Little Muddle

[Tony Teague]

8 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Agreed, I have been thinking of something similar.

 

Options include (i) find three different figures in similar attire, then fit them with three identical heads, (ii) do a "sitting" for Alan at Modelu in which you strike three different poses, or (iii) take a photo of a single figure, modify it, take another photo, modify it, take another photo.

 

The cost of the first two may be a bit much, so I'm considering the last one. Not top of the list though 

 

Surely with the miracle of DCC it should now be possible to install moving figures - F8 sits down, F6 stands up, F9 turns around, etc etc

[calvin Streeting]

12 minutes ago, Tony Teague said:

Surely with the miracle of DCC it should now be possible to install moving figure

 

yep remeber seeing them on inet once... cannot remeber where? eg 

 

Edited April 17, 2019 by calvin Streeting

[The Johnster]

20 minutes ago, calvin Streeting said:

 

yep remeber seeing them on inet once... cannot remeber where? eg 

 

Sorry, those jerky mechanical movements don’t cut it for me, and having figures in motionless poses looks far more realistic no matter how long it’s taking to unload that crate.  This sort of thing only draws attention to itself.  

[Limpley Stoker]

I populate my layout with woodlice - they move very realistically but take a lot of painting to make them look like people.

Edited April 17, 2019 by Limpley Stoker

[Joseph_Pestell]

1 hour ago, Tony Teague said:

 

Surely with the miracle of DCC it should now be possible to install moving figures - F8 sits down, F6 stands up, F9 turns around, etc etc

Control is not the issue. It's the size of motors and the tiny articulated joints that it would need. Not impossible but very expensive.

[5BarVT]

Bring back Jack Dugdale . . .

p’raps I Ortogo now.

 

Paul.

[calvin Streeting]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

Sorry, those jerky mechanical movements don’t cut it for me, and having figures in motionless poses looks far more realistic no matter how long it’s taking to unload that crate.  This sort of thing only draws attention to itself.  

Yep I agree ... was more pointing out they do exist:)

[Andrew P]

And don't forget, WHITE, as we know it today had not been invented, and could not be made as pure as we often see around us today, there was always a creamy tint to it, and that is probably why it didn't stand out like a sore thumb, but blended in with the Browns and Buff colours all around it.

[Simond]

the Beatles were seriously B&W early on, white shirts, dark suits & ties...

 

I mentioned the red as one of the characters wore his crimson army tunic throughout.

 

shell suits were not the worst, I feel, one should consider boob tubes, leg warmers & deelyboppers as “undesirable in any context”

 

best

simon

 

 

[The Johnster]

Men's hair was pretty dull and predictable underneath the hats as well; short back and sides, basin cut for kids, or no.1 for military and that was yer lot!  Beards and moustaches came and went with fashion; beards were out in the 30s and moustaches were associated with lounge lizards and spivs in the 50s except for ex-RAF types with handlebars. Hair was mostly Brylcreemed if you could afford it, greased otherwise.  Women were allowed to grow their hair but not to show it off; buns, pony tails, and pigtails on the kids.  

 

You are right about the Beatles, Simon; they didn't invent colour until Sergeant Pepper, 1967?  The much derided mophead haircut was put on stage with smart suits. Brian Epstein would have been horrified at anything less.  Even the Stones started off with suits and relatively short hair, and video of Eric Burdon singing Rising Sun looks like a Newcastle lad out on a Saturday night looking for trouble.

[Simond]

I think Pink Floyd and the psychedelic set were in colour a bit before the Beatles.  When did Carnaby St kick off?

 

still, not relevant for 1930s local railways “for local people”...

 

best

simon

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, Limpley Stoker said:

I populate my layout with woodlice

I suspect that you have little choice in the matter.

[KNP]

With the sun setting the railcar heads over the viaduct to Encombe Town.

 

 

Edited March 23 by KNP

[KNP]

Clearing the small PW area with the lights casting an eerie glow on the area.

 

 

Edited March 23 by KNP

[The Johnster]

22 hours ago, Simond said:

I think Pink Floyd and the psychedelic set were in colour a bit before the Beatles.  When did Carnaby St kick off?

 

still, not relevant for 1930s local railways “for local people”...

 

best

simon

Floyd charted with 'See Emily Play' in '67, and were billed as support band for Hendrix in Cardiff's Sophia Gardens Pavilion, now long gone; I was in the melee outside, 15 years old.  Carnaby Street was about '64 or 5 I think.

[KNP]

A few of the night time shots as the railcar leaves Little Muddle enroute to Encombe Town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tweaked the white balance to reduce the yellowish glow.

Much better to my eye

Edited March 23 by KNP

[Kingzance]

11 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Floyd charted with 'See Emily Play' in '67, and were billed as support band for Hendrix in Cardiff's Sophia Gardens Pavilion, now long gone; I was in the melee outside, 15 years old.  Carnaby Street was about '64 or 5 I think.

Mary Quant and Twiggy were from the monochrome end of the 60’s when most pop bands appeared in suits as directed by Mr Epstein’s four. I saw Stones, Merseybeats, Undertakers, Animals, Searchers, Hollies and many more similarly attired in 63-65.

[Harlequin]

Hi Kevin,

 

Back on topic, you've just opened a possible rich new vein of night-time photos if you had more lights on the layout. Platform lamps are the obvious candidates but if trains were running at night then it's most likely the signal boxes would have been manned and thus, lit.

 

If you used a DCC decoder to drive LEDs inside the 'boxes you could even have flickering orange light appear every now and then when the signalman opens the stove door to stoke or poke the fire.

 

Edit: (And you'd be able to send a command to turn the fire light on permanently for taking photos.)

 

Edited April 19, 2019 by Harlequin

[The Johnster]

Not just night shots, either.  I have a long term intention to provide some lighting on Cwmdimbath, inspired by a very wet and dreary afternoon waiting for the bus connection at Cwmmer Afan in 1969.  Low cloud made the scene something like a large grey gloomy room, and the lights were on in the buffet (still in operation under the name 'The Refresh', which it was always known as, signal box, and some rooms in the station buildings.  This enhanced the general gloominess, at the same time providing evidence of warm, dry, lit place where one could get tea and biscuits out of the rain.  Even the sheep looked fed up as opposed to just bored; this was Valleys atmosphere on steroids, and one could almost here the male voice choir over the gurglesucking of the drains and gutters.

 

I want this for Cwmdimbath.  My lighting can be switched between 'warm', 'cold', and mixed and there are 3 levels, so low level cold would be good for this.  Interior details would need to be provided in the lit station rooms and signal box.  And the Abergwynfi branch on which my WTT is based had a late night auto from Bridgend that got in at 23.55, connecting from the last down Paddington-Swansea of the day (try getting up there by public transport at that time of night nowadays!) and presumably picking up any revellers from the Bridgend or Maesteg fleshpots.  I imagine the platform lights were left on but not much else, and the train departed at 00.01 (probably sooner in reality) ecs for Tondu.  

 

In terms of trains, I can probably get away with a dedicated battery lit auto set, with head and tail lamps.    The trick will be to keep lighting levels low and subtle, as Kevin has done with these railcar shots.  But there are plenty of other projects to do first!

[Mick Bonwick]

12 hours ago, KNP said:

 

Much better to my eye

 

 

And we all know what your eye is capable of! 

[calvin Streeting]

There is alot you can do with lights.  See my layout and nicely done kmp

[Alister_G]

9 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Not just night shots, either.  I have a long term intention to provide some lighting on Cwmdimbath, inspired by a very wet and dreary afternoon waiting for the bus connection at Cwmmer Afan in 1969.  Low cloud made the scene something like a large grey gloomy room, and the lights were on in the buffet (still in operation under the name 'The Refresh', which it was always known as, signal box, and some rooms in the station buildings.  This enhanced the general gloominess, at the same time providing evidence of warm, dry, lit place where one could get tea and biscuits out of the rain.  Even the sheep looked fed up as opposed to just bored; this was Valleys atmosphere on steroids, and one could almost here the male voice choir over the gurglesucking of the drains and gutters.

 

I want this for Cwmdimbath.  My lighting can be switched between 'warm', 'cold', and mixed and there are 3 levels, so low level cold would be good for this.  Interior details would need to be provided in the lit station rooms and signal box.  And the Abergwynfi branch on which my WTT is based had a late night auto from Bridgend that got in at 23.55, connecting from the last down Paddington-Swansea of the day (try getting up there by public transport at that time of night nowadays!) and presumably picking up any revellers from the Bridgend or Maesteg fleshpots.  I imagine the platform lights were left on but not much else, and the train departed at 00.01 (probably sooner in reality) ecs for Tondu.  

 

In terms of trains, I can probably get away with a dedicated battery lit auto set, with head and tail lamps.    The trick will be to keep lighting levels low and subtle, as Kevin has done with these railcar shots.  But there are plenty of other projects to do first!

 

I had lit interiors and platform lighting for my Bakewell layout, which worked very well for photography:

 

 

 

Definitely a welcome sight on a wet night!

 

Al.

 

[PaulRhB]

I think the yellow hue is ok for period lighting. 

Links from Arle images Flickr

 

 

GW night time shots are available

[KNP]

Since the demise of Dean Goods 2322 there has been a gap in the motive power fleet that serves Little Muddle.

But no more, from Oxford Rail comes their Dean Goods 2534 and to prove it's not another one of my photo props here she is on her maiden run to Little Muddle.

 

 

 

Other than a spray of Dullcote it is straight out of the box.

I do have to say that I think I need to alter the shunting speed setting on the Zimo chip as she seems to be fair belting along the track.

 

She is also the quietest and smoothest loco in my fleet, no doubt due to the brass flywheel!

Edited April 20, 2019 by KNP

[KNP]

A few quick snaps of 2534 taken on my iPhone.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23 by KNP