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

[roundhouse]

This morning I tested our late friends locos. Both of these he painted into these liveries including hand painting the Seminole Gulf seagull logo.

 

However the FEC has a split axle despite actually running smoothly once it starts moving. So onto Model Junction website and ordered a pack of replacement axles.

[roundhouse]

A restless night as woke up at 1am and so far not got back to sleep so decided that I may aswell do something rather than just lie in bed htinking.

 

Out with the freight car stock boxes and hopefully now condensed the cars needed for this weekend into 3 boxes instead of the normal 4.

 

There are a  few tank cars not used before so upon checking I noticed a couple had the wrong size diameter wheel sets in them (bought 2nd hand) so they have now been swapped with tanks car trucks that are not being used this weekend at the Devon Freemo meet.

 

Just need to double check the freight cars required on Martyns email are all present.

 

Hopefully its the parcel from Model Junction at the sorting office to collect. This means that I can fix Grahams FEC GP9. He had the brass horns in the box with the loco, so I have made these up and fitted them to the loco, a set at each end as per FEC practice.

 

Tomorrow night I need to get the fascia panels back on the juice factory boards and make sure its lined up with the board thats needed this weekend before boxing it back up and loading into the car for Fridays run to the South West.

[Allegheny1600]

It's really bad when you can't sleep, my sympathies.

I once fitted sound into the first issue class 66 during one bad night!

Hope you get some rest soon.

[roundhouse]

Thanks John

 

I have survived without falling asleep till now so fingers crossed that I can make it to this evening. The plan is to go for a few beers then hopefully I will sleep tonight.

 

Does mean no work on the layout till the morning though.

 

Certainly need a good nights sleep tomorrow night for the run down to Devon but at least my other half will do some of the driving.

[roundhouse]

A much better nights sleep last night .

 

This morning I decided to tick off the freight cars required for the weekend. Good job that I did as I found that one corn syrup car was missing. It was one that I swapped trucks with so it ended up with 33inch diameter wheels making the coupler too low. A scout through my spares box found some temporary 36 inch ones.

In the process I found a pack of replacement geared axles for the Life Like / Athearn locos. Oh well I will have another bag of spares with the ones recently ordered but I suppose you can't have too many of these with the way the gears split.

 

The missing tank car is now sitting on the stock boxes ready for this weekends trip.

[Robatron86]

I hope you have a good weekend in Devon Ian.

[roundhouse]

What a brilliant weekend we had driving trains from Fort Myers to the rest of North America whilst being in a rather good Hall in the middle of Devon.

Great company and no worries of having to be ready for an opening time. In actual fact, we didn't get to the hall till well gone 9am.
Easy unloading and setting up. All operating just after we had lunch.

Fort Myers hosted a number of passenger services and our late friend's CSX maintenance of way train. On Sunday a speed restriction was placed on the line near Fort Myers so the MOW train had a trip out to drop ballasted. Unfortunately the orange loco decided to fail so a replacement CSX loco was used.
After a quick service the loco was fine again.

I had a box of vehicles and an old boxcar so these were all glued in place on Saturday afternoon. One thing less to forget in future.

Whilst we enjoy shows these Freemo events are more relaxing and we can either go as a group of us or just one or two and you can either operate all day or as little as you please.
I tend to do done operation but also have a check over my rolling stock in between.

Looking forward to the next Freemo meet but first I must concentrate on getting the layout ready for its first proper show in years.
TVNAM next month.

Edited May 9, 2016 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

A few more photos taken last weekend showing the mobile office and How's patrol who have stopped off for a break.

 

Also a shot of the Tri Rail train with its now working ditch lights.

 

More photos of the juice factory boards to follow after this coming Sundays work session on them.

[roundhouse]

Today was mor or less a full one working on this layout.

 

End plates mad up for the two main just factory boards then a turnout was tired otvthe first one before enlarging the original 2 foot long end board both width and length.

 

After getting this boardsc up on legs and plugged into the juice factory for the first me in many years, the fiddleyard tracks were lengthenened and the first of the juice factory tracks extended. However I decided that the main track will go to the end of this board so it can be used as a through route when used as a module. This will give a total length of 24 feet. I have exactly a month to complete these mods for its first exhibition in many years.

 

I have run out of track and park but next Saturday is a trip to Gsugemaster.

 

I can work on altering the wiring in the mean times.

 

A couple of photos just beforeI packed these boards away.

[NickBrad]

I've been going through this a bit at a time over the last few days, I can't wait to see it in the flesh. I just need to make sure I have enough space on the memory card for taking pictures of this and all the other models at TVNAM.

[roundhouse]

Thanks Nick.

 

A few days away from working on tbe layout but scenic work has commenced on the board extensions.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Had a good few early mornings and evenings working on the layout. The new warehouse is now assembled with guttering down pipes etc and has now had primer and two coats of white sprayed on it this morning.

 

The two extra legs required are now built.

 

A couple of nights up in Derby and Sheffield then it's full on next week between work to get it completed in time for TVNAM.

[doctor quinn]

Also looking forward to seeing Fort Myers again - the last ime was at Tolworth.

 

Nick

Edited June 4, 2016 by doctor quinn

[roundhouse]

Nick

 

Look forward to seeing you.

 

We are also looking forward to running the layout as a whole for the first time in for some years. The sequence will no longer work due to the extra sidings added so for this show we will run stock as we feel like on the day. Hopefully a card system will be used in future.

 

Quite a few new freight cars to use aswell, one refrigerated car fitted with sound and three more to add sound if I get chance before the show.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

A belated start but a good night working on the juice factory boards. The new concrete surface was laid last night and a coat of primer applied. This morning the undercoat was added leaving just the final coat to do tonight. Our late friends FEC loco can be seen in the photos. Also ballasting etc was carried out on tbe newly lengthened and widened end board with new warehouse in place. Another evening to work on the boards tonight.

[roundhouse]

At long last I am hoping to get the grade crossing barriers and lights working on the layout. The original NJ International circuit I fried whilst installing it some years ago and they wouldn't sell the circuit board separately. At the Indianapolis show today I found this board and after having a play with their test track I decided it would be suitable for Fort Myers. Just managed to squeeze it into my camera bag as my main bag is completely full!

[PaulRhB]

. Just managed to squeeze it into my camera bag as my main bag is completely full!

Can't you throw out some old clothes or is it the beer taking up all the space?

[NickBrad]

I love that warning at the bottom of the packet, it's great when manufacturers actually have a sense of humour

[298]

Did you compare it to the LogicRail Technologies one...? Yours seems more versatile, the Logic one only does one track but can be daisy-chained.

 

I am forever adjusting the IR sensitivity (I chose it to allow operation at night), for most uses normal light operated sensors would have been fine.

[roundhouse]

Did you compare it to the LogicRail Technologies one...? Yours seems more versatile, the Logic one only does one track but can be daisy-chained.

I am forever adjusting the IR sensitivity (I chose it to allow operation at night), for most uses normal light operated sensors would have been fine.

I didn't but what I liked about this one is that when Fort Myers is truncated at the crossing end, this circuit will allow a train to stop on the crossing and then reverse. The train doesn't have to clear the crossing to end the sequence.

[roundhouse]

Can't you throw out some old clothes or is it the beer taking up all the space?

Wish it was the beer but as we travel light with only carry on bags we can't take the beer in our bags, only inside us!

[roundhouse]

Sunday afternoon after getting g back from North Devon I decided to tackle the grade crossing. Many years ago the NJ International barriers and circuit was installed. It didn't work that we'll and I was struggling to get the lights to flash. Whilst contemplating the instructions I decided to trim the wiring but quickly found put that I hadn't switched the circuit board power off. Board fried and NJ International couldn't supply a replacement board on its own, so the crossing remained out of use for the layouts last few shows at the time.

 

With the upsurge in use at Freemo events and being back on the exhibition circuit when I spotted another make of circuit board at the Indianapolis Train show last month I decided to give theirs a try.

 

So Sunday the old wiring was stripped out and the new board fitted. There's are two holes required at every sense or point in the track. There is and I receiver and an emitter that are triggered when rolling stock. Passes over. I gave two such location s either side of the crossing but will probably install a third a bit further away.

 

All was working including a an additional Bell sound board by the evening. Looking forward to seeing this in action this weekend at the meet especially as the layout will be in the middle of the module set up.

[roundhouse]

Good point. Now that you mention it I dont recall seeing ones perpendicular to the tracks.

 

Another task to do after this weekend but before its next outing.  One of the gates needs lowering into the ground a bit so that one will be easy.

[Mike Kieran]

Ian, I can never see pics of this layout enough.

 

BTW good job on bringing back all of the beer that you could, although it was transported at body temperature.

[roundhouse]

Mike

 

Thanks

 

Hopefully I will get chance ot take more this weekend.

 

Ian