Kirkby Luneside

[PeterBB]

Jeff,

 

Fantastic quality - thanks, Peter

[67A]

Was that my old land rover on the 4th crater from the left about 6000 miles down, nah silly me it was my moon-buggy, stunning pic's Jeff.

[Physicsman]

Thanks for the feedback on the moon photos.

 

I'm back in Cumbria and, for a change, haven't brought any railway stuff with me.

 

Apologies for the pause in activity. Things will pick up in the near future.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

I'm still in "modelling limbo", over at my dad's. But I've been thinking about a number of related things over the past few days.

 

I started the layout build (baseboards) of KL2 almost exactly 2 years ago. Since then the build has been almost continuous with the very occasional break due to visits or illness. I'm lucky in that I also have other major hobbies to fill my time, especially astrophysics/astrophotography.

 

The point I'm getting to is this. 10 days ago - before the latest moon imaging period (to make it clear, for very good high-resolution pics of the moon, I need the moon to be at an altitude of at least 35 degrees in good conditions, and this only happens for 6 - 10 days a month, depending on the time of year) - the only thing I was thinking about was goods shed, goods shed, goods shed..... Now, I feel well out of the groove - and I'm wondering whether my enthusiasm is going to return once I get home and see some plastikard in front of me.

 

The one aspect that has held KL2 back (though the side effect has been to scratchbuild and do more scenery) is the point rodding. I wonder if - maybe in a few weeks time - I should just get on and do SOME of that (with Wills stuff, or whatever), just to get that aspect going - as I'd really like to ballast the rest of the track. It's possible to wait forever to do a task, and, once done, you wonder why you waited so long. Maybe it'll kick-start my enthusiasm....

 

Anyway, I'm waffling on and on. For those of you that have looked at the moon images - which are all multi-image mosaics - I can tell you that that task is every bit as satisfying as a railway build, and very similar in it's taken over 2 years to up my skill level to what it currently is. Just like the railway. Would things be boring if we never tried to improve? Or would we be happier because we might be less self-critical and less worried that what we did on the layout, say, 6 months earlier, wasn't up to the current "scratch"?

 

My thoughts, my thoughts..... What have others experienced about this?

 

Jeff

[MarshLane]

Hi Jeff,

Your getting far more modelling done than me!! I think we all go through those thoughts at times, so I wouldn't worry or stress about it. Your enthusiasm will return, given how many stones for walling you've laid if I was going to go, it would have gone before now!!!

 

Seriously, once you get back and look at the big picture and see what you have achieved to an amazing standard, you'll be eager to get on with it. Just thin big picture where do you want to end up with it, and take the next task that moves you closer to that.

 

And a mix of interests is never a bad thing!

 

Rich

[PeterBB]

As Andy P says my 'Engine Shed' is a tip because with everything else going on all the 'rubbish' gets put in there.  Yesterday I decided that I needed to do something and had a 4' x 2' bit of 9 mm ply.   I had been toying with the idea of an N gauge layout there being no room to either modify Swad Lane or Deesdale or actually get on with Rothleigh at present.  We have a young visitor coming next week who likes to play with trains and the current two piece Thomas layout on the dining room table is a bit big ... now available is a simple radius '1' 4' x 2'  N RR suitable for the 08 and 060 tank with two shunts, buildings, wagons, and carriages - the first new one I have built in absolute years and it was fun-to-run although I had to use an old H&M controller stored unused for over 30 years.  As I write this I have realised that a previous 'fixed' Thomas layout also had that combination but with an added tunnel... so more interest might be added.  Mojo back at last so thanks Jeff.

 

Peter

 

Edit = spelling only

Edited August 19, 2017 by PeterBB

[Physicsman]

Glad to be of help, Peter. I'll see how my own inspiration progresses once I'm back in the Bunker.

 

Rich - keep it up. I need people to drive me on. Otherwise I'll just end up posting more Moon pics so Mike can look to see which crater his discarded 2016 Aston Martin ended up in!! 

 

Jeff

[Andrew P]

I'm still in "modelling limbo", over at my dad's. But I've been thinking about a number of related things over the past few days.

 

I started the layout build (baseboards) of KL2 almost exactly 2 years ago. Since then the build has been almost continuous with the very occasional break due to visits or illness. I'm lucky in that I also have other major hobbies to fill my time, especially astrophysics/astrophotography.

 

The point I'm getting to is this. 10 days ago - before the latest moon imaging period (to make it clear, for very good high-resolution pics of the moon, I need the moon to be at an altitude of at least 35 degrees in good conditions, and this only happens for 6 - 10 days a month, depending on the time of year) - the only thing I was thinking about was goods shed, goods shed, goods shed..... Now, I feel well out of the groove - and I'm wondering whether my enthusiasm is going to return once I get home and see some plastikard in front of me.

 

The one aspect that has held KL2 back (though the side effect has been to scratchbuild and do more scenery) is the point rodding. I wonder if - maybe in a few weeks time - I should just get on and do SOME of that (with Wills stuff, or whatever), just to get that aspect going - as I'd really like to ballast the rest of the track. It's possible to wait forever to do a task, and, once done, you wonder why you waited so long. Maybe it'll kick-start my enthusiasm....

 

Anyway, I'm waffling on and on. For those of you that have looked at the moon images - which are all multi-image mosaics - I can tell you that that task is every bit as satisfying as a railway build, and very similar in it's taken over 2 years to up my skill level to what it currently is. Just like the railway. Would things be boring if we never tried to improve? Or would we be happier because we might be less self-critical and less worried that what we did on the layout, say, 6 months earlier, wasn't up to the current "scratch"?

 

My thoughts, my thoughts..... What have others experienced about this?

 

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I hope you having a good rest and your Dad is well.

 

I WILL be doing some more Point Rodding in a week or so, BUT NOT with the Wills Rodding, I went to see a Layout, (more pics on KM, Page # 62) and studied the Point Rodding, and I recon that with steel wire sold at my Local Friendly Model Shop, I can do a similar thing, to a similar standard, and look as neat, if not neater than the Wills stuff.

 

Edited August 19, 2017 by Andrew P

[mswjr]

Totally Agree,I have just done the Wills rodding,and it looks very over scale compared to the wire,and is very expensive when you have to do a long run,so after seeing those pictures above i may do mine in wire too,most realistic

Edited August 19, 2017 by mswjr

[Physicsman]

Cheers Andy.

 

I agree about the Wills rodding - I'll likely be ordering some brass rods from Eileen's Emporium (or equivalent). It'll look a lot better and be much cheaper given the length of my rod-runs.

 

I haven't looked at the details yet. How thick was prototypical rodding? (Lazy question, I'm sure Google would tell me).

 

Jeff

[mark axlecounter]

Hi Jeff hope all is well,

I hope your father is ok I am just catching up ( busy with non railway stuff ).

Kl is comming on the goods shed looks marvellous keep up the good work.

The size of the point ridding is just over an inch wide U channel and i haven't got a tape measure long enough sorry.

 

Mark

Edited August 19, 2017 by mark axlecounter

[uax6]

1.5 inches wide on the top and 1.25" deep. Handy to have some just outside the box......

 

Andy G

[mark axlecounter]

Andy's measuring is better than mine. I should of gone to specscvers silly me

 

Mark ( needs sleep)

[uax6]

Andy's measuring is better than mine. I should of gone to specscvers silly me

 

Mark ( needs sleep)

You're not the only one... I did have to take a bardic out to the crossing, and got some odd looks from the passengers wondering off home.. The things I do for this thread!

 

Andy G

[Physicsman]

Mark, Andy - many thanks.

 

If I assume the point rodding is around 1", that's about 0.35mm thickness for the brass rod. At this scale I don't think we need worry about the fact that the real thing has a rectangular cross-section, but the brass rod will be circular.

 

I'll have a look to see what's available in the next day or so.

 

Jeff

[uax6]

It's a channel actually Jeff, but 1" gas barrel was used by some companies in the pre-grouping era.

 

But as you are now an EM modeller I expect you to replicate it properly ;-)

 

Andy G

[MarshLane]

Mark, Andy - many thanks.

 

If I assume the point rodding is around 1", that's about 0.35mm thickness for the brass rod. At this scale I don't think we need worry about the fact that the real thing has a rectangular cross-section, but the brass rod will be circular.

 

I'll have a look to see what's available in the next day or so.

 

Jeff

 

 

Hi Jeff,

Only a fine point, but remember point rodding is actually rectangular 'U' channel, with wires used for mechanical signals.  Not that anyone would likely tell the difference between U channel and rod in 4mm, but just to point it out

 

Rich

 

PS I went back looking at the moon shots for that car that Mike lost ... discovered my hammer that I threw when everything went wrong 10 years ago !!!! Amazing how far life throws!

[PeterBB]

Flower wire is in short straight lengths - that might be easier to work with for rodding.

Peter

[Physicsman]

Lads, again, thanks for the comments.

 

I've yet to come across U-channel rodding available to model in 0.3mm diameter.....so, as everyone else seems to use (EM, P4 or whatever) then normal metal rod will suffice.

 

And NO, I am not going to get my electron microscope out and use my micro-scalpel to gouge out a channel. Do you think I'm insane?.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.... You DO!?

 

I'm gonna CRY!!              

 

Jeff

[Reorte]

Mark, Andy - many thanks.

 

If I assume the point rodding is around 1", that's about 0.35mm thickness for the brass rod. At this scale I don't think we need worry about the fact that the real thing has a rectangular cross-section, but the brass rod will be circular.

 

I'll have a look to see what's available in the next day or so.

Eileen's do 0.4mm square section. The hardest bit is getting it straight. I also had a look at some other (0.3mm IIRC) square nickel silver wire, but personally thought that looked a little thin, even if the 0.4 mm is too thick. This is the 0.4 mm

Just noticed it's all tilting to one side, one bit has come unglued, hope that's all it is.

 

If you do a run and have some dangling around at the end waiting to be trimmed beware it's a very tempting target for cats to play with!

Edited August 20, 2017 by Reorte

[peach james]

We've had a wonderful morning watching the sun get very dark.  I know there are a few on here to the south of me- so perhaps there it got completely black !.  Anyway, it was rather fun watching the solar eclipse with the two boys, both with the glasses and a pinhole.  It is quite humbling to think of an event that will next happen here in 99 years or so...

 

James

[Physicsman]

I'm glad you and the boys enjoyed the spectacle.

 

I'm very jealous!

 

Jeff

[Reorte]

I hauled myself all the way down to Devon in 1999 for the eclipse then, the day dawned clear, only to turn rather cloudy at the wrong time. Some day I'll see one!

[Physicsman]

I hauled myself all the way down to Devon in 1999 for the eclipse then, the day dawned clear, only to turn rather cloudy at the wrong time. Some day I'll see one!

Me too. Headed to Plymouth, complete with telescope and camera, to stay with friends.

 

It went very dark, but the cloud ruined totality.

 

11th August, 1999. Seemed a long way off when I was a kid, and now it's 18 years in the past!

 

Simon, what did you use to make the stools to hold the rodding? Looks like a plastic base but what's the metal bit on top that the rod goes through?

 

Jeff

[Andrew P]

The Wills Kit would be great for just the Stools and other gismoes in the Kit, if only there was another GOOD use for the Rods so that half the Kit wasn't wasted.