Happy retroactive Canada Day! A good weekend was had by many; a day off work, chilling with my best girl, watching fireworks burn across the city, a trip to the fabled Nor’lands for ice cream and finally to wrap it all off, trains in the garden and a visit with my folks. Yes sir, real nice.
The running day began as most often due with a drive across town to the homestead. It was a balmy burning 28+ degrees out with high humidity. As such, clearing of the track and other hard work were the first priority after breakfast. It actually went pretty smoothly for once. Usually I can expect to spend the better part of an hour cutting back the foliage and since I missed it last week, I expected nothing less. In addition to that, due to the awkward topography of certain areas of the garden, I typically spend a lot of time crouched in awkward poses that make my legs ache for days later. This time, however, the line was opened in less than half an hour and I am mostly ache and pain free.
The forecast had been kept at the forefront of my mind in the days leading up to that moment and I was keenly aware of the ever increasing temperature as I set the first train out on it’s way. I had decided early on that it would be rather light day for traffic as I wasn’t looking forward to the heat and the surprising amount of labour that comes with simply watching a train go around. Things derail, things block the track and things eventually need to be returned to the house. Thus, I kept it simple. The one and only train of the day was No.3 (soon to be named) pulling a single parcel wagon (newly painted), a covered wagon (newly built) and a 2nd class coach (newly… nothing).
In writing this blog and examining the photos chosen, I note for the first time that the wheel base of the covered wagon appears to be smaller than it’s counterparts. This is the first of it’s kind I’ve assembled and although it’s from the same manufacturer as the rest of my stock and the same range, the design of the chassis does appear to be reduced. At any rate, like everything else so far, the covered wagon is part of I.P. Engineering’s Ezee line, which I’m an avid supporter of. It was assembled on July 1st and hit the rails two days later. It has yet to be painted, but like the parcel wagon I expect it will be a simple freight grey. One difference in the kit from what I’m used to is the journals. In previous kits the journals (axle boxes) were cast white metal, in this kit they are plain old laser cut wood with a brass tube for the axle to rotate in and I love it! The white metal has always been a pain in the past to affix to the sole bars and almost always required an epoxy to be mixed up. The wood, though, requires nothing more than the same glue I used for the rest of the assembly and holds the paint I use just as well.
Sophie on the left, Danny on the right.
I am quite lucky that a tall, shade producing tree reaches out of the ground off the western most bed of the track, luckier still that a good steady breeze had whipped up by noon keeping me both cool and bug free. And so, with trains running – well, one train at least – I sat back with a cool drink and watched it chatter it’s way around. It’s worth noting that the cool drink in question was iced tea. I had spent that past two days modestly celebrating our nation’s 144th birthday and thought it was time to cool down. At times I was joined by Danny and Sophie, two of the railway’s… shall we say investors? They do consider the yard to be theirs and Sophie does have the nerve to think of the garden as her’s from time to time. Such is life, I suppose.
As inhospitable as the forecast had appeared in the days leading up, it was actually quite nice out there under the tree. I had other duties to attend to, however, and parked the train in the shady spur by the old mine before retiring back inside where the vacuum awaited.
One more task awaited me in the workshop, too. As odd as it sounds – or maybe not, considering previous posts – I had to cut out the stock for a shotgun. It’s a long story, but the gist of it is that I’m building for her Ladyship a (prop) shotgun. Yep. Just as with my trusty pistol, I cut the stock out on the jigsaw. Sadly I didn’t have a piece of lumber large enough and so had to make do with two pieces. I have left it in a clamp while the glue dries and if it’s good and strong I will be spending some time tomorrow night shaping it with the Dremel tool. The finished product is needed for a convention in less than two weeks so it will be a bit of a rushed job and perhaps lacking in detail, but I have confidence that it should turn out just fine.
Before I knew it came dinner, tea and the eventual time to leave. I managed to send the train around for a few more circuits before it came time to pack up. It occurred to me as I was taking the stock inside that it had been the first operating session of the season that did not have a single mechanical failure. Gears slipping out of position had been a common occurrence up until this point but this time was error free. Even the batteries, which are supposed to last three hours and the set in No.3 were probably pushing six, did not fail. All in all it was a very good day.
I will leave you, dear reader, with a selection of images from the day that I did not have the room or need to use.
-
- Sophie on the left, Danny on the right.
