Wright writes.....

[Barry Ten]

14 hours ago, robmcg said:

and many kids had even read Thomas Hardy and Dickens.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I set myself the challenge of reading Tess of the D'urbervilles a few years ago. I could only get through a chapter at a time (if that) so it took rather a long time, during which time I read other books. I seem to recall that the L&SWR gets a mention. I also read The Old Curiosity Shop in the same fashion, taking it with me on business trips rather than reading it in one go. I don't think we read either at school. The ones we did read, from what i can remember, included Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male ( a good ripping yarn) and L P Hartley's The Go Between.

[Tony Wright]

30 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

 

I set myself the challenge of reading Tess of the D'urbervilles a few years ago. I could only get through a chapter at a time (if that) so it took rather a long time, during which time I read other books. I seem to recall that the L&SWR gets a mention. I also read The Old Curiosity Shop in the same fashion, taking it with me on business trips rather than reading it in one go. I don't think we read either at school. The ones we did read, from what i can remember, included Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male ( a good ripping yarn) and L P Hartley's The Go Between.

I could never get into reading Thomas Hardy; just too depressing for me. 

 

One book I had to read for English Literature GCE O Level was Cranford, by Mrs Gaskell. No doubt it had merit, but any of those qualities just passed me by I'm afraid. I passed, despite finding the work incredibly boring, especially as H. G. Wells was also on the syllabus.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Tony Wright]

Readers might recall recently Gordon S reporting on his building of a DJH J50 on this thread.

 

Well, it seems that Gordon has decided that loco kit-building is not for him (a pity).

 

Anyway, he's donating it to CRUK..................

 

 

It arrived a short time ago.

 

I'll complete it and paint it and then put it up for sale.

 

It's not badly made so far, and it runs sweetly.

 

Many thanks, Gordon.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Tony Wright
to add something

[FarrMan]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

The hardest wedding job I had to do concerned a blonde and a Nigerian (there is no racial connotation here, I assure you). It was a bright, high summer day. Put the light-meter one side and it was 500th at F11, then the other and it was 60th at F4.5, or that kind of range. I averaged out the exposures, and hoped for the best, angling the flash gun as required. The pictures worked and the couple were delighted.

From my experience in Zimbabwe and in Ghana, it is very difficult to photograph the subtle shades of African faces. I'm glad they were delighted with the results.

 

Lloyd

[FarrMan]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

One day, he brought in another bulging-eyed zealot who told us we were damned unless we gave ourselves completely to Jesus Christ. Since this might interfere with our post-school footie matches or trainspotting, this was quite alarming. Would Jesus disapprove? Anyway, to 'prove' the existence of God, this roaring madman showed some slides. One, was a close-up (via a microscope) of a sewing needle. It looked like it were made of gravel!  The next showed a wasp's sting to equal magnification; it was, of course, perfect. 'There' bellowed the loony, his eyes almost popping out, 'Proof of God. Man's work is crude, but God's is perfect! Any questions?'. 

 

My mates egged me on - 'Go on Wrighty, you've always got some smart-ar$e answer'. 'Please Sir, who made the device by which we're able to see this 'miracle'?'. It was worth the flogging!

There are far too many who give off more heat than light, and talk about stuff that they know nothing about. It is easy to make a fool of oneself! It reminds me of a minister describing such a minister's preaching, referring to Solomon's parents being told of his birth, 'The Angel wrought wonderously and Manoah &his wife looked on'. His decription was @the preacher wrought wonderously and the text looked on'.

 

Lloyd

[Bernard Lamb]

5 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

'Kodak Bride of the Month' competition! And you won! I had to read that carefully, Bernard, but congratulations on your printing.

 

I just left such impossibilities (for me) up to a firm called Colab, who gave a fantastic service, both in colour printing and processing transparencies. They had branches throughout the West Midlands, but they've probably all gone now. I also used to use a 'proper' photographic suppliers, Warners in Wolverhampton. Any question was answered, and they had a vast range of second-hand equipment for sale. They also used to give seminars and tutorials - all gone now.

 

The hardest wedding job I had to do concerned a blonde and a Nigerian (there is no racial connotation here, I assure you). It was a bright, high summer day. Put the light-meter one side and it was 500th at F11, then the other and it was 60th at F4.5, or that kind of range. I averaged out the exposures, and hoped for the best, angling the flash gun as required. The pictures worked and the couple were delighted.

 

Though lucrative, I used to dislike wedding photography. I always doubted my experience and my (medium-/large-format) equipment, and was on tenterhooks until the results came back. The only time I had a camera fail was during a wedding, but, fortunately, I was aware of its not working and discarded it, shooting the rest on two further cameras (never use just one at a wedding!). A colleague used just one once, and it failed. However, he didn't know it had failed (the shutter blind only exposed half the frame) and blithely carried on. Unfortunately, the results were disastrous.

 

Digital is much less-stressing these days, but I only take wedding pictures now as wedding presents. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Good afternoon Tony,

While involved in wedding photography I came across a few people with a similarity to a few involved with model railways, particularly in respect of prices. Thy would not believe the cost of a wedding album. It was difficult to explain just how many hours it took to put an album together. If you did a proper job of it that is. I found getting the photographs taken and processed was the easy bit. 

In those days it was 3 rolls of film if using 6cm x 4.5cm and 4 if on 6cm x 6cm. 48 or 45 shots and it was bad form not to have 40 that were acceptable for the album. I used a Mamiya 645 and I don't know if I was lucky or if they were all like that, but I had a 45mm lens that was amazingly sharp with edge to edge crispness one stop down. Perfect in cramped situations. I had a C330 twin lens as a back up. Very good in the studio but cumbersome in the field. Digital is sooo much easier, though it took me several years to adopt the habit of taking more shots. 

I used the original Jessops  for supplies when they had a professional division and were based in Leicester.

Bernard

 

[simontaylor484]

I lurk on this thread reading the posts and try to absorb the astounding knowledge on railway and photography matters. Thanks keep it going

[Northmoor]

1 hour ago, Bernard Lamb said:

Good afternoon Tony,

While involved in wedding photography I came across a few people with a similarity to a few involved with model railways, particularly in respect of prices. Thy would not believe the cost of a wedding album. It was difficult to explain just how many hours it took to put an album together. If you did a proper job of it that is. I found getting the photographs taken and processed was the easy bit. 

In those days it was 3 rolls of film if using 6cm x 4.5cm and 4 if on 6cm x 6cm. 48 or 45 shots and it was bad form not to have 40 that were acceptable for the album. I used a Mamiya 645 and I don't know if I was lucky or if they were all like that, but I had a 45mm lens that was amazingly sharp with edge to edge crispness one stop down. Perfect in cramped situations. I had a C330 twin lens as a back up. Very good in the studio but cumbersome in the field. Digital is sooo much easier, though it took me several years to adopt the habit of taking more shots. 

I used the original Jessops  for supplies when they had a professional division and were based in Leicester.

Bernard

 

A mate and I once photographed a friend's wedding as they couldn't afford professionals, so asked if we'd do it (knowing we were keen amateurs) and we did a decent job (lucky with the weather but no squinting or lampposts growing out of heads etc.), and it only cost them the film plus developing costs.  A friendly Liverpool camera shop (remember those?) gave us guidance on the standard list of photos required of the couple and relatives etc. and we actually produced one or two really good shots amongst the "album", they were happy.  A work colleague and his wife, both keen amateur photographers, did the photos at my wedding and did a magnificent job.

 

I could never do it for a living though, the thought of messing up on someone's special day doesn't appeal.  I saw the photos from another friends' wedding and if they were mine I'd have sent them back.  It was the proverbial dull Autumn day but the photographer had photographed the groom and his brothers in their dark suits against a dark patch of trees in the garden, you couldn't pick out the edges of their clothing.  To me it seemed the "professional" was unprepared for the conditions and location, both of which she should have known in advance.

 

I agree about adapting to digital; I only stopped using my old 35mm cameras a few years ago and started with a digital SLR three years ago.  It is a revelation to be out all day and never to have to worry about changing films or the cost; remember when a 36 roll of good quality film (including processing) cost a tenner?

[Dunsignalling]

Digital photography, lesson one, for those not yet converted: Be prepared. 35mm cameras went through film, digital ones go through batteries. 

 

Start the day with a fully charged one and always carry a spare. You may not need it, but having the gauge drop to one bar when unexpected interesting subjects crop up tends to limit ones enjoyment of the occasion somewhat. Same goes for memory cards, especially if you shoot video.

 

If you habitually review what you have taken; being able to is probably the biggest digital gain, after all. The live view screen (especially if articulated) is very convenient for tripod and chest/waist-level working, burst shooting combined with continuous/predictive autofocus for fast-moving objects, bracketing, HDR, even on-board stacking make DSLRs, CSCs, Bridge cameras and the more advanced compacts incredibly versatile but battery consumption is the price you pay for using the clever stuff.

 

I've never really got into shooting video but suspect that eats batteries as fast as it goes through memory.... 

 

Oh, and if you haven't needed the spare battery, put it in the camera when you take today's out to charge it, then if you forget to pick that up next morning, you will still have a working camera....

 

That last tip has saved me a day of lugging around something with all the functionality of a very expensive house-brick on more than one occasion....

 

John

Edited March 30, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[Clive Mortimore]

9 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

The 2P comes up smelling of roses, or something... it looks like a photograph. I'm afraid the Great Eastern engines just look a bit too smooth - clean without being polished. The B12 looks like a toy train, which it didn't, in colour.

Hi Stephen

 

Like you I am a lover of the products of Derby be they the artistic beauty of Johnson or the purposeful lines of the Deeley/Fowler era. I do have a soft spot for a GER 1500, I suppose living in Essex for 40years rubbed off on me in the end.

[Craigw]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

A mate and I once photographed a friend's wedding as they couldn't afford professionals, so asked if we'd do it (knowing we were keen amateurs) and we did a decent job (lucky with the weather but no squinting or lampposts growing out of heads etc.), and it only cost them the film plus developing costs.  A friendly Liverpool camera shop (remember those?) gave us guidance on the standard list of photos required of the couple and relatives etc. and we actually produced one or two really good shots amongst the "album", they were happy.  A work colleague and his wife, both keen amateur photographers, did the photos at my wedding and did a magnificent job.

 

I could never do it for a living though, the thought of messing up on someone's special day doesn't appeal.  I saw the photos from another friends' wedding and if they were mine I'd have sent them back.  It was the proverbial dull Autumn day but the photographer had photographed the groom and his brothers in their dark suits against a dark patch of trees in the garden, you couldn't pick out the edges of their clothing.  To me it seemed the "professional" was unprepared for the conditions and location, both of which she should have known in advance.

 

I agree about adapting to digital; I only stopped using my old 35mm cameras a few years ago and started with a digital SLR three years ago.  It is a revelation to be out all day and never to have to worry about changing films or the cost; remember when a 36 roll of good quality film (including processing) cost a tenner?

 

 

I went to a friends wedding  a few years ago and took my camera to take a few photos. As it was a waterfront wedding I took my 24-70 and 70-200 lenses so I could take a couple of coastal snaps. 30 minutes before the wedding the professional photographer called in sick. 

 

Guess who played fill in for the night?

 

The processing was never ending but they were delighted with the results.

 

Never again though and certainly not as a paying gig.

 

I like my photography and model making as hobbies!

 

Regards,

 

Craig W

[Chas Levin]

6 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I could never get into reading Thomas Hardy; just too depressing for me. 

 

One book I had to read for English Literature GCE O Level was Cranford, by Mrs Gaskell. No doubt it had merit, but any of those qualities just passed me by I'm afraid. I passed, despite finding the work incredibly boring, especially as H. G. Wells was also on the syllabus.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Good evening Tony, which H G Wells was it?

[MJI]

Books at school. Who decided they were classics?

 

Much prefer a good well written SF book.

[simontaylor484]

Unfortunately there is a literary  Canon that sets these "classics" as part of the syllabus my son had an inspector calls in his English syllabus and that is as dull as ditchwater. 

We did Macbeth equally boring, to.kill a mockingbird and Friedrich which was about the holocaust and very moving.

[Northmoor]

9 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Unfortunately there is a literary  Canon that sets these "classics" as part of the syllabus my son had an inspector calls in his English syllabus and that is as dull as ditchwater. 

We did Macbeth equally boring, to.kill a mockingbird and Friedrich which was about the holocaust and very moving.

Well I studied three of those at GCSE and enjoyed all of them......  To Kill a Mockingbird is a literary masterpiece.  I think like with so many subjects, it takes a good teacher, mine was excellent (thank you Mrs G).  I didn't enjoy English at all until GCSE when our teacher brought the subject to life; she wanted me to do it to A-level but to be honest  I would have done even worse than the subjects I did take.

[Chuffer Davies]

Well here she is, number 2 of 5, and this time its my Q2.  Not the most elegant of Ivatt's designs in my view but certainly characterful.  These loco's were the regular motive power on the Queensbury Line for the weekly Keighley (pronounced Keithly) Ringer.  This was the nickname of a goods train departing the Keighley (GN) Goods Yard once a week carrying amongst other things a consignment of newly manufactured ringers (as in hand cranked devices for squeezing water out of cloth).

 

This model has the same credentials as the J1 shown a couple of days ago, but with the added challenge of working (?) valve gear between the very visible frames.  A challenge I don't think I'll be tempted to repeat if I make another.  Again my thanks to Ian R for the superb paint work.  Some will recall that this model was originally built with its motor in the firebox but despite pulling the long goods around Retford with ease, when it was tested out on the 1:50 gradient on the Clayton layout it was found wanting, failing with only 19 wagons behind it.   It was therefore rebuilt with its motor relocated to the tender and the space vacated filled with lead.  It will be May at the earliest before we can get access to the Clayton layout to establish just how big an improvement we've actually made.

This model is now available as an LRM kit.

Wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer,wringer, wringer, wronger, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer, wringer 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Chuffer Davies
Punishment

[The Fatadder]

I know there are a few pressfix users on here, do you get better results with press fix applying to a gloss surface or a mat one?

I have made a start applying transfers to my TPO, but I am having problems getting the backing off the lining on the recessed doors.  I know with waterslides a gloss finish is best (but I think that was just down to masking the carrier film).  I want to apply a satin coat to the coaches before I touch in the droplights / handrails (as I find acrylic on acrylic seems a little harder to remove mistakes than acrylic on enamel or on varnish)  

 

Hammond L23, it still needs a comet underframe building as the current one (ex Lima siphon) rides too high on the Comet bogies.   I was trying to save a few pounds reusing something, but have thought better of it.  It will also still need all the various detail castings adding and a number

Edited March 30, 2021 by The Fatadder
Edit to add photo

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

Good evening Tony, which H G Wells was it?

Good evening Chas,

 

Kipps. I would have preferred The Time Machine or the The War of the Worlds, but it was an engaging book. 

 

Regarding the last-mentioned, have you been to Woking? There are some splendid War of the Worlds creations there. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[LNER4479]

1 hour ago, Chuffer Davies said:

... carrying amongst other things a consignment of newly manufactured ringers (as in hand cranked devices for squeezing water out of cloth).

 

As in wringers?

 

Love the Q2. I think they have a certain presence and not unpleasant on the eye, in my opinion. We have one available for use on Grantham (courtesy of Jonathan), technically a few years after the last was withdrawn for our timeframe but makes a nice change from the inevitable O4. It really ought to be a bit dirtier though (says he, throwing stones in his glass house...)

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Well here she is, number 2 of 5, and this time its my Q2.  Not the most elegant of Ivatt's designs in my view but certainly characterful.  These loco's were the regular motive power on the Queensbury Line for the weekly Keighley (pronounced Keithly) Ringer.  This was the nickname of a goods train departing the Keighley (GN) Goods Yard once a week carrying amongst other things a consignment of newly manufactured ringers (as in hand cranked devices for squeezing water out of cloth).

 

This model has the same credentials as the J1 shown a couple of days ago, but with the added challenge of working (?) valve gear between the very visible frames.  A challenge I don't think I'll be tempted to repeat if I make another.  Again my thanks to Ian R for the superb paint work.  Some will recall that this model was originally built with its motor in the firebox but despite pulling the long goods around Retford with ease, when it was tested out on the 1:50 gradient on the Clayton layout it was found wanting, failing with only 19 wagons behind it.   It was therefore rebuilt with its motor relocated to the tender and the space vacated filled with lead.  It will be May at the earliest before we can get access to the Clayton layout to establish just how big an improvement we've actually made.

This model is now available as an LRM kit.

 

A beautiful model Frank,

 

However, I think you're missing a silent 'W'.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Edit; 4479 beat me to it!

Edited March 30, 2021 by Tony Wright
to add something

[96701]

2 hours ago, MJI said:

Books at school. Who decided they were classics?

 

Much prefer a good well written SF book.

I remember sitting in the office in the 1970s reading a book by Michael Moorcock in my lunch hour. Elric was wielding his Stormbringer sword and stealing the souls of those that he killed during a huge battle, and the metal filing cabinets around me rattled. It took me a moment to realise that this was not an effect of the battle that I was reading about, but a minor earth tremor hitting Preston.

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Unfortunately there is a literary  Canon that sets these "classics" as part of the syllabus my son had an inspector calls in his English syllabus and that is as dull as ditchwater. 

We did Macbeth equally boring, to.kill a mockingbird and Friedrich which was about the holocaust and very moving.

I beg to disagree.

 

An inspector Calls is one of the best works I've ever read (I think it was written as a play). Have you seen the Alistair Sim film of it? If not, you should.

 

As for Macbeth, that was the play in my English Literature O Level. Gripping! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

This evening's work has been concentrated on the donated J50.

 

 

The nature of the chassis dictated a huge amount of sideways slop in the axles. Rather than take off the wheels, the easiest dodge is to cut a nick out of a Peco fibre washer, just smaller than one eighth - then push it over the axle using tweezers, both sides. It won't come out. 

 

Pick-up pads installed.

 

 

.45mm nickel silver wire pick-ups installed (the drivers are all-insulated). 

 

I've also taken the feed nibs off this side of the footplate.

 

 

The dear old (actually, quite new) thing runs really beautifully.

 

I've tidied up the soldering (Gordon, if you're reading this, did you use a paste flux - Fluxite? A liquid phosphoric acid flux is much better). 

 

Shouldn't take too long to finish now, even though I've taken off the buffer beams; they were too far outboard. 

 

I really am astonished how altruistic most people are. The hobby is full of generous souls. Thanks again, Gordon. 

 

 

[96701]

I hated English Literature lessons with a passion. Dissecting Wuthering Heights or The Duel did absolutely nothing for me and often ended up in detention for not doing my homework, however reading a good book is a completely different thing.

 

[Chuffer Davies]

35 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

I think you're missing a silent 'W'.

 

Edit; 4479 beat me to it!

Doh!  Now I realise what was bothering me as I wrote it down. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Chuffer Davies
Ambiguity.....