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SteveyDee68

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Everything posted by SteveyDee68

  1. Hornby high detail Pullman coach “Minerva” Current high bid is £21 - what a bargain! So why “madness”? Well, I put a bid of £22 in a while back not realising that I already have two “Minerva” coaches (one awaiting renaming, obviously) so don’t actually want it now … Except I am winning it with only 30 minutes left and I have a feeling I will win it… 🙄 Just when I made a promise to myself to stop buying stuff off eBay! Anybody after a high detail Pullman coach for £23? (Reckon that should win the auction!!) Steve S
  2. It’s just occurred to me that all these layouts built on what IKEA originally intended to be household furniture (or shelving) all fall under the general banner of being IKEA hacks! Who is going to be brave enough to post a layout picture on the website dedicated to suchlike?! It might make a pleasant change from examples of turning a lampshade into a salad strainer or a bedhead into a bookcase* - and if posted on 1st April would fool a lot of the site’s usual readers into thinking it was a joke! As Mrs Doyle would say, “Go on. Go on. Go on go on go on go on go on!” Steve S * I know, it does beg the question “why?” when IKEA are quite well known for selling bookcases!
  3. I can only imagine Health & Safety issuing instructions that PPE when working with the above is to include darkened eye protection (sunglasses)! I know that such liveries were applied in real life, but I find myself admiring the modelling skills required to produce such a livery whilst at the same time wishing I’d never seen it! Hats off to @Ruston for modelling industrial railways in all their colours and hues! Steve S
  4. Would you care to reveal from whence budget storage was acquired? I’ve been hanging around the middle aisles of Lidl for nearly two years now hoping against hope they repeat their £50 display cases… 🙄 Steve S
  5. My ‘take homes’ from the video were (in no particular order): (a) the incredibly slow running achieved by fitting a decoder and a stay alive (b) the uninterrupted sound through fitting a stay alive to iron out any current flow issues due to dirty track (c) the excellent flicker-free (thank you again, stay alive) lights added to both models. I think the author’s intention was to demonstrate the three things above, and he succeeded. If you want to see similar locos doing things like pulling massive weights or being driven underwater, check out Sam’s Trains on YouTube. Steve S
  6. Rule #1 of Mendacious Chiselling Ensure your photographs have a contrasting background busier than Kings Cross Station Junk for sale 🙄
  7. I have no idea why, but these remind me of the B4 0-4-0 shunter - it’s like they are a grown up cousin, or something. At which point someone will inform me that they were both designed by the same locomotive builder! 🙄😆 But I do like them… Steve S
  8. I got the CDC print of the NLR class 75, and very nice it is too. Especially if I could get it onto the chassis it was designed for! Actually, have had exactly the same issue with the CDC GER J68 on the relevant Terrier chassis… CDC have kindly said (in separate messages about each) that if I send them the bodies/chassis in question that they will assemble them for me. Problem is, they are safely boxed in totally different stashes … and whenever I find one, the other has gone awol! Must send those off for sorting before the RTR class 67/68/69 Buckjumper gets released! Steve S
  9. Got to say it’s been a school day (lots of things I’ve learnt from the responses) but I literally simply retold the story as retold by my dad - he recalled being told the tanks were bombed but didn’t say by what - I added the question “Stukas?” as those are the only German planes I know of that might do that! (I am not a war historian in any shape or form) My understanding is that John only told the story on one occasion - he literally never spoke about the war, even on Remembrance Sunday. He was a smallish, quiet man who always smelt of cigarettes although I can’t recall ever seeing him smoke! Steve S
  10. I may have said this before but… One of the older chaps at the brass band my father played with had served in a tank regiment in World War II. He rarely spoke about the war, but one Remembrance Sunday after the band had played for a parade and were taking “refreshments” at the British Legion Club he told one story which stuck with my dad, who retold it only after the chap in question had passed away. His tank was midway in a column making their way along a road hemmed in on both sides by earth banks, and he (the driver) had a very bad feeling about it. He spotted a gateway and turned off out of the column; he said he knew he’d be in big trouble but that he had an overwhelming urge to get out of the line. His tank commander (Captain?) started yelling at him but just as he did so a German aircraft (Stuka?) suddenly flew over and bombed the front tank in the column, bringing them to a halt. A second plane bombed the rear tank and planes then proceeded to bomb the trapped column one by one. A couple more exited via the gate he had taken whilst he drove into trees to take cover from the planes. He said four tanks from the column survived that attack, and then wouldn’t say any more. 😔 I’ve no way of checking the facts of that story. I do know that John had an impressive amount of medal ribbons on his blazer whenever he marched on Remembrance Sunday, and after hearing that story I did wonder - would he have been given a medal for his actions that day, or a dressing down for breaking formation? Another tank related story - taking a group of sixth form students to an Armed Forces recruitment day, I got to sit in a more modern tank - no thank you very much, definitely not for me. I remember asking where the ignition slot would be and being told it was automatic start up (no keys required) - in a battle situation, you wouldn’t want to be searching for the keys! At which point I asked whether that meant all the vehicles being clambered over by our (not exactly angelic) students were “live” (including the missile launcher trucks) and getting an answer that made me slightly nervous (again, due to our student cohort!) 🫢😆
  11. Well, searching for “Triang coach spares” brought up this listing… Cannot imagine why nobody has made an initial bid of £15 (+£3.49 p&p) on this mound of landfill? 🙄 Searching for Triang MK1 coaches has also seen me having to (repeatedly) inform sellers that what they are selling are MK2 coaches (usually LIMA - you can tell by the Volvo bumper bar like couplings) or occasionally Airfix, usually accompanied by a sole MK1 brake coach - annoyingly, I’ve done that on about a dozen different listings by the same seller! Instead of “Hi - your listing shows…” I ended up writing “Me again… you know why…” 🙄 This whole AI generated description malarkey is also thoroughly grinding my gears (I’d say p****d off, but wouldn’t want to offend) to the point that I find myself wanting to contact the seller with a short and pithy message along the lines of “WTAF?!! 🤣“ and just leave it at that. Meanwhile, that infamous MC Go$turd has an item up that actually seems quite a reasonable price compared to what others are asking for similar - I may even end up purchasing from him. (I know - breaking the unwritten rule of the eBay Madness thread “Don’t buy from He Who Mendaciously Chisels - it only encourages him”!) If I do, though, am I allowed to give positive feedback along the lines of “Happy with my purchase from the Seller, which for once has been sensibly priced and not massively overpriced either (a) as a Mendacious Chiseler(TM) or (b) as a tax dodge”? HOURS OF SEARCHING FOR TRIANG MK1 COACHES FUN!
  12. My job requires me to do various training courses, some of them annually, and when I first got the position I was immediately sent a list of about a dozen that needed to be completed immediately. One of those was a truly mind-numbing course all about data protection, sharing blah blah blah. So, having done all that required training, I was quite surprised when my contract arrived via email with somebody else’s name attached to it. Indeed, the further I read the more I realised that I hadn’t been sent my contract but instead a colleague who had also just started (along with another half dozen people). I contacted HR to inform them of the mistake and asked what I should do. Their response was bin the email/attachment as they were sending my contract forthwith. Now, I know I shouldn’t have, but they had just made me do that damned GDDPR (or whatever it’s called) training so I innocently asked whether my contract had been sent to my colleague. They replied of course not, but (curse this Devil’s Advocate mentality!!) I then asked whether they were going to notify GDPR of the breach? After all, they had sent me a colleague’s home address and all sorts of other information without his consent or knowledge … as I politely pointed out. Never got a response to that message … I wonder why? I also learnt later that all the Council’s HR activities are provided by an external (private) provider - doesn’t that just reassure you that your private data is being well looked after… Steve S
  13. Now, if I won the lottery (🙄) I’d snap that up in an instant and then pay someone to do a really top notch weathering job on the whole set (the presentation box as well, just for the sheer hell of it). Then sit back and watch the collectors weep! 🤣 Steve S
  14. I’m catching up (not visited for a few days and there’s pages and pages to read!) so possibly a little late but … If you type in the phrase “Fix damaged doors around hinges” into Google then rest assured even if you don’t look at the results you will shortly thereafter see advert posts in FaceBook* for rather neat little metal plates that fix over the damaged area and allow your hinges to once again securely hold your cupboard doors. Might be something to consider if the epoxy doesn’t work. I’m speaking from experience!, by the way - those bl@@dy adverts kept appearing for weeks afterwards!! Steve S * How does FB know?! 🤔🫢🤣
  15. Just seen that someone got themselves a bargain W&U set for £175. As others have stated, if the buyer picked that up in a mystery box and is selling on the stuff s/he wasn’t interested in, I am sure they are very happy (7/10 of their outlay for a £250 box) and the buyer must be very chuffed, too! Looking forward to what Rapido come up with next!* Steve S * No I’m not**, because if it is anything small and industrial I can see myself buying it! 🤣 ** I am really!!
  16. Update … 120 Watchers £155 bid 6 hours to go! Train Pack Could still be a bargain! 😁
  17. I’m wondering if an early buyer has put the complete W&U train pack from their mystery box up on eBay already! GER W&U Train Pack To be fair, the price right now (with 16 hours left) is approximately what I paid for my two coaches - so someone may get themselves a bargain but there are 116 watchers so possibly not! Phew, me too! 🤣 Mind, if they run the promotion again I might not show as much resistance! Steve S
  18. Exactly what happened when I took up the hobby again in 2016 - spotted an Austerity 0-6-0 on eBay that I had wanted as a kid and bought it (to cheer myself up - 2016 was not a good year for me). Next thing I know, I see a blue Hornby sentinel loco - zap! Got that, too! No connection between them at all (different eras etc) but I liked them. I had a grand plan for the stuff I buy/collect, except that as different things have caught my eye I end up with several more scenarios to justify the purchases! So I say - Good on ya! Scratch that itch! If you want to model something to use it, grab one of those IKEA shelves like wot Sheepbloke @NHY 581 does and create yourself a micro to run your 168 on to (and off again!) Steve S
  19. What is the currency that is talked about here? Deltic tokens? Have just had to splash out possibly a couple of Deltics on a replacement (second hand) iMac to replace the one that suffered a hard drive failure. Mainly because right now I cannot access the internet etc from the old iMac (running off an external hard drive) because the Operating System is too old, and both the App Store and web browser (Safari) are locked out from providing upgrades as the OS I am using does not match current security levels.* Which is doubly frustrating because if I am able to update the OS/browser I will probably be then able to browse etc and it will not necessitate sending the old iMac to landfill! Argh! 🤬 So, I found myself a ‘new’ iMac on eBay today, at a very reasonable price (for a 27” screen computer) and local (half hour drive away) so Deltic tokens were exchanged and I collected it tonight. The rest of the evening has been spent finding access to old OS installers and downloading them in readiness for yet more Mac-wrangling tomorrow! All this to provide me with a workspace which is warm and not detrimental to my health! Why not just bring down the iMac in the loft? Well, that’s attached to a keyboard for doing music arranging, and there’s not room in the dining room to set that up, so music arranging will have to remain in the loft. I can live with that. State of play as of 1:00am … 2007 20” iMac - internal hard drive dead, external hard drive loaded with “Snow Leopard” and unable to be upgraded** due to security issues 2009 13” MacBook Pro - running “El Capitan” 2011 27” iMac - in loft running “El Capitan” (can be upgraded to “High Sierra”, necessitating upgrading of music software 🫢💷💷💷) 2014 iPad - bent casing and dead as a dodo 😔 - was stored upright on a shelf and recently discovered had bent like a banana - no idea why! 2015 27” iMac - in dining room/office running “High Sierra” and awaiting upgrade to “Monterey” and 32GB RAM 2021 iPad Pro - in case ready for day to day use when teaching Maybe I have too much Apple stuff (like I have too many shunting locos)? Sigh HOURS & HOURS OF F…..UN! * In danger of writing lots of words that are recognisably English but meaningless to the vast majority of readers! ** That may change tomorrow, thanks to the new iMac letting me download upgrade installers! (Which is ironic, cos if able to browse etc with updated OS on an external hard drive, I didn’t need the new one!)
  20. Someone on eBay was selling a 3D printed W&U type class 04 tram - I think the chimney was a separate print* to be glued on: perhaps ask about purchasing that separately? Steve S * I may be misremembering, but I think it came with both conical and straight chimneys in case you wished to model an Ipswich 04 etc
  21. I see that in this instance the AI generated description has completely missed the mark to the point of “Mis-selling”! Steve S
  22. Mention of handbrakes and lane guidance systems makes me think of a van I was briefly acquainted with - thankfully only as a passenger - in the late 1990s… My brass ensemble had starting performing regularly at Salford Catholic Cathedral, but we needed to borrow timpani (kettle drums) and transport them there. The Musical Director at the cathedral arranged to borrow the van that belonged to the nuns resident at the cathedral… I’m not sure if it was a Suzuki, but it was relatively tiny and blue! The first time it rolled up to be loaded, I remember thinking there was no way three timpani were going to fit inside. They did - just. Jumping into the passenger seat, I remember Martin turning to me and saying - with a dead pan face - that he thought the nun’s van might be possessed! I think (but I may be remembering this wrong) that the handbrake came out from the dashboard like an umbrella handle (someone more familiar with small commercial vans in the 1980s/90s may be able to correct me) but I do remember that Martin needed two hands to release it! We then set off in the van, and it was a while before I realised that the side to side motion was nothing to do with Martin’s driving - we’d be driving down a straight piece of road and the van weaved back and forth like it had partaken of one too many communion wines a little beforehand. However, worse was turning corners at junctions - Martin would swing the wheel over many times (no power steering) and we would set off more or less in a straight line. He’d then apply several more turns and the van would suddenly lurch the way he wanted. Once that happened, he would be rapidly turning the wheel the opposite way before we’d even got halfway around the turn - invariably as we completed the turn we would continue turning into the curve before suddenly lurching the opposite way and driving straight again. Finishing that first journey, Martin took at least a dozen attempts to get the van into reverse and finally parked by putting the hand brake on with two hands once again. He was a very cool customer indeed, and over time I’d watched him direct the music for a live TV broadcast, for an international choir festival service and any number of grand occasions and never look in the slightest bit ruffled. But when he turned the engine off, there was sweat on his brow. He repeated his thought that it was possessed, and we got out to unload but before we had finished doing so there was a loud ‘crack’ and the gear stick leapt into the middle of the gate from wherever he had left it, making us both jump. The return journey was equally hair-raising, and every time we made use of the van it was as if it was going out of its way to scare the living daylights out of anyone riding in it! On one occasion, I couldn’t assist and Dr Dave - a tall, strapping chap of immense intellect and a phenomenal trombonist to boot - took my place. Never again, he swore when I arrived for the concert. Martin told me he had brought up the issue of the nun’s van behaving erratically with the Cathedral administrator, suggesting maybe it needed a major overhaul; he was duly presented with full service records and MOTs where it never mentioned any issues. Likewise when he asked the nuns, they said it drove perfectly. Spooooooky!!! Thankfully, we found a percussionist who had her own timpani, and we no longer had to use the nun’s van. I’m sure it was a Suzuki but am happy to be corrected - but it was small, narrow, had a side door on runners, and passenger and driver almost rubbed shoulders when sat in their respective seats (it was that narrow). Steve S
  23. I applaud you, sir! Amazingly, we are running “endangered instruments” bursary schemes in conjunction with the Chetham’s School of Music (a very prestigious music school in Manchester that trains incredibly gifted and talented youngsters) to target instruments that are not being taken up such as bassoon, oboe, viola and contrabass, in the hopes of finding new players of those instruments. Whether this works long term we are yet to find out. Now, I really must let this thread get back to talking about railways, cakes, sheds (and lack thereof) and missing digits. Steve S
  24. Yes, very impressed! My colleagues who are violinists also twitch when tuning ukuleles - it definitely seems to offend their sensibilities! “My Dog Has Fleas” has been used as a mnemonic device for tuning ukulele strings since the ukulele was first introduced to the world at the Pan Pacific Expo in 1915, although it doesn’t actually tell you the pitch names - interestingly, though, “ukulele” in Hawaiian literally means “jumping flea” so maybe that’s a tenuous link to the origin of the phrase? My kids are singing a version of that song in their end of project concert (there’s various versions of it knocking about) but they actually remember the string names with the phrase “Gorillas Can Eat Anything”… I have fun with them by singing it (whilst plucking the relevant strings) and then adding on some extra asides at the end, phrase by phrase, which they copy back, and which gradually gets longer and longer 🤣 … I think I am up to “Gorillas Can Eat Anything - they want to - I’m not going to stop them - I’m not daft - I don’t want to end up in hospital - with broken arms and broken legs - sucking jelly through a straw - no, not me - I’ll just let those Gorillas eat anything they want!” I’d suggest persisting with the ukulele playing - recent research has shown that playing an instrument (any instrument*) stimulates all parts of the brain in the process (and not just one area as was previously thought), plus encourages manual dexterity. I’d do C chord (one finger), A minor chord (also 1 finger, albeit a different one), then F chord (two fingers); the next one I teach is trickier as it used three fingers in a triangular pattern - G7. At that point I stop teaching chords because I don’t know any more! If you find the ukulele a little small for your fingers, you might want to see about getting a larger version - I’ve seen at least the sizes on Amazon, for example, and plan on getting myself a larger one to help with my own fat fingers! Steve S * except one previously mentioned in an earlier post that does not bear investigating! 🫢🤣
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