Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Overslept this morning but only by about 15 minutes but it meant I missed the weather forecast. I was woken by the council workers giving the hedges alongside my property a shave, completely the wrong time of year to do it. At least the sparrows are already moving back in, they were a bit premature last week due to the unseasonal warm weather.  GDB reminded me that I'll  have to order a base to be laid for a new garden shed. The old one is now in a state of collapse and its position at the bottom of the garden is far from perfect.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

I'm not at all sure what happened to yesterday but here I am today.  GDB when you say 'dismantle' the layout I hope you mean exactly that - when we were clearing pout mum & dad's bungalow I told the lad to 'dismantle the layout framework' (all good quality planed 2x1 with good tight joints and very few nails holding it together) and came back an hour or so later to find a pile of kindling - you have been warned.

 

Chris - glad to hear the Antipodean trip went so well and welcome home,  I trust your depleted budget will extend to a Railex visit?  And apologies to Jamie but I haven't yet been able to get down to the big shed to search out the beast due to various other things occupying my time - such as a collapsing fence - but it is not forgotten.

 

 No plans for today although the weather might mean having to convey herself to the chiropractor's establishment.

 

Have a good day one and all

[grandadbob]

Mike, the layout boards will come out in four sections (they are all bolted together) and will probably be re-used although one is a bit narrow but I may be able to use that for the entrance flap. (No more GDBs ducking under to get in!) However the track etc is another matter because it was never envisaged that I would be removing it and also the layout size will be increasing from 7'6" x 7' to about 14' x 8'.  I'll try to salvage the points but they are insulfrog and I'm thinking of changing to electrofrog. (If I can get my head round wiring them and please don't everybody tell me how easy it is. I am a complete numpty when it comes to things like that. This includes installing point motors which I don't currently use but bearing in mind the increased size I think I'll have to)

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by grandadbob

[roundhouse]

Good morning from a wet and breezy Surrey. Very different to yesterday when I had a day out in St Albans. train via Clapham Junction and Watford Junction to the Abbey station then a walk to a new pub for me before heading to other ones previously visited. Got to City station for the journey home only to be told that my ticket wasn't valid from there despite looking up on national rail that showed going to City station then walking to Abbey station. However they let me through the barriers.  Usual farce on GTR - just before our train was due there was a platform change but as the passengers including me went to go up the footbridge there was a train previously cancelled  now showing as stopping so waited for that but it went through fast so a mad dash over the footbridge and just caught the replatformed one. This happens a lot on this route according to numerous people I worked with / my other half works with.

 

met my other half in the Jerusalem tavern in Farringdon, an excellent St peters brewery olde world pub. from there it was home.

 

This morning I have started my first decoder installation for some one. Easy doing the decoder but the bi colour factory fitted LED's a bit more tricky so email gone off to client with options before I commence the work. other work likely to materialise in the next week or so. meanwhile I ma upgrading the pick ups on a loco that I found hiding on the shelves and have decided to keep it and finish it. Just need to see if I have enough Florida East Coast Railway decals.

 

Glad to see Baz and Chris both back and getting over the flights. Our trans pond flights recently booked for the Summer Just need to do the internal flight and Amtrak journeys

[roundhouse]

1 minute ago, grandadbob said:

  I'll try to salvage the points but they are insulfrog and I'm think of changing to electrofrog. (If I can get my head round wiring them and please don't everybody tell me how easy it is. I am a complete numpty when it comes to things like that. This includes installing point motors which I don't currently use but bearing in mind the increased size I think I'll have to)

 

 

 

Its dead eas….

 

Just bear in mind Peco are now starting to convert their turnouts to the Unifrog types. I have two bullhead versions but yet to try them out.

[grandadbob]

Ian, I've got Unifrogs for the O gauge plank but I've only found large radius in OO so far. It may be too long a wait for me but I was going to phone them up to see if they know when the smaller radii are likely to reach the market.

[81C]

Morning All 

Last night youngest daughter asked if I would drop her at Heathrow 4th April "that's Ok" I said, 4am in the morning" that's a pee take I said".

I asked Her to get the details for the return flight from Cuba in May so I can book the Bloc hotel & the valet parking why do I waste my breath.

Today we are jointing the happy throng and shopping at Sainsburys that if I can get into the hideous carpark with the car then find a space to park it. 

I can see it's going to be a fun packed day I'd wish I stayed in bed and said I don't feel well. 

                                                                                                                                                                          enjoy your day must get on M.Y. Brainurts 

[JohnDMJ]

12 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

Its dead eas….

 

Just bear in mind Peco are now starting to convert their turnouts to the Unifrog types. I have two bullhead versions but yet to try them out.

 

Why is it that no other manufacturer of track seems to suffer the problems of Peco's frogs?

 

Without Peco's track systems, there would be no need for frog juicers or autofrogs as I see it! Am I missing something?

[81C]

GDB Plan your layout before you purchase track you need to go for the largest points that will fit to avoid the train set look.

Peco do templates for their track on-line.

[grandadbob]

We Lidled earlier and The Boss was reasonably happy although "We'll still have to go to Sainsbury's.  I was happy because I found Tribute at £1.25 a bottle, peanuts at half the price of KP and I think they're just as good if not better, some rope to hang myself to tie together my ladders and tarpaulins to create a new temporary shed and a doormat for the new building!

Things are progressing although I still haven't got my revised quote but if the phone call I've had is right it will be over £500 cheaper. Now that will be a result if true!

Edited March 6, 2019 by grandadbob

[The Lurker]

17 hours ago, AndyB said:

After listening for 5 hours to the speech by the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Keqiang, listing all their amazing achievements in 2018, tens of millions of new jobs, thousands of miles of new high-speed railway etc etc  the one fundamental question lay unanswered....

 

Where the hell can you buy decent, proper, Chinese chips these days!?!? 

This has been worrying us at work.

Well,  the CFO and myself, at least. 

 

Time was when a Chinese chip was a crisp, savoury entity made in a wok. A naughty but delightful thing. Ideal after, for example, a beer festival.

Now it seems they have simply replicated the British chip in a "me too" culinary exercise. This was the one time it was not a good idea to replicate western technology!

So, does anyone know an enclave where the real thing is still made?

In due course we may need a national survey to chart the demise of this. I'

 

And surely with a name like Keqiang this man must surely be wise to a good capitalist wheeze if he opened up an old-school Chinese chippy chain. 

 

BTW the diet is going ok, but I may be getting a bit obsessed by forbidden fruits!     

 

Hings in Sidcup, cracking chips and curry sauce, so good they remind of the ones I used to eat as a student from the Golden Harvest in Kingsley Park Terrace (Leeds)

[grandadbob]

REEESSSSSSUULLLLTTTT!  The shed will be £656 cheaper than originally quoted. Now I wonder what I can spend that on? 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a grey LBG. Glad to have Chrisf and BarryO back in our midst.

 

Not huge amounts to report though I appear to have hurt my knee by overextending my leg; It feels like a bad twist and now hurts everytime I twist my leg slightly. It had almost got better since I did it last week but today seems to be giving me jip again.

 

Best wishes to all,  particularly those who are suffering or who are missing in action

[AndyB]

Got home last night to learn that I will be required to take my eldest to a pop concert in London. 

Option 1 would be to wait outside while she and her mate go in. But for a number of reasons - which you can probably imagine - I'm none too comfortable with that idea. 

So Option 2 is to pay the additional  £70 and sit through 3 hours of carp. I may buy some cheese to shove in my ears. 

[JohnDMJ]

1 hour ago, AndyB said:

Got home last night to learn that I will be required to take my eldest to a pop concert in London. 

Option 1 would be to wait outside while she and her mate go in. But for a number of reasons - which you can probably imagine - I'm none too comfortable with that idea. 

So Option 2 is to pay the additional  £70 and sit through 3 hours of carp. I may buy some cheese to shove in my ears. 

Who is giving the 'concert'?

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, AndyB said:

Got home last night to learn that I will be required to take my eldest to a pop concert in London. 

Option 1 would be to wait outside while she and her mate go in. But for a number of reasons - which you can probably imagine - I'm none too comfortable with that idea. 

So Option 2 is to pay the additional  £70 and sit through 3 hours of carp. I may buy some cheese to shove in my ears. 

There are plenty of nice railway related thingys to visit whilst in London.   I once had to take my other half and two friends to a Cliff Richard concert. A very pleasant evening was spent heading to Leicester from Nottingham and watching trains, before going back to pick them up.

 

Jamie

[Ian Abel]

HUMP day.. <muffled yay>

Yesterday replete with internet outages as the provider continues to "upgrade" the lines around here.

I've determined it's a "questionable" upgrade given they are supposed to be switching over to fiber, BUT, even though they are working on the lines up to and including the distribution drops, they've not changed a single line from the distribution points to the individual homes - how does THAT work?? It's still coax to my demarcation point from the pole/junction box, so surely that's a bottleneck/throttling point?

I'm sure all will become clear if/when they decide to CHARGE for the new improved speed  probably have to PAY for the privilege of higher speed to individual homes!

 

Work sporadic due to network outages, very annoying when you suddenly discover you're no longer "connected"!!

 

Oh well - tonight the choir sing at the Ash Wednesday service, other than that a peaceful day in store.

 

Tally ho...

[81C]

3 hours ago, grandadbob said:

REEESSSSSSUULLLLTTTT!  The shed will be £656 cheaper than originally quoted. Now I wonder what I can spend that on? 

Coffee's and sarnie's on you Saturday then.

 

3 hours ago, The Lurker said:

 

 

 I appear to have hurt my knee by overextending my leg; It feels like a bad twist and now hurts every time I twist my leg slightly. It had almost got better since I did it last week but today seems to be giving me jip again.

 

 

Wuss.

[grandadbob]

9 minutes ago, 81C said:

Coffee's and sarnie's on you Saturday then.

 

 

I can do that!   In other news I have deposited my deposit for the shed and am now awaiting a delivery date which will hopefully be in about 3 or 4 weeks time.

Edited March 6, 2019 by grandadbob

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, Ian Abel said:

HUMP day.. <muffled yay>

Yesterday replete with internet outages as the provider continues to "upgrade" the lines around here.

I've determined it's a "questionable" upgrade given they are supposed to be switching over to fiber, BUT, even though they are working on the lines up to and including the distribution drops, they've not changed a single line from the distribution points to the individual homes - how does THAT work?? It's still coax to my demarcation point from the pole/junction box, so surely that's a bottleneck/throttling point?

I'm sure all will become clear if/when they decide to CHARGE for the new improved speed  probably have to PAY for the privilege of higher speed to individual homes!

 

Work sporadic due to network outages, very annoying when you suddenly discover you're no longer "connected"!!

 

Oh well - tonight the choir sing at the Ash Wednesday service, other than that a peaceful day in store.

 

Tally ho...

Ooh, a tech question I can sort of answer (well tell you more about if I'm honest).  What you seem to be getting is what BT call FTTC - which translates as 'Fibre To The Cabinet'.  This means the connection from the exchange to the final distribution cabinet is converted to fibre optic cabling then at the cabinet the signal is converted into an electrical signal over the final copper link to your house.  What this means is that there is far greater and faster capacity between the exchange and the cabinet and - depending on how far you are from the cabinet - it also means the speed of your connection will increase (or can be increased, see below).  The link below will no doubt explain it all far better than I can.

 

What BT actually do is offer you a faster speed if you pay a bit extra (the package comes with other things as well, if you want them) and judging by our experience you do get a definite and noticeable speed increase.    But speed probably increased a bit anyway just because of the fibre connection and my neighbour finds it quite adequate with two computers online using one for skype etc and the other for writing programmes working to/from this employer's main site.

We are about 180 yards from the cabinet so the signal is coming over pair in a multicore copper cable to the telegraph pole by our gate and from there about 50-60 feet to our router so not a long distance coming via a copper connection.

 

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/guides/fibre-fttc-ftth-broadband-guide

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The local council are having a real go at cutting back hedges and other plantings around the town. Problem is that they are removing all the new buds so reducing the potential food for birds and other wildlife.

[tigerburnie]

27 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The local council are having a real go at cutting back hedges and other plantings around the town. Problem is that they are removing all the new buds so reducing the potential food for birds and other wildlife.

They'll have a bit of money left in last years budget and will just blow it on anything as next years budget requires them to have spent all of this years, yet another hair brained civil servants brain f@rt.

[New Haven Neil]

Evening.  Today was one of those when a one hour job at work took four......sometimes life's like that.

 

Very wet evening here, the koi are swimming around the lawn by the look of it!

[JohnDMJ]

20 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Evening.  Today was one of those when a one hour job at work took four......sometimes life's like that.

 

Very wet evening here, the koi are swimming around the lawn by the look of it!

 

Whilst keeping very coy about it and not carping on, I hope?

[New Haven Neil]

12 minutes ago, JohnDMJ said:

 

Whilst keeping very coy about it and not carping on, I hope?

 

Badoom-tish!