Fort Myers, Florida in the 90's - Its the layouts 30th birthday this year - Freemo South 2024

[Glorious NSE]

6 hours ago, Prof Klyzlr said:

 

Dear Glorious,

 

Many thanks for that, it does certainly give some useful perspective. I got the 6" deep spec from the US Free-Mo site

http://www.free-mo.org/standard/

and (given Aust has almost zero Free-mo uptake or info) figured it was "the" spec accross the planet... (My Bad!).

Ah sorry didn't realise you weren't in the UK - our one(s) differ in quite a few ways from the earlier US standard, which itself differs in major ways from the even earlier European Fremo standards they were developed from.

[Glorious NSE]

To pop this back on topic, here's a few shots from Fort Myers over the weekend :)

The evening sun gave some nice reflection shots on the creek...


View from the yard...



Visitor from Kansas...



Support your local industry!





 

[roundhouse]

On 15/06/2022 at 12:42, Glorious NSE said:

The green rough areas I am hoping to improve before the layouts next outing but still to decide what to put there. Can't be anything with much height as the other part of the juice factory fills that space when the two boards are boxed up for transit.

Edited June 16, 2022 by roundhouse

[AlanRogers]

On 15/06/2022 at 07:37, roundhouse said:

I also enjoy looking to see where my freight cars get to , such as these two boxcars.

 

The question that leapt into my head on reading that was "What happens [in this regard] at the end of the meeting?"

Do you have your name on the underside of stock so that people know whom to return rolling stock to during the furore of breakdown, or does everyone have to roam around the room sweeping up their roaming rolling stock themselves?

 

We have enough challenges with our 0n30 modules and there's only eight of us, plus a lot less layout!

Edited September 14, 2022 by AlanRogers

[roundhouse]

13 minutes ago, AlanRogers said:

 

The question that leapt into my head on reading that was "What happens [in this regard] at the end of the meeting?"

Do you have your name on the underside of stock so that people know whom to return rolling stock to during the furore of breakdown, or does everyone have to roam around the room sweeping up their roaming rolling stock themselves?

 

We have enough challenges with our 0n30 modules and there's only eight of us, plus a lot less layout!

All my cars have my initials under them but we do roam around to collect them. We have the roster list to tick them off as they are put back in the stock boxes to make sure none are missing. I have not looked under others freight cars to see if they do the same. Bear in mind that when we take Fort Myers out there is normally a small group of us to go find the cars.

[AndrewC]

1 minute ago, roundhouse said:

All my cars have my initials under them but we do roam around to collect them. We have the roster list to tick them off as they are put back in the stock boxes to make sure none are missing. I have not looked under others freight cars to see if they do the same. Bear in mind that when we take Fort Myers out there is normally a small group of us to go find the cars.

Like Ian I have my initials on the bottom of each car and loco. When I have a module as well as stock I tend to keep my stock list down to under 20 items. Even then it can take 10 to 15 minutes to round them all up. 

[roundhouse]

I have just noticed that our late friend AndrewC was the last person to post on here only a few weeks before his untimely departure.

This coming weekend the layout will be in Freemo mode at the Freemo South meet where Andrew had attended a number of times with his Canadian module.

 

I have decided to repurpose a board that was built specially for the very first Freemo meet that Fort Myers attended. Since then the juice factory section was modified to be used at such meets, so the board was no longer used. The board is now being used on a new layout, Shepherdswell EKR (see separate layout thread)

 

The buildings and out of use boxcar were removed, so they have now been added to a vacant part of the juice factory.

Still a bit of work to do but it gives an idea of the changes made.

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by roundhouse

[PaulRhB]

Yes I’m hoping for a window between the showers to load up Kipling as I’m early turn Friday so want to head out straight from work. 
:) 

[roundhouse]

7 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

Yes I’m hoping for a window between the showers to load up Kipling as I’m early turn Friday so want to head out straight from work. 
:) 

Luckily rain doesnt stop me loading when the layout is in the garage but with some legs and two boards are in the shed, so I am hoping for a dry day on Friday to move them back to the garage. Some legs are currently supporting the new layout, so those boards will have the tracks cut across the joints to allow them to be dismantled then the leg ecxtensions added for Freemo height requirements.

See you Saturday.

Edited March 8, 2023 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

The layout is loaded ready for the trip to the Worcestershire Freemo meet this weekend.

 

One loco that I have been working on is this Athearn SD70mac that I bought second hand some years ago. It also contained the Details West detailing packs, so much of these have been added together with mu pipes plus coupler lift bars front and back.

 

No sound in this one at present but the ditch lights wired up with nano LEDs.

 

The photo was taken yesterday with the loco awaiting the finsl matt varnish coat after weathering.

[PaulRhB]

I was testing locos ready and the F7 that just stopped and refused to go at the Epsom meet went forwards but not backwards ?!? Switched the sound on and no driving sound either in reverse so I’m thinking the decoders not trying to go so I switched to forwards then backwards and off it went! Most odd! See you at the meet 😀

[roundhouse]

5 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

I was testing locos ready and the F7 that just stopped and refused to go at the Epsom meet went forwards but not backwards ?!? Switched the sound on and no driving sound either in reverse so I’m thinking the decoders not trying to go so I switched to forwards then backwards and off it went! Most odd! See you at the meet 😀

The CF7 that I fitted a stay alive to improve it whilst on the ' street running' worked fine on test in the shed but at Epsom it kept stalling. However I did notice that some other visiting locos ran fine into Fort Myers station but when going into the hidden storage area behind the juice factory, they also started running erratically. Most ran fine though.  Never seen this before on Fort Myers or previous Freemo meets.

 

I was going to do some modifications at this end of the layout on Monday but after falling on the stairs at home last weekend I haven't been able to do much apart from sit at the modelling desk. Will see how the CF 7 and that part of the layout works this weekend.

 

At least Dan came round to help load the layout yesterday and our crew coming with us this weekend should be able to set up. Yesterday I couldn't even lift the small freight car sock boxes but am slowly improving. At least I can now stay off pain killers for beer o'clock.

 

Hoping to arrive between 11 am and mid day. See you later.

 

P.S. Just realised that the layout is 29 this year. We might need a birthday cake with 30 candles on it for next year.

Edited June 30, 2023 by roundhouse

[PaulRhB]

2 hours ago, roundhouse said:

See you later.

 

P.S. Just realised that the layout is 29 this year. We might need a birthday cake with 30 candles on it for next year.

🎂 see you later. 

[298]

8 hours ago, roundhouse said:

The CF7 that I fitted a stay alive to improve it whilst on the ' street running' worked fine on test in the shed but at Epsom it kept stalling. However I did notice that some other visiting locos ran fine into Fort Myers station but when going into the hidden storage area behind the juice factory, they also started running erratically. Most ran fine though.  Never seen this before on Fort Myers or previous Freemo meets.

 

Is this also a paved section? My small fleet generally had quite raised keeper plates with plenty of clearance but visiting locos on my street running modules would ground on bumps in the four foot. Being foam meant it was difficult to sand and would expand slightly, and the only place to move was up.

[roundhouse]

13 hours ago, 298 said:

 

Is this also a paved section? My small fleet generally had quite raised keeper plates with plenty of clearance but visiting locos on my street running modules would ground on bumps in the four foot. Being foam meant it was difficult to sand and would expand slightly, and the only place to move was up.

Generally yes but the hidden sidings behind are just plain track with no ballast. Some locos were doing a similar thing on this  track.

 

Fort Myers was all set up but awaiting the DCC kit to be set up for the whole set up when we departed late afternoon.

[roundhouse]

I hadn't realised that I didn't post after the Hagley Freemo meet back last Summer.  The power issues that we previously had in the juice factory area didnt materialise  and the layout worked fine. I just wish that I was fully working back then but was in a lot of pain after missing the bottom stair tread at home a week previous. Luckily I am Ok now.

 

This year the layout is 30, it was started around about this time of year but wasn't completed till just after we moved into our current house in the Summer of 1994.

 

The layout will be out again this March at the Freemo South meet so I ma now working on the CSX operation lifesaver caboose that I picked up 2nd hand in 2022. Its had a lot of modifications such as infilling windows and cutting ones in different locations on the sides. Also the end rails have been completely rebuilt out of brass wire. It jus requires a different roof stove pipe. 

 

I am currently installing a Soundtraxx Soundcar decoder hat has been sitting around in my DCC box for many years.

 

I have also jus repaired the DT 400 throttle that had an intermittent fault. Its the usual fault that the cable breaks where it goes into the throttle. A fiddly but easy repair by opening up the throttle, cutting the cable tie then cutting the cable and resoldering newly tinned ends onto the circuit board. All working again ready for their next outing with another layout in February.

 

Fort Myers will also be out as a sand alone layout in September.

[roundhouse]

I am currently working carrying out a few repairs and detail upgrades to the layout in  time for this weekends Freemo meet in Surrey.

 

The caboose is ready. As to whether it gets to go anywhere on the set up is yet to be determined but it will be in a siding on Fort Myers just incase.

 

 

[PaulRhB]

Share some pics as I’m committed elsewhere and missing out. 

[roundhouse]

5 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

Share some pics as I’m committed elsewhere and missing out. 

I was tempted to buy some cakes to celebrate 30 years of Fort Myers but i am concerned that our number one operator Mike will eat them all, but at least we wouldn't have to save any for you🙂

[DanielB]

I mean... That would be your fault for leaving cakes unattended. 🤣

[roundhouse]

More clutter has been added around the caravan / mobile office including a surfboard. I had one spare so seemed a good place to put one.

 

A few small repairs also carried out to the platform canopy and lights that are mounted on poles. A few of the lights had gone missing over the years. Will see how long these ones last.

 

The yard office roof has also been weathered using weathering powders.

 

I must try and source some USA style police officers to go next to the police cruisers.

[roundhouse]

The Freemo weekend wnet very well. Its thefirst time that working signalling has been used extensively at this meet.  Whilst Fort Myers doesnt have any working signals, the adjacent junction module did. Along with working phone handsets positioned arond the whole set up this made communicating with the dispatcher much easier.

 

There  were issues with a good part of the signalling on the Saturday, virtually all of them were working on Sunday.

 

Here  are a few photos of the signals on various modules.

 

 

[stivesnick]

Congratulations on getting the signalling working over the weekend. Perhaps there are some lessons for Network Rail engineers to learn!

 

Were the signals connected back to and controlled by the dispatcher and was there an agreed signal spacing to allow trains of a particular length to operate?

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

[roundhouse]

On 12/03/2024 at 08:13, stivesnick said:

Congratulations on getting the signalling working over the weekend. Perhaps there are some lessons for Network Rail engineers to learn!

 

Were the signals connected back to and controlled by the dispatcher and was there an agreed signal spacing to allow trains of a particular length to operate?

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

Yes the signals were connected back to the dispatcher with a three screen panel. They could see any trains occupying blocks and also set up routes. Outlying modules dint have signals and that included mine. I didnt recall what the block section lengths were so may ask them if that was a set parameter.