Stoke Courtenay

[AlfaZagato]

Yeah, that sounds right.  

 

Sorry for the diversion @checkrail.  Any more comings and goings over the weekend?

[checkrail]

5 hours ago, AlfaZagato said:

Sorry for the diversion @checkrail.

No diversion really  - just an interesting contribution to the discussion of milk traffic.  And it prompted  a typically knowledgeable and informative response from Mike @Coach bogie.

 

Hope to reach for the camera again before too long. 

[checkrail]

Here's 6019 'King Henry V' approaching Stoke Courtenay on a Penzance- Paddington express.  The contrasting profiles of the first two coaches are notable - a low-waisted D121 followed by a wide-bodied Centenary composite. 

 

 

Coming through the platform roads it meets a pick-up goods coming the other way in the charge of 8709..

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

As the express clears the platforms 8709 slows through the station, where Herr und Frau Preiser can be seen crossing the footbridge.

 

With the advance starter 'on' the loco comes to a halt ..... 

 

.... and once points and ground signals have been changed (the latter in my imagination only!) she begins to set her train back into the yard loop under the watchful eye of the signalman and the guard.

 

 

John C. 

[checkrail]

And as soon as the pick-up goods has stowed itself into the yard loop and cleared the main line 6305 drifts past with an eastbound freight.

 

As it comes through the station we see that 8709 has parked its Toad and run round the rest of its train, and now stands by the water tower in the loco spur prior to doing the necessary shunting. 

 

Nice to see that 6305's fireman has given the number plates a wipe-over on this otherwise fairly grimy loco.

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Even more freight as 6305 meets 4117 on a down train of vans.

 

The next one was an experiment, with the TZ100 balanced precariously on a stock box sitting on the rather uneven grass in the field behind the embankment.  One of those where as you lean over to press the shutter you think the whole shooting match is going to topple over. But it worked out rather better than I expected and I guess I'll use that angle again.

 

 

In the last one we see 8709 heading back to its wagons while the guard watches 6305 and train go by.

 

John C.

[checkrail]

4117 and vans head west, leaving 8709 to get on with the shunt.

 

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Next to appear is 4908 'Broome Hall', heading towards home with a Plymouth - Newton Abbot stopper.

 

 

Meanwhile 8709 carries on shunting.

 

John C.

[gwrrob]

You're really spoiling us Sir @checkrail 👍

[checkrail]

13 hours ago, gwrrob said:

You're really spoiling us Sir

Well, a couple of people were kind enough to exhort me to "keep them coming", and with this new combination of iMac/ffworks/Affinity Photo 2 processing layout photos has never been so quick or so easy.  You have been warned!

 

Anyway, here's the stopper again as it slows into the station ....

 

... and, soon after, pulls away again towards Brent, Totnes and Newton Abbot.

 

Meanwhile it's busy in the yard as 8709 carries on shunting.

 

John C.

[Hal Nail]

A suggestion if I may, following the great crash and loss of photos, any chance of reinstating a track plan, maybe on page 1 where it is easily found?

[checkrail]

4 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

A suggestion if I may, following the great crash and loss of photos, any chance of reinstating a track plan, maybe on page 1 where it is easily found?

 

Yep, sure.  Here it is, dredged up from old files imported from last PC but one!  I've also appended it to page 1 of this thread as you suggest.

 

Don't think I ever drew a track plan of the fiddle yard, which has 'just growed' like Topsy to use up every bit of space as stock accumulates.  Basically it consists of four up and four down loops, a two road branch FY with crossover, plus four sidings/spurs to accomodate spare locos and stock. It's now ram-jam full with no room for further expansion and some stock is stored in drawers.  

 

With thanks for the suggestion,

John.

[checkrail]

Now a Star turn as 4018 'Knight of the Grand Cross' runs through with the Wolves-Penzance.  

 

Quite like this second photo.  Hornby's N16 horse box is a fine model, and even finer once the ends have been painted black and the roof grey.

 

Meanwhile 8709 carries on shunting.  

 

And here's a rare aerial view of Stoke Courtenay yard.

 

John C.

[checkrail]

'Carry on Shunting', Scene Eleventeen.

 

4574 arrives with a train from Earlsbridge.  8709 carries on shunting.

 

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

Shunting has recently paused for a couple of minutes or so allowing 4574 to run round its train.  

 

She's now re-coupled and simmers gently in the branch platform.  The fireman has moved the lamp to the bunker end and they wait for the signal and the appointed departure time.  

 

And as the branch train departs for Earlsbridge 2818 comes through on the up line with returning coal empties.  Meanwhile 8709 carries on shunting.

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

The pannier has now got all its ducks in a row ready to move on, and waits in the yard loop until a Castle-hauled up Plymouth express has cleared the station limits.

 

 

John C.

[checkrail]

This sequence ends with 8709 crossing over the pointwork to the down main to continue its journey.  (The colour went haywire on thiis shot so I finished it in b & w.)

 

The third vehicle in the train is one of those new-ish Rapido ex-SECR vans.  

 

 

As this photo series has shown I don't run to timetable or even give much thought to what time of day it is; I just run a random selection of trains typical, I hope, of the area in the late 30s.  But I think it does show that there is enough operational interest (for my short attention span anyway!) in a roundy-roundy layout, especially if a junction and a decent goods yard are included.  And this sequence didn't include any of the tail traffic or through coach operations I've illustrated on this thread before..   

 

But a lot of the time I just like watching the trains go by!

 

John C.

Edited August 26, 2023 by checkrail
typo

[checkrail]

Here's a new kid on the block. 'Manor from Heaven' as i called it on the Accurascale Manor thread just now, along with other musings. So I won't repeat what I posted there except to say that it's a beauty.

 

 

I know that Manors in Devon and Cornwall was very much a 50s thing, so when this one was announced I dreamed up a might-have-been scenario in which one was sent temporarily to NA for testing on the banks and curves of the S. Devon main line. But I note that Anthony Manor went to Bristol Bath Road when new, so could very plausibly have appeared in the area on through workings, rendering my Rule 1 fiction redundant.  I've not seen any pre-war photographic evidence but if anyone has I'd love to hear of it.

 

John C.

[gwrrob]

Hopefully getting mine from the end of next week.

[checkrail]

38 minutes ago, gwrrob said:

Hopefully getting mine from the end of next week.

You're unlikely to be disappointed when it does.

[john dew]

On 22/08/2023 at 02:17, checkrail said:

Well, a couple of people were kind enough to exhort me to "keep them coming", and with this new combination of iMac/ffworks/Affinity Photo 2 processing layout photos has never been so quick or so easy.  You have been warned!

 

 

 

Hi John

 

I missed this earlier reference to Photo 2. I wonder if you could outline the advantages you have found over Version 1? I am very happy with V1 although I only use it for cropping and auto correct/ Colour balance etc. Is it now easier to remove unwanted backgrounds for instance?

 

Best wishes

[checkrail]

20 hours ago, john dew said:

I missed this earlier reference to Photo 2. I wonder if you could outline the advantages you have found over Version 1? I am very happy with V1 although I only use it for cropping and auto correct/ Colour balance etc. Is it now easier to remove unwanted backgrounds for instance?

Hi John

 

I'm afraid the answer is, "I don't know'. There are three elements to my new set-up - Mac, ffworks and Affinity Photo 2.  I had to buy Affinity again when moving to a new computer so it seemed logical to buy the latest version.  But I've only scratched the surface with Affinity.  Focus merging is all I do with it, though I must learn how to clone and 'paint' to edit backgrounds in due course.

 

The focus merging is now an incredibly quick process compared with before, but I'd guess - and it's only a guess - that it's the ffworks software that's made the difference rather than the updated version of Affinity.  Unfortunately I don't think it's available for Windows but there are probably equivalents that are better than Windows Media Player.

 

For cropping, colour adjustments etc. I just use the photo editing tools that came with the pc rather than try to do this with Affinity.

 

Regards,

John. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by checkrail

[john dew]

3 hours ago, checkrail said:

Hi John

 

I'm afraid the answer is, "I don't know'. There are three elements to my new set-up - Mac, ffworks and Affinity Photo 2.  I had to buy Affinity again when moving to a new computer so it seemed logical to buy the latest version.  But with I've only scratched the surface with Affinity.  Focus merging is all I do with it, though I must learn how to clone and 'paint' to edit backgrounds in due course.

 

The focus merging is now an incredibly quick process compared with before, but I'd guess - and it's only a guess - that it's the ffworks software that's made the difference rather than the updated version of Affinity.  Unfortunately I don't think it's available for Windows but there are probably equivalents that are better than Windows Media Player.

 

For cropping, colour adjustments etc. I just use the photo editing tools that came with the pc rather than try to do this with Affinity.

 

Regards,

John. 

 

Hi John

 

Thanks for the swift response. It was actually very useful - I have long admired the clarity you achieve with Focus Merging, I have tried a few time with my 15 year old DSLS camera but it was so clunky (before each shot individually select each focus point!) I gave. Your comments made me start investigating an app (Camera Pixels) for my Iphone which is probably a better camera - certainly more flexible.

 

This is a very diffident suggestion but it might be worth experimenting with the Affinity Crop tool - its very user friendly - it has to be for me to use it! Likewise for the 4 Auto buttons : Level/Contrast/Colour/White Balance . Probably the only other tool I use is the Un- do button.

 

Best wishes

[checkrail]

1 hour ago, john dew said:

I have tried a few time with my 15 year old DSLS camera but it was so clunky (before each shot individually select each focus point!)

Thanks John for reply and suggestions.  The real game changer for me was the Panasonic TZ100 camera, with its ability to shoot in 'post focus' mode, essentially shooting a short MP4 video clip.  I think the original purpose of this facility was so you could pick the frame you liked best, but it also takes you half way to focus merging without having to alter the focus manually at all.

 

On my 70th birthday (5 years ago!) family and friends crowd-funded a snazzy DSLR for me. I couldn't get on with it at all (far too sophisticated for me - I didn't understand the manual or the jargon) , and I bought the TZ100 with the proceeds of its sale. When Andy Y. was photographing Stoke C. for BRM back in 2019 focus stacking came up in our conversation, and he observed that with my new camera I was already half way there.  He was right. So thanks Andy @Andy Y

 

And unlike the DSLR it's compact.  I can stand it on the platform, or on a wagon box placed across the tracks.  I use a tripod as well when required, but I do like to take photos from within the frame of the layout where possible.

 

Regards,

John

[Neal Ball]

That’s an interesting dialogue @john dew and @checkrail you are both having.

 

I use Afinity v2 and to be honest think v1 and 2 are almost the same. Although I am sure the developers would disagree! I use it to manipulate all my photos, having switched from Photoshop many years ago. (I refused to pay for a new licence when photoshop was upgraded - it didn’t seem worth the extra money).

 

Typically I use my iPhone for photos, although by comparison they will be a “quick snap”. When I get out the DSLR, set up the tripod, that’s when I can mess about and do image stacking. Mine is a Pentax with a manual selection of the focus point. 
 

The photos are better, but it’s such a faff getting “the big camera” set up! However, I also think I need to upgrade my lighting in order to increase the quality of my photos.

 

With a Manor and Siphon on their way, the DSLR will be in front of Henley very soon!