CLUB NOTICES SEE PAGE 3. Extra Running Days This Month: ISSUE No 306 September 2017 Clubrooms/Running Track at Heritage Park, SH14, Maunu, Whangarei.

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1 N ISSUE No 306 September 2017 Clubrooms/Running Track at Heritage Park, SH14, Maunu, Whangarei. Picture shows a special consist that was used on last month s Running Day. The red car attached to the train and the blue car in the foreground are new and carry the club s experimental logo. The blue car at rear of train is an older car refurbishment. CLUB NOTICES Extra Running Days This Month: SEE PAGE 3 THESE WORK IN WITH MUSEUM LIVE DAYS AND OTHER EVENTS

2 QUIZ Where and what is it? PURE MUSCLE For answer see Page 4. WEDNESDAY WORKDAYS: By The Editor Work continues in the fabrication of steel sleepers for the replacement of part of the inner line around the mountain which is quite worn and out of gauge in places. This section is just about the sole remaining section of track that came from our old site at Tarewa Park. All the newer and heavier engines have extracted unforeseen strains on the lighter material that was used back then. The section involved has been by-passed by diverting all traffic to the outer rail by a set of points so that now there is only one circuit of the mountain instead of two until the situation is rectified. The track repair gang had an unusual repair to do to the rail just in front of the Goods Shed in the lower area. Somehow all three rails developed a severe kink (much head-scratching as to why) which made the line from the loop into the goods shed itself quite unusable. Everything is now fixed. Heritage Park had a night-time visitation of someone with a truck that was driven all around the place. They managed to get the truck (or whatever) stuck in the mud alongside the concrete approach to where the road crosses our track. They also managed to demolish one of the two posts that hold a barrier chain that we put across the road when we are operating. The front of the station has been given a wash-down to get rid of all the grime that was accumulating on the recess in the weatherboards and its appearance is once again quite respectable. The rear of the building will, however, require a long ladder or some sort of scaffolding to clean it up. Some wire mesh has been installed over the wooden steps at the rear of the basement because these steps have become very slippery in wet weather. Last WW saw two members bring their locos along for some testing and modification. Tony is still trying to make Lucy do her thing but is not having much luck. Rankin brought Q17 along with some modifications to the firebox so that hopefully the Welsh coal would burn hotter. It would appear that the fire should be lower down and not full to the brim and he has devised an apparatus to increase the air over the fire. Unfortunately the heat generated melted part of the addition so it s back to the drawing board for both locos. What used to be a moveable sign for hot sausages has now been given a permanent position to one side of the awning of the Snack Shack. LIST OF MAIN CLUB OFFICERS President: Rodney White. Telephone (09) ; rtw@slingshot.co.nz Vice President: Rankin Kennedy. Telephone (09) ; jenandrankin@gmail.com Secretary: Brian Mould. Telephone (09) ; thewrinkles@clear.net. Treasurer: Bruno Petersen. Telephone (09) ; brunopetersen@xtra.co.nz Committee Members Colin Smith, Ian Mison, Tony Tanner, Lloyd Cross. Newsletter Editor Ian Mison. Telephone (09) ; julianm@xtra.co.nz Charters and Bookings Rodney White. Telephone (09) Postal Address: Whangarei Model Engineering Club (Inc), P.O. Box 10233, Te Mai, Whangarei Club Telephone: (09) (Available Work and Running Days Only). Page 2

3 October 21st and 22nd THIS HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO GIVE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC A CHANCE TO DRIVE SOME MODEL PETROL-DRIVEN LOCOMOTIVES ON OUR CLUB TRACK THE AIM OF THIS IS THAT MAYBE WE MIGHT GAIN SOME MORE MEMBERS TO HELP STEM THE DWINDLING NUMBERS FATHER S DAY RUNNING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3rd, 10 1-ish BRING DAD ALONG AND TAKE HIM FOR A RIDE WE CATER FOR BIG KIDS AS WELL AS SMALL KIDS If there are any members who are willing to help out on this day would you please indicate by contacting Rodney White on Page 3

4 ANSWER TO QUIZ ON PAGE 2: Battery-powered locomotive for German brewery The Warsteiner Brewery in Germany has just taken delivery of a new battery-powered shunting vehicle, a Windhoff TeleTrac RW60AEM. The new shunter will be used on the company s siding and at the container terminal. It took two 80-ton mobile cranes to place the shunter on to the local rail siding. Up until now a diesel locomotive was used for the various shunting tasks. From now on, railway traffic at Warstein will be quieter and emission-free, above all. The brewery thus follows the general trend for sustainability in the energy sector through the use of electric power also for heavy-duty working vehicles. The new WINDHOFF shunter RW60AEM with its 34 ton service weight generates a towing force of ca. 1,000 tons, sufficient for the handling of trains with 12 container wagons. The on-board battery weighs in at 2.5 tons and provides ample energy for several working days without charging. Battery charging is effected via cable from any 400V mains outlet, and there is no further need for a diesel fuel station with the many stringent requirements for environmental protection. Six Warsteiner staff have been trained as BOA shunter operators. The highly efficient RW60AEM will be used in 3-shift operations, arranging Warsteiner containers for worldwide shipping. WINDHOFF is well placed in the field of shunting vehicles. The range of shunters comprises track-bound units powered by battery or via drag line, Diesel-powered units as well as 2-way, viz. road-rail vehicles, for depots or loading facilities. Other Club s Events: The club has just received an addition to our machining capabilities with the donation of a Myford ML7 lathe. As the saying goes its an oldie but a goodie. This lathe has been well looked after and has already been pressed into service to make something for one of the new ride cars. A few pieces appear to be missing but that is easily rectified. There is no quick-change gearbox on it and gears have to be changed by hand by re-arranging them one by one and shock horror there is no digital readout... a true beginner s lathe. But over all the years that Myford has made lathes there have been some extremely complicated models manufactured on them. FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (A TWEET-FREE ZONE) At the General Meeting following the AGM, the following motion was approved: That subject to satisfactory club finances, the profits from our operations at one of the Museum s Live Day events will be donated to two local charities. These charities to be nominated by the members and the top two choices will share to proceeds. Will you please notify any committee member of your choice. Havelock North Live Steamers: Open Weekend, October 21-24, New Plymouth Model Engineers: Open Weekend, October 22-24, Southland Society of Model Engineers: Great Little Train Show, October 21 and 22, 2017 Page 4

5 General Pics from Around the Site PHOTOS ABOVE: Page 5

6 IF UNDELIVERED PLEASE RETURN TO: Whangarei Model Engineering Club Inc, P.O. Box 10233, Te Mai, Whangarei 0143.