HAL 'O THE WYND

RAR is called David, too, isn't he. I'm easily enough confused as it is, without you nicking quotes from other posts.

I love the shot against the light in 4579. When the layout is more established you'll get some really atmospheric shots there.

It makes Peco-heads like me look pathetic. Still, my layout fills a 12 x 16' room, I'm a bit too old (and cash-strapped) to change. For a shunting plank? But then I might go to *EM. Choices! Hal EDIT *No I wouldn't - it would be a waste of too many lovely locos.

Nothing surprises me these days, Allan. My daughter put her house up for rent when she moved into her partner's place, so she cancelled her household insurance... but they kept taking the money. Eventually, they agreed they were at fault and said they'd pay her back. Now, both she and us used Municipal and Mutual (Names Named) so what a surprise when they put her money into our account! Computers, the old "sh1t in sh1t out" And there are NO consequences for the employees who make these digital mistakes. Regarding that post, though, I would tell Andy Y. because someone is using your name and RMweb account to post their stuff. OK, it's your Picasa pictures, but that isn't the point. Just mention the number of my detailed post - #4763 - and leave it with him. I would, for your security. Cheers, Hal EDIT Unless, of course, somewhere along the line you ticked a box giving them permission...

Morning, Andy, That sounds like a very interesting way to "break into the blue." A green one with sound, a blue without: simple, occasional bodyshell swap - and the best of both worlds. As someone whose pocket is strictly limited, this could a very valuable notion across the board. Here's something silly. I have two identical 25s with sound. I was going to change numbers prior to weathering. In the meantime, I called them, Gog and Magog, and removed the coupling from different ends. The layout goods-yard exists between north and south bridges, and the layout is an oval. So, one loco propels some wagons into position *A* for example, then disappears beyond a bridge, from which IT(?) appears again, seconds later, and propels them in another direction. Shunting completed, one loco emerges and couples onto the contrived train and pulls it out. It works best with ovals as you can dash from one end to the other, but it's shunting without coupling. This is a gross oversimplification of the activity, and I'm sure others must have done it before me, but it is *amusing - to me, anyway! Hal EDIT * My layout is designed with a *Watch the Trains Go By* function - on the main lines anyway - so much so that the up and down fast are fixed rakes of MK1s, only altered in detail: dining, buffet, different brakes, etc. This would be thought of as horrific, by most people, while I view having fiddle-yards full of carriages as horrific, and a waste of space. My entire layout is centred around carriage sidings, marshalling, goods yards and a coal yard. Local passengers are made up from the yards, and all freight, etc, arrives and departs as trains that have been shunted, to build the trains that would have needed a fiddle yard. I do have a "pause space" beneath a scenic section, where these trains can rest ill they re-emerge, but otherwise I enjoy the old-fashioned version of ovals - you cannot see what is behind you so it doesn't exist. Radical? Probably many will dismiss it as the grossest of playing trains, but when I look at some mainline layouts and see the tens of thousands of pounds worth of stock, to me it's a waste of space and a waste of money. I love shunting, and I shunt trains with thirty vans/wagons (Very carefully propelled with the bloody awful basic couplings, whose bars bend, twist and derail at the click of a fishplate. In this regard Gog and Magog only work if they hide beneath the *pause section*.

Hi Poll, Thanks. For some reason I missed this notification. I only caught up with it when I went to see Ray's signal-video. Never mind, I've seen it now. Whatever you do, given everything you've learned in making a masterpiece like CQ, it will be wonderful. Although there is bound to be a small degree of tension in that, I imagine. A sort of, "How do we make it as good/better than CQ? Everyone will be expecting so much!" - I empathise. Kind Regards, Hal

It arrived as a normal notification: Wanna see what happens with this link https://plus.google.com/photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1 (https://plus.google.com/photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1) It is your work, obviously, but how was it sent? (the link template has nicked my text!) Lately google have been sending Youtube notifications. I wonder if this is something similar? I think RMweb would not be happy with the idea... L8r I tried to send the full image but RMweb wouldn't let me. L8r Word doc copy of the full message. You might want to tell Andy Y. RMweb 10:45 PM (1 hour ago) to me HAL 'O THE WYND, allan downes (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/user/18579-allan-downes/) has just posted a reply to a topic that you have subscribed to titled ""Anything You Can do, I Can Do Better ! Robinson and Downes.". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Wanna see what happens with this link https://plus.google.com/photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1 (https://plus.google.com/photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/102804245221215747146/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The topic can be found here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70935-anything-you-can-do-i-can-do-better-robinson-and-downes/?view=getnewpost If you have configured in your control panel to receive immediate topic reply notifications, you may receive an email for each reply made to this topic. Otherwise, only 1 email is sent per board visit for each subscribed topic. This is to limit the amount of mail that is sent to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/unsubscribe/Zm9ydW1zO3RvcGljczs3MDkzNTsyMTM1ODsyMTM1ODtlY21sMTk2Mm1hZEBnbWFpbC5jb20,/ I hope this makes sense of the whole thing. (Template's nicked my text yet again!) Hal

I had several Vi Trains sector 37s once. I sold them because I was nervous of a time-wasting sideways pull. I wish I'd kept them for a shunting plank. I've still one Bachmann coal sector 37 which trundles around the layout with a few hoppers, occasionally. It's quiet because I pinched its noise for a green 37. Hal

Is there any chance of us seeing your layout, David? Hal

Forgive the brevity of ignorance, but on RT4 recently there was a program called Avatar, in which a scientist declared that within the next fifty years the entirety of human consciousness, all memory and experience - from birth to death - will be downloadable to a machine. After you are dead, people can still talk to you. A philosopher who was on the program was asked, what is the first thing such an entity would say? He replied, "For goodness sake, turn me off - I'm dead!" I wish I'd been able to tape the program for greater accuracy, but further talk involved the comparatively easy biological technology of growing a spare body - a clone - upon which the recorded information could be uploaded. Make any sense? Prob'ly not. Oh yes, the locomotive called "Hal o' the Wynd" has a soul... ME

That was a great link, Allan, but it's not posted on your thread. No criticism, but how does that happen?

I love to see nicely weathered Railroad 9Fs - I've one, waiting. But Andy... All those weathered blue diesels... My wallet is positively weeping - and my green diesels are looking very nervous indeed! Hal

Mine's all 100. I have some really ancient locos I like to run occasionally. For me, OO finescale is an oxymoron. OO is so wrong that it can never be "fine" - visually better, perhaps. If one is attracted by lovely track, EM is the answer - but not for me. Hal

Hi Gilbert, I like the skies in 7042. They look overcast - as though there's been a heavy shower - but with strong sunlight breaking through, which allows for the bright clarity of the objects. Otherwise I like the cloudy skies, or, bleached out white ones. Personally I don't like blue skies. I don't know if it's because I was used to industrial Tyneside as a boy, where there seemed to be constant cloudy weather as a result of a daily pall of smoke from all the chimneys - factory all year round, domestic according to season and local weather. Otherwise, black and white occasionally - in reminiscent terms - but for quality images, colour. Hal

I'm a great fan of the hot glue gun, especially for scenic supports. Although my tops will be paper-covered balsa the supports will be card. A local Art shop gives me sack loads of mounting board offcuts, which are ideal for many purposes and will be used for the platforms. Sometimes the off-cuts are quite large. When a decent size piece is mounted there is a large rectangle as waste. This is chamfered edge-wise, of course, but is still an excellent source. If anyone has a local Art shop - particularly if you have dealings with them as I do, try asking, and offer to purchase. The greedy ones might charge a small amount, but many might be free. It is top quality material, always with one white side, so it's worth a try. OT: Mick, anyone, dumb me must have pressed a button that enables the tiny blue rectangle to appear, which deletes everything in advance of itself. I've just had it for a couple of days and it's a real pain! I've been trying to correct something in this sentence but it deletes the letter it appears on... (I shouldn't be allowed near a PC) Hal

That looks excellent, Andy. It's my platforms I'm windy about. We're talking about nine coaches in length, all on curves. I'm thinking of using balsa, sanding and running complete trains slowly till I match, using a 12v car hoover as I go. The surfaces of local stations are concrete so I that'll be a challenge. I'm thinking painted panels with a lot of very, very light pastel weathering, done while studying photographs. A challenge! Hal

Quite right, too. For me, it's railway stuff and nowt else in future - and no "humour". I've always been known for my weird sense of it, which is OK face to face, but not so online, soooooooo... Thanks for the concern, Hal

Yes, I'm afraid I spend too long modelling in my head, and I'm not as ready regarding domestic issues as I should be! It's interesting you mentioning a Bandstand. I'm afraid my layout covers a lot of urban squalor, the demolition of huge areas to build flats that have now been demolished as of poor building quality. Then there is the tension of dieselisation taking over the ECML. The summer of 1960 is particularly vivid in this regard. But back to the bands. I've been worrying that there isn't space for any rural modelling, then the obvious occurred: Municipal Parks, built in Victorian Days, they still exist throughout the area. I live next to Northumberland Park, a prime example. So it's there that I'll be able to investigate my Gravett books - jaw-droppingly good in this regard. Forgive me if you've mentioned it in the past, but as your layout is as finished as any layout can be (there are always things to be done) have you any plans for the future? Regards, Hal EDIT Oh, and the narrative. The 60's of course! Our daughter picked up a cheap 2015 calendar that features early Beatles photos. We have all the records of course - vinyl - but somehow the calendar tugged at the heart-strings. So, plenty of stories to intertwine.

Joking aside, it was my wrists and hands. It really got the old arthritis singing. Being without a car life is very challenging these days. Now I'm just about as housebound as her Ladyship, a nice building block for my torturous depression. Thank goodness for my layout! - It's literally a life saver! Hal

Paradoxically, I fully understand that - it's the perfect metaphor. As I've said before, I don't like sound steam as - for me - the sound underlines the lack of exhaust, etc. It is all a matter of personal preference which is exactly as it should be. What really sells a layout for me is the quality of its scenics and structures, it's as simple as that. Oh, and I like low speed. As my layout is mostly curved a speed limit of around 50mph for expresses is the limit, which - to untutored visitors - looks slow. Shunting takes me hours! Hal EDIT Of course the realistic nature of operation is very top. We all muck around privately, sometimes, but for exhibitions it is vital

Hi Poll, Lovely work! I do like the way you have a sense of enlivening the layout beyond the obvious railway views. I'm thinking more on these lines(groan). There was a Barracks in Newcastle that often showed on the streets in different ways. I'm thinking of a Marching Band. Airfix used to do a one. I must check it out. Otherwise, the detail is THE thing. It provides a narrative that brings the layout alive. Perhaps a layout should have a story? Regards, Hal

As I said in a post a while back, I love 'em - but only for a short while, then they are actually tiring. I've a 37 with the sound turned right down and it is quite pleasant to shunt with. The sound is there, but not intrusive. So really, I'm not too far from Clive. I enjoy the radio while I play, or some sixties pop. I also have a sixties Daily Mirror I leave folded next to my cuppa. Sometimes, with the right tune, and a sideways glance at the paper, a very pleasant vibe takes place. Hal

Really like the new profile pic. Very smart! The Trafalgar Yard was interesting and fairly unique. As a boy we used to keep an eye open for the steeple-cabbed electric that ran what must have been a suffocating tunnel down to the quay. The entrance and exit were very hard to see. I've some pictures somewhere. I purchased them so I can share - if I can find them in the under-baseboard chaos that rules the railway room. Hal EDIT And the Trafalgar boozer saw some of my less admirable behaviour as a youth.

And that one's deleted, too. If anyone was offended I'm sorry. Hal aka Tony aka the euthanised Brass0four.