RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted December 31, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 31, 2023 Oh yes I do. The problem I have right now is that I upgraded the mount to a much better one but as yet I don't have the GoTo upgrade for it so I only have manual tracking which means I can only really take photos of the moon. I do intend to either upgrade the mount or buy a new scope later in the new year when something I have on HP finishes. Upgrading the mount will be the cheapest option but I have a 6" Newtonian reflector and together with the mount it's a big heavy lump so I would like to replace it with a Schmitt/Cassergran type with a computerised goto mount as it's easier to set up and easier to transport. I can't see the polestar from my patio as the block of flats I live in gets in the way, if the patio was 2 meters longer or 1 meter higher I would be OK but it isn't so I can't align it properly without using drift alignment which is a real pain. The scope itself is Russian and the optics are superb. I upgraded the focuser to a 2" Crayford which has zero backlash unlike the rack and pinion one it came with as it works on friction and the quality of viewing is now outstanding but my word it's heavy. Regards Lez. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 It's incredible stuff - I saw someone on youtube with a computerised mount, and he was able to click on a star or system on his computer screen, and the scope would move automatically to track it. My mind was utterly blown. To be honest I'm glad I don't have a garden or patio cos if I did, I'd be spending more money I don't have! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted December 31, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 31, 2023 (edited) 8 minutes ago, tjf4375 said: It's incredible stuff - I saw someone on youtube with a computerised mount, and he was able to click on a star or system on his computer screen, and the scope would move automatically to track it. My mind was utterly blown. To be honest I'm glad I don't have a garden or patio cos if I did, I'd be spending more money I don't have! Yep that's a problem for sure. I have 3 really expensive hobbies, Railway modelling, Astronomy and Koi keeping. Two of them cost lots of money and the fish costs lots of time and money. Fortunately my lovely wife allows me these indulgences as it keeps me out of the pub. Regards Lez. Edited December 31, 2023 by lezz01 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Great work on the bridge - really does add so much 'feel' to the station! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 10 hours ago, WCML100 said: Great work on the bridge - really does add so much 'feel' to the station! Thanks mate! :) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold mudmagnet Posted January 2 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 2 Excellent work on the station and walkways. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MossdaleNGauge Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 The new office building by the Otford tracks that you have modelled superbly was on TV this week. In the ITV drama about the Post Office scandal it was used as the building for Futijsu’s head office. Other scenes were also in Kent, the village hall was at Pratts Bottom, and is used for an annual model railway show, Tatsfield for the Post Office/cafe and St Mary Cray High St with its large brick viaduct Dave 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 4 hours ago, MossdaleNGauge said: The new office building by the Otford tracks that you have modelled superbly was on TV this week. In the ITV drama about the Post Office scandal it was used as the building for Futijsu’s head office. Other scenes were also in Kent, the village hall was at Pratts Bottom, and is used for an annual model railway show, Tatsfield for the Post Office/cafe and St Mary Cray High St with its large brick viaduct Dave Hi Dave, thanks for the heads up! Interesting how they've used so many locations in Kent. I've seen a few clips of the drama on youtube and hoping to catch up with all the episodes over the weekend as lots of people talking about it and it sounds quite good! Tim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 (edited) Hi all, Hope your first week of 2024 has been a peaceful one! Firstly thanks loads for all the lovely comments and feedback on the previous update. This evening I've been working away on the western block that gives access to the season ticket holder's carpark. I went on a bit of a 'reccy' yesterday to get some pics and remind myself what it looks like. Those who've been following since the early days (2015) will know this was one of the first bits of the station to appear, and it's worked well as a placeholder since then but now it needs a bit of an upgrade to fit in with the rest of the footbridge. Things are progressing well and hope to have some photos for you tomorrow! In the meantime, here's some video footage I uploaded the other day to showcase the new scenery progress. Hope you enjoy it and as always, comments, criticism and feedback all welcome! Edited January 7 by tjf4375 typo 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post tjf4375 Posted January 14 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 14 Hi all, Hope 2024 is treating you all well so far. Just a very quick update this evening - work continues on the west block and as always it's taking rather longer than I planned! Overall I'm pleased with how it's shaping up, and it's definitely an improvement on the original card model with printed facades. After a recent 'reccie' I've tried to incorporate a few more details, some of which I'll reveal in a future update! Anyway here's a few pics of how things are going. Old version in the background! There is lighting to both the lower and upper levels so when that's wired in I'll post some more shots :) Thanks for looking and as always comments and feedback most welcome! 21 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackB95 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Absolutely stunning mate. Really is. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahame Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Sensational stuff. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 11 hours ago, JackB95 said: Absolutely stunning mate. Really is. Thanks mate :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 10 hours ago, grahame said: Sensational stuff. Cheers Grahame Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Great stuff as always mate! Would be great to read in more detail how you went about scoping the prototype, how you then put that in to model form and what materials you use etc. 👍🏻 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 4 hours ago, WCML100 said: Great stuff as always mate! Would be great to read in more detail how you went about scoping the prototype, how you then put that in to model form and what materials you use etc. 👍🏻 Thanks mate, appreciate the kind comments as always! Hope your 2024 is going well so far. Happy to talk more about scoping etc. I do try to get as much info as I can from aerial views and photos that are available online, and also I did manage to get some useful drawings from planning applications for nearby properties as these often include the station in the site plan. A while back Southeastern (eventually) sent me a very grainy copy of an old drawing of the booking office (pre-refurb) which gave some useful dimensions and references and helped to get it all in proportion. I got as much as I could from that, and working from photographs and site visits I made some new drawings to scale which I've been working from ever since. When I started the layout in 2015 I made the western season ticket carpark entrance block from mount card with printed textures spray-mounted on 😂 I've been surprised how long it's lasted, but the printed textures have faded a bit and it doesn't include any interior detail, so I wanted to go back and re-do this bit so it matches better with the new footbridge stuff. At the moment I'm using mostly acrylic, PETG and plasticard, and a lot of evergreen strip of various sizes. On my recent reccy, I wanted to look at what specifically was inside the block, so I took some photographs and video as I walked through, especially of the stairs and also the posters and signs that were displayed. Also couldn't remember if the top level was one open space, or if the top light windows at the rear were part of a different room, so the visit was helpful for that. I'm not too concerned about getting it 100% correct (never gonna happen) but hopefully aiming to capture the essence of the place and have some bits that people will recognise if they've been to the station. There's plenty of errors and discrepancies all over the place, and of course the whole site is compressed to fit into the smaller space! Attached below are the main drawings I made for the station and footbridge to give an idea of how it all goes together: 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Very interesting. Thanks for sharing! We are in a similar position with Greenford as we are trying to get a good ‘replica’ - great to hear your methods for Sevenoaks! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 No worries, glad if it helped! You may have a bit more luck with Greenford as it's architecturally more significant. I know there are a number of books around on LUL station buildings from that period - the London Transport Museum likely has some archive material that might be of interest? Beyond that it may help to contact LUL to see if they can assist? I remember 30 odd years ago it was much easier to get hold of drawings for things, but nowadays companies are unfortunately a bit more cagey about it for obvious reasons. Hope you manage to find some useful info though! :) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post tjf4375 Posted January 21 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 21 Happy Sunday to everyone, and hope 2024 is treating you well so far. Quick update and a few pics this evo, as the new western block for the station is now completed. Like everything, this turned out to be a much bigger project than I planned for, but hopefully the time has been well spent! Here's a few shots of it in situ with the lights on :) This is what it looks like under the boards. Chaos. 15 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SED Freightman Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 Excellent model of the Up Side entrance, looks just like the real thing. Interesting to recall that when originally built it also incorporated a ticket office and Travellers Fare outlet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 The model is absolutely stunning. Your attention to detail is second to none. It is nice to see that you are human, too, seeing as your under-board wiring is almost as messy as mine! 😉 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Wow! Incredible work mate. Serious stuff! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 21 hours ago, SED Freightman said: Excellent model of the Up Side entrance, looks just like the real thing. Interesting to recall that when originally built it also incorporated a ticket office and Travellers Fare outlet. Many thanks! I didn't know about the ticket office, I guess that's what was behind that roller shutter originally? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 19 hours ago, SRman said: The model is absolutely stunning. Your attention to detail is second to none. It is nice to see that you are human, too, seeing as your under-board wiring is almost as messy as mine! 😉 Ha ha! 😂 It's nice to know I'm not the only one with messy wiring. I'd love to be one of those people who has it all neatly cable tied together but that's never going to happen. Appreciate the kind comments cheers mate 👍 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf4375 Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 9 hours ago, WCML100 said: Wow! Incredible work mate. Serious stuff! Thanks mate! Much appreciated as always. It's coming together and I'm glad to have broken the back of this area now - defo going to be moving back to more scenic bits for a bit now. I feel some more tree making coming on! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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