Kirkby Luneside

[Physicsman]

Jeff,

 

Did you make the oak tree?

 

I'm afraid the answer to that one is "no". I've made smaller trees, and intend to get round to some large wire-wound trees one day. But the oak was a 15cm specimen I bought from The Model Tree Shop, as were the birch and sycamores on KL2.

 

Very reasonably priced and excellent service. Recommended.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

Rob, I love the "Informative/Useful" like you've given me.

 

What you really mean - and I agree - is that I'm a bull5hitter of the first-order!!!!!

 

Jeff

[teaky]

Sorry, couldn't resist ticking Agree on that one! 

 

"Useful/informative" seemed like the best option since there isn't a "suit yourself then and I'm going off in a huff" button.

(Yes, I am joking.)

[BWsTrains]

I'm afraid the answer to that one is "no". I've made smaller trees, and intend to get round to some large wire-wound trees one day. But the oak was a 15cm specimen I bought from The Model Tree Shop, as were the birch and sycamores on KL2.

 

Very reasonably priced and excellent service. Recommended.

 

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

 

can't agree here, see attached comparisons. Rather poor representations in my book. Despite some protestations that oaks should be open, the real things have very dense foliage with only limited glimpses of sky visible, I have a 30m example in my back yard!

 

Colin

 

 

edit: for typos

Edited November 5, 2017 by BWsTrains

[Physicsman]

Hi Colin.

 

I'm no tree expert and, to be honest, I know very little about the subject. As long as a "tree" gives a representation of a tree, I'm happy.

 

You clearly have first-hand experience, so I'll trust your judgement.

 

The Model Tree Shop Oaks were supplied with a continuous canopy - no gaps - which I thought was OTT. I opened mine out with scissors to give a better representation of what I perceived to be a youngish (all relative) 10 metre tree.

 

Here's my pic, along with 2 English Oaks of different ages. It's clear that the older the tree, the more impenetrable the canopy - as in your case.

 

 

 

 

Jeff

[BWsTrains]

Jeff,

 

yours in situ looks a lot better than in their promo shot! Can't complain about how it turned out for you.

 

Colin

[Anotheran]

Then I made a couple of discoveries... a couple of loco boxes loaned to me by Jason - containing a 25/3 and a 08.

 

Very kind of Jason to loan you the boxes, but you need to be careful using them to put your locos into. You might inadvertently give him the locos when you return the boxes

[Anotheran]

But a much more serious comment, though I may be too late...

 

The join in your setts is likely to take a lot of filling and weathering to hide. Maybe if there was a drain like the one suggested by teaky it would be down the centre in an area as wide as that. That may be easier to fashion than making good the join to give a seamless finish. Of course, I'm not saying that from a position of experience. Just having seen all of your Das work for walls I wouldn't have thought a channel would present too big a challenge.

 

It's great to see trains on the layout. Some of the pictures you've got are close to perfection, and very hard to point to elements that would give it away as a model. I hope you do find someone that can do some of your steamers for you. That's the only thing I miss in the thread from the old KL/KL2... the regular sight of a 4F.

 

Kind regards, Neil

[Physicsman]

But a much more serious comment, though I may be too late...

 

The join in your setts is likely to take a lot of filling and weathering to hide. Maybe if there was a drain like the one suggested by teaky it would be down the centre in an area as wide as that. That may be easier to fashion than making good the join to give a seamless finish. Of course, I'm not saying that from a position of experience. Just having seen all of your Das work for walls I wouldn't have thought a channel would present too big a challenge.

 

It's great to see trains on the layout. Some of the pictures you've got are close to perfection, and very hard to point to elements that would give it away as a model. I hope you do find someone that can do some of your steamers for you. That's the only thing I miss in the thread from the old KL/KL2... the regular sight of a 4F.

 

Kind regards, Neil

 

Hi Neil.

 

No, you're not too late - I've done no work on the setts since the last pics. I've sent the last 2 days analysing 120Gb of moon images, taken on Saturday/Sunday evening (down to -4C on Monday morning when I finished at the telescope). More on the way in the early hours of tomorrow morning, so your comment is timely.

 

Given the way the Wills sheets go together, a central drainage channel might well look very good. And I could sand down the centre, to - say - 1mm on either side of the edge of each sheet to create it. With a drain hole every so often along the centre line. I'll see what can be done.

 

As for 4Fs, yes, I love them too. Here's 4 pics from the KL period:

 

 

 

 

 

 

How's your lad doing? I hope he's not still traumatised from meeting that strange man in Gnosall!!??

 

Jeff

Edited November 7, 2017 by Physicsman

[Anotheran]

As for 4Fs, yes, I love them too. Here's 4 pics from the KL period:

 

100_4109.JPG

 

100_4114.JPG

 

100_4115.JPG

 

100_4118.JPG

 

 

How's your lad doing? I hope he's not still traumatised from meeting that strange man in Gnosall!!??

 

Lovely locos!

 

Lewis still refers to the man who called himself an idiot for spending all that time on individual Das stones. He found it very amusing, particularly as I told him that you used to be a teacher!

 

Sadly, while he loves it when we get the trains out it's for the running and not for the modelling. His modelling at the moment is very solidly Lego and Meccano. But that's probably a good thing as I'm getting absolutely no time at the moment for mine and I'd only get jealous if he was able to get some done! So I need to work out how to find some time to put some things together with the excuse that all three of the kids can then use them when they play trains. Trainset rather than model, but at least I can then start getting something done.

 

Kind regards, Neil

[Donw]

Jeff the other option for setts is a camber. In an enclosed yard you need a drain but if there is soil grass ash or something permeable along the sides you can use a camber to let water run off the sides. Mind you if the Wills sheets won't flex a camber is out!

Oaks vary a lot the ones grown in open fields tend to be shorter and wider as they get plenty of light. In a copse they may grow taller as they compete for the light. We do a ot of walking in woods with the dogs tres are fascinating. Yours looks very acceptable to me.

Don

[P.C.M]

Hi Jeff,

Nice to see a few trains on the layout it's good to have a play now and  then, as much as I like those type 2s the 4fs look superb always a bit of a favourite of mine.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Physicsman]

Hi Jeff,

Nice to see a few trains on the layout it's good to have a play now and  then, as much as I like those type 2s the 4fs look superb always a bit of a favourite of mine.

 

Cheers Peter.

I'd completely forgotten how nice 4Fs, and weathered steam locos in general, look until Neil's comment.

 

It adds a touch of (relative) urgency to having a few running on KL2.

 

What next, Peter? 4Fs and Black 5s on Llanbourne?

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

Following on from the discussion about drainage on the granite setts....

 

Neil's comment about the amount of filling required along the centre line is the thing that spurred me into action. I've cut out a 3mm channel in the middle of the sheets and the channel will be filled with a DAS layer at a level slightly below the setts. Every 2 sheet sections will have a gap left - I'll fashion some kind of drain grill look-a-like to sit there.

 

Here's a pic showing the channel cut from between 6 of the 8 sections. This took a while - the Wills sheet is 2mm thick and care had to be taken not to mess everything up with mislaid scalpel swipes!

 

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

No Bunker work at the moment as I'm continuing to analyse moon imagery.

 

However, I wondered if I could find a Langley Models brass etched sheet of drain covers and grilles that I'd bought about ten years ago. I thought it'd be a needle-in-a-haystack job after all this time, but I found them in less than 30 seconds.

 

Exciting piccy enclosed.....

 

 

Jeff

[emt_911]

Hi Jeff

 

This is the first chance I've had to look in for the last two months. Work and family issues have got in the way.

 

I'm seriously impressed with the point rodding, ballasting and weathering.

 

IT certainly looks better with a couple of trains running.

[Physicsman]

Thanks Duncan.

 

I did notice you've been noticeably quiet recently, well on here at least.

 

I've always enjoyed ballasting, even though it can take ages. I'm certainly not one those that gets it all down in a day. As for the point rodding....

 

Well, I knew bu99er all about it, but the good people on here soon sorted me out.

 

Currently just ambling along. And I've just had a half-hour play. No, actually, I was running wagons through pointwork to check the back-to-backs. You all believe me, of course.

 

Jeff

[P.C.M]

I'd completely forgotten how nice 4Fs, and weathered steam locos in general, look until Neil's comment.

 

It adds a touch of (relative) urgency to having a few running on KL2.

 

What next, Peter? 4Fs and Black 5s on Llanbourne?

 

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I think I mentioned on here before I have a soft spot for the old S&D which did see 4fs and black 5s so you never know.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Physicsman]

Nothing to report as I'm currently away from home again.

 

I do enjoy reading your comments, so feel free to post.

 

I'll get on with the cobbled road when I return.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

I don't look at RMweb too much these days. But when it's offline, it seems very noticeable!

 

A paradox.

 

Jeff

[Anotheran]

And we all love a good paradox!

[Physicsman]

And we all love a good paradox!

Yes, Neil. And as we both know, there are a few of them in Physics to keep us happy (I think Olbers is my favourite).

 

One paradox is how I can spend so much time on my high-res imaging when there's so much to do on the layout! I don't know about others, but my focus switches completely. Maybe the fact that I'm out with the telescope from midnight to 7am has inevitable consequences.

 

Hope to be in the mood for weathering when I get home next week.

 

Jeff

Edited November 16, 2017 by Physicsman

[Anotheran]

...but my focus switches completely.

 

I would hope so... if your focus is set correctly for 4 mm models the moon will just be an undefined bright area!

 

As for Olbers. It was indeed a very nice paradox for its time showing that at least one of the key assumptions about the universe had to be wrong, so leading to more modern thinking of the universe. That's always a nice way for physics to develop I think... Look at your assumptions, show that if you apply them all then something stupid results (some stop here and would say this is how we got to this universe!) then spend decades to come up with a different theory. In this case the big bang which took out two of the assumptions (static and infinite, or at least infinite in time).

 

But your post raises another paradox. If you're out midnight to 7am then how do you stay awake when building those fantastic walls! It's probably a very good thing that you live somewhere with plenty of cloudy nights! I'm certainly looking forward to you getting home and back to the bunker again. But for now I hope you have a good break by focusing on infinity rather then 10 cm away!

 

Kind regards, Neil

[Physicsman]

I know it's a bit off-topic, but I'll try to explain...

 

I've been gradually refining my imaging technique for the last 3 years (details can be discussed elsewhere). But I now have very critical criteria for when the moon can be imaged - in order to improve my chances of good results.The central requirement is the moon at minimum 40 degree altitude and between azimuth 120 and 270 degrees (about SE to W). This results in 6-10 nights a month, at different times depending on the moon phase.

 

November produced 6 productive sessions (October yielded none!!), with a lot of imaging done between 4-6am. I have around 200Gb of data to analyse, and it takes ages. But it is great fun!!

 

Add this commitment to the fact that I'm away from home, and layout work goes "down the swanny"!!

 

Will send you a PM later today.

 

It's good to have several major hobbies. Inevitably, there's always a tailing of interest at times, so other things take over. Being away from home is re-kindling my interest in layout scenic work!

 

Jeff

Edited November 16, 2017 by Physicsman

[Physicsman]

Evening everyone.

 

My first post in well over a week.

 

I've been having a lazy time at my dad's in Cumbria and got home yesterday, in time to freeze outside doing some Moon imaging. No heat in the Bunker for a good while - it's 6C in there at the moment.

 

I'll get the place (relatively) warmed up tomorrow and see if I can get something started over the weekend. At least I can have a play. That's jargon for warming up the rolling stock!

 

Jeff