Peterborough North

[great northern]

Oh well, GN should just get one of his own and remove its coupling (neuter it?) and use this one whenever the end of the rake is visible in close up. SORTED!

Yep, that's the answer.

[great northern]

Let's have a less shadowy and vague look at Green Arrow.

After all, the cleaners have put a lot of time in the get that finish.

 

Then we have another view from Spital Bridge. taken to show the majority of Green Arrow's load snaking through the dog's leg curve.

Quite impressive, but also very cramped and uncomfortable, so shots like this will be heavily rationed.

[chaz]

Let's have a less shadowy and vague look at Green Arrow.

2 800 2.JPG

After all, the cleaners have put a lot of time in the get that finish.

 

Then we have another view from Spital Bridge. taken to show the majority of Green Arrow's load snaking through the dog's leg curve.

4 from bridge.JPG

Quite impressive, but also very cramped and uncomfortable, so shots like this will be heavily rationed.

 

 

Cramped and uncomfortable? I'm not seeing that. Impressive? Certainly! Those enthusiastic shouts of "More!" are coming from me....

 

Chaz

[SR Chris]

That last one's a lovely shot.  Just to show I'm paying attention the WD requires a visit from the re-railing crew as it's in the dirt! 

[thegreenhowards]

Let's have a less shadowy and vague look at Green Arrow.

Interesting stock behind Green Arrow Gilbert. That looks like a ‘foreign’ brake at the front. Do tell us more.

[great northern]

Cramped and uncomfortable? I'm not seeing that. Impressive? Certainly! Those enthusiastic shouts of "More!" are coming from me....

 

Chaz

Cramped and uncomfortable for me to get in position to take that photo is what I meant, Chaz. I'm very fortunate to be almost free of arthritis, but the one place I do have some is in my neck. To get any kind of shot from the bridge requires ability to turn my head freely, and I can't do that.

[great northern]

Interesting stock behind Green Arrow Gilbert. That looks like a ‘foreign’ brake at the front. Do tell us more.

Detailed photos to come Andy, but no time this morning to upload all of them.

[great northern]

That last one's a lovely shot.  Just to show I'm paying attention the WD requires a visit from the re-railing crew as it's in the dirt! 

It may look like it, but it wasn't, as can be seen here.

Not a very good picture, but I can assure you the road was set, and the loco left for the fiddle yard without problems.

 

With thirteen on, Green Arrow had to go well forward to allow all passengers to get on and off the train. Fortunately, she did not need to take water.

There was too much light flooding in to allow this to be really convincing either in colour or black and white.

[chaz]

Cramped and uncomfortable for me to get in position to take that photo is what I meant, Chaz. I'm very fortunate to be almost free of arthritis, but the one place I do have some is in my neck. To get any kind of shot from the bridge requires ability to turn my head freely, and I can't do that.

 

 

I have taken several photos of my FVRR layout with the camera in positions where I couldn't see the rear screen. Swapping my compact to my DSLR was no better as I couldn't get an eye to the viewfinder. I resorted to shooting blind with several, sometimes lots, of exposures. I usually managed at least one "keeper". I found the trickiest aspect of shooting blind was getting the horizon level, but some generous cropping was often a solution.

 

 

The above photo was shot blind with the camera on delayed exposure to eliminate camera shake. This one wasn't hand held, so it was easier but the same approach could be used with the camera in hand, at arm's length.

 

Chaz

[great northern]

As promised, here are the 13 coaches behind Green Arrow. Nothing new, different or foreign, but not a MK1 to be seen either.

 

plus a look at that Cravens DMU resting quietly in number 5 bay. It will soon be called into action though.

[chaz]

Not sure I'd want to travel from PN to The Cross in a Cravens, definitely not in the Motor Brake Second, whose seats used to blur with the vibration until the gear change when everything would go quiet and serene - but only for a moment. Those in the know got a seat in the trailer car - the E564xx one.

[thegreenhowards]

Gilbert,

 

Thanks for posting the pictures of the lovely stock behind Green Arrow. That leading Thompson brake had me confused as it somehow looks different from the others.

 

Regards

 

Andy

[great northern]

Not sure I'd want to travel from PN to The Cross in a Cravens, definitely not in the Motor Brake Second, whose seats used to blur with the vibration until the gear change when everything would go quiet and serene - but only for a moment. Those in the know got a seat in the trailer car - the E564xx one.

Driver says the thing what changes  the destination has broken, and that he knows he's going to Grimsby, and so do his passengers, who have been using this train for years. And there wasn't any ****** destination ****** on his B1.

[great northern]

We now have the pleasure of Claud to look at if nothing much else is going on.

62530 will be making the short journey down to East, but not for an hour or so, so she is simmering quietly here.

 

Meanwhile the Cravens is moving from number 5 bay to number 4 to take the 2.34pm to Grimsby. The driver says the destination blind is still not working.

[chrisf]

Not sure I'd want to travel from PN to The Cross in a Cravens, definitely not in the Motor Brake Second, whose seats used to blur with the vibration until the gear change when everything would go quiet and serene - but only for a moment. Those in the know got a seat in the trailer car - the E564xx one.

 

Something over 40 years ago I was returning to Huntingdon having attended the 3mm Society AGM in Birmingham.  The last stopper from Peterborough to the south was a Cravens and the driving trailer was leading.  I do not think I have ever had a livelier ride!

 

Chris

[Corbs]

Gilbert, nothing wrong with Miles, it's my middle name also. Unfortunately I'm not as talented as the other Miles Davis, but come to think of it I spell Davis, Davies (the proper Welsh way).

Mine too, funnily enough. Thankfully I already had a strange first name so no one noticed the middle one.

[great northern]

Here's why you don't get many pictures from Spital Bridge.

 

It is necessary to sqeeze myself along here. Width from wall to baseboard is 11 inches. I'm not very wide, but it is still a case of turn sideways and pull in stomach. That would not be too bad, but there is also this to contend with.

Height from floor to underside of bookcase is 45 inches. I am two feet taller than that, so I have to do my best hunchback of Notre Dame impression while still pulling in the stomach.

 

On arrival at the far end, get camera positioned on the bridge, and contort even more to try to get a look at what it is pointing at, and to adjust exposure as necessary. This can vary from half a second to five seconds or more, depending on constantly varying light conditions. It is not something to be contemplated on a regular basis.

 

 

[TrevorP1]

Here's why you don't get many pictures from Spital Bridge.

 

 

 

I know a good chiropractor Gilbert...

[Brian Hawkins]

Here's why you don't get many pictures from Spital Bridge.

sqeeze 1.JPG

 

It is necessary to sqeeze myself along here. Width from wall to baseboard is 11 inches. I'm not very wide, but it is still a case of turn sideways and pull in stomach. That would not be too bad, but there is also this to contend with.

overhead.JPG

Height from floor to underside of bookcase is 45 inches. I am two feet taller than that, so I have to do my best hunchback of Notre Dame impression while still pulling in the stomach.

 

On arrival at the far end, get camera positioned on the bridge, and contort even more to try to get a look at what it is pointing at, and to adjust exposure as necessary. This can vary from half a second to five seconds or more, depending on constantly varying light conditions. It is not something to be contemplated on a regular basis.

 

Hi Gilbert, I might be able to help you here, i'm 25 stone and 6ft 8in tall...…………..perhaps not then, but, at least I will be able to view your wonderful layout 

[Oldddudders]

Could you wangle a tripod into that space, Gilbert? That would at least obviate the camera-shake. Trial and error photography is tedious, but a few shots would get you close to the quality we are used to, perhaps?

[bigwordsmith]

Could you wangle a tripod into that space, Gilbert? That would at least obviate the camera-shake. Trial and error photography is tedious, but a few shots would get you close to the quality we are used to, perhaps?

 

 

 

Picking up on Ian's post, back in the day when I used to dabble in 35mm I had one of these - amazingly good at getting the sort of shots that a drone would get in real life,...

 

http://www.patersonphotographic.com/product/trekker-tripod-kit/

[great northern]

Picking up on Ian's post, back in the day when I used to dabble in 35mm I had one of these - amazingly good at getting the sort of shots that a drone would get in real life,...

 

http://www.patersonphotographic.com/product/trekker-tripod-kit/

That looks very nice Peter, and much better than my cheapo thing. I'll consider it as a replacement for general shots, but I'm afraid it won't help with the Spital Bridge problem, as there is very little room between bridge and backscene. I actually sit the camera on the bridge, which isn't very wide, so if I want to get any height at all, that is the only way I can do it. I have tried my tripod, but no joy.

[bigwordsmith]

The great thing about it is that it is designed for studio work so you can effectively hang your camera upside down three feet away from the centre of the tripod and have a totally steady base

 

I sold mine own flabby and only got about £20 for it although it was mint - this one might suit you even better as it hs the full gimbal head on it and is up for £10!  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Benbo-Trekker-Tripod-/273440424211

[great northern]

The great thing about it is that it is designed for studio work so you can effectively hang your camera upside down three feet away from the centre of the tripod and have a totally steady base

 

I sold mine own flabby and only got about £20 for it although it was mint - this one might suit you even better as it hs the full gimbal head on it and is up for £10!  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Benbo-Trekker-Tripod-/273440424211

Thanks Peter. I've put a bid in for that, but the price is already heading upwards, as one might expect.

[JeffP]

On my Panasonic Lumix, I can connect it via Bluetooth to my phone, which allows me to focus, alter settings and shoot all off my touchscreen phone. Can yours not do that?