jchinuk

47 minutes ago, Fenman said:

I think you’re too young to have lived through it?!

 

But if you don’t think it’s too much hassle, try an exercise the next time you find yourself with a supermarket shopping bill: first convert each item to LSD; and then add up the LSD column. 
 

In fairness, some people are a whizz at it (my mother could add up an LSD column just by glancing at it), but most of us mere mortals had to put a lot more effort into it. And mistakes were much more frequent. 
 

Or do you think it’s just fashion that pretty much every country in the whole world uses a decimal currency?
 

Paul

I was 14 on D-Day (Decimalisation Day) and didn't find it too much of a problem changing over.  I do remember the theme song (by Max Bygraves) for the public information programmes, in those days the only conspiracy was about shop keepers raising prices. 

A friend had a Saturday Job in a bakery / cake shop and she had to explain everything to many older customers, despite the advertising.

I had only been taught metric units and system at school, so it seemed logical.  I recall there was some discussion as to how it should be achieved, it was decided to keep the Pound unchanged, which resulted in the 240 (old) pennies becoming 100 (new) pence, apparently one considered option was to create a "New Pound" equating to 10 shillings, which would have left the old/new pennies much closer in value, but I think that would have caused even more confusion.  I think some experts even suggested creating a "Dollar" as the smallest note.

As in later life I worked on large financial computer systems, decimal currency made life a lot easier.

jch

On 25/11/2020 at 06:46, TheQ said:

...because the threepenny bit,  became much more popular..

 Threepenny bits. Very old rhyming slang for, well, what you see on Page Three.

jch

On 17/11/2020 at 10:02, rockershovel said:

I don't know that this qualifies as panic buying, but people are definitely getting their Xmas shopping in early. Stocks generally appear to be very low (particularly for High St retailers, and to a considerable extent their on-line sales) and restocking, subject to high levels of uncertainty. 

 

There may be no cause for concern but based on the complete lack of information ... going shopping on Xmas Eve, as No 1 Son usually does, might not be a great idea this year. 

There was a piece on the news last week about delays unloading container ships at Felixstowe  As most of the Christmas 'tat' seems to originate in the Far East, any low stocks of such stuff might be due to those delays.

jch

On 22/11/2020 at 16:47, swisspeat said:

One of this years new items from Noch is kit 66832 which is moving skiers with an Apres Kit cabin. The skiers move via the Magnorail system and all parts are supplied in the kit.

 

I was keen to build a small winter scene and the possibility of moving skiers caught my eye and I looked forward to posting a video here showing the moving skiers.

 

I have nearly finished assembling the kit but have hit a snag with the motor/power. I wired up all up and it all worked great for a few minutes.  Now nothing!

 

The supplied AC/DC Adapter had a two pin European plug on it which I replaced with a UK style 3 pin mains plug.

 

When I turned it on a second time the green light came on on the supplied "power box" then nothing. It also blew all the mains circuit on the downstairs of our house.

 

I am slightly out of my comfort zone with electrics so thought I would ask for any ideas as to what I have done wrong.

 

I attach a photo of the "under the baseboard" partially constructed skiing track.

 

Thanks for reading and any suggestions will be warmly welcomed.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Peter

 

 

 

I appreciate it's not much help, but for low power items like this, I usually use a 'two pin' adaptor rather than changing to a three pin plug. 

I would also advise that a 3amp fuse is a good idea, either in the plug or a fused adaptor.  It's beyond me that plugs are supplied with 13amp fuses as a default, I'd rather deal with a blow 3amp fuse than risk the fuse not blowing because it's a 13amp one.

jch 

2 hours ago, Ray Von said:

A friend of mine sent me this pic the other day, I didn't believe it was an actual product....

 

Insert tasteless joke about "to the Batcave"...?

I'm not really sure which forum to put this, but one of the oddest merchandise tie-ins I can recall.

Do Star Trek fans like train sets?

jch

On 17/11/2020 at 10:13, Reorte said:

Any method which involves any sort of tracking I find pretty appalling. If it's done simply by looking at the difference in mileage every year then OK. If it's variable by road or time but by merely accumulating a total that's checked every year then possibly OK (needs to know position and time but doesn't store or transmit it). If it involves live tracking then it's another step to dystopia.

The concept of tracking is already here, most people have mobile phones so can be tracked anyway.  ANPR means road vehicles are effectively tracked already.

I'm not saying it's a good thing, just that it has crept up already.

jch

On 19/11/2020 at 14:15, Nick C said:

The German idea I've seen had an HGV with a pair of pantographs on the cab roof, and a pair of conductors over lane one. When it wanted to either overtake or to leave the motorway, it switched to batteries and lowered the pans.

 

Trolleybuses in Gdynia have batteries, used for diversions etc, with motored winches on the trolley poles so the driver can raise or lower them from his seat.

 

Kraków has battery electric buses charged from overhead charging stations at key stops, where the bus waits for time or for the driver's PNB.

Not as new as the Germans might hope,

In Soviet Russia,

Using the existing tram / trolleybus lines.

jch

On 17/11/2020 at 12:49, woodenhead said:

Clogging in the current sense raises pollution levels but if all the cars are electric then the penalty is on the driver having to sit in the traffic not on the people around the vehicle as now.

That is an excellent point, while the cars on the roads that move the least get charged the most?

jch

On 17/11/2020 at 23:04, petethemole said:

Mainly written by Neil Gaiman. I liked it.

Neverwhere has more recently a radio series with a very star-studded cast, due to be repeated around Christmas

jch

On 12/07/2020 at 15:43, ruggedpeak said:

If you are East London then there is Roneo Models https://www.facebook.com/Roneo-Models-1752368765006984/?_fb_noscript=1  Never been there but was on a pre-COVID train trip list to visit. Essex is blessed with a number of model shops, despite losing Mankim Models in Colchester.

 

 

Although it's not far from me, I've only visited Roneo Models once.  Parking nearby is an issue, there is a large Tesco and B&Q, but they enforce restrictions on parking with number plate recognition, basically you get a bill if you park and don't visit their stores.  By the way, if you are arriving in Romford on the train, Roneo Models is walkable, but there are buses.

It's a personal opinion, but it doesn't seem the most welcoming shop I've visited, though I understand they have suffered break-ins in the past.

As my modelling interests stray outside railways, I have to say that there are virtually no "non railway" model shops left in Essex, Laurence Mathews, in Queen's Road off the High Street is the only one that comes to mind.

jch

I'm slightly confused by the reference in the various descriptions of the "vacuum tube" that the Hyperloop runs in, judging from the video the carriage is not propelled by the vacuum, there is a wide clearance gap between the carriage and the tube, I assume it's driven along by an electric motor / linear motor.  

I assume that the tube is a vacuum, to reduce air resistance, which means that the carriage must be pressurised, though it also means that the air pressure in the tube only needs to be reduced, rather than a complete vacuum.  It also means that any leak, removing the vacuum / low pressure, will just slow the carriage, arguably a safety factor.

jch

12 hours ago, spikey said:

 

Sorry if I'm being a bit thick, but how exactly would that work?

I take that to mean use a smart phone to listen to the radio and connect / link the headphones to the phone?

jch

1 hour ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

Oh I don't know, strapping the passengers in might be a good idea if it avoids having to sit next to somebody who spends 10 minutes faffing around working out the perfect distribution of their stuff between the table and their bag in the luggage rack above. 

Oh, I agree, but it will take a considerable change in a lot of people's attitude, as mentioned, it will be more like a flight than a train journey.  Everything would need to be secured before launch (take off?)

jch

Of course there are "models" of the hyperloop in many buildings, the vacuum tube delivery systems.  Not much to see from the outside though.

jch

There seems to be no consideration of the acceleration forces involved.  Passengers will need to be securely strapped in, a big change for the "fidgets" you see on every train.  The overall experience will be closer to a ride at Alton Towers than the 7:55 from Basingstoke.

I am not convinced that the speed is a major selling point to a lot of people, I feel that reliable and comfortable trains are what most people want, indeed a seat would be welcome if you are commuting into most cities.

jch

On 16/07/2017 at 07:26, caradoc said:

What is the carrying capacity of this system ? Given the extremely high speeds, presumably an extremely large separation will be required so that if one pod/train stops the one behind does not collide with it at 400mph !

I assume, if the tube is air tight, the following train would shift the one in front, a bit like a pop gun?

jch

Soon in Aldi...

15 hours ago, Ray Von said:

Just watched a documentary "Behind the Curve" - following the Flat Earth theorists and their growing army of followers. 

I'm not a convert or anything like that, but the theory does capture my imaginative / creative side as a sort of fantasy world - I was particularly intrigued by the followers ability to make established fact fit the theory! Maybe it's because of what we in the hobby do (creating little bits of Flat Earth) I was just curious to hear other people's views on the theory....

 

The "Flat Earth" is the start of a classic conspiracy theory, when people point out that pictures from space disprove the idea, NASA becomes a conspiracy that covers-up the fact, but that means that space flight is a lie, so humans didn't reach the moon.   Everyone who flew on Concorde is obviously lying about seeing the curvature of the Earth, likewise military pilots.  It quickly ends-up that only the "Flat Earther" are telling the truth.

jch

8 hours ago, steve22 said:

I've got vague memories of a programme that would probably be 'Parkin's Patch'.  Late sixties / early seventies? 

 

'Z Cars' - those headlights coming on - yes I remember that!  I really liked the Zephyr Four, Six and Zodiac of that era.  Which one did they use in the series?  I'd assume it was a Zodiac but I can't remember.  They would say "Z Victor Two to Control" or something like that but it wasn't a Vauxhall. 

 

I once served Brian Blessed in the shop in Newcastle where I worked in the eighties.  He must have been appearing in the Theatre Royal in Grey Street at the time.

 

Steve.

 

Indeed they did use Ford Zephyr 6s, I think Mk.IIs originally, but later Mk.IIIs.  

At least one of the actors couldn't drive, so close-up shots required the car to be pushed by stage hands.  They also removed the windscreens for 'in car' shots, to prevent reflections, though on one occasion one actor reached "through" the screen...

jch

The "Whale Tail" is plastic and the sculptor was surprised it took the weight of the carriage.

Personally, I think they should secure the carriage and leave it was part of the sculpture.

jch

On 29/10/2020 at 12:27, Crosland said:

As far as I know (I'm pretty certain) there is no mechanism for an individual seller to pre-clear a shipment through customs. Any charges should be levied and paid locally when the goods enter the destination country.

 

If it's being sold by a business they may be able to pre-clear it. It's not being sold by Ebay so Ebay should definitely not be adding anything.

 

Are they using something like the global shipping program? The courier may be pre-clearing it through customs.

 

I would ask the seller for more details.

 

 

There is a mechanism, at least in eBay, to pre-paid import charged, details here.  I've seen it on US traders on eBay and I assume that the payment gets to the UK HMRC.

jch

22 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

I think I may have solved a little mystery which has been in the back of my mind for a while - the 'Ed Straker' car in 'UFO' has Ford underpinnings and steel wheels with Porsche / Fuchs style wheel trims attached, at first I thought they were genuine full width Fuchs alloys but there are no wheel nut holes visible, or indeed any wheel nuts. It occurred to me that they could be modified Rover P6 3500S trims, but the series was filmed in 1969 / 70 and the 3500S trims didn't appear until late '71. I recently bought a copy of Brian Long's excellent book on the Porsche 914 and there within is what appears to be the answer, two photos of a pre-production 914 taken in 1969 showing cosmetic Fuchs style hubcaps fitted to a four cylinder version of the car, all of which had four stud steel wheels from the factory, this makes sense as a very early 914 (probably the first example to find its way to the UK) was used in an episode called 'Psychobombs' so it's not much of a stretch to suggest that the production crew used a set of prototype trims from Porsche and fitted them to the Straker mobile.... they protrude more on the 914 but the steel wheels on these were very narrow and they may have been modified to fit the Ford wheels on Straker's car....

 

(As it happens two other Porsches were used in the series, namely a pair of early 911s, a white coupe and a red Targa).

 

 

 

 

 

There is a fascinating article about a replicas of Straker's car (immortalised by Dinky Toys) here.

jch

23 hours ago, woodenhead said:

It looked more like a 1960s toilet seat than a 'star cruiser'

Impossible, everyone knows there are no toilets in space.

1 minute ago, AY Mod said:

 

That is speculation then.

Deduction, not speculation.