I've been busy casting kits and Himself has been ordered to work in the garden and prepare his place for the arrival of the decorators.
The one thing he has been permitted to do (by the domestic powers-that-be) is service the traversers in the fiddle yards on Dduallt ahead of its show next month.
These are powered by large 19v can-type motors with a gearbox made by Pitman that were designed for use in medical equipment.
We obtained them second hand over 25 years ago - they now have worn commutators
but work well on 12v.
The
motor drives a threaded rod through gears, robbed from my childhood Meccano set, with a corresponding nut
fixed to the body of the fiddle yard.
Don't be distressed that my toys were stolen - I never really got on with Meccano, I was more of a LEGO kid.
(Which probably explains why Himself can build Backwoods kits and I wouldn't dare touch one.)
When Dduallt was first built the traversers were hand wound with a crank on the end.
They moved, but the gearing was so low, and the turning of the crank needed to be so enthusiastic, that the whole layout wobbled every time they were moved.
Which is why we installed the motors.
Still, it gives me confidence that the motors your life may depend upon one day are still functioning a quarter of a century later.
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