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Sheffield Exchange, Toy trains, music and fun!


Clive Mortimore
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Many years ago I was motorising a Kitmaster 350 shunter. Tonight I had a look at the dismantled chassis.

Chassis frame....... check

Wheels, six, three insulated......check

extended axles, three.......check

cranks, washers, wheel nuts, six of each.......check

motor.....check

gears........check

coupling rods......check

plastic kit of loco....check

copper clad sleeper with pickups soldered on....check

Gear box/motor mount.........WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH IT?????

 

I have a spare motor and gear set so maybe......

 

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Free Bird, one of the best, if not THE best Driving songs ever, Car Volume on full, open windows and drive. I put it on one night driving back from Portsmouth to Derbyshire at almost midnight, re played many times to keep me awake, and the fastest time ever for the journey, shaved 20 minutes off the normal time. :sungum:

 

I only had the pleasure of playing Bass on this live once, at a Portsmouth Football Club Charity Gig, when the other Groups Bass Player didn't show up.

Some of Skynards music has really stood the test of time. 40 years on, Give Me Three Steps still stands among the greatest rock riffs ever. I just never tire of it, particularly as driving music.

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I bet all you budding guitar heroes have played this. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ROwVrF0Ceg

Chuck Berry kind of passed me by. I can't remember the BBC ever playing him, possibly because of his alleged "indiscretion " with an under aged girl. The first time I really became aware of him was when he had a hit with My Ding-A-Ling, which my Dad liked so that proved to me it was rubbish and not to be listened to.

 

An embarrassing moment though: Years later when I was trying to reverse the effects of middle age I thought it would be trendy to have the intro to Johnny B Goode as the ringtone on my mobile phone. One day I was involved in Court Application in Luton and as In walked Johnny B.Goode started blaring from my phone ! Fortunately the District Judge was a recycled teenager himself so was quite impressed but I changed the ringtone after that, gave up being trendy and returned to being a trainspotter .

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Some of Chuck Berry's songs were quite political for the time, Brown Eyed Handsome Man and Promised Land are examples.

Perhaps that’s why they never played him on the Beeb. The Beeb were so rigid in those days they even banned Nut Rocker by B.Bumble and the Stingers, and that. was an instrumental !

Then there was my mum who banned me from playing “Climax Rag “ when she was home because it was “too fast”. My dad was worst though, he banned my train magazines because he thought I was getting too obsessed and it was affecting my school work .

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Perhaps that’s why they never played him on the Beeb. The Beeb were so rigid in those days they even banned Nut Rocker by B.Bumble and the Stingers, and that. was an instrumental !

Then there was my mum who banned me from playing “Climax Rag “ when she was home because it was “too fast”. My dad was worst though, he banned my train magazines because he thought I was getting too obsessed and it was affecting my school work .

Buddy Holly's version of Brown Eyed Handsome Man was played.

 

I remember Nut Rocker being on the BBC.

 

The only magazines my dad banned me from bringing into the house were those from the top shelf. He didn't 'alf get a telling off when my mum found some and he didn't know anything about them. :mosking: :secret: :blackeye:

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I was supposed to be helping my mate at the Cheltenham exhibition this weekend, a family emergency has meant I cannot go. So while I am waiting for things at home to sort themselves out I am in the toy room running trains and trying to relax.

 

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Last night I was experimenting with my operating sequence, it is not a timetable. 

 

Each fuddle yard has a train on all 9 lines and there are 4 trains in the station. The sequence starts with a train leaving track one of each fiddle yard for the station, doing six or so circuits of the room before arriving at their destination. Two trains are then dispatched to an exotic location, well the fuddle yards. Again they do six or so circuits. Trains then depart from track two for the station. and so it carries on.

 

There are times when I will send a second train from each set of storage sidings to the station which then fills up the platforms. Terminus stations don't have all platforms full for to long so I will send 2 train on their way and as soon as they arrive home then 2 more are sent.

 

There so far is no order to which trains leave the station, it is on a "Oh! those two look nice" basis. While trains are running round, not only am I enjoying see them run but I am disposing locos into the loco yards and sorting out the locos to haul the next train out of the station. Loco swapping in the fiddle yards is by hand, a lot easier and quicker.

 

Once the yards have been emptied and refilled, it all starts over again until all trains have done 4 journeys.

 

When I built the layout I had planned to divide the storage sidings into 2 or 3 sections so I could have more than one short train to each line, thus increasing the number of trains. I soon worked out that I would have more trains than the station capacity would allow. So it is a train per siding, be it a full eight coach DMU (layout maximum length of train) or a single parcels car.

 

Last night was enjoyable so it looks like I have a system that is easy to use but not boring.

Edited by Clive Mortimore
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Along with the train length limit I am imposing a motive power restriction. Steam nothing bigger than a class 5 4-6-0 or 2-6-0 and only type 2s and 3s diesel wise. This will mean any loco hauled train can have any loco on it without the loco looking too small to pull it or the train looking to small to be pulled by it.

Edited by Clive Mortimore
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I have just watched the Great Model Railway Challenge. Well if a few Mica A vans and a couple of flickering LEDs where Fire and Ice, then what was the purpose of a theme?

Well done Mark, Marcus, Phil, Nick and Pepsi.

 

I watched this episode as well, the first one I'd seen. Well done all and everyone of them of them for achieving so much under time pressure.

 

Difficult to think of a hobby less suited to "against the clock" so beloved of today's TV producers. I've a lot of time for Steve Flint, and the answer to your question Clive I suspect is that he really thinks "Bxxxxr the theme, lets judge the quality!" I thought the professional presenters were dire, the man especially so, clearly knowing nothing whatsoever about the subject, real or model.

 

I did fear something really patronising in the style of "let's gawp at the anoraks", at least we were spared that.

 

Glad to read you're still having loads of fun with the layout!

 

John.

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I watched this episode as well, the first one I'd seen. Well done all and everyone of them of them for achieving so much under time pressure.

 

Difficult to think of a hobby less suited to "against the clock" so beloved of today's TV producers. I've a lot of time for Steve Flint, and the answer to your question Clive I suspect is that he really thinks "Bxxxxr the theme, lets judge the quality!" I thought the professional presenters were dire, the man especially so, clearly knowing nothing whatsoever about the subject, real or model.

 

I did fear something really patronising in the style of "let's gawp at the anoraks", at least we were spared that.

 

Glad to read you're still having loads of fun with the layout!

 

John.

Hi John

 

I had another operating session this morning ..........wonderful.

 

One day I will do some scenics and finish the stock, but who cares when fun is involved.

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Hi John

 

I had another operating session this morning ..........wonderful.

 

One day I will do some scenics and finish the stock, but who cares when fun is involved.

Damn Straight!!!

                             C.

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Along with the train length limit I am imposing a motive power restriction. Steam nothing bigger than a class 5 4-6-0 or 2-6-0 and only type 2s and 3s diesel wise. This will mean any loco hauled train can have any loco on it without the loco looking too small to pull it or the train looking to small to be pulled by it.

Next visit I'll bring an A4 and type 4 then ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Only joking, it'll be something GWR with suitably vintage cream and brown coaches)

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Hi John

 

I had another operating session this morning ..........wonderful.

 

One day I will do some scenics and finish the stock, but who cares when fun is involved.

 

I had one too, :sungum:  NO Not 1, 2, :O   I had one, TOOOOOOO. :no:  :stinker:  :stinker:

 

but MINE involved some pics as well. :sungum:

Edited by Andrew P
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