peach james

Do you think it will have difficulty getting through the tunnels? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breitspurbahn James

DSC_0117 by Peach James, on Flickr Proving that it happens in more than just OO models, that somewhere there is a mistake... The valve gear on that engine (it's a P5a, nominally, or Caribou to those of you who read Model Engineer) has had a lot of adjustments to make it run better. Dad started off with the bits that someone else had made, and adapted them to make it work. (it was no-where near as bad as https://flic.kr/p/ce3nw3 , which at that time was suffering through having piston valves that were something like .125 short, on 2.500 or so...). So, the Caribou had bits heated & stretched on the bed of the lathe. I wasn't there for it, but apparently one of the other model makers who pesters dad visited, while he was busy heating up various and sundry bits to a nice bright cherry & "pulling" them between the chuck and cross slide on the lathe. First time for everything, I think...Dad's not a blacksmith (I know one now...), but that's how they were adjusted in full size too. (either lengthened or shortened by blacksmiths) Both of those are 3/4"-ft (or 1/16th) but are live steam primarily, not models. (I've seen model making in those sizes, and our approach isn't it. If you want to see model making in 1"/ft, look no further than http://www.physics.upenn.edu/shop/edst1.html for Ed Wooding's astounding PRR T1, with Franklin RC valve gear. (Ed died several years ago, I met him in Montreal in 2000)

Jeff, I am given to the understanding that my great grandmum was capable of a similar sin to Jock's. Certainly, she had a copper bottomed kettle after burning the bottom out of several cast iron (? I'm guessing...) ones on the stove. The electric ones make a spectacular spark show when they go wrong. (not as spectacular as a 440V pump does...) With regards to "pushing" you & KL2, I hope that it more comes over as this being a fun place to hang out, and pester the in crowd. Mike has put most of us to shame with the amount of work he has done on "Dent", I feel like a slug in comparison with Long Marton. We will get, what we get, and we will continue to add irreverent info here (& in the Lounge), with all kinds of sausages being talked about, good drinks being discussed, curry's, and the occasional bit of actual modeling. (perhaps Jason will lead that group...it won't be me, as I'd have to do some modeling...even if I have actually built a few Parkside kits). James

No, thanks to you Jeff for being the ringleader, and Andy Y. for tolerating our tomfoolery both here (in the KL 1 thread) and in the Lounge. I'll be in and out over Christmas, as I have 6 days off & nothing planned to fill them with. (well, perhaps a bit of train running on Long Marton, and lego sorting/building, and looking after two lads who are sure to be ever so calm until Thursday AM, after Father Christmas has dropped off presents) James

No, for you will always be... Forever Sorting ! (it's an in lego joke, if you have the right set...) James

Andy, if it comes with a 4-10 year old attached to him...then I'm all in favor of Thomas the tank Engine ! I hope you'd agree... (my pair of DCC ones are Edward and Emily) James

I recommend against the bow saw, unless you are either: A. 99.95% swede, with an admixture of meatballs B.The French Canadian Lumberjack I'm yet to have anyone take me up on being B, one day I will get a true one come through. So, the funny story about bow saws (well, 2 man crosscut saw...) HarryAllen92 John Crook, who is firing in the above photo was at Milton Agricultural Museum in 88 or 89, with us. One of his mates comes along, and the two of them both soundly trounced all comers on the crosscut. It seems, experience beat youth and vigour about 2:1 that day. Both of them were well on the far side of 70, and I wouldn't have bet against the near side of 80. That's not the funny part...no... He then looks at the pair of us (Dad and myself), and promptly said: If you tell Jean (his wife), I will kill both of you. He wasn't supposed to do "hard" work, as he'd had heart bypass surgery some time in the early 1980's...when it was quite a lot more risky than it is now. He's been dead 15+ years now...

Quite what I am going to do with a N gauge Pendolino, I'm not quite sure...but mine is coming from Rapido as I am a Canadian... (you had me with a Legion version...strangely, I am not a member of the RCL, as I am still a member of HM's RCN...) James Powell

I think it would take Jeff longer than a day to demo all his nice brickwork . Well, unless he had recourse to some serious demolition aids, and wasn't too worried about the area around his house. It would end up like Chuck (the Muddle Engineer)'s house- converted from a row house to a hole in the ground ! James

Tony, I am reminded of arriving at my dad's sometime around 2002, just after he had taken delivery of a 3" Burrell traction engine from another model maker, who had built it "to the drawings", but that it needed finishing. The cylinder block hadn't been mounted to the boiler, (or if it had, dad had already nipped it off). He asked me what I thought- and after looking at the block for about 1/2 hr, I said, save your time, buy a new block, make it right. He didn't, as that would have meant scrapping the work of the owner. Oh boy, what a nightmare ! Dad spent the best part of the winter fixing the various wrongs on that, at a paid rate of something like a quid an hour ! Dad's yet to learn, as his current project is a Cli-Shay, which is the most horrible contraption that I think I have ever seen. Mind things which we have finished and sold on, some of them have been quite nice engines. They do represent the original owner's work, such engines as our Hudson, or the pair of Caribou's that we have had. It's a hobby, after all. While dad does work for pay, it is still done at a much lower rate than if someone shows up with commercial work. James

oh, blankety blank blank blank...that's why there were more 20 wheeler's driving with old growth douglas fir on the road. ! DSC_0006 by Peach James, on Flickr Just to make Jeff's 12x24's or whatever he has determined are the appropriate sized beams. Nothing less than a 12x12, I am sure ! James

Both Handhold doors and Washout plugs are the invention of the devil ! I have had to tighten a few, with 600 PSI on the other side & the RBFH driving the slam wrench, onto asbestos gaskets...). It's a tad bit...nerve racking, the first time you take 20+ lb of hammer to a bolt on a boiler holding 14 tons of water at 400+F James

...It is Cheese (Caerphilly)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBrjdQIH8uw Let Freddie know, that's where it went, someone ate the moon ! James

Welcome to madness...S&C style. Sooner or later, we'll be able to build the entire line in OO at a show... (& yes, I note this is a fixed in place layout...I'll add that in my opinion, even if building a layout at home, I would from now on, always build the big segments modular, so that if a house move ensues, one can pick up at least some parts of it and keep them) James

I just checked Britain from Above, thanks to Jock 67B, and there are no new images of Long Marton Ah well... The Garratt has been running in, with a decent goods train on the back. Last night we ran the BOCO's as well, and made a bit of smoke. There's a lego loco (4551) in pieces being fitted for a new decoder arrangement sitting on Long Marton as well. I have to get on with some programming of other stuff for Lego in addition... James

So, just to add a last few notes to this, 2 cert 3A's were issued this week to Steph and Steve, although they were issued with the awareness that they will never be sailed...whereas, mine was issued with the intent of it being used. PRO is tied up awaiting decommissioning, PRE is in Halifax, awaiting a similar fate. Steam in the RCN is now limited to the 250 barge, and heating systems. James

Make that 3, Jock. I nearly amputated a digit with a radial arm saw due to being a little too eager when I was 14 or so. The scar is quite a reminder of how close I came to missing a digit...there are old sawyers, and bold sawyers, and very few old and bold sawyers... There was a chap we knew in the 1980's who had offed a hand at Milton Steam Age (probably "the" Ontario steam show), they took him and the recently detached hand into the hospital, and they offered to re-attach it. He asked how much function he'd get back, they said about 5%, so he declined, and managed OK with a hook. He'd have been in his late 70's/early 80's when it happened...and he said that he'd been expecting to do something stupid with a saw and amputate something since he started...when he was 6 They don't breed them like that any more ! James

Your wife? Ha! I just got handed back one heck of a mess- our community association books...and all kinds of nastygrams from CRA (Inland Revenue) about our status...oh, and dad wants me to do CFD modeling on a 3" model engine (I've never done CFD before, I just know that it is now practical, and somewhat available to someone like me...), and I have actual, WORK for work in the form of a new class of ship drawings... Someone must have heard that I only have 18 months before I retire from this job...and thought, never give the job to the guy with lots of time on his hands ! James

If you have absolutely no interest in what your children are doing, then the least you can do is fake it ! How many hockey/football/basketball moms are there out there? Unfortunately, this appears to be a cultural thing too- "oh, your son's in football? On the C team? He'll get better- you'd better buy him these special cleats, and this course, and, and, and..." but how many children who are interested in, say, woodworking, have someone advocating the same way for them? (over here, you can substitute hockey for football in 90% of the cases, but still...) The same thing goes for model railways, or any "creative" hobby. Heck, even cooking has more advocates for it than constructive hobbies. Now, I have to admit, I am a member of a club which we do strictly put a 18+ cap on, in that as a member of a Adult Lego club, that's what we are...Adult Fans of Lego. The simple explanation of that one is that kids have no need to be encouraged to play with Lego ! James (NB- to avoid cluttering Tony's thread...this is 18+ lego... Untitled by Peach James, on Flickr That's the bridge set up for the 2014 train show. 16' long lego bridge) (edited)

I'm a child of the 70's, and the last of an era- dad fired steam right up until we left the UK in 79, so I heard more stories than most. I don't model what was familiar to me, GO, VIA, CN, CP, ACR...but rather the UK. I changed about when I was 14, going from having a (large) toy train set to starting to build a model. I've been exposed to models right since birth- dad had a pair of 3/4" scale traction engines, the 1 1/2" steam roller and a 5" gauge railway when we were in the UK. I'm not sure why I like tin mice as much as I do, as I have most of the tools required to build live steam engines & have the skills for it. But, I find fun from the attempt at making a signalman's view of Long Marton. It's a challenge, in its own way. As you say above Tony, there are all kinds of skills required in order to be a successful modeler. I have taken a different approach to yours, in that I have shaken a fair amount of $$$ out on RTR stock, knowing that I can build kits, but that the eventual goal is not how well I build any particular coach, wagon or engine, but the total effect of the layout. I also enjoy the programming aspects of using DCC & Railroad (&) Co software to simulate the operational aspects that I don't want to do. If I want to drive a loco, I can haul out one of the live steam engines and go driving...all the experience of full size, just 1/16th as big. I don't think Long Marton will ever be as good as Little Bytham is, but that is not going to stop me. Well done to your apprentice, and it does behoove all of us to bring in new blood to the hobby. I actually like it NOT being the youngest club member ! James Powell

I'm Peach at work. Go figure. Yes, that is my photo. Yes, I am still known as Peach. I'm also known in some places as wx732, because that is one of my email addresses- wx732@freenet.victoria.bc.ca, had it for 18 years now...and it's fairly unique. Neither because I want to hide anything else- I'm a PO in the Canadian Navy, so my job isn't an influence. James Powell

It might be that he's snorkling around the issues of how to model the chunnel Just remember- any ship can be a submarine. ONCE ! James

Would not the platform face have a ___---___ cut into it to dip the compensator into if required? That's about what I would expect, that if there was a requirement for a compensator, that the platform would have a notch cut into it, with a wooden cover, or stone cover over the space where it is? James

But...But...But...the 28's are like dishonourable steam engines, based on the amount of clag they could produce ! (and the good chance you'd need that black 5 to tow the train along with the boat anchors on to it's destination) edit- besides, BoCo was one of the "good" diesels in Thomas ! The shame to me is that Hatton's didn't get the round glass version made as well. I think that the rounded glass version looks much nicer than the flat glass version. (and yes, I know, not that they were any good like that, when the windscreen falls out on a regular basis, it isn't really a great design...) I like my pair, and will eventually get around to working on the Conflat P's to go with them. James

Mass, it ain't Mass I'm worried about...perhaps Gravity. The 8 hammers Jeff has collected are selectively applying gravity to every other hammer in range...when I hear a clang from the UK, I will be worried ! James