Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It is sunny here. I think the most exciting thing happening today is the shopping arriving.

My iPad updated last night and access to John’s blog and any other Wordpress sites has been restored. No idea why it had stopped and I won’t worry about trying to find out why. Thank you to everyone who confirmed it wasn’t a general Apple tablet problem. 
Bear’s desire for a FIA train twin reminded me that many years ago the late Gordon S entertained us on ERs with the saga of his FIA twins inability to go round curved track. The Bachmann versions I have don’t fall off even my wobbly track. 
Tony

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. As Tony said its bright and sunny even if its a bit windy. Now time to run a bath, be back later.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Bright and sunny here, in the northwest corner of England too, why wasn’t it like this yesterday? Not a great deal planned for this morning, Sheila is off to meet a couple of her Zumba friends for coffee, so I’m staying inside just in case the door bell rings, as we both have packages due in the very near future. This afternoon is sorted though, as Charlie will be dropping in for his weekly model making session. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[PeterBB]

Hellish windy overnight, potentially some sun now after a heavy shower or two.  Wish I didn't get distracted by ER blog as tax return still not completed.

 

Some lucky but probably also skilled pilots spectacular accidents.

 

Wordpress still works but the 30-day removal of spam still does not from a well known ISP provider.

 

Had a 'nut and bolt' construction set, suitable for 8+ years, 'compatible with other brands' Flying Scotsman to assemble - doesn't look too bad but did show up the big fingers and arthritic thumbs.

 

Things need doing but weather and mojo lack not helping.

[The White Rabbit]

Morning all. + 1 for the bright and sunny weather reports, though it was piddling down with much enthusiasm earlier. The seaweed oracles say it'll be dry for a while. Not much happening, some bits are hurting a bit so I've been trying to take things easy. I had some IT wobbles yesterday, lost a post here, it just vanished when typing what was going to be the last sentence. Not in the editor either. As it was a lengthy one, I didn't feel like typing it out again - I can't touchtype so it's a case of two fingers doing a double woodpecker impression. I also placed an order online which crashed near the end of the first attempt. Definitely pah and turdycurses territory. 

 

I had a little sort out yesterday, tried to accumulate similar things together and refresh my knowledge of what I have. In due course there will be various items offered for sale or taken to the charity shops. It would be nice to think I might also finish at least some half-complete projects, whether we're talking about modelling or organising photos. Plenty of unfinished business on both. 

 

And speaking of which, I'd better get on with something rather than sitting about talking about it. Hopefully it's carpe diem than diem perdidi...

[southern42]

' morning all from red dragon land.

Cold 5.5C. Cloudy but dry.

A quick catch up on previous pages.

 

Christmas with family went really well. Company excellent. Food excellent. Gifts superb. Christmas films excellent: The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Snowman, Minions, Penguins, and more...

Returned with a few unmentionable presies.

 

Shhhh! LNER markings onboard. (Walker & Hall of Sheffield)

Gifted from a LNER region resident!

 

Back to normal?

Bin Day notifications.

Calendar for the year clearly states: No Collection this week.

 

LETTER delivered a few days before Christmas clearly said: Ignore the Calendar. Waste will be collected on 27th.

Bins put out in usual place and...

Guess what! Come Tuesday, NO collection!

We will see if it is, after all, collected NEXT WEEK. 🤔

 

Time for a mugadecaf.

Keep safe. Be good. Go with the flow.

Polly

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Bear’s desire for a FIA train twin reminded me that many years ago the late Gordon S entertained us on ERs with the saga of his FIA twins inability to go round curved track. The Bachmann versions I have don’t fall off even my wobbly track. 
Tony

 

Bear had an invite to see Gordon S's layout (Eastwood Town) - he'd very kindly offered me some "Brilliant Baseboards" that were going spare (I already have some that are designated for "The Great Project"); the arrival of the WooFlu put that visit on hold and of course Gordon was taken ill (not with W.F.) and very sadly couldn't beat it.  A real shame - his posts were excellent and he had many friends & followers; sadly the loss of photos on RMWeb are a great loss to his thread.

 

In other news.....

Much filling of walls just above the stair stringers carried out - I'll need to leave it to harden overnight then see if there are any areas that need a second application due to the filler settling/sinking.  Din dins time now, then it'll be wood filler time.....

[DaveF]

This morning started dry and bright - the dryness didn't last and it has turned showery.

 

Yesterday was dull and dismal all day.  The bin men came as expected for the ordinary rubbish, one or two people were putting out their bin as the lorry came along the road.  As usual the bin wagon did its usual high speed reverse to the end of the road, round the blind corner - but he usually has one of the men standing nearby to wave if a car is coming.

 

The groceries also came.  I had a quick walk along local streets, a different way round just for a change, I got back just before the rain came.

 

The rest of the day passed quietly - I looked at car insurance quotes and found that the cheapest ones on comparison sites did not actually offer the cover I had specified, when I added things they were no longer cheap.  After a bit I rang the current company and got a discount so it has only gone up by the rate of inflation.  I renewed it even though I could have left it a bit longer as I saw no point in leaving it once I had made up my mind.

 

I looked up the expected delivery time of the book from Amazon and found it is delayed until today - not a problem as it is not urgent.

 

I also copied a lot of photos from my phone to the PC, sorted them out and worked on some so I can watch them on the TV in due course.   I did a little bit of work on a model building.

 

During the day I investiagtated why my Asda delivery pass has not renewed itself - on line help was no use so I spoke to a human being who told me they are having computer isseus and it should be done around 15th January.  Acccording to my account it has expired but still works.

 

Then there was the usual TV and books.  I enjoyed Vienna Blood.

 

David

 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Landrover wipers electrics played with , it appears the main socket / plug to the motor is not good. I need to find my bottle of iso, and clean it up.

 

Rudder sanded, got the half sheet sander out, that got It done. I've ordered a new tin of filler, and another of resin, but they don't come back from their hols til the 3rd Jan. A trial fit of the rudder on the boat seems good, next time we have a dry day I need to start fitting the rudder shaft bearings.

 

Doing that I noticed / remembered I'd not replaced the jockey wheel.

Jockey wheel on trailer replaced, not difficult, just a lump hammer needed to persuade the central pin to come out.

 

SWmBO is already talking of redoing the kitchen... We haven't really started the hall way yet☹️.

 

I'm not feeling that brilliant, so I endexed for the day..

Shortly I'll have a long soak in the bath, hopefully that will ease my ankle and elbow.

 

[jjb1970]

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Bear’s desire for a FIA train twin reminded me that many years ago the late Gordon S entertained us on ERs with the saga of his FIA twins inability to go round curved track. The Bachmann versions I have don’t fall off even my wobbly track. 
Tony

 

AS much as I love the FIA model, the Bachmann is a much better option for running on a layout. I seldom run my brass models as it gets to be a bit of a PITA to keep them in good running order. Not all brass is the same, I have a couple of Tenshodo Japanese electric locomotives (EF63 & EF81) which run beautifully and are trouble free. Overland US outline diesels are a lottery, some are almost bomb proof, others struggle to do a single circuit before starting to stutter and die. As a rule of thumb D&E are much easier ro keep working than steam, some steamers are a nightmare. Some companies have made brass hybrid models which put a brass body onto a regular RTR chassis and that seems an excellent compromise as you get most of the detail and finish of brass with the ease of operation and digital potential of a regular RTR model.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

The end of the year has brought about some unexpected peace and quiet at Dreyfus Towers. A landslip has closed the main road through our town until at least next week. The ground is still unstable, so it may take quite a bit of work to fix.

 

 

Nobody is hugely surprised, as you can see it is a narrow stretch of road, on quite a steep gradient. The cutting walls are steep and the matter has not been helped by the frequent pounding of heavy lorries - the road was resurfaced recently which sorted the ridiculous numbers of potholes. It is also the road from Dorking to Bognor, therefore one of the main roads to the south coast. Apart from some residential streets (already notorious rat-runs) and narrow country lanes to the east, there isn't any suitable by-pass for the numerous heavy lorries which use the road. They'll have to divert to the A24 or A272.

 

Fortunately the slip was late last night and nobody was injured. The houses to the right are unaffected and the half-timbered job on the left sits on a substantial rock base, so secure enough.

 

It does mean that there is very little passing us by - a temporary respite from the incessant traffic; this road runs right past our house...

[jjb1970]

Something that amuses me about brass models is how Ajin managed to kind of snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in some aspects of their mechanisms. Now I don't want to be too critical of Ajin as they were quite possibly the gold standard of brass manufacturers for quite a few years and produced models for many of the famous brass importers and sellers (perhaps most famously, Overland Models in the US). Their models were beautifully detailed and their factory paint was excellent too. It was Ajin that made the LMS twins for FIA. One of the advantages of brass is you can rest comfortably knowing your models are safe from mazak rot. Errr, no. Ajin used a gear box system with gears on each axle and a longitudinal drive shaft which was superb in avoiding the block effect of most D&E models in side elevation, looked at from below it was like traction motors on each axle. Unfortunately the gear boxes used mazak cases, and you guessed it, some models have failed because of mazak rot in these gear cases. And on the cardan shaft drive they used a plastic ball joint, these are notorious for splitting after a few years so the locomotive won't pull anything. You quite often see Overland diesels on EBay and other sales outlets sold as broken, when you read the description anyone familiar with the company will soon clock it just needs the ball joints replacing which is a quick fix. I must admit I've bought a couple of models for peanuts because of it, the former owners didn't realise it was a simple repair (or perhaps they did, but lacked the confidence to do it themselves and didn't know anyone to do it for them).

[New Haven Neil]

I don't recall who made that huge Alco C630 (?), but it has a Canon motor with twin flywheels, and runs very, very well indeed.  Perfect in fact, there is no criticism I could kevel at it, it is silent, you can hear every rail joint.

[New Haven Neil]

Oh, good morning (!) BTW, not too well, hurt my back.  No idea how, just huge lower spine pain when I move.  Buqqer.  Thankfully there are no orders today, we did a little shopping earlier, and it is horrible out, windy, cold, showers, general ughness.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

Dreyfus Towers. A landslip has closed the main road through our town until at least next week.

Ooooh.  A location I know very well but hadn't associated with Dreyfus Towers until now.  The A272 isn't ideal as a diversionary route because of its slightly sub-standard (by today's criteria) width and in places it's rather sinuous nature.  It is, however, a handy cross-country route though never a quick one.  Add to that the usual several-minutes wait at Buck Barn where the traffic lights rightly prioritise the busier A24 and you can spend half a day over a fairly modest trip from Petersfield across to Haywards Heath.  I wonder how many heavier vehicles might be tempted to use the road through Amberley and come unstuck at the low bridge there?  

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Despite having the heating on 24/7 my feet are like slabs of ice. I've had poor circulation for some years so I'm looking at getting a circulation booster but are they any good?

[Barry O]

Last night youngest Herbert bought me  a Baby Guinness Shot.. no wonder I felt a bit squiffy!  Baileys and Kahlua.. but boy did it stop my cough for a while...

 

 

Baz

Edited December 29, 2022 by Barry O

[Dave Hunt]

Thanks for the recipe Baz. Having fallen foul of the non-wuflu lurgy recently I could do with something to help. Just need the Kahlua.

 

Dave

[polybear]

3 hours ago, TheQ said:

SWmBO is already talking of redoing the kitchen... We haven't really started the hall way yet☹️.

 

 

We won't mention we told you so......

Ready to go back to work for a rest yet? 🤣

 

(Have you had any queries from work yet - "how does this work/where is/why won't......" etc.)

 

In other news.......

First pass at filling the woodwork; the new-ish tube of Ronseal wood filler didn't want to squeeze out, so in the end I used a titchy syringe to squirt water deep inside the tube then mixed it in the tube which seems to have worked well enough.  At least until the bluddy cap on the tube busted that is 😡 ; I've sealed the end using part of the cap plus a thin plastic sandwich bag.  I hate wood filler - it never seems to last long before it goes "off" in the tube/tub (despite being sealed); I have some (Ronseal?) stuff that's similar to Isopon Car Body Filler (smells like it too) that requires mixing - "Mix a bit the size of a golf ball plus hardener the size of a pea" says the instructions.  Ever tried that?  Bluddy stuff seems to harden about 5 minutes after you've mixed it - and before you get a chance to use much of it.  Fine for one screw hole, not so great for ten screw holes.

Yep, Rant.

[Dave Hunt]

7 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I hate wood filler - it never seems to last long before it goes "off" in the tube/tub (despite being sealed); I have some (Ronseal?) stuff that's similar to Isopon Car Body Filler (smells like it too) that requires mixing - "Mix a bit the size of a golf ball plus hardener the size of a pea" says the instructions.  Ever tried that?  Bluddy stuff seems to harden about 5 minutes after you've mixed it - and before you get a chance to use much of it.  Fine for one screw hole, not so great for ten screw holes.

Yep, Rant.

 

Ask yourself this PB: were I a manufacturer of wood filler, would I advise users to mix the minimum amount to do a job or lots more so that they soon need another tube? Also, should I make it to last for ages in the tube before going off or should I arrange things so that even if the user doesn't exhaust the tube for ages he still needs a new one?

 

Cynical - me?

 

Dave

[Barry O]

25 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Thanks for the recipe Baz. Having fallen foul of the non-wuflu lurgy recently I could do with something to help. Just need the Kahlua.

 

Dave

Could do with a jug of it now as the lurgy is doing me serious harm...... 

 

Baz

[Dave Hunt]

Baz,

 

You bring the Kahlua, I'll bring the Baileys and we meet at Birch services. Won't be able to drive home, of course, but will we care?

 

Dave

[polybear]

Words fail this Bear.......

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-64116668

 

Someone needs sacking for that one;  I can just imagine the compo claims if this was the USA

[Coombe Barton]

... Shifting stuff round to make room means that such room as seems to be available gets taken up and returns smaller than when I started ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/12/29/sounds-of-the-season-2022-23-33-data-still-absent-but-other-alarms-sounding/

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Words fail this Bear.......

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-64116668

 

Someone needs sacking for that one;  I can just imagine the compo claims if this was the USA

That sort of message could result in someone topping themselves.