DEAG Metting February 2009

A busy meeting with two layouts in attendance, David E's Framsden
and Peter Whitehead's Marks Quay.

Having sorted out the short circuit problem, see previous posts,
I cracked on laying DAS on Marks Quay.  I lay this with a metal
Spatula and carefully press it into the gap between the tracks.
To ease things along, a wetted finger or spatula is used to
smooth the surface for later light sanding to achieve a bit of
texture.  I had tried using a paint brush for this, prior to
the clay drying, but it looks a bit rough to my eye.  Once the
clay has dried (24 hrs) I can then scratch the joints and
cracks in using a fine blade.  I find this gives a better
result than trying to press in the joints whilst the clay is
soft.


Phil was busy filling the insulation gaps in some sleepers prior
to track building.  Using double sided sticky tape to hold them
down he placed them side by side as shown below.


Using Knifing Putty and a screwdriver the sleeper gaps are quickly filled.
Once dry, a light sanding smoothes the sleepers and once they are
painted, no one will know the gap is there.


David Short was also track building, soldering etched chairs
to sleepers, whilst David E was working on wagon chassis for
stock for Framsden.

Bill Blackburn showed us a replacement chassis (sorry no photo)
that he is building for one of Tim’s locos, ready for running on
Copenhagen Fields at the Festival of Model Railways at
Alexandra Palace on 28/29 March.