Early Risers.

[Killybegs]

Overcast and threatening but warm this morning. Yesterday was very wet and warm. Tuesday was hot and sunny. So, one day working in the garden and one day working in the train room. Yes, I do consider, track cleaning (and de-rusting), locating and re-soldering dry joints, replacing a transformer and fettling a single slip as work! The layout, for several reasons, has not been operated in its entirety for a good many years but I have a young enthusiastic visitor coming to see it at the weekend, so I thought I had better give it a run beforehand. This is the twelve year old son of a friend of a friend who has been following progress on my website recently and wants to talk to me about wheels, motors and suchlike. Very encouraging, particularly in this part of the world. Anyway, everything is now working but I am still not happy with the PICtrollers that I bought to replace my deceased Pentrollers.

 

I think I have domestic duties lined up for today, so that should be exciting, not! I should also be getting a few things ready for our trip to the UK next week but I may hold fire on that as someone who shall remain nameless has forgotten to book the dogs into kennels and the usual ones may not be able to take them. Hmm.

 

May it rain on your parched garden, otherwise, have a nice sunny day.

[jamie92208]

Morning all from a village that is rapidly getting greyer after an initial burst of sunshine.   Just been down to Leeds to get my car assessed for repair.  Just how many firms can be involved in this food chain.  I thought that the repair had been authorised but oh no, two more companies now appear to have to have their say.   I will await developments.   Apart from that I will be off to the chapel shortly to play trains again.  

 

 

Jamie

[AndyB]

Morning all,

 

Overcast and today's guest has had to cancel. So, thinking up a fun activity to amuse the littleuns'.

 

Without wishing to drone on about it, CAP 722 is a handy reference doc if you're planning on operating a UAV. Or simply handy if you suffer from insomnia!  

 

Baseboards are at the stage where I can lay some lining paper onto them and mapping out the new layout. 'fraid I don't get on with all these track planning software packages. Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner at my computer most of the day. More likely that I think about the visual scene I'm setting long before a detailed track plan. 

 

For those that can't make Woking, might be worth taking a look at the Farnham exhibition.

[PhilJ W]

Use a Drone to catch a drone..................

 

Best, Pete.

I doubt a drone would survive a direct hit from a water bomber, for that matter neither would the operator if he 'accidentally got in the way', being hit by a couple of tons of fast moving water is not very healthy. Shooting them with a rifle is risky especially if the lithium batteries are punctured and the lithium is exposed to air.

[Simon G]

Trip to Kendal was duly completed yesterday to refit crown to implant. it did just require re cementing in. To be fair to the dentist, he didn't charge me for it, but it was a long trip just for that, and it rained nearly all the way there and back.

 

Dull and grey here this morning, with a col wind. Will hopefully manage some outside jobs today.

[DDolfelin]

Mellow fruitfulness already apparent in the hedge lined lanes here.

I don't feel as if I've started Summer yet.

I suppose the raucous din of multitudes of ankle biters if I go near a shop is an indication but one I can manage without.

 

Not wishing to be offensive but there seems to be an ever growing (literally) number of exceedingly overweight (20 stones plus) ladies wobbling about Supermarkets accompanied by several children each and another on the way.

Their choice but doesn't bode well for family health in the future.

 

 

[roundhouse]

Having been forced to make a quick trip to the local Tesco yesterday for essential items (donuts and chocolate), I encountered a similar scenario as I rounded the corner into the biscuit aisle. Two rather large young(ish) ladies surrounded by no less than eight rotund children...

I was reminded of a bowling alley... I'm convinced I could have got a "strike" if only I'd picked up a melon from the fruit aisle...

 

Morning all.

Youngest who was whisked away to London yesterday afternoon is off to the Olympic Park in Stratford today. I'm not sure what's there... the Olympics are over, right?

 

Damp. Less dampness later.

The Olympic park has been a building site for way longer than it has been used for anything else (after Stratford depot closed).

 

Its an overcast and damp London that she will be arriving in unless the weather changes later on.

 

Quite happy with this coolness though.

[sixoh8sixoh]

Morning all from sunny but also partly cloudy Scottish HQ.

 

Early start again this morning, but hoping to get away early as well.  Leaving lunch today for one of the team, and amazingly the whole team is together for the first time in several months today.

 

Edinburgh is extremely busy at the moment with the Festival and the Fringe going on - even walking into work this morning at 7.30 the streets were busy, shops are open earlier and stay open later too.  The only downside is that it takes longer to get anywhere! At least the new tram system is bedding in well (I'm sure Dom would be interested in our new trams!).

 

I've flown from Edinburgh to London City (and back) in an Embraer a few years ago. Good fun, and I enjoyed landing at LCY.  I'd love to see Boris's Estuary Island airport...

 

Have a good day all!

[trisonic]

Hate to be "picky" Pete, but the LYC-JFK is only EVER an A318, nothing else can get in/out of LCY and manage anything approaching a trans-atlantic distance. The loading is actually quite light to even get out of LCY and over to Shannon due to runway length etc., at City.

 

There are two a day each way, BA001 and BA003 westbound, BA002 and BA004 eastbound. The A318 has to refuel eastbound as it otherwise wouldn't have the legs to get there non-stop (they'd hate to have all those premier passenger dirty themselves by getting out in Gander or somewhere else remote!  ), so they cleverly figured on using the Shannon stop as they can have the "self-loading freight" clear US customs and immigration there while they refuel. The return is generally non-stop but has occasionally ALSO had to refuel in Shannon if the jet-stream/weather isn't up to snuff. All in all I'd rather be in a 744 than a small A318 fro 7+ hours even if there are only 32 passengers aboard.

 

They "stole" the flagship flight numbers for this the supposed "premier" service from the old Concorde routes. I would refuse to acknowledge them anyway as the true BA001-004 were the LHR-JFK-LHR Concorde flight numbers and were callsigned "Speedbird Concorde 1 (etc)". That truly WAS a premier service, as we've discussed before. Sadly missed <sigh>

You are rather “picky” today...........

 

Having spent nearly 4 hours in a car getting from Essex to Heathrow in bad weather I can totally understand the attraction.

 

Best, Pete.

[roundhouse]

You are rather “picky” today...........

 

Having spent nearly 4 hours in a car getting from Essex to Heathrow in bad weather I can totally understand the attraction.

 

Best, Pete.

Working in London Bridge, LCY is so much easier to get to but not at the business class fares unless we win the lottery.

 

We have managed to find a reasonably priced flight to Amtsterdam after work from LCY when we visit Eurospoor this year.

 

 

Living near LGW, its a pain that virtually all transatlantic flight go from LHR which is a 2 hour trip by public transport. its well under an hour (on a good day) by car but then you have the expense and hassle of the parking fees so for us, its got to be public transport.

[Robert]

Living near LGW, its a pain that virtually all transatlantic flight go from LHR which is a 2 hour trip by public transport. its well under an hour (on a good day) by car but then you have the expense and hassle of the parking fees so for us, its got to be public transport.

 

I agree completely!

 

Before I moved to Germany, I lived near to Chelmsford.  Stansted was extrememly convenient - Up the A130/ A120 and into Stansted from the "back way".

 

Getting to any airport from my parents on the South Coast is a nightmare.  Both Stansted (M11) and Heathrow (M25) have only one realistic way in - which means a hold up on the Motorway spells disaster and you need to set out hours in advance.

 

Gatwick is by far the best airport for accessibility, but there are no longer flights to Frankfurt.

 

City is the least of the evils.

[grandadbob]

The plumber has been and obviously thought the previous plumber was an idiot. Asked me lots of questions as to his identity but I didn't think to take a photo!  Apparently it didn't need the part that 1st plumber had ordered but something else. Luckily he had one with him. It is fitted and all seems to be working OK - so far.

Now awaiting a call from Abbie.

[Happy Hippo]

Helen was in Wales recently.

" Bring me a couple of bottles of beer back", I said.

She got Brains!

brains.jpg

Ooooh!  Brains Dark.

 

We can only get the Skull Attack (from Aldi of all places) in this neck of the woods.

 

Lucky man to get a Welsh couple of beers (that's a minimum of three!)

Edited August 20, 2015 by Happy Hippo

[grandadbob]

One very happy granddaughter has just phoned to say she has passed all her exams with 1 A, 6 Bs and 2Cs and that means she can now take her chosen subjects in 6th Form. 

[DDolfelin]

One very happy granddaughter has just phoned to say she has passed all her exams with 1 A, 6 Bs and 2Cs and that means she can now take her chosen subjects in 6th Form. 

 

Brilliant news!

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all - from the land of variable magnetic influence.

 

We have an interestingly misbehaving fridge door which seem to have lost (fortunately only now & then) the magnetic influence that normally lives in the door seal.  Yesterday it vanished for a couple of hours then it returned - albeit slightly poorly in its powers of attraction to steel.  We have reported this phenomenon to the manufacturers (Liebherr) and await a call from their 'service agents'.  No doubt we will be told the fridge should be realigned not so much in the interest of feng whatsit but more to secure a better sort of magnetism from the earth's magnetic field  (clever but the immediately adjacent door on the freezer half doesn't seem to be suffering the same fault (fingers now firmly crossed).

 

On a much brighter front the Head Gardener has just returned from pulling leeks from the veg patch; these will now be given to her other persona as Head Cook - and leek & potato soup will be produced for lunch.

 

Have a nice day one & all.

[Simon G]

Its an overcast and damp London that she will be arriving in unless the weather changes later on.

 

Quite happy with this coolness though.

 

I am fed up with coolness and would prefer warmness (and windless)!  Been outside and picked some loganberries, but it was definitely cool.  Too wet to dig anything much, so repairs to strawberry frame (made of wood & chicken wire) are next on my to-do list.

[Tony_S]

Mike , best of luck with the Liebherr refrigerator. We have one and they seem to be very poorly supported now compared to the first few years we owned one. I broke a salad drawer and they are no longer available. A Miele replacement (drawer not fridge) seems to fit nicely.

[roundhouse]

I am fed up with coolness and would prefer warmness (and windless)!  Been outside and picked some loganberries, but it was definitely cool.  Too wet to dig anything much, so repairs to strawberry frame (made of wood & chicken wire) are next on my to-do list.

Its been a bit wet and a lot windier up in Cumbria from what I recall so  can understand your wanting drier warmer weather.

 

Ian

[AndyB]

After many years of having the fridge / freezer door hinge on the "wrong" side I swapped the door over. It was one of those diy requests that was easier to ignore and climb in between the fridge door and the kitchen wall than fix. 

Not surprisingly it didn't fit terribly well once swapped and, ever since, I've been defrosting icebergs from the thing on a fortnightly basis. Would be cheaper to buy a new fridge than fund the electricity bill!

[sixoh8sixoh]

Just a thought and a request for advice... I mentioned last week about trying to sort out my locos list etc.  I'm currently using an excel spreadsheet I made myself to store loco information (the fact that I need a spreadsheet probably means I own far too many locos) but think there must be a better (not to mention nicer looking) way of doing things. Does anyone have any better way of maintaining a loco database?

 

I've heard mention of rosters and things like that (probably in relation to DCC operation) but wondered if anyone on ERs had any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance!

[roundhouse]

I tend to use spreadsheets for each layouts set of stock mainly for insurance prurposes and in the case of OO scale Bulleid pacifics so that I dont end up duplicating the numbers.

 

However I do use JMRI to program and add DCC locos to the roster.

 

This roster can then be exported but on a few occssions when a PC has gone wrong i then end up with a different roster file and list.

 

I am now putting the JMRI files into Dropbox so that all PC's sync to that and I can then have one up to date list. Not much good it you dont have DCC fitted locos although I suspect you could add them manually but that would be no different than a spreadsheet.

 

i havent tried printing out the JMRI roster list though.

[Stubby47]

A lot depends on what info you want to store - model manufacturer, class, livery, weathered (yes/no / light/heavy) number, DCC address, etc

 

A simple spreadsheet can be fine for that.

 

If you want to add photos (for insurance purposes, possibly) then these can be embedded, or stored elsewhere with a location recorded in the spreadsheet.

 

Many years ago I looked at a train database software program that had been copied (badly) from a household/antique asset management version. As it didn't give me all the options I wanted, I left it. I've never come across it, or anything else, since.

 

Once you have your spreadsheet, you can also extend to include your coaches & wagons, and even books.

 

HTH

 

Stu

[petethemole]

We picked up Martyn's result today; he took GCSE maths in Year 10. He got A*, so we're very pleased. Mrs mole hugged the headmaster.

 

Apparently she and her chap are back on.

 

I keep my stock data on a database. I started it in Access as I was used to it at work. I never got on with spreadsheets. I converted it to Open Office on the new PC as I wasn't going to pay a subscription for Office 365, just for the database and word processing. Unfortunately OO struggles to open it and crashes several times before condescending to work properly. It shouldn't be the size as it only has about 20 fields per entry and just over 600 entries (I have a lot of wagons). I may try Libre Office if I get much more fed up with it.

 

It's raining on and off; hopefully it will clear up.

 

Have a good day, and congratulations to all offspring receiving results today.

 

Pete

[railsquid]

The inventory question came up on another railway-related forum recently - majority of replies (including mine) were "spreadsheet". petethemole, LibreOffice is a definite improvement over OO, though not sure about the database part.

 

One of those days today... starting with a newish customer demanding way more than their contract covers, which ended up as an email thread spanning multiple layers of management/time zones, seguing into a BabySquid stomach upset (now cured) and ending with an elbow/salad/carpet incident when I reached for a tissue for wiping away some baby drool threatening my immediate vicinity). On the plus side, tomorrow is Friday and I'm sneaking a day off to go to the major annual model railway exhibition here in Japan a business seminar, don't tell the Mrs. (Note to self: lubricate wallet beforehand).