Wright writes.....

[St Enodoc]

14 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I think half of these shots have 'worked', but looking through Marsh Bridge does reveal the way, way too tight curve (out of sight from 'normal' viewing angles). 

 

2 hours ago, lee74clarke said:

I hope you are well?

I don't think the Marsh bridge curves are too much of an issue, but wonder if you could 'disguise' them a little bit, by making the board behind it black? Also, by stopping the light getting in from above, with black card or such like? If the curves were in the 'shadows', I think it would be much less obvious. Easy to mock up with some sheets of black card, or paper. I might even have some if of interest.  Just a thought.

Tony, could you doctor the bridge arches in the same way that you doctor the sky?

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, lee74clarke said:

Good Morning Tony,

 

I hope you are well?

I don't think the Marsh bridge curves are too much of an issue, but wonder if you could 'disguise' them a little bit, by making the board behind it black? Also, by stopping the light getting in from above, with black card or such like? If the curves were in the 'shadows', I think it would be much less obvious. Easy to mock up with some sheets of black card, or paper. I might even have some if of interest.  Just a thought.

 

Best Regards,

Lee

 

Good morning Lee,

 

Very well thank you. I hope you and yours are, too. 

 

Light from above (at both ends) is restricted by a cover a foot long, which extends over all the tracks. The 'problem' is my pulses of fill-in flash during the 2/3 second exposures illuminate what's under the cover. 

 

I could, of course, 'cheat', but would that be ethical? Like this............

 

 

Just a bit of 'mucking about', I know.

 

I have 'cheated' in the past, looking south from the station..............

 

 

Perhaps not so obvious, and allowable? 

 

As a matter of principle, other than removing background clutter digitally, I leave the models as they are. To have to adjust ride-heights, 'banana'-shaped carriages and compensating for out of line verticals and horizontals is merely an excuse for dodgy modelling in my opinion. 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

1 minute ago, St Enodoc said:

 

Tony, could you doctor the bridge arches in the same way that you doctor the sky?

Our posts have just crossed John.

 

As you can see from the above, I'm not happy with the altering notion in this respect. 

 

'Doctoring' the sky just means removing intrusive background clutter. What I've done above is not only that but actually adding something which isn't there. Unethical?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[zr2498]

3 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Our posts have just crossed John.

 

As you can see from the above, I'm not happy with the altering notion in this respect. 

 

'Doctoring' the sky just means removing intrusive background clutter. What I've done above is not only that but actually adding something which isn't there. Unethical?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Hi Tony

It's your layout, so how can it be unethical.

It would be interesting to see how it appears under the bridge when the fill-in flash is not active. That would be usual viewing on the layout.

 

With your 'mucking about', there needs to be something above the bridge as well to be even more convincing?

 

Dave

[St Enodoc]

14 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Our posts have just crossed John.

 

As you can see from the above, I'm not happy with the altering notion in this respect. 

 

'Doctoring' the sky just means removing intrusive background clutter. What I've done above is not only that but actually adding something which isn't there. Unethical?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I don't think it is, Tony. I see both examples as just tidying up what's beyond the frame of the picture, so to speak. You could go half-way and just have a blank area of course.

[MJI]

A subject to ponder on.

 

Constant sell on and replace of RTR items with newer RTR items.

 

Seems quote common, and helps me by scouring Ebay.

 

Lets say Brush 4 / 47

 

Has a few Hornby, them Lima arrive, trade in

Lima to Heljan - too wide!!! so then VI.

Oh a nice Bachmann model,

Then new Bachmann models.

 

I find even reading the chase the latest RTR loco stressfull.

 

There is me with Hornby and Lima 47s, they look like 47s to me!

My 14xx is still Airfix.

 

I would buy extra but trade in an entire fleet!!!!

 

I even kept Lima Mark 1s going by using as Comet side donors.

[cctransuk]

5 minutes ago, MJI said:

I even kept Lima Mark 1s going by using as Comet side donors.

 

My considerable fleet of Mk.1s is almost entirely composed of Tri-ang Hornby, Lima, Replica and the cheapo magazine Bachmann clones.

 

With a little work, these can all be brought up to an excellent standard. I have drawn a line at fitting flush glazing but, due to uniformity within the fleet, this is not noticeable.

 

The best bit, though, is that you can have a full rake for the price of a couple of coaches at today's prices!

 

John Isherwood.

[Barry Ten]

I presume this location on the ECML is easily identified?

 

 

It's from the title sequence of Get Carter, which was on a few nights ago.

 

Al

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, zr2498 said:

Hi Tony

It's your layout, so how can it be unethical.

It would be interesting to see how it appears under the bridge when the fill-in flash is not active. That would be usual viewing on the layout.

 

With your 'mucking about', there needs to be something above the bridge as well to be even more convincing?

 

Dave

There does need to be something Dave,

 

Careby Bridge, about half a mile away. 

 

It doesn't really concern me. Little Bytham is a roundy-roundy trainset, which inevitably means tight, 180 degree curves at both ends.

 

It's almost 'dead scale' in length over the scenic section; just over a foot short, which I can live with (we could have made it 'dead scale' by not having the MR/M&GNR bit as a circuit, but that would have meant no trains actually running over your wonderful girder bridge). 

 

An alternative might have been to reduce the section between the two overbridges even further (meaning a larger east-west bit) and 'carrying on' the scenery beyond the bridges, making photography potentially more realistic, but I'm happy with how it's turned out. 

 

The tight, out-of-sight, curves are only visible when looking towards them (which is unnatural, given Bytham's normal viewing positions), and the camera highlights them; whereas the naked eye just ignores them, concentrating on the approaching trains. 

 

Either way, as long as this fast main line goes on/offstage 'on the straight' then it'll do. Visible, too-tight curves ruin realism in my view. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Tony Wright
typo error

[Tony Wright]

47 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

I presume this location on the ECML is easily identified?

 

 

It's from the title sequence of Get Carter, which was on a few nights ago.

 

Al

I don't know about 'easily' Al,

 

My guess would be south of Holme, where four tracks become two. 

 

That said, judging by the distance between the slow and fast roads, could it be the site of a closed station? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[MJI]

2 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

My considerable fleet of Mk.1s is almost entirely composed of Tri-ang Hornby, Lima, Replica and the cheapo magazine Bachmann clones.

 

With a little work, these can all be brought up to an excellent standard. I have drawn a line at fitting flush glazing but, due to uniformity within the fleet, this is not noticeable.

 

The best bit, though, is that you can have a full rake for the price of a couple of coaches at today's prices!

 

John Isherwood.

 

 

I have too many different makes so tend to keep in sets. Many Triangs have succomed to the Razor saw

 

Below are my setted mark1s

 

A set of Bachmann

A set of flushglazed Triangs all TSOs* and a BSK

A 2D set with a Lima 247 and a Replica BG

A 2B set with a Lima Comet and a Replica BG, plus 2 Replica FOs

A 2C set with Triang Hornby BG*  and RMB on Replica B4 and Commonwealths

A 2ADEF set with ML RBR and Lima NKX

 

Plus a few others

 

2 BSK = 1 TSO and 1 BG

 

Still need a couple more sets and this does not include my parcels stock.

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, MJI said:

A subject to ponder on.

 

Constant sell on and replace of RTR items with newer RTR items.

 

Seems quote common, and helps me by scouring Ebay.

 

Lets say Brush 4 / 47

 

Has a few Hornby, them Lima arrive, trade in

Lima to Heljan - too wide!!! so then VI.

Oh a nice Bachmann model,

Then new Bachmann models.

 

I find even reading the chase the latest RTR loco stressfull.

 

There is me with Hornby and Lima 47s, they look like 47s to me!

My 14xx is still Airfix.

 

I would buy extra but trade in an entire fleet!!!!

 

I even kept Lima Mark 1s going by using as Comet side donors.

Something indeed to ponder......

 

I cannot speak for RTR, but, down the years I've certainly 'upgraded' the things I've made. For instance, scratch-built Thompson Pacifics which I replaced with kit-built ones.

 

Unsurprisingly, I won't be replacing those later kit-built ones with Hornby's latest A2/2s and A2/3s, good though they are.

 

For instance..........

 

 

 

This was an original Hornby 60501 which I renumbered/renamed/detailed, which Geoff Haynes expertly-weathered. 

 

Despite its looking just fine, I've since sold it on; as I mentioned earlier, I'll be selling off what remains of my RTR locos in due course - not because I'm unhappy with them, but, when visitors come (which is the only time LB gets run) I never use them. That might smack of pomposity, I know, but the kit-built ones have a real story to tell in comparison (stories I tell ad nauseam to my many visitors, though they still return) 

 

Anyway,

 

 

I'm more than happy with the Crownline and DJH A2/2s I've made, around 20 years ago now, especially with an Ian Rathbone paint job.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Tony Wright
typo error

[robertcwp]

2 hours ago, MJI said:

A subject to ponder on.

 

Constant sell on and replace of RTR items with newer RTR items.

 

Seems quote common, and helps me by scouring Ebay.

 

Lets say Brush 4 / 47

 

Has a few Hornby, them Lima arrive, trade in

Lima to Heljan - too wide!!! so then VI.

Oh a nice Bachmann model,

Then new Bachmann models.

 

I find even reading the chase the latest RTR loco stressfull.

 

There is me with Hornby and Lima 47s, they look like 47s to me!

My 14xx is still Airfix.

 

I would buy extra but trade in an entire fleet!!!!

 

I even kept Lima Mark 1s going by using as Comet side donors.

For me, the key question is whether what has now become the 'old' model is below my own standard of acceptability. With regard to Class 47s, I decided the new Bachmann one did not have enough of an edge over the old one and instead I replaced my remaining Heljan ones with the older Bachmann models at a much lower cost than buying the new models. By contrast, the old Bachmann 24/25 is below my threshold and 16 out of 20 have been replaced and the others will go when new models finally appear. I doubt I shall replace my Hornby Black 5s with the new version. I bought the new Hornby Mark 1 RB but have concluded that the blue/grey livery is so bad that I shall continue using my 40-year old Mainline ones in that livery.

[Barry Ten]

46 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

I don't know about 'easily' Al,

 

My guess would be south of Holme, where four tracks become two. 

 

That said, judging by the distance between the slow and fast roads, could it be the site of a closed station? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

I think that's a goods shed in the distance, Tony. I gather some of the early shots in the title sequence are out of order/and or heading south, but I think is heading north.

 

Here's a frame a few moments later.

 

 

There appears to be an overbridge in the distance. Unfortunately it cuts away immediately after this bit.

 

[31A]

2 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

 

I think that's a goods shed in the distance, Tony. I gather some of the early shots in the title sequence are out of order/and or heading south, but I think is heading north.

 

Here's a frame a few moments later.

 

 

There appears to be an overbridge in the distance. Unfortunately it cuts away immediately after this bit.

 

 

I think it could be approaching the site of Tempsford station (south of St. Neots), heading north on the Down Fast.  The site of the station platforms was ahead of the train at this point (beyond the level crossing, beyond the goods shed) but the Down Slow on the extreme left slewed out to pass round where there had formerly been a lay bye siding between the Down Fast and Down Slow lines.  I believe the goods shed is still there, as are the railway cottages on the extreme left - they can be seen on Google Maps.  Power lines cross the railway to the north of the level crossing.

 

Here is a picture my late father took on a gloomy day a few years before "Get Carter" was made, looking in the opposite direction from the footbridge which spanned the level crossing.  In it, you can see the goods shed and beyond that can just make out the signal gantry which appears in the original still from the film.  You can also see how the rear of the train (which is running on the Down Slow) curves to the right beyond the goods shed.  The station platforms were islands between the Fast and Slow lines, accessed by staircases from the footbridge, and had been behind my father when he took the picture.  The station had closed to passengers in 1956, and the platforms were removed soon after.

 

 

A much clearer picture from the same viewpoint appears in "The Book of the Great Northern, Part Two Welwyn North to Doncaster" by Peter J. Coster together with an extract from the 1916 OS Map which shows the track layout as it had been and the various buildings etc.

 

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

 

I think that's a goods shed in the distance, Tony. I gather some of the early shots in the title sequence are out of order/and or heading south, but I think is heading north.

 

Here's a frame a few moments later.

 

 

There appears to be an overbridge in the distance. Unfortunately it cuts away immediately after this bit.

 

Thanks Al,

 

It can't be Holme, not with an overbridge.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[stewartingram]

I never realised that Tempsford had a lc like that, 2 sets of 4 gates. I was very familiar with the similar crossing at Offord, as Grandad often used to stop off there in the car so that I got some trainspotting in.

 

Stewart

[31A]

I've just realised, the opening credits and train journey at the beginning of "Get Carter" are on YouTube:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhisIT_CuQ8

 

At the very beginning, the view from inside the compartment is from a train passing the BOCM mills at Selby (but travelling southbound) then at 1m 40s the train passes through the cutting north of Biggleswade station.  After that the power station on the left is probably Little Barford, again south of St. Neots.

 

 

[Tony Wright]

There I was, just a little time ago stating that it was my intention not to spend as much time on RMweb. However, so many fascinating topics and points of interest crop up which 'demand' responses. My thanks to all who make this thread so lively and informative.

 

Take 'going off scene' for instance. As mentioned yesterday, I employ 'light blockers' at both ends of the main line depiction of LB. However, my use of powerful flash pulses during exposures rather militates against my 'shadow-creators'. So, some shots without the flash. These more-nearly illustrate our eyes' perception, but it does mean shadows elswhere rather fill-in. Still, you can't have everything.........

 

 

Seen from 'normal' viewing angles, the entrance/exit to/from the fiddle yard is invisible beyond Marsh Bridge.

 

 

In reality, that second Pullman car would be apparent through the nearer arch, but it's just on the end of the curve, so would look odd. 

 

 

This isn't really from 'normal' viewing angles, unless one is slim.

 

The deception is complete.

 

 

Even from a less-tight angle, most beyond the bridge is invisible.

 

 

Further away, the effect is less-convincing, with those curves now apparent.

 

Apologies for some distortion occasioned by my having to use a wide angle lens to get these shots. I can fit in the tight space, but the camera struggles! 

 

By not using fill-in flash, the shadows underneath the bridge remain. 

 

What's most important is the lines appear/disappear 'on the straight'. 

 

Views of the other end next......

 

 

[Tony Wright]

8 minutes ago, 31A said:

I've just realised, the opening credits and train journey at the beginning of "Get Carter" are on YouTube:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhisIT_CuQ8

 

At the very beginning, the view from inside the compartment is from a train passing the BOCM mills at Selby (but travelling southbound) then at 1m 40s the train passes through the cutting north of Biggleswade station.  After that the power station on the left is probably Little Barford, again south of St. Neots.

 

 

Thanks Steve,

 

Other identifiable locations are Ganwick, Grantham and Peascliffe (all heading north).

 

I think the wonderful semaphores at the end are at Peterborough (but heading south?) 

 

A great bit of a great film!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[31A]

11 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

I never realised that Tempsford had a lc like that, 2 sets of 4 gates. I was very familiar with the similar crossing at Offord, as Grandad often used to stop off there in the car so that I got some trainspotting in.

 

Stewart

I wasn't particularly familiar with Offord level crossing before the barriers were put in, but I do remember being taken there to see the aftermath of the collision in 1962 in which the A1 60123 H. A. Ivatt ran into the back of the preceding goods train, and was written off.  I believe it happened during poor visibility, the Down Slow then being signalled as a Goods line at that point with permissive working allowed.  I seem to remember being able to wander among the remains of scattered Vanfits lying in the fields beside the line!

[stewartingram]

I was taken there as well. I saw the wagons in the field from our car, but went to the goods yard and wandered around 60123, along with other onlookers that were there.

[robertcwp]

25 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Steve,

 

Other identifiable locations are Ganwick, Grantham and Peascliffe (all heading north).

 

I think the wonderful semaphores at the end are at Peterborough (but heading south?) 

 

A great bit of a great film!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

And interior views of a Mark 2a FK and Mark 1 RUO.

[Tony Wright]

As the late, great Malcolm Crawley used to display on his layout - 'T'other End'......

 

 

Seen from 'normal' viewing angles, the light-blocker at the north end works quite well. 

 

 

And, a closer view.

 

 

From t'other side as the 'Leicester' heads westwards. 

 

This is a 'normal' viewing angle, the space on the 'far side' often being used by operators. 

 

 

From a very low view, the underside of the (blockboard) light-blocker can be seen.

 

It rather 'spoils' the shot.

 

Until.........................

 

 

I see this as no different from taking out background clutter in the 'sky'.

 

It also shows off Dave Wager's incredible girder bridge! 

 

I rather like this shot. The lack of fill-in flash has produced a sombre, brooding effect. Any photograph shot against the sky is going to be rather under-exposed, but I think this has 'mood' (more by accident than design). 

 

 

From a higher angle, light 'leak' is present beyond the light-blocker.

 

As it is in the two following shots.........

 

 

 

I offer these views (and the earlier ones) not as 'solutions' but as possible talking points. How have others disguised the exit/entrance to their fiddle yards?

 

Of course, the best light-blocker is..........

 

 

A train! Especially when it's hauled by a loco as fine as Tony Geary's K3. 

 

 

[Nickey Line]

1 hour ago, 31A said:

After that the power station on the left is probably Little Barford

 

Little Barford is a gas power station, and doesn't have the cooling towers.

Though I suppose it might have been converted.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Nickey Line
An afterthought...