Helston Revisited

[KeithMacdonald]

28 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Keith, not sure we should post images with copyright on them. What does Howard Foster’s Flickr page say?

 

That's a forum FAQ. You are welcome to question RMWeb Mods about that. It is, after all, what their forum software does by default with Flikr links pasted into any topic or post, and we're not making commercial use of it.

 

Oh, by the way, there's a topic here on RMweb with more than 800 such images from Flickr - I have assumed it has (at least tacit) approval of the Forum Mods?

 

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by KeithMacdonald
link to Flickr thread

[Regularity]

If you download the image and then repost it, it is a breach of copyright.

 

If you post an embedded image (I.e. a link to a photo on another site) then it isn’t a breach.

 

If you do the latter and acknowledge the host, then it’s more polite, but still not a breach.

[Andy Keane]

Today I finally got a pair of aerial photos from Historic England and now I KNOW what the layout down by the carriage shed was by 1946! There were a pair of retaining walls and an approach ramp up to a loading area alongside the head shunt from the goods shed.  There is even a nice shadow so I can work out the gradients of the ramp. It was clearly added and infilled sometime after the station was originally built to provide an extra, quite large, unloading space. And articles I have read refer to this area for unloading the coal for the gas works so I am assuming the area was created to fulfill the needs of the Helston Gas company and thus around 1900-1915. The photos also show quite a few of the buildings from 1946 survived until after the line was lifted going by a very clear 1973 aerial photo. If anyone wants more details please shout and I will sketch out what was there - I cannot share the images as HE are very severe about their copyrights!

Andy

[Nick C]

On 26/04/2022 at 22:02, Regularity said:

If you download the image and then repost it, it is a breach of copyright.

 

If you post an embedded image (I.e. a link to a photo on another site) then it isn’t a breach.

 

If you do the latter and acknowledge the host, then it’s more polite, but still not a breach.

And if you use the links provided by flickr, the forum software deals with the proper linking automatically - so clicking on the below image should take you to the original Flickr page:

 

 

[Blandford1969]

On 26/04/2022 at 22:02, Regularity said:

If you post an embedded image (I.e. a link to a photo on another site) then it isn’t a breach.

 

If you do the latter and acknowledge the host, then it’s more polite, but still not a breach.

That of course assumes that those posted on Flickr own the copyright. Some have purchased prints from me at a photo fair and then published them on their own Flickr stream. Not that its worth the bother of doing anything. 

 

However the acknowledgement is always nice, these negatives cost sooooo much to buy in some cases. 

[Andy Keane]

5 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said:

That of course assumes that those posted on Flickr own the copyright. Some have purchased prints from me at a photo fair and then published them on their own Flickr stream. Not that its worth the bother of doing anything. 

 

However the acknowledgement is always nice, these negatives cost sooooo much to buy in some cases. 

Indeed - I have written some books in my time only to find the entire text, pictures and all on download sites within a week or so. And even publishers like Wiley can do nothing about it.

[Blandford1969]

13 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Indeed - I have written some books in my time only to find the entire text, pictures and all on download sites within a week or so. And even publishers like Wiley can do nothing about it.

Indeed, one publisher 'borrowed' original slides from a dealer to decide which to buy, scanned them, sent then to him who sold them to me, for me only to find him selling prints and also appearing in his books! Just seems to be the modern world.  It won't stop me buying negs though. 

[Andy Keane]

This is the current layout plan with the retaining walls as per the aerial photo. It means I will have to build up the unloading area down by the carriage shed as my baseboards didn't allow for that when built. The bit between the walls is the ramp up from the access road.

[Andy Keane]

On 14/04/2022 at 16:40, David C said:

Regarding the gaps in your PCB sleepers, I found Polyfilla the easiest to use. I tried Milliput fine initially, but it was difficult to get it to stick to the base of my PCB points. Polyfilla (or similar) ready mixed stuff did stay where I'd put it - and more importantly, on both Woodstowe and my newish Bavarian epic, Weidenstein, it has stayed put. 

 

If you fill the gap slightly over the top, its easier to sand down so that it is level with the top of the PCB and the result is that it is impossible to see the join.

 

Ballasting is a job I hate, because it takes for ever. Neat PVA first, then N gauge ballast sprinkled on top and then pressed down. I always need to do it at least twice, the second time with dilute PVA (50:50%). Once I'm more or less satisfied, I check both sides of each rail to remove any stray bits of ballast which have clung on to the rails. This does of course usually chip or at least discolour any paint which has been applied, so its out with the paint brush touching everything up. The whole process is tedious to an extreme, but nothing looks worse than odd stones stuck halfway up the rails. 

 

David C

I have been at work with the polyfilla on the little slots in the PCB sleepers - not a quick business but I am getting there.

While at it I have also inserted strips of hardwood under where the point stretchers / tiebars will run - these are much lower friction than cork and also set slightly lower so the point will move easily.

[Andy Keane]

eBay was quite fun last night - there was an auction for 30 private & GWR wagons and coaches with an Airfix 14xx. Two guys battled it out in the early evening up to £225 only to be beaten by a pro who sniped them in in the last four seconds at £256. At around £8 per item it was still good value and I was sorely tempted to join the fray.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/bfl/viewbids/185395198793?item=185395198793&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2565

 

[Graham T]

I saw that one as well.  The seller with have been pleased I imagine!  I already have a Hattons 58xx, and an old Airfix 14xx (which I would like to offload), so was able to resist getting involved in the bidding!

[Andy Keane]

Have spent several hours painting track - not sure there is an easy way of doing this. My basic approach is to start with sleeper grime and pretty much cover everything then go back with rail rust on the rails and chairs before cleaning the running tops. Then its the ballast! And after that I plan to waft some dirt around with the airbrush and again clean the rail heads. It may be hard to keep thing clean but it seems even harder to make them dirty!

[MJI]

Found my 14xx today, the plunger pickups still move OK.

 

Will run under power later, but mine is the Didcot preserved example. So may not repurpose.

[Andy Keane]

i am planning to repaint my 14xx into a 58xx to suit the correct period - I have new cabside numbers on order. Just need to rub down the GWR on the tanks, carefully mask and waft with the airbrush - fingers crossed.

[Harlequin]

10 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

i am planning to repaint my 14xx into a 58xx to suit the correct period - I have new cabside numbers on order. Just need to rub down the GWR on the tanks, carefully mask and waft with the airbrush - fingers crossed.

 

Careful now! A 14xx is auto-fitted but a 58xx is not...

 

If your 14xx has the auto connection gubbins on the buffer beams and the battery box under the right rear of the running plate then she should really be backdated to a 48xx.

 

[Graham T]

I'll be doing the reverse with my 58xx at some point, so will need to add the "gubbins" and battery box.  I don't suppose you have any reference pics to hand @Harlequin?

[Andy Keane]

58 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

 

Careful now! A 14xx is auto-fitted but a 58xx is not...

 

If your 14xx has the auto connection gubbins on the buffer beams and the battery box under the right rear of the running plate then she should really be backdated to a 48xx.

 

Now I am in a quandry - my 14xx is auto fitted and I have an auto coach to go with it. But Helston was served bt 5812. What to do? Pretend 5812 was autofitted and had an autocoach - I do like autocoaches, or renumber into the 48xx range despite them not having gone to Helston! Ho hum. Maybe go 48xx as fewer people would know what has visited Helston than seeing a 58xx with an autocoach. I could perhaps go for 4806 which was also allocated to Tiverton as was 5812.

Andy

Edited May 2, 2022 by Andy Keane

[Pannier Tank]

57 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Now I am in a quandry - my 14xx is auto fitted and I have an auto coach to go with it. But Helston was served bt 5812. What to do?

 

Remove the Auto Gear and re-number as 5812. In operation, run round the 'Auto Trailer' at each end of the line.

[Andy Keane]

I have ordered up 4806 as well and will ponder as to which to use.

[MJI]

Both

[St Enodoc]

15 hours ago, MJI said:

Both

Wot, one at either end of the coach?

[Andy Keane]

18 hours ago, Harlequin said:

 

Careful now! A 14xx is auto-fitted but a 58xx is not...

 

If your 14xx has the auto connection gubbins on the buffer beams and the battery box under the right rear of the running plate then she should really be backdated to a 48xx.

 

I will move it to become 4806 based at Tiverton shed with its own autocoach.

Andy

[Andy Keane]

On the subject of track colours what do people do about Peco sleepers? - I find then rather shiny and have been thinking of washing them over with matt sleeper grime while I add rust to the rails.

[Harlequin]

Occupancy detection by current sensing:

 

[Andy Keane]

1 hour ago, Harlequin said:

Occupancy detection by current sensing:

 

Phil

I have MERG current sensors literally on every section of my layout - so far thats 28 in the fiddle yard and I put in 8 more today on the first station board with another 20 or so to go - these all talk to JMRI so my tracks light up as things move around - see below (two lasers and 16 occupancy sensors talking to an Arduino Mega linked to the NCE bus) - its not pretty but it all works fine. But for automation I need more precise position inputs so in the fiddle yard I have the lasers as in the photo. But in the station these would be too obtrusive so I am going with undertrack active IR. I am debating on exactly where to put them but they will link into the Arduinos alongside the MERG current sensors. Its probably overkill but it needs doing while I am laying and wiring tyrack even if I don't in the end use it.

regards

Andy