peach james

_8_ claw hammers? I mean, I might have 8 hammers (20 lb sledge, 2 lb sledge, FG claw hammer, wood claw hammer, Andrea's (wife's) claw hammer (*), hammer in steaming gear box (tack hammer), welding tack hammer (cheese !), box hammer, hammer for model railway (small), and probably one or two more around...but even still, I only have 3 claw hammers, and one of them isn't mine. 8... I mean, 8 tape measures, I'm sure I have. 8 saws, I know I have. 8 Britannias...nope, only 3. 8x8x8x8x8x8 pieces of lego? yep... (not 8^8 though !) But 8 claw hammers... James (*) Andrea's claw hammer is like a model one...it's a 16 oz claw hammer. Did I mention she's fairly small? (5' tall)

I bought enough frets for them from Judith Edge, but they are the chassis only, and rely on a resin cast for the body. I am unsure if I will ever get around to making them in the near time, but figured to get the etches when they were available. I would send a Email and ask if you are intending on getting them. There is a thread on here ( http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/51683-sc-anhydrite-wagon-in-4mm/page-2&do=findComment&comment=1284417 ) Same thing for the Conflat P's, I have some sitting awaiting attention. If only there were 28 hours in each day ! James

So, Andrew (Bodge) in his fit of selling off stock to pay for the new potting shed for Bittern, sold me a 4F DSC_0253 by Peach James, on Flickr (there are a couple of others there). The Garratt arrived as well, but is currently boxed up after fitting with DCC. It will be going to the train show in case someone wants to see it run (or I need something for shifting the 40 minerals)- otherwise, it will get given to my wife for her to give back to me for my birthday. James

100_0739 by Peach James, on Flickr 100_0740 by Peach James, on Flickr (those two are digital original, so as good as they get from me, and are 2006 photos) DSC_0249 by Peach James, on Flickr DSC_0245 by Peach James, on Flickr DSC_0243 by Peach James, on Flickr They may not help...but then, they may...

Mike, Glad I could be of help. I have no idea what the actual structure would look like, but I suspect that in terms of how big the wood structure was, it probably was close to the same size as the brick/stone built ones, because they all appear to have been built to protect the scale equipment. I will go take some photos of the B&W images I have from 1996 and put them on Flickr. They won't be great...but they will be better than nothing at all. (again, these are of Long Marton, not Dent, and will be of a brick building) James

I'm not too sure on that- that is Long Marton's, and I suspect all of them would have been the same. The only real difference would have been stone or brick, I think...you'd be supprised how small it works out to in OO, there are sketches of the exteriors of the buildings in "Rails in the Fells". doh!, there may be more in Buildings and structures of the S&C, I will try and take a look when I get home...I know I have a reasonable amount of research materials on the S&C. James (edited to remove the double bit-Now I will go look in buildings and structures)

Mike, there are a couple of photos of Long Marton's weighbridge on my flickr account 100_0739 by Peach James, on Flickr I have more photos- but they are in b&w and not on the web page. If you want them, I can photo them with the digital camera and add them. This is the standard S&C style weighbridge. (the other ones include photos from the front and left side) James

I know you are not going to make any more plans for now, but I would suggest that a double crossover (up/down and down/up) in the fiddle yard might be a good use of 4 additional turnouts. I'd also look to see if the fiddle yard could be squeezed more so that the outer circuit has the shorter (extra) sidings, and the inner one has one less (but longer). Reason why is because the yard would likely be shunted by a shortish train, so if the yard is set up for it, then it is easier to manage. Because you are going to use conventional wiring, unless you set up a sequencing relay each siding should probably just hold one train. James

You should (hopefully) find that in say, 3-5 years, that the negatives outweigh the positive incoming by about 2 locos every year (one at birthday, one at Christmas). Note that track is also required, on a more "pocketmoney" basis. Granddad (my dad) is kind of upset, as he lost DSC_0011 by Peach James, on Flickr on our trip there. And don't say "oh, she's a girl", or Julie will have you by the dangly bits shortly ! (& my mum & sister would be about 3.8 seconds later...) James

Yes, I suspect I do know exactly what you mean. If say, you are a young and adventurous sailor, you go to the Carlton Club in Esquimalt, and the 2 legged variety drag you off into the wilds of Esqcomton. There are few poisonous snakes in Canada, with rattlesnakes being about it. (and they aren't _that_ bad). I don't think there are any native on Vancouver Island, there are several species/sub species in BC that are endangered due to habitat destruction. There are also poisonous spiders, but they are also not really that bad. (I've been bitten and didn't suffer too badly, except for an excessive interest in 1955-1965 BR steam...) James

That's next door- the stump is in the "vacant" lot, and the seat is in the cottage lot. I keep an eye on the property for my mate, who owns them. In terms of animals, we have had a problem black bear over the last week, there's also a mama and cub who are well behaved, and lots of deer (4 legged rodent type...), as well as smaller critters. We are in the wrong place to get elk, they live further to the north (and generally, higher up) on the island. I've never seen a cougar, but they are around too. The smaller animals are all around, lots of rabbits ("you are game?"), cats, birds (I'd have to ask my wife, but I think more than 60 species that she has tagged from our house), riding horses (they graze next door), and our mini. Same thing for racoons and squirrels- there are lots around. It's the cougars which generally worry me- the bears are mostly just opportunervore, and will eat anything that is easy...and even a child isn't "easy" compared with a garbage can, or berries & apples. James

Tony, A couple points from the peanut gallery on the other side of Canada. 1. Thank you for trusting a 14 year old with your layout. They are not all holligans, seeking out the nearest football pitch (or supply of alcohol to drink...). 2. Thank you for being honest about how LB has been constructed. I have seen pocket book modelers who refuse to acknowledge how they got their object/model built. I'm a pocket book modeler. I didn't build any of my steam engines. I bought them. Same thing goes for the OO scale things- I run RTR with little modification, it isn't what I am greatly interested in, but I have put a lot of work into the signaling system and control system. 3. Thanks for opening up your house to so many visitors. I enjoy reading your thread, James

The forest out back would please ask you to take Andy's advice ! (otherwise, I'll be looking at stumps...) (I'll add a photo after I get home...) DSC_0006 by Peach James, on Flickr (see, not exaggerating- even if Jeff goes wild, it probably wood only take one tree James

Or, I'll nip out back with the 353x18" and nip something down. There's got to be something suitable for 12"x12" beams 16 ft long around here... I'm not quite joking, there isn't anything really on this property, but there is hemlock next door that would do that easy enough. One load marked as firewood I saw going out had the butt end of a tree that must have been 6' across. Yes, it was going out as firewood...its enough to make me cry. I'm no use when it comes to UK timber merchants, but I can attest that buying quality is important. I pointed out to Jason Shron of Rapido that we don't really add up how much cost there is sitting ON the benchwork, or the cost per square foot to house the benchwork, and that lots of modelers try to cheap out on it. It isn't worth it unless you are down to counting pence to be able to afford the hobby- and even then, a solid foundation means the rest has something to sit on. The plywood benchwork bit is quite interesting. One thing I would add based on having built 4 real railways now, is to make the whole @!@!#$E lot modular in nature. So, to me, although you have gone 9/10ths of the way, there is still the possibilty that you could get stuck at some point. (well, less likely _you_, as you also have a VIA coach in the basement...) Being a military member, I am still somewhat prepared to move from here. About 3/4ths of Long Marton is on removable sections, and the bits which are not are physically not able to be. (like behind the chimney...inside the wall) The big advantage I have found with this method is that you can pick up and move the layout as may be required for any reason. The original version here had most of the staging yard (s) being fixed to house structure, and eventually I needed to get in behind them. At that point, I realized what a disaster I had made. Certainly, from a dimensional stability prospective, plywood is far more stable than dimensional wood. The sections of LM are made up of T channeled plywood, cut on a table saw, with styrospan on top of that. I have climbed on bits of it- which isn’t something I’d generally recommend. The cost to make a layout in $ though, is relatively low compared with most modeler’s income, especially compared with the TIME that we spend on layouts- even if each leg costs $10, that’s about a 6 pack worth per 1x3’ area of the house- and that’s also fairly low given that the price for that bit of real estate was probably north of $300, and quite possibly north of $600. I like plywood, but that is not a 100% cure for anything. Neither are wood replacements like "aluminum" or "plastic" for absolute rigidity. I also tend to favour building in modular form, not so the layout can be taken to a show, but because if I have to move it to get at house structure, this way I can without dismantling anything. We've kicked that one around, and I can understand why Jeff would build the way he is, but it isn't how I have done it. (again, this hobby is a wide church, and both Jeff and Jason have pointed out valid reasons to build to the structure of the house...I just choose not to !) Now I'm off to go work on lighting for a lego building. Once I'm through with putting this much lighting into the buildings, they are hardly fully lego. So far, 5 LED's for a sign, next is the row of LED's for on stage, and a motor, and at least one more series of lights... James James

Wow, two (or twenty seven, if Bodge does his usual thing...) layouts to start in January. And here I am, lucky to turn the power on to Long Marton and run the new to me 4F around on a few goods workings. (the Garrett is going away for a birthday present....after the train show, which it may be needed for) I have to dismantle the lego for the train show, as I need to bring quite a bit of the lego to the train show on the 7th of September. That's next on my list of things to do- there are a total of 6 bridges downstairs right now for the Lego. James

The CPR Jubilee's (F2A and F1A's) differed in where the piston rods were connected. It was done for speed related reasons- the F2A's were supposed to be faster, as proven by the run on Smiths Falls Sub at 112 mph. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-4-4 I'd assume that shorter would be better- in that the less reciprocating weight is a good reason to shorten the rods. Reducing the mass will decrease a lot of hammer blow on the track, I'm not sure what the formula is, but I do know that there are several ones that give an approximate hammer blow force. So, by connecting to the front axle, you can reduce the unballancing weight.

what about the guy's who worked on the S&C? Some of their wheelbarrows probably got burned in a fit of rage, after the clay turned to soup and slid back into the workings... And you thought there wasn't any _real_ KL content to be had from the wheelbarrow jokes ! James

I have about 16 of the 16t Parksides, in their various guises. (the 16 tonners...), they are actually split into bauxite and gray and then intermingled with other stock. I find that with Code 100 Peco, the Bachmann wagons are just as easy to use. The club declined to participate in 3 links (I don't get it...I can connect them just fine...the rest of the club feel like Andy on a bad day connecting them ), so the Bachmann ones are easier to use there. (and remain hook & loop for that reason). So, if you need a train full, the Bachmann ones are easier to use if you are not converting them to 3 link- if you are going to convert them to 3 link, then go with the Parkside kits right off, as they are easier to build as 3 link, and the wheels are far better. James

That sounds like a joke I know about a man who worked at a wheelbarrow factory...you know, the one where the punch line is that he left with a new wheelbarrow every day & sold them on the side... James

So, in the last month, we (all 4 of us) went off to Ontario for vacation, to see Dad & Step Mum, then on to see Mum and Sister. They only live about 1800 km apart, by road. So yes, a little further than ALL of the UK, in one province. I collected the little steam wagon from dad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j7qok5d27U and have been building a new trailer for it, as well as converting it to propane from coal. It's intended for Daniel to have. There's still some welding needed on the trailer, plus woodwork and propane and water...so it's ALMOST 1/2 done In rather sadder news, our dog had to be euthanized on Monday, he'd gotten to the point where he couldn't walk on his own. He was 13 years old, lab x. We (the boys and I) ran Long Marton last night briefely, just in hand. I had the 28's and a 9F, and the boys had the 153. Next is to try the other way, and then move on to trying in auto again. The club layout bits are still sitting at my house, and need to move on too...the show's in a month. James

8x10's? DSC_0058 by Peach James, on Flickr Just to support the sub-base ? Perhaps, it means Jeff is going to support the new English Sub Base ? James

"Simple" DCC wiring? Photos of Long Marton by Peach James, on Flickr

Wow, with a whoping (17wx4) lights, it must be _so_ bright in that garage. And, ample places to plug in things too... I'd agree with the idea of a panel from the house, fitted with a isolation breaker. Mine is at the main breaker box, and doesn't have it's own...but if you are working inside the panel, the main box should be locked out (and tagged out too... LOTO), and if not, then be aware that the busses are live. Mind, it's only 110V phase-earth here...so a little less shocking. Even better than that, at work it is only 60V phase-earth, with a + / - arrangement to give 120V. (or 440V ph-earth, hold onto your hats, that stings !) I'd start by putting in wiring, and would agree, put in 2 circuits of plugs, one connected via a light switch & light, and one not, use different colour plugs for them (like the "tan" and "earth" tones that are available here...). Don't forget that you will want some plugs which don't turn off... I made that mistake, all the ones in my basement addition turn off, and then I had to install 4 more that don't turn off for the computer/printer/VE7 radio. One circuit each, is about what I would recommend. (over here, they'd be 1500 w circuits, so like 7.5A/220V). Put in 2 sets of lights- one for "working" on the layout, and one for running it. Even if the "running" set at present consists of the boxes/wire, run out to lights the same as what are there. Over here, they are screw base fittings, and cost a whopping $0.99 each, so like 49 pence...plus the wiring and time. When you get to having KL back to a running state, then consider what lighting you want. Again, over here, I used 4' T8 lights (32w/unit, and 6 in a space of 24x17) I've been looking at some RGB LED lighting- there are ways and means for that. (I have some upstairs, for in my house in general). But I did lighting for school plays...once on a time. (about half a lifetime ago) James

We had a club meeting (again, I'll flog it- British Railway Modelers of Victoria (BC) ), and I have been working on the club layout, getting a small amount of electrical gremlins dealt with. Note: do NOT put the choco-blocks facing UP under scenery. It makes adjustment hard. I've gotten 2 of the 3 track switches connected to slide switches for electric power supply to frogs, one more to finish tonight, then the sections go off to another member for more scenic work. The electrics work, so I hope that the other club members will not fiddle with them and make them not work. (someone did that last year...it was a tad bit frustrating to have to go fix someone elses bright idea at the show...especially since the work required was "put switch in right place", and it got done as "undo wiring...") James

I view DCC as being ONE way to control a layout. I have a conventional DC layout, and a pair of DCC layouts. The conventional layout is "easier" to operate, for normal things. To do what I do with Long Marton using DC would be possible, but would require either a host of relays and a computer controlling them, or a massive amount of relays. In either case, there is a LOT of logic involved, and I came to the conclusion that the easiest way to control LM would be to use DCC right from the start. The other opions are some version of Computer/Model Railway Interface, really. That's what my conventional layout was built with, as it was designed around a trio of Lego Mindstorms bricks running it. (or, as it is, conventional DC & track switches & my 4 and 8 year olds run it) If you have a functional DC layout, then converting to DCC isn't going to gain much, if anything. If you are designing a one loco in steam layout, then it doesn't add much. However, if you are starting fresh, and are planning more than one engine running at once, then I think DCC is the best current option. James Powell