Peterborough North

[Podhunter]

Main fuse blown, and a bill for more than the cost of an A3

If you mean that literally, then consider replacing your main fuse box with a modern consumer unit.  When something goes wrong, a Residual Current Device (RCD)

trips.  You don't need an electrian to flip the RCD back to normal operation, although you will need a qualified electrician to install the new consumer unit. 

RCDs have been installed in new builds for a couple of decades, so only older dwellings will have a set of fuses in the main distribution panel.

[great northern]

And got smaller wheels :-)

 

Chris KT

Yes, but I can't see millimetres any more.

[great northern]

If you mean that literally, then consider replacing your main fuse box with a modern consumer unit.  When something goes wrong, a Residual Current Device (RCD)

trips.  You don't need an electrian to flip the RCD back to normal operation, although you will need a qualified electrician to install the new consumer unit. 

RCDs have been installed in new builds for a couple of decades, so only older dwellings will have a set of fuses in the main distribution panel.

The chap who did the job advised me to get my regular electrician in, as apparently the set up is out of date. It is 21 years old.  I understand virtually nothing about electrics, but I do remember the chap sending his assistant to get a six amp fuse from the van. I'll be ringing to fix a visit on Monday, and I'm grateful for the advice.

[great northern]

OK so I wasn't precise enough.   A Hornby A3, if you can get one these days. I suspect the vast majority of the bill will be the call out charge. Anyway, it can't be helped, but why do things like this always happen after firms have closed for the weekend?

 

To your pictures now. We haven't ventured under the roof for a while, so here is the 9F rumbling through.

 

Phil asked if I could photograph one of his engines coming in from the North, and to my great surprise I found, when I tried it, absolutely perfect light. Fifteen minutes later the sun went behind a building, and there was none at all, but apparently on a sunny late autumn day at about 1.50pm is the right time. Here then is the S15, I do know what it is really, coming past the DE buildings.

A couple more of these later, as they were easy to take, and blissfully easy to shop.

[westerner]

Love the 9F photo.

[Mallard60022]

I know I'm biased but I think the S15 is one of Hornby's best products of recent years, along with the Adams Radiator. We are lucky to be getting such top class models most of the time these days.

Thanks Gilbert. I think it looks splendid on what is, of course, a really splendid layout.

Duck

[great northern]

I know I'm biased but I think the S15 is one of Hornby's best products of recent years, along with the Adams Radiator. We are lucky to be getting such top class models most of the time these days.

Thanks Gilbert. I think it looks splendid on what is, of course, a really splendid layout.

Duck

It does look very nice indeed Phil, so we'll have another shot to confirm the fact.

and then, at almost the same location, we'll look at something else I'm celebrating. While Phil was here on Wednesday, I was extolling the virtues of spurs, and how they allowed big savings on rolling stock. I then turned to the next train in the sequence, and decided I couldn't reproduce it. So, I gave up, and we ran visitors instead. Yesterday though, the sequence again showed the next train to be the 9.47am (FO) from Newcastle, so I had a go at putting it together, and it worked. So, here is 60048 bringing it in, all 12 coaqhes of it.

I rather went to town on photographing this, so you'll see quite a lot of it over the next day or two, as I'm well pleased with it. I'm also pleased, and rather impressed that the A3 coped with 12 on, including some seriously heavy stock, with no trouble at all. Given that the train is in tension on a 180 degree curve as it comes round from the fiddle yard, I reckon it did very well.

Edited November 11, 2017 by great northern

[CUTLER2579]

Gilbert,

Going back to "Sparky" and his charge.It was probably on a par with a mechanics charge for lifting the bonnet of a car, AVet for saying I can't find anything wrong ,only for the animal to die 12 hours later. A dentists charge for a filling and a solicitors charge for saying good afternoon.As for a Barrister in 1993 it cost me £1500  just for 20 minutes after a dodgy eye operation to be told the Health Authority would keep calling different expert witnesses until they Bled Me Dry.Rich I thought Best of it was my wife worked for the firm of solicitors who recommended him.

Regards Mr Trotter

 

PS:- It's not what he did Sir ,it's knowing what to do.

 

PPS :- My take on that is :- It's being able to keep a straight face as they tell you how much it has cost.

[great northern]

I am definitely going to get on with things today, so without further delay, this morning's offerings.  Doncaster again first.

Then I wanted to convey the sheer length and impressive appearance of this 12 coach rake, and tried to do it by taking this long shot from Spital Bridge. It didn't really achieve what I was after though.

And then the last shot of my Southern visitors.

This one came out very nicely.

[Mallard60022]

I am definitely going to get on with things today, so without further delay, this morning's offerings.  Doncaster again first.

48 2.JPG

Then I wanted to convey the sheer length and impressive appearance of this 12 coach rake, and tried to do it by taking this long shot from Spital Bridge. It didn't really achieve what I was after though.

9.47 from bridge.JPG

And then the last shot of my Southern visitors.

S15 5.JPG

This one came out very nicely.

Can you arrange for the spotters to faint when something like this appears?

As for 'Tradesmen/women', I'd be searching the Trusted Trades thing from Notts CC where there are some who will actually be less likely to overcharge you if you are 'retired'.

Worth a look?

Apprentice Blind Phitter (no, not sight impaired, just working with window fittings).  

[great northern]

Can you arrange for the spotters to faint when something like this appears?

As for 'Tradesmen/women', I'd be searching the Trusted Trades thing from Notts CC where there are some who will actually be less likely to overcharge you if you are 'retired'.

Worth a look?

Apprentice Blind Phitter (no, not sight impaired, just working with window fittings).

I have a very good electrician who has done things for me for years, but he doesn't work evenings and weekends, so when it blew at 5.00pm Friday I had to look elsewhere, and pay the premium rate they charged. In fairness, there are a plumber and assistant working unsocial hours, and someone answering calls and arranging things out of normal hours too, but in the end, they know you can't leave it all weekend, and can adjust their charges accordingly.

 

The spotters are capable of falling over, but only when I don't want them to do it, and when my back is turned. Let's see how they behave when you bring the next batch of visitors.

[great northern]

Another attempt at showing some of the stock of the 9.47 is next on the list.

I have done images of the whole train, but they can wait until tomorrow. Some like their fix of locos though, so here is what followed on the Up. The J6 is travelling tender first, and is on its way to do the afternoon stint on the Ramsey branch.

[great northern]

Keeping things in orderly fashion, we start with the formation of the 9.47 Newcastle.

BSK(4)  SK*

SK* FK*

FO RF

BSK(4) CK

SK(7) SK(7)

SK(7) BSK(4)

 

 A lovely mix of Gresley Thompson and MK1 stock, and well worth the time it took to put it together.

 

The 9.47 was followed only a few minutes later by the main train, the 9.55am Up.  60023 rostered for this today.

[great northern]

I'm going to start a philosophical and academic debate now, so would those not interested in such things please look away now. This has been triggered by that featured 9.47 Newcastle above, and it got me thinking again about the long running debate about "box openers", and "cheque book modellers".  I have to choose my words carefully now, as I'm not intending to be disparaging about anyone's views, and I fully understand the arguments of those who feel that we should make things ourselves if we wish to be classed as true railway modellers.

 

 I've said before that even when I was younger, and did try to do my own kit building and painting, I was never that good at it. Working with my hands has never been a strong point, and now that advancing age and fading eyesight have to be factored in, it really does become something I'm going to struggle with, and which I really do not enjoy. I do get great enjoyment though from things like that 9.47 Newcastle, and it is precisely that sort of thing, which requires use of brain, rather that physical dexterity, which is most definitely my strong point. So, I concentrate on the running of the railway, rather than the building of it, and the stock that runs on it, which I leave to those far more talented than I could ever hope to be.

 

 To put together that one train required some research, and the working out of a system of cassettes and storage spurs, together with careful analysis of the amount and types of loose stock needed in order to be able to form this, and for that matter a lot of other prototypical formations. We are all interested in model railways. OK, often we have a specific area of interest, and yes, "hands on" work can be defined as true modelling, but shouldn't we in the end be looking at the whole package?  I just feel that although I'm not making things myself in the true sense, I am using what skills I personally have in order to make, so far as I can, a representative model of a railway location, and what you would have seen there 60 years ago if you had decided to stand on the plarform for a while.

 

I suppose that what I'm trying to say is that there is room for many interpretations of what our hobby involves, and the personal attention which each element requires, and that we should all be happy to concentrate on those areas in which we have the best chance of success with the skills that we happen to possess.

[The Stationmaster]

Absolutely agree Gilbert.  One thing which we can never change in this world is that we are all different and that we have inherited, acquired, or developed the abilities to do different things or we have found there are some things we are not so good at but that we can be good in other areas.  Modelling a railway, even more so than railway modelling, requires an even wider range of skills, abilities, and interests because - as with Peterborough North - if you are going to have a model of a particular place at a particular time you need to research what was there and what was passing through in order to model that piece of the railway.  

 

So research, and understanding of the real railway world can be just as important as having (by whatever means ) the right locos in the right colours and so on ad infinitum when you consider the complete range of what is or can be involved in modelling.  And unless you are some sort of superhuman magician I doubt you can be good at/have the necessary skills for everything.  

[Joseph_Pestell]

I'm going to start a philosophical and academic debate now, so would those not interested in such things please look away now. This has been triggered by that featured 9.47 Newcastle above, and it got me thinking again about the long running debate about "box openers", and "cheque book modellers".  I have to choose my words carefully now, as I'm not intending to be disparaging about anyone's views, and I fully understand the arguments of those who feel that we should make things ourselves if we wish to be classed as true railway modellers.

 

 I've said before that even when I was younger, and did try to do my own kit building and painting, I was never that good at it. Working with my hands has never been a strong point, and now that advancing age and fading eyesight have to be factored in, it really does become something I'm going to struggle with, and which I really do not enjoy. I do get great enjoyment though from things like that 9.47 Newcastle, and it is precisely that sort of thing, which requires use of brain, rather that physical dexterity, which is most definitely my strong point. So, I concentrate on the running of the railway, rather than the building of it, and the stock that runs on it, which I leave to those far more talented than I could ever hope to be.

 

 To put together that one train required some research, and the working out of a system of cassettes and storage spurs, together with careful analysis of the amount and types of loose stock needed in order to be able to form this, and for that matter a lot of other prototypical formations. We are all interested in model railways. OK, often we have a specific area of interest, and yes, "hands on" work can be defined as true modelling, but shouldn't we in the end be looking at the whole package?  I just feel that although I'm not making things myself in the true sense, I am using what skills I personally have in order to make, so far as I can, a representative model of a railway location, and what you would have seen there 60 years ago if you had decided to stand on the plarform for a while.

 

I suppose that what I'm trying to say is that there is room for many interpretations of what our hobby involves, and the personal attention which each element requires, and that we should all be happy to concentrate on those areas in which we have the best chance of success with the skills that we happen to possess.

It's a hobby. So we are absolutely right to do the bits that we enjoy and not do the bits that we don't enjoy (or can't do for whatever reason).

 

Putting further perspective on it, SWMBO's boss phoned on Saturday morning with the sad news that one of their senior leadership team had died unexpectedly at 4am of a heart attack. Only in his early 50s with school-age children. Life can be short. We should all enjoy it as much as possible.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Joseph_Pestell

[trw1089]

I completely and wholeheartedly agree with you Gilbert. I hate the terms box opener and chequebook modeller, I just think that these are used by people who can’t understand that there are many facets to our hobby. If there is one thing that I’ve learned from reading your thread and our occasional conversations is that representing the railway as it was is more than just engines, coaches, structures and the like. It is about the way it worked, it’s reason for being. What I so enjoy about PN is that you have “directed” this all to be a complete picture, not just the actors, the script or the backdrops. To me, that is as much real modelling as building a kit or scratchbuilding a loco, maybe even more so as there are so many aspects to “getting it right”.

 

Like Longdrem and Pinkhill, or Carrog or Granby or the many other great layouts on here, it’s that sort of modelling that inspires me to do something new, try some more research, or have a go at getting the correct formation on the 7.30 am off Leeds Central.

 

Long may you continue to enjoy the putting together of the 9.47!

 

Cheers

Tony

[Anotheran]

Modelling, even if we exclude young men and women parading down catwalks and on TV adverts, can mean a lot of different things. When I was at university I built a model of the workings of a star. I didn't split, or combine any nuclei in the process, and I didn't even have anything that I could hold. It was all inside a computer.

 

You model a railway. Your modelling work is detailed reconstruction of the running of a small section of railway over a small slice of time.You model what was done by those operating the prototype. They didn't build the locomotives or the rolling stock, they didn't lay the permanent way, or assemble the telegraph poles. They managed the workings of that. You model a process that results in something that looks like the real thing in a photograph, but also feels like the real thing in the descriptions and depth of detail in your model. Over a period of time that process goes through your movements in the same way that the real thing did. And I'm sure that every now and then you realise that something you wanted to fill a gap isn't available and you have to substitute. Just like the real thing. Of course, the atmosphere is made all the more tangible by the skills of those who have built the stock and the buildings, but your model would be just as accurate were it done with cardboard boxes and string. It would still be of immense interest, though maybe to a slightly different audience and not as photogenic!

 

My star inside a computer wasn't photogenic. It was just list of numbers on the screen or a printout. But it was still a model that I built. A representation of something that is real. (So I guess you could include the young men and women on the catwalk after all)

 

I really enjoy your thread. Not just for the pictures of some very good physical representations of buildings and rolling stock, but for the excellent representation of the way that it all came together in a running railway and that is predominantly down to your modelling.

 

Kind regards, Neil

[New Haven Neil]

Like it or not, we're all different, with different skills and different likes and dislikes.  So we pursue our hobby and take our pleasures in different ways, be it soldering whitemetal locos built like  battleships, glueing wagons together or project managing large railway projects.

 

As long as we enjoy it, we're winning.

 

I don't do much small scale modelling at the moment, due to 'modelling' in two foot gauge and a lot of home commitments of late, but I'll get back to it.

 

NHN being a Guard, second from left.

 

[great northern]

 Well, that post has generated a lot of agreement, which is very nice indeed, and allows me to continue on my present path without reservations, though it has to be said that I would have done that anyway, as this is by far the most enjoyable and fulfilling layout I have ever had. The photographic side has been an unexpected bonus too, so I'm very fortunate really.

 

Another view of Golden Eagle tonight, though somewhat obscured by redundant columns.

the main train will stop here, though the relief passed straight through. All the action is on the Up side at present, so after the Newcastle has left, we can note a Colwick- KX Goods Class F.

61202 was a Lincoln engine, and one that I saw many times during my early spotting days, so it had to feature on the roster. Unfortunately it now hops rather than runs, and the chassis's days are numbered, so it will soon be retired from service.

 

[Oldddudders]

If we watch a film, the chances are we know the stars and may or may not applaud individual performances. But whatever we see on screen has been masterminded by a director. Without his vision, which will include soundings of many others and consideration of their advice, the film would not be there for us. Quite simply, as we watch PN, Gilbert is our director, as well as photographer. My case rests.

[Mallard60022]

Na lyubuyu russkuyu sekretnuyu sluzhbu chitayut eto ... otryvayutsya. Right that's them sorted.

Now then, PN and the thinking that has gone into its' operation has been inspirational to me. Many ideas I have been fortunate enough to have been able to share with G have really helped me in considering how to develop my layout. OK, other layouts are also there to admire and other people have been very generous with their time and expertise, but that is just part of the rich treasure that RMW can give. 

Long may this continue and all I need now is a little support in resisting replacing quite a lot of track with the new Pecoboo products. Ideas for small shunting layouts could be useful.....    

Phil

[great northern]

If we watch a film, the chances are we know the stars and may or may not applaud individual performances. But whatever we see on screen has been masterminded by a director. Without his vision, which will include soundings of many others and consideration of their advice, the film would not be there for us. Quite simply, as we watch PN, Gilbert is our director, as well as photographer. My case rests.

That's it, Ian. Delusions of grandeur have well and truly set in. I can see the credits rolling now.  Directed by ...Gilbert.... produced by... Gilbert.... in glorious sand colour....... Nigella Lawson's costume fitted by..... , at which point reality reasserted itself.

[chris p bacon]

 I can see the credits rolling now.  Directed by ...Gilbert.... produced by... Gilbert.... in glorious sand colour....... Nigella Lawson's costume fitted by..... , at which point reality reasserted itself.

 

Do we have to look for a Hitchcock like cameo appearance ?

[great northern]

Like it or not, we're all different, with different skills and different likes and dislikes.  So we pursue our hobby and take our pleasures in different ways, be it soldering whitemetal locos built like  battleships, glueing wagons together or project managing large railway projects.

 

As long as we enjoy it, we're winning.

 

I don't do much small scale modelling at the moment, due to 'modelling' in two foot gauge and a lot of home commitments of late, but I'll get back to it.

 

NHN being a Guard, second from left.

 

13227029_10153416717257260_2157814264244270278_n.jpg

Jolly smart and dignified,too. A cut above the rest.