Sheffield Exchange, Toy trains, music and fun!

[Gibbo675]

17 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Thanks Andy

 

I know what will happen I will ignore them, like I do the slide switch next to the dial switch placed along the coloured line representing the section of track. I know the real answer is a kick up the backside of the fat bald bloke when he is not concentrating.

 

You see I can easily be distracted

 

 

Hi Clive,

 

The image of the above video has reminded me of this by Mr O'Briain;

 

 

I take it that it is the music that distracts you ?

 

Gibbo.

[great northern]

Morning Clive. I have found only one remedy for the problems you describe. Do not under any circumstances try to do more than one thing at the same time. Sadly, even when I remember my own advice I can still get things wrong, but at least it happens less often.

 

So, I only run one train at at time. That largely negates the benefits of a large layout, but it is far less stressful.

Edited March 4, 2019 by great northern
Hit the post key too early.

[Clive Mortimore]

33 minutes ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Clive,

 

The image of the above video has reminded me of this by Mr O'Briain;

 

 

I take it that it is the music that distracts you ?

 

Gibbo.

Yo Gibbo

 

Oh course it is the music, I have Spotify or some of my saved music playing on the lap top as I am driving trains or model making so cannot look at Youtube.

[Clive Mortimore]

23 minutes ago, great northern said:

Morning Clive. I have found only one remedy for the problems you describe. Do not under any circumstances try to do more than one thing at the same time. Sadly, even when I remember my own advice I can still get things wrong, but at least it happens less often.

 

So, I only run one train at at time. That largely negates the benefits of a large layout, but it is far less stressful.

Hello Gilbert

 

It is the total lack of concentration on my behalf that causes the problems but where would the comedy be if I was to say "Nothing fell off, nothing crashed, nothing went backwards and nothing moved that wasn't meant to."

 

I do have some successes, last night I drove a train from the station on to the mainline across the Doncaster Junction and at the same time had one enter the station from the Doncaster Junction  without stopping either on the tracks that I have to reverse the polarity.

[Clive Mortimore]

1 hour ago, stevea said:

Hi, Clive

The aforementioned reminders are useful bits of kit which if used according to the (amended?) rules  certainly eliminate the distraction factor. How's the Swindon Inter-City progressing, by the way? I like the idea of the smaller HO side windows...

Regards

Steve

Hi Steve

 

Remembering to switch everything off once a move is complete will help and checking everything is correctly switched before making a move will also help. Adding anything else would just complicate things and would be ignored, I know what I am like. Flashing lights and warning bleeps and horns would start to make the control panel like the Starship Enterprise.

 

As for the Swindon unit, it is on hold at the moment as I have been working on the ranch and am too knackered come the evening to model make. I did buy another two Trix coaches so should now be able to make the full cab DMBS and may be (I haven't checked) a trailer first. Still not enough sides to do a second intermediate driving motor second. 

[Clive Mortimore]

8 hours ago, richard i said:

I like it. I do think a roof over the concourse would be good. It is short enough that you can see in, but would still encourage you to drop down to look through the entrances to the platforms for a real eye level view. 

Thanks Richard

 

There is a downside to your suggestion. Well two. One is the size of the principal viewer, he finds getting through the pinch point hard enough let squat down in the available space and the second being once squatted down, owing to becoming older he finds it hard to get back up again.

There is a practical or physical problem to every solution. It goes by the name of Mortimore.

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I know the real answer is a kick up the backside of the fat bald bloke when he is not concentrating.

You know the real real answer...

[Clive Mortimore]

I am in the middle of an operating session and guess what? 

 

 

 

 

Nothing fell off, nothing crashed, nothing went backwards and nothing moved that wasn't meant to.

[Mulgabill]

Hope its not a game of 2 halves then.

 

 

[Sandhole]

Clive, don't say a word or lest you involk 'Operators Curse!!'

                                                         Chris.

[Clive Mortimore]

I have stopped for tea and walking the dogs.

 

The second half starts soon.

[Andrew P]

4 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I am in the middle of an operating session and guess what? 

 

 

 

 

Nothing fell off, nothing crashed, nothing went backwards and nothing moved that wasn't meant to.

YET

[Andrew P]

2 Hours and no sign of the main man, has the Dog gone backwards, fallen off, or sat on the floor?

[Clive Mortimore]

44 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

2 Hours and no sign of the main man, has the Dog gone backwards, fallen off, or sat on the floor?

The little dog is not talking to me. To save money he don't go to the groomers anymore and I have the job. I am as neat with the shears as I am with a saw. he looks a mess.

 

Strangely the second half was again operator error free.  I did have a DMU derail as it left platform one. I put it back on the track a reversed it, then gave it a second go , no falling off. Had a few more goes , no idea why it fell off first time.

 

I also had a coach that had a mind of its own. The hauled rakes have got a bit mixed up when I was checking the clearances  of the platforms and some how a Hatchett coach has ended up in the DMU replacement set and keeps falling off at odd places and times.

[Clive Mortimore]

On 21/02/2017 at 21:36, Clive Mortimore said:

While I was out with my dogs this evening I was pondering the following.

 

Steam locos look naff without displaying the train headcode.

 

Diesel locos and DMUs look naff displaying the wrong headcodes.

 

The rear of trains without a tail lamp look naff.

 

Now Sheffield Exchange is a terminus which posses a slight problem. It is fiddly enough trying to get in to uncouple the loco from its train, I still haven't sorted out magnetic uncouplers. To try and change the lamps on the locos will be a nightmare, so I propose that I will have fixed lamps both ends on the locos, wrong but when viewing a train one normally does so from the front. Same goes with my hauled coaches in respect of their tail lamps, they will run with a fixed lamp each end. DMUs will not have a tail lamp. They should but a fixed one on the front when running the opposite way will look even more wrong.

 

The BIG QUESTION is will having fixed loco lamps and train tail lamps each end look too wrong?

 

If so would not having lamps at all look better or worse?

 

Thankfully I don't need many headcode variations, as a passenger station codes A or 1 for the few through portions of express trains will be needed. Most will be B or 2 for the local trains which will be the majority. There will be a small number of C or 3 headcodes covering both empty stock and parcels. Some locos will carry the light engine code or in the case of the diesels 0, these will be the ones that will trundle to and from the fiddle yard and do not use the loco siding. For the locos and DMUs with four figure headcode boxes the destination or second figure will be either a G for trains originating from the Eastern Region and an E from the LMR and NER. Trains departing will have a D for the Doncaster area or P for Grimsby and Cleethorpes where many of the ER trains are destined to go and there will be a few trains pointing towards the fiddle yard with G headcodes for places within the Sheffield district like Barnsley.  N for the NER trains and M for the LMR which makes life quite easy. There will be a couple of locos earmarked for hauling the two through portions for the WR and SR expresses and they will have a V and an O respectfully. Many local trains used the last two numbers for the route and destination, I have some old Ian Allan headcode books so will work out these numbers from those books, possibly using any blanks or repeat ones that do not go anywhere near Sheffield and the destination. Sheffield Exchange is after all a made up station and cannot have trains that are either destined for Victoria or Midland. 

 

With DMUs fitted with 2 figure heacodes the ER used the numerical train class, i.e. 2 for ordinary passenger and then the destination letter, which will be G, D or P depending on where they are going.  The LMR and NER used the old letter train classification and a destination number, so most train will have a B letter with an appropriate number. Again I will use the Ian Allan headcode books to help me.

 

All DMUs will have Sheffield on one end ( facing the station) and matching the headcode a suitable destination at the other (facing the fiddle yard). If I ever get to show this layout I will endeavor to make sure all trains are facing the correct way displaying their headcodes and destination blinds. 

Cor blimey, I wrote this two years ago, for the old Mk1 layout. Well much of it still applies. Gone are the through WR and SR coaches so no more V and O headcodes.

 

There will be an increase of class 1 headcodes  fitted to locos. 
 I have worked out the class 2 train's headcodes for the those with 2 and 4 figure headcode displays, using an Ian Allan headcode book dated 1962.

Trains to and from the LMR

Manchester, class 2 trains with four figure headcodes 2M82, Liverpool 2M80, Southport 2M83, Blackpool 2M87 and Preston 2M86. Two figure headcodes, Manchester B5 up trains, B2 down trains, Liverpool B3 both directions, Southport B4 up and B5 down, Blackpool B7 up and B4 down and Preston B6 both directions. These shouldn't clash with heacodes already in use.

Trains to and from the NER

Leeds via Barnsley B6 two figure and 2N54 four figure, Halifax B9 and 2N57, Bradford via Barnsley B5 and 2N81, Huddersfield B2 and 2N84, Hull B1 and 2N64, York B2 and 2N95, Leeds Via Doncaster B8 and 2N75, Brandford via Doncaster B7 and 2N76, Wakefield B5 and 2N62, Scarborough B4 and 2N91 and Horrogate B3 and 2N67. 

 

Trains on the ER,

Two figure headcode Doncaster 2D, Grimbsy and Cleethorpes 2P, and Sheffield and Barnsley 2G, Four figure did not have route numbers, each train having its own number, so a Grimsby train would be 2Pxx .

 

[richard i]

13 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Thanks Richard

 

There is a downside to your suggestion. Well two. One is the size of the principal viewer, he finds getting through the pinch point hard enough let squat down in the available space and the second being once squatted down, owing to becoming older he finds it hard to get back up again.

There is a practical or physical problem to every solution. It goes by the name of Mortimore.

You need a chair like admiral ackbar which slides around and goes up and down.

[5BarVT]

9 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I have worked out the class 2 train's headcodes for the those with 2 and 4 figure headcode displays, using an Ian Allan headcode book dated 1962.

Wonderful little book!  I purchased the fifth edition in about ‘69 or ‘70 and it became very well worn.  I found a second hand copy of the 3rd edition recently giving me codes for many Beeching casualties. I’m considering rewriting history to delay the regional boundary changes to mid 70s to keep older codes in use!

For my class one diesel workings I’m planning on a link of locos so that the headcodes rotate around a set of three each way as the locos are swapped at each end.

Paul.

[Welchester]

10 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

The little dog is not talking to me. To save money he don't go to the groomers anymore and I have the job. I am as neat with the shears as I am with a saw. he looks a mess.

 

We clip our older dog ourselves because she hates it, but is less terrified of us than of professional groomers (I think the first one we used was rather nasty). It takes two of us, though. What do you use?

[Clive Mortimore]

34 minutes ago, Bishop of Welchester said:

 

We clip our older dog ourselves because she hates it, but is less terrified of us than of professional groomers (I think the first one we used was rather nasty). It takes two of us, though. What do you use?

Hi Bish

 

A cocker spaniel.....a clipper that Mrs M saw on the internet. It cordless with a rechargeable battery, so when he runs away I run after him with clippers in hand. He is quite good but will sit down when you try to do his back end. 

 

Thankfully Gus the Gundog being a Labrador doesn't need grooming, just a brush now and then.

[Clive Mortimore]

9 hours ago, richard i said:

You need a chair like admiral ackbar which slides around and goes up and down.

I don't think a chair with me in it would fit through the pinch point.

[Clive Mortimore]

 

Nearly as good as Lulu's version.

 

[Welchester]

3 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Bish

 

A cocker spaniel.....a clipper that Mrs M saw on the internet. It cordless with a rechargeable battery, so when he runs away I run after him with clippers in hand. He is quite good but will sit down when you try to do his back end. 

 

Thankfully Gus the Gundog being a Labrador doesn't need grooming, just a brush now and then.

 

Nearly the same then: springer and lab. Our springer tends to sit or even lie. That's why it takes two of us to do it.

[Clive Mortimore]

13 minutes ago, Bishop of Welchester said:

 

Nearly the same then: springer and lab. Our springer tends to sit or even lie. That's why it takes two of us to do it.

When Yo Yo, also a springer, was still with us she liked being groomed but would only lay on one side, so she was bald one side and hairy the other sometimes for a few days until we could get her to lay on the cut side. Springers are great, and I wanted another one but Mrs M wanted a cocker. I am sure she did so so she has something to moan about.

 

 

Springer jail. Gus says he is innocent and looks nothing like these naughty springers

 

Edit, Ruby at the back, Doug on the left, Belle in the middle and Yo Yo on the right.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by Clive Mortimore

[Andrew P]

52 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

Nearly as good as Lulu's version.

 

Oooo a Hamer, Paul Reed Smith copy, I'd prefer a real PRS Santana special.

 

Nice Blue finish too.

[Sandhole]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

When Yo Yo, also a springer, was still with us she liked being groomed but would only lay on one side, so she was bald one side and hairy the other sometimes for a few days until we could get her to lay on the cut side. Springers are great, and I wanted another one but Mrs M wanted a cocker. I am sure she did so so she has something to moan about.

 

 

Springer jail. Gus says he is innocent and looks nothing like these naughty springers

 

Edit, Ruby at the back, Doug on the left, Belle in the middle and Yo Yo on the right.

 

 

If I could get this Bloody new website to accept my  attempts at compressing shots!!!! I'd post a shot of my late Springer, Meg. Bred by my sister from another mother, Fiona, and my constant companion for 15yrs until the big C got her!!! She loved railway travel, all sorts narrow gauge up to big trains!!! She spoilt me for Springers and I still miss her!!

                                                                                                                              Chris.