Early Risers.

[Robert]

Just to add my two penneth to the Photoshop debate.  I must admit that I spend more time in ERs than anywhere else on RMweb, but I do venture out of here occasionally to look at the modelling that people do.  I like to see the occasional Photoshop image, if it is subtle, but like anything, it can be overdone.

 

Photoshop is great for enhancing an already good image, but why try and create something that isn't.  Sorry, but that's not modelling.  (At least not to me - other people may have different opinions, and that's fine.  That what makes modelling such a diverse hobby).

 

Concerning pacemaker batteries - yes, changing the battery is a surgical procedure.  Actually, the battery isn't replaced as such, the whole pacemaker is changed.  Modern pacemakers are fantastic pieces of engineering - my Father has one, and has it checked every so often at the hospital.  The technician can read out the devices telemetry and see how often it has been used, what battery consumption is like and how long the battery is expected to last.  His last battery lasted over ten years - although this depends upon how often the Pacemaker needs to do its job.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Robert

[Smiffy2]

I remember the horse-drawn milk float in our street. My old man used to go out and collect the horse-apples and put them on his rhubarb.

 

I always preferred custard on mine.

 

 

 

Black corduroy jacket thanks...

[Tony_S]

I just woke up thinking of Milk Floats - and their raucous cacophony - "Lord Raleigh’s Dairies” vs “Co-Op”, I think that 3 different companies serviced our Avenue, one of whom delivered on Christmas Day....

On that note I must go back to bed.

Best, Pete.

There is still a milk delivery here but not by an electric vehicle. We stopped having milk delivered 20 years ago as the delivery man seemed to be incapable of supplying milk that wasn't off or following holiday cancellation instructions.

[Robert]

My parents cancelled their doorstep milk deliveries at the end of the 90s, if I remember correctly.

 

Like Tony, they had problems with getting milk that wasn't off.  The problem was, the bloke who had the local Unigate franchise had such a large round, that sometimes he didn't get to them before around three in the afternoon.  By that time, the milk had been sitting on the truck for hours and was usually off.

 

Unigate served the village with four wheeled electric floats in the 70s and 80s - they tried the three wheeled versions briefly, but they had trouble on the rough roads, some of which had grass in the middle!  The electric floats would often run out of juice on the hill out of the village at the end of the round, and so they switched to diesel transit based floats eventually.

 

I don't know if they still have a milkman in the village.  I suspect not, as it cannot be economical as a number of the supermarkets run free buses.

[trisonic]

I’ve never seen one over here - though they used to exist too. I can remember my Mother complaining similarly to you back in the Sixties.

At every school I attended we had those third of a pint glass bottles of milk delivered. I developed a taste for warm milk! Otherwise in the Winter the frozen milk forced the tops up...

Has anyone made a model of one? Milk floats were everywhere.

 

 

Best, Pete.

 

There is still a milk delivery here but not by an electric vehicle. We stopped having milk delivered 20 years ago as the delivery man seemed to be incapable of supplying milk that wasn't off or following holiday cancellation instructions.

[grandadbob]

Pete, I still live very near to that ex bottling plant (now a mosque) but our milk always came from Home Counties Dairies in Sutton which then became part of Unigate. We still hear the perishing milkman about three times a week in our road (Dairycrest I think) but he only delivers to 3 or 4 houses. He very nearly experienced the wrath of Bob a few weeks ago at 3.45AM slamming bottles into crates and with his radio blaring out but somebody must have beaten me to it because he's been a lot quieter lately. His milk float still looks like one of those from yesteryear.

Edited September 18, 2014 by grandadbob

[Robert]

Ahhh - the third of a pint bottles.

 

I  just about remember those from nursery school, before a certain somebody abolished them

 

It never bothered me to be honest, I never liked drinking milk as a kid - so I always got orange squash instead.

[Smiffy2]

Pete, I still live very near to that ex bottling plant (now a mosque) but our milk always came from Home Counties Dairies in Sutton which then became part of Unigate. 

When I was at school we could just see the milk deliveries to the bottling plant - rather grubby Q1s going over the bridge in Morden. Well, in some classrooms, if you ignored the teacher and hung out the window...

 

Apart from the early morning papers and parcels train at Carshalton those are the only regular steam workings I remember in the Greener Borough. There were always summer excursions and specials, though, with a very motley collection of rolling stock.

[Killybegs]

I hate to crow but, weatherwise, it looks like being another stonking good day here!

 

I can't remember milk be delivered by horsepower, but I can remember it being ladled from churn to jug!

 

Steph (SWMBO) is a sister at the local hospital. No sisters work night shifts as it is 'too expensive'. Of course, they're not called Sisters any more, officially they are Clinical Nurse Managers, which tells you what they spend a lot of their day doing, the amount of paperwork involved is staggering! 

 

Have a nice day!

 

John

[Killybegs]

Ahhh - the third of a pint bottles.

 

 

 Do you remember how they used to freeze in winter and push the tops off!

 

John

[The Lurker]

Morning from a grey Borough Market Junction.

 

Minor dramas in the Lurher household yesterday. The Laptop got stuck (hung) for hours for the second time in 5 days. It's only a year and a bit old. Extremely irritating to the Mrs, but fortunately for elder Lurker son who hd 3 lots of computer based homework yesterday, the old desktop decided to work. Speaking of elder Lurker son, he managed to leave his games kit on the bus home last night. the Mrs is hoping it has got handed in to lost property and that she can collect it today - otherwise its new football boots, white trainers, school rugby shirt, school PE shirt, school shorts, shin pads, gum shields, socks, bag. and deodorant! The irritating thing is he's been lax at actually bringing it home until it has started to fester; and this time he remembered....apparently he chased the bus up the hill to no avail!

 

We have a milkman in our street. he wakes us at about 5.15 every morning. We don't have the milk, partly because as a family we only manage about 3 pints a week at most, and partly because he was loads more expensive than the alternative - which is also delivered along with all of our other grocery.

 

On the photoshopping front, I like seeing the pictures too. It's probably better that they're kept separate so that they're clear what they are - as some people don't like them - but the pseudo-cuneo type are to my eye very obvious in any case. They also take skill and people like seeing them. They're probably not modelling per se, but they are connected to modelling - we should be a broad church. I did have a go at one modeller who very publically and rudely IMO had a go at Robmcg on the Wright Writes thread, trumpeting the contents of his own private e-mail along with preface of the rules he sets about his own posts ; which of course he completely ignored. he then continued to trample when Robmcg displayed hurt/irritation at being told he had no place on this forum. At the point I had to post as my thoughts were "what an a..rsehole". He's entitled to his opinion, and he is no doubt a wonderful modeller, but his apparent  contempt for a fellow human being was too much for me. Especially as at the end of the day we're all grown men playing choo-choo trains. 

 

By the way, I am also extremely envious of those who have great weathering and other modelling skills. I tend to the extremely hamfisted, and hence to the "trainset" end of things. I also like railway history, and current day railways. I feel I have a place on this forum, and so should anyone else. (trolls etc excepted)

 

So keep on showing us your weathering Baz (and also telling us about your umpiring).

[The Lurker]

 Do you remember how they used to freeze in winter and push the tops off!

 

John

I remember the blue tips tapping through the foil to get the cream. Have they stopped doing this as a general rule - question for those who still get milk delivered.

[Oldddudders]

Morning all

 

Lots of cloud built up yesterday, and it's still here, although some bits of blue to the north give hope. Still - we've had an excellent September so far, so no complaints despite the forecast warning of storms over the next few days.

 

If the rain holds off a little longer I think the chainsaws will get a turn, as I'm unearthing an impressively large number of really worthwhile branches from the pile of wood that was the big tree - loadsa logs! The tree-fellers took the trunks, by agreement.

 

Trisonic Pete - Bill Bryson has a recollection of a US milkman in his youth in The Lost Continent. He named him as America's Noisiest Milkman, doing his round with his dog, to whom he talked constantly, cursing the awkward customer who wanted orange this morning - and he'd left it on the truck etc. Apparently there were often protests when dairies tried to withdraw deliveries - but none on this guy's round!

 

I haven't managed to find the source of Barry O's ire - but am well aware of the "artistic" guy who delights in posting his interpretation of models. They are really good - but irrelevant to what most of us want to see. Actually, I'm not that mad about most paintings of railway or motor racing subjects - give me landscapes most days, please.

 

Hope your week going well.

[beast66606]

At every school I attended we had those third of a pint glass bottles of milk delivered. I developed a taste for warm milk! Otherwise in the Winter the frozen milk forced the tops up...

 

 

Small pints a mate of mine used to call them ! - I loved getting to the milk first on a winters morning and grabbing the cream, especially when we had a gold top delivery, everyone else would then moan that the milk was watery (or skimmed as we call it nowadays!)

[Robert]

We used to have "Unigate Milk Minders" which were insulated to keep the milk cool (which of course presupposes it is cool when it arrives - which it all too often wasn't) and prevented the tits from pecking at the tops.

 

For years these worked very well, but when the milkman changed, the new one seemed to have trouble with putting the milk in the minders - which meant the tits would attack them.  They were more partial to silver top though - often they would leave the semi-skimmed or skimmed alone.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Robert

[Oldddudders]

the tits would attack them. 

A prospect to send some men into a distinct sort of reverie, I'm sure!

[petethemole]

I still get milk delivered, by Dairy Crest, on a Transit float, but at a sensible time, usually about 9am. The old 3-wheeled floats could be quite unstable. I once saw one go too fast round a roundabout on a slope; it lurched badly and shed most of its load. This was on one of the main routes in and out of central Southampton but fortunately after the rush hour. 

 

Have a good day,

 

Pete

[beast66606]

I wouldn't photoshop my weathering - I get enough hassle from one or two people who no longer visit RMWeb to even contemplate it. My problem is  that it would appear that "modelling" is less preferable than looking at photoshopping.... there is a place for both but it seems that if you say that it isn't well received.

 

Hi Barry - I've seen some disparaging comments elsewhere, sadly some are unable to stop looking over the fence at the place they purport to hate, welcome to my world, I get it all the time, according to the "ex spurts" in "the other place" I don't know anything about signalling or railway operation and have never been inside a signal box in my life. The value of an opinion is only as good as the one giving it - and theirs can go where it belongs.

 

On the subject of photoshop stuff etc. I firmly believe that this forum should encourage all to do what they enjoy (the same people who make comments about you also poke fun at anyone who doesn't fit within their view of modelling and I wouldn't want RMWeb to fall into that way of thinking)  BUT, and it's a big BUT, in the right place.

[PhilJ W]

I still have my milk delivered. Dairy Crest seems to be the only national company still delivering milk to the door. They only deliver 3 days a week now, they don't deliver Sundays and the other 3 days the milkman operates another round. The reason I persist with home delivery is that living on my own with no relatives near at hand someone will notice if something is wrong, not that it will help much if something serious occurs but at least I wont be found lying on the floor for months if something does happen. The milkman usually delivers about 4 am, the only time I have had milk go off is if I have forgotten and left it standing on the stoop.

[beast66606]

Morning all ! - a rant over with ..

 

My partners brother in law has just retired as a milkman after ? a long time ? delivering milk around Reading

 

The birds are going mad today - I appear to have a fresh brood of Greenfinches who are taking over but the long tailed tits are fighting back in numbers. The blues / great and coal tits are sidelined at the moment but their time will come.

 

Have a good day all.

[PhilJ W]

Hi Barry - I've seen some disparaging comments elsewhere, sadly some are unable to stop looking over the fence at the place they purport to hate, welcome to my world, I get it all the time, according to the "ex spurts" in "the other place" I don't know anything about signalling or railway operation and have never been inside a signal box in my life. The value of an opinion is only as good as the one giving it - and theirs can go where it belongs.

 

On the subject of photoshop stuff etc. I firmly believe that this forum should encourage all to do what they enjoy (the same people who make comments about you also poke fun at anyone who doesn't fit within their view of modelling and I wouldn't want RMWeb to fall into that way of thinking)  BUT, and it's a big BUT, in the right place.

Remember the alternative definition of 'expert' ex =redundant 'spurt' = a drip under pressure.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Our milkman uses a Ford Transit with a proper sort of milk float style body.  His times do vary a bit and occasionally he can be quite late but he's usually quiet and he shuts the front gate properly without making a racket; the milk is just like the stuff from supermarkets in plastic bottles and he also does an excellent, useful, Christmas time list of cream etc.

 

Jewson have just delivered a big bulk bag - right where the milkman comes through the pedestrian gate as it happens - so you can guess where part (a big part) of our day is heading, only hope I've got enough geotex in stock otherwise there'll be a nice little break popping down to get some more.

 

I am fully aware of what originally upset Baz (has there been more of it from the same source I wonder?) and am fully with him on this.  Although the person concerned has (publicly) had the gypsy's warning from on high I do wonder if he will again ignore it but if that happens one can but hope more even more positive action will follow as I am aware that considerable feeling is developing among those who come to this forum to see, talk about, and show modelling techniques, and that's why many of us are here.

 

On that slightly saddening note I wish you all everything you wish yourselves for today (and where's 'my' ship going, Biscay perchance?)

Edited September 18, 2014 by The Stationmaster

[beast66606]

Remember the alternative definition of 'expert' ex =redundant 'spurt' = a drip under pressure.

 

Exactly - notice how I typed it !

 

It's amusing that those who decry my claim to have knowledge of the subject frequently proclaim "Whilst I'm not an expert in the subject I'd just like to give you a pompous and patronising appraisal of your work".

 

anyway, enough talk of these types, they have their playground and we have ours !

[Barry O]

Now then, its mizzling here now so enough of depression!

 

Our milk is delivered by "Colin" in his transit van... however for Petes benefit Langley models did used to make a bow fronted milk float.I have one as I am daft enough to still build kits....If I can find it I will take a photo and add it on here...

 

back to weathering...

[Tony_S]

I have a milk float on my layout. It isn't from a kit but I did carefully remove it from its packaging. I'm not sure where to place it but crossing the bridge near the station with a bus and police car might look nice.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Tony_S