Ox Mountain Railway

[trammayo]

My first outing, with the trailer layout fast approaches (and I've a lot I want to do - maintenance, improvements etc.), but I couldn't pass over the chance to go a little bit more enviro friendly!

Aldi, a few weeks ago, were selling items suitable for caravans and mobile homes. One item caught my eye - a Solar Panel Battery Maintainer!


As I carry spare batteries around with me in case something goes wrong, my thoughts were that I could just carry one spare (I use a 12v 45amp car battery plus a smaller 12v one for lighting, etc.).

All three can stay in trailer and that makes life a lot easier for me.

I had thoughts of mounting the panel on the front shutter (towbar end) which would have worked whilst the trailer was open and the panel would have been facing the sky but, when the trailer was shut up there was no easy way to connect to the battery needing a top-up.

So I opted to put it over the roof with an off-side mounting. I had no wish to permantently mount it there - due to factors like weather and overhanging trees - but I did want it to be easy to mount or demount.

Using some scrap components from an earlier version of the trailer, I fabricated a small 25mm sq box section mount..


The bracket allows a 360 degree rotation.

 

[trammayo]

The tray, in which the panel will sit, is again made up from scrap material. I like to repurpose things! A couple of pieces of uPVC Fascia Board, and a piece of scrap timber to start with ....



Then, how to swivel and tilt it? Again, a repurpose jobby - the remains of a castor (the castor wheels were commandeered some years ago for the big swing bridge). I removed the ball race (that will come in handy for a future Round tu-it) and then bolted the butchered bracket to the piece of timber that connected the two pieces of fascia....





I'm slightly one step ahead of the progress so need to take some more pics.

 

[playmofire]

Great ideas there, Mick, and neatly executed.

 

[trammayo]

So, apart from taking some more pics, I completed what I set out to do.

First, a pic of two parts that were used for the mounting brackets ..
... a castor that was cannibalised, and a former extension piece from the metal struts I used to support the canopies/shutters. The round tube is a working fit in the bolted on bracket. The castor's bracket is bolted on to the square part to give a tilt axis.



The uPVC 'tray' was treated to the addition of two pieces of 25mmx25mm light weight angle (left overs from my swing bridge build), so that the Panel could not slide out ....


The notch in one end accommodates the cable from the panel. Below, the underside also blathered over with some spray primer..


I then placed the panel into position and secured it with two tie down straps I had shortened for that purpose - it stops me dropping it and also, if the winds got strong it would stay in situ...


The cable end ....


And located in the mounting bracket ...


Adjacent to the mounting bracket is the cable entry - it was once a bath overflow outlet suitably modified with razor saw, 1/2 round file, and penknife. With the connecting plug having to lead the cable in, the bend of the outlet had to be whittled away inside to form a radius rather that the sharp rightangle it was made with - hence the penknife.

Picture of the plug type below...


More to follow.

 

[playmofire]

Looking forward to the rest and amazed at your resourcefulness.

 

[trammayo]

So with panel mounted, the cable pushed through, it was time to go inside (the trailer). The cable was fed down the back of the shelves and a hole was drilled through the plywood track base being careful not to drill through the lighting cable that feeds the external side marker lights!

The hole - and the pipe clip (to stop the cable moving and to be clear of the "right of way".

The two batteries - Traction and (Model) lighting - a third, normally carried in the car, will be positioned adjacent on a more permanent basis so that the "traction" supply can be alternated (but still DC of course). .....


The 20amp battery is already on trickle charge and, below, there is plenty of cable to allow the connection to be moved to other batteries...



I might cut the 9ft long cable if I can make - or find - a connector. It will make it even easier to remove, or mount, the Solar Panel. The slight problem at the moment is that the shelves support the two canopy corner pieces, plus the five clear panels that protect my layout from intrusive fingers. So, if I can do this extra little mod, I can put the panel up straight away once I'm in location and leave it till last when I'm packing up. The same applies when I get home!

 

[trammayo]

So ....... I did cut the cable(s) - leaving about 650mm connected to the panel. I cut the crocodile clips off the short plug-in extension and clips were reconnected directly to the now reversed long length - this is a permanent inside attachment. The short piece, from the extension, was connected to what remained of the cable from the panel.

I used heat shrink to cover up the soldered joints on the single wires with the intention of using a larger diameter piece to cover up the connections as a twin cable. Although I got the sleeving ready, I forgot to slide it on the cable before commencing the soldering operation. So, although the singles are correctly protected, the "twin" is not. I had to use insulting tape! My brain does does work (sometimes) honestly!

I made one little tweek outside. I turned the mounting tray 90 degrees so I could get a better tilt. Lifting it off to do the cables showed water had collected (guess how I know). Still, I soon dried out.


So, it all works well (better than my brain does). Some time, in the future, I might de-solder the cable joint and put the heatshrink in place - the operative word being might!

Anyway, later in the afternoon, the sky began to darken even more so I decided to remove the panel for the night. Only done just in time as a heavy cloud burst of hail stones and sleet came down with a mighty roar. It was like waves blowing on the trailer roof. I took a picture...


I had been working on the exterior front shutter to remove the vinyl lettering as it had started to curl up at the edges. New lettering on its way but the application will be delayed until I can prime and paint the offending areas. Cloudburst stopped play of course...

 

[PhilP]

I assume you will get round to drilling a drain hole in each corner of the support-tray though??

 

[trammayo]

I assume you will get round to drilling a drain hole in each corner of the support-tray though??

Nah! I'll let it evaporate. The corners are sort of open - its just the straps are helping to retain not only the panel but the flippin water!

 

[trammayo]

A pic to compare with the last one posted above...


So, the trailer's back to normal. Don't know if I should put a phone number on the back one (plenty of spare lettering and numerals).

Maybe not - someone might try my number whilst I'm driving! Still there's always the land line.

A few weeks ago, I bought a box of trees from Mike (Beavercreek) - the intention being to replace the "homemade" painted Leylandii offcuts. So, befores and afters...

Back of the village shops - the boat has been dragged off the (imaginary) Lough - the bush with 1 to 1 buxus leaves is a Busch product in its' second (and final) home) ....



This has been replaced ....



.... as in "three for the price of one". And, for those onlookers wishing to view from all angles, I planted a couple more trees at the other side of the track.... this view below should be outside their remit...



The trees with blossom (or fruit) were particularly attractive so the cottages were enhanced by my interpretation of what Johnny Appleseed might have done ..



The large tree was already there but needed some companions. A look around the village next to see the additions to the arboricultural list....

Before...



.... and after...



The Gloucester Old Spot sow has a new tree to root around. Probably no truffles though!...


(H'mm - made a pig's ear of that - thought she was in the picture. Must have trimmed my Thumbnails).

And a look down one of the boreens...

To be continued....

 

[stockers]

Very nice. It's good to see some of the detail.

 

[playmofire]

Some nice photos there to show us bits we don't usually see, and the new trees look good.

(Glad to read your footnote about the Gloucester Old Spot. I thought my eyes were failing!)

 

[Madman]

Never throw anything away ! That's my motto, but SWMBO has other thoughts. You are very resourceful, Mick. I hate having to go to the store for something, when I am building whatever. Right in the middle of a project, having to run out to the local hardware store takes all the umph out of my momentum.

 

[trammayo]

Never throw anything away ! That's my motto, but SWMBO has other thoughts. You are very resourceful, Mick. I hate having to go to the store for something, when I am building whatever. Right in the middle of a project, having to run out to the local hardware store takes all the umph out of my momentum.

One day ..... I'm going to have to start throwing things away - spent 45 minutes looking for some paint I thought I'd bought (but hadn't).

 

[playmofire]

One day ..... I'm going to have to start throwing things away - spent 45 minutes looking for some paint I thought I'd bought (but hadn't).

But at least you hadn't thrown it away.

 

[PhilP]

One day ..... I'm going to have to start throwing things away - spent 45 minutes looking for some paint I thought I'd bought (but hadn't).

Was very cheap then!
AND
It wasn't taking up any valuable train-storage space!

 

[trammayo]

But at least you hadn't thrown it away.

Problem was, I had a memory of large tubes of assorted acrylic colours. I had bought one tube, a green for cab interiors - the rest of the memory must have been the shop's shelves.

I was looking for a dark blue to tint some white masonry paint! I decided the backdrop with painted on trees and two shades of yellow wasn't quite right (but I've known that ever since I lengthened the trailer). So that's the next job!

 

[trammayo]

Was very cheap then!
AND
It wasn't taking up any valuable train-storage space!

I ended up with an even cheaper solution (or is that emulsion?).

Looking for the white paint, I found a can of Dulux acrylic Dark Blue - a gift that I had put to one side in the "I might need that some time" pile.

I must have had it nine years or so!

As for storage space - I've just about run out. I'm thinking of creating something - just need a couple of axles and wheels!

 

[trammayo]

Here's a couple of pic (before and after) before moving on to the forward part of the trailer ....



The dissonant yellows forming the backdrop are an incongruity!

The smashed fence and telegraph pole are the aftermath of a runaway train - hence the livestock (being rounded up) on railway property - so the story goes!

 

[trammayo]

I thought I might get more trees planted on this part of the layout but it wasn't easy given the R1 curves and loco overhangs.

So, the Leylandii cuttings were for the chop ....


but I wanted to keep this one as it was my first tree bash ...


The top of the tree had broken off but it is now reinstated (just waiting a touch of paint on the joint).

At this stage, I should have been posting pics of the replacement trees but the pics seem to have gone awol. Will take some more pics this morning