The Night Mail

[Northmoor]

In a similar vein, I have a bucket of sea coal collected years ago from Seaton Carew beach, which will - one I've picked the bits of shell and grains of sand out - be enough for every locomotive bunker/tender and coal wagon I'll ever have.  It's naturally ground down to a realistic size and was easy to collect because it's less dense than sand so "floats" on the surface of the beach.

[jamie92208]

For loco coal I've got a large coffee jar full of washed and graded coal from Ponty Prince, aka Prince of Wales Colliery at Pontefract.  I did a small favour for them and got the jar in return. It will last my loco building out. My office at Ponte used to overlook the pit. Sadly now gone.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

4 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Thanks for the input guys. As I suspected, there are lots of ways to skin this particular cat and as Stubby suggests some experimentation on test stretches of yard and track will be necessary. I also feel a trip to some steam preservation sites and the collection of real ash may be in order.

 

Dave

Gordon Rosen gave me a huge tub of what looks like black gritty ash. He got it when he was working as an undertaker, so we use  PVA wetted down with holy water just to be on the safe side.

 

You are welcome to a tub as a sample.

[Dave Hunt]

Thanks HH but my pointwork is all live frogs so the two may not mix well.

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Thanks HH but my pointwork is all live frogs so the two may not mix well.

 

Dave

Get a hex frog juicer.  You're then either quick or dead! 

[PhilJ W]

10 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Get a hex frog juicer.  You're then either quick or dead! 

What is green and then turns red?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A frog in a food blender.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Afternoon all,

 

 

Well, I got the job and will be starting Tuesday. I won’t bore you all with the specifics but it will be a most interesting job.

 

In other news, more efforts are being on the mogul, but under the new MSA*  they shall not be disclosed here. 
 

*mogul secrecy act

 

Douglas

[J. S. Bach]

Oh, I do not think that the specifics would be boring!

[New Haven Neil]

Evening all, as Jamie used to say.

 

A nice visit to Harry's today, way over west  in Kirk Michael.  A pleasant day, overcast but warm, good company, good grub and of course, these.

 

No it isn't bl**dy Thomas....

 

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Well, I got the job and will be starting Tuesday. I won’t bore you all with the specifics but it will be a most interesting job.

 

Please do tell Douglas.

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

Well done Douglas. Good luck with the job.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

1 hour ago, J. S. Bach said:

Oh, I do not think that the specifics would be boring!

 

19 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Please do tell Douglas.

 

Dave

So Tuesday heralds the arrival of my 6 days* of “observation” which is spent observing a professional. They think that it will take much less time than 6 days due to my already knowing quite a bit. After the six days I go on vacation up too Washington State, (staying on a very remote farm) and then I come back and begin full time, and then it’s about 3 months before I'm added to payroll, however they think it will be shorter, same reason as above. Also after the six days my workbench area will be finished and tools provided so I will have a “base”. Within the six days will also be taught to me the stock taking system which is how your new job is assigned and how you find a clock/pets in the stores department. 
 

*currently I’m only going in on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that more staff will be in to help me. After that for the remainder of summer break I will probably be in 6 days a week from 9 am to 1 pm, giving a much needed something to do. During school it will just be Saturdays and probably Friday’s after school. 
 

 

The interview went well. They started off asking me how I got into mechanics and how I fixed my George the Fifth, which they were very impressed by. They were also quite interested in the live steam engines, and I explained the brief history of that hobby (the wife of the couple who own the business would like to start collecting antique toys). After that what the job entails was discussed, and then they let me ask them some questions. 
 

 

Douglas

[Dave Hunt]

Well done indeed. It sounds fascinating Douglas and I for one look forward to reading about your progress so please leave some time in your schedule to keep us informed.

 

Dave

[Tony_S]

While sorting through my locos recently to put decoders in I found a few that have etched plates to attach. I noticed some advice not to glue them but to use Blu tack. I was going to use some contact adhesive like Evostik. These are plastic OO locos that live inside not garden live steam. I did look on RMWeb for advice and there was a thread 10 years ago that ended up needing the attention of a forum moderator. What would contributors to this thread suggest?

Thanks 

Tony

[Stubby47]

I believe either a touch of matching body paint, or varnish, is deemed suitable,  but having absolutely no experience of this I can only repeat what I've read.

[Stubby47]

Y'know how plans can be planned, strategies put in place and brownie points accumulated to give a reasonable chance of a couple of hours to do something constructive in the modelling world ?

 

Forget it.

 

This morning was to be about opening the baseboard package and marking out the positions of the cross members on the baseboard top, to help plan points & motor positioning.

 

Instead it was trying to jiggle the shower pull switch into working, breaking the cord, going to Tool Station & purchasing a new switch, getting home and breaking said switch when trying to loosen the terminal screw, retracing my drive to Tool Station to be told I'd had the last one in stock but they could order one, or we have this one at twice the price, purchasing the expensive version, driving home and fitting new, expensive switch and still not getting any brownie points as all this was expected of me in my role as provider and DIY minion.

[Winslow Boy]

3 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

Y'know how plans can be planned, strategies put in place and brownie points accumulated to give a reasonable chance of a couple of hours to do something constructive in the modelling world ?

 

Forget it.

 

This morning was to be about opening the baseboard package and marking out the positions of the cross members on the baseboard top, to help plan points & motor positioning.

 

Instead it was trying to jiggle the shower pull switch into working, breaking the cord, going to Tool Station & purchasing a new switch, getting home and breaking said switch when trying to loosen the terminal screw, retracing my drive to Tool Station to be told I'd had the last one in stock but they could order one, or we have this one at twice the price, purchasing the expensive version, driving home and fitting new, expensive switch and still not getting any brownie points as all this was expected of me in my role as provider and DIY minion.

 

Yes but you shot yourself in the foot by breaking the replacement part. So really its your own fault and you should have done much better.

 

What do you mean, you wanted some symphony.

[Stubby47]

Whilst I cannot argue with your assessment that it was all my own fault, I still curse Cak the God of Chaos for his unwanted intervention.

 

And, no, my intention was to amuse, this is the last place I'd expect any sympathy.

[Winslow Boy]

 

Now that's much better. Your dismissed. Go and do something useful like unpacking the base boards etc rather than reading this drivel.

[laurenceb]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

While sorting through my locos recently to put decoders in I found a few that have etched plates to attach. I noticed some advice not to glue them but to use Blu tack. I was going to use some contact adhesive like Evostik. These are plastic OO locos that live inside not garden live steam. I did look on RMWeb for advice and there was a thread 10 years ago that ended up needing the attention of a forum moderator. What would contributors to this thread suggest?

Thanks 

Tony

I stuck some on "temporarily " with blutac, after about 20 years I noticed one had vanished into the ether never to be seen again. Someone who used to post on here said he used evostick and no-one needed to think of anything else. Varnish is probably a good way as it shouldn't make a mess

[New Haven Neil]

4 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

Y'know how plans can be planned, strategies put in place and brownie points accumulated to give a reasonable chance of a couple of hours to do something constructive in the modelling world ?

 

Forget it.

 

This morning was to be about opening the baseboard package and marking out the positions of the cross members on the baseboard top, to help plan points & motor positioning.

 

Instead it was trying to jiggle the shower pull switch into working, breaking the cord, going to Tool Station & purchasing a new switch, getting home and breaking said switch when trying to loosen the terminal screw, retracing my drive to Tool Station to be told I'd had the last one in stock but they could order one, or we have this one at twice the price, purchasing the expensive version, driving home and fitting new, expensive switch and still not getting any brownie points as all this was expected of me in my role as provider and DIY minion.

 

 

Click#

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Lunchtime all,

 

 

This morning we had the ultrasonic cleaner out as I was servicing dads Benrus watch and the case needed cleaning. After it had been cleaned I decided to give the mechanism from The George a bath, and remove all the excess grease I couldn’t get to. The result was very good, and a slightly alarming quantity of dirt came out too. 
 

Above the mech is in a bag of destilled water, after coming out of the ultrasonic.

 

After it had been thoroughly dried, I lubricated all the bearings with clock oil, and oiled the mainspring with steam oil which I have found to work well on this movement. (DO NOT do that on a clock though). 
 

Today I am cooking Chicken Teka Massala and will be having the grandmother over for dinner, so the oval of track can’t be set up for prolonged test running, but I have set up and 8 foot straight section on the floor of my room. 
 

Douglas

Edited July 11, 2021 by Florence Locomotive Works

[polybear]

33 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Lunchtime all,

 

 

This morning we had the ultrasonic cleaner out as I was servicing dads Benrus watch and the case needed cleaning. After it had been cleaned I decided to give the mechanism from The George a bath, and remove all the excess grease I couldn’t get to. The result was very good, and a slightly alarming quantity of dirt came out too. 
 

Above the mech is in a bag of detailed water, after coming out of the ultrasonic.

 

 

 

Being a Bear of sometimes little Brain (and not much better on a good day) what, pray, is "detailed water"?

Yours,

Confused

[Danemouth]

15 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Being a Bear of sometimes little Brain (and not much better on a good day) what, pray, is "detailed water"?

Yours,

Confused

 

My guess is that predictive text has struck yet again so my money is on "distilled water"

 

Dave

 

who is busy scanning some slides from 1978 of Woodams at Barry Island

[Florence Locomotive Works]

18 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Being a Bear of sometimes little Brain (and not much better on a good day) what, pray, is "detailed water"?

Yours,

Confused

You can find in the same places that sell left hand screwdrivers, tartan paint and long stands.