Crime Prevention.........

[57xx]

It's not fair to use someone else's home address. I believe it was in Australia where some perps murdered an innocent home owner because the "dealer" they were after used his address on his car navigator. He lived a a couple of doors down.

 

Not being a dealer of any type, I'm really not worried about marauding gangs gunning down my innocent neighbours.   The point about using a post code is that it does not specify a unique address, rather a group of addresses.

[reevesthecat]

Considering a train shed later this year is a PVC double glazed door a better deterent for thieves or are the locks easier to get into?

Mark

[57xx]

Unless you go for a composite door, then UPVC doors are very easy to break in through. I think a sturdy wooden door would be a better bet.

[trisonic]

Not being a dealer of any type, I'm really not worried about marauding gangs gunning down my innocent neighbours.   The point about using a post code is that it does not specify a unique address, rather a group of addresses.

I think you missed the point. If you use someone else' address then the thieves may pay them a visit assuming that you are out. In many countries you cannot enter a "post code".

I should also add that the person murdered for simply answering his door also had absolutely no connection with the "dealer" that used his address in his car Navi/GPS or the people that murdered him. He was just a regular, innocent bystander that had his address used.

 

It is a sad fact of life that bad things happen to good people - like Jennifer in the other thread....

 

Best, Pete.

 

Edit: Sorry I wrote the original up a mountain in the Alleghenies now answered more thoroughly/

Edited April 14, 2013 by trisonic

[Grovenor]

I like the idea of using your local Police Station as get me home.

If it wasn't that they are closing most of the police stations!

Keith

[burgundy]

I have been on the lookout for security marker pens or smart water or whatever for a couple of weeks (having had a garden shed broken into). Where can you buy this sort of thing? Our local police force no longer provides this kind of kit. B&Q, Tesco and the Range all suggest each other (none of them do it). Does anyone have any suggestions please?

Many thanks

Eric    

[smokebox]

A locksmith may have marking pens.

[shortliner]

Nave you looked at Ebay????

[TheQ]

I have been on the lookout for security marker pens or smart water or whatever for a couple of weeks (having had a garden shed broken into). Where can you buy this sort of thing? Our local police force no longer provides this kind of kit. B&Q, Tesco and the Range all suggest each other (none of them do it). Does anyone have any suggestions please?

 

Many thanks

Eric    

 

Google!!!

lots available

The Q

[burgundy]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I have looked on line, but, having never bought these items before, I would quite like to have a look at some before buying. Naively, I had assumed that they would be available somewhere in a decent sized retail park. Evidently not.

Best wishes

Eric     

[KevinWalsh]

In light of Jenny Emily's recent unpleasant experiences and with my professional experience (I am a trading Locksmith) I would like to advise anyone planning on using a shed for their layout and workshop get them fitted with a good quality solid wood door complete with similar quality wood frame/surround and for securing the door use a 5 lever mortice lock as well as a serious padbar http://www.locksonline.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Chubb_7009_Padbar.html  and shackle lock http://www.locksonline.co.uk/acatalog/Squire_ASWL1_ASWL2.html . I have no connection with the company who's website these links take you to, I just use them as an example of the type I recommend using. Also if you have any concerns contact your nearest locksmith for a survey, most of us happily provide this service free of charge.

[Cyberspice]

In light of poor Jenny's news I'm going to be gluing RFID tags in to each of my locos.

[Jenny Emily]

The shed door is getting replaced this week by one built from solid wood floorboarding. 

 

I am building a metal cage inside the shed to stop the walls being kicked through. It's going to be made from square section metal tubing that is the remains of the legs and supports of my Father's old Hornby Dublo exhibition layout. I'm going to brace it across the floor to make it stronger. 

 

Another point worth noting is that I have identified that the roof could be a weak spot on most sheds. I reinforced mine with two substantial A frames, but given the force used to smash through the door, I have decided that it would be prudent to use some coachbolts to thoroughly secore the roof to both the A frames and the shed walls. This should stop some-one from just ripping the roof off at a corner to gain entry. 

 

I like the idea of tagging all my stock. Before anything ever goes back into the shed I'm going to tag everything. I want a two-pronged approach with hidden ID as well as something visible on the underside to make ownership by me obvious. 

[5 C]

In my earlier post on this thread, I mentioned about the Immobilise register: www.immobilise.com

 

In addition to regsitering your valuables on the site (which is free) they also sell a range of tagging and marking products including microdots and security stickers which are probably most suitable for our purposes.  https://www.immobilise.com/view.php?stage=category

 

Sale of these items is one of the ways the free aspect of the register is funded.

 

Usual disclaimers apply. I'm just a free user of the site with dozens of my valuables registered.

 

Andy

[The Evil Bus Driver]

The shed door is getting replaced this week by one built from solid wood floorboarding. 

 

I am building a metal cage inside the shed to stop the walls being kicked through. It's going to be made from square section metal tubing that is the remains of the legs and supports of my Father's old Hornby Dublo exhibition layout. I'm going to brace it across the floor to make it stronger. 

 

Another point worth noting is that I have identified that the roof could be a weak spot on most sheds. I reinforced mine with two substantial A frames, but given the force used to smash through the door, I have decided that it would be prudent to use some coachbolts to thoroughly secore the roof to both the A frames and the shed walls. This should stop some-one from just ripping the roof off at a corner to gain entry. 

 

I like the idea of tagging all my stock. Before anything ever goes back into the shed I'm going to tag everything. I want a two-pronged approach with hidden ID as well as something visible on the underside to make ownership by me obvious. 

Blimey that sounds like it was some layout...

 

This may sound a little bit extreme* but have you thought about making an outer skin and filling the void with concrete? Only needs to be about 2 inches out, then you could use regular shed type walls. Also are there any windows in your shed? You could also have an outer pane made of plastic that way if the dead scrotes that did all that damage tried to throw anything through the window it would just bounce off.

 

 

*Extreme? Me? Never!

Edited April 20, 2013 by The Evil Bus Driver

[AyJay]

I'm planning to have an 'Outdoor room' constructed in my garden this year, think I'll check with the manufacturers to ask about it's resistance to attack.  May also ask about having a floor anchor so that I have something to secure a filing cabinet /bicycles to.

[bourneagain]

I know it sounds a silly question with using these UV marker pens – what happens if you move house or when you or your next of kin dispose of your security marked stock, if it contains your post code?  I did read that it can`t be removed, that`s the whole point of marking your property in the first place.

I suppose that if you do convert an outbuilding into a layout room, the golden rule is not to let anybody know what’s in there, especially hard if you have children or grand children, as word soon gets around. In my first house I had a layout in the garage and my 2 off spring were growing up. But it didn`t take very long before they were telling all their friends that their Daddy has got a big railway layout in their garage, fortunately nothing untoward happened, but it did worry me.

I watched a Crime Watch type TV Programme some time ago where a “converted” Burglar was saying that one of the biggest deterrents he experienced was see a BEWARE OF THE DOG sign on a property, even better to see some evidence of a dog living there such as a kennel or a large water bowl, but big bones no, that’s a giveaway.  Even though he almost certain that there was no dog living there, he wouldn`t take that chance to burgle the property, as some dogs just sit quietly and would let you in, but not let you out.

[Baby Deltic]

I purchased a Yale battery alarm system with wireless PIR and door sensors for less than 100 quid. I will fit this to my layout shed once it is insulated and lined in the spring. I also have solar powered spotlights in the garden with PIR motion sensor so if someone were lucky enough to climb over my fence, they may well be spotted because my property is well overlooked from surrounding properties. A high fence all round the garden is a must. I'm lucky because my garden is higher than the surrounding ground so it gives the fence height a boost. You could always plant some 'unsavoury' plants in areas where there is cover for intruders climbing over the fence. The sound of them landing on said plants should give ample warning of their presence to you or your neighbours.

[ruggedpeak]

 The point about using a post code is that it does not specify a unique address, rather a group of addresses.

Not always.

[TheQ]

I must admit my garden has only one side fenced, and the house forms part of that. one other side has a hawthorn hedge you could walk through in places, once you've walked through the neighbours garden. The rest all 400 yards of it, and round the neighbours house is open fields at the moment very muddy. My border hedges, were allowed to grow out into trees by the previous owners so there are large gaps these days though I'm working on that. The gaps are normally filled with nettles!! Being replaced by Rosa Ruggosa or Berberis both very thorny.

 

As for security on the shed, living in one of the lowest crimes areas in the country helps and few venture down our road to nowhere, criminals like to be able to escape and it's 4 miles down mostly single track roads, to the nearest A road.

 

The shed is double glazed, the outer with plastic, the inner with 110 year old, Reclaimed from the house, old sash glass paned windows. Inside that are solid wooden shutters. Whilst the above was to insulate the shed the shutters are also used to hide the lighting at night as it would shine out over several miles. So coming through the windows is unlikely.

 

The back door (for emergencies ) is two layers of solid wood, heavy framed with insulation inside. Three heavy stainless concealed hinges and as well as its Yale lock, there drop bolts top and bottom normally engaged.

 

The back wall, roof and side walls are wood / insulation / wood and then covered outside with fibreglass.The layout will be on the framing that connects floor walls and the roof.

 

The front walls are PVC cladding / insulation / wood. All the walls are then backed by the layout and or heavy wooden shelving. Even much of the roof has storage built in

 

The front door is a heavy double glazed old sliding patio door now on hidden huge farm gate pivots so it doesn't hinge where you'd expect. It's mounted in 4x4 heavy timber posts, There are five lever locks mounted in the frame for which you need specially made long keys as they are behind the cladding and buried well into the wood.

 

The glass is in the process of being " stained " with GWR, MSWJR, " Ludgershall change for Tidworth, and some rough collies ( see avatar) so difficult to see through but lets light in.

 

The neighbour has a dog which barks if anyone walks on their gravel drive and paths. Though the lot in the avatar are no longer with us you can guess what SWMBOs interest is. If I bark I might get attention over others....

 

Yes you could break onto my shed, a chainsaw would probably required to get through on minmum of two feet of wall and layout. But even that may well have problems with the layers of different materials.

 

My railway stock will be postcoded they only way I'm leaving here is in a box.

 

Is there anything I've missed?

[teaky]

Smart water?

[Jenny Emily]

Another good idea is don't leave any crates or boxes loose in your shed that crims can use to haul your stuff away in. I've locked all plastic crates away in a lock-up area under the baseboards. Remember, a crate being full of old paints won't stop crims - they'll just empty out the paints and reload with your stock.

[DCB]

Recent experience shows changing couplings, repainting roofs or total repaints, weathering and modifications except fitting DCC dramatically reduce the value of stock when offered second hand.   I don't think I possess any model locos which have not been modified.   A flintstone mod I used was marking all my stock with a D for David  in Pentel correcting fluid on the bottom of my stock when I ran it on father in laws layout.

 

Micro dots are fine but attaching maybe 400 is going to get tedious

 

Hi Jenny

I hope they got the ******** who nicked your stuff.

Anyway I have had a few projects going which include a 3rd rail powered 6 Car pullman unit with 2 motors in the middle coaches ( 1 in each coach ) aswell as building locos that look like Flying Scotsman but have 8 driving wheels instead of 6.

Mountain Class 4-8-2 63293.jpg

 

 

I think you identified why Herbert Gresley developed the A4 streamlined front end.    You can't make an A3 type 4-8-2 look good, the boiler is ether too long to steam or too short in relation to the wheelbase and the leading drivers are under the smokebox.  Any attempt to do so looks hideous.    (See Thompson's A2s)      However the A4 / P2 looks good and the P2 casing could easily have been lengthened to accommodate 80" drivers and a leading bogie.
But well done for making something different.  Every time I build something different Bachmann announce they are doing one.

Edited August 19, 2016 by DavidCBroad

[Jenny Emily]

About a week ago I finally got around to buying and fitting a CCTV system. Maplin had a special deal on, and we got a Swannlink 1080P camera kit. It's a base unit that can take up to eight cameras, but comes with four to get you going. I mounted them all on the house, getting coverage of front, side and back of the house including good coverage of the outside of the shed where the model railway is.

 

The kit was £319, and had everything to get set up. I now hate my loft, as it is dirty and cramped under the eaves, but I got the cables through over the tops of the wall by sliding conduit bought from B&Q in from the outside then feeding the cables through from the inside. It can record up to 120 days of footage, but seems to trigger a recording only when movement is detected. This is quite sensitive, and the wind moving trees in the garden is triggering this. I can view the live feed from several computers in the house, as well as through the base station and even through the other half's smartphone, which was invaluable for setting the way the cameras pointed and what they saw by taking the phone up the ladder with me and adjusting the cameras there and then with instant feedback on the screen of what they could see.

 

It is very enlightening to see the things that go on. Within two days we had amusing footage of a driver parking their car without applying the handbrake, then chasing it down the street as it rolled away! It also, more importantly, caught the scrote-spawn who were throwing stones at our conservatory roof. We've known for a while that something was depositing small rocks on the roof, and occasionally we would hear the clatter, but never saw the cause. Today we heard the clatter and found the rock, and had the bright idea of looking at the recording. Low and behold, two local goblins were there, picking their moment, launching the rocks and running away. Unfortunately for them the camera saw it all, and in a high enough definition to not only see their faces clearly, but record them running back to a house up the road which was just visible in the top of frame of one of the front cameras. The footage is being passed to the local PCSO who no doubt will remind their parents of just who will be footing the bill for any damage caused. No wriggle room for denial either.

 

No other serious issues, and I hope that the mere presence of the cameras will deter the career scum from trying anything. The cameras also have brilliant night-time vision.

 

For the price I cannot recommend the system more highly.

[57xx]

Jenny, what's the night vision like on that setup? I really need to get round to getting one to cover my workshop.