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As there is nothing on the telly at the moment and its a bit too early to climb the wooden hill to bedfordshire, I whiled away a few minutes doing a spot of page accountancy.

 

We were on page 887 for the first entry in December (2nd) where our revered chairperson gave his considered opinion on the last episode of War of the Worlds.

Its now the 27th December and we're now into page 916, with WotW long consigned to the dustbin of history, meaning we've covered 29 pages in 25 days, at an average rate of 1.16 pages a day.

 

Ladies and Gentelmen. Is this satisfactory I Think Not :nono:

 

Productivity has been slack over the past week, and in the spirit of the unregenerate Ebenezer Scrooge, More Must Be Done!

 

:jester:

 

Other thoughts occured whilst pursuing this train of thought.

 

Is it too early to go around wishing everyone "Happy New Year"?

Or cogitating on the subject of New Years Resolutions?

Will Hornby produce something useful for the pre-grouping era on the 6th January?

 

Who knows!

 

Oh well, time for a mug of seasonally fortified drinking chocolate and a mince pie.  :good:

 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, Hroth said:

As there is nothing on the telly at the moment and its a bit too early to climb the wooden hill to bedfordshire, I whiled away a few minutes doing a spot of page accountancy.

 

We were on page 887 for the first entry in December (2nd) where our revered chairperson gave his considered opinion on the last episode of War of the Worlds.

Its now the 27th December and we're now into page 916, with WotW long consigned to the dustbin of history, meaning we've covered 29 pages in 25 days, at an average rate of 1.16 pages a day.

 

Ladies and Gentelmen. Is this satisfactory I Think Not :nono:

 

Productivity has been slack over the past week, and in the spirit of the unregenerate Ebenezer Scrooge, More Must Be Done!

 

:jester:

 

 

D'you know, I might try to balance screen time with modelling.

 

54 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Other thoughts occured whilst pursuing this train of thought.

 

Is it too early to go around wishing everyone "Happy New Year"?

Or cogitating on the subject of New Years Resolutions?

 

D'you know, I might try to balance screen time with modelling.

 

54 minutes ago, Hroth said:

Will Hornby produce something useful for the pre-grouping era on the 6th January?

 

Who knows!

 

 

 

54 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Oh well, time for a mug of seasonally fortified drinking chocolate and a mince pie.  :good:

 

 

 

 

Agree

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6 hours ago, Edwardian said:

As regulars here may know, some years ago I took to procuring my own Christmas and birthday presents in the face of a non-train family. This year my act of self-indulgent cheque-book modelling was this

Hmmm.

Takes the biscuit...

 

My self indulgence this year was this:

767C9C88-7C29-4821-B3AA-604BE8BD6F7A.jpeg.04ce933888a42052f610433d1326c990.jpeg52001B3F-F50A-48A0-9B19-9B7591A803D0.jpeg.9d180cf1c599b2dc4b70b11757b6a6b7.jpeg

 

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9 hours ago, Edwardian said:

D'you know, I might try to balance screen time with modelling.

 

Its a novel idea....

 

9 hours ago, Edwardian said:

My money's on a range of generic 4 and 6-wheel coaches .....  

 

Well, they already have a "generic" 4 wheeler, and there's always the chassis for the Palethorps van for them to bodge a coach body onto!

 

The drinking chocolate and mince pie was very relaxing.....

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

P45?

 

It is very difficult to choose. There is a bit of video comparing prices of proper pianos each price increase brings an improvement in sound even as the prices increase to wallet qualing amounts.

I opted for a cheaper PSR E363 on the basis that if I achieve a satisfactory level and keep up the playing I would then be able to decide how much I wanted to spend.

I was listening to Rhapsody in blue yesterday and wondering if that was achievable. I remember well my Great Aunt Ivy who could play anything by ear on any piano who made family get togethers a real party

Don.

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2 hours ago, Donw said:

 I remember well my Great Aunt Ivy who could play anything by ear on any piano who made family get togethers a real party

 

 

Yes, far more entertaining than using fingers like other people.

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3 hours ago, Donw said:

 

It is very difficult to choose. There is a bit of video comparing prices of proper pianos each price increase brings an improvement in sound even as the prices increase to wallet qualing amounts.

I opted for a cheaper PSR E363 on the basis that if I achieve a satisfactory level and keep up the playing I would then be able to decide how much I wanted to spend.

I was listening to Rhapsody in blue yesterday and wondering if that was achievable. I remember well my Great Aunt Ivy who could play anything by ear on any piano who made family get togethers a real party

Don.

Parts of the Rhapsody were improvised by Gershwin when he performed it and others have done so since. The clarinet part, especially at the beginning is a handful too, I have learnt to play it in the past and taught it to students.

 

With musical instruments you do usually get what you pay for. Students need something that works well at a good price, as you progress you get more picky and demanding. The high end instruments play much better, though with pianos it depends how they are set up and maintained.

 

Electric keyboards should be touch sensitive, most are these days.

 

Playing by ear gives you a headache!

 

Martyn

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My young son has the Yamaha ez220 keyboard, which is perfectly fine as a learning tool, in fact very good indeed, but I’m not sure you’d want to listen to a concert played on it - one of his pals is good enough that one is listening to the music, not mentally egging-on the person playing, and the basic sound quality then becomes apparent.

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There is also the matter of choice of music. Playing music for a sing song doesn't require much quality.  Playing classical pieces the lack of quality shows up.  Comparing to Model Railways you can have a lot of fun running rtr on commercial track it doesn't have to be finescale models on handbuilt track with point rodding et all. Would one find running a Masterpiece or Lee Marsh superdetail rtr on unmodified Peco track incongruous.

At the moment the PSR E363 sounds fine for me. Whether my ears get finescale tunned I shall see. Railwaywise I am finescale minded but prepared to compromise and would be reluctant to pay the price for top 0 gauge rtr. My most expensive item is a radio controlled live steam model of Taliesin (single Fairlee in SM32 for those who do not know the loco). I think it best not to work out the total spend on railway items.

 

Don

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1 hour ago, Donw said:

Would one find running a Masterpiece or Lee Marsh superdetail rtr on unmodified Peco track incongruous.

Isn’t that the entire point, though?

(Pardon the pun?)

To me, quite possibly as I have a discerning interest in track. But compared to their H0 track, Peco’s O gauge track is more tolerable, such that to many there is no problem at all, and I would rather see correctly placed catch points (or whatever the GWR called them) in Peco than meticulously modelled Scale7 track which would not pass a BoT inspection.

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23 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Simon, that Berkshire,, is it S scale?

Oh yes.

River Raisin Models. 

I will never have a suitable layout for it, but to my eyes, there is no steam locomotive design quite like it.

It will appear in some strange places, I have no doubt!

 

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11 hours ago, Donw said:

 

It is very difficult to choose. There is a bit of video comparing prices of proper pianos each price increase brings an improvement in sound even as the prices increase to wallet qualing amounts.

I opted for a cheaper PSR E363 on the basis that if I achieve a satisfactory level and keep up the playing I would then be able to decide how much I wanted to spend.

I was listening to Rhapsody in blue yesterday and wondering if that was achievable. I remember well my Great Aunt Ivy who could play anything by ear on any piano who made family get togethers a real party

Don.

 

We looked into this for a suitable instrument for my son to take to university, for when his neighbours complained about his trumpet practice - he had reached grade 7 piano before A-levels kicked in. Several instruments were tried out at Hickies in Reading (we are fortunate for instrument shops locally, with Dawkes in Maidenhead for our clarinet and trumpet needs - a kazoo has been purchased there, too). This confirmed the research done in advance, that the P45 is at the optimum price / quality point for his standard, on the scale of Yamaha instruments.

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33 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Would it be correct to say that S is the same on both sides of the Atlantic, so that proper comparison with an English dainty is possible?

 

I don't know about the USA nor the the UK but here in NZ we call S scale 1:64.

 

Here is an S scale brass model by Ajin of Korea of Ka 954 the engine upon which I had my first cab ride in 1962.

 

954_NZR_paekok_1abc_r1500.jpg.3cbe88ef6f073674f3669fe7166a25ad.jpg

 

and here on the racetrack near Palmerston North at 60mph...

 

976663082_954_Ka_NZR_Linton_tablet_exchange_2abcdef_r1500.jpg.40bafebae8a320c8032dfe35fb87499f.jpg

 

summer holidays, 1962, all steam, lovely! 

 

Cheers

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3 hours ago, Regularity said:

Isn’t that the entire point, though?

(Pardon the pun?)

To me, quite possibly as I have a discerning interest in track. But compared to their H0 track, Peco’s O gauge track is more tolerable, such that to many there is no problem at all, and I would rather see correctly placed catch points (or whatever the GWR called them) in Peco than meticulously modelled Scale7 track which would not pass a BoT inspection.

 

Not to me the Peco turnouts are quite a way from the standard of the models I am talking about. I do find it odd that people will fuss about minute details of loco. Which ones had exactly which details but not pay the same attention to track. Each to their own but if you get that fussy about details it seems odd not to apply it to everything.

Just my personal view

 

 

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

We looked into this for a suitable instrument for my son to take to university, for when his neighbours complained about his trumpet practice - he had reached grade 7 piano before A-levels kicked in. Several instruments were tried out at Hickies in Reading (we are fortunate for instrument shops locally, with Dawkes in Maidenhead for our clarinet and trumpet needs - a kazoo has been purchased there, too). This confirmed the research done in advance, that the P45 is at the optimum price / quality point for his standard, on the scale of Yamaha instruments.

 

 

I suspect your son is playing at a much higher standard than I am currently

Don

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3 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Would it be correct to say that S is the same on both sides of the Atlantic, so that proper comparison with an English dainty is possible?

Yes.

Though not yet.

However, to compare a 1918 built USRA “light” Mikado* with a GER Y14, I offer this:

3A4E00C6-55E9-405D-BFA5-840BB212F559.jpeg.3c3810dcfbc70fc3b145385da5940da1.jpeg
 

57 minutes ago, Donw said:

Each to their own but if you get that fussy about details it seems odd not to apply it to everything.

That’s why, since I was 17, my modelling has been to standards where the track is laid as close as possible to 56.5” divided by the scale.

Edited by Regularity
*Unlike the Nickle Plate Berkshire, this is at least a pre-grouping-era loco.
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16 hours ago, Regularity said:

 

To me, quite possibly as I have a discerning interest in track. But compared to their H0 track, Peco’s O gauge track is more tolerable, such that to many there is no problem at all, and I would rather see correctly placed catch points (or whatever the GWR called them) in Peco than meticulously modelled Scale7 track which would not pass a BoT inspection.

 

Surely, by definition "meticulously modelled Scale7 track" would have all the necessary traps and FPLs to  pass BoT inspection – otherwise it ceases to be "meticulously modelled"...

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Oh dear, are we headed for a variation of the gauge / scale wars?

Sort of High-definition text (Rees-Mogg style ? ) down to the Industrial version ( Peaky Blinders?) which I met daily during my working days.

 

Both Rees-Mogg and Peaky Blinders could be classed as Pre-grouping , (In reality, the Black Country  gang disappeared a little before the 1914 war )

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2 minutes ago, DonB said:

Oh dear, are we headed for a variation of the gauge / scale wars?

Sort of High-definition text (Rees-Mogg style ? ) down to the Industrial version ( Peaky Blinders?) which I met daily during my working days.

 

Both Rees-Mogg and Peaky Blinders could be classed as Pre-grouping , (In reality, the Black Country  gang disappeared a little before the 1914 war )

 

That was not the intention what scale and gauge you choose is up to you.  The discussion was about applying different standards to different elements of the layout and any resulting mismatch. In my view running a very superdetailed loco on rtr trackwork is rather like playing a fine classical piece of music on a pub piano not tuned to concert pitch.

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13 hours ago, Regularity said:

Yes.

Though not yet.

However, to compare a 1918 built USRA “light” Mikado* with a GER Y14, I offer this:

3A4E00C6-55E9-405D-BFA5-840BB212F559.jpeg.3c3810dcfbc70fc3b145385da5940da1.jpeg
 

Interesting. Though to be fair the sort of traffic used would be better comparing an American (4-4-0 for the uninitiated) or a Mogul with the Y14, and a Robinson 2-8-0 with the Light Mike.

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3 hours ago, wagonman said:

 

Surely, by definition "meticulously modelled Scale7 track" would have all the necessary traps and FPLs to  pass BoT inspection – otherwise it ceases to be "meticulously modelled"...

Well, one would hope so, but take an example from the P4 layout “Farringdon”, this is demonstrably not always the case...

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1 hour ago, webbcompound said:

Interesting. Though to be fair the sort of traffic used would be better comparing an American (4-4-0 for the uninitiated) or a Mogul with the Y14, and a Robinson 2-8-0 with the Light Mike.

An “American” is a specific version of a 4-4-0, with three-point compensation incorporated into the springing (bogie as one point, twin beams either side of the firebox to the spring anchors of the inward most side of the horn blocks). All Americans are 4-4-0s, but not all 4-4-0s are American... :)

The Y14s were used to haul quite lengthy trains down the “joint line”, and whilst overshadowed by the later 0-6-0s, we’re still very much in front line service in 1918.

A Robinson 2-8-0 has run on East Lynn, but was not present when the Mikado made a visit. I have subsequently acquired a mogul, but in terms of how they were used on the prototype, a 2-8-0 from North America would be the fairest comparison to a British 0-6-0.

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