Nick C

17 hours ago, jim.snowdon said:

What the St Bees signaller is alleged to be doing is only possible if the section signals are not interlocked with getting a line clear for the section, and since that principle has been progressively built into signalling for many decades I am surprised that it hasn't spread to St Bees. Either way, what the signaller is doing is in conflict with the rules, even if it is a fudged form of one engine in steam working.

It seems more likely to me that, as @TravisM says, the clips have been edited and you don't see the signaller going back to the box in between.

For those unfamiliar, the correct procedure would be roughly as follows (I'm not sure whether the current NR rule book would require both trains to be brought completely to a stand at the home signals first in steps 2 and 3.5, I know from @The Stationmaster that this used to be the case). I'm going to use up-train-first for this example, as I don't know which direction is which on that line...

1. Close Crossing gates
2. Up train is signalled into the up platform. Signalman goes to that platform and collects the token as the train arrives, verifying that the train is complete.
3. Signalman returns to box and:
   1. Replaces up home to danger.
   2. Resets road for down train.
   3. Returns token to instrument, sending "train out of section".
   4. Requests 'line clear' for the down train, withdraws token.
   5. Clears home and starting signals for down train.
4. Signalman goes to down platform and exchanges tokens with the down train as it arrives.
5. Repeat step 2 - Back to box, replace down home, reset for up train to depart, cycle token, clear up starter
6. Deliver token to up train.
7. Replace starters once trains clear, open crossing gates.

22 hours ago, C126 said:

I enjoy repeating, "From where did you get this number?" repeatedly until "Jo" terminates the call in despair.  What a way to earn a living...

Or answer with something silly if you don't recognise the number?

"Hello, Fraud squad. How can I help?"

22 hours ago, The Johnster said:

And those stops where the display is not always accurate.  Ours sometimes show buses due that left two or three minutes ago and there are 'ghost' buses that never turn up, at least not in this dimension.  The app is more accurate and the buses can be seen approaching, position updated every 30 seconds.  You can also see the fleet number and how full it is; probably the app I use most when I am out and about.

The one our bus company offers is utterly useless as it always wants to tell you the next bus - from the start of the route. Not much use if you're waiting for the one that's due at your stop in 5 minutes, and so started it's journey half an hour ago...

Mine has a definite step in the webbing, with a slot for the tiebar - it's oo-sf though. 

14 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

... and as such they might be applicable to new build systems…..

 

For example, given the significantly higher speed of HS2 trains. providing that whilst on HS2 infrastructure all passengers are required to have a guaranteed seat reservation (...

That is the case for many high-speed trains on the continent I believe - certainly PKP IEP services are reservation-only.

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

One very easy and very good looking is to use either Exactoscale or C&L plastic (H shaped) linked fishplates, these form firstly an important isolating function but also a very prototypical looking fishplate which rail joiners fail to do.

Do you glue those on? I tried using them  on mine and found it really difficult to get them to stay in place - this might of course be down to my ham-fistedness, but I ended up breaking or losing several...

Alternatively can anyone recommend any other insulating fishplates that might be easier to use for code 75 Bullhead? The Peco Bullhead ones are good for conducting joints, but they don't do an insulating version...

On 07/04/2024 at 15:31, Moley48 said:

I've noticed a few people now are using log cabins for their model layouts. I just want to know how well they have handled the seasons from your first hand experience? 

I have one, built by the previous owners of our house. It's terrible. You can't insulate the walls, you can't fix anything to the walls (the logs can't be fixed together as they need to be able to expand individually). The doors stick and constantly need adjusting. It's cold and damp in the winter, too hot in the summer. 

Basically, if you want a building totally unsuited to building a layout, get a log cabin. If you want something suitable, build it properly, with proper framing and insulation - it'll probably cost you less anyway...

5 minutes ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said:

My conclusion? It really depends where you shop around, I’d say I got some good deals at the Erlestoke Manor trust’s outlet in Bewdley, and Footplate of Kidderminster too, though comparing prices I’d say the purchases from Hampton Loade were a little on the steep side. Would I buy from these places again over eBay though? Given the service all three places gave me, and some of the deals I got compared to eBay, I’d personally say yes. Not only that, but getting to see the models in person, and have them tested before purchasing, definitely helps you to decide wether or not you want the model or not.

Plus two of those three are supporting charities - so even if you did overpay slightly, the funds are going to help the railway...

36 minutes ago, Hacksworth_Sidings said:

As I said, I’d like to know the average asking prices of these from eBay and if I over or underpaid when buying from these individual organisations.

Easiest way to do that is to search for each item and then click "completed listings" from the filters on the left - it'll then show you sold prices in green and unsold ones in black.

45 minutes ago, MJI said:

I need to build a new PC, how do I use the software on Linux?

 

Dislike W10, refuse to use W Sausage

Looks like you don't need to - there's a plugin for Inkscape to drive the Cameo directly:

https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette

That's interesting in it's own right, if only for the crank arrangements for the wide-to-gauge trap. I wonder how that would have worked with mechanical operation - being on a passenger line it'd need an FPL, but of course there's no tie-bar for the bolt to go through...

Is this any help? It's a modern picture, but of a heritage railway installation (I suspect the orange piping is a more modern feature though!)

There's two cables going to the point machine, I would presume one would be to the motor itself (the taller bit on the right), and the other to the detector (the bit with three rods on the left).

13 hours ago, black and decker boy said:

that’s if you remembered to obtain your ESTA to travel into the EU and consented to having your fingerprints taken at the border, all of which kick in for us foreign types this autumn.

Looks like it may have been delayed again:

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en

"It is expected that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be operational from mid-2025."

If we think the AI descriptions of models are bad, it seems that's nothing compared to some other categories:

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Selling-Tools/a-i-descriptions-are-rubbish/td-p/7493482

Descriptions of clothing that don't include either colour or size...

edit - and from another article: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Anyone-else-like-the-AI-description-feature/td-p/34144374, is this fantastic comment:

Quote

I love the AI description feature.

I hope my competitors all continue to use it.

Which tells you a lot!

2 hours ago, Mark said:

The last few listings I have done wouldn’t let me write anything other than edit the cringe worthy AI blurb. If I wrote my own it just refused to save it! 
 

Mark

Interesting, as yesterday I spotted a couple of listings that included "below is the AI description" followed by said rubbish...

50 minutes ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

Thanks you for that reply - very interesting. As for flexible working, that is a whole can of worms at the moment. Weirdly I was going in the office 5 days a week, as I found it less distracting sitting in a virtually empty office on Mondays and Fridays than being at home. But that's just me. 

And that's the thing - it's your choice, which is good - you were able to pick an environment in which you were able to work most effectively.

50 minutes ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

One thing I'd add to the list is the tendency of some managers to shape their team's work in a way that encourages lone working* and then wonder why these people aren't that interested in coming back to the office to work collaboratively. Something interesting I read recently was that some people can view things (in this case 'how I allocate work' and 'my team coming back in the office') as isolated islands, rather than linking them up in their heads. I wish I'd known that 25 years ago, as it explains all sorts of stuff like how it can sometimes be difficult to explain stuff to certain people. 

 

(* Because if you give task A to Fred to do on his own and B to Mary to do on her own, it's easier to see what people have delivered when you come to writing their end of year review. Rather than having Fred own task A to won, and asking him to involve other people, which would encourage them to work together and come back in the office.) 

But "encourage them to come back to the office" isn't the correct aim - it should be "facilitate them working in the most productive manner"  - which might be giving Fred task A to do on his own at home, but Mary and John tasks B and C to collaborate on in the office. A good manager should know their team's individual strengths and how to make best use of them - and that includes not just how you divide up the tasks but also how you shape each individual's working environment.

This is even more important when you're dealing with volunteers, as if someone doesn't like the environment they will leave. Let's say that Bob volunteers on the station maintenance team - he's been doing so for years, and he comes in every Wednesday to paint fences. New manager comes along, and decrees that painting is now to be done on Thursdays, and that the Wednesday team will now do hedge-pruning. That's going to upset Bob, and could easily end up with him leaving, unless there's a seriously good reason for it, and it's explained to him properly*.

(*compare and contrast:

"Due to Health and Safety rules, all painting must now be done on a Thursday." vs

"Hi Bob, I'm really sorry, but there's been a change in the working at height regulations and our insurers insist that anyone using a ladder cannot be lone-working. Would you mind doing the painting on a Thursday instead when there are more people around" - which is more likely to get a positive reaction? The first will lead to Bob being angry - the second might well elicit a "ok, yes, that's fine" - or perhaps an alternative way of achieving the same aim -  "well, my niece Alice wants to volunteer too, could she come with me on a Wednesday so I'm not alone?")

16 hours ago, big jim said:

waiting outside castlefield for an intermodal to pass from trafford park 

 

That's an impressive selection of bridges!

9 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

OK then, how should I have phrased it?

 

My intent being to convey the idea that the manager was possibly behaving in a particular way (not understanding other people's situations being different from their own) because of who they were and how their brain was wired up, rather than due to any deliberate malice or failings. Which is important in understanding some of these culture clashes within organisations, where everyone means well in their own way, but they all somehow end up upsetting each other due to mutual lack of understanding. 

 

I'm temporarily 'resting' between jobs, so wasn't aware that it was Autism month. If I was in a job I'd probably have had a bulk email from HR telling me all about it, with stories from a couple of employees about their experiences and so on, as I've seen in previous years. What I've never seen in any of the past communications is something on how to talk about neurodivergent people in a way that doesn't make them uncomfortable(*), which is food for thought. So now is the chance for somebody to educate me. 

 

(* Because as a manager you want to be able to say to people "Fred likes to work in a particular way because of who he is, which is different from your way of working, so be understanding" without upsetting Fred)

In my experience, Neurodiverse people tend to be far better at understanding that other people's situations can be different to their own than most neurotypical folks - especially the more extroverted types...

As for your second example, just accepting that different people work in different ways would be a good start - something that many people and companies seem to find hard to understand - just look at the discussions on here about flexible working for example (and yes, I'm well aware that this is something I keep banging on about) - I'm the kind of person who can focus best in a quiet environment without a lot of distractions, so I prefer to work from home - but I can guarantee you now I've mentioned those three words, someone will be along to argue that either (a) They prefer to work in the office and therefore everyone must do the same, or (b) some jobs can't be done remotely, so none should be allowed to.

I think if you said to another employee that "Fred likes to work in a particular way because of who he is, which is different from your way of working, so be understanding", Fred would not be upset at all, in fact he'd be very grateful...

8 hours ago, Morello Cherry said:

There is a general disconnect between volunteers and senior managers. In some cases we have unprofessional amateur senior managers who don't have the management or human skills to run large organisations and treat the railway as their own personal fiefdom, or managers coming in from outside who don't get the organisation and end up pissing off not just the volunteers but also other supporters.

2 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

While I think there is probably much truth in the rant copied above, the sums of money involved, and the wafer-thin difference between profit and loss, mean you need to run it like a business as well as a charity.  The problem is that people get imported to run these railways for their track record in PR or fundraising, not their sector-specific knowledge.

It's not just railways - Mrs C used to volunteer for a local hospice in one of their charity shops. She and quite a few others quit after they spent vast amounts of money rebranding after a similar change in upper management from 'cause' people to 'fundraising' people - and going on things I've overheard, said fundraising people clearly have no idea that different markets need different approaches - they are apparently trying to turn the shops into "boutiques" - which might work in London, but has no hope in Basingstoke!

3 hours ago, adb968008 said:

how about this scenario…

 

1. Group of lads found a football club,

2. Rattle a tin for years, buy a pitch

3. Elect the players, captain, club admins, pay annual subs, does well, builds a stand, bar, other buildings

4. joins league, starts earning real money

5. Decided to protect the club from the risks of the league, so make an ltd for the business side of the games revenue using clubs directors.

6. Decide turning the business to a charity for tax and fundraising, turn over club assets to the charity, directors are self elected to charity rules and self governing. Club members become the supporters club.

7. Directors change strategy, appoint new board members, from ex Professional clubs, local authority, sports bodies, arts foundations and a property investor. Decide you dont need to join the supporters club to be a volunteer member of the football club.
8. The supporters Club members dont like it but cannot change it. Stress occurs, supporters club is asked to leave, and supporters club ultimately folds.

9. Charity decides to spin off a new CIO, with own directors in place. Reports trading is hard, costs high with paid staff, cannot get volunteers. CIO Agrees to sell the ltd business to those directors for £1 who form a for profit ltd. Charity closes, ltd sells the land for property development, directors cash out.

This is exactly what has happened to our local football club - I still haven't figured out quite how the 'local businessman' who bought the club managed to also get hold of the land, which had been given to the people of the town by the original benefactor, but of course that was all he wanted - and the fact that it has a covenant on it requiring to remain as a sporting facility for the people of the town seems to count for nothing - the stadium has been derelict for several years since he kicked the club out, and the planning application went through despite vast local opposition...

“We are now cruising at a level of two to the power of twenty-five thousand to one against and falling, and we will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is normal anyway.”

"Normality. We have Normality. Anything you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem" 

A few preservation ones from Facebook this morning:

Bluebell Railway - 80100 to run in spring gala.

GWSR - narrow gauge to extend to Broadway via a ledge on the side of the viaduct. 

And my favourite from SLL:

Quote

Bulleid Baltic project to ease head shunt and turntable issues on heritage lines.
34070 Manston was removed from Swanage Railway earlier this year and was reported as moving to the Mid Hants Railway.  In fact the low loader carrying Manston travelled only as far as Herston works and the loco was set on a short length of track behind the workshop.  To keep this project away from the media videos showing it to be running at the MHR were generated by AI. For the last six weeks all SLL’s resources were focused on converting the loco to a 4-6-4 Baltic tank locomotive, the design being based on an early plan from the Leader project, which subsequently used the well-known 0-6-6-0T configuration.
An SLL spokesman explained that the Baltic tank was shorter than the tender form.  It uses the front bogie of Sidmouth to replace the Bessel truck with the coal bunker from Standard Class 4MT loco 80104 currently being overhauled at Tyseley.  As a Baltic tank it addresses head-shunt limitations at some heritage railways, and those without turntables. It also provides a tender for 34010 Sidmouth which SLL are currently restoring.
The Baltic tank’s first test run was yesterday evening and is seen here running round at Swanage station.  It still carries 34070’s number and name plates, however a new name will be unveiled during the Strictly Bulleid Two gala in June.  No final decision on the new name has been made, and suggestions from enthusiasts are welcome.

Always make sure to have suitable reading material in the bathroom

Credit: Milton Jones, obviously. 

3 hours ago, Sjcm said:

I don't know if its because of when I was born, but I've recently been losing a bit of weight and its suddenly occurred to me that I operate in some sort of halfway house metric imperial system. I use cm and metres for length EXCEPT height which is feet. I have no concept of how tall I am in cm's or metres. likewise weight I use grams and kilograms EXCEPT my own weight which is stones and lbs. weight in Kgs? Not a scoobie. Every time I try and work out my BMI there's only the option for metric or imperial, not some "born in the 1970s" mixture. Same with gallons - I can visualise how big a gallon is, but not 5 litres, and yet I know how big 2 litres is in non-petrol form 😂

If it's any consolation, I know my height in feet and inches, and my weight in kg...

Given the relative angles, I think a sector plate would make more sense than a traverser (and be much easier to build!). If you use a point, would there be room for a long enough headshunt?

So was the dedicated possession simply a way of allowing both trains to be in the same block section?