Early Risers.

[AndrewC]

18 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

Greetings all from LBG where it is now cloudy.

 

It was a relatively quiet weekend. I cooked Mexican Chilli Chicken with a salsa, rice and lettuce on Saturday and continue to try to help Younger Lurker ride a bike. It's hard work with a 10 year old who does not seem to have mastered the idea of balancing. I'd like him to use a bigger bike than the one he is using but that means using his elder brother's. And that might be too big. In other news Elder Lurker will soon be starting driving lessons. So if you're tempted to drive in the Sidcup area, be warned!

 

Quickly Googles, "Land Rover Bush Bars"

[81C]

2 hours ago, andyram said:

 

 

 

As regards the trade stand issue - the latest event I am referring to is for my own club's show and I have missed out on the promised pitch in favour of a non-club member! 

Andy maybe he was after a bung and the other chap coughed up.

[bbishop]

3 hours ago, andyram said:

 

Thanks for your comments and, as you correctly say, the brown stuff often happens. The photo caption issue is a simple mistake. It came at the same time as other stuff which made things very annoying but, like I have said, that particular issue has been sorted and great respect to Steve Flint for doing so in such a quick time.

 

As regards the trade stand issue - the latest event I am referring to is for my own club's show and I have missed out on the promised pitch in favour of a non-club member! 

 

Club or ex-club?  My guess is the exhibition manager is keeping you in reserve in case there is a last minute drop out.  Means there isn't a hunt for a substitute, but utterly inconsiderate to a club member.  I think I would walk out, as a very minimum, I would "forget" to pay next year's sub.

 

Bill

[grandadbob]

Good afternoon all,

Late on parade today. It's been a bit dull and dismal here with a couple of showers.

Yesterday's BBQ etc was a great success and a good time was had by all. One of the reasons for my late appearance here was the amount of clearing up needed this morning and I still haven't cleaned the BBQ. Also been busy sorting out my finances after paying a couple of large bills over the weekend. The good news is that no modelling tokens were hurt in the process - they are kept in a separate account.

Time for a cuppa and a biscuit  mince pie * I think,

Bob.

Edited September 16, 2019 by grandadbob
* The Boss has been baking

[Barry O]

T29...ah yes its a step up from the "Hundred"

 

Good start today for Yorkshire then.......carp!

 

Dr eldest herbet has zero balance and hand eye coordination.  He can't ride a bike and could only , with a bit of help, drive an automatic car.

 

Nil desperandum

Baz

Edited September 16, 2019 by Barry O

[Ian Abel]

moaning all...

Busy weekend it seemed, but got a lot done.

All rolling stock and locos boxed and moved to the new place, all additional items removed from layout boards, just need to break down the sections now and move them

Continued to build Mrs hobby room/office furniture, all looking good and she's well pleased with her choice.

 

Dinner yesterday with friends and Jemma, they are off to Scotland today, and Jemma was just deposited at the airport to return to Atlanta for the next step in training, procedural and then full motions sims this week!

 

Today back working <yawn>, and will be taking friends to the airport this afternoon.

 

Weather generally very nice here all weekend, a little warmer than we'd like yesterday, and this week also supposed to be warmer than seasonal.

19 and sunny out to the airport first thing, supposed to be 29 for a high

 

Enjoy the day.

[45156]

Why are car door mirrors so damned expensive - they used to be about £40.  This one was over six times that, and when I lost the one on the Peugeot, I was quoted over £400 to replace one "as it had a lot of electrics, the temperature sensor, and a repeater indicator in it", so that was an insurance job as the excess was £250.  I suppose I could have gone to the scrap yard, then got a back street garage to fit it, but I like things to work, and to have a guarantee with it.

[JohnDMJ]

3 hours ago, bbishop said:

 

Club or ex-club?  My guess is the exhibition manager is keeping you in reserve in case there is a last minute drop out.  Means there isn't a hunt for a substitute, but utterly inconsiderate to a club member.  I think I would walk out, as a very minimum, I would "forget" to pay next year's sub.

 

Bill

 

Or mis-calculate any discount you may offer the members in your shop!

[brianusa]

2 hours ago, 45156 said:

Why are car door mirrors so damned expensive - they used to be about £40.  This one was over six times that, and when I lost the one on the Peugeot, I was quoted over £400 to replace one "as it had a lot of electrics, the temperature sensor, and a repeater indicator in it", so that was an insurance job as the excess was £250.  I suppose I could have gone to the scrap yard, then got a back street garage to fit it, but I like things to work, and to have a guarantee with it.

 

The one on the RH side on my wife's Acura always suffers.  When it really got hurt, my local garage went to a scrapper and found one, same colour, $250, saving about $700 from an original replacement.

     Brian.

[The Stationmaster]

On 15/09/2019 at 09:55, AndyID said:

 

Hi Baz,

 

The US and the EU use different methods to determine octane ratings. For example EU 98 octane is equivalent to US 93 octane, which is what I put in my Fiat. It never "pinks" or rattles either. High octane petrol actually has a bit less energy by volume than low octane (more cetane) petrol but it's less likely to pre-ignite.

 

One advantage of adding ethanol to petrol is that it does reduce the tendency to pre-ignite so it's a good substitute for tetraethyllead.

 

My objection, whether we are in the US or Europe, is we are buying energy. We should be aware of how much energy we are getting for our money.

 

Andy

 

 

If your car has the necessary calculating software (if it can be trusted) or you decide to do the calculation for yourself any of us can easily work out how much energy we get for our money when it comes to cars, and really just about any other vehicle, because we know how much of it we use travel a particular distance (usually expressed as mpg of course).  That bit is relatively simple but of course if the USA is anything like the UK it won't  tell you how much energy you are getting for your money due to variations in price.  For example if I have brainstorm and buy diesel locally it will cost me (pre Saudi explosion) £1.35.9/litre, if I buy it at most outlets in Reading it will cost me £1.29.9/litre but if I go to one particular outlet it can be as cheap as  £1,24.7/litre and is normally about 9p/litre cheaper than it is locally.   

 

Past experience suggests that, with the exception of diesel bought at Tesco, ant y difference in the rate of consumption of diesel bought from various other outlets is completely irrelevant over the sort of mileage I drive.  The thing which very much effects 'the amount energy I get for my money' in terms of vehicle fuel is how much I have to pay for each litre of the fuel.  And with a price difference which can be as much as 9-11p/litre and can easily be 6p/ltre that can be measured in £s every time I buy getting on for 60 litres of fuel which is of course the bit when I an actually parting with money.

Edited September 16, 2019 by The Stationmaster

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I don't know where the day went but I've done nothing much today except the newspaper crossword and sudoku. Now to catch up on Farcebook, be back later.

[tigerburnie]

Evening all, SWMBO and her cousin have been shopping, so that left me free to do things, there was a whole lot of shredding going on, serious "G" word, several hours of hacking(I think the technical term is pruning, but not when I do it) has taken place and large quantities of single malt were prescribed as a pain reliever afterwards, that's the Mannochmore gone. Now on the Ardeg, Uigeadail to begin with, I then have Corryvreeckan to follow(miniatures) and then a 10 year old Ardeg, got a bargain from one of the local garden centres, they usually have some nice whiskies on sale, their plants aren't great, but the shop and the café are ok lol.

Did get a bit of muddling done, some station yard landscaping, lots of plaster bandage was laid, grassing and painting hopefully tomorrow.

G'night all

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, 45156 said:

Why are car door mirrors so damned expensive - they used to be about £40.  This one was over six times that, and when I lost the one on the Peugeot, I was quoted over £400 to replace one "as it had a lot of electrics, the temperature sensor, and a repeater indicator in it", ...

 

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

The one on the RH side on my wife's Acura always suffers.  When it really got hurt, my local garage went to a scrapper and found one, same colour, $250, saving about $700 from an original replacement.

I expect they will continue to increase in price as ADAS features are added.

 

Not only do they have the repeater indicators, but can also include vehicle proximity sensors and blind spot alert / lane change warning lamps and the electric motors to automatically fold them shut when parked. (The latter is a nice precaution for helping them not get knocked off accidentally.) All of them drive up the cost and then the parts industry adds their arbitrary markup.

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

If your car has the necessary calculating software (if it can be trusted) or you decide to do the calculation for yourself any of us can easily work out how much energy we get for our money when it comes to cars, and really just about any other vehicle, because we know how much of it we use travel a particular distance (usually expressed as mpg of course).  That bit is relatively simple but of course if the USA is anything like the UK it won't  tell you how much energy you are getting for your money due to variations in price.

 

 

Evening Mike,

 

It would be good if that were true but sadly we cannot get there from here. As you say, assuming you believe what your car tells you you can get a very good estimate of how many miles you get per gallon, and you can always do it the old way by keeping a log of miles traveled versus fuel purchased.

 

But that would only let you calculate how much energy your vehicle had used if you knew the specific energy of the fuel you had bought, but the petrol stations don't tell you what that is. You might assume it has a particular specific energy by looking up stuff on the Internet, but how many people are actually going to do that, and even if they did there is no guarantee that's what they are actually getting at the pump.

 

And that's my point. A gallon of Brand X can produce a different amount of thermal energy (which is what really makes your car go) from Brand Y, but how does the poor consumer compare Brand X with Brand Y if the suppliers don't put that information on the pumps? For example, some people seem to think there is more energy in "premium" gasoline but there isn't. There might even be less. That would become immediately clear if they had to post it on the pumps. Bet they won't

 

I'm sure a lot of people might think this is a bit "over the top" but I see it more as the thin edge of a wedge. I'm pretty sure oil corporations and governments are not exactly keen on educating consumers about basic energy facts.

 

Cheers!

Andy

 

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by AndyID
tyop

[Gwiwer]

After a difficult couple of days SWMBO's pain levels are increasing to the point where we are seriously considering a trip to the all-night walk-in centre.  It's not a 999 emergency but if pain prevents sleep - and we know why she is in pain - then we need something done.  That something will require surgery which is expected in November but may be necessary rather sooner.  

 

It could be a long night.

 

In other news there are many thumps, bumps and other noises coming from upstairs as the new neighbours move in.  A trio of female sports students; we know one is a lacrosse specialist and another a rugby coach.  Yes a female rugby coach.  Can't be a lot of those around.  You certainly don't get many to the pound!!!  Social interaction thus far has been a bit limited but it's early days.  

[The Stationmaster]

Evening all,

 

After a couple of days out it's back home for a bit of rest.  Today was a visit to the east end of London with out friend who lives in Ealing and this started with an explanatory trip over the Ealing & Shepherds Bush Railway, as it once was and which still boasts a few GWR station buildings in both excellent condition and GWR colours.  We carried on over the entire length of the former CLR plus part of its eastern extension to Bethnal Green where we alighted to explore various things before taking the 'bus to Cross Harbour on the Isle of Dogs where we had a pub lunch before heading on to Island gardens and the walk under the river to Greenwich.  At this point I varied our friend's original itinerary of a rail borne return into the West end and we instead travelled by boat to Westminster Pier; a trip I have not made for the better part of 60 years - things have changed an awful lot since then!   With herself rather tired we duly headed westwards although slightly delayed by 'something on the overhead lines' near Maidenehead.

 

Yesterday with the Tesco visit out of the way I join red the lad at the Great Cockcrow Railway near Chertsey where he is a regular volunteer.  now as these aren't toy trains and are (mostly) propelled by steam it is I feel safe to post some pictures so I'll start with the newest loco arrival at the railway although alas it was suffering a few teething problems so wasn't working trains.

 

Stopping with 'the' railway this loco is a regular and very powerful regular performer there -

 

But lesser railways are also represented -

 

And here's himself working the frame at Hardwick - the principal station, a 4 platform terminus with two departure routes.  The 23 lever frame here is a Westinghouse  L frame which used to be part of the 227 lever Crewe South Junction frame.  Although the railway is fully track circuited on all running lines trains are worked under Absolute Block Regulations although a PC based train describer is also in use from Hardwick to the next 'box, Everglades Junction to help keep track of trains and locos.

 

The Signalmen (four when all 'boxes are fully manned) plus the Crossing Keeper (who looks after a car park level crossing on the branch line) change over part way through the operating day so we made our way up to Cockcrow Hill where the railway has not only a return loop but a two platform y terminus between the Main Line to/from the loop.  Like the other 'boxes the 'box is set down into the ground which means trains are much nearer to the Signalman's eye level.  The chap visible in the first photo was the Controller who had attended following a loss of detection in the Down Main to platform lines crossover (attributed to heat expansion - white paint need), he is a member of RMweb but does visit this particular thread.  The other building, partly hidden by the signal box, is the relay room

 

The Railway Signal Co. 16 lever frame here is well used to being somewhat below ground level as it was originally at Waterloo on 'the Drain'. (aka the Waterloo & City line)  and it is now wholly electrically interlocked.  it is what is known as a knee frame and i'm sure they got that title because it was very difficult to avoid banging your knee against the frame when working the levers.

 

All in all a good day and well worth the drive there and back through some horrendous traffic.   so a nice bit of lever pulling and the detection failure added to the interest by providing some fault finding amusement and rectification work (the latter being delivered by careful application of toe, it's not too sensible to kick point switch rails in this gauge

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

10 minutes ago, AndyID said:

I'm pretty sure oil corporations and governments are not exactly keen on educating consumers about basic energy facts.

The evidence would suggest so. The story of Dr. Thomas Midgley Jr. and the marketing of TetraEthylLead (TEL) as an additive as "Ethyl" (rather than "Lead") suggests that they are perfectly willing to be less than fully transparent.

 

Midgley twice had to take leaves of absence to purge the lead from his body - the second time after he rinsed his hands in tetraethyleadand and breathed it's vapours for a full minute during a press conference to demonstrate how "safe" it was.  It is notable that even New Jersey officials were unconvinced.

[Coombe Barton]

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/09/16/sandys-treatment-day-272/

[The Stationmaster]

4 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

Evening Mike,

 

It would be good if that were true but sadly we cannot get there from here. As you say, assuming you believe what your car tells you you can get a very good estimate of how many miles you get per gallon, and you can always do it the old way by keeping a log of miles traveled versus fuel purchased.

 

But that would only let you calculate how much energy your vehicle had used if you knew the specific energy of the fuel you had bought, but the petrol stations don't tell you what that is. You might assume it has a particular specific energy by looking up stuff on the Internet, but how many people are actually going to do that, and even if they did there is no guarantee that's what they are actually getting at the pump.

 

And that's my point. A gallon of Brand X can produce a different amount of thermal energy (which is what really makes your car go) from Brand Y, but how does the poor consumer compare Brand X with Brand Y if the suppliers don't put that information on the pumps? For example, some people seem to think there is more energy in "premium" gasoline but there isn't. There might even be less. That would become immediately clear if they had to post it on the pumps. Bet they won't

 

I'm sure a lot of people might think this is a bit "over the top" but I see it more as the thin edge of a wedge. I'm pretty sure oil corporations and governments are exactly keen on educating consumers about basic energy facts.

 

Cheers!

Andy

Sorry but it tells you how much fuel your vehicle has used - end of.  Use a different fuel and you might get a different result which might or might not be significant in cost terms depending on the mileage you drive.  in everyday motoring terms the specific energy is irrelevant because all you are interested in is the mpg it delivers because that is where the cost is incurred.  i have no interest whatsoever in the impact of additives or the lack of them on the energy in the fuel except in the consequence of its affect on the mpg I achieve, my only interest is the far more basic one of what it costs me, or saves me per mile driven.

 

And the cost of the fuel per mile (and of course the impact of a particular style, and type, of driving) can influence that cost to a far, far, greater extent than a relatively low percentage of any particular sort of additive which is really only to likely have any impact if you do a very high mileage.  incidentally, on the advice of local diesel engine maintenance company I no longer buy diesel from Tesco because it has a far higher percentage content of biodiesel than is sold by most other retailers and it does not do well in older engines which are not tuned for the higher percentage of bio.  As it happened when I did use it had relatively little impact of performance and no perceptible impact on everyday fuel consumption - but it was cheaper per mile than 'ordinary' diesel simply because it cost less per litre (and in fact still does round here).

 

I can buy two different grades of diesel from Shell outlets one of which is claimed to offer greater economy in fuel (probably measured over something like 20,000+ miles per annum?) but I can get greater economy over any distance simply by going to a lower priced outlet.  And at the end of the day, and provided I'm not building up damage in the engine, what I am interested in is how many miles I can go on a litre of the stuff and how much it costs me and those are relative energy output measures which I can readily understand.

[Barry O]

Cricket watched.

Committee meeting attended

Mugadecaf to be drunk

Positive thoughts to all especially John & Sandy and Debs.

 

Goodnight all!

Baz

Ps moreasons petrol has 5% Ethanol added

[AndyID]

13 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

And at the end of the day, and provided I'm not building up damage in the engine, what I am interested in is how many miles I can go on a litre of the stuff and how much it costs me and those are relative energy output measures which I can readily understand.

 

Hi Mike,

 

Believe it or not we are actually saying the same thing. If you know the specific energies and the costs of the fuels you can buy it's easy to determine which one will give you the best MPG. All I'm trying to do is promote the radical concept that knowing the real energy content per volume might help consumers like us make the best decisions so we don't have to rely on a lot of wavy-arm marketing BS from major corporations who are more interested in profits than anything else.

 

Cheers!

Andy

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Tony_S]

Afternoon all.

Not well today. I won’t be attending the Captain’s cocktail party or the gala dinner tonight. I am much better than this morning and at least I didn’t have to be helicoptered off like a couple of poorly passengers this morning. Our cabin is near the  place where the winchman lands hand all the fire and crash crews muster in our corridor so we had to go and sit elsewhere. As soon as it was over    the housekeeping staff were busy cleaning up everything.  

Tony

[AndyID]

1 minute ago, Tony_S said:

Afternoon all.

Not well today. I won’t be attending the Captain’s cocktail party or the gala dinner tonight. I am much better than this morning and at least I didn’t have to be helicoptered off like a couple of poorly passengers this morning. Our cabin is near the  place where the winchman lands hand all the fire and crash crews muster in our corridor so we had to go and sit elsewhere. As soon as it was over    the housekeeping staff were busy cleaning up everything.  

Tony

 

Hope you are feeling much better tomorrow.

[brianusa]

51 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

Hi Mike,

 

Believe it or not we are actually saying the same thing. If you know the specific energies and the costs of the fuels you can buy it's easy to determine which one will give you the best MPG. All I'm trying to do is promote the radical concept that knowing the real energy content per volume might help consumers like us make the best decisions so we don't have to rely on a lot of wavy-arm marketing BS from major corporations who are more interested in profits than anything else.

 

Cheers!

Andy

 

I used to mention as we didn't drive very far, I was not concerned about fuel or its prices as its not all that expensive here.  If we commuted or travelled a lot then it would probably be different as my car averages about 18 MPUSG.

    Brian.