Early Risers.

[trisonic]

This is what a heavy snowfall really looks like (Binghampton, NY):

 

 

 

Best, Pete.

[AndyB]

 I'd love to see Pempoul, which I think is perhaps the best scenic layout ever at this stage. It beats Pendon into a cocked hat. Ooh, controversial, Neil!

 

I believe I gave you the correct opinion on this only last week.....

[Northroader]

What I don't get is our bedroom clock radio decides it has to go forward an hour 48hours before it should, so it's been BST in the bedroom since Thursday morning.

[AndyB]

What I don't get is our bedroom clock radio decides it has to go forward an hour 48hours before it should, so it's been BST in the bedroom since Thursday morning.

 

That's leap years for you! 

[BoD]

......water based gloss paint? .............  I will wait until it is dry before commenting but I don't have much confidence.

Mrs BoD has not yet noticed that the glossing has been done.

I was right to lack confidence in it.

[tetsudofan]

Oh dear, something seems of have got lost in the garden today, nature seems to be taking over:

 

 

Keith

[The Stationmaster]

G'day all,

 

Seemingly a day of relaxation - especially for herself who is having a considerable extra kip after her gardening exertions yesterday and has no meal to prepare this evening as we'll be off to a pub which serves excellent food.  After sometime drying out from yesterday's alcohol consumption laddo breakfasted out and has departed late for the GCR - I hate to think what yesterday's 'treat' at Sonning cost his employer but at least George didn't appear offering coffee.

 

I understand the management adjust some household clocks before returning to bed - I don't need to adjust my watch but instead need to get used to the fact that it is now only 6 minutes fast instead of 66 minutes fast while I also need to take note that the car clock is no longer an hour ahead of most other clocks and time signals.  Far more fun to not bother with changing the two; and very amusing when during the winter some years ago a woman asked me the time (outside WHS for some reason) and before I could reply she'd grabbed my wrist, looked at my watch, muttered some sort of distress call plus expletive, and started running to a 'bus stop - didn't even give me time to tell her that my watch was set on Summer Time.

 

Have a good day folks.

[Judge Dread]

What time is it?

It's back at school time again, the only one with a watch and he cannot tell the time!

[Happy Hippo]

I still miss exhibitions, it kills me reading about them!  I really fancy York at Easter, but it isn't going to happen.  I'd love to see Pempoul, which I think is perhaps the best scenic layout ever at this stage. It beats Pendon into a cocked hat. Ooh, controversial, Neil!

I think it is unfair to make such a direct comparison as Pendon is a Museum of country life whereas Pempoul is a dedicated model railway.

 

Needless to say, both are magnificent examples of the modellers art, but I have always categorized models, so Pendon is the museum style take on English country life.  Possibly what one might call, chocolate box modelling, which I would suggest  also mirrored the modelling style at the time ,that Pendon first started. Much before we thought about gritty realism before the grot. grime and weathering school took over.

 

Pempoul happened upon the scene nearly half a century later, and I feel is firmly in the Francois Verlinden school of modelling. 

 

It would be interesting to see how long it would take Gordon and Maggie Gravett to produce all the various scenes at Pendon, in the modern style complete with weathering  and and more realism. Didn't Pempoul take them about a decade?

[lightengine]

Morning.  Lack of mothers here nowadays.

 

Made a b*llsup last night, trying to cut down on painkillers and having guests to dinner (well, Trackshack John and his Mrs!) I took my bedtime pills early at dinner, having cut out the mid-day lot.  Debs had a bad night coughing and slept in the spare room after 3 to let me get some sleep.  I awoke at (new) 9am, with my foot going bananas.  Tonight I will take my bedtime pills at bedtime.....ahem.  A reminder though, that things are far from fixed in there as yet. There's a lesson in there.

 

I still miss exhibitions, it kills me reading about them!  I really fancy York at Easter, but it isn't going to happen.  I'd love to see Pempoul, which I think is perhaps the best scenic layout ever at this stage. It beats Pendon into a cocked hat. Ooh, controversial, Neil!

Have a look at Little Muddle, Neil

[Tony_S]

I have never seen Pendon. I rather like Pempoul. It is so interesting I didn't even look for the trains.

[TheQ]

Afternoon awl,
The evening dinner with the sailing club went well, our table had an old sailing compatriot of mine and his wife so we had a lot of catching up to do.

I had about six hour sleep in two pieces, but lazed around for another couple of hours before setting out into the garden. With today's easterly wind we could have a bonfire as the wind is away from our neighbours thatched roof.
Garden report
One pear tree is now in flower, the others won't be far behind.
The Daffs are going mad everywhere.
We have a larger than usual outbreak of primroses
The wild garlic is growing well
SWMBO reports we have a Christmas rose growing well
The day lily's are now about 18 inches tall another for or so before they flower.

After setting the blaze, i worked on the shed fitting a ceiling in one section till i ran out of prepainted planks. I need to set up some trestles to paint another bunch.
Then more of the second ring main was installed.

Then it was back to the house and make the mummies day phone call. After the pleasantries, we made arrangements for our visit up there for a wedding followed by my parents visits back here for their annual holiday with us. Then one of my sister's visited up there,so I chatted to her as well for a while.

Time to relax...

Edited March 27, 2017 by TheQ

[Barry O]

Back from our weekend withuni friends.

 

A good breakfast was followed by a walk in Gisburn Forest...didn't meet anyone called Guy though.

 

I wish people would learn how wide their cars are....a right bunch of eediot drivers out today!

 

My wallet may need a long time to recover (my liver also needs some recovery time) but off to Skipton next weekend for a family meet up.

 

Plans now afoot for my birthday/retirement in July. Better start earning more crusts!

 

Have a great time wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

 

Baz

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Well, I hoped for normal service, but with 30747 at work every day, and the taxi runs, shopping, and the computer being needed for "serious" matters, there just haven't been enough hours in the day to allow me to be here as well, it's been a sort of dipping in here and there sort of time.  Not helped by a few jobs around the house, and with the good weather this last few days, the G word was uttered in earnest.  So when I was checking Lily's hidey hole behind the buddlea, I found that one of the fence posts had pulled, and taken the top stone of the wall with it, so out with the bricklaying tools, and the cement to put things right before the next strong wind.  The today, a bit more weeding. Hence the absences  So as usual, generic greetings, and if there is anything that I should know, please do PM me.

 

As with Tony, the furry alarm didn't change with the rest of the clocks - most of ours change manually, so I did them this morning.  The one in the car never got changed for the winter, so is now right.  I only ever manage to get it changed when the car is at a main Peugeot dealer, as the model which I have has a different system from any other, and it is not covered in the manual - a mechanic whizzed through it once for me, but I promptly forgot, and since all the other menus are also controlled by the same routines, and I don't want to change any other settings, I just left well alone.

 

Back tomorrow, but there'll be no hoovering here, as I washed the filter and it's still wet - 30747 has come up with the bright idea that we should buy a spare so that the hoover is not out of action - shame that I can't find the right one on eBay - though I fear that the maker's website will have to be a port of call soon...

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[45156]

Skipton next weekend

Pies, pies, pies - excellent, washed down with a pint or two of Copper Dragon.

[Donw]

G'day all,

 

Seemingly a day of relaxation - especially for herself who is having a considerable extra kip after her gardening exertions yesterday and has no meal to prepare this evening as we'll be off to a pub which serves excellent food.  After sometime drying out from yesterday's alcohol consumption laddo breakfasted out and has departed late for the GCR - I hate to think what yesterday's 'treat' at Sonning cost his employer but at least George didn't appear offering coffee.

 

I understand the management adjust some household clocks before returning to bed - I don't need to adjust my watch but instead need to get used to the fact that it is now only 6 minutes fast instead of 66 minutes fast while I also need to take note that the car clock is no longer an hour ahead of most other clocks and time signals.  Far more fun to not bother with changing the two; and very amusing when during the winter some years ago a woman asked me the time (outside WHS for some reason) and before I could reply she'd grabbed my wrist, looked at my watch, muttered some sort of distress call plus expletive, and started running to a 'bus stop - didn't even give me time to tell her that my watch was set on Summer Time.

 

Have a good day folks.

 

I have never altered the clock on the car since I bought it. The first time the clocks changed I kept meaning to check how to do it in the manual but the clocks changed back before I did so I just left it. It started out as GMT but at one point some mechanic changed it to Summer time at a service. It is currently about 10 minutes fast. Yesterday it was a course 70minutes fast. If we have an appointment we leave by the time on the clock indoors so it matters little. I try not to keep looking at the clock if driving as it can make you speed up. FiL had an obsession with clocks and watches the car clock being that wrong really bothered him, much more so when it was slow than fast.

Northroader clock has obviously been set 48hrs ahead.

Don

[Tony_S]

I managed to alter the clock in my car without looking at the manual so it must be a well designed user interface. I did get to alter the clocks at MiL's that neither she nor Aditi could reach. MiL also has a large format LCD clock. That took a while to sort out.

Tony

Edited March 26, 2017 by Tony_S

[AndyB]

Just spent an hour and a half taking a large layout apart in the garage. 

Some of the screws used to secure the baseboard joists were as large as the screws holding parts of the garage roof up. 

This may have been overkill. 

Or proof of a quality job. 

 

I've temporarily confiscated the garage door key just in case other family members* venture in their and have a dicky-fit at the (temporary) mess. 

 

*swmbo

 

I'm looking to source something like these leveling feet and bracket.  I'm trying to compensate for the sloping floor.  

Anyone used similar and got a recommendation?

[Tony_S]

Just spent an hour and a half taking a large layout apart in the garage.

Some of the screws used to secure the baseboard joists were as large as the screws holding parts of the garage roof up.

This may have been overkill.

Or proof of a quality job.

 

I've temporarily confiscated the garage door key just in case other family members* venture in their and have a dicky-fit at the (temporary) mess.

 

*swmbo

 

I'm looking to source something like these leveling feet and bracket. I'm trying to compensate for the sloping floor.

Anyone used similar and got a recommendation?

I used hammer in t-nuts and threaded rod with feet. I think with hindsight the feet you illustrate would have been better. Moving the layout a bit either tore out t nuts or split the trestle legs, that probably should have been thicker. Edited March 26, 2017 by Tony_S

[Coombe Barton]

 

I'm looking to source something like these leveling feet and bracket.  I'm trying to compensate for the sloping floor.  

Anyone used similar and got a recommendation?

 

Often wondered why levelling feet? Why not a levelling mechanism at the top of the frame - same principle, but much easier to adjust and in closer proximity to where you want the level. 

 

This principle applied on St Merryn, I understand.

Edited March 26, 2017 by Coombe Barton

[Ian Abel]

Afternoon all (even for me), evening for most by now...

 

Yesterday was an enjoyable day trip along the Mississippi, major stops were;

i) Slippery's restaurant - Forced to pose for this shot at the "request/recommendation" of our spouses.

 

 

ii) National Eagle Center. Quite the place now since our last visit several years back. Imposing building, very educational, plenty of presentations, one of the handlers of the exhibit/demonstration eagles was a block from Northampton! He's been here 5 years and works for the Parks service.

 

 

 

The eagles on display are rescued birds that can no longer therefore survive in the wild, but serve out a pretty good life by the looks of it, educating the public.

 

iii) Minnesota Maritime Art Museum, Winona MN.

 

Lot of very impressive maritime art, but also a VERY unusual and expensive private collection of artists from around the world.

One room holding Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin, Cézanne, Turner, Constable, O'Keeffe, Cassatt, Homer, Cole, Wyeth, and many more too numerous to name. Quite startling to find such a large collection in such an odd location, i.e. a small river town in southern Minnesota!

The also own one of two (apparently there were at least TWO of the same size) iconic copies of "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Leutze, this one having been in the West Wing of the White House for decades before being acquired by this museum! Quite a piece, measuring 12' 5" by 21' 3". 

 

 

Saw plenty of eagles (probably around 50 or more) along the river on the drive up and back given they migrating right now.

 

Pleasant dinner on the return, and that's "it"

 

Today some modeling as everyone (Mrs and Jemma) out running errands - works for me - the dinner and board games even with the entire family later.

 

4 and cloudy today, 7 for a high.

 

Hope your weekend went well.

Edited March 26, 2017 by Ian Abel

[AndyID]

 

I'm looking to source something like these leveling feet and bracket.  I'm trying to compensate for the sloping floor.  

Anyone used similar and got a recommendation?

 

A slightly less expensive option.

 

(I do have a reputation to maintain you know.)

[AndyB]

A slightly less expensive option.

 

(I do have a reputation to maintain you know.)

 

On that note swmbo asked why I didn't shove the un-used half of the sub-baseboard underneath the half I'm keeping. 

My erudite response was: "Erm...."

[New Haven Neil]

Hmm Pendon.  I have no issue with it, but many hold it up to be THE finest model railway there is, bar none.  It's good. it's very very good, but there are better. The Gravetts could probably do it in the same timescale it has taken, and lets face it there are a few folk helping at Pendon too.  If Pendon wasn't GWR I wonder what it's standing would be?  To be fair it probably wouldn't have even happened, the popularity of said railway possibly made it possible, plus the drive of its originator.  End of controversy for today!

 

Had a nice trip out to Peel Prom an ice cream this afternoon, from Wednesdays snow to 16c on the seafront today!  Difficult to navigate the wheelchair around the crowds, it was busy.

[JohnDMJ]

Good evening all,

 

A successful day at Ally Pally, including catching The Boss working (chez Bachmann)!!!!!

 

Purchases were limited to life sustaining vitals but the day was capped by a lift home after helping breakdown our stand.

 

What time is it?

 

Same time as always!  Beer O'Clock

 

I managed to alter the clock in my car without looking at the manual so it must be a well designed user interface. I did get to alter the clocks at MiL's that neither she nor Aditi could reach. MiL also has a large format LCD clock. That took a while to sort out.
Tony

 

My car clock's simple; there's an H and an M button! Now the oven timer - that's a whole different can of worms!