Eltham South Electric Tramway
- Thread starter Melbournesparks
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Madman
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The main weed that causes me trouble is creeping oxalis, it looks a bit like clover. It's a noxious pest here, nearly impossible to eradicate without a scorched earth policy. Lucky it's seasonal, so it will all die in a couple of months.
Sure thing!
The design was very approximately based on the LGB track cleaning loco, with a few (actually a lot) of concessions to make use of available materials. I'm lazy too, but also poor and cheap so sometimes home made is the only option. It fits with the theme of a perpetually impoverished and run down tramway anyway.
Just to show there is some sort of weed control on the tramway, here is the environmental contractors engaged in their duties.
Just the other day, I was talking with my wife about getting some chickens. She had mentioned that they love to eat Ticks. It seems the Ticks are in abundance this year. The only issue is that we don't have a fenced in yard, so the chickens might want to roam off. I recall many years ago, when I lived in Philadelphia, a gas station owner had ducks living on the grass strip between his gas station and the Roosevelt Boulevard. The grass strip is about ten feet wide, and the ducks never strayed off it. It was something to see as you drove by on the Boulevard, which is a 12 lane tree lined thoroughfare in North East Philly.
Melbournesparks
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Chickens are remarkably indifferent creatures to anything that doesn't directly concern them. But everything is potentially edible.
As a whole chickens will eat just about anything, but individually their tastes vary a lot. They really need a fenced enclosure to keep other things out rather than the chickens in. When I let mine out they don't go more than 20 meters from their house, they're not the most adventurous creatures in the world. We have a feral fox plague here, they're a huge pest. They don't even seem to make a dent in the rabbit population either, apparently the native wildlife tastes better.
Melbournesparks
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Bridge number 3 now has a ballasted deck. It's the largest bridge on the line, with three 25cm spans.
The steam tram motor made itself useful transporting materials, though I think it might need a new battery. It's current blue Chinese lithium polymer battery is not holding charge well, I might fit NiMH cells instead. At least then it will be the same as the Baldwin 2-4-2. Battery maintenance is a pain.
The steam tram motor made itself useful transporting materials, though I think it might need a new battery. It's current blue Chinese lithium polymer battery is not holding charge well, I might fit NiMH cells instead. At least then it will be the same as the Baldwin 2-4-2. Battery maintenance is a pain.
Madman
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Have a look here;
http://www.all-battery.com/148vli-iobbatterypacksandmodules.aspx
I have some of the blue Chinese Li-on batteries. While they perform reasonably well, they are not as robust and trouble free as these regular Li-on batteries.
http://www.all-battery.com/148vli-iobbatterypacksandmodules.aspx
I have some of the blue Chinese Li-on batteries. While they perform reasonably well, they are not as robust and trouble free as these regular Li-on batteries.
Melbournesparks
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They're certainly cheap, but the quality is a bit hit and miss. I ended up ordering some NiMH cells instead, should be a lot more reliable and standardizes battery chemistry with the 2-4-2.
It's still the middle of winter, so some additional heat is required for operations after dark. At least there's a bit of cloud cover tonight which stops the temperature plummeting to frosty levels.
Melbournesparks
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The Goons having been mentioned.. My mind drifting to the late-great Michael Bentyne(sp?) (of potty-time fame)..
The above looks like the laptop is powered from so strange contraption sitting above the fire!
The laptop unfortunately uses conventional battery power, but thermoelectricty used elsewhere on the tramway.
The 'strange contraption' is just a washing machine drum being used as a fireplace. An ubiquitous feature of Australian backyards.
Melbournesparks
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I finally got around to fixing the steam tram motor's headlights so they're not blue. It also got a nice new battery pack, with 8 3000mah NiMh cells. Should give a much longer battery life than its old 1800mah lithium polymer battery.
Melbournesparks
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The last tram of the evening departs soon. Don't miss it!
trammayo
Interested in vintage commercial vehicle, trams, t
The last tram of the evening departs soon. Don't miss it!
There's always a sense of poignancy when the last tram of the day departs! Nicely atmospheric!
Rhinochugger
Retired Oik
Melbournesparks
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The wet winter has been taking its toll on the tramway infrastructure. I had to replace another overhead wire pole the other day that had rotted through at the base. The replacements are painted on the end that goes in the ground, hopefully they'll last a bit longer.
A falling garden light nearly took out the overhead near bridge 1 last night, another victim of the high rainfall.
After much complaining the management begrudgingly provided some actual passenger facilities at the crossing loop. A first for the tramway!
A falling garden light nearly took out the overhead near bridge 1 last night, another victim of the high rainfall.
After much complaining the management begrudgingly provided some actual passenger facilities at the crossing loop. A first for the tramway!
Thinking about how your part of the world takes pollution, I will not give my usuall suggestion of Soaking Wood in old Engine Oil to preserve it. However rather than Painting the bottom, perhaps letting the posts sit in the Paint Pot for a day or two would allow the Paint to get well impregnated into the Wood. Of course you would need to let them thoroughly Dry Out before Placing as replacements for rotten ones. I would have thought that a good old cheepo Oil Based Paint should do the trick.
Not sure how you Plant the posts, but what might work well is to have some Tube in the Ground perhaps some 6 or so inches longer than the Posts.,Cemented in with an area of Gravel for Drainage beneath would allow any Dampness to drain away. Then you would just need a bit of Brass or Copper Wire say old Mains Wire Stripped, passed through the pole with some spare either side to keep the pole at the desired height.
JonD
David1226
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I find it best to plant the narrow end into the ground as often the other way does not always provide enough height... just a thought..
David
Melbournesparks
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Engine oil isn't such a bad idea, the actual amount would be tiny and it wouldn't have a chance to propagate far. Soaking the ends rather than just dipping them is a good idea too, maybe I'll do a batch so I have spares for future replacements.
The poles are normally just hammered about 30cm into the ground. The main advantage of the wooden poles is they don't cost anything and they look nice, but I have replaced at least one with a bit of fiberglass rod where a chicken knocked it over. Looks like a round metal pole and should last forever, but I feel like such sound engineering goes against the spirit of the tramway.
lolol
Melbournesparks
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Made this today, new entrance for the tunnel (really more of a glorified footpath overpass) made from cement. Kind of an experiment, but it hasn't crumbled yet and seems to fit in well.
Also installed another new fiberglass overhead wire pole in the place where the overhead used to be attached to a tree. It's better if your overhead wire poles don't grow. Hopefully all the new plants actually do get some growing in before summer!
The vertical clearance is quite restricted, only 170mm between the rail and the wire.
Also installed another new fiberglass overhead wire pole in the place where the overhead used to be attached to a tree. It's better if your overhead wire poles don't grow. Hopefully all the new plants actually do get some growing in before summer!
The vertical clearance is quite restricted, only 170mm between the rail and the wire.
Tropic Blunder1
Jake
Hey mate are you actually from Eltham? if you are i might only be a short trip away! We usually treat posts with bitumen thinned out a bit when doing a bit of fencing as opposed to the engine oil which seems to work well and would allow you to keep the wooden posts?
cheers
Jake
cheers
Jake
Melbournesparks
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Sure am! Should come and visit some time, there doesn't seem to be that many other garden railway people around this area.
I'll do a batch of treated wooden poles at some stage, the fiberglass ones have just been spot replacements. The fiberglass rod from broken tent poles is already a convenient length.
Tropic Blunder1
Jake
I'll message you on the Australian Garden railway facebook group might just be a bit easier. I'd love to come around some time though!
Nothing like a bit of recycling!
Nothing like a bit of recycling!