Week 325

 Sun, Oct. 18, 2020 thru Sat, Oct. 24, 2020

This week's goals:

1. Purchase transformer for California Avenue Metra Maintenance Facility

2. Purchase sub station for Melrose Park Power Plant

3. Finish up projects from last week.

Sun, Oct. 18, 2020

Still on vacation.

Mon, Oct. 19, 2020

Still on vacation

Tue, Oct. 20, 2020

Coming back today from vacation.

Wed, Oct. 21, 2020

I stopped by B&G Train World in Elgin to buy goals 1 & 2

I bought these two items.

The substation will go here at the
Melrose Park Power Plant.

And the transformer will go here at the
California Avenue Metra Maintenance Facility

And this is what I paid for these items.
Transformer: $13.50
Substation: $31.50
Taxes: $3.83

Thu, Oct. 22, 2020

Now it's time to paint the parts...

Painted the substation a flat gray (2X).
Ran out of flat gray and used the lighter gray for some parts (NOW).
Painted the chain link fence a metallic gray (ACE).

Painted the transformer flat gray (2X).

Fri, Oct. 23,2020

I dropped my phone in the dish water yesterday.

Had to buy a new phone today.

Are the pictures any different using this new phone?

Starting to assemble the transformer kit...

I read the directions.
Laid out the parts.
Now it's time to cut them off the spur.

Time to glue.

Just need to add some extra paint detail and decals.

Transformer temporarily in place.
I still will add the chain link fence and a few other details.

Sat, Oct. 24, 2020

Train Day!

Moved from Mon. this week to today!

Rob Fair from 1pm-3:15pm (2.25 hrs.)

Here's what we did...

I'd like to try to recreate the power tower to the 
left of the roadway. Let's see how we do...
(see picture below for what we made
out of these two utility poles).

Rob Fair mixing the ground scape for the base of
the substation.

First he covered all the holes on the base with tape.
Then he painted the areas where
there would be ground scape.

Here's the finished product.

Now it's time to do the same thing for the
transformer base at the
California Avenue Metra Maintenance Facility.

Here's where the substation will be located.

Rob finished the ground scape at California yard.

Filling in a section between the transformer base
and the road.

Now it's time to work on the power tower.

In the meantime, I found the proper paint to spray
on the chain link fence parts.

Now it's time to set the transformer in place.

First, we secure the floor of the transformer.

Length: 00:00:32 sec.

Now we set the transformer in place.

Length: 00:00:30 sec.

Transformer now in place, ready for operation.

Remember the picture we started today?
Here's the final "kit bashed" product.

A very busy workplace today.

Jordan stopped by to deliver the RT4 which finally
came from Digitrax. It traveled there and back twice.
Jordan only stayed a few minutes but he was anxious
to get this back into my hands.

Thanks Jordan!

You're a great neighbor!