WDWD Entry For September 3rd

WDWD Efforts For September 3rd

A handful of the lads gathered on a perfect morning to work on the railroad.

Len & his lovely wife, Lorna, also arrived to clean Fred's home which was wonderful of them to volunteer their time to do so.  Greatly appreciated Len & Lorna.

We had to deal this morning with another wasp's nest at track level beneath the eastern (geographical western) entrance to Mercer Siding.

When I arrived, I found Pat occupied with laying some stones along the base of the dispatch hut.

The cement stones help to block off tiny entrances for wasps to get in!

Bernie kept occupied mowing the grassy areas of the backyard.

It was off in the distance that Bernie noted a buzzing of wasps hovering about near where the switch stand is for the siding at Mercer.

Chris came over to investigate the situation of the wasps' nest beneath the subroadbed near the turnout.

After we sprayed the opening, Chris & I decided that some stonedust could be used to block out the entrance after reading that the bug spray we used was not suitable for ground level nests.

Chris investigates the issue.

The stone dust is tucked in!

Video of the efforts at this location.

The wasps attempt to return to their nest in this video.

Continued video at Mercer Siding.

Depending on the activity at this locale on Saturday when we gather to operate, we may close the siding off at Mercer and make it a 'single tracked' option so that operators do not have to linger long here.

Crews wanting to enter Nelson Yard from the west may have to seek clearance into the yard before leaving Peter's Pond rather than when they reach the siding at Mercer.

Some of the tools of the trade for the WDWD crew!

Bernie is checking out the instructions on the bug spray...with an evil grin!  👿

Pat takes a much needed breather in the lounge.

As does Chris.

Fred enjoys a beer all the way from Newfoundland and Labrador!

Yum yum!  Quidi Vidi Traditional Ale.

Is this a gift from Steve & Seanna, Fred?

If so...thanks Steve & Seanna!

Here's Len joining Bernie, Pat & Chris for a group photo!

And...here's Len with his lovely wife, Lorna, who volunteered to clean the inside of Fred's home.

Greatly appreciated, Len & Lorna!

Yes, I got in on the action as well...but not where this picture was taken.

I'm atop the Galata Tower in Istanbul with the great Blue Mosque noticeable in the haze in the distance across the Bosporous Strait!

As for me...I spent the last two days pretty much glued to my workbench building this amazing model of a Two Drum Hoisting Engine from Crow River Products.

This is O-scale modelling and the engine will form part of the log dump on an adjacent diorama to the sawmill I have been building with Doug.

Thank God the parts are in O-scale as this would be a tricky build in HO.

This was quite the challenging build for sure!

I had to wind the cabling around the drums in a specific direction of course.

Getting there!

The protective covering is now glued on top the various gears.

The boiler took many tedious hours to construct as well.

I was frustrated because the little section of meshing for the upper stack was not long enough to complete the circle around the top.

I have placed the 'weight' there to show you that the cabling will head over to another engine eventually...an inclined oscillating steam slewing engine!

That will be my next project!

All of the inherent piping is very delicate and demands a steady hand for a number of minutes while the glue sets.

I sometimes use little pieces of styrene or wood to 'wedge' beneath smaller parts that seem to float in midair until the glue sets rather than - holding them forever with my hands...only to have the piping fall apart as soon as I remove my aching fingers!  😎

This lad above is in the 'on deck circle' at my workbench.

It will be placed between the hoisting engine and the derrick at the log dump.

I encourage any modeller out there to take on a project in a different scale than the one they typically model in...it can be highly rewarding!

And...that's a wrap for this week from the Workday Wednesday Crew!

Fred kept himself occupied at his workbench in the crew lounge reviewing all of the literature surrounding the Jigg Stones.

I'm wondering if that is the name of a new rendition or cover band for the 'Rolling Stones'!  😎😁😎

We are the WDWD Crew of the OVGRS in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada