john new

1 hour ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

That's a question that I've been dreading. 

 

Western photographers like me tended to visit China in deepest winter in order to photograph dramatic stem effects - I think minus 40 was the coldest I experienced. But most figures you can buy don't come wearing suitable clothing and I even have a workman with his top off. So let's say it's early Spring. 

 

A personal thing but as there are not smoke machines to produce those dramatic steam effects layouts featuring steam look best set in summer. 

1 hour ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

 I think that kit builders have been very much in a minority for a long time. Increasingly "Fear of Failure" has played a part when it comes to having a go at kit building, while the improved standard of RTR model finish (if not reliability, etc.) has set a standard which few model makers can match. I think there are also other factors in play, such as a desire to belong to the same tribe by acquiring the latest RTR model, almost irrespective of what railway, era, etc. it represents. A look at the topics about the latest RTR product announcements and releases illustrate that.

 

However, for those that enjoy making models, the challenge and satisfaction of creating something that is unique to them, provides lasting pleasure. It can be more about the journey than the destination.

As one who previously hasn’t done much modern kit building the reasons why I haven’t are spread throughout this thread. Most recent I recall is Tony pointing out a boiler was the wrong dimensions. A mental barrier was overcome on a recent Missenden course. I am giving it, I.e., kit building, another go as hopefully I now have enough “bloody mindedness” to take on the inevitable challenges. 

5 minutes ago, black and decker boy said:

Much talk elsewhere that Mr Smith has suggested (in Trackside mag) he may run free trains between FTW and Mallaig 

 

it will be a huge gamble to prod the regulator in such a way and I’d imagine either won’t get a Right Away from NR or will have an ORR inspector with a Prohibition Notice pad waiting for it at the first station stop. The RSR99 guidance published by ORR makes clear the only exemption from ‘fare paying’ is for those in a train support capacity.

 

it could also simply be a stock move for route learning & crew training.

The cynic in me reading that about train support crew has each pax getting issued with a J cloth or sponge and then they get booked on as essential coach cleaning staff. A finger in the air to ORR.

3 hours ago, 11B said:

Err...

 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:62568/2024-04-05/detailed

 

My mate tells me of this shunting into Carnforth this morning of a rake of very shiny mk1's in WCR livery!

 

Anyone any thoughts anyone? Whilst I try and find a photo?

 

Kind regards Ian 

Not exactly keeping to the booked times. I see it is now 77mins late at Crianlarich.

Update. On the move again now and 123 mins late at Rannoch! Not covering themselves in glory.

An early one in railway legislation was the proposed Easton and Church Ope Railway here on the island. Correct spelling of Church Ope is without an H but it got changed by supposedly knowledgeable (Interfering) people in London to the Easton and Church Hope in the approved Act of Parliament. They assumed the local Dorset proposers didn't know their own locality's names!! It is Ope as a short form of opening and there are several such named places in the area. I am sure there are more names elsewhere corrupted the same way and then because of that the error has to stay.

I have never done it but our large club layout in the past had some diode matrix blocks made up by one of our electronics wizards so that you pushed one button and it set up a route. I guess DCC can do the same in today's world.

My method is simple stud and probe. A common from the CDU (as described above) plus a single lead running from each side of the solenoid back to a stud on the mimic diagram. Obviously one stud for each direction. The probe can be anything but for simplicity I used the PECO one and that is the single link back to the CDU. The studs can be anything from a brass panel pin  upwards in size. I used brass paper fasteners opened out with the to the point wire soldered to one of the legs. When you touch the stud with the probe it fires the point the way selected. 

Part wired panel. 3-wire Gaugemaster point cable. Green is the common all wired back to a bus bar. Each lead jto the point motor is just number tagged. (Apologies for the top panel shot being upside down) P5 not wired as the dotted track is a possible extension.

1 hour ago, hmrspaul said:

John

 

The problem for your planning team is that the post steam era is now 55+ years. Many of us have lived through it and know that it is not a single era. The original poster, not unreasonably, mentioned the late 1980s Sectorisation pre privatisation period was missing from the show - and your list proves this. Personally, I also like that period; the triple grey livery, large ownership plaques on locos, actually painting stations and signing many depots all make for an attracive and special time in railway history.

 

Privatisation quickly swept much of it away, but it was an interesting era. It is surprising it apparently is a less popular modelling period. 

 

Paul 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/sector

 

Paul

I don’t disagree Paul but I read the original post as if I had put a ‘grumpy old f**t’ persona  on and started complaining that South Pelaw was set in the BR period and not LNER or any of the earlier periods. IF someone has a layout covering that era that is good enough then offer it to us for a future booking.

4 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

The Association of Independent Museums guidance on trustee recruitment (and some heritage railways are members of AIM) recommends that organisations recruit widely and attempt to fill skills gaps, and that trustee vacancies are properly advertised (though compared to the rest of the private sector it’s slightly different in a charity context where trustees are not paid). That is obviously in tension with the idea of a membership organisation that has traditionally elected its trustees from within its existing membership, which I’ve mentioned earlier in the thread but I’m not sure that’s as relevant here. But the idea as you say is to give a different perspective.

 

In terms of needing insiders as day to day executives I would usually tend to agree, but for a heritage railway who are the ‘insiders’? Lots of them in the past seem to have been run by people who understood railways and were thus insiders in that sense, but didn’t necessarily know much about the wider heritage sector or how to run a tourist attraction, which I’d argue are equally relevant in this context. More recently there have been people who know about those things and come from a museum background but don’t know as much about railways (or engineering?), which in some cases hasn’t worked very well either (though it should work in theory, if they are willing to learn from those around them and to employ people with appropriate technical knowledge).

The one extra I would add is the need for a cross-section of ages. It has been mentioned in other threads about a lack of younger people - they consume things in a different way to those of us who are older (I am 71 so include myself) and as just one example, any nostalgia I have for the things that were around when I was a boy is history to my grandchildren. The oldest of the four is 54 years younger than me, so hardly surprising that with all the changes in life that occurred in the 1980s he sees life differently. Take 54 years off my birthdate and Victoria was still the Queen.

On 01/04/2024 at 07:36, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

I have absolutely no comment to make on this subject whatsoever other than, due to the vagaries of the English language, that sentence could be interpreted in two  completely opposite ways.

 

1. There was a lack of general traders and (on the other hand there were) more specialist stands

 

2. There was a lack of general traders and (also there was a lack of) more specialist stands

A definite (1) and intended.

On 31/03/2024 at 23:56, richierich said:

Thought the show was ok. But for my modelling period BR sector period mid 80 to privatisation didn’t see a layout that represented this increasingly poplar era, which was a bit a disappointment. 

Just an observation posting as myself so please don't read this as an official show post. Do you not find excellent modelling, irrespective of period, company being modelled and/or the scale it is modelled in inspiring? As @johndon posted above Sherton Abbas isn't my choice of scale, era, gauge or company represented but it was definitely worth seeing.

Just flicking through the Show Guide rather than relying on memory:-

• Stand 73 Hillport Goods (Blue diesels)
• Stand 75 Kensington Olympia (Blue diesels)
• Stand 78 Victoria (? era but IIRC was post steam)
• Stand 79 Kyle of Macallan (A bit earlier than you specify but also post-steam)
• Stand 80 Bluish (Circa 1980 blue era so also post-steam)
• Stand 105 Bristol Avon Bridge (Blue diesels)
• Stand 115 Effingham Street (Blue diesels)

I think we had circa 40 layouts so the 8 above are 1/5th of the total with Deadmans Lane, Back 'ut Shed, Oil Drum Lane and Queen's Road Depot  all set in the nearer to, or actual, contentempory era. That is 12, or roughly a quarter set in the post steam era as were also some of the N G and non-UK based layouts.  

There is just no pleasing some folks.

On 01/04/2024 at 12:16, Chris M said:

Did you know it gets difficult to hire a van when you are over 70? That's what we found at Warley. Apologies for letting York down on this one.

Enterprise, one of the bigger van hire suppliers, do not have an age 70 cut off.  I have checked that formally with them as I am now over 70 and part of our AA Relay cover includes 3-days of car hire if needed. There is one of their rental sites close enough to our home base to make a hire from them practical. They also have better hire time options too than some of their competitors. No connection with them other than as a satisfied previous, and possibly future, customer.

6 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

That could have been done on purpose as I've definitely seen other examples of that on things like rail chairs.

 

Unfortunately trying to Google it and they are trying to sell me tickets for rear facing seats in Coach E!

 

 

Jason

It is the one at the back of the coach repair shed. 

On 10/11/2021 at 15:14, TravisM said:

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned here before but I wonder if there are many who are becoming a little disenchanted with DCC sound?  When it first came out, I was all for it and everything had to be sound fitted, but recently I've found it quite distracting.  I went to a friends house recently and he has a fair number of loco's, all fitted with sound and when we finished the running session, I was left with a headache.

 

I will admit that the quality of decoders, sound files and speakers has improved leaps and bounds compared to stuff released as recently as 10 years ago, so I have no issues there.  I just find that the default volume is set a little too high and if the loco stalls for whatever reason, the decoder usually has to go through the start up process.  I'm the first to admit that DCC sound has a rightful place but after watching several of Tony Wright's YouTube video's of Little Bytham, it's a joy to just watch the train running and listening to the clickity clack as it passes by.

Interesting thread. I am in the camp of tried it on a few diesels but not convinced it is worth it. One reason is that as I am not a trained driver of the real thing I don't know enough about the full size diesels to be able to appropriately utilise several of the function things the model comes with. Steam, not yet heard one that convinces me to trial it. I am buying locos now with DCC onboard but am still borderline as to whether I prefer it to my older DC control. Advantages on a roundy roundy with acceleration curves etc., but analogue far better for me on my shunting plank. 

The wartime cast water column at Pickering has a backwards E.

8 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Something to keep in mind is that manager is not a synonym for leader. A leader provides, well, leadership. That generally includes some sort of vision, inspiring and enthusing people and setting the tone for an organisation. One of the problems I always found with British business was they had plenty of managers but few leaders. 

 

On charities, one of the things I always found eye opening when I worked in London was to look at the offices of charities, not for profit outfits and unions. Lots of expensive office space,  and I don't expect those filling  the floor space are volunteers. Now clearly an organisation reaches a point where it needs office space and paid staff, but does it have to be in expensive parts of the most expensive city in the country?

Re-office locations in London. To some extent yes due to the need for lobbying etc. I qualify that with “to some extent” as I doubt it has to be in the most expensive bits, the extras quite as lavish etc.

31 minutes ago, Market65 said:

Good evening, everyone. Firstly, many thanks, Mick, for the photo’ of the rebuilt B16, at Hessle Haven, which is a most atmospheric photo’. 

 

Now, this evening we, we have four photo’s to enjoy seeing, thanks to John Turner, roger5450, David Scott, and Andy Hughes.

 

The first photo’ is a view of 9F, 92239, and B1, 61017, amongst others, at Hull Dairycoates, on the 25th February, 1967.

 

 

Next we have a photo’ of WD "Austerity" 8F 2-8-0 90009 at Dairycoates MPD - c1966.

 

...... snipped .....

 

Does any one know what the square cut out in the bottom right corner of 9F cabs was for?  There was was one on Evening Star in the NRM for ages but I noted last time I was in there that a blocker plate has been welded in and overpainted now in green. 

2 hours ago, Mike 84C said:

I was there on Sunday and as is often the case Tony was very busy!! Good to see him promoting our hobby. The morning was busy but by early afternoon  people seemed to be drifting away which made looking at layouts much easier.

  As always a good show and one I try to attend.

  The organizers deserve congratulations!

Pretty much the typical attendance spread. It always surprises me at any show that more of the people who only spend their half-day at the show don't come in the afternoon. Family attendance also typically higher on the Monday - as a finger in the air gauge of that we had a max of eleven step stools out on hire at a peak on Monday and no more than six at a time on the other two days,

3 hours ago, adb968008 said:

I heard this rumour last week, and it seems its become a reality…

Monday and Tuesday next week, operated by LSL FTW-Mallaig

 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U07998/2024-04-08/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U07999/2024-04-08/detailed

 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U08000/2024-04-08/detailed
 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U08001/2024-04-08/detailed

 

😀

37667 leading the ecs today…

 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U07997/2024-04-03/detailed#allox_id=0

I wonder how many Harry Potter fans will show up to see this ?…

 

This is the test those rooting for LSL are waiting for… is a Scotrail 37 and mk3’s a sellable product to Mallaig, as reality is that and a Pacer is all LSL currently has spare… is it a jolly train, test train, railtour, a way of sticking the knife in, who knows… But whatever it is the ORR/NR can tick a box that says someone else can run a compliant heritage train up there, even if later it was seen that no one wanted to ride it. (my Mossel Bay comment re Knysna comes to mind).

 

(url link to Andrewstransport smug mug page).

 

No sign of a southbound working yet.

 

 

 

Whether or not they are Harry Potter fans is, I suspect, secondary to the haulage being steam. If riders, not watchers, then for some the desire is also to ride in stock within which you can hear the locomotive.  This is a heritage ride with HP related bonuses. IF there are more diesel enthusiasts than a declining pool of now probably mostly elderly steam fans it will work as the (probably only a few) who ride the train for the views won't mind either way. The issue regarding the along for the scenery pax is will they pay a premium for better coaches?

Lost property

One significant item - a piece of ladies jewelry. 

A couple of other items.

• A glove (probably a man's) dropped on set up day. Only mentioned as with leather protective patches you might want it back.
• A small note book. (Address/contacts?)

The usual if you give us a description as confirmation we can return it. All other items that were handed in were reclaimed over the show period.

On 31/03/2024 at 20:03, john new said:

From the York Show - A lost property update: late on this afternoon we had a pack of loco building fitments handed in. Despite announcing it they were unclaimed at the end of the day. If you think they may be yours PM me a description and we can arrange to post them on. 
 

Apologies for the cross post but given the specialist nature of the items the purchaser may well be a reader of this thread. 
 

Owner has claimed them. A good win.

Good local press coverage - https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/24224217.york-model-railway-show-easter-york-racecourse/

On 01/04/2024 at 11:19, Mallard60022 said:

Struggling with this one about (adopt sad and lonely voice) "...went to the show and nothing attracted my attention etc..."

Uh! Really? Even if there wasn't a Layout based in 1985 or 1885 or whatever it was, you saw nowt that was interesting?

What the ### have people go to do to make you smile?

 

Anyway, thanks for the comments and especially the great photo's. Absolutely amazing

Mr. Ididn'tseeaBulleidPacificbutIdon'tcare.

You obviously weren’t looking hard enough, at least two on the Lego layout. Winston Churchill and Taw Valley. 
 

Update - this post has been misread, it should have had a smiley face as it was meant in humourous support of the post quoted.

Thank you to all attendees.

The Show Directors thank everyone who attended over the weekend, be that in any capacity towards making it work, or as one of the paying public. A fantastic show now completed, thank you.

The website will be updated either tomorrow or Wednesday as time permits. There were two items of unclaimed lost property and details will follow. If you think they might be yours add a comment below.

Now the countdown to Easter 2025 and our 60th event begins. As our founder, Mike Cook, described it “the show that never ends”.

The show is now over. The big break down is under way. We hope everyone gets home safely.

We will be back for Easter 2025. A big thank you to everyone who came in any capacity.