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Extremes of temperature and humidity in halls can cause many problems for exhibition layouts. 

 

Fortunately, with regard to all Wolverhampton MRC's layouts with baseboards built by Norman Turner, we never encountered any problems, whatever the temperature or humidity. Why? How? Because every load-bearing/structural part of every baseboard was built of the same material - high-quality, 9mm birch ply. Thus, any expansion/shrinkage due to conditions was uniform throughout the structures. Apart from the fiddle yard boards, every one was built 'open-plan', with scenery in-filled as appropriate. MDF was never used for trackbeds or the like. Nor was Sundeala, hardboard or chipboard. 

 

Mind you, Norman was a carpentry lecturer before retirement. 

 

We never had any electrical/expansion problems as a rule either. Track was laid in hot conditions to prevent future expansion problems. 

 

Little Bytham's baseboards were built in exactly the same way, and the track was laid in high-summer. 

 

post-18225-0-74873500-1543345492_thumb.jpg

 

post-18225-0-91252800-1543345512_thumb.jpg

 

post-18225-0-12717600-1543345531_thumb.jpg

 

post-18225-0-33380600-1543346854_thumb.jpg

 

post-18225-0-47030000-1543346873_thumb.jpg

 

Any non-load-bearing areas were filled in with Styrofoam or cardboard lattice/thin plaster. 

 

Mention has been made of how 'layouts which never leave home' tend to suffer less than exhibition layouts with regard to extremes. I agree in the main, but at times this summer it was impossible to operate LB - not because it wouldn't, but because the operators found it too hot. The only problems encountered were a piece of rail (in the fiddle yard) shearing off its copper clad base (extreme expansion) and the gaps on one 'V' on a point closing up (again, extreme expansion). No derailments occurred.  

Edited by Tony Wright
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I remember you well, John,

 

A fellow teacher. It was really good to meet you and chat, and, when you do get the chance, come over and see LB.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

 

Thank you Tony,

 

That is very kind of you. I will certainly take you up on your offer in the new year.

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With two small boys, I found Sidmouth too high to view effectively. In contrast, as someone pointed out on the Warley thread, small children are at platform height on Lime Street. Two year old Stephen kept describing Lime St as “wow”. Slightly older Edward expressed disappointment that Grantham wasn’t there this year.

 

David

 

David, Grantham will be at St.Evenage in January so not too far from home even tho' it means a trip on a foreign railway.  You might possibly come across a 'relief operator' (no doubt under tuition and definitely under the eagle eye of someone, or everyone) who you might recognise from explanatory talks in a very different signalbox 'somewhere' to the west of London ;)  (reminder to self must get my pass out signed to make sure I can get there)

 

http://www.cmra.org.uk/exhibition.html

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Thank you Tony,

 

That is very kind of you. I will certainly take you up on your offer in the new year.

You'll be most-welcome, John,

 

The visitors' book now is absolutely bulging, and it only includes (in the main) those who have visited for the first time - repeat visitors don't have to sign. 

 

I think I derive as much pleasure from this hobby from having guests (really friends) visiting LB as I do the constructional side of things. This pastime is followed by some really good people.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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Tony

Although this is almost just stating the obvious I find that the contrast between the photos of the empty boards and the current situation really bring home how much has been achieved!

Jon

When would those photo’s in #29493 have been taken, Tony? They clearly pre-date the start of this thread in 2012!
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Extremes of temperature and humidity in halls can cause many problems for exhibition layouts. 

 

Fortunately, with regard to all Wolverhampton MRC's layouts with baseboards built by Norman Turner, we never encountered any problems, whatever the temperature or humidity. Why? How? Because every load-bearing/structural part of every baseboard was built of the same material - high-quality, 9mm birch ply. Thus, any expansion/shrinkage due to conditions was uniform throughout the structures. Apart from the fiddle yard boards, every one was built 'open-plan', with scenery in-filled as appropriate. MDF was never used for trackbeds or the like. Nor was Sundeala, hardboard or chipboard. 

 

Mind you, Norman was a carpentry lecturer before retirement. 

 

We never had any electrical/expansion problems as a rule either. Track was laid in hot conditions to prevent future expansion problems. 

 

Little Bytham's baseboards were built in exactly the same way, and the track was laid in high-summer. 

 

attachicon.gifBaseboards 04.jpg

 

attachicon.gifBaseboards 05.jpg

 

attachicon.gifBaseboards 08.jpg

 

attachicon.gifBaseboards 17.jpg

 

attachicon.gifBaseboards 20.jpg

 

Any non-load-bearing areas were filled in with Styrofoam or cardboard lattice/thin plaster. 

 

Mention has been made of how 'layouts which never leave home' tend to suffer less than exhibition layouts with regard to extremes. I agree in the main, but at times this summer it was impossible to operate LB - not because it wouldn't, but because the operators found it too hot. The only problems encountered were a piece of rail (in the fiddle yard) shearing off its copper clad base (extreme expansion) and the gaps on one 'V' on a point closing up (again, extreme expansion). No derailments occurred.  

 

 

My woodwork classes at school were limited. Our woodwork teacher was a little to keen on giving us a clip around the back of the head. He gave me a wallop, I had only just come back to school after an accident and still had stitches in my scalp. One of my mates told our form teacher at lunch time what had happened. That afternoon she and I went and saw the metalwork teacher, he was happy for me to join his class when the rest of my class were in the woodwork classes. Mr Knight was a great metalwork teacher and a kind man.

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For those of you who missed Warley, you will be pleased to hear that Tony Wright and Mo will be returning to Stafford at our annual exhibition over the weekend of 2nd & 3rd February 2019

 

I hope by then Tony will have got his voice back after his weekend at Warley..

 

Full details of Stafford Railway Circles 2019 Exhibition can be found at the following.

 

www.staffordrailwaycircle.org.uk/exhibition Or RMweb Exhibition Pages

 

Terry

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When would those photo’s in #29493 have been taken, Tony? They clearly pre-date the start of this thread in 2012!

In 2008, Phil,

 

When the layout really started. Norman Turner built the baseboards in Wolverhampton, I hired a van to collect them in March of that year, the gang came over and we spent a couple of days putting up the lot. They all fitted perfectly. 

 

Track-laying was undertaken in August 2008 (Norman Solomon doing the scenic side and me doing the fiddle yard and the M&GNR bit), and all the wiring up was completed by the autumn. 

 

What a good deal. I got the baseboards built for the cost of three locos I made, and Norman Solomon's costs were (substantially) offset by the making of a DVD. The rest of us then just got on with what was required over the next decade (with a two and a half year break because of my suffering from depression). 

 

I think its a genuine testament to the skills of the team that it's all come together so well. I count myself extremely lucky! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited by Tony Wright
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Woodwork at school = Dettol and plasters - aaaaaaargh !!

 

Metalwork at school = making fishing rod rests and angle brackets - who needs mortice and tenon joints when you have made an angle bracket to join your bits of wood together ?

 

Brit15

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David, Grantham will be at St.Evenage in January so not too far from home even tho' it means a trip on a foreign railway.  You might possibly come across a 'relief operator' (no doubt under tuition and definitely under the eagle eye of someone, or everyone) who you might recognise from explanatory talks in a very different signalbox 'somewhere' to the west of London ;)  (reminder to self must get my pass out signed to make sure I can get there)

 

http://www.cmra.org.uk/exhibition.html

That sounds like good news, especially if it allows one particular regular operator to have a few more breaks than he had over three sessions at Wakefield.

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That sounds like good news, especially if it allows one particular regular operator to have a few more breaks than he had over three sessions at Wakefield.

 

I should be getting a formal invitation from Graham but he asked me at the Warley Show if I'd like to come along and provide some relief for the regulars and I would have been daft not to volunteer when made an offer like that.  All now depends on when my daughter will be in hospital for a minor operation but hopefully that won't clash.

 

Back to LB

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Good afternoon Tony!

 

My friend Gary Hinson was wondering about this A1 that has now come into the possession of his club. Apparently it was built by your good self (they think it was a commission for the late Trevor Worton of Stourbridge).

 

post-24300-0-39688600-1543419060_thumb.jpeg

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Woodwork at school = Dettol and plasters - aaaaaaargh !!

 

Metalwork at school = making fishing rod rests and angle brackets - who needs mortice and tenon joints when you have made an angle bracket to join your bits of wood together ?

 

Brit15

Anyone need a pair of "artistic" candlesticks finished in matt black lacquer with polished brass holders? Only one not-too-careful owner...

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My woodwork classes at school were limited. Our woodwork teacher was a little to keen on giving us a clip around the back of the head. He gave me a wallop, I had only just come back to school after an accident and still had stitches in my scalp. One of my mates told our form teacher at lunch time what had happened. That afternoon she and I went and saw the metalwork teacher, he was happy for me to join his class when the rest of my class were in the woodwork classes. Mr Knight was a great metalwork teacher and a kind man.

My experiences were very similar, looking back my woodwork teacher was a borderline psychopath.  As corporal punishment was banned by then he just used to like terrifying kids until they cried.  Fortunately my father's enthusiasm for DIY meant I learnt and took an interest despite the formal teaching.

 

People think these subjects aren't taught today because of "Elfin Safety".  I suspect the real reason is that after all the raving lunatics were weeded out of education, there was no-one left to teach woodwork.

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People think these subjects aren't taught today because of "Elfin Safety".  I suspect the real reason is that after all the raving lunatics were weeded out of education, there was no-one left to teach woodwork.

apart (obviously) from the manifest problems with raving lunatics .... these subjects are probably taught today combined as Design & Technology because so much is now done by machines linked to computers. Many of the trades are now pretty thin on the ground.

 

In metalwork most lathe and milling work is done directly controlled from the computer. We recently designed a one off cantilevered stone spiral stair and it was cut from the stone by a robotic arm working to the computerised 3d model. The same is true now in many woodworking machine shops. 3d printing and CNC machining means that many masters for casting are made at the touch of a button. At least there is still a role for the carpenter on the building sites.

 

The world it is a changing.

 

This TED talk about 3d printing I found exciting and scary in equal measure...

 

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The Ted Talk video link has appeared before and I believe shows the SLA technology already in use by some suppliers such as Modelu. You can even buy your own SLA 3D printer quite cheaply. There are a number of threads in the 3D Printing forum on RMweb including;

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/133638-tests-with-my-new-3d-printer/

 

I take the view that 3D printing will enable some aspects of model making to be simplified and made less manual skill dependent. However, I also think it won't completely replace everything. For some/many RTR "modellers", most of what they want is already available made by someone else, so 3D printing is largely irrelevant for many unless it makes for cheaper, smaller production run, models.

 

Perhaps the ultimate railway modellers ideal (which I have read several times on RMweb) of being able to scan a photo and then have the 3D printer produce a finished, painted, working model overnight, will come about one day. At which point word modeller might need redefining.

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Good afternoon Tony!

 

My friend Gary Hinson was wondering about this A1 that has now come into the possession of his club. Apparently it was built by your good self (they think it was a commission for the late Trevor Worton of Stourbridge).

 

attachicon.gif1009A114-B109-48C8-90FB-BC097AF3672F.jpeg

Thanks Tom, 

 

But I don't think I built it. Why? Because Ian Rathbone (who would have painted it) would have painted the buffer stocks black. 

 

I've no recollection of ever building a Gresley A1 (loads of A3s though), and I can't remember a Trevor Worton (though my memory is crumbling).

 

If I did build it (memory, remember), it'll have been signed by both me and Ian.

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My experiences were very similar, looking back my woodwork teacher was a borderline psychopath.  As corporal punishment was banned by then he just used to like terrifying kids until they cried.  Fortunately my father's enthusiasm for DIY meant I learnt and took an interest despite the formal teaching.

 

People think these subjects aren't taught today because of "Elfin Safety".  I suspect the real reason is that after all the raving lunatics were weeded out of education, there was no-one left to teach woodwork.

Thanks,

 

I taught woodwork from time to time!

 

And the two woodwork teachers with whom I shared a workshop would have rather taken exception to your last comment. Neither was a psychopath (borderline or otherwise) and both were highly-respected by their pupils. Their type is no longer in schools today, not because they've been weeded out, but because the subject has little relevance in modern education. 

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 I think you may need to take a think about making comments like this?

 

I do hope you might reconsider the wording of your post.

 

 

Without meaning to stir the pot I will agree with Northmoor in that some teachers were not the most agreeable and did have somewhat nasty tendencies.

 

In my case near enough all were strict but fair and certainly did a good job of teaching. But one stands out as an absolute nasty b'stard who seemed to take great delight in either humiliating or physically abusing. I won't say too much but many years later I worked for someone who had been one of my form teachers and mentioned this persons name and his behaviour. My former teacher agreed and said the other teachers thought he was not the right person for the job. This P'eed me off even more as with a career of 20+ years no one around him did anything about his behaviour.  

 

Back to modelling, some etches arrived this week.....

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