peach james

10450 km traveled over 4 weeks in the van, at 13.9L/100 km. that's a van larger than a Transit, in case you wonder, with a 5.4 L petrol engine in it, on M&S tires. I came home (3150 km from Thunder Bay) in 3 days of traveling, with >1100 lb of load in the van. (well more than 1100 lb, because that's the lathe alone's weight...) James

https://flic.kr/p/CmafNh Set up for DCC computer control of the trains, with the signalbox being the operational focus of the layout. The set of distant/stop left pulled "on", are reflective of trying to manage an appropriate speed for express trains, which should be doing ~60 MPH at that point. By including them on the signalbox, I ended up with 23 active levers & one spare. I did the signal design myself, the lever frame is the Modratec one from Australia. I added the pair of servo locks after construction. I understand Modratec offer similar now, that would be underslung, rather than mounted like how mine are. The original plan before I found the Modratec frame was to build a GEM or similar lever frame, interlock it using SSI controlling servos & RR&Co 5.0 as the SSI element. A huge shout out to Beast & The Stationmaster on here, both of whom have been very helpful in advancing my understanding. Mistakes have been made, they are mine. The process of running Long Marton as a signaling exercise has driven many of my choices. It is very much a driver of my choices of using DCC, RTR stock (& track), track plan, & wiring system. I fully support the choices which Tony W. has made with LB, because they fit his temperment. I couldn't have gotten to where I am with Long Marton at this point without making some of the choices I have made. Practically, I think that I could have kit built locos & stock, but not with the time that I spend on my other three time consuming hobbies (live steam, Lego & playing computer games). I do not think that Long Marton could be made to run the way that it does with DC, at least without me building a pair or more of relay racks to run the railway. I am limited in operators- usually it is just me. (although I am working on the "breed your own" program, my 11 year old is far more plane crazy than train crazy- takes after his Aunt, I guess...) James http://modratec.com/

OK, so I am quite involved in Lego trains... While it fails under almost _all_ of Tony's choices for scale models, it does work reliably- the derailment was one of 2 over the weekend, and in this case was the fault of the "oversized load"- the other was me doing something silly. No signals- I have built one, and perhaps should think about making more. I have done lego interlocking before, so that part is possible. (SSI is easy, you use mindstorms). The big station is based on Bristol Temple Meads, and is red because when it was built, you couldn't get Tan in quantity. (now you can, but given that it has >3700 1x2 lego bricks in it, I'm a little reluctant to change it) Now, is it scale? Not at all. Is it fun? Yes, it is. James

No, it's true. As a 20 year vet of the CF, I'd agree, the legion is an endangered species, and it has no-where to look but at its self. James

I would think, that by the 60's the road would be Tarmac, or chip-sealed. Dad did a bit of it from 65-79, in various locations across NW Wales. They went up a fair amount of forestry service roads, even. (IIRC, that's Murray on the Left, and Mick the Scrap on the right) James (edited, it was from 1965-1979, not from 1995- 1979 !)

-It's the middle one of the rocks which gets me, the one quite close to the wall. The further away one looks more "right", but the black/gray paint does look like it is a model rather than a photo. (NB- that's not saying it's a bad model, that's saying it looks like a model not a photo !) -Trees (here, rather than in Dent) 100_0743 100_0724 by Peach James, on Flickr Those are about 50' off the CL of track at Long Marton, and would look to my eye, to be 50-70 year old trees. Rather unlike the other "weed" trees, like 100_0727 Which I would have expected NOT to be allowed by the PW gang in the 60's. I thought I had one or two more of trees near Long Marton, but apparently not. I thought I took more, especially in 2006

Glad you are feeling better Mike, Kit vs RTR- I've a fair pile of kits to put together...both definitive trains are (for now) only available as kits, in the form of the Anhydrite wagons and the Conflat P's of the CONDOR. I always figured that a train cost about $1000, (about 600 quid) including the loco. That would make the stock on LM worth...well, a small car or so !. I have about 8 full passenger trains of coaches in total, somewhat north of 60 Mk 1's. I started off by getting basically random coaches, and have since gotten much further into what the proper trains should be. I don't think I could afford to re-equip LM now, it would be a rather pricey thing to have to do. Fortunately, I have had 15 years of buying stuff to get done...now all I have to do is _do_ it . Next is a lego show on the weekend- I've been building, and boxing stuff to take. It hasn't helped that it has been cold & snowy here for 2 months or so, which is really strange. James

Proper name is James Powell, but I am fuzzy like a peach, so became "the fuzzy peach" at work. So, if I can't use my real name (someone else had it), or my alphanumeric (wx732) that I have had as an email address since 1996, then I go to Peach James .

Speaking about space, I took the 11 year old to see "Hidden Figures", about some of the African-American computers who worked for NASA. It isn't a documentary, I am quite sure, but it wasn't a bad movie. Nice and gentle compared with many, and it had enough space (SPACE !) for an 11 year old who is a bit OTT for flying things. (sorry, I think I have failed to make him into a railfan foamer, but have made him into a propellerhead instead...) James

So, a 9F has 40 sq ft of grate, which would imply at grate limits, about 4000 lb/hr of coal burned, or about 2000 DBHP. I understand that the working agreement between ASLEF and BR was 2200 lb/hr coal, so the limit is more the fireman than anything else. A Class 66 is 3000 DBHP, so should be able to manage the train at about 1.25x the (point to point) speed (because accelerating the train will take 4x the power to double the speed). Now, is the Shed at flat out to get the container train up to 60 MPH or not, I can't say. So, it is all a matter of how fast they want the train to go, and how hard they want to flog the 9F, vs the 66. If the train weighs 1150 tons, that would imply 78 hp/ft. So a 2000 HP engine runs out of grunt on 1:100 at about 30 MPH, and 3000 would run out at about 45 MPH. (that neglects all kinds of losses, but for us would at least get us in the ball park). All in all, you really need 2 firemen, or a automatic stoker to get to >2000 HP. James

Been busy with the Kingons then Andy? It had been quiet around here- ever since Jock's death. So, it's kind of good to see a bit more of jocularity around here... James

2006 for the end of 9v. Means I have about 10 years worth of collecting it as an adult (and ~10 boxes for sale on BL...). https://www.flickr.com/gp/47105471@N05/13w6jU James

That looks colder than it feels here !. It's only about -1 or -2 C, but there is 70+ km of wind...the power went out here at about 1500 last night, and came back on at 0500 or so. At least we weren't standing looking at the hydro line for >12 hrs, while it did nothing exciting. (or shocking, or powering, or much or anything). We were toned out for one this AM, the fire chief got there & turned the rest of us around, so I guess it is somewhere flopping in the woods, not on the road, and probably hanging from the load side not the street side. Happy new year to all, James

Welcome to the madness ! James

Don't forget about up here- where CN thought the 4-8-4 was the cats meow, and ended up with something like 1/2 of their new build engines being them. Contrast that to CP, who made engines for this, and engines for that. (mind, the F1 Jubilee could probably give an A4 a run on it's money- they made it to 112.5mph with a dyno car, a record that stood as the fastest train in Canada until 1977). I think that the difference between east and west (and particularly, the NYC) has a lot to do with grades. The NYC was called "the water level route" for a reason, in comparison to most it was very flat by North American standards. Out here, there are miles on miles of 1:100 or worse (1:33...) grades, which would have caused caos in the UK, over here, they just got on with it...If you think I'm biased: That's me with our J2. The only complaint that I have about it was it was rather heavy for me at one end @ 11-12 years old. James https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hill

So, there was a little problem with the loaded mineral on Tuesday night... Move along, nothing to see... by Peach James, on Flickr that's the mostly cleaned up remains of the the incident- the loaded mineral got pulled over by the engine, on it's way to the staging yard. I managed 0/4 on Tuesday night, ending up with 2 trains in the staging yard, 1 train minus loco (loco needs to have CV29 changed, to run it the same way as every other loco I have...), and the remains of the mineral scattered all over the Lego. Suffice to say, it wasn't a great evening ! James

I got as far as the first train leaving the staging yard today. Then the power went out... So retired life isn't always all it is cracked up to be I should get back to it in three hours or so, after dinner. Power is back on at home, now I am just waiting on the little ones group therapy to be done, in Sooke. James

The plan as it is right now, Andy, is to lift the track in 5 months or so, and relay it. Someone had a sale on OO track (it seems they went to 18.2mm...) so about 1/2 of the track required to relay Long Marton was purchased. I have to contact Marcway and order some more (single & double slip, and a trap point, along with 25 yds of plain track). Timeline wise, the big reason for the delay will be to have the club visit done with before I lift rail. There seems no point in lifting it with my luck, as if I lift it before I have the replacement, then something will happen and I will have a trackless layout for the club visit (good for amusement, but not so great for a railway club...) I went and put the power on today, ran the DMU's around, along with a 9F hauled freight. I also painted the ground, and abutments so that they are at least not white shining through the whole room. I may get on with running more tonight, right now it's time for monopoly with the whole family. (it should end up with the board being tipped, by my guess !) James

1. If you are seriously planning, I would suggest starting your own thread 2. The scenic options are very good for the S&C. 3. Even if you are not planning on moving, making it modular is probably a good idea ! (because if you do move, then the bits can be moved as sections, already divided/divideable without tearing out and starting again). I was talking with one of our few club members who models in N yesterday about the scenic effect which 2mm would allow rather than the rather restricted area which I have in OO (poor me, it's only 30'x3' !) James

So, a few new photos Flag & trains by Peach James, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjz5W9AL I think that all the images I have of the goods shed are in there now, Jeff.

I have more photos. I can rescan them if you want ? (either one of you). They are in B&W, not colour, and are of Long Marton. I don't have the rail side of LM's goods shed, as it was clearly on the wrong side of the fence, and unlike the station where I was on the platform surface, it would clearly have been lineside- and I really couldn't have afforded to be arrested the week before I started military training on the other side of the ocean ! James

& thoughts about EMing a loco- what about getting a Jinty and starting with that? It might then end up as a never used engine, but a 0-6-0 would be easiest to convert, and would produce something that is yours converted to EM. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67272-what-is-easiest-steam-loco-to-convert-to-em/ James

Plans are in Rails in the Fells. Look at photos to see if KS was stone or brick, because Rails in the Fells was not quite right as to what was used for what station ! James

The Freight Train Loads Book for your time period would give the length limit of trains in Standard Wagon Lengths over a stretch of line and the load in Basic Wagon Units for each power classification of locomotives. Long coal trains can look very impressive on layouts but sometimes they can be very wrong for the class of locomotive and the line it is supposed to be on. A SWL is 20 ft over buffers, a 12 ton van or 13 ton open. A Basic Wagon Units are harder to describe, it depended on the load carried and the wagon. A BWU is a 13 ton wagon with a light load (under half carrying capacity). A fully loaded 16 ton mineral is 2 BWUs. I do not have a steam period Freight Train Load Book for the GN line but I do have the 1967 book. For a class 8 train (unfitted through freight train) passing the remains of Little Bytham station, the line limit was 75 SWL, a BTH type 1 (class15) was limited to 61 BWUs, a Brush Type 4 (class 47) was allowed up to 83 BWUs. Now if the wagons were all fully loaded 16 ton minerals the class 15 would have 30 in tow and the big Brush 41 behind it, far less than the length limit. 16ton minerals when empty are 5/6 BWU so the return journey a Brush 4 can take 69 wagons. Clive Copied to here so that I know where to find it ! (Clive's post in Tony Wright's thread)