peach james

It's so true though-the main power supplies for Long Marton is the DCS 100 and DB150's, all of which draw 5.7A @ 12V (so 70w/each), with 4 total. Then, there is the LED lighting transformer (60w), the 4w relay power supply, the 30w wall wart for the BDL 168's in the staging, the 12w wall wart for the LNRP, the 60w transformer for the furnace BDL 168 (massive overkill !), the 70w power supply for DC supplies on Long Marton, the 70 w Power Supply for the station lights, the corner 70W power supply (again for BDL's, and the one of the reversing units). Lots of similar units, I have fairly well standardized on the "Solar" 5.7A/12V switched power supplies, using them slowly to replace other ones, so that the layout is consistent. All of them are fed by the very long extension lead, so that all I have to do is turn on (or off) the switch to turn on or off LM. That minimizes some of the wiring difficulties that otherwise occur. That power supply includes a light, so that it is visible when the DCC power supplies are live. No worries about the cord glowing red at night. If you want to see poor wiring done by extension cord, you should see my dad's basement... James

Long Marton runs mostly on a single 15A socket, wired into a 100' extension cord, that feeds 18 plugs & a further extension cord (with 3 more outlets), so a total of 21 outlets are available. Not all of them are used, because of using wall warts for power supplies. Overall power demand isn't that high- 240w available for track, probably about the same for other uses. (60w for LED lights, and at least as much for the DCC system's overheads- for detection systems & microcontrollers). That's for Long Marton, there are also wall outlets all around the place which can be used for construction. James

well, do you mean a ton, or a Cu M? because I work in both...and a Cu M is rarely a Tonne, even when we think it should be, because salt water isn't 1.0, but is variable and more like 1.02 or a bit more...and fuel is .85, unless it is .83 or .82 (but both convert to bbls easy enough). (and a Cu M is 226 & a little bit _real_ gal) And if you are ordering aggregate, here it would come by the yard, normally. (1 cubic yard, or 27 cubic feet, or some amount that may or may not actually equal that, unless it is ready mix cement, in which case it _will_ be a yard you get when you pay for it). 2x4's aren't 2x4 here, they are 1 5/8x 3 1/2, not metric yet. Again, you always have to measure it to be sure what exactly you are getting. We use a lot of rough cut 4x4 at work, and that can vary from 4 1/2" square, to 4x4 1/2, to 3 7/8x 3 7/8 planed. It all depends on what the mill thinks will sell, and what they pawn off on us. (we go through it by the skid of 1000 linear feet, this year I think we will have gone through at least 10 000 lin ft of it) James (edit to add space between Cu and M, apparently that's on the evil list around here...)

So _that's_ where the trees are all heading that I have to avoid in the morning... (the 0600 departure now on track for KL2, via Mill Bay, Panama, Plymouth...) Again, I would be looking at a "mushroom" type layout, if it was me and I was going to end up flooring the whole room anyway... it might allow for a lot more space than you are going to get "just" from what you are going to do. I don't have enough height to manage it properly, (the lego is already at the celing height, both at the heating duct and elsewhere) but if you could, it might work out well. (and a much easier duck under than what you are currently going to end up with- even if it only has to be 5'3" to clear your head...unlike mine, which I tried to fit into a 5'9" space this week & have the marks to prove it- steel doorways are not very forgiving !) James

Mick, I'll put up a story in the Lounge about B-P & my great Grand-Dad...

The saving grace for the colour photos might be that you _know_ what colour the engines are supposed to be, so that gives you something to base the colours on. I have my dads collection of 2 1/4" negatives here, and they suffer the same problem but have no reference colours to go by, as they are of road steam rather than rail. James

That's about right for the # of screws- I was told 36 screws per sheet of 4x8 ft, so that sounds right on. I have one of these: http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/11-ft-drywall-hoist/A-p8415754e which works a charm for lifting and lowering the drywall to cut it and put it in the right place. I use a milk crate to stand on, I'm 6'0", so need about 18" lift off the floor to make it more comfortable to get the screws in. I think I used 1 5/8" screws for most of the drywall. (I bought a box of 5000, and still have about 1/2 of them left). Before you lot start into me, I did 900 sq ft in my addition and then about another 500 sq ft inside the main house over the last couple years, so buying tools to do it easily made sense. (you are welcome to borrow the lift Jeff, but the postage may be excessive...I think Shaun is the only one I could get it to for a reasonable amount of time...) James

Don't you mean, the train will flail to a halt somewhere between here and Hellifield, and there will be much frantic arm waving & pointless yelling while a nice, working, steam engine is sought to drag the diseasle off to some quiet back corner for the fitter to "work" on the problem with a 20 lb sledge? James

Nicely done woodwork. One of the "simple" tasks that has fallen to me with Dad is to build a platform for his (new to him) lathe to sit on. It's a Colchester Bantam, so it weighs allegedly, 750 lb or so. The woodwork is 2x4 framing (actually 1 1/2 by 3 1/2), pressure treated. Then 2 layers of 8.5mm ply on top of it, and the whole lot shimmed to level(ish) on a very uneven floor. Held down with a couple of corner blocks attached with concrete nails. He also got me to run hydro to where the lathe is going to be. 220V/20A service now installed, along with a 110v plug and a pair of 64w florescent lights. So, dad is getting his money worth out of me. He's making up the leveling bolt for the lathe right now ( 1"-8tpi, with a tapped hole in the middle, I think he is going to use 1/2-13NC for that) We're keeping each other busy, and I think dad is doing a lot of reflecting. (Thanks everyone for the messages in the Lounge, I appreciate them) James

On LM, the over staging lighting is provided by LED's, from Lee Valley Tools. (I'd imagine similar are available in the UK) The 24 ft of them are something like 45w or so, or rather less than a pair of T6 (1 1/2"/ 32w) fluorescent tubes. They don't provide that much lighting, really. There are formula which tell you how many Cd of light you "should" have for various tasks, and then you get into staging lighting, which should be on a different system than the "working" lighting, quite probably. My figuring is that, if I was starting again, I would put a LOT more boxes in the overhead, with the wire run. It wouldn't be that hard to do in my addition, as the celing is dry-walled but not taped & mudded, so it all could be lifted down). The current setup has 8x2x32w (512w) of fluorescent tubes, and 8x50 (400w) of GU10 halogen lights. That room is 17x24, or 415 sq ft, and is used for the club layout, or play space for the kids, and my lego for building. That lighting doesn't help Long Marton at all, as it is in a different room.

If it were me... I think, what I would do is run probably 24 boxes spread across the celing, wired down to a space where one could put a matching # of boxes. Then, figure out what I want in the way of lighting after I had finalized the layout design, and put in switches to gang similar lights. (I'd also probably run 2 sets of wires to each box, one for low voltage, one for 110V (220V) lights) The difference between full size Florscent lights and LED's is not yet decisive, and there is something else to consider, that is during the winter, the lights being a heat source when you want one...I'd more look and see what lighting is going to produce the best effect for the space, rather than what lighting is going to be cheapest. (for us, hydro is about 5 p/kWh ) James

Next thing you will want is the etches from Judith Edge for the anhydrite waggons. (yes, I do have a set...) Parkin is the book to get (Mark 1 Coaches) and the supplement as well. What I did was write the type of coach on the bottom with a lead pencil, along with which train it belongs to (#1-6). I have spare coaches too, which are a bit of a random collection. The trains then have a 10" long by however wide box to hold the full train, with each coach outlined in them & ID'd as to where in the train they should be. The 60+ coaches take a fair amount of storage, if I pull them all off the layout they fill a pair of tupperware boxes up. I'm still short coaches to make up the locals, which I understand could have been a pair of BSK's and a SO, or set of 57' non corridor's. You can use the roof vent arrangements to ID which coachs are which, particuarly with the Mk 1's. James

I would have to agree with PeterBB. We do metric boatload (you can use other sentence enhancers, but the censor alters them...) of risk assessments here, because the job is inherently risk filled at best. It's about reducing to as low as reasonably achieveable risk. It is near impossible to _eliminate_ risk, but you can take it from every week to every decade...of corse, then you loose because the event becomes an exception, and the Joe Q. Public does a poor job of assessing risks on a regular basis. James

I thought Bachmann made a SO, http://www.Bachmann.co.uk/image_box.php?image=images1/branchline/39-051J.jpg&cat_no=39-051J&info=0&width=650&height=230 rather than a TSO. I could easily be wrong though...it wouldn't be the first time... It's certainly what I use for my Waverly and TCE. The only odd coaches for post 55 or so are the sleepers, which could have been either Mk 1's or ex LMS 12w ones. I have a pair of the LMS ones, part finished. (another job I should get on with...) James

Well, at least I had the right # of wheels- I hadn't considered the ROD's, or a lot of NE stuff... Dad is currently (not) working on someone else's Cli-Shay in 7.x (I think 1/4, but could be 1/2). His project is a 3" size engine for a Clayton steam wagon, which he had me doing calculations for & making sure that he could do what he wants to with it. (it's currently 1.625 bore, he wanted enough clear to take it out to 2", which there is just enough metal to manage). He's not sure if it will end up replacing the 4" Clayton engine "for a while", or if he is going to just get on with making a 3" wagon to go with the 2" and 4" that he has. (both mostly built by other people). Dad's hobby time is severely curtailed right now, as his wife is in hospital. Why not Sentinels? Because of the poppet valve gear... There are photos of around his shop up on my Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/47105471@N05/sets/72157636339171875/ cyl ports4 by Peach James, on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/47105471@N05/14936990071/in/set-72157629642544402 & that's grandson #2 caging a ride behind my sister's roller, last summer.

You could be like me- I did get trains running on Long Marton, even had my trainee (and note, he's not QUITE http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94286-i-dont-want-to-say-signalmen-are-highly-trained-monkeys-but/ ) running the 153 around, after he asked politely for a shorter train than the 2130 Euston Sleeper (GUV/BG/BSK/SK/SK/SK/SLEP/SLP/CK/BG) with the 5MT's on the front. Now the rest of the week is a write off from a railway prospective, as tonight (in about 10 min) I have fire practice, then tomorrow night I start doing a (re) certification for (medical) First Responder, which eats 2 weekends. I have to look into flying back to Toronto to see my Step Mum, who has been in hospital since before Christmas, she's in her early 80's, and not in great health...which probably will eat another weekend (& a few days off from work). Oh, and cost more than visiting the UK would !. Then, we're back into exhibition mode, as I have a lego show to deal with on the 7-9th of Feb, and further shows at the end of Feb. Then, my mum comes out (along with my sister & niece) for a week, and another pair of shows... & I'm supposed to have Long Marton running in full auto both up & down by mid March... I guess I am going to be busy. James

The spline type roadbed is quite often used in conjunction with L girder benchwork. What it does is provides a smooth surface for the trackbed to ride on, that should be consistent. They are classed as "open" benchwork, as the intent is to have the scenery run up to the roadbed, without it sitting on a flat surface. I have no idea how my style would be classed- I started with foam, and then hacked living !@#!@ out of it with various tools to make it into the shapes that I desired. (all supported on 3/4" by 4" deep plywood side rails, T'd with 2" deep pieces rabbited into the side rails).

I'm in the same boat, without a spiral. However, I do have some fairly wicked grades by accident, and the desire to have trains accelerate like scalded cats. So, the 21:30 sleeper has a pair of 5's on the front, (one black one, one MT). The 8P engines will mostly haul 10 coach trains OK on their own, which is a good thing. I'm not 100%, but I would suspect that a 5P is a bit under-rated for 10 coaches to Carlisle. James

You wouldn't save much by having no guts in the 2nd one...so you might as well bite the bullet and buy a 2nd full up one. My pair are done like that, with 5705 not having any guts to the 2 truck axle any more, as I needed the space for the pair of smoke generators fitted. I was hoping for the original with wrap around glass ! James

CTC, the issue is one of spreading the costs out over the # of models being produced. For this project to go ahead, Rapido needs ~850 orders or so, in order to amortize the tooling and construction costs. The order is for 1000 (+/-). Kickstarter projects typically have stretch goals- not so in this case, it is basically a all or nothing at all situation. It's not like making only the power units is a viable goal, or only one of the coach types. So, it leaves the nature of the project- if someone had the 250 000 quid to put up for the order, then they could...but no ONE individual or company has stepped forward to do so. Therefore, this can be thought as being a consortium approach- if enough people are interested, then the project will go forward. If it doesn't in this form, then it looks like DJModels would be interested in the future of taking on the project. Dave has, I think, taken a very moral (& pragmatic) approach- he'll wait and see if this works before deciding if he will carry on with his own approach, which is likely to be several years down the road if it happens that way. James

He means...GRASS ! Or at least, that's how I'd take it. I'm going to try and get some other photos in a little bit- we will see what turns out and what doesn't. I've got all day, well, other than having to get dinner ready at some point & feeding two starving boys. (they're boys...they're always starving...or full...then it's like Chinese food- 30 minutes later, they're starving again...). Strangely enough, I have some trees planted at the other end, mostly to have somewhere to plant the trees. I know that the area under Trout Beck (the viaduct) was treed, that much is clear from the 1912 photo as well as more recent ones (like the 1980's one, and mine)

I'll try again tomorrow- I've been running 60020 through on a proper train tonight, but the photos of the Bachmann A4 show it up quite badly, as the trailing truck wires show up & other sins. In terms of distance, the camera is set up at about 57" from the 2nd pillar, so about 350 ft in scale distance. The photo I took of the setup was crummy- I have my FX-D on the tripod to show that yes, that's where the photos are from, but I managed to get it out of focus. I find it easier to use the older style of SLR to manually focus, that or take lots of photos. It's kind of hard to take "lots" when the only memory card I can find is a 256 MB one !

I figure I will post this here, rather than in the general S&C thread. DSC_0021 by Peach James, on Flickr Andrew Sharp has a photo of Mallard in about the same place (well, about 20' closer to London...), which he had posted. Just a quickie look alike from me. This photo is taken on Long Marton, with the camera right beside the lego spiral. (I thought, originally, that the photo would have to be taken through the spiral, but it turns out that the location Andrew was using in real terms, is beside the spiral, or at least I'd guess it was) Proof that Long Marton still lives, even if I haven't run any trains over the Christmas break. Next I am off to scan some original BR documents, I will post them in the most appropriate location I can find once they are scanned. (they are very curly, as they were stored rolled up) James

Nice work if you can get it... What is the lump in the photo on the bottom? I make it a 2-8-0, in 5" which should put it a little to the Western side? James

Jeff, Curved turnouts on the RHS of the fiddle yard ? (& yes, I know, this is a draft version of the track plan) With regards to cassette's, one gentleman over here uses metal wall studs (nominally 2x4", U channel) to make his cassettes, as they work well and don't bend. I know Mike puts out a lot of info on his layout, but it is typically by email rather than by a web page. (a much more serious post than the one for 'chard) James