Annie's Virtual Pre-Grouping, Grouping and BR Layouts & Workbench

[Caley Jim]

You have my full sympathy, Annie.  Having often been on the other end of 'the tools' in such situations, I can tell you that it's stressful there too!  Hope healing is uneventful.

 

Jim

[Annie]

36 minutes ago, Caley Jim said:

You have my full sympathy, Annie.  Having often been on the other end of 'the tools' in such situations, I can tell you that it's stressful there too!  Hope healing is uneventful.

 

Jim

Yes I can very much understand that Jim as I could sense that our dentist was having a lot of difficulty with the last tooth.  When he showed me the xrays last week he said to me that particular tooth was going to be an awkward one to deal with.

Once I was home the bleeding stopped reasonably quickly and i could take out the gauze rolls.  My lower jaw is a bit sore, but not painful and I have been given an instruction sheet of what to do over the next few days as well as some spare gauze pads just in case.

[Edwardian]

Glad it's done, Annie, and you're out the other side.

 

I hope you are soon fully recovered.

 

Rare stake and a good claret was a great healer after my own triple extraction. Mind you, pretty trippy after the general anesthetic. I always was a Complete Idiot, though.

[Annie]

3 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Glad it's done, Annie, and you're out the other side.

 

I hope you are soon fully recovered.

 

Rare stake and a good claret was a great healer after my own triple extraction. Mind you, pretty trippy after the general anesthetic. I always was a Complete Idiot, though.

I certainly wouldn't have minded a Guinness after going through all that James, but combined with the pain meds it might have been a risk.

Yes just like banging one's head on a brick wall it feels so good once one stops doing it.  I'm very pleased it's all over and done with.

I'm still sleepy and falling asleep all the time, but I do feel a lot better this morning.

[Annie]

 

Book Corner:

 

I've not long woken up and my daughter tells me it's Saturday night even though my brain is telling me it's another day entirely, but with time displacement due to narcolepsy having been a part of my life for a long time now I'm not terribly surprised.  What was surprising though was that this particular book had arrived while I was asleep. Almost four months ago I ordered this second hand copy of 'An Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations Layouts And Illustrations' by R.H. Clark and with one thing and another I'd forgotten all about it.  One thing COVID-19 has done is absolutely mess up parcel postage to New Zealand so if I order anything from the Uk I have to accept that there is a chance that it won't arrive.  But this book did and its packaging was in good order with no sign of its journey having been no more intrepid that usual (no blood stains, no velociraptor teeth marks.....) .  And I'm awfully pleased it has arrived.

 

This is the 1979 edition published before the author had any thought of there being being a Volume 2, or 3, or whatever so it doesn't have 'Volume 1' on the dust jacket.  At the time I purchased this book that seemed to have a significant effect on the price with the same book marked with 'Volume 1' costing more than the earlier version.  If there is a difference with 'Volume 1' having more stations included within its covers or an updated text I don't know, but that wasn't important for me at the time since what I wanted was a book with nice big layout diagrams that covered a wide range of GWR stations.

 

It's a good sized book with excellent quality reproduction of photographs and the text is easy to read, - which is important for me since narcolepsy has messed up my eyesight.  Despite its external appearance this book is laid out in landscape format which allows for a good and proper reproduction of station layouts.  I don't know about you, but I really dislike books that stick tiny station layout diagrams on a page full of wall of text lengthy pontifications with a couple of poorly reproduced photographs to go along with it all.  So yes, - this book is very much Annie Approved.

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Annie
can't spell for toffee

[Compound2632]

In the late 1970s, OPC really pioneered the type of large format, large pictures railway book that we've come to associate with Wild Swan, who didn't really get going until the early 80s.

[Edwardian]

2 hours ago, Annie said:

 

Book Corner:

 

I've not long woken up and my daughter tells me it's Saturday night even though my brain is telling me it's another day entirely, but with time displacement due to narcolepsy having been a part of my life for a long time now I'm not terribly surprised.  What was surprising though was that this particular book had arrived while I was asleep. Almost four months ago I ordered this second hand copy of 'An Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations Layouts And Illustrations' by R.H. Clark and with one thing and another I'd forgotten all about it.  One thing COVID-19 has done is absolutely mess up parcel postage to New Zealand so if I order anything from the Uk I have to accept that there is a chance that it won't arrive.  But this book did and its packaging was in good order with no sign of its journey having been no more intrepid that usual (no blood stains, no velociraptor teeth marks.....) .  And I'm awfully pleased it has arrived.

 

This is the 1979 edition published before the author had any thought of there being being a Volume 2, or 3, or whatever so it doesn't have 'Volume 1' on the dust jacket.  At the time I purchased this book that seemed to have a significant effect on the price with the same book marked with 'Volume 1' costing more than the earlier version.  If there is a difference with 'Volume 1' having more stations included within its covers or an updated text I don't know, but that wasn't important for me at the time since what I wanted was a book with nice big layout diagrams that covered a wide range of GWR stations.

 

It's a good sized book with excellent quality reproduction of photographs and the text is easy to read, - which is important for me since narcolepsy has messed up my eyesight.  Despite its external appearance this book is laid out in landscape format which allows for a good and proper reproduction of station layouts.  I don't know about you, but I really dislike books that stick tiny station layout diagrams on a page full of wall of text lengthy pontifications with a couple of poorly reproduced photographs to go along with it all.  So yes, - this book is very much Annie Approved.

 

 

Excellent.

 

Don't forget volumes 2 and 3.  In fact, I've a sneaking suspicion there's a volume 4 that hardly anyone alive today has ever seen.

 

I say this because, in railway publishing in those days, there was an unwritten rule that they had to be an obscure fourth volume to any series, that they only printed 3 of and no one can ever find. 

[Annie]

18 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Excellent.

 

Don't forget volumes 2 and 3.  In fact, I've a sneaking suspicion there's a volume 4 that hardly anyone alive today has ever seen.

 

I say this because, in railway publishing in those days, there was an unwritten rule that they had to be an obscure fourth volume to any series, that they only printed 3 of and no one can ever find. 

 

Ha ha, - yes that sounds about right James.  Back when I purchased what later became 'Volume 1' I did take a look to see if Volume 2 & 3 were available second hand, but the prices seem to double from Volume 1 to Volume 2 to Volume 3 so I decided to leave it and see if the prices would become more sensible later on.  I won't do any more book purchases until after Christmas when hopefully international postage will return to a less chaotic state.

 

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

In the late 1970s, OPC really pioneered the type of large format, large pictures railway book that we've come to associate with Wild Swan, who didn't really get going until the early 80s.

And a very good format it is too Stephen.  I've always of the view that a good picture (or diagram) is worth a 1000 words and apart from significant dates, measurements, what colour something was painted and what materials it was made of there isn't a great need for acres of verbage.

[Regularity]

3 hours ago, Edwardian said:

 

Excellent.

 

Don't forget volumes 2 and 3.  In fact, I've a sneaking suspicion there's a volume 4 that hardly anyone alive today has ever seen.

 

All 4 are jolly interesting reads.

[Regularity]

5 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

In the late 1970s, OPC really pioneered the type of large format, large pictures railway book that we've come to associate with Wild Swan, who didn't really get going until the early 80s.

<coughs and splutters his afternoon coffee across the room>

[Compound2632]

2 minutes ago, Regularity said:

<coughs and splutters his afternoon coffee across the room>

 

My apologies for causing such disruption. What did I say?

[Edwardian]

If you splutter coffee, do you get covfefe?

[Regularity]

19 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

My apologies for causing such disruption. What did I say?

If you know, you know. If you don’t know, I am definitely not saying.

Edited December 5, 2020 by Regularity
Removed echolalia.

[Compound2632]

12 minutes ago, Regularity said:

If you know, you know. If you don’t know, I am definitely not saying.

 

Sub rosa.

[Caley Jim]

50 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

If you splutter coffee, do you get covfefe?

Not if you're wearing a mask!   

 

Jim

[Edwardian]

Soooo, system layouts .....

 

Here's one I remember from The World of Model Trains book (colour picture).  It charts the GW route from Paddington into Wales.  It does so via a bewildering  series of levels.

 

 

I tracked down the copy of RM in which it featured, and, having studied the layout plan, remain utterly baffled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Annie]

That is an awful lot of levels.  Bewildering is definitely the word for it and trying to make sense of it all makes my head hurt.

[Regularity]

Follow the numbers around the plan, ignoring the levels, and the route will partially unfold.

[Annie]

16 hours ago, Regularity said:

Follow the numbers around the plan, ignoring the levels, and the route will partially unfold.

I did that, but it's still pretty mind boggling though.

[Annie]

Played trains on Lickey for a while to cheer myself up.  I'm still suffering from the after effects of having those three old busted teeth dug out so I'm still sleep crashing a lot.  I don't really feel like doing much, but I have managed to read 'Firing Days at Saltney' by Terry Essery all the way to the end, - which considering that I have trouble with reading anything should tell you that I consider it to be a darn good read.  If you haven't read this book, get a copy and read it because it's well written and an absolute page turner from beginning to end.

 

 

 

[Annie]

I'm still rubbish tired, but at least I can eat solid food again now.  I ran some trains on the Hopewood Tramway and had a lot of fun with it despite making lots of silly mistakes.

 

Morning passenger train setting off from Cathill Junction.

 

 

Inspiring snap taken in the goods yard at Cathill Junction.

 

 

Shunting back with a timber train for the Flinders Mill branch.  I'm not sure what Flinders Mill looks like, but I do know it's small town out there somewhere beyond the edge of the layout.  Perhaps one day I'll extend the tramway that far.

 

 

On the Flinders Mill branch.

 

 

The station and wind pump can be seen in the background of this snap.

 

 

No.127 goes trip working.  This trip job involves clearing all the goods yards on the way to Hopewood on Sea of any wagons that are ready to be picked up.  At Hopewood on Sea yard a trip job engine from the Windweather Tramway will collect anything that's to go via the Windweather Tramway and No.127 will take the rest through to the large GER-GCR interchange yard at Elgar Junction.

 

 

 

Bluebell Woods.

 

 

 

And sorry that's all folks..........

[Annie]

Book Corner:

I'm sure you all know about this book.  If you don't go and stand in the naughty corner and hang your head in shame.

I dragged around a steadily disintegrating photocopy of this wonderful book for years until finally there was reliable internet here in New Zealand and I found a download link.  This is a different download link to the one I normally use so I thought it might be useful to members of the parish.

 

 

 

http://www.public-library.uk/dailyebook/The British steam railway locomotive 1825-1925 (1927).pdf

[NeilHB]

Sorry to hear that you're still not feeling great Annie. 

 

The Hopewood Tramway photos are lovely though, so thank you for sharing these. They are giving me plenty of ideas for my Elsbridge Tramway Company layout, particularly the street running sections. I do like the semi-dumb buffered dropsides, and suspect that I may have to scratchbuild some that are similar to these. 

[Schooner]

4 hours ago, Annie said:

 

Love that transition, nicely done

[Annie]

2 hours ago, NeilHB said:

Sorry to hear that you're still not feeling great Annie. 

 

The Hopewood Tramway photos are lovely though, so thank you for sharing these. They are giving me plenty of ideas for my Elsbridge Tramway Company layout, particularly the street running sections. I do like the semi-dumb buffered dropsides, and suspect that I may have to scratchbuild some that are similar to these. 

I'm on the mend Neil so hopefully it won't be too long before I feel more like myself again.

 

Thanks, I have a big soft spot for the Hopewood Tramway.  It's one of the oldest parts of my Norfolk layout and the place I always come back to when I want to play trains to cheer myself up a bit.

I made the dumb buffer wagons to represent wagons that'd had a cheap and very basic sprung buffer conversion such as was resorted to by railway companies that might be a little cash strapped back in the day.  It was all made possible by a fortuitous alignment of various digital wagon parts that weren't supposed to fit together and the result is perfect for running on my Affiliated (Imaginary) Railway Company lines and the tramways in particular.

 

1 hour ago, Schooner said:

Love that transition, nicely done

Thanks, I thought so too Schooner.  I had a bit of trouble taking decent snaps due to being sleepy and somehow I managed to fluke that one.