Eastwood Town - A tribute to Gordon's modelling.

[D1059]

5 hours ago, gordon s said:

 

 

If all else fails, I’ll just run them without lights. We never had lights in the past and they are so low level, you can barely see them anyway.

 

 

 

One of my pet subjects is the current obsession with lights on everything

 

OK for modern (post mid 80s - approx) locos with high intensity headlights, but anything before that with just marker lights/headcode panels or dots, I find the LEDs FAR too bright - even at night they weren't overly noticeable, and in the day, invisible

Edited March 13, 2020 by D1059

[gordon s]

1 hour ago, eldavo said:

 

Whoa!  Go easy with the flames buddy. You just need hot air (slightly warmer than that which is most prevalent on RMweb).  I will happily have a look if you want components replaced as I have fiddled with these nasty little LED things in the past for N gauge tail lights and the like.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

 

Thanks Dave, much appreciated. I may well take you up on your kind offer.

 

I'm using ET as a distraction right now. Not just the Corona stuff, but one of our dear dogs appears to be giving up on life. He's over 16 and has been my wife's lifelong walking buddy. He's not eating very much and spends a fair bit of time in his bed just sleeping. Hopefully he will pick up again, but right now we could be heading for a day we're both dreading. He's been back and forth to the vets and they love him, but obviously we're nervous about taking him again right now.

 

Right now 'Happy New Year' is just a distant memory with all that's going on....

[richard_t]

2 hours ago, gordon s said:

 

I'm using ET as a distraction right now. Not just the Corona stuff, but one of our dear dogs appears to be giving up on life. He's over 16 and has been my wife's lifelong walking buddy. He's not eating very much and spends a fair bit of time in his bed just sleeping. Hopefully he will pick up again, but right now we could be heading for a day we're both dreading.

 

 

I'm not a VET! But during the later stages of our collie's cancer and he stopped eating our vet recommended Cannabis/CBD oil (the legal stuff). Just a few drops once a day (under the tongue - yeah right), and he was eating better than he ever did (we has always a fussy eater). I like to think it kept him going a good 5 months more than he would have done, and he was pretty active right up until the end. He was given days to live at one point, but he just carried on for months - bless him.

 

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by richard_t

[Clive Mortimore]

5 hours ago, D1059 said:

 

One of my pet subjects is the current obsession with lights on everything

 

OK for modern (post mid 80s - approx) locos with high intensity headlights, but anything before that with just marker lights/headcode panels or dots, I find the LEDs FAR too bright - even at night they weren't overly noticeable, and in the day, invisible

Hi Steve

 

I am in full agreement about lights on locos prior to the 1980s. Why do all locos have two red tail lights on all the time.  When if running light engine on most stretches of line they were required to have oil lamp which was to be only lit at night and in inclement weather. The areas where they were allowed to display a tail light it was only one, two would be confusing to a following train as to which line it was on. Plus in the cab there was a switch for each light and only one would be turned on.

[Guest Half-full]

 

6 hours ago, D1059 said:

 

One of my pet subjects is the current obsession with lights on everything

 

OK for modern (post mid 80s - approx) locos with high intensity headlights, but anything before that with just marker lights/headcode panels or dots, I find the LEDs FAR too bright - even at night they weren't overly noticeable, and in the day, invisible

Couldn't agree more.

 

I was recently helping my friend operate his 70's BR blue layout at an exhibition (terminus to fiddle yard, 8ft total) and overheard a chap saying to his friend "this is rubbish, the engines don't have any lights and they are going too slow"

 

All the loco's (and units) were fitted with lights, tail lights only lit when light engine movements where happening, but they were all dimmed so as to be barely noticable.  The trains where running slow, as they should be for a small layout!

 

I guess the viewer was wanting retina burning white lights and Smokey Joe speeds.

[Clive Mortimore]

Not only loco lights, but outdoor lights.

 

The railways like our local councils do not like spending money on oil/gas/electricity on illuminating the out doors  when the sun offers a cheaper and normally brighter solution. So why do our fellow modellers model their layouts as if set in the summer, all those lovely green trees and bushes, and have every possible street, station, yard and loco depot light on?

 

Don't get me on police cars with flashing blue lights, model photographers who's flash goes "blink" every five seconds, the welder who never finishes his job, etc. etc. 

 

I agree with placing lights in buildings where the modeller wishes to show of his/her skills of modelling the interior of building.

[gordon s]

Got bored with ballasting and playing with led's, so dug out a few brown vans and let my 9F have a trundle....

 

 

[AdeMoore]

Been perusing the thread makes good reading I think I’m on page 56 you’ve probably seen the likes, we have had 2 incarnation’s by page 56 then it went wrong so I’m just about to start on the third at a guess! Better than any telly!

I should be modelling though! 
Nice vid above always like a 9f was that 24 on plus brake I counted?

So I’m not even halfway through yet makes me wonder now many more twists and turns golf wins to come  .

Enjoying the thread will make it to the end I’m sure.

 Cheers 

Ade

 

[gordon s]

Thanks Ade, there’s been a few ups and downs over the years, so it’s great to have something running at last. Welcome to one of the longest running threads on RMweb. Not intentionally though, mind you.....

 

Ten out of ten for your counting skills.....

 

Amazing thing was my Hornby J50 just romped away with the same load. I may try seeing just how many wagons it will pull tomorrow. Right now it’s a case of do a bit and then play for a while.

 

I am considering re aligning part of the station approach on the inner loop where the 9F travelled. It’s OK, but I think it can be improved. Nothing drastic, just lifting two feet of plain track and curving it a little better. It may well be my OCD kicking in, but I do think it can be improved and better to do it now, before I finally join everything together and ballast all the short pieces of track that join each board together.

 

[gordon s]

Saw an interesting comment from Gilbert on his Peterborough North thread re golf and the risks of social get together's in the clubhouse. Like many others, I'm really undecided as what to do for the best. Being in the high risk group, I want to do what's right for my family and not expose myself to undue risk, but equally so I don't want to over react as there's enough near panic going on right now.

 

He went on to say he played a very good round and then didn't go to the clubhouse afterwards. That is something I've considered but a big part of the day is enjoying a few beers and bowls of chips with my 20 odd regular golfing pals. Missing out on that would mean becoming a little more isolated, but of course the risks are always there.

 

I'm almost coming to the conclusion that keeping us 70+ high riskers at home, would make life easier by making the decision for me....

 

Either way, everything is moving on by the hour, so who knows what may happen later today.

 

Needed to satisfy my own curiosity this morning. This J50 has to be the best loco I've ever had. Runs like silk and pulls anything I can throw at it. I loaded it up with 44 wagons this morning and off it went. No wheel slip, no fuss, no nothing other than a smooth take away....

 

Hats off to Hornby. If only all loco's were like this little demon....It really punches way above its weight. 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2020 by gordon s

[great northern]

43 minutes ago, gordon s said:

Saw an interesting comment from Gilbert on his Peterborough North thread re golf and the risks of social get together's in the clubhouse. Like many others, I'm really undecided as what to do for the best. Being in the high risk group, I want to do what's right for my family and not expose myself to undue risk, but equally so I don't want to over react as there's enough near panic going on right now.

 

He went on to say he played a very good round and then didn't go to the clubhouse afterwards. That is something I've considered but a big part of the day is enjoying a few beers and bowls of chips with my 20 odd regular golfing pals. Missing out on that would mean becoming a little more isolated, but of course the risks are always there.

 

I'm almost coming to the conclusion that keeping us 70+ high riskers at home, would make life easier by making the decision for me....

 

Either way, everything is moving on by the hour, so who knows what may happen later today.

 

Needed to satisfy my own curiosity this morning. This J50 has to be the best loco I've ever had. Runs like silk and pulls anything I can throw at it. I loaded it up with 44 wagons this morning and off it went. No wheel slip, no fuss, no nothing other than a smooth take away....

 

Hats off to Hornby. If only all loco's were like this little demon....It really punches way above its weight. 

 

 

I think the golf problem will be taken out of our hands shortly Gordon, but in the meantime I'm just trying to be sensible, and staying out in the open gives me a chance to get much needed exercise while keeping the risk down. We have a Seniors away day on Tuesday, and yesterday I got an urgent e-mail saying that some people had withdrawn citing corona fears, and asking for a poll of all others as to what we should do. The choices were 1. Carry on regardless. 2. Cancel pre and post round meals and so on, and just turn up, play and go home. 3. Postpone until later in the year. I shall be very interested to see the result. My choice was 2, by the way.

[eldavo]

Surely if you had OCD you would have made sure the shunter marshalled the train with the fitted stock at the head!  ;-)

 

Certainly a very smooth take off for a small loco.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

[Regularity]

2 minutes ago, eldavo said:

Surely if you had OCD you would have made sure the shunter marshalled the train with the fitted stock at the head!  ;-)

Nah, it’s just a trip working.

[hayfield]

1 hour ago, gordon s said:

Saw an interesting comment from Gilbert on his Peterborough North thread re golf and the risks of social get together's in the clubhouse. Like many others, I'm really undecided as what to do for the best. Being in the high risk group, I want to do what's right for my family and not expose myself to undue risk, but equally so I don't want to over react as there's enough near panic going on right now.

 

He went on to say he played a very good round and then didn't go to the clubhouse afterwards. That is something I've considered but a big part of the day is enjoying a few beers and bowls of chips with my 20 odd regular golfing pals. Missing out on that would mean becoming a little more isolated, but of course the risks are always there.

 

I'm almost coming to the conclusion that keeping us 70+ high riskers at home, would make life easier by making the decision for me....

 

Either way, everything is moving on by the hour, so who knows what may happen later today.

 

Needed to satisfy my own curiosity this morning. This J50 has to be the best loco I've ever had. Runs like silk and pulls anything I can throw at it. I loaded it up with 44 wagons this morning and off it went. No wheel slip, no fuss, no nothing other than a smooth take away....

 

Hats off to Hornby. If only all loco's were like this little demon....It really punches way above its weight. 

 

 

 

 

Its good to see you enjoying the fruit of your labours, something many thought you would never achieve. 

 

I agree with you about golf and the 19th hole, but for both yours and others safety its out of bounds at the moment. Having a round on a nice day when few are about is sensible, beneficial and enjoyable. Being in a crowded enclosed areas are to be avoided

[gordon s]

Thanks Gilbert. I've withdrawn from our Spring Trip which isn't for another month yet, but signs are that things could well be cancelled anyway. Another trip to Bournemouth in June will take care of itself.

 

Winter League and other club matches may or may not go ahead as the pre and post socialising is very much part of the event. 

 

Our membership renewals are up in April. We have 600 members and over 200 hundred seniors. Any ban on over 70's going out couldn't come at a worse time for the club as they could lose 25% of their income immediately. It's all these knock on's that may well be a bigger problem than the blooming' virus itself.

 

Dreadful shame as I love the place, but there are more important things right now......

 

One plus in all these dark clouds is that the club's plans to build a 50 bedroom hotel, spa and restaurant that none of the members wanted will probably be abandoned.....

 

Jackie is just back from Tesco's and says in all the years we've been here, she have never seen anything like it. It didn't open until 10.00, but the car park was full before then and it was like Christmas shopping times three. Thankfully she is a great cook and most of our meals are cooked from fresh ingredients, so no supply problems there yet.

Edited March 15, 2020 by gordon s

[gordon s]

28 minutes ago, eldavo said:

Surely if you had OCD you would have made sure the shunter marshalled the train with the fitted stock at the head!  ;-)

 

Certainly a very smooth take off for a small loco.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

 

Oh, don't start.......

[polybear]

3 hours ago, gordon s said:

Saw an interesting comment from Gilbert on his Peterborough North thread re golf and the risks of social get together's in the clubhouse. Like many others, I'm really undecided as what to do for the best. Being in the high risk group, I want to do what's right for my family and not expose myself to undue risk, but equally so I don't want to over react as there's enough near panic going on right now.

 

He went on to say he played a very good round and then didn't go to the clubhouse afterwards. That is something I've considered but a big part of the day is enjoying a few beers and bowls of chips with my 20 odd regular golfing pals. Missing out on that would mean becoming a little more isolated, but of course the risks are always there.

 

I'm almost coming to the conclusion that keeping us 70+ high riskers at home, would make life easier by making the decision for me....

 

 

 

One way of looking at it might be to think that if you're in the clubhouse with 20 mates then you've just increased your risk by twenty-fold :(

Playing the golf and not going to the clubhouse may (will?) reduce the risk significantly, but you'll lose the social contact.  So how about the odd visit to the clubhouse, just to keep in touch? 1 in 5 games?  Only you can decide if the risk is worth it.

 

Alternatively, I've not seen mention in the press of being able to catch it from a 9F yet....

[Barry O]

Just keep testing trains...you know it makes sense

Baz

[martin_wynne]

Hi Gordon,

 

Golf should be ok. Anyone who comes closer than 6 feet gets a jab in the ribs with your no.3 iron.

 

Martin.

[trustytrev]

Hello Gordon,

                    You may find this link helpful.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2GmYZxX3Lk&feature=youtu.be

trustytrev.

[gordon s]

Thanks you for that Trev. Much appreciated. All I need do now is find a source of the led's.

 

That will keep me occupied for a while.....

[gordon s]

Hello peeps.....

 

It wasn't that long ago when I was saying it would be nice to have a few more days at home to do a bit more on ET before golf kicked in.

 

Be careful what you wish for.....

 

Did a bit a ballasting, a bit of wiring and a lot of testing. Years ago I bought a Hornby 8F which ran well at the start, but something appeared to go wrong. I can't even recall what it was as life has moved on, but I have vague memories of something getting bent and replacing the valve gear or the wheels as the plastic gear had broken. I stripped it completely and played around for an hour or two and then something must have cropped up, so all the bits were shunted away in a plastic drawer for a rainy day. 

 

That day arrived. Looking at the Hornby service sheets, there appear to be more than one set of drivers for this loco and I wonder if I have either a mixed set or the wrong ones anyway. I did manage to get it running quite smoothly other than one tiny sticking point. Fatal when you have mild OCD as far as running is concerned, so it had to be stripped again.

 

Thought I'd go right back to basics and start from there. I have an Avonside chassis jig, so that was pulled out and adjusted to fit the Hornby chassis. I'd already made a mistake by reaming out the holes slightly and although that was a massive improvement, it didn't solve the issue and looking here, it's easy to see why.

 

 

 

Everything seems reasonable, other than the last hole in the con rod is clearly out. I'm also convinced there is a quartering issue as well. Not by much, but enough to create a tight spot. First stage now is to fill the holes and then carefully redrill them to the correct dimension. Taking a belt and braces approach, I've ordered a new set of rods and driving wheels, but really see this as a battle to be won and as there's no real time limit, I quite fancy fixing it. Of course there's no disgrace just fitting new wheels and rods, but with more than one type available I have no idea if the right ones are coming.

 

Right at the start I thought I'd be able to workout which Hornby model number would be correct. Wrong....

 

This running number does not exist (48502). I've checked all the web records I can with no luck, but found the box upstairs. It came from 'Dirty Times' and is actually a tray, not a box. This would suggest it was part of a weathered train pack and not sold as a loco at all. Even tried ringing Hornby on Friday, but got a recorded announcement explaining the Corona virus working and staff working from home. Pressed 2 twice and immediately got cut off, so even the best laid plans....

 

I may have a go at a couple more videos to keep you entertained, but to be honest my Fuji X10 is a good still camera, but hopeless at moving video as it cannot refocus on a moving object. Blurred images do my head in, so I won't bother if I can't get better results. I have the auto focus on C for continuous, but that doesn't make much difference.

 

Other than that, stuck indoors like many others. I'm waiting for the hospital for tell me if my particular immune problem necessitates self isolation or whether I can observe social distancing. At least that could get me out on the golf course, even if there was no kissing and hugging.....

 

I feel like I've done 3 months after a week......

[pirouets]

So is the course still open but with no Bar? As the gym is closed whilst I haven't played for 8 months I do wonder whether the bats by the front door may come in handy over the coming months. I saw one club was playing with raised cups and if you hit the cup its in. That way no germs left on the flag. Hope the doc gives you the thumbs up.

[martin_wynne]

22 minutes ago, gordon s said:

my Fuji X10 is a good still camera, but hopeless at moving video as it cannot refocus on a moving object.

 

Hi Gordon,

 

You need to set MOVIE AF MODE to CONTINUOUS. (Icon looks like double-insulated symbol ).

 

See page 88 in the X10 Owners Manual.

 

Start with a fully-charged battery in that mode, you should hear the camera continuously focusing.

 

You might find it helps to switch FACE DETECTION on -- or not. Space for a joke about Thomas The Tank Engine:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

[Rowsley17D]

43 minutes ago, gordon s said:

Hello peeps.....

 

It wasn't that long ago when I was saying it would be nice to have a few more days at home to do a bit more on ET before golf kicked in.

 

Be careful what you wish for.....

 

Did a bit a ballasting, a bit of wiring and a lot of testing. Years ago I bought a Hornby 8F which ran well at the start, but something appeared to go wrong. I can't even recall what it was as life has moved on, but I have vague memories of something getting bent and replacing the valve gear or the wheels as the plastic gear had broken. I stripped it completely and played around for an hour or two and then something must have cropped up, so all the bits were shunted away in a plastic drawer for a rainy day. 

 

Thanks. That reminds me I've got an 8F in bits in a plastic box but I cannot remember why, probably a pick-up problem. I know I pinched the decoder to go in a Black 5.