Mike Buckner

Did I dream it, or was there a TV programme in which teams competed to build the best (or was it quickest) working layout?

The unit of arrogance is the nanoHamilton

Many Lima wheelsets are brass, they tarnish badly when unused for a period.
I wonder how well it would work to whip them out and soak in an ultrasonic bath with one of these fluids for a short period.

1 hour ago, RichardT said:

Elizabeth, Jubilee and Victoria aren't "neutral", if by that you mean politically neutral.

 

RichardT

I entirely agree.

Boris Johnson's fawning attempt at a knighthood doesn't impress me at all.

My point is, that it doesn't matter which way a politically coloured name leans, it will appal/offend someone, by virtue of its apparent political leaning. It is, by its nature, divisive.

Which is why a *genuinely* neutral name is greatly to be preferred.

Too much political tone to so many things nowadays.

People used to understand the benefit of neutral names.

For me, I'd be happier with  S1, S2, S3...

On 09/02/2024 at 14:47, Right Away said:

the email received today from Ring (video doorbell) informing of a hike in their subscription from £3.49/month to £4.99/month was an eye opener. There must be something dreadfully amiss with their current business model for their need to impose such a huge, 30% rise.

 

On 09/02/2024 at 15:48, 4630 said:

In a nutshell, in a capitalist world, they impose a 30%* rise, because they can.

 

I would imagine that their finance people have assumed that the revenue generated by a 30%* increase, with an immediate and direct impact on the bottom line, is still greater than the loss of revenue from subscribers who, metaphorically speaking, put two fingers up and cancel.

 

* I note from the BBC website that they're quoting a 43% increase.

 

An increase of 43% from £3.49 is £4.99

A decrease of 30% from £4.99 is £3.49

It's a general phenomenon. 

When you buy a car, it has features you don't want / will never use / you don't even know are there. The car I recently sold had heated door mirrors. I never found out how to switch them on/off, or even if it's possible to switch them on/off. I may have been running around for 11 years with them permanently on. Perhaps that's why the battery kept going flat.

It's the same with my TV. A higher-end model recommended by Which, it has all sorts of stuff I don't need or want. You would need a 2-day seminar to find out how to use the thing. It has internet channels exclusive to the TV manufacturer. Took one look, won't bother again - it was a billiards match between drunks in a back-street Mexican bar.

14 hours ago, Mike Buckner said:

 

There seems to be no mention of Stay-Alive on any of the levels of DCC (including the full-fat SFX).
Will probably have to wait until locos are in the hands of modellers, to find out the best type to fit - if there is room.

 

 

9 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said:

A heavy diesel with 12 wheel pick up doesnt need Stay Alive in my experience

I appreciate what you're saying, but on the other hand:

- there are a number of posts around the forum where it's mentioned that slight temporary interruptions in supply can cause sound decoders to cough or enter a re-start sequence, even though the mechanical momentum of the loco causes no discernible stutter

- it simplifies layout construction and reduces cost to use dead frog turnouts

- Accurascale have thought it wise to include stay-alive in their highly-regarded heavy diesels

- the Bachmann model has "Electrical pickup from all outer wheels on each bogie"

https://www.Bachmann.co.uk/product/category/916/class-31-1-31123-br-blue/35-805sfx

There seems to be no mention of Stay-Alive on any of the levels of DCC (including the full-fat SFX).
Will probably have to wait until locos are in the hands of modellers, to find out the best type to fit - if there is room.

This might help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI9UrYhZTlA

I've been using White Spirit for years now.  It dries quickly. I don't know if it leaves any kind of residue - but I do know that it hasn't caused any problems to my locos with traction tyres.

Is Real Stupidity any better than Artificial Stupidity?

1 hour ago, adriank said:

Although I am in my seventies, I certainly do not require incontinence pads!

in the 1980's/1990's, i.e. before credit cards were managed over the internet, my bank used to mail me printed statements. Included with the statement were various advertisement sheets.

I returned the compliment. Along with my cheque, I stuffed the provided return envelope with various leaflets dropped through the letterbox advertising pizzas, taxi services, etc.

2 hours ago, nick_bastable said:

the only thing W11 offers on the surface is Phone Link as I loath sending texts

For those using Android phones, and Chrome on their Windows 10 PC, you can view and send texts via the browser - I do this all the time and like you, greatly prefer it to texting on the phone.

The Android and Chrome on the PC need to have the same Google account, and access to the same router. You don't get alerts on the PC to incoming texts, but if your Android is within earshot, that alerts you.

Point the browser to:

https://messages.google.com/web/conversations

3/  Keep handy a small text file (e.g. Pound.txt or Symbols.txt) each line containing a single symbol, conveniently separated by enough blank lines to make copying/pasting easy.

PC manufacturers in different markets sell keyboards with small variations. Currency symbols are a common variation. You might be able to attach a UK keyboard to your PC as a replacemant or additional keyboard. You might then need a little software doobrey to tell windows to switch between character sets

Perhaps these rose-tinted glasses might help:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DODO®-Vintage-Celebrity-Designers-Sunglasses/dp/B077MVCMKJ/ref=sr_1_14_sspa?crid=33POK0S63LMLE&keywords=rose%2Btinted%2Bglasses&qid=1703694558&sprefix=rose%2Btinted%2Bglasses%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-14-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

This project really has upped my view of what's possible with this sort of kit. Of course, with the right skill and application! If you ever decide to sell, Darius, it should get a good price, given the subject's rarity and the number of people in this forum witnessing the care and skill in its construction.

The OP asks about modern passenger stock. This almost exclusively means multiple-units. With loco-hauled stock, many modellers are satisfied with a train of reduced length compared to the prototype, and can suspend disbelief. This is less convincing with fixed-formation multiple-units. And the units themselves are getting longer - 5, 6, 8, 12 car units are now on the railways in numbers. Furthermore, the coaches are getting longer. This further increases train length - and makes running round curves even more odd-looking. With modern small houses, it would be difficult to find the space for a layout to convincingly represent these rakes. Finally, models are now coming out which have  special couplings with through multiple-wire connectors - making for fiddly placement/removal of rolling stock.

Investment in developing HM7000 wireless control might have contributed to the debt. I wonder how much the sales are contributing to profits.

Very nice work

Which corridor connections did you fit, Darius?

On 05/11/2023 at 09:44, NBL said:

he'll have quicky realised heaven doesn't await with 72 virgins!

They're all aged 85 or over - and they're men

1 hour ago, ELTEL said:

 
I know of a local modeller who has a 4mm model of all the A4s unknown to his wife.

She has a hidden panel at the back of the built-in wardrobe which caches 192 pairs of shoes

Perhaps the engine with the tendency to go faster should be placed behind. It will be somewhat impeded by the weight of the train, reducing (or maybe eliminating) the extra effort needed to push the slower loco in front. The coupling between the locos should give a clue as to whether the lead loco is pulling its weight or being pushed.

I saw a 4-person tandem cycling along the seafront in Brighton the other day. One of them definitely wasn't pedalling.

On 24/10/2023 at 16:06, OnTheBranchline said:

Man, I didn’t expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition…

No-one Expects the Spanish Inquisition

Many forms of electrical equipment - especially if they plug into the mains