The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

6 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

Ah! The eternal struggle between scale versus gauge 😀

 

Well the track will look brilliant but making stuff that isn't distorted to run on it is extremely difficult. I like to call it "HOitis" 🤣

Doing that properly really involves going down the P87* route so the wheels and flangeways are better.

 

* Not the refund of tax and expenses claim form!

Edited November 26, 2023 by Happy Hippo

[AndyID]

7 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Doing that properly really involves going down the P87* route so the wheels and flangeways are better.

 

* Not the refund of tax and expenses claim form!

 

And still not true to scale.

[iL Dottore]

l'm very much aware of my modelling limitations - track being a big one.

 

Now as much it might be quite satisfying to build Bahnhof Basel SBB and the station throat (in any scale)

My eventual track plan will feature as few turnouts/points as I can get away with

[TheQ]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

The Darkside has triumphed.
 

All my 4mm GWR rolling stock will go the way of the dodo.

 

The planned large 4mm GWR layout "St Cuthberts" will be no longer be. It has been "HS2ed"

 

Instead - thanks to Warley - coming soon to a RMWeb page near you will be 

> 池田居酒屋 Imeda Izakaya (Japanese N working diorama)

> St Cuthberts (II) GWR Rural teminus in 3mm

 

Warley is definitely not good for me...

May I recommend T gauge, not TT, there's a lot of Japanese stuff available 😁.

 

Never seen a truly scenic'd layout at a show in T scale. Not attempted anything in that scale yet as I'm running out of brownie point permits for another layout.

 

When used for the Cruft's dog show all the NEC halls are used, no extra lighting except on the traders stands and the best in show arena.  The whole show is very dull and almost dingy, and only the Best In Show arena is carpeted, though you wouldn't think that from TV...

 

No expense spared shows? Try an air show. They really splash the cash.

 

Many sports halls have very yellow light, though sodiums are being replaced by LED, walls are often yellow / dark cream / wood and other dull colours  reflecting light poorly,  fresh flour would show the marks too much.

 

Most of our club layouts have LED near white lighting. It's not that expensive. I suspect most layouts at shows could be fitted with lighting for less than a 1/3rd of a Deltic.

 

My N gauge layout has provision for lighting which will be fitted when nearing completion, but the HOe layout does not have provision for lighting, not enough room on the layout itself.  It will get some either free standing or clipped on when I can work out what room is left in the car..

 

The N gauge layout has a top lighting frame with the name in 24inch BR hotdog notices, 3 of them, that's 5 ft above ground level when deployed.

The H0e layouts name will be  below the layout on its casing which folds down. I think listening to the comments above, it will need something up high probably on some sort of extending pole..

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by TheQ

[Winslow Boy]

7 hours ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

So WB is suggesting a Pannier Tax to help those with an Addiction.  I wonder, like many do when in power, if the money may get diverted for another cause?  I don’t know, a Shed perhaps.

 

The term, “Big Pharma”, seems to have appeared with a certain former American President, who likes golf and is named after a duck.  I recall he used it against all opponents, who were hoping for the party nomination and Madame Clinton in the actual election, as they were all had backing from the various companies of a pharmaceutical nature.

 

Paul

That would only apply once all of the 'patients' being treated for 'lactopannieritus' have been successfully cured. Of course all fractions of whatever currency the fund was being banked in - swiss francs as 'our' agent in Geneva has offered very preferential terms, would of course have to be rounded down with the fractions being put into the  Sustainable Habitat Environment Diorama fund or S H E D fund for simplicity.

[Oldddudders]

32 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Don't forget, Dear Bear, iD has the knowledge to keep you thoroughly alive whilst begging for the sweet release of death.

He is such a nice boy, isn't he?

[newbryford]

8 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

How many times can you say RTFM in a working day?

 

Try me......

[Happy Hippo]

33 minutes ago, TheQ said:

 

The N gauge layout has a top lighting frame with the name in 24inch BR hotdog notices, 3 of them, that's 5 ft above ground level when deployed.

The H0e layouts name will be  below the layout on its casing which folds down. I think listening to the comments above, it will need something up high probably on some sort of extending pole..

 

I think Mrs SM42 might object to standing on a chair, arms outstretched for hours on end!

[Happy Hippo]

12 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

Try me......

[Hroth]

12 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I think Mrs SM42 might object to standing on a chair, arms outstretched for hours on end!

 

I watched one of the "background" programmes about Dr Who, and they were talking to one of the sound technicians who described how, when she expressed a wish to do such a job, she was told to watch some television for an evening whilst holding up a can of baked beans in each hand.

 

Apparently this is similar to holding a sound boom whilst filming....

 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

 

One day Nemesis will come, perhaps with her brother Thanatos. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next month, but come she will.

 

Don't forget, Dear Bear, iD has the knowledge to keep you thoroughly alive whilst begging for the sweet release of death.

I wouldn't worry to much about that Bear, I know how to make someone thoroughly dead without them realising it.

[Hroth]

32 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

Its turtles all the way down...

 

[SM42]

12 hours ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

Andy,

 

You need a strip of carpet to stand on or a doormat!  Concrete floors are bad on the feet.

 

Paul

 

What I need is  a continuous run in a loop so that as I walk I lay it down like a tank track. 

 

Amdy

[J. S. Bach]

13 hours ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

 ...snip...  Concrete floors are bad on the feet.

Paul

So are aircraft carrier flight decks.

[New Haven Neil]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

To rebut NHN's point about not having funds for a lighting rig: do they really? I saw a number of beautiful layouts with more than few thousand pounds of rolling stock on them without any lighting. Given that a reasonable lighting rig can be rigged up for about CHF 150 (so Swiss prices), one wonders why they don't invest in something to help showcase their layouts to their best.

 

We're talking at cross purposes here, iD.

 

I took your initial comment to mean that the HOST club would provide lighting for all exhibitors - the whole hall, not that individual layouts should provide their own.  We always did with our layouts we took away, due to the mentioned halls often being like the black hole of Calcutta.

 

But you did say to provide carpets - I still think this would be beyond the means of a club struggling to al least break even, or hopefully make a small profit from the exercise.

[New Haven Neil]

Here's one of ours from #cough# a while ago.  With lighting (pre LED days - by 25 years!) rig.  A joint effort by myself (over the back operating the other side, with the beard and tache), Charlie in the photo and Tony Lambert who can occasionally be found on RMW elsewhere.  The whole thing was just for fun, we got carried away.  G 'Scale'- modelling with no scale!

 

[J. S. Bach]

Could have at least used a decent road name on the Geep! 🙃

 

Hmmm, late 1957 or early 1958, decent era, though.

Edited November 26, 2023 by J. S. Bach

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Doing that properly really involves going down the P87* route so the wheels and flangeways are better.

 

 

For 00 modellers using unmodified, off-the-shelf stock and who make their own turnouts (points), to make them look as realistic as possible you actually reduce the gauge from 16.5 mm down to 16.2 mm 🤣  (😟Cries of Heretic! Lying Yankee Bar Steward! from across the pond.)

 

The reason you do that is because it makes the flangeways (checkrail and nose wings) look much more realist. It also improves running.

 

There seems to be a bit of an obsession with "true to scale gauge" but I happen to prefer the running gear, valve gear, cylinders, splashers, wheel faces, axle-boxes, running boards to be true to scale relative to the rest of the model.

[SM42]

Feet still hurt. 

 

Back not so much today

 

Another circumnavigation of Brum completed due to reported accident on M42, so M6, M5 is was and a good run throughout. 

 

All that remains is to deliver the layout back to club on Tuesday to the relief of Mrs SM42, who has had to put up with it being around since late September. 

 

Ironically it will also create some space in the railway room ( AKA the west wing)

 

Had a good weekend overall, didn't spend too much ( why did I buy more wagon kits?,)met some fellow TNMers and chatted to lots of normal people and a whole range of nationalities to boot. 

 

Highlight today was the man who called his wife over and made a two handed " see I told you they make Polish railway  models" gesture.

 

I got to practice some of my second language skills too. 

 

I sit here in the drawing room at SM42 Towers all  inspired but that will probably wear off by next week.

 

Andy

Edited November 26, 2023 by SM42

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

I wouldn't worry to much about that Bear, I know how to make someone thoroughly dead without them realising it.

...and iD knows how to use carfentanyl as well!

[polybear]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

l'm very much aware of my modelling limitations - track being a big one.

 

Now as much it might be quite satisfying to build Bahnhof Basel SBB and the station throat (in any scale)

My eventual track plan will feature as few turnouts/points as I can get away with

 

Bear could now reproduce that track formation using Templot; getting it to fit the available space is more of a problem.....

[AndyID]

Ah yes, exhibitions. Before heading to the Untidy States of America I was with a small electronics outfit in Ayrshire who made typesetting input, editing and storage equipment (this was was before Intel based PCs) We sold them in UK and in Europe through distributors. One distributor in Belgium had a space at a a typesetting equipment exhibition at a huge exhibition hall in Paris. I had the job of supporting our equipment at the show and I also had to drive the van with all our demo stuff in it to Paris from Ayrshire. (I don't think I was quite 30 at the time!)

 

I eventually arrived at the hall, parked the van and walked in to try to find the stand. But it wasn't a typesetting exhibition at all! I assumed we had been given the wrong dates.

 

I wasn't quite sure what to do next so I started walking back to the van when I happened to notice there was another exhibition floor underneath the one I had been in. That was the one!

 

So I went in there and eventually found the space for the stand. There was nothing or anyone there! I'd been hanging around for maybe half an hour when the distributor drove up to the stand in his beamer 🤣  It all worked out in the end.

 

There was also another exhibition in Milan that I had to attend. Second daughter was on the way but wasn't expected to arrive until a week after I returned from Milan. Unfortunately second daughter was unaware of the schedule and decided to arrive right in the middle of the exhibition. I've never been completely forgiven for that one 😀

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Here's one of ours from #cough# a while ago.  With lighting (pre LED days - by 25 years!) rig.  A joint effort by myself (over the back operating the other side, with the beard and tache), Charlie in the photo and Tony Lambert who can occasionally be found on RMW elsewhere.  The whole thing was just for fun, we got carried away.  G 'Scale'- modelling with no scale!

 

I remember watching that layout. It was excellent.

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Hopefully the full Monty, with 14.2 mm gauge track. All scratch built locos and stock or from kits. 

Definitely the Full Monty, HH.

 

Given that I'm starting from scratch (no pun intended) I might as well do it properly. So 14.2mm it will be from the onset. I see no problems with laying track, but I might commission turnouts from more experienced 3mm finescale folk. Buildings will all be scratchbuilt (or modified kits). Ditto rolling stock.

I'm currently looking for a good 3D resin printer - so once I have that I'll make my own resin bodies for available 3mm chassis.

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

On the other hand it might be the slight mix up and the man is actually opting for TT 120, rather than 3 mm.

Nope, definitely 3mm.

 

I thought that Hornby missed the bus by selecting TT 120 (2.5mm/foot). 3mm/foot would be better and sit perfectly between 4mm/ft and 2mm/ft

 

St Cuthberts would have been pretty big if built in 4mm according to plan and, for me, 2mm would be just a wee bit too small. So 3mm/foot would be ideal for St Cuthberts (MkII) - a much cut down version of the original plan.

 

But first I need to start on Imeda - Izakaya. Research first (it'll be more "inspired by" than an exact replica) then I need to build the station, after which I'll decide whether I add just a fiddle yard on either side of the station or turn it into a "behind the scenes" roundy-roundy.

Edited November 26, 2023 by iL Dottore

[Happy Hippo]

58 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

...and iD knows how to use carfentanyl as well!

Is that the technical term for .338 Lapua Magnum?  Bear still thinks Lapua Magnum is a limited edition ice cream.