SJS

Thanks everyone - I did introduce some more slack into the rods and things are moving much better now. I think I am somewhere between a finely-crafted model and an RTR in terms of the slack!

Hopefully I will get it running in the next few days!

Thanks again, S.

OK so I took everything apart and noticed a bent crankpin - so rebuilt it. Its now much better - in fact it runs fine if I loosen one of the locknuts so the coupling rod is out of the bush. This would suggest to me that I need to loosen off that coupling rod a little? Thoughts before I do this?

Thanks, S.

thanks Spitfire - I took the rods off and it doesn't seem to curve although I must admit it perhaps doesn't roll as freely as it should.... 

Dear all - I am hoping someone can help me. I am attempting my first EM gauge loco using a High-level kits chassis and Gibson wheels. My first attempt was a disaster - lack of general skills I believe and although it looked good it didn't run at all. So I made a second go. Now it seems a lot better (doesn't look quite as nice though!) but the wheels bind when turned by hand (its a 0-4-2) so its only one set of rods. I believe they are quartered correctly but the binding continues. The odd thing is that it seems to change where it binds depending on how I try turning the wheels. I.e., if I turn the rear pair it binds somewhere different from turning the front.

I have looked online but being a newbie at this kind of building I am not sure what to do and in what order. I don't want to make things worse so any thoughts?

S.

On 14/12/2018 at 17:25, Fenman said:

 

Quite right - whereas our own FPTP government is so strong and stable right now...

 

Paul

All I can add to this is that we now have a (minority) Government here in Sweden - didn't really notice the difference from when we didn't have one. Things worked (well not the railways very well but that's another story), nobody panicked, people talked and somehow it all got sorted without resulting in anyone shouting at anyone else. Ah I miss the UK parliament.....

Hi - I am not sure if this is correct place to post this. But is there a way to change your username?

Thanks.

7 hours ago, Skinnylinny said:

Welcome, Samantha! It's good to have you among us.

Thanks its good to be here as myself.

10 hours ago, sem34090 said:

You are most welcome to it - Everyone needs support sometimes, especially people in your situation.  

 

Never a truer word said, but hopefully you will gain more than you lose and hopefully you won't lose any. 

 

I can understand why you might prefer to be ignored, but hopefully it won't stay that way forever and the attention will be positive rather than the negative you fear.  

Thanks again - I think I have already gained more from this forum that I could have imagined.

19 hours ago, Kickstart said:

Hiya

 

Hope all goes well.

 

There are quite a few trans people in the model railway community. And most people are accepting (both the Gauge O Guild and the Ffestiniog Railway have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable). Sure there is the odd person who is a bit of an arse over it, but you get that everywhere.

 

And at 6’2” you are a bit shorter than one of my friends.....

 

All the best

 

Katy

Thanks Katy. I think I was probably prejudace somewhat in thinking that the model railway community would not be welcoming for which I apologise to everyone. I learn new things each day.

1 minute ago, sem34090 said:

Well, you're most certainly very welcome and are not alone!

 

And that is a brave thing to do by all accounts and I just hope to goodness that nobody treats you any worse as a result. I can't see why they should, but some people are never quite right.

 

Also, people seem to forget that a good many trans women are stunningly beautiful, often more so than some of their cisgender counterparts!

 

Finally, if this thread has prompted you to contribute here more comfortably then that's fantastic and what it should be about.  

 

 

Thank you, your support is most welcome. I have lost friends and gained some during my very slow transition (still ongoing!) so I suspect this will happen again. Generally good friends and family stay with you whatever happens in your life.

I was kinda kidding about the "stunningly beautiful"  - I will be pleased if I am generally ignored when out. But I will take any compliment.

Hi everyone - I just came across this topic and was overall pleasantly suprised by the reaction in this blog and was even more pleased to see some trangendered people as railway modellers! This may sound kind of strange but the reason that I am happy in reading this blog  is that I am a Transgendered MtoF (oohh I think I have just come out to the railway fraternity). To many of my close friends and acquantances I am seen as female but I have always hidden it when going to model shows or online (here!) as it has always seemed a little overwhelmingly male and its daunting to be (or think you are) the only TG person around.

I might change my profile to my real name now - and it's Samantha by the way...... 

So when you see a 6-2 woman who looks stunningly beautiful at your next railway show but is perhaps a little shy do say hello...it might be me 

Hi Andy - just want to say thanks for the big effort put in to get this far. It is much appreciated!

I am sure all the little glitches will be solved soon - of course after March 29th everything will work perfectly  (sorry couldn't resist)

Rocket science, in the sense of science done with instruments carried on spacecraft, is not especially easy. Among other things, Newtonian gravitation is not sufficient to analyze all the observations, some of them need general relativity.

 

IMO, there are many parallel between what's hard in space science and what's hard in railway modelling (and in software too). But you probably don't want to hear about that.

Umm as a "rocket scientist / rocket engineer" (honestly) - I don't see any parallels between space science and/or space engineering and railway modelling. Railway modelling is much, much harder.....at least to me....lol

Most people don't have Access.  It's a relational database included with the Pro edition of Microsoft Office.  Few people know how to use a relational database properly.

However, those who buy the Home or Student Edition of Office will have Excel.  Excel can store plenty of data, and if you're interested in programming, there are ways to automate data handling.  Lots of people know how to use Excel. Because all the data are visible on one or more worksheets, many find it easier to deal with than Access.  You can design forms in Excel, similar to those in the topic you cite.

Can I just support what Podhunter says - I don't know the specific application here but using a relational db for timetable display would seen overkill and as stated it is hard to see where excel won't do the job required. If you really want to go down the route of a relational database, know how to use it and can't afford Access AND you are into programming then you can try mySQL - which is free as it's open-source....but take a deep breath before entering this world...

That pattern is available in H0 (near enough to 00) from Busch - item 6031

Thanks will take a look

Just one more picture that might be useful 

Shows some nice setts in a fan fashion and some various piles..... love the baskets as well

No, but my plans  involve modelling several streets in central London, some commercial-posh, some residential-posh and some industrialised on one side with other property opposite. It would be useful to know how mucked up were streets in each category. I suppose I should look for photos of the right district.

 

I'm thinking that most central-London streets would have hard surfaces so it's a matter of adding detail on top, not carving ruts.

 

David Damek, a finescale modeller of tanks and aeroplanes (google "Plasmo Youtube", he's well worth a look), has used caked dry-weathering powders to simulate mud but said in one video that he thought using plaster was a better option.

Thanks for the comments - I had been looking at the diorama guys on the web so will take a look at his. As I mentioned earlier a lot seem to use the commercially available "mud"

The shot inside the yard shows a clean surface  despite the presence of several horses; labour was cheap, a clean working environment was better for the company's business and manure had a price. 

Good point - yes it does seem to be the case. I was kind of hoping not to go with setts as they can be a pain to model...but hey ho....

Sorry I should have posted the location. It is indeed the entrance to the Midland Railway at Poplar dock. There was also GNR and GWR presence at the dock. 

I hadn't really thought about what was underneath - I did read that there were a variety of surfaces - including setts as in the side road/entrance and even wooden setts! 

Other than spreading horse muck over my layout - anyone modelled something like this. I wondered about the "mud" that is used in wargaming diaromas. Spread thiny and then ruts added?

Or do you think it more likely as in this photo that the railway area would be much clearer of muck?

Hi All - I am sure there must be some of you out there who have modelled Edwardian roads. This photo gives a good example. I was thinking on the lines of dark earth ground cover pressed onto a dark painted surface.... 

I would just like to say that I had an issue in placing an order as I live abroad. But after one phone call the items were quickly dispatched and arrived safely. 

Just the kind of customer service I like. 

Thanks!!!

The information I gave is definitely valid back to September 1913 and I would be reasonably sure that it probably applied before then although I can't readily check it from official sources.  It is quite that local lamping Instructions might have applied in some locations but I don't have any information about that immediately to hand (unless it happens to be in something I've got but haven't read).

thanks Stationmaster - I think I can stretch belief a year or so if required.

A single red light at each end - at the foot of the chimney and on the top lamp iron on the bunker or tender.  The lamp at that end to be transferred to the shunting truck if one is attached to the engine.

 

The lamping of GWR shunting engines was brought into line with 'the national standard' post nationalisation.

Thanks to both posters - much appreciated. Just to complete the information I am modelling Edwardian GWR (C. 1912)

Hi all - my understanding of the GWR handbook is that a purely shunting engine confined to a yard only carries lamps if its foggy, dark etc. The first question I have is where as the handbook doesn't seem to say anything.

The second part of my question is let's say you have an engine that is doing some shunting in the yard after bringing say a local freight into the yard. Does it keep its "local" lamps (i.e., one over right buffer beam) or does it change state to become a "shunting engine"?

Thanks. 

Hi Kris - wanted to thank you for bringing back a childhood memory from the 19XXs (censored not an ST/PT). I grew up in Plymouth and used to ride the train into Cornwall as a kid sneaking away when my parents weren't watching. I used to stand by the Royal Albert Bridge and watch the trains cross into Cornwall and then over the viaduct in the distance.

Keep up the excellent modelling...

Best wishes, Mark