Keith Addenbrooke

On ‎16‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 02:58, dave1905 said:

I have loaded on my website a pdf of a 1948 AAR directory of named passenger trains.  It lists the named trains, their origin-destination cities, railroads they operated over, general type of equipment and general type of power.

 

https://wnbranch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/1948-AAR-Named-Psngr-Trns.pdf

 

Enjoy!

Fascinating: including the type of motive power is particularly interesting (I can imagine passengers being interested whether a train was made up of standard or streamlined cars, as it could imply a certain level of comfort / age of stock).

I wonder if this kind of publication also says something about the post-war scene, that a certain level of stability / permanence was still assumed when it came to a nation-wide passenger network?

Brilliant find.

On 27/02/2020 at 14:16, Regularity said:

You start it where you want to start it, depending on your viewpoint?

 

Is it an American outline micro-layout (emphasis on the micro and not the American), or a micro American outline layout (size is a product of the constraints you are working under, but primarily you are interested in US outline modelling)?

I would suggest that the noun, and not the adjective, determines where you put it.

 

 

Well explained.

I have begun a simple US-outline diorama, which seems to have it's natural home in the Micro-Layout section of RMWeb (I did cross reference it to the US Track Plans thread over here, just in case, but being based on a Walthers' station kit, it isn't trying to be groundbreaking). 
 

As for a proper US layout, I was immediately taken with John Pryke's Urban modelling book when I came across it in 2018, and started seeing what it might look like using some Settrack pieces I had - it hardly qualified for a build thread though.

A house move later that year, saw a second attempt at getting started in Jan 2019, but again, this wouldn't set the pulses racing (it only got as far as masking tape laid out on the floor!).

Eventually, I was advised to take up the masking tape, as it was starting to mark the varnished floor, even under a rug.

So, as well as progressing my Diorama (and a UK micro-layout also on that Forum), I think I have two particular challenges to overcome: inertia (a kind way of putting my lack of progress), and nostalgia (lamenting the decline in more easily affordable, easy to source models, or the glory days of Model Railroader magazine etc, won't get me very far now).

Time to do some research, and some real modelling...

On ‎26‎/‎02‎/‎2020 at 14:08, mdvle said:

Part of that is ignorance of the possibilities that older passenger operations can offer for switching (if the layout is designed properly), partly it is the length of passenger cars (85'), partly a reflection is is often difficult to get accurate passenger models.  Of course modern Amtrak/VIA/commuter railroads have the same issues as modern European passenger operations - no switching so it is simply running back and forth.

Good point - I always thought that American passenger operations were far more interesting.  In Al Kalmbach's own book "How to Run a Model Railroad" - written as "Boomer Pete" and published more than once I think (from memory, I have a 1944 edition) - he suggests a new model railroad could aspire to have the following:

4 Engines (2 passenger, 2 freight - one doubling as a switcher)

50 Freight cars (including just one caboose)

and

15 Passenger Train Cars: 1 Gas-electric, 1 Diner, 1 Combine, 1 Express Reefer, 2 Pullman (sleepers), 3 head-end baggage cars and 6 coaches.

Model a Division Point and the possibilities for switching passenger train consists (plus changing engines) become endless, an idea further developed in John Armstrong's Kalmbach Book on Operations for model railroads, in a section later re-printed in Andy Sperandeo's Guide to Passenger Operations.  There, Armstrong outlines a day's operations at a busy passenger station with both freight and locomotive facilities 'off-stage.'

Of course, Kalmbach's original calculations pre-dated the ready availability of quality locomotives: it wouldn't surprise me if many more modern layouts have 15 engines for every 4 passenger train cars.  But with the changes we're now seeing, perhaps there may be a return to that kind of thinking?

Sperandeo's volume also included a plan for a major Union stub-end terminal in less than 100 sq. ft.  Based on his own spotting days growing up, he takes full advantage of the practice of reversing trains into stations (with an 'off-stage' wye junction) to make realistic operation of a staging - station layout quite straightforward.

On a separate note, there are two other immediate attractions to US modelling v UK modelling in the dominant HO/OO sphere: track is the right gauge to start with, and there are no tension lock couplings to deal with (the traditional Hornby-style wide ones may look massive, but I think they were designed to prevent buffer locking on tight curves - model a prototype without all the buffers, and the problem goes).

Having grown up in a 1970s UK household where the highlight of each month was the arrival in the post of Model Railroader magazine, with its impressive heavyweight thud onto the mat, and where Linn H. Westcott was assumed to be as famous as the President of the USA (with A C Kalmbach like a Founding Father?) I've read through this thread with much interest.

My guess is that there are a number of factors at work here, which - when combined - are having the effects being observed. Certainly, whenever I ponder buying into American outline modelling for myself I run into three barriers:

1. The much lower exchange rate and higher shipping costs have removed a price advantage of ordering from the US. I think product costs have risen (as with UK outline), or is it just that there are fewer cheap and cheerful entry level products being offered now?

2.  The lower availability of product from UK modelshops is also something that's been commented on. An example I know: when I used to visit Hatton's (2nd) shop in Liverpool, there was quite a bit of US stuff on offer - far less now appears on their website.

3.  Model Railroader (just for another example I'm familiar with), now seems a shadow of its former self - BRM seems vastly superior to me, which means the inspiration isn't there in the same way. I could probably still draw most of the track plans from Kalmbach's 101 Track Plans book that captured my imagination as a kid, but what will inspire the next generation?

As for posting on Forums, I know I think carefully before writing anything - and am much more cautious, even with email - we're all different, and some people enjoy a bit of debate and even controversy, but for others it's just become a turn off, so I suspect more people may hang back, even if only to avoid being misunderstood.  For some, the novelty of engaging with social media has passed, while others have moved to video based sharing, as highlighted earlier in the thread I think (again, multiple factors are at work).

(I note that one comment on postings is the tendency towards repetition - and I've not really added anything new above: my main point is that I think it is a combination of factors that is driving change, and my experiences / examples also back this up).

That said, there are some fantastic models (and modellers) out there, and - another example - a number of excellent small US outline models can be found fully integrated into the RMWEB Micro-Layout Forum (Naples Street TT is one example quoted earlier in this thread).  Maybe this is partly due to the late, great Carl Arendt, who had a global span (he could email me from Washington State with details of operations at Ashburton GWR terminus), but in the micro-layout world there is no real distinction between US and other prototypes that I can see.

So, don't give up!  There are those of us who still dream of a basement empires, mile-long freight trains and quiet, short-line backwaters. 

Maybe I just still need find a way to actually build one...certainly, reading this thread has awoken something in me again.

Keith.

On ‎28‎/‎02‎/‎2019 at 15:09, noctilux2 said:

Hornby low relief building now rebadged "Puddle Fisheries".  Potential assortment of buildings loosely placed while I make my mind up.  Track laid on cork strips awaiting weathering & ballasting.

I realise this isn't a recent photo (I'm doing some catch-up reading), and the completed layout has been sold on, but having also checked out the photos of the finished and detailed model on the Kidmore website, I wanted to say how much I really liked the atmosphere on this layout - for me, it just seems to work.

I can't remember another Tuning Fork layout that has stood out for me in the same way for quite a while - there's a nice balance between the scenery in front of and behind the tracks, with two decent length sidings making the most of the 32" scenic length.  Thank you for sharing, Keith.

On ‎28‎/‎01‎/‎2020 at 12:45, Keith Addenbrooke said:

As others have said above, there seems to be a really good feel to this month's BRM - I think the combination of articles, layouts and reviews has come together really well, so a big thank you to the team: well done all!

I should have added: for those who've not yet seen this edition, but who (like me) find trackplans really helpful in appreciating a layout: pages 40 and 41 of the print edition.

Enough said!

As others have said above, there seems to be a really good feel to this month's BRM - I think the combination of articles, layouts and reviews has come together really well, so a big thank you to the team: well done all!  Hopefully the striking cover (also appropriate for this edition) will catch the attention of some potential new readers too. 

I don't normally watch the DVD before reading the mag but, encouraged by the comments above, I made time for this when my print copy came yesterday and also enjoyed the blend of features in this episode of BRM TV - Phil's ballasting demonstration may seem quite straightforward, but could be really helpful for someone who's not tried it before, or someone needing to practice their drumming technique.

This is fantastic - there's no rule that says a build has to be "finished" to be entered - or that you can't add more later:  you could email Phil some words and photos as it stands for the competition deadline, and then carry on at your leisure to complete the model as you'd like. Just a suggestion.

6.83p per day (as 2020 is a leap year)!  Sorely tempted - do we have until to midnight (UK time) to think it through?

2 hours ago, Bo-Bo said:

Hi Phil can I use a 4”x4” board for the cakebox challenge. 

I believe 8" x 8" is designated as a maximum - I used 7" x 7" in round 1 without any trouble.

Of course, you could build 4 small dioramas at 4" x 4" in the allowable space.

There is a 6" height limit in a standard cakebox.

On 06/11/2019 at 07:36, JohnR said:

The Final got 796,000 viewers, up very slightly on the second semi-final, but down on the first semi-final. 

 

Hopefully the disappointing viewing figures dont harm the case for a 3rd series, but its clear that moving it to Saturday and playing about with the timeslot didnt help.

Thank you for sharing these - interesting to see them.

I agree that the change of day and progressive changes in time can be expected to have an impact, but I wonder if the very different theme given for the first semi-final might also have had a bit of a knock-on effect which can't be quantified? The discussion here on RMweb (and, I guess, elsewhere) after SF1 suggested it took the series further out of the comfort zone for some viewers.  Just a thought.

48 minutes ago, Colin_McLeod said:

I've heard of secret ballots. Now we have secret results.

 

 

Well done everyone wherever you came. in the results.

Some years ago, in a different context (work), I undertook what was called a 360 degree appraisal - my boss, some peers and my team all filled in a questionnaire about my work style.  Only problem was, all bar one person were happy to add their names to their forms, so I had to gently tell the one person who opted for anonymity that it was him (it was only fair). As it happened, his feedback was all positive, but the point is that not everyone wants to share everything publicly (a lot of RMweb users choose not to reveal their names of course), so I'm happy that Phil chooses discretion here.

Where there is a consensus seems to be that all the entrants were very good: there may have been a winner, but no losers.

1 hour ago, Wendell1976 said:

Here's a picture of a Union Pacific local train in San Francisco. The train is running down Rankin Street.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/289531/

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

38 minutes ago, Wendell1976 said:

Here's a picture of a Union Pacific locomotive in Lodi, California. The locomotive is running light(without cars) down Lockeford Street at the intersection of Church Street. Lodi is about 35 miles(56 kilometers) south of Sacramento via the California State Route 99(SR-99 or CA-99) freeway.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/224095/

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

I notice in the second of these two photos of 9989 (when it is running as a light engine) that there seems to be a hose trailing on the ground, which I assume it shouldn't be.  Great photos - thanks for sharing the links.

53 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

After the final demo is done, the audience are shoo'd out with indecent haste and then you do it all again with the cameras now at the front. In fact, three different cameramen have a go, each in turn (ie you run it up to THREE more times), with their own individual 'take' on it, presumably so as to give the edit team as much to work with as possible.

I wonder if this explains how the wagons in the Railriders' train appear to change their order during the demo?

I've rewatched the final this evening, knowing the result, to look for things that weren't highlighted in the edits shown or the commentary:

On 26/10/2019 at 22:00, CharlieJohnson said:

Yeah there was so much more packed into our layout that didn't even get a mention.

A lot of things that were visible I missed first time! It was worth a second look. *

If anything, I think it comes across as harder to judge on a second viewing (perhaps the 5-point scale could be a bit cumbersome in this respect?).

I did like the idea of using an Inspection saloon for the demo train, as used by WCR.

I'm not suggesting it would have affected the result at all, but I do note from the Oct BRM review that the Western Pullman is one of those models that doesn't use tension lock couplings, so does the chance of decoupling change? In series 1 the same Javelin ran across all the boards, though I understand from the RMWeb discussion last year there were operational issues with that train at the time.

My final point, it would be remiss of me to contribute to this thread and not acknowledge "Uncle Nick's" structure modelling and backscenes for consistently delivering for his team. Railmen were worthy winners of a tough competition. Well done all once again.

________________

* Fortunately I missed a lot of the 'puns' too first time, unfortunately I noticed more of them this time.

I don't know if this is a quirk on my recording, but as the final gets into the demo / judging it seems to expect advert breaks that aren't there (I get a "Welcome back" and the programme continues).

If that's how it was broadcast I wonder if it suggests two things:

1) If there had been a longer show, the first thing added might have been more ads before more programme time?

2) Perhaps the gradual shift to an earlier time on Saturdays was planned - to lead to the situation whereby the final few minutes of the GMRC Final overlapped with the start of the Hallowe'en Strictly Special on BBC1, in the hope people stayed on Channel 5 (an ad break could have undone this)?

Just a thought - I don't know if viewing data would be able to tell if the David v Goliath match-up worked or not: but 

credit to KBG and everyone involved for a show seen as worth taking on that scheduling challenge, I'd say.

On 18/10/2019 at 10:45, DavidCBroad said:

Silvering took the edge off the raspy tone of the cheap flimsy instruments of the Victorian and Edwardian eras but at some stage, not quite sure when, lacquering of brass instruments became the norm and this also takes the edge off the raspiness.     The trouble is the lacquer fails after a while.   I sometimes play a silver 4 valve Boosey and co Euphonium our Band bought second hand in 1930 and the plating is still pretty good. Its 2/3rds the weight of a modern Besson Euph.

 

I had a beautiful "satin-silver" finish 4 - valve Sovereign Euphonium, which was a different finish to the standard polished silver. The inside of the bell was polished, so I don't think the sound was any different, but (I thought) it looked fabulous.

As for Ivor the Engine, never bettered in my view. Fantastic memories - looking forward to seeing how this model develops.

I've probably missed the conversation on this edition (though it is still October here), but as I finish reading through the mag, two more things stand out:

1. It was only on the 3rd or4th look that I realised the town scene behind St Ruth station is nearly all on the backscene - it certainly convinced me! (I believe the layout will be in Leeds this weekend so that'd be something to look for).

2. Comparing the front end photos of the Western Pullmam on pages 105 and 106 (paper edition), when the lights are on, it cries out for a driver. Some Bachmann diesels have had them fitted I think (Warship?), so I wonder if a future release might be one  with a driver - and passengers?

Worth noting perhaps: of the 8 excellent final models submitted, I think 5 are of identifiable prototype locations - when I first came across cakeboxes I didn't see this as an exercise in prototype modelling - more a chance to experiment, but these models show how realistic it can be. The other three models are all also highly plausible and certainly reminded me of my childhood. Well done to all 8.

9 hours ago, Hroth said:

Don't know if anyone else has noticed a problem with the Freeview listings for Channel 5 on Saturday, but they ain't there and my PVRs can't latch onto a recording time....

Might be worth checking again today - I had the same problem but mine appeared last night (although I noticed that Channel 4's still hadn't). The good news: when they did appear the 'Record Series' light was already on, ready and waiting.

1 hour ago, AY Mod said:

Saturday 26 October

5:40pm - 6:55pm Channel 5

 

SUMMARY

 

In an extended edition...

The earlier start time (again) is to be noted.

If I'm reading this right though, the reduction in broadcast time to 65 minutes last night allows the return to 75 minutes for the Final to be called "extended" when it's actually the same as was used for the earlier episodes?

Rather like some "supermarket 'special' offers" ?

More importantly, if the standard we've seen so far this Series is maintained (or stretched even further) it could be quite incredible: "Go teams!"

50 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Well done to all three teams for a perfect 10 on functionality, indicating how closely matched you all were - liked the slaloming bus in James Bond. Otherwise, my eye was drawn to the Railmen's recreation of Glenfinnan viaduct, having visited the real location a good few times over the years. Very impressive given that it all had to be made from scratch on site and the simple-but-effective backscene really 'nailed' it.

I must admit I couldn't call it this evening - very close and very well done to all three teams.

As LNER4479 notes here, the viaduct and backscene were impressive, and certainly seemed to make an impression on the judges, particularly Mr Flint - as with their heat layout, it seems the Railmen's inclusion of some well modelled prototype features has helped, which is interesting to note.

Personally, I liked the way M&GN used low relief kits for their film set feature - making the rear of the kits part of the story, not just hiding them.

Well done all.

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

 

A nicely modelled vision of rural Holland.  The sailing barge even has the correct leeboards on the sides to stop it going sideways into the reeds!

 

But yes, in real life you'd see occasional disturbances in the water behind the swan, and a chuckle of water at the bow of the barge.  However, seeing as everything else apart from the trains were "frozen solid" I can forgive the lack of water animation!

Simply beautiful modelling - thank you for sharing (it appeared a few posts back, but I'm only just catching up). 

If the absence of water animation hadn't been pointed out, I doubt I'd have even noticed it (it's no more absent than people movement, which I allow my brain to filter out, so I agree with Hroth, though it was good to see the bridge lifted).

I hope it's OK to insert just a quick thank you to the team for the incredible amount of work that goes in. I'm not currently wanting to invest in anything new - so am not voting, in accordance with the guidelines - but would still like to show my appreciation for their investment of time, energy and expertise, all of which helps keep the hobby healthy and supports the relationship between modellers and manufacturers that I believe we all benefit from, whether we're in a position to buy new models or not. Thank you.

1 hour ago, JohnR said:

I wonder if the switch to Saturday night has failed. In the viewing figures for this week, Heat 4, broadcast on Friday 4th got a total of 1,003,165 viewers, while Heat 5 broadcast on Saturday 5th, was not in the top 15, meaning it must have got less than 824,902 viewers - a big slump. These figures include catch-up viewings within 7 days, and its possible that people were catching up after that period.

 

Will be interesting to see if they recover for the first Semi final. 

Thankyou for sharing the viewing figures - a vital part of the big picture. I do wonder if the definition of "success" or otherwise of the switch will be more nuanced, ie: what were the comparable figures for whichever programme(s) Channel 5 had been broadcasting in that slot in previous weeks?

I also wonder if the use of two successive days came into play too - as opposed to an eight day gap if they'd waited a week? Maybe the semi-final figures will help here when they become available.

2 hours ago, Andy Brooks said:

Thanks Keith.. That helps loads. Yeah i must say Paper magazines do take up alot of space. I love the DVD on the magazine.

Definitely something to think about.. 

 

Andy 

Just to clarify, the BRM TV DVD content is included in the digital subscription download too so you do get to watch it.

However, when I've watched the DVD that comes with my paper copy I pass it on to another modeller in exchange for Model Railroader back issues, as I'm also interested in US modelling.