PatB

On 19/04/2024 at 01:12, Hacksworth_Sidings said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/156166243218?

 

I don’t remember the Deltics wearing red… Certainly an interesting repaint, could defo do with being reverted to BR green though…

 

Currently 22 quid. Doesn't actually seem too bad for a Dublo Deltic. It's not like the original Dublo paintjob was particularly complex to reproduce, so it could be a nice piece for someone not totally obsessed with originality.

I've always thought the Ratio loco kits were a laudable effort to offer a loco kit that was as "easy" to put together as a plastic rolling stock kit, for a relatively affordable price (metal kits being expensive). Unfortunately, in practice they seem to have showed why conventional loco kits were/are how they were/are.

On 09/07/2021 at 16:29, GoingUnderground said:

The product description in that link "Molotow Belton Premium Spray Paints were developed with advice from the world's most famous street artists." makes it sound that they're great for graffiti work with excellent adherence to stone, brick, and concrete, not to mention equipment cabinets, etc.. So that must make them ideal for repainting the Dublo buildings. 

 

Molotow Belton is not a brand that I've ever heard of, but then I'm not familiar with the art world. Daler Rowney and Cumberland Derwent are my limit. 

I've used Molotow, and other "street art" paints on (legitimate) mural projects and been very impressed. They stick like crazy to pretty much anything, with no more preparation than a blast with a pressure washer, and seem to last very well. I recently drove past one of our projects that's now 8 years old, and it's still looking good. The colour choice is excellent, too, and includes shades that don't appear in more "conventional" ranges. Well worth a look. 

3 hours ago, DougN said:

I don't disagree with you Pat but the last 2 that I purchased were $54 AUD which works out at 29 quid which matches the UK pretty close (28quid on hattons) but as you say they only get 10% back on GST and then add the postage on. Like you said they have to "really want them". 

The traders that have them in stock are:

Branchline.com.au (no only ordering but they will post) 

Metrohobbies.com.au- online ordering

Frontlinehobbies.com.au

 

(I am only a customer of these and have no other connection) 

2 hours ago, SRman said:

 

While chatting to Doug yesterday, I looked on Metro Hobbies website, and not only were the existing coaches $AUS54, but the ones with lights are able to be pre-ordered, and cost just $1 more than the ones without lights. 

Interesting. I admit that it's been some time since I bothered to look at Oz retail pricing, as it had always seemed to follow the usual Australian situation, for any goods out of the mainstream, of poor range and swingeing markups. Perhaps the distributors and retailers have caught up with the Internet era and are adjusting to the realisation that their markets are no longer captive, and it's better to have a small cut of something than a larger cut of nothing. 

27 minutes ago, DougN said:

Just a heads up to all of those that have missed the coaches in the UK. Australia has received a large shipment. So if you are looking for specific liveries it is worth checking out Australian retailers. I have picked up over the last 2 weeks a train of NBR carriages. 

Although given typical Australian model railway pricing, and the cost of shipping back to the UK, someone is going to have to really want them. 

22 minutes ago, PenrithBeacon said:

While I can understand the point about efficiency, I think the point here is about carbon footprint and the environmental effect of extracting Lithium. The carbon footprint of EV is 18% less than ICE but the expansion of surface transportation will soon remove that advantage. There is a need for something better.

Indeed, I have long suspected that there may be insufficient harvestable energy, and other necessary resources, to sustainably provide widespread powered personal transport at anything above the level of an ebike. 

On 08/07/2021 at 19:48, adb968008 said:

Thats a super complicated looking loo…

 

They must be expecting some industrial sized business.

 

In Thailand they had the solution back in 2003… just open the door, lock yourself in,   do your business in an oil drum, then put some sand on top of it for the next person.

 

End of line, roll out the drum.

It's not a completely daft idea, and, given a degree of user discipline (so not in public service, then) isn't as uncivilised as you might think. Google "composting toilet" or "dessicating toilet". Such systems are becoming increasingly popular on boats, where discharge of waste is becoming similarly unacceptable, and where a traditional marine toilet dumping overboard also carries a significant risk of sinking your vessel if it goes wrong or is misused. 

13 hours ago, 30801 said:

 

I assume their figures were for a typical average. It's 80kg of hydrogen per 24hr however many kWh that takes to produce.

 

I was reading some article about hydrogen combustion (!) engines which described hydrogen as 'abundant' like it's just laying around for you to hoover up and put in your tank.

 

Well, in a way it is, at least anywhere with plentiful water. The basic chemistry of electrolysis is neither complex nor new. The tricks are obtaining the energy to split the water molecules, and then compression and storage of useful quantities without (a) blowing yourself up or (b) wasting most of it by leakage.

16 hours ago, kevinlms said:

The AA man one looks expensive and he'll get a kick up the backside for that. Ought to have guessed what might happen. A call to the control centre would of had them keep the barrier up.

 

I know a women who had her car severely damaged (half the electronics blown up), when she had the RACV out to jump start her car. He managed to connect the helper battery incorrectly. Of course he denied it, by trying to make out that was why the car didn't start before he got there.

The evidence showed otherwise and after a while the RACV coughed for repairs.

I gave up on the RAC here when I realised that their patrol guys knew less about my vehicles than I did and, yes, were likely to actively endanger expensive electronics. The towing service was handy a couple of times, but as my vehicles have become newer and more reliable, the necessity has dropped off. If I were to chuck the annual subs into a pot, I'd easily accumulate enough to cover a (massively overpriced) private tow on the rare occasions it might be needed.

On 06/07/2021 at 08:33, DavidB-AU said:

 

Dave Callan does a nutter routine. The short version: there's always one nutter on the bus/train. If you can't work out who it is, it's you.

 

As the designated shopper in the B household, I used to notice that every supermarket contained, at any one time, at least one old guy who shuffled around grumbling and swearing to himself. Then, for some time, I didn't seem to see such folk anything like  as often. It puzzled me until, a year or so ago, I realised why.

Perfect for one of those CJ Freezer main line tailchasers with a 3 coach platform capacity and turntable(s) for Pacifics. 

Probably knackered. Replacements are now so cheap that, if you (mentally) charge your time at any kind of reasonable rate it's probably not even worth taking it for repair, let alone opening it up for a look yourself. 

The thing with cordless drill-drivers is that, big ones particularly, produce so much glorious torque, that it's dead easy to overload them on a regular basis without them complaining. At least until something finally haemorrhages and all the magic smoke comes out. 

On 07/07/2021 at 01:47, montyburns56 said:

Woooo, it's a ghost train!

 

BR Class 12 15231 - Tilcon Quarry, Rylstone 1980 by Martyn Hilbert

 

 

 

Did it die of silicosis? 

17 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

In the middle of a day with the car sitting out in the Australian sun in 45 degree days, the blast of hot air as you open the door is enough to instantly dry  your eyeballs and every drop of moisture from your body. My phone will shut itself down from overheating  in the first couple of minutes after I've put it in its holder but I've found leather seats are less an issue than the leather bound steering wheel and gearstick. Trying to steer by just quickly tapping the wheel with  fingertips for the few minutes it takes the airconditioning to cool the steering wheel is a bit hairy.

 

Can't compare though to the non air-conditioned 1970s when our parents cars had vinyl seats. I've left the skin on the back of my thighs fused to many a 1970s Holden back seat after a day at the beach. My dad wouldn't let us put our damp towels down to sit on as protection in case the salt water ruined his fancy vinyl. The day he finally installed fluffy leopard print seat covers was  a truly joyful one. 

Ah, the hot car in the Australian sun. Back when I was a glorified sales rep, schlepping around the WA Goldfields, in summer I'd return to the trusty Commodore after a lengthy site visit and get in quite happily, because, in the 60-odd degree interior, all the zillion flies that were hanging around me would cook in their little exoskeletons and fall out of the air. Hah! This is why evolution gave me internal temperature regulation you little buzzers. 

1 hour ago, GS85 said:

This listing has puzzled me

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274849186362?hash=item3ffe49c23a:g:qgEAAOSwB3dg2hlm

 

When I open the listing I get a brief flash of something that looks like a price list for the individual items, but it disappears as the page loads and I can't seem to get it back. My conclusion is that it's a legit(ish) listing but isn't working for some reason. 

13 hours ago, jonny777 said:

I don't know if ghosts are aliens playing tricks, but I don't believe sound recordist Peter Handford was prone to making up stories. 

 

My guess would be the evening shift guy who, for reasons of his own, didn't want to go home immediately on knock off and, instead, preferred to sit watching the trains go by for a while, presumably without his supervisors' knowledge.

15 hours ago, Reorte said:

That's because you're not persuasive that they're relevant, meaningful questions. Steel's completely irrelevant to this discussion.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Horseman#Thunder_Stone

 

Interesting link. Whilst I think it's unlikely that "The Ancients" would have made and used ball bearings, I do consider it entirely plausible that, given a source of suitable material, large objects could have been moved on a thin bed of pea gravel (hence my comment on ancient undertanding of friction and lubrication) and/or finely ground mud.

Whilst it's not 1000T, this might be a good demonstration of moving heavy loads with limited gear.

Maybe we just need to recognise that ancient peoples were very smart jackleg engineers, capable of doing quite remarkable things with the tools, materials and equipment at their disposal. And a good understanding of the basic machines (lever, inclined plane, wheel/roller), and the principles of friction and lubrication.

And time, of course. If you've multiple generations to work in, you don't need to do a big lift in one go. If it takes you 10 years of jacking and packing, so what? Your successors will take it from where you left off.

11 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Yes, as long as one knows how to correctly read them and what the ratings actually mean, especially regarding protection from over voltage on your device.

 

As for using computer power supplies (often advocated here), the ratings for these are quite scary and will fry much model railway equipment, without a hiccup, let alone a fart.

True. Attention to overcurrent protection is important if using computer PSUs, but needn't be over-complex. 12V bulbs, polyswitches, fuses and mechanical circuit breakers (depending on preference) are all cheaply and easily available. 

However, in the context of the thread, I was more thinking of stuff like phone chargers, small printer and scanner supplies and the like. A quick rummage through the discarded tech drawer suggests that typical maximum outputs are between 0.5A and 1A at whatever voltage, so not too frightening, but ample for running most accessories. As they're essentially free, it's not a major problem if you need to plug 3-4 of them into a gang socket to run several individual items. In such a case their lowish outputs assist in avoiding high currents anywhere. 

On 02/07/2021 at 03:34, AncientMariner said:

Another example of a heavy load going wrong!

My apologies to any who have seen this before.

John

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=DROPPED+LOCO+OFF+SHIP&view=detail&mid=3FF32D7A78DA7D337C063FF32D7A78DA7D337C06&FORM=VIRE

 

That'll be turning up on Ebay shortly, with 3 blurry photos and a description of "as new, never used".

Speaking of sleepers and small Fords, I've always thought it should be fairly simple to build an Anglia 1500GT (or even a Lotus-Anglia) using all Ford parts, given that where a 1200 pre-Xflow Kent will go, a 1500 should fit fairly seamlessly. Indeed, did Ford miss a trick by not doing so? Although, I suppose, they didn't get seriously into factory performance models until the Escort.

On 02/07/2021 at 03:50, Wickham Green too said:

The one in the second post was built by Birmingham ....... would the W.D. have needed enough vans to buy from two builders or are the 'boxes swapsies ?

Given that the photo linked upthread is dated 1917, I suspect the WD would have been requiring a vast number of vans at the time, and, given the strictures of wartime production, the wagon builders' production capacity may well have been limited. I think it's quite plausible that the WD may have needed to go to 2 builders. Not saying they did, just that it's plausible.

One of the useful aspects of the tech revolution is the vast surplus of old wall-warts of various outputs, leading to an almost infinite supply of small power sources, available for free from friends, family and ones own stash, or for pennies from any junk/charity shop. All nicely marked with output voltage and max current rating. Very handy.

Was an element in Triang's success also that they (or the parent, Lines) were, at the time, a huge company with many product lines?

Meccano Ltd, as far as I'm aware, had Meccano, Dublo, Dinky and the last, limping remnants of their 0 gauge range. Nothing much else springs to mind, although I daresay Meccano experts are aware of other ventures. Triang/Lines, OTOH, had trains (with far more accessories, like OHLE, lineside kits and scenic materials), 3 flavours of slot-car (Scalextric, Minic and, IIRC, Magicar, aimed at younger children), prams, tricycles, diecast cars (was it Spot-On?), probably a Lego clone (everyone seemed to be trying that in the 60s) and no doubt any number of things I can't remember.

Such diversification would have been useful in weathering downturns in the toy train market, especially that caused by the slot-car explosion in the early 60s, as a significant amount of lost sales in Triang Railways would simply have moved across to Scalextric, keeping the company's overall sales roughly constant.