martin_wynne

I wish to raise the important matter of Cheese & Tomato on Toast. I have today been taken to task for placing the tomato underneath the cheese. Apparently this is severely frowned on because 1. the toast gets soggy with tomato juice, and 2. there is nothing on top of the cheese to prevent the Worcestershire Sauce from running off. In my defence I can only plead that whenever I have tried the approved method, the tomato rings are burnt beyond recognition before the cheese has properly melted. So naturally I turn to the Early Risers for a ruling on this matter. This leaves aside the question of whether the cheese should be sliced or grated -- a question which has never been satisfactorily answered and probably never will be. I can only add that my own experiments have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the use of grated cheese is an effective mitigation against 2. above. My apologies for distracting the Early Risers from their proper consideration of whimsey, nonsense and utter drivel. Martin.

Hi Peter, You can shorten a turnout without changing the V-crossing angle by adjusting the crossing entry straight (SHIFT+F11 mouse action). There is a video showing how that works here: http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=1058&forum_id=10 regards, Martin.

Looking good. But trees this shape grow only at Beer: Interlace a couple of plain sleepers instead. Martin.

Hi Peter, "A" switches are not used in running lines, and the GWR (and BR(W) ) didn't have one, preferring their older type of loose-heel switch. "A" switches have a sharp 1:24 deflection, making them suitable only for yards and sidings. A B-6 is not a common prototype size, but it is the shortest turnout which can be used in models and still look like a running-line turnout. As Don explains, the internal turnout radius between the heel of the switch and the crossing is actually smaller than in an A-6. Nevertheless a B-6 is a much better choice for model running lines than an A-6. The easier 1:32 deflection of the "B" switch provides in effect a transition curve, and much smoother running into crossovers and other connections. Templot starts up set to a B-6 turnout for this reason. My advice would be not to use "A" switches except in yards and sidings, unless space constraints make it unavoidable. See also: http://templot.com/martweb/rea_a_or_b.htm regards, Martin.

One was the farmer. It was only after she'd gone that we realised we could see the Moon through a gaping hole in his hedge.

It was a dark and stormy night... It's 1am about 25 years ago, and I'm driving home in the Land-Rover along a lonely country road. It comes to my attention that there is a Mini upside down in the ditch with its wheels still revolving. So I stop and get out, at which point a young woman crawls out of the ditch, comes running towards me, throws her arms around me and says "the very thing I need". No not me -- the Land-Rover. She then explains that she is a reporter from the Daily Express, that she has got to be in Brecon by 3am, and can we please get a move on in getting her car back on the road. So I turn the Land-Rover round, get some rope out of the back, and tie on by torchlight. My protests that this is going to do even more damage to the car are waved away. By this time two other motorists have stopped, so I send them to stop approaching traffic while the Land-Rover and rope are across both sides of the road, and pull the Mini out. The three of us are then able to roll the battered Mini back on to its wheels. At which point the young lady jumps straight back in, starts the engine, and with a wave and a thank you through the shattered driver's window, roars off into the night. Leaving the three of us wondering what could possibly be happening in Brecon at 3am? Or any other time come to that. Martin.

A 3-vehicle collision outside here, and the BT cabinet has taken the brunt of th

Hi John, Before soldering the rails, hold your soldering iron on the aluminium strips for a few seconds to warm them up. This will greatly reduce the heat-sink effect. If you are using a thermostatic temperature-controlled iron, it will switch to full power and soon come back up to working temperature. regards, Martin.

See: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/55157-keeping-check-rails-dirty/page-2&do=findComment&comment=669122

You're welcome. I should have added that when printing PDF files it is important to set the scaling option to 100% or none. Otherwise the PDF program may try to stretch or shrink the page to fit the paper exactly. You can check for accurate printing by measuring the grid squares on the Templot print. regards, Martin.

Yes. A3 paper is 420mm x 297mm, but you need to allow something for the printer margins, and Templot's trim margins. I suggest you set 390mm x 270mm before clicking the create PDF button... : regards, Martin.

Yes, Templot will print to whatever paper size you set on your printer. Set the printer first -- output > printer setup... menu item. regards, Martin.

That's because the real weather forecast is too boring to broadcast. This is the actual weather forecast for every day of 2015: It will be dry and clear with occasional rain and some cloud. Becoming more changeable later.

I have just received a bill for £0.00 I'm going to be charged £4.50 for not paying it by direct debit.

Just spotted this on the BBC web site: "While Facebook was down, I nailed a picture of my breakfast to a tree outside our house. Seven people have knocked to say they liked it", wrote Alistair Coleman.

Which do you think a visitor from Mars would find the more puzzling: 1. knocking a little ball into a hole and then taking it out again? 2. transporting plastic passengers round and round in circles? Martin.

Hi Rob, I have now. regards, Martin.

Hi Derek, Here's a couple of diagrams to show what John is describing for filing the switch blades. This is the end view of the finished blade tip. Don't get them too thin at the tip, otherwise only the tip part will flex when they operate, and you won't get sufficient flange clearance all along behind the open blade. regards, Martin.

Hi Derek, That's correct, for bullhead rail there is never any need to file the stock rail. You do of course need a set (bend) on one side, or for GWR track you can create a joggle on both sides -- although a joggle is tricky to get right (allowing for the 1:20 inclination on the rail if using plastic chairs) and generally a plain set on one side is far easier. More about all thus here: http://www.templot.com/martweb/gs_realtrack.htm#joggle Here's a prototype pic. The position of the set is marked on Templot templates. For flat-bottom rail it is helpful to file away the foot of the stock rail (not the head), because that's prototypical in many cases (and fabricating an over-riding switch blade would be very tricky). regards, Martin.

Reports from another group confirm that this is a simple power control 0-48watts, not thermostatic to hold a set temperature. Hence the low price. Still very useful of course. Martin.

Just posted on another group: "Countryside heads are not the neat suburban affairs remember". That was a typo. It was a discussion about making hedges.

It's 2am. There isn't actually a law against making a ham sandwich, is there?

Hi Jeremy, It is very easy to save such files from Templot. The two options suitable for large format roll-paper printing are DXF files or PDF files. DXF files are mainly used with specialist engineering CAD software and suitable printing firms are not so common, and may be more expensive. PDF files should be acceptable to any digital printing firm who produce posters, signs, banners, etc. Mostly such firms use Adobe PDF software, which means the length limit is about 4 metres (4000mm, 13ft) per page, so you may need more than one page for a large layout. All the pages will go in one PDF file. Templot can produce PDF files with pages to any size you like much longer than 13ft, but you would need to find a firm willing to use software other than Adobe. The usual widths offered for roll-paper printing are 24in, 36in, 42in. Ideally you need to find out what the printing firm can do before creating the file from Templot. Click the output > export a file... menu item, which will display this dialog: 1. set the page size required. I suggest you start with a page size say 3000mm long side by 500mm short side and see if your printing firm can print it. You could then try larger sizes later if you want everything on one page. 2. then click the create PDF... button. regards, Martin.

See also this old page of mine: http://templot.com/info/slips.htm Martin.

Hi Paul, You have rather lost me there. Wine does not use any part of any version of Windows. It is its own program which replicates the Windows functions in its own way. Mostly the result looks similar to what Microsoft calls "Classic Windows" -- or at least it does on Ubuntu Linux. Looking at your screenshots I think the same applies on Crossover on a Mac. Wine on other Linux distributions may look different. Having said that, is Crossover offering you a choice of appearance? Sorry I don't know anything about Macs. regards, Martin.