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Dymented - the Serious stuff starts!


Philou
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@The Stationmaster He is a one-man-band and doesn't seem to take much time off - beside which 'round these 'ere parts there are no 'proper' restaurants - can't say  rough'n'ready as it's not a fair description, but the villages are so small there just isn't a large enough clientele to be open everyday, some do well at lunchtime - mainly pizza type - and others do better in the evening - but they're not open every day, or evening. Most people go home for lunch - hence the two hour closing time at midday.

 

Out here in the sticks, shops tend to open early in the morning and close later in the evening than in the UK and so they make up their hours by having a longer lunch. I can't speak for larger towns as it seems more hit and miss. It would seem that the smaller the shop the more likely it will be closed over lunch.

 

Don't forget that in the UK a lot of shops did shut at 1pm 'til 2pm and then there was half-day closing on Wednesday.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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Chums! Good news!

 

I left on a bit of a downer being at a loose end having no materials with which to work and being the weekend, I wasn't going ask my neighbours to help in taking down the original beams in the barn. Added to that, on Sunday pm, whilst packing the spa away for the season, Mrs Philou decided to take a short route off our sundeck. She fell, taking a step back onto air, and fell backwards about 1.0m. Fortunately, no RUD (Rapid Unplanned Disassembly) ensued, nothing broken, not even visible bruising. She was understandably, shaken (but not stirred) and is recovering - enough so to comment this morning that I am not very versatile with the vacuum cleaner. "Well, ya boo," I thought," you're better then!"

 

Went to see the doctor this afternoon and he gave her some non-ibruprofen based anti-inflammatory tablets and a script to have a general scan/x-ray of her back just-in-case.

 

This evening, my son-in-law called round to see how things were and to look at what had been done in the barn. He saw the two beams that are blocking my stairwell and he said 'Get your chainsaw ready, and I'll do them with you now'. He went to get his endless chain, whilst I busied myself in putting fuel and chain-oil in the saw and when I came back, the one was already on the floor. 'Wut?' 'It was only softwood and I shouldered it down onto the scaffold and then onto the floor'. Oh, the advantage of being young and wiry. The second beam was strapped to the endless chain, itself being attached to one of my new joists, one minute cut with the saw and it too was free. Down on the floor, the stump just pulled out of the wall and that was it! 10 minutes tops!

 

Next Tuesday he's coming to take the others down and take them away. He did have an ulterior motive for taking them down as wants to build a small log cabin for his son/my grandson. So, tomorrow I remove all the carp in front of the new staircase so that I can get its measurements BEFORE I move it and find it's too short. If too long, I can adjust a little, but I shall need to be careful in so doing and not cause a hazard due to differences in step heights (the risings).

 

Using his endless chain that he has so helpfully left behind, I should have little difficulty in raising it into its new position - it only took two of us to bring it across the road and heave it onto the mezzanine level - so here's hoping that I shall some news to add tomorrow evening.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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A staircase?

Pah! Easy-peasy.

Try dis-assembling, transporting and refitting a 150 kg stairlift...on your own...

 

Actually I don't recommend it.

A bad back is a lifetime's problem.

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@JeffP Oo-er, I feel for your back. I did mine in 1976 as being a proud new first-time houseowner and wanting to move the washing machine, I didn't know that thing was loaded with concrete blocks! Had a weakness there ever since - though not had anything for the last 10 years (touch wood!).

 

Today has become a non-day - nothing but 'phone calls and visits (my birthday today) and in an hour I have an unscheduled council meeting. I'll try again tomorrow morning, early!

 

On the plus side, Mrs Philou who must have noticed that I have a penchant for trains, gave me a nice Accurascale steel carrier. Very nice thought!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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I thought I ought to post up the SiL's efforts of yesterday seeing as I have none of mine to show:

 

P1010717.JPG.3b0623b09290f6ca73d4a67a29b07824.JPG

 

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Nice clear space unencumbered by the two beams and the stairwell ready for some stairs.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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Hello chums,

 

Following a week of great inactivity, this greeted me this morning on opening the barn door:

 

P1010719.JPG

 

The SiL came yesterday afternoon and in 45 minutes he and I (mostly him) had cut down all the remaining beams and lowered them onto the floor ready for collecting next week.

 

It means I now have clear space under the new joists and a heck of weight removed from the existing retained beam. I'm keeping the scaffolding in place as it means that I can use it to start my new floor. Once a couple of square metres are laid upon which I can walk safely (ie screwed in place), it can be removed. Downside is that in the interim, I have no space to stock my new flooring as it may arrive this pm as my builders' merchant is going to the timber yard/sawmill today to do some 'shopping'. Hopefully, my order will be ready:

 

P1010720.JPG.e347f4567abfb2f63119b27e2588e0b4.JPG

 

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One thing that the recent exercise showed up was that my new joists (or new beam) didn't move or flex noticeably when subjected to an individual load of 100kg+ when centrally placed on a joist - so it's looking positive for when I'm up there semi-permanently (ie back indoors to be fed! ;) ).

 

I've also ordered additional flooring with which to fabricate a new set of stairs (the design in SketchUp matched my expectations with minimal cuts and wastage - so good to go there too) - all I need are the materials!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

Edited by Philou
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10 hours ago, Philou said:

as it may arrive this pm

 

Well, didn't happen. I did however, restore the lights in the barn that were attached to the old beams by re-attaching them onto the new joists. Funny, same lights but being higher up and angled differently means that there is a much better light spread.

 

I did notice that whilst it only took me 15 minutes to take them down, it took me 2 hours to put them back up!

 

Perhaps news tomorrow (keeping fingers and eyes crossed).

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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Well, Friday came and went without any real definitely, all more maybe possibly arrival of wood Tuesday next week.

 

Having nothing to do, I decided that I would pop over to the club as they were setting up some junior modules for this weekend's show - all open to the public today and tomorrow, for free. Light refreshments are available, though I think it'll be a bit far for the majority of you to come over.

 

Here are a few photos of the modules being set up. There are over 30 of them and all created by the junior section (ages 12 - 16 yo). I thought the standard quite reasonable given the lack of materials that can be acquired locally. A fair number of the modules are still WIP (when is a layout ever really finished?).

 

Unfortunately, I only had a small hand-held camera that didn't like the low light levels and so the flash has somewhat washed the colours out:

 

P1010723.JPG.c1886d6c7939190d9cdf5b56f6d27a16.JPG

 

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The one thing I do like about the modules is that any module will fit with any other and the combination is endless. The downside is that there is a certain amount of discord scenery-wise and that a lot of the modules above are single track.

 

Have a good weekend everyone,

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a little update as I'm in the doldrums as no sign yet that my flooring is to be delivered anytime soon as apparently the width of boards at 250mm is 'non-standard'. Just give me 52m² in 200mm width then - no problem on my part just more lengths to lay - grumble grumble. I was hoping that at the rate I set off, I'd be home by Christmas - now where have I heard that before?

 

In other news, I can't even do my winter wood as my huuuuuge log cutting circular saw and trailer within which to collect the logs are both hemmed in by the old beams (as shown above). They were to have been collected last week by the SiL but he bust the gear stick on his truck but it should be back on the road this weekend.

 

However, not to be left dwiddling my thumbs, I did redraw a part of my plan as I wasn't happy with Dymented as it didn't have a raison d'être. What I did find was an old photo of Colwall station taken in the late 50's/early 60's showing a loco in steam waiting for the right-of-way with an early DMU with speed whiskers on approach. It wasn't that that took my interest, but an enormous rake of NPCC stock in the background. I couldn't work it out at first - then that light-bulb moment - Malvern Waters! I assume they're waiting to take on board crates of bottled water. 

 

I decided that a small scale version would do for me as the layout of Colwall had: double trackage through the station (check), approach either side by single line (check), a goods shed (check), a number of sidings (check) and a reason to attract traffic there (check). All I need now is a decent name for Dymented once I get the layout near-completed as I shan't use Colwall as the name as the reduced station size wouldn't do it justice nor shall I be using much NPCC stock - some other industry will do (maybe not dairy either!). Perhaps you chaps may have some thoughts on that?

 

Here's the revised plan: Pontrilas (oop north), Ledbury (dahn south), and Dymented (out west). Signal boxes are missing together with their signals:

 

Dymented08A.jpg.27b627d7500d262c5f745fc9df9c00b2.jpg

 

Work is now in progress on a revised and less detailed 3D version.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

 

 

 

Edited by Philou
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Hi,

 

like the way things are progressing!  Mm, ideas for the industry?  I agree not a dairy, and definitely not an engineering works or chemical plant.  Howsabout a food canning plant, a pet food manufacturer or a jam and preserve  manufacturer?

 

Roja

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Mmmmm, @37Oban, jam and pickle, eh? Sounds good. Where Ledbury lays, it was right in the middle of a hop growing area - photographs exist of a hop-pickers train off-loading pickers during the Edwardian period (an excellent reason to use the Hornby and Hatton's 4 & 6 wheel generic coaches). More recently (at least when I lived there) it had become an area renowned for blackcurrant growing - foreign pickers would come for the season.

 

There is no reason then not to have that at my Dymented - instead of hops, blackcurrants. It also gives reason to have train loads of wood arrive from Pontrilas (photo evidence of that) to supply heating fuel. In reality, I think the logs shown in the photos were used the other side of the tracks in the chemical works (which I intend to have as a low relief building) where naphtha and creosote were made.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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I gave the name a little (for a value of little) thought yesterday and I did come up with a play on words. In and around Cardiff there are villages where Cardiffians took sport in mis-pronouncing the names - for example: Tony wine glass for Tongwynlais and Ribena for Rhiwbina. Well! There's a possibility of Rhiwbina instead of Dymented particularly as there is a (tenuous) link with a fruity blackcurrant drink.

 

(There is a station at Rhiwbina on the City Line. It did also link directly with a station at Tongwynlais when part of the Cardiff Railway but that was stopped in the 50s.)

 

Other thoughts regarding names with perhaps a Welsh Marches name would be gratefully accepted.

 

Good news is that the truck is repaired and hopefully the beams will be gone tomorrow.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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You can't pinch my Marches route station name - Goytre. (which really did have a station but it was given a different name presumably in case somebody confused it with the similar sounding illness).  But from the south end of the route there are some useful names near the line or where the station was named after a larger settlement - so Cwmfields  (Pontypool) sounds a nice mangling of Welsh & English. Penperlleni (which is near Goytre ;) ); Llanover; Llanellen;  The Bryn (which also has a longer far more Welsh name);  Mardy not far from the route;  St Teilos - which is a church but would make a good place name.

 

Among the more English sounding ones there's Triley; Ewyas; Wormbridge'. St Dubricius (yet another church); Winnal; Allensmore - all south of Hereford, and Burcott near Shelwick Jcn.

 

Over the years I've had a good look along the route south of Hereford for usable names and Goytre suited my purposes in more ways than just a childish pun in the name itself

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@The Stationmaster Goytre would lead me to think Thyroyd - hmmm. Llanover - yes Llanover Hall in Cardiff. I avoided Ewyas as 1) I can't get my tongue around it and 2) it's a tad close (physically) to Pontrilas. My Dymented was partially based on Dymock which of course was on the Gloucester branch.

 

In your list I like the look of Allensmore as I can turn that into Allensbank - a road I know in Cardiff. Sort of neutral. Or indeed, why not Cwmfields? Cwmfie? Is that just being silly :) ? Rule 1 could apply.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

 

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This morning I was going to write a whole chapter, nay, a tome of doom and despondency centring on the alas and alack and woe is me and how the French really need to up their game regarding timber supplies especially as there are millions of trees all around where I live. By this evening the storm clouds of gloom had been replaced by sunbeams and blue sky (no bunny wabbits or bluebirds though).

 

My wood will be delivered Thursday from lunchtime onwards! Good egg is my builders' merchant especially as Thursday is bank holiday here. I'm also having some decking planks delivered as I need to make a set of stairs for our sun-deck - the existing ones being absolutely pants - well built but with totally wrong goings/risings (not me, guv. Built by a proper 'tradesman'). These stairs will keep me busy whilst my flooring is acclimatising to the barn over the following 10 days or so.

 

Downside is that I have to get my huuuuge log cutting saw and trailer out of the barn and another two loads of logs tripped back from stock and sawn and the trailer and saw parked back in place before the flooring arrives.

 

Wait for weeks in doldrums and then suddenly, all hands to the deck!

 

Cheers :) ,

 

Philip

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@The Stationmaster Mike, hi, and thanks for the finger crossing.

 

Not only is it a 'bridge' (un pont) but it's 'un viaduc' (more than a three-day weekend). My builders' merchant is getting the flooring today and as he is going into the office tomorrow to do paperwork (not open to the public natch) and it suits him to do a delivery then, as Friday he's got another big delivery and couldn't guarantee me a time.

 

As another SiL has arrived today with his very pregnant girlfriend (just hope there won't be any surprise delivery whilst they're here :blink:), I can keep him busy tomorrow afternoon in getting the flooring in and heaved up onto the joists where I can let them stabilise.

 

I shall update tomorrow to let you know what happens.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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As an add-on, I did manage to collect two trailer loads of logs (only a small trailer) and had them cut and piled-up before lunch - so pretty good going all round.

 

Tomorrow is 11 o'clock  1 minutes silence at err 11 followed by a glass of fizz and nibbles for the whole village (I mean at least a glass each, not one between us all, c'mon this is France :) ) and then (fingers crossed) my wood will arrive. Now, if it's timed right, the whole village will be in the Mairie (which is next door) and when they see me and the enormous pile of wood, they might chip in and help take some into the barn. (They might not have any choice anyway as the last time he delivered, it was right across the Mairie's door!!!).

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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It arrived!!! Right on cue, just as the last of the nibbles were being munched and fizz was guzzled and yes everyone said 'we'll help' as they all buqqered off to lunch. In the end there wouldn't have been enough room in the barn for two to manoeuvre and it was just as quick for me to do it on my own. All 47 planks are now under cover and levelled. On advice I shall leave them at ground level for 8 days while they start to dry and after that, having borrowed a chop saw, I shall cut them to length and hoist them up in place, letting them rest for another few days and then fix them in place. One or two look as if they come from a banana tree but they'll straighten out using a chock or two and a sash cramp - nothing twisted though.

 

In other news, I also have some decking delivered, so new stairs ahoy.

 

Here we are, a photo of 52m² (approx) of flooring:

 

P1010757.JPG.27b4039c418d5f9854fc8ef3e638b1ea.JPG

 

I now have itchy fingers and want to get started. I'll just have to be patient :angel:.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Why have I a big smile on my face? Because tomorrow is F - Day :yahoo:!!!

 

The flooring has now been in stock for the last fortnight and time is up tomorrow. Someone has kindly lent me a chop saw though the blade is a tad small, I can still make reasonably accurate right angled cuts and finish them off by hand.

 

On Monday, my builders' merchant drew up outside the house (I would have been a tad more surprised if he'd parked up in the house, mind) with 2 tonnes of all-in-one, which surprised me even more as I hadn't ordered any. 'Silly boy', he said. 'Got your 7 lengths of 250mm wide planking on board'. I now have my staircase material too - yay! The choice to make is whether to make my staircase first (which would facilitate access to the new floor area) or to start with the flooring. I think I should do the stairs first - it'll encourage me to 'get on with it'. I have the measurements and the drawing ready (all a bit theoretical due to my poor carpentry skills :blackeye:).

 

In other news, Mrs Philou bought me a cheapo belt sander from Lidl as my other one's belt drive packed-in - so it's chocks away tomorrow!

 

Regular updates will now follow.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

Edited by Philou
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Hello chaps,

 

I was up at 6:45 bouncing around just like Tigger - until I opened the shutters and found Mr Frost had passed by during the night - it was cold!!

 

Anyway, a slow start to the day ensued with a warming cup or two of coffee and dawn broke with clear skies. Good-ho, thought I and went to attend to my ablutions at I was ready at 8:45 to be met with a heavy grey sky that looked decidedly snow-laden - it went downhill from there :(.

 

My daughter's mother-in-law called in (she's moved into the village) needing a mobile phone problem that required the use of our land-line (there's no signal in the village and she hasn't a land-line, nor computer). Anyway, it was a worthwhile call to Orange as she was sorted, I having a sim card sent for a cascaded phone from Mrs Philou (I have refused until now to have one) that will cost €10 for a whole year - unlimited texts and 2hrs of calls p.m. It'll be €5 p.m. after a year which is fine as I don't have a use for a mobile (but will have when I go DCC).

 

As a bonus - for free - we can have the latest gen WiFi booster to pass signals around the house as the walls are 500mm thick stone. Things were cheering up.

 

I finally got out at 10:30 and set myself up with a heat wave of +2° , to then find that the chop saw was unusable as the safety guard was broken and there was no way my little pinkies were going anywhere near the rapidly spinning blade in order to move the guard up (wasn't possible to do it with the blade down).

 

Well, out came the trusty saw and away I went. I cut 4 stringers in all, a pair for the main stairs leading into the new room and a shorter pair to get from the ground level to the mezzanine otherwise there would have been no access to the main stairs (doh!). I worked out that I could the 4 stringers and all my treads out of my 250mm wide planking and then 'sacrifice' three lengths of my 200mm wide planks to make the risers? These I need to rip down to a narrower width in any case. I shall have time as I do the floor to determine whether I need additional 200mm planks.

 

No pictures today - it was too cold to hang about!

 

Treads tomorrow and if time rip some planks for the risers. I doubt I'll have time to cut everything. I'll continue Saturday and then it's assembly of all the bits over the following days.

 

More to follow.

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Philip

 

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I love this topic.

Everything you post, I'm here going, yep, yep, yep.

Enjoyable when it goes right, though, isn't it?

My wife and I secret nailed 75 sq m of chestnut t&g flooring. 

We'd never done any before, but as it progressed, so did our pride in it.

And when it reached the entry at the other end and we could take down the old door blocking it, and walk from one part to the other....

And it still looks great.

 

Keep it up. 

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@JeffP I agree, when everything goes well it gives a certain buzz - and even if things are not quite as they should be, as long it's all going in the right direction .........

 

Before lunch I had cut all 20 treads and this afternoon I shall rip some of the planks to make the risers - this I should (for a value of 'should') completely do before nightfall (see below).

 

Funny how things turn up - my daughter's MiL (in the post above) arrived with a newish chop saw. Took pity on me as she heard me hand-sawing away this morning and went to get my SiL's saw. What a good egg! Trouble was I was on tread No. 18 when she arrived :). Still I can use it to do the risers - and it was a kind thought.

 

Buqqer, just looked out the window and it's now sleeting :( !!

 

Toodle pip - more tonight,

 

Philip

 

As a PS, I did the whole of the ground floor in oak T&G - all secret nailed, only 65m²! The barn floor will be simply screwed as its PSE and may be subject to shrinkage.

 

Edited by Philou
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Well, despite the sleet and the low temperature, I set myself up as best as possible in the barn and I managed to cut all my risers. I did find that the time saved using the chop saw wasn't much (marking out, sliding into place, adjusting  a bit backwards then forwards (bit of 'left hand up a bit, down a bit' springs to mind) making sure the table was square (which it wasn't and it took some doing) etc., but it did save the effort sawing.

 

All cut'n'ready to go tomorrow - though I think Mrs Philou has other plans drawn up to go to town :( .

 

More tomorrow.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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