The Night Mail

[polybear]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

The kind of sick b*sterd who then goes on to do it to people.

 

FBI interviews with and profiles of serial killers they have arrested and convicted have revealed that every serial killer started their "career" by performing acts of cruelty on animals.

 

Even if identified and caught, I doubt if the perpetrators will get more than a desultory sentence. Violent crime against and abuse of animals is rarely punished severely (as anyone watching The Dog Rescuers will know).

 

At least they'll then have a record and be on the Police Radar - for what that's worth nowadays.....

 

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

After that was corrected I did eventually get the table rotating but not very reliably.  It's a Metalsmith one witbelt drive rounds a large mdf disc.  I suspect the the belt is a little slack.  I wil have to cut it and rejoin it. 

 

Jamie

 

Bear would "rather like" (and some) an unbuilt Metalsmith 4mm T/T Kit....

 

6 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Rather than messing around with cutting and rejoining the belt, why not add a small  tensioned roller to the outer face of the belt? You  can then adjust it  as required

 

Agreed - that's how the (rather good indeed) ADM T/T drive mechanism is done; I can send piccies later if that'll help?  Unfortunately the T/T on top of Bear's drive mechanism is N Gauge ☹️ (it was an Ebay purchase - and the price was right-ish).

[br2975]

12 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Are you back from your trip to sunnier and beerier climes?

.

Oh yes.

.

Having watched the Cheltenham Gold Cup in Barcelona we flew back early Saturday.

.

On the drive back from Bristol Airport I listened in as Cardiff City capitulated in the South Wales derby, and arrived home in time to see another capitulation, but with a different shape ball.

.

However, the weather had been beautiful in Catalunya, the food and drink exceptional.

.

Recommended to anyone visiting Barcelona.....

.

Antic Cafe Espanyol, Avenida del Paral-lel, 64 Ciutat Vella.

.

A ten minute walk from La Rambla, but a different world !

[rockershovel]

16 hours ago, SM42 said:

You know when you give up on the last 10 minutes and go to get ready for work

 

Suddenly you miss 14 points

 

Who'd have thought

 

Andy

I would. A late flourish is very much the Welsh style, and Italy still haven't quite grasped that rugby matches last 80 minutes, not 60

[Northmoor]

Off today to the Ally Pally Show.  With a small rucksack (whose position relative to my body, I'm well aware of).  Wish me luck.

[Hroth]

5 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Off today to the Ally Pally Show.  With a small rucksack (whose position relative to my body, I'm well aware of).  Wish me luck.

 

Have fun!

 

You should be ok with the rucksack, providing you showered and have fresh clothes on before leaving...

 

[Winslow Boy]

1 minute ago, Hroth said:

 

Have fun!

 

You should be ok with the rucksack, providing you showered and have fresh clothes on before leaving...

 

Spoil sport. Where's the fun in that.

[BSW01]

11 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

That's excellent. Well done you.

 

May I ask if you have access from the house or is it via the garden/french doors?

Yes we do, I use it a lot as it means I can keep out of the kitchen and I don’t get in Sheila’s way!

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Winslow Boy said:

Spoil sport. Where's the fun in that.

It is alleged (not by me) that this sort of attendee wear clean clothes to travel to such events, carrying their 'stinkies' in the rucksack.

 

They then change into the aforementioned either just before, or just after, entering the attraction.

 

This allows them to change after the event and travel back in clean and reasonably fresh clothing.

[Happy Hippo]

Today is being taken up fixing an annoying air lock in the hot taps (gravity fed).

 

I have carried out the recommended remedial action of pressurising the system with cold water to shift the airlock, to little avail.

 

This might need multiple attempts to fully clear.

 

Of course, I am getting a lot of exercise going up and down stairs, so it's not all bad.

 

 

[Hroth]

18 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Today is being taken up fixing an annoying air lock in the hot taps (gravity fed).

 

I have carried out the recommended remedial action of pressurising the system with cold water to shift the airlock, to little avail.

 

This might need multiple attempts to fully clear.

 

Of course, I am getting a lot of exercise going up and down stairs, so it's not all bad.

 

 

 

You might be leaving it a bit late, but surely its time to pause for elevenses?

 

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

 

At least they'll then have a record and be on the Police Radar - for what that's worth nowadays.....

 

 

Bear would "rather like" (and some) an unbuilt Metalsmith 4mm T/T Kit....

 

 

Agreed - that's how the (rather good indeed) ADM T/T drive mechanism is done; I can send piccies later if that'll help?  Unfortunately the T/T on top of Bear's drive mechanism is N Gauge ☹️ (it was an Ebay purchase - and the price was right-ish).

Yes please for piccies. 

 

Jamie

[Oldddudders]

6 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

 I even spent an hour working on my layout yesterday afternoon.  Inspired by Brian's article in the MERG journal, I decided to try and get my turntable working.  10 minutes after getting no response from the motor, and having found my meter, I discovered that the 36 way lead from the panel to the shed area, wasn't plugged in.  After that was corrected I did eventually get the table rotating but not very reliably.  It's a Metalsmith one witbelt drive rounds a large mdf disc.  I suspect the the belt is a little slack.  I wil have to cut it and rejoin it. 

Is there any way you could slightly increase the circumference of the drive disc, wrapping tape around it etc? That way the belt stays intact. 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

It is alleged (not by me) that this sort of attendee wear clean clothes to travel to such events, carrying their 'stinkies' in the rucksack.

 

They then change into the aforementioned either just before, or just after, entering the attraction.

 

This allows them to change after the event and travel back in clean and reasonably fresh clothing.

I think I have mentioned before but my sense of smell is quite odd. I don’t really notice smelly people at exhibitions. I do notice people who smell of tobacco. I find that a good reason to move to another layout. 

[PhilJ W]

17 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I think I have mentioned before but my sense of smell is quite odd. I don’t really notice smelly people at exhibitions. I do notice people who smell of tobacco. I find that a good reason to move to another layout. 

I've had that sometimes with second hand books. Open them up and it's like opening an ashtray. I'm lucky in that I have a spare room that is both cool and airy to place them for a couple of weeks for the smell to evaporate.

[Tony_S]

16 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I've had that sometimes with second hand books. Open them up and it's like opening an ashtray. I'm lucky in that I have a spare room that is both cool and airy to place them for a couple of weeks for the smell to evaporate.

When eBay first got going it was common to see “item from smoke and pet free home”. I never noticed a pet smell but some items smelt of tobacco smoke! I am surprised I am not immune, Most evenings at my parents house due to Dad smoking continually it was a permanent fug. 

[iL Dottore]

Re the perennial problem of pongy model railway show attendees.

 

I think that it IS deliberate.

 

The rationale being that a suitably odorous persona would allow you - through nasal assault - to cleave through the multitudes to bag a prime layout viewing position or get to the front of the queue and snaffle the best bargains.

 

Unfortunately, this strategy has become TOO popular and widespread- leading nowadays to little more than olfactory abuse of others.

 

Mandatory Disinfectant Showers should be obligatory for entrance to ANY model railway show.

[Hroth]

7 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

We watched the rugby and enjoyed the match.  We will no doubt get some stick from Pascal in the cafe this morning.  I even spent an hour working on my layout yesterday afternoon.  Inspired by Brian's article in the MERG journal, I decided to try and get my turntable working.  10 minutes after getting no response from the motor, and having found my meter, I discovered that the 36 way lead from the panel to the shed area, wasn't plugged in.  After that was corrected I did eventually get the table rotating but not very reliably.  It's a Metalsmith one witbelt drive rounds a large mdf disc.  I suspect the the belt is a little slack.  I wil have to cut it and rejoin it. 

 

Jamie

 

5 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Rather than messing around with cutting and rejoining the belt, why not add a small  tensioned roller to the outer face of the belt? You  can then adjust it  as required

 

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Is there any way you could slightly increase the circumference of the drive disc, wrapping tape around it etc? That way the belt stays intact. 

 

I wouldn't go down the belt trimming or tape wrapping routes. Either the belt would "jump" at the join, or catch on the tape as time passed.

 

Either a sprung idler wheel a la HH or a sprung carriage for the motor to keep the belt in tension would be better bets.

 

Edited March 17 by Hroth
extra thort

[Oldddudders]

12 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Mandatory Disinfectant Showers should be obligatory for entrance to ANY model railway show.

Hmm - and some people object to the queue delays caused by a mere bag-search.....

[iL Dottore]

3 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Hmm - and some people object to the queue delays caused by a mere bag-search.....

Not necessarily...

Think Car Wash

 

Besides, whatever form the showers take, disrobing should be STRONGLY discouraged! (which should speed up things)

 

Edited March 17 by iL Dottore
Emphasis

[Happy Hippo]

I thought I'd go to the MIOG show at Crewe on Saturday next week.

 

I'll take the train thought I.

 

However, the patheticos that are the TOCs can't run trains between Shrewsbury and Wellington because of an embankment slippage between Wellington and Telford.

 

Wellington has a complete set of crossovers between up and down lines, plus freight loops through the station, so I can see no real reason why they could not operate a Wellington to Shrewsbury shuttle service.  Although I suppose that require a little bit of effort to sort out, or it's just to difficult to arrange.  However, they managed to do it from Shifnal to Wolverhampton!

 

So x units are standing idle, and the replacement bus service is....

 

Well you can see the picture.

 

I'd take the bus to Shrewsbury and train it from there, except I have to go to Telford or Wellington for a bus.

 

Alternatively, I could take the car to Shrewsbury, but parking is a nightmare (and not free) and it's still long walk to the station.

 

So I'll end up taking the car to Crewe because by the time I've messed around with all the changes required. I'll be in Crewe before the bus gets to Shrewsbury.

 

Public transport when you are out of the various major cities in the UK is pretty poor.

Edited March 17 by Happy Hippo

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

...Public transport when you are out of the various major cities in the UK is pretty poor.

And to think the Swiss love to complain about SBB: that it's sometimes as much as 5 minutes late, that it costs as much as SFr 31 (£27) for a last minute one-way first class ticket Zurich-Basel SBB or the trains are so crowded you rarely find a double seat all to yourself during peak times.

 

And let's not even go and look at what the Japanese manage to do with their public transport...

Edited March 17 by iL Dottore
Spelling

[polybear]

4 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Yes please for piccies. 

 

Jamie

 

As if by magic.....

 

 

[Flanged Wheel]

10 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Even if identified and caught, I doubt if the perpetrators will get more than a desultory sentence. Violent crime against and abuse of animals is rarely punished severely (as anyone watching The Dog Rescuers will know).

 Sometimes it does happen. Back in 2021, I prosecuted a court martial for a soldier who beat a cat to death. He is no longer in the Army (I can’t remember what the other parts of the sentence were). The video footage was pretty appalling to watch and the Court Martial Board who sentenced him clearly took a very dim view of his behaviour.

[Canal Digger]

 

Reminds me of on my older cars, I regularly had to adjust the fan/ alternator (dynamo)/ water pump belt. 

[polybear]

13 minutes ago, Flanged Wheel said:

 Sometimes it does happen. Back in 2021, I prosecuted a court martial for a soldier who beat a cat to death. He is no longer in the Army (I can’t remember what the other parts of the sentence were). The video footage was pretty appalling to watch and the Court Martial Board who sentenced him clearly took a very dim view of his behaviour.

 

Hopefully he had a long and "very productive" time at Colchester before being booted out.....