commented before, the real things, on the FS (Italian Railways), were an ugly but intriguing bunch.

One of their more endearing aspects, to me at any rate, was that they always seemed to run with numerous equipment doors open.

Even the cab door has got in on the act!

As per usual the loco only bears a passing resemblance to any known prototype having suffered a change of chassis, the body being prised apart and the indignity of having unlikely bits added for aesthetic (?) reasons.

The rechargeable battery casing on the front provides one such example.

The steam is coming from the solution used to cool the resistances which control the loco.

 

 

This is the other face of this ‘ravishing beauty’.

The filling point for the coolant is prominent.  

The woman with the pram is testing the gauge of the railway tracks.

The pram seems to be quite a good fit!

She is probably also wondering what has happened to the access steps on the front of the loco.

Someone has forgotten to fit them!

Go to jail the depot and do not pass Go!

 

 

The sister of the I-D-I has now been finished.

There is some debate as to whether this is a I-C-2 or a 2-C-I.

She is finished in a less dishevelled state than her big sister and has so far desisted from emitting large clouds of exhaust.

There is time for this yet however.

 

 

The fireless is a fairly simple loco.

A cab roof, a driver, a couple of pipes and some weathering quickly saw it to a conclusion.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

Web site closure imminent

 

As per usual it has been some time since I posted here when the AFK is in remission between sessions.

I have some bad news, however, in that it seems likely that the AFK website will shortly be closed after nine years of operation.

 

All web sites have an ephemeral existence and once the site has gone the articles will disappear.

Hard copy, paper based, articles have an advantage in that respect!

 

If there is anything of interest to you on the site I suggest that you visit in the next week or so and download it.

I have, of course kept back up copies of all the articles on the site.

 

The catalyst for this change is a massive increase in hosting costs and the US holding company’s attempt to take payment on the same day as they issued an invoice, without considering that anyone might decline their services.

In simple terms they want much more money than I am prepared to pay for a non-commercial site.

 

The site had become quite complex, if not rambling.

The limited software options available also meant that posting text and photos was a time consuming process.

 

The most recent posts simply recorded operating sessions.

These photo-essays had become bloated when compared to their predecessors and the last one (session 13) ran to well over 300 photos.

I know that some readers enjoyed the minutiae of AFK life but I often wondered how many people read the full blown accounts rather than the brief summaries on the thread.

 

For the moment I anticipate posting session 14 on this, and other, threads with a limit of around 50 or 60 photos.

I might also consider using a reasonably priced web site as an alternative.

Does anyone have any suggestions?!

 

 

Ian T

Edited April 7 by ianathompson

[ianathompson]

Gents. Thanks for all your supportive comments.

 

I have not been able to find much time to respond, partly due to a family emergency.

I have also been going through the protracted process of disengaging from the staging platform.

As far as I can tell the website will cease operations around 21st April.

 

It is my intention to shortly "reset" the thread by posting a much simplified background on here.

Whilst most of the in depth background will be lost to the casual viewer it will be retained in my files.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

For info

 

This thread is simply duplicating the one in Overseas Modelling.

This is available here.

 

It has been suggested that I stop posting here and simply post on the Overseas thread.

As things stand it would seem that I will probably have less time for model railways in the near future due to family issues.

 

As the website is about to close a reset has been posted on the alternative thread if you wish to read it.

 

Any views on placing this thread into "deep storage" will be gratefully received.

 

Ian T

 

 

[Barry O]

Ian,

If you don't post on this thread it will hibernate all on its own,

 

Best regards

Baz