hayfield

Prior to me starting out on my 3D track building journey I thought for old times sake I would have one last go at ply and rivet track building, so started a new thread

Before I get too involved with printing 3D turnouts I thought I would have another go at ply and rivet turnout construction. Firstly I have all the gear, not only timbers, sleepers and rivets but 3 Protofour rivet building presses ( two mk1/2 and one Mk3) greedy yes but very much time saving as one press punches 2 holes, another closes 2 rivets a third punches a single hole A Mk 1/2 Protofour press, with the hole punching die set on double holes, timber strip, rivets and Bill Bedford etched slide and special chair plates First up is to cut all the timbers and fit them on to a plan using very thin double sided tape placed under the rivet positions Where two rails are close together I marked where the single rivet should be punched A couple of photos of the Protofour hole punch with the double hole punch fitted A timber with holes punched with brass rivets Same timber with the rivets fitted and closed up All rivets in place ready for the rails

Mine arrived 20 mins ago

Its quite easy not to use it, but at the last service we were not warned about the battery condition, apparently its common problem with most cars using the system, but the car has so many inbuilt driving features the demand for power is much greater than older cars. the + battery lead is actually several leads all quite bulky, nothing like the old days when there was one lead on each terminal. Having said this the engine compartments used to have space in them to allow the owner to work on the engine, I dropped the bracket on to the engine floor pan, no way could I get at it without a ramp. Thankfully the car was in for a recall and the garage kindly retrieved and fitted it Its 2 years newer than my Micra (same mid range model) and a totally different car. I like the auto headlight dip feature, very useful as living in a rural area

Brian Where is the layout ?. a very nice looking loco well done

If it works and only cost £11 it must be a good buy I have now fallen into the mentality of comparing todays prices with what I paid many years ago, just had to replace my wife's Micra's battery thinking it would cost £50. Had a shock when was charged £180 +, trouble is her car has a start stop facility, which needs an appropriate battery. Which I am informed will get battered by the start stop system So on the value aspect certainly a good buy. But sometimes we have to push the boat out to get something and if its rare then again it can be seen as a good buy

Its not only changing model makers buy modelling materials and processes/methods etc However they (Pendon) were demonstrating at Scalefourm this year. They were using the same building methods that they were using 50 years ago. Plywood box, with eggcrate lattice work and cardboard buildings which drop into building footprint holes. The method is exactly the same as I saw when I first visited Pendon 50 years ago, as are the standards. No doubt materials have changed slightly over time, and perhaps some of the newer processes are included. From my understanding the Dartmoor scene was built to EM 18mm standards, the Vale is built to 18.2 gauge

Martyn I have just been given a book titled "Branchline To Upwell" I look forward to understanding the line as I know very little

John Up to the split away from PayPal I used PayPal more of a savings account where I kept funds from what I sold to pay for items I brought. After the split eBay required my bank details (to send the proceeds of my sales to and my credit card to pay for what I buy. As I clear my credit card each month it actually giver me free credit for up to a month, payments from my sales are paid normally within 24 hours. So a very satisfactory system for me The only issue I have is that I gave my main account rather than my savings account (my fault not theirs), so once a month I have to reconcile ins and outs on my spread sheet and transfer excess amounts one way or another. Sounds much worse than it is. As my eBay purchases are mainly up grading my collection, but also selling off surplus items I have accumulated I tend to spend less than I sell these days. In fact I have even stopped looking for upgrades lately as my current focus is leaning towards 3D printing. But I have found the migration to this new method very easy to both use and monitor. But I have always found eBay to be very fair on the few occasions I have had to ask for assistance.

JJB1970 Like all things if we were starting again it would be different, but a lot has changed since they were built

I am sorry but here again not reading others posts, there is according spare capacity for passenger (Eurostar) through the tunnel But no one other than you is looking for additional services to Garde du Nord other than Eurostar who want a monopoly/strangle hold on international traffic It would be nice to see through trains to Zurich and Milan, though from Zurich to Milan from memory is not High speed. In a couple of years or so there will be the new hide speed line to Turin. I guess there are those wishing to go North and North East St Pancras has 6 platforms and on average 1.5 trains depart every hour, this is where your precious productivity could help, but I expect the normal actors would be against it The bucket is half full and can easily topped up if the will is there

Report them to eBay and ask for your refund to be returned, as to me I would not trust them if this is how they respond

As for first impressions recently after checking all the financial data properly, rather than having the worst growth in Europe we were one of the better. So its quite likely many of the other things being quoted are actually wrong. In the past 8 years we have travelled a similar route to Italy 4 times, so hardly first impressions. We dont have tented villages for the homeless in the middle of London. On a short Road trip there were several and we were going through central Paris. In contrast the Euston Road area which used to be one of depravation. Looking at the areas trains go through in central London again is nothing like French cities and towns. Italy now seems to be a bit more run down, not first impressions just observation. And also having a chat with staff None of this is on topic and I think Ron Ron summed it up perfectly in one of his replies Back on topic, yes it would be a great idea to have competition from St Pancras on rail routes through Europe There is room for more passenger trains in the schedule As for turning round trains, where there is a will they will find a way, at the moment its cheaper to do nothing Yes better passenger facilities would be nice and if passenger growth is expected no doubt a solution will be found Look for positives and ways to make it better, rather than be stuck in the past

I have not been abroad for 5 years and was shocked at what I saw in and around Paris, the number of rough sleepers was a shock to the system and the whole atmosphere seemed downbeat. Like wise in Italy, granted we were a bit further south than before, but its far less prosperous than I remember. 6 weeks ago I had several chats with a lovely Italian, he and his family lived in Liverpool for over 10 years, a while back they decided to return to what they thought was their home, but it was not the same. By now the family are back in the UK living and working in Blackpool. Simply there are far more opportunities in the UK for Mick and his family . Despite what many say the vast majority get on with each other.

If we have no customs at St Pancras where can you declare the goods you have goods on you which you have to legally declare and pay duty on ? Now we are not part of the EU we have allowances for goods we can import without paying UK duty. Sadly it seems no one either like me could not be bothered to bring back anything, or like cheating the system. No wonder the poor chap looked so bored With the advent of not being a smoker for the past 20 years I have no need to bring in cigarettes taxed at a lower rate, and its just too much trouble carrying wine and spirits, especially as our supermarkets have a good range of decent wine and spirits. I am glad we never needed you in the home guard days with your anti British stance. As for fortress Britain it has not existed for years, governments keep very little information of who comes in and none of who leaves. And the majority of us just put up with it,

On my last inward journey, the UK customs seemed completely disinterested in any of the passengers. Three were chatting with each other a forth seemed to be trying to have a nap. I guess most custom activity is intelligence led and when things are quiet they make themselves visible As for the concessions, these should like at airports , areas for travellers use prior to entering the departure lounge or going onward in the UK. As for extra space, like Garde du Nord go upwards, plenty of space there As I said earlier the only obstacle was a non working travellator which we all overcame once sense prevailed As you say most countries including the EU have migration rules, having just been through and back we had no issues at all either way. An aside is that the night porter at our hotel told us that he and his family will be moving back to the UK ( they are Italian and lived in Liverpool for 10 yrs plus**as he has a job to go to in Blackpool and a place to live. Employment prospects are far better in the UK than Italy, seems that going back home was not what they were expecting/hoped for. Wherever you are things can always be better. * When needed he had a great scouse accent and kept us all amused.

Why don't you look up the Eurostar website, as read their advice. Using the facilities at the station is putting cash into it and helping keeping it going, thanks for the advice on saving money, I rather turn up with time to spare and use the facilities which have been so thoughtfully been provided I must thank you very much for paying your taxes, and for providing my OAP and NHS treatment, I think you will be happy to know I still pay taxes too (so you are not the only person paying them) and I paid my NI contributions for every week from when I left school at 15 till I was 65, As it is I think the state pension is generous when compared with many around the world, and whilst for many years I had no need for the NHS, in my later years and to date they have been very good to me. Like the great mass I pay my own way and my taxes, which as you say goes to pay for other public facilities, but looks like we all should have paid a bit more into the education budget. Still I think the Eurostar service is great and look forward to using it again, and thanks to all who made our last journey so pleasant. Far better than my local airports.

In my opinion we all to some extent share many of the traits of several conditions, which I expect are areas where some are affected greatly while others tend to just ignore things. Many women complain men cannot multi task, I guess they are just better at it. Some of my friends hated to play golf on their own, I loved playing with others, but got just as much pleasure playing on my own. My dad always jumped when a loud unexpected noise occurred, mum put it down to when he had an accident and lost part of his finger. I do get annoyed with loud or sudden unexpected noises, but love being is a noisy football crowd. I did the 10 second test and to be frank I could easy have ticked any of the 3 boxes in most questions. I like maths but am useless at spelling, I dont know whether its seeing patens but I know when something does not add up, I was in negotiation with BT over my telephone/internet package, I wanted the same deal a new customer would get and knew when the numbers differed, similarly when discussing a financial product we have could see the amount we had in fixed interest was not the required 0.25% as required as it was over 2.5%. I used to advise on mortgages I could instantly recognise if the numbers I was being given were good value, I don't think I could see patens, just had a second sense of whether it was right(Ish) This is not to belittle anyone but to say we are all much the same but individually different, In my past work I enjoyed working with two people who had learning difficulties, they both were excellent employees, as you always knew the job would get done. My issue is that I just cannot spell, my wife on the other hand is the opposite, always reading and a great speller, but finds arithmetic difficult. But is a great saver unlike me

Mike I agree with you about beyond London, I dont think we have any easy joined up services ? As for another international hub, I think there are possibilities and it needs a bit of imagination to solve the issues. If they can be resolved what a great set of opportunities could arrive. Orient Express for all ?

I said turn up early at the station, not the departure lounge As for Eurostar services, they should be dealt with exactly the same as ports and airports, paid for buy the companies providing the services which come from them selling tickets/providing a service. Why should UKPLC suberise my holiday ? I get fed up with those wanting a free ride with the government subsidising everything.

Its exactly the same as all the airports I have used and its not having it both ways My own example was on our trip to Italy using Rail Discoveries Both Eurostar and Rail Discoveries recommend arriving at the station up to 2 hours before departure. Our departure was 8 am, we checked in at the Rail Discoveries some time after 6, once we had a quick chat with the rep we went off for coffee and sat down knowing we had arrived at the station on time Eurostar stated the gates opened at 7am and were to close 30 mins before departure, we noticed that M&S were allowing customers in early, so we brought some nibbles, walked up to Eurostar gates at 7am, there were no queues and we went straight in and were in the departure lounge fully checked within a few mins. Plenty of space to sit and wait, though a lot of queuing for refreshments at the concessions. Boarding was well ordered and were seated long before the departure time I had no expectations of being let in the departure lounge early, but had planned to have a coffee and bun for breakfast at one of the many cafe's. I would have done the same at an airport which is to comply with the system as it seems most of the other passengers did. Ample seating in the station prior to entering the Eurostar lounge and again once we were let in As I said the biggest issue on our last journey was the rolling road not working, which in itself was not an issue, but one passenger not overloaded the baggage trolley, but the trolley was doing its job in gripping the walkway. A few of us helped out by grabbing an extra bag and carrying them to the bottom. as I said no issue at all once sense and being helpful prevailed The border staff is nothing to do with St Pancras of UK Border Force, its the French that is the issue, sadly all the goodwill of St Pancras and Eurostar staff will not alter a thing if the French border staff will not play ball. Which is surprising as Eurostar is a French owned company !!! In the end their wages are paid by the passengers using the service

Phil Firstly I doubt if the extra trains are going to Paris Several replies here state there are more pathways for Eurostar than being used Passenger control at busy times could easily be avoided by better passenger flow As for cleaning more people would get the train cleaned quicker, I guess the problem has been down to lower passenger numbers recently If the overcrowding persists people will stop using the service, so I assume managers will be working on putting this right We had a problem with the travellator on the return journey as it was not working and a passenger was unsuccessfully trying to take a trolley down it with the wheels gripping the floor. The issue was inattentive station staff not doing their jobs in both not helping and not turning the travellator back on. But in the end a very minor inconvenience, which was easily dealt with Eurostar services need people with both vision and the will to improve things, its a great asset to our country and one which could be used better

Firstly the UK government should pay nothing towards increasing anything at St Pancras just as they pay nothing to increase any major airport, plus there is no UK passport control at St Pancras. To date there has been no need to increase services at St Pancras as the amount of services has reduced, half the time there is only 1 train per hour, the other half 2 trains The only queues I encountered this year were at the catering establishments One year there was overcrowding, this was caused by train departure delays following a train breakdown overnight If the departure lounge gets overcrowded, simply too many customers are being let in too early. There is a simple solution restrict how early passengers can enter the departure lounge As for missing a train unless there is a technical fault, like all international departures (air, boat, train) the standard advice is to arrive in plenty of time. After all of the scare stories on this thread I was amazed at how easy, quick and trouble free it was !!! There are 26 departures in 17 hours is a maximum of 2 trains departing per hour according to the timetable, hardly a lot !!! ( these numbers have increased since August, as the 1st service then was 8 am) There are 6 platforms available enough for 4 services 2-3 hours worth !! If greater services are needed staff numbers will increase to turn round trains quicker As for Garde du Nord the additional services will not go there The busier the terminal gets the revenue and passengers will increase, so there will be far more to spend on facilities (a bigger lounge) and staff. Given the decline in retail and office space I guess there are areas which the terminal can expand into. No need to increase border force checks as they are done in France !!! Any decent business looks for growth, if London to Paris is saturated, then open up different routes

Phil I dont doubt the reason you stated is correct in as much as Eurostar communications. But I have been to Italy and back in the late summer. At St Pancras the only queues I met at 7am was one person in front of me at the security scanner and one person (my wife) in front of me at passport control. Garde du Nord was busier a bit, but it took less than 15 mins to check in, go through 2 sets of passport control and then tunnel security. I have heard moves are afoot to speed up the UK check in further, but at St Pancras I waited longer in M&S than Eurostar. Eurostar are not using their full allocation of travel slots, so there are train spaces available. And the odd extra train will not need "massive" expansion. Two scanners in use now are/were designed for a larger number of trains, and 1 extra scanner will give an extra 50% increase of flow for a few extra square yards of space, from memory plenty of additional check in machines were not being used and not all passport booths manned. I think at most less than an extra train an hour could be accommodated through the tunnel after reading on this thread what those in the know have said As for additional pickup stations on both sides, certainly in France it would work better for onward TGV travel, as for Ebbsfleet and Ashford they are both limited to what services they connect with. Stratford may be better in that it connects with the Elisabeth line

Not a short walk for 2 elderly travellers with large suite cases !!