Shwt

[adrianmc]

7 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Indeed it should. I'm taking my time trundling over so an earlyish start on the Friday..........coming back will be a different kettle of fish !! 

 

Rob. 

 

There is always the Bluebell Railway to visit if you arrive early - Sheffield Park is just over 7 miles from the Uckfield Civic Centre and a bit closer if coming from the exhibitor's accommodation.

 

Last service train on the 20th arrives at 3.55pm, however there will probably be some stock movements after that, getting ready for their Curry Night Special in the evening.

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by adrianmc

[NHY 581]

1 hour ago, adrianmc said:

 

There is always the Bluebell Railway to visit if you arrive early - Sheffield Park is just over 7 miles from the Uckfield Civic Centre and a bit closer if coming from the exhibitor's accommodation.

 

Last service train on the 20th arrives at 3.55pm, however there will probably be some stock movements after that, getting ready for their Curry Night Special in the evening.

 

 

 

[Johndc120]

On 19/09/2023 at 07:06, NHY 581 said:

Indeed it should. I'm taking my time trundling over so an earlyish start on the Friday..........coming back will be a different kettle of fish !! 

 

Rob. 

I think we’ll be doing the same, slowly make our way over once the Newport traffic has calmed down. Grab lunch somewhere and not be in a rush

[Johndc120]

A bit of engineering prior to the Uckfield show

 

This 122 was purchased at Doncaster and immediately converted to EM gauge (warranty voided) it ran okay for a show but ever since we’ve had drive shaft issues

 

Today was time to get it fixed to get it ready to run. The issue with the drive train is the shafts slip inside the universal joints and therefore don’t don’t drive the worm gear. This locks the wheels and stops the unit

 

The fix

 

I have with a oldish set of side cutters added knurling to the shaft ends where they interface with the U-joints. This provides a greater interference fit preventing the shaft slip. This is best done at both ends and then can be reassembled. This solves the issues and the drive train is now strong enough to slip the wheels 

 

 

Now fixed I’ve programmed the loco, this is obviously with it’s number but also reduced top speed, dimmed the headlights as they weren’t very bright on the real thing and also remapped the lighting to make it a bit more logical

 

bright lights!

 

better lights

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by Johndc120

[Johndc120]

We are all very excited to be exhibiting at Uckfield this weekend

 

With the upcoming trains 

 

The Pway gang are out to check over the track, tightening bolts, hammering keys and greasing the points. 

The RB crane is getting a once over ready to load lots of sand wagons 

The coal merchant’s crew are having a quick cuppa in readiness for the delivery of more coal which will need weighing out and bagging

 

we look forward to seeing you and please come and say hello. Any photos you take please feel free to post on here, we love to see them

[Johndc120]

We have a new toy to play with!

 

with great thanks to Sutton Locomotive works they have kindly leant us a fully sound fitted class 25 for Uckfield 

 

can’t wait to see this on the layout!

 

 

 

 

 

[The Johnster]

If that runs as good as it looks, it'll be a joy to drive!  That's not a model, it's a 25, only small.

[Siberian Snooper]

Far too clean.

 

Dons flack jacket and tin hat, whilst diving for cover.

 

 

[Johndc120]

Sutton Locomotive works Class 25 D7552 on the sand run to Shwt this afternoon
 

[Middlepeak]

John,

 

Lovely to see the layout in the 'flesh' today. Very nicely displayed and operated, with plenty of detail to marvel at. I also enjoyed your explanation of the pronunciation of 'Shwt' to one of your audience!

 

Hope you have a good day tomorrow.

 

Geraint

[5BarVT]

4 minutes ago, Middlepeak said:

pronunciation of 'Shwt'

Easy, just like the wee village between Aberaeron and Cardigan- Plwmp.  Brilliant for hangman as a teenager!

Paul.

[Johndc120]

The Dapol class 122 has proved it’s worth as a special rail tour on Shwt over the weekend, I wanted to get more shots of it but we were just too busy talking to everyone.

 

Can I say a big thank you to those who stopped by and introduced themselves, lots of lovely comments and great to chat to some wonderful people.

 

 

 

 

[Johndc120]

The coal merchant at Shwt has ordered another wagon load. D7552 is on duty to take one up the branch and return with the empty one.

 

You would think they’d also bring back some sand wagons or empties from the yard but these small branches were never run that efficiently

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Johndc120]

For now this is Shwt's last booking, very proud to be on the advert too!!

 

[aac]

What was your opinion of Sutton's 25?

 

aac

[Siberian Snooper]

I saw the layout yesterday, the modelling is quite outstanding, but I think that the lighting is way too bright and spoils the overall ambience.

 

 

[NHY 581]

33 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

I saw the layout yesterday, the modelling is quite outstanding, but I think that the lighting is way too bright and spoils the overall ambience.

 

 

 

Sorry Snoops but cannot agree with you there. I thought the presentation was spot on. I've seen Shwt on a number of occasions and the lighting really compliments the outstanding modelling on show. 

 

A subjective view of course but it ticked my boxes. 

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

9 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

Sorry Snoops but cannot agree with you there. I thought the presentation was spot on. I've seen Shwt on a number of occasions and the lighting really compliments the outstanding modelling on show. 

 

A subjective view of course but it ticked my boxes. 

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

 

Each to their own.

 

 

[Johndc120]

On 03/05/2024 at 22:38, aac said:

What was your opinion of Sutton's 25?

 

aac

Without doubt the best piece of kit we've seen on the layout, it's beautiful but also runs like a dream. not sure on the £370 price tag but depends how deep your pockets are!!

[Johndc120]

On 04/05/2024 at 07:08, Siberian Snooper said:

I saw the layout yesterday, the modelling is quite outstanding, but I think that the lighting is way too bright and spoils the overall ambience.

 

 

Thank you snoops. really appreciate the comment. It's certainly one of the brighter out there and it's something we spent a long time trialing and working out what worked best for us.

 

It's very subjective and the last thing we wanted was to be underlit! We prefer to say ours is the only layout properly lit!!

 

John

[Gilbert]

15 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

Each to their own.

 

 

Exactly - my older eyes really appreciate well lit layouts.

 

Edited May 5 by Gilbert

[NHY 581]

To continue, too many layouts are spoilt by inadequate lighting. Great modelling but you can't see it properly. Shwt "pops". 

I find it quite surprising that some layouts are still unlit at shows whilst others rely on 80s style spots etc. 

It's easy for me with my predilection for Cameoesque presentation but I firmly believe layouts need to be seen, as advocated by the likes of Ian Rice, Chris Nevard and more recently, James Hilton etc. 

 

Rob

 

 

[RobAllen]

I visited yesterday and was incredibly impressed by the presentation of Shwt. In addition to being well lit, it is also quite a deep layout, with plenty of space front to back which really gives a sense of the place. Makes me wish I had an extra foot of depth for Holcombe!
 

 

 

It was also quite popular!

 

 

Many many thanks to @Johndc120 too for explaining how Shwt uses WiThrottle and JMRI to allow routes to be set from the phone. I very much appreciated being able to look behind the scenes and have a walkthrough of the JMRI set up, particularly as I imagine exhibiting is already a busy time. It was enlightening and I'm looking forward to doing similar on Holcombe when I get to that stage. Thanks!

 

Edited May 5 by RobAllen

[The Johnster]

Shwt is one of the best I've seen, and captures the semi-dereliction of places at the end of their working lives in the late 60s magnificently; it'll be missed.  The pile of bricks that used to be the station building is phenomenally well modelled and highly expressive of the period. 

 

I like to light my trains from the side, something not always done on show layouts where the overhead retina-burners blind you with white GW roofs.  I prefer subdued cool lighting to suggest an overcast or rainy day (I model the South Wales Valleys), but even if you model high summer as many do, if your layout is set in the UK the highest the currant bun gets even at midsummer day astronomical noon even at Penzance (don't think there was much railway south of this in Britain, Helston by a couple of yards perhaps) will still cast direct sunlight on the sides of trains and buildings.  This may cause problems for operators at the back of show layouts, but the answer to this was devised by yours truly at a show in the 80s, when the spots were getting in our eyes.  I purchased half a dozen kiddies' clear coloured plastic visors, from the Dean Forest Rly. stand IIRC, and handed them out. 

 

After a few comments about overgrown kids with train sets, we developed the response that these visors were not kids' toys at all, but highly sophisticated designer AGDs, as worn by hardened newspaper editors.  'What's an AGD?'; it's an Anti Glare Device, so there!  Some punters looked abashed and impressed, and several other exhibitors copied us...  It's a seriously good idea, reduces eye strain and doesn't affect your view of the models, The Johnster commends it to you.

 

Even on an overcast day, daylight is much stronger than even quite powerful indoor lighting, and bright sunlight obviously much more so.  But we mostly use our layouts indoors under lamps designed for reading or working, stronger than the main lighting but nowhere near daylight on all but the gloomiest days (yes, even in Manchester or Blaenau Ffestiniog).  Much of the endless debating on sites like this about the actual colour of certain liveries takes place without taking this into account; if we want to view our models properly we have to replicate daylight, and most people would find that very uncomfortable in a domestic environment, and unacceptable to other members of the household.  I am aware that my own layout lighting, led anglepoises that deliver three levels and three tones, is nowhere near bright enough but one compromises, perhaps by painting models and laying scenery that is a bit too bright (then weathering it; this is really sensible hobby, isn't it?).  It is a subject not well researched within the hobby, but I suspect the manufacturers are aware of it when applying liveries and colours.

 

Shwt, Rob's ovine offerings, and Alastair's Middleton top are inspirational, but I doubt anyone will object if I single out two exceptionally lit layouts; Arun Quay, which gets drizzly misty dreich & drear/poor visibility over the Sussex coastal marshes spot on, and Beijao, Chinese industrial yellowed-out polluted bleakness with it's backdrop of brutalitarianist concrete buildings and bright neon signs; I've never been to northern China, but this is exactly how I imagine it, nailed it, I almost want to wipe the grit out of my eyes after one of those lorries bowls past...  Both of these are probably a bit washed out for most peoples' taste.  Rod Stewart's late afternoon cityscape is not to my taste, but very effective nonetheless; my problem is that this cast of lighting does not usually last for more than about half an hour.  I can reproduce something like it at Cwmdimbath, but I believe Rod has deliberately chosen complimentary hues for his many buildings to enhance the effect, but I'd want the sun to go down and twilight to supercede it after about half an hour. 

[Captain Kernow]

Out of interest, if that was Shwt's last exhibition appearance, what will happen to the layout now? ( apologies if I've missed the answer somewhere in the thread).