Latter Days

In 2021/2022 various aspects of the railway were tidied. For example, the three prototype modules were modified to be used as part of the staging tracks, see configuration U. Also, other bits and pieces, including second-hand rail, were used to make four straight mainline modules. These modules filled the last four slots available in the three existing storage racks.

Together, these changes culminate in configuration V, which marks the intended end of expansion of the railway. More staging tracks would be an improvement for busy railway use, but the extra construction effort, including another storage rack, is not justifiable at present.

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Production of the railway involved the construction of a number of jigs and fixtures. These have been stored, thus preserved for any desired future use. Elementary documentation has been produced, with the objective of visually identifying each tool, and describing its function: documentation

A construction detail of the four additional modules was changed from that of most of the existing railway modules. A temperature caused distortion has emerged with railway use, which is due to the composite wood and metal construction of the existing modules. This problem, together with the quantities of construction materials available as left-overs, caused two of the new modules to be manufactured "all-wood", and the other two to be "all-weather". The objective in these changes is, in the former case, to eliminate the temperature distortion; and, in the latter case, to eliminate the temperature distortion, and produce modules that can be left outside for long periods.

The all-wood modules retain the railway standard metal interfaces, but use plywood (the same as used for module decks) for the longitudinal side members. The image below can be compared to this one showing the composite construction. The wood sides appear to be adequately strong once glued as part of the module assembly.

The all-weather modules do not use wood. The ladder cross members are aluminium angle with ends bent as shown in the images. The leg sockets are PVC pipe fittings, instead of metal tubing, because there was none of the latter available in the left-over stock. And the decks are (probably) Dibond, made from re-purposed real estate signs rescued from the trash. One image shows a couple of holes from this previous life.

These latter day images show how the railway has developed since its first use.

Two images below are of configuration U (shorter mainline straights compared with configuration V) taken in early June 2021. It was a bad day for the railway and railmen, mainly because of the intense Sun and the resultant three-digit temperature leading to module distortion, alcohol fires, and other irritants.

Finally, this image shows the railway at the 2022 Rocky Mountain Train Show, where two of the parts-scavenging mainline modules can be seen. The blond sleepers are explained here.