The Night Mail

[J. S. Bach]

9 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

The coal loads are scraped polystyrene painted with black acrylic, (once the mess is cleared), they look OK and still allow the 1 in 30 to be climbed!

 

It isn't coming on too bad considering a year ago it was a different country, scale etc....

 

 

This is where the climbing main and exchange sidings now are.

 

 

 

 

Love those ALCos! I have a pair of O scale C-630 in Lehigh Valley's "snowbird" color scheme.

[New Haven Neil]

Dave (H) I cheated.....   Gaugemaster do sheets of er, pre-static-ed grass, which I used to get cheapish from, er, me.   It's not cheap, but comes in several lengths and colours, we used to sell heaps and heaps of it.

 

It is cut to shape stuck over a former of polyfilla and old tea towels, then worked over with grass clumps and anything that comes to hand, from my Woodlands Scenics box of green fluff.  It is by no means the finished article as yet, as it is still too uniform, but it is beginning to get there.  It looks better in the flesh than in photos, they can be cruel.

 

Thank you for your kind comments, Mrs NHN made the trees - there are a lot more to do as yet, so I am being good.

 

Edit - change photo, already used that one!

Edited December 3, 2020 by New Haven Neil

[Happy Hippo]

Not wishing to make Neil blush too much, but I am a great admirer of the style of presentation where the front of the railway is neatly finished off and the lighting rig and other overhead gubbins is out of sight behind the pelmet.

 

I'd almost be tempted to hide the fiddle yard behind a curtain of some description. (Not frilly white nets).

[New Haven Neil]

Thank you Richard.

 

It is my intention that the fiddle yards will be covered by a hinged flap, when all finished-ish.  The pelmet and frontage will be repainted when scenic work is finished, it is a bit battered at the moment as it hasn't been touched since the HO layout was dismantled.  The height of the pelmet is arranged so I can't see the lights when standing by the layout, I'm a touch over 5' 10''.  

 

With the garage lights off and the layout lights on it looks quite impressive (goes to show you can pull the wool....) as you walk in.  I should try to photograph that.  As it is, it looks like this...

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

I know there is not  lot of crime on the IoM, but a hinged flap that is lockable would give anything in the fiddle yard a bit of added protection.

 

The new traverser on Splott West Sidings is to have a box like cover that drops over the top and is secured in place by a locking mechanism.

 

We thought it would be a good idea at shows to give a little bit of extra security when the railway was unattended.

[bbishop]

Neil, you realise Jamie has scanned those numberplates into the police computer.  Once a copper, always a copper .....  Bill

[New Haven Neil]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

Neil, you realise Jamie has scanned those numberplates into the police computer.  Once a copper, always a copper .....  Bill

 

 

   They're all 'dead', or no longer my property in the case of one!  The UK ones were permanently exported to here although now I think about it IIRC there is another there that we lost the log book for so haven't declared it scrap.  Please bear in mind I used to work for the plod too 

[Winslow Boy]

6 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

 

   They're all 'dead', or no longer my property in the case of one!  The UK ones were permanently exported to here although now I think about it IIRC there is another there that we lost the log book for so haven't declared it scrap.  Please bear in mind I used to work for the plod too 

Nothing like a bit of Plod on Plod action

[New Haven Neil]

10 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Love those ALCos! I have a pair of O scale C-630 in Lehigh Valley's "snowbird" color scheme.

 

I have this interloper!  Factory painted brass, it was a gift for helping out dispose of a deceased modeller's estate.  Plenty NH Alco's also of course, but they didn't have any big Centuries, just C425's.

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

4 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Nothing like a bit of Plod on Plod action

 

It's interesting to note they still show on DVLA, despite having being reported as permanently exported.  So what's the point?  More government inefficiency.

[Winslow Boy]

1 minute ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

It's interesting to note they still show on DVLA, despite having being reported as permanently exported.  So what's the point?  More government inefficiency.

Is the IoM a crown dependency? They might be having problems getting an extradition application

[New Haven Neil]

18 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Is the IoM a crown dependency? They might be having problems getting an extradition application

 

Indeed we are, thank crunchie.  Although our Govt is little different, just closer to the people.  Equally useless....

[BokStein]

6 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

It's interesting to note they still show on DVLA, despite having being reported as permanently exported.  So what's the point?  More government inefficiency.

 

Once anything gets cross-referenced within a database, it's usually there for life unless some 'clown' clears out all the data and starts again! Doubt DVLA will be contemplating that anytime soon!

[J. S. Bach]

8 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

I have this interloper!  Factory painted brass, it was a gift for helping out dispose of a deceased modeller's estate.  Plenty NH Alco's also of course, but they didn't have any big Centuries, just C425's.

 

 

Not an interloper but being road-tested and used as a 6-axle demonstrator to NYNH&H by ALCo before being sent west.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

A very good tool restoration if anybody's interested. I'm considering getting one of these to replace my 1950s Craftsman eggbeater drill.

 

https://michael-parrish.com/2016/05/31/goodell-pratt-5-12-b-two-speed-hand-drill-restoration/

 

Douglas

 

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[simontaylor484]

Douglas 

 

  That drill looks like it will last a lifetime. There's hardly anything to go wrong with them. 

[J. S. Bach]

I have a hand drill that I got in an antique mall for less than $20.00, it is quite large; the wheel is at least 6" in diameter and it has a "shoulder stock" like a rifle. One can really lean into the work. I just need to find it as it got mis-placed at some point in time.

[Happy Hippo]

40 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

I have a hand drill that I got in an antique mall for less than $20.00, it is quite large; the wheel is at least 6" in diameter and it has a "shoulder stock" like a rifle. One can really lean into the work. I just need to find it as it got mis-placed at some point in time.

Probably the one I sold some years ago for about a fiver!

[J. S. Bach]

2 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Probably the one I sold some years ago for about a fiver!

Well, if you had it in the Time After Time antique mall in Inman, SC!

Edited December 4, 2020 by J. S. Bach

[rockershovel]

7 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

A very good tool restoration if anybody's interested. I'm considering getting one of these to replace my 1950s Craftsman eggbeater drill.

 

https://michael-parrish.com/2016/05/31/goodell-pratt-5-12-b-two-speed-hand-drill-restoration/

 

Douglas

 

 

 

 

 

It had never occurred to me that people restored old tools, but why not? It’s just another branch of engineering and design history, after all, no different from cars, motorcycles or steam engines in principle. 

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 

It had never occurred to me that people restored old tools, but why not? It’s just another branch of engineering and design history, after all, no different from cars, motorcycles or steam engines in principle. 

Lots of You tube videos of such things happening  I came across one on how to restore a vice, and it wasn't the type of vice that needed an age restriction.

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

When I was about ten years old my maternal granddad asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said a vice please. My Mum thought I was daft wanting such a thing but it is still in use fixed to my workbench and has been so in nearly every house I've lived in. Another tool I wouldn't be without is a screwdriver with six different blades in the handle that Jill bought for me many years ago.

 

On the modelling front I am currently (and unfortunately slowly) making the double flight of steps up to my coaling stage; what a fiddly job that is. Once that is done and the water column fixed in place and detailed, though, that's the stage completed - except for the ten or so half ton coal tubs that go inside. I think they will probably be an ongoing job that will slowly progress during the remaining build time of the layout.

 

Have a fun day people.

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

16 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

 

On the modelling front I am currently (and unfortunately slowly) making the double flight of steps up to my coaling stage; what a fiddly job that is. Once that is done and the water column fixed in place and detailed, though, that's the stage completed - except for the ten or so half ton coal tubs that go inside. I think they will probably be an ongoing job that will slowly progress during the remaining build time of the layout.

 

 

Note to self:

 

Do not build a model MPD with a coaling stage.

[roundhouse]

I sti use the metal clamp that I made on metalwork class over 40 years ago, mainly for holding D connectors whilst soldering wires to them.

 

Today I went up in the loft to fetch the Xmas tree. A found a box of old Hornby stock that had fallen over, so a few of the locos are now getting a bit of a run on the High Line. They have not had a run for over 30 years.

City of Bristol was one of my first loco repaint with the lining done by hand.

It was also my youngest brothers loco. I have just sent him a photo and he remembered it.

 

Next up is Mallard which was an Xmas present from my parents. This one didn't get a repaint.

 

Both used to have Zero 1 decoders fitted but are now just plain DC.

[rockershovel]

5 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Lots of You tube videos of such things happening  I came across one on how to restore a vice, and it wasn't the type of vice that needed an age restriction.

 

Jamie

 

There are plenty of things on YouTube which I have no knowledge of, just as well in some cases