With each passing day I manage at least a couple little things on the train. Progress isn't swift but each day we get ever closer. The electric motor and controls are now mounted to the chassis, along with the transmission, various pulleys, sprockets, chains and belts. I've sourced and mounted the cables, designed and built the levers. Using wiring diagrams found online I've tentatively run the wiring but I won't test fire until a friend who knows more than I about things electrical takes a look. Yesterday, we took delivery of the six heavy duty, deep cycle batteries. Back when I designed the train body more than a decade ago I had decided to use four - eight volt batteries to save weight and space but on further research I decided six - six volt deep cycle batteries would give us a much longer running time and overall life. That meant the battery box I had built was too small but it was an easy fix. I fired up the MultiCam CNC plasma cutter and whipped up some steel pieces to weld together. I then fabricated a small box to add to the back of the train engine. I'll deck it out like a tool box and it will look just fine. There's still lots of little things to work out but it won't be long until we go for a joyride!
Short week but plenty accomplished
We celebrated a provincial holiday this past week. That meant the shop was closed on Monday leaving us only four workdays to complete our long list of chores. The crew enjoyed their extra day off and came in on Tuesday eager to help us achieve our weekly goal. We hoped to complete the painting of the first Viking ship, assemble the second one (back from the galvanizers) lath and sculpt one of the ship halves. Tonight as they headed home all that and more had been accomplished by working hard together. It was a great effort by the entire crew!
We'll spend a good portion of Monday arranging all of the features to make room for the giant sixty ton crane and a forty foot container. There will be six trucks in all, spaced one hour apart. That will allow us time to remove the canvas tops, back the trucks into the long driveway, load the giant pieces, put the tops back on the truck and then repeat the process until the first ship, it's related pieces and the last of the target feature pieces are all tucked safely into the trucks and on their way to Dubai.
Busy Thursday!
It was a very busy day with the final paint going on the first ship and the sculpting beginning on the second. The painting crew came in two hours early to beat the heat and make blending easier. A long day of applying concrete and sculpting allowed us to finish the inside and a good portion of the outside of the ship. It's our goal to finish sculpting the first side of the final ship tomorrow. We also took delivery of the last of the frames from the galvanizer which means that we can also assemble the last frame of the second ship. Next week we will hopefully finish the sculpting of the Viking ship project.
