peach james

So, let's see where we are: Currently, the plan is to work on the celing in the lego room, which means the lego tables and Long Marton's staging need to come down, in order to do the overhead work. Which is fine, because 7 lego tables need replacing with deeper box (1x4 vs 1x2, or 25x100mm vs 25x50mm) sides to stiffen them up. There also will be some more changes as to how exactly the tables are held onto the walls, I think, when I do this. I'm debating doing all the length of the staging for Long Marton, as all the lego above is currently not there. The 12' long lego bridge is sitting on the other staging for LM, and LM is covered with everything else. I raided LM for 2 DCC power supplies in order to do the Victoria train show, and the club (BRMoV) layout is back in it's storage location in my basement. (although, there is some movement there- Dylan, one of our other members, may take it off my hands...which would be great, as it has lived here for ~4 years). To give some idea of what the Victoria Train Show looked like from my prospective: Train show set up by Tedward, on Flickr -- (that's me in the photo...the BRMoV layout is the one with the blue skyboard you can just see in the centre) -- So, I have a bunch of reconstruction/reassembly before LM will work again. But. that's fine. Daniel (my older son) is back in school, and we are looking at preschool for our younger one. I continue to teach Flood, and luckily was not involved in HMCS Protecteur's mis-adventure with HMCS Algonquin. (I sailed on ALG from 96-99, then went to school, and moved over to PRO from 2002-2011) James

Indeed. The 4mm waggon does not have the mass or size to it of a full sized one, but still... One of my minerals (or more than one...) has a squeak to it. I have never bothered to seek it out, as I think it adds to the soundscape of the layout. I can run up to 38 (I think...) 16 tonners on a train. 9F on the head, and just a single brake van. Running northbound, mostly, empty except for the unsweaped corners of a few of the waggons. (with added coal, to identify which ones have resistors added for train detection). Occasionally, it appears running south- whenever the computer routes it that way...I know it should be loaded going one way or another, but that's what I have to work with. The next "long" train that I want to get working on, is to build up the Conflat P's. The Era of Long Marton is firmly fixed- post war, post 1952, pre 1966. I'm not going to fix it down tighter than that, as it allows for most of the "last" of steam, without getting to the total horrid condition that the last few years fixed on everything. We had the Victoria (BC) trainshow over the weekend. Next step is to clean the Lego layout off (dusting it), then set up the boy's layout (5x5, Thomas the Tank Engine), and carry on with Long Marton. James

Appleby has a cattle market, I'm not sure when the last of the cattle traffic from there would have gone away, but I would suspect quite late... James

I don't think that it will, overall. I have a 36x3' layout, supported by 19 track fiddle yard, all computer controlled. If you want epic, you are going to pay with all three- aquiring skills, time to do the work, and money to buy in the material. The saying related to machine shop work is: Fast, Cheap, Good, pick 2 out of 3. If it's fast and good, then it isn't going to be cheap, if it is good and cheap, then it's not going to be fast, and if its fast and cheap, it isn't going to be good. If you have relatively lots of time, then there are ways to reduce the cash outlay, but they will by their nature, involve the learning of skills. For example, hand laid track is "cheaper" than buying Peco turnouts in cash outlay, it will result in learning/mastering new skills (60 turnouts means you will probably be reasonably good at making them by the last one), but it is going to cost in time. Buying in will cost more, but take less time. When I look at where I have gotten over the last 17 years with Long Marton, more effort could have been spent on it, and it would be closer to being finished. It is a series of compromises in where I have spent mostly my time over that period. Finances have rarely been a severe limit, and I have at times had near 0 free cash. Time is always a 0 sum game, in that I cannot trade work time for money (I'm in the Canadian Navy, so get paid on salary). By doing some of the other activities that I take part in, such as Lego trains, it takes time from having more done on Long Marton. But, I feel like I am happy with the comprimises that I have made, and I am equally sure Jim S-W is as happy with his decisions. I too, do not believe in the idiot box, although I spent a lot of time in front of a computer screen. I'd have to say, that the cost per hour of model railways in the finer scale mode is quite low. The skill and time requirements are high, and so the relative cost is low. If you think about how long it takes to build or convert a loco to your "acceptable standard", and consider the cost spread out over those hours, it drops to a fairly low cost per hour of enjoyment. James Powell

Remember you are measuring a AC square wave voltage...with a meter of dubious quality for it. Is one a Fluke or similar good meter? Otherwise, don't worry about them not agreeing, as a square wave voltage isn't the easiest thing to measure. I'd be thinking that the 35v reading is peak-peak not RMS. It's also getting up there on the DCC acceptable voltages, as the maximum p-p is supposed to be 50V. James

Because, hand firing up to 1500 hp isn't that bad of a job...and the 2nd crew man has all kinds of advantages...see Lac Magnetic thread for details. It acts as a training position for driver, it acts as a 2nd set of eyes/hands/feet...and on a trip working engine, one is expecting some shunting to take place. OK- injector vs feed heater/pump, I have never done the detailed math. But, if you have an exhaust injector, and are running against (lets say) 5 PSI backpressure on the exhaust, then that is a net loss of power from the engine vs a well designed/proportioned LemPor or Kylchap or Gesel of up to 2.5% of full power. But, a feed heater & pump is not going to be "free" either...it all comes down to what way will get the most value out of the exhaust steam. A large feed heater will get more than an exhaust injector will...I have no doubts. But, how large is "large" in this context...it depends. If you are running as a single stage feed heater, you are limited to a water temp of ~220F or so input water, from ~75, meaning a savings of ~150 BTU/Lb of feed. An exhaust injector may gain you similar amounts, I don't know off my head. Certainly, David Wardale seems to favor feed heater/pump vs an exhaust injector, but once again, this is systemoligy, and not something that is easy to calculate for a design that is extremely unlikely to be built. (5AT is on hold...unless a lotto winner wants to fund it) As regarding turning it into a giant electric kettle- well, it doesn't make a lot of sense, UNLESS...unless you plan on using it in a yard and want the smoke to be hosted somewhere else- or possibly, as nuclear powered steam ??? (MAGOX powered steam loco...indirect, but hey...) At ~90% efficient for the transfer of power, and 50% at the power plant, and 10% on the loco- that means a system N of 4.5%, which probably beats conventional steam... James

injectors vs pumps- not really much to it. In the event of the 26, the big problem was the turbomachinery used for the feed pump. In the case of Jawn Henry, the big problem was the turbomachinery used. On ship, my experience with Cofflin CG type pumps is that they are fairly good until the packing goes, and when the packing goes, it takes ~12 hrs to rebuild them with 2 people working. (these are supplying up to 250 000 lb/hr of water or so). The CG types with mechanical seals last ~3-4 months continuous service before the packing fails, and then require a factory overhaul. (probably due to our relative lack of experience at replacing mechanical seals). We have about a 2/3rds chance of getting the mechanical seals to work right, with the packing (Chevron type Asbestos packing) it's about 80-90%, the packing will last until the pump is shut down and then it becomes about a 30% that we will have to replace it again... So, pumps are probably less reliable than injectors- if it was me, I'd go for a working exhaust injector over a feed heater/pump arrangement, although to be fair, you have to do the math to prove which way is better in real life. James

OK- so... plus its ability to carry on even in a run down condition, the reciprocating steam locomotive still has a lot going for it. NO If you don't take anything else from reading Red Dragon, then this is it- yes, an engine will run in bad shape. But it _should never_ be run in that state. Valve gear: Franklin RC would be the "best" if the engine is going to be used in conditions which would warrent it's use. Shunting is NOT one of those cases- Walscharts is simpler to make, and works. There is a level of engineering which is appropriate to the job. Real sophistication isn't the design goal here, but an engine that will do what it needs to do as cost effectively as possible is. Insulate. Add a feedwater heater. Encourage setup for 2 person total operation. Ease of maintenance is of vital importance- because, if you can fix it then it will get fixed, and if not, then it will get left forever in the "too difficult" pile. Also, teach the drivers the understanding of why. Why is excess air bad? Why does the insulation need to be effective? What happens in the cylinders?. It's not a no-brain operation with steam. I'm playing with a design in conversation with my dad- eventually, the idea is to build a IMLEC competetive loco. It currently consists of a series of EXCEL spreadsheets, and a bit of math. James

Photos are up on Flickr: DSC_0024 by Peach James, on Flickr James

The small lad and I went downstairs last night, and I ran the 28's on a passenger train. Now in need of wheel cleaning...but the clag from the recently refitted one is quite impressive ! (That's with a pair of #9 Seuthe smoke generators, running on ~12V DCC on the track, fed via relay rather than from the decoder) James

Arg ! another 7P sits in the car, awaiting to come into the house when I next go outside. That, and a B1. Ex estate of one of the BRMoV members, so new to me. When I was looking at the photo of the WD above, it reminds me of what I was saying to Andrew P about the texture of the dirt on the running boards- they are not "painted" but "covered" in stuff. That's a part of why I think that chalk/ect is a required part (part !) of the toolkit to do decent weathering. There are a lot of techniques required to get the texture, and the colours in weathering, just like how the real thing is generated. Anyway, that's a great photo, and now I have another couple of locos to play with. It's not that I'm afraid of putting muck onto waggons, or locos, but that I don't have that much time to do it. (lots of other projects to work on - I've a few walls Jeff could work on like the other one he has been working) James

For all that the WD looks like it has been beaten by the Germans and put away wet, it looks like it is in reasonable mechanical nick, blowing off on what I assume is a rising gradient, with a fair train of 16t minerals behind. It could be a bit tighter on the rods- after reading "the red devil" I am more convinced that the only way steam lost was because of the "newness" of diesels, not because of any advantages. It was the things like the fact that an engine would run OK with leaks like that which meant that a diesel could beat it- fit proper packing, and you gain ~5-10 hp for the same coal. (or burn less coal to do the same work...) Welcome to Scott from Windsor from me out in Victoria. (to give an idea of distance/timing, it probably would take longer to fly from here to Scott than from here to London...proves the earth is a ball !) James

Well done Rob, add 10 and it could be mine... http://www.flickr.com/photos/47105471@N05/7161329698/in/set-72157629642544402 http://www.flickr.com/photos/47105471@N05/7161339952/in/set-72157629642544402 James

I really hate to point this one out at this point...but if the rocks are only 7.5 cm high, and 15 cm long...um, 90% rotate? Would that work? I'm reading "The Red Devil & Other Tales from the age of Steam" (David Wardale's account of building the class 26 (STEAM) engine in SA...and doing some sketching/thinking about what to do to build a IMLEC winning loco. Model it wouldn't be...nor scale, but LOTS of engineering. James

I'm currently as close as reasonably practical with Long Marton to being accurate- the end result is going to be some Y compression (about 20-30% or so) in order to put houses into the scene. Otherwise, the whole lot ends up with only the station and signalbox for buildings. There are 2 other freelanced models of mine in OO, as well- a 1x6' shunting layout, and a 5x5 layout that had been my Thomas the tank engine layout and is now really translated to being my sons layout. James

So, not much has happened with Long Marton over the last few weeks months. I've modified the one Class 28, so it now has 2 smoke units instead of one, and that's about the limits of what I have really done since BRMoV were here. I've also been puttering with the Lego, and getting stuff, mostly electronics related bits. In unrelated news, Andrea (my wife)'s dad passed away at the end of March, which of course resulted in a very strange month of April...lots of time with the two boys and no wife to look after them. I've also been busy outside, with all the 1001 things which need to be done around the house. (there's still the same number of things, but now they are different things !). I just received a copy of "The Red Devil and other tales from the age of Steam" from Camden Books- there will go a few hours, as Dad wants some more blast nozzle design work from me. (& JJG Koopman's book "The Fire Burns Brighter..." is unavailable) The fun of scale work ! James

The fireman looks sad because the driver just said that the fireman wasted about 200 lb of coal !...and he's no-where near the train...oh, and he'd kindly, please, put the injector on, and then add another 20 shovels full to replace what he just wasted...or about that. Usually accompanied by a thwack across the head from the driver, I'd imagine...at least, if the fireman is junior enough. (not like a top link passed fireman, but just the regular crowd moving up the links) James

It's all supposed to be fun, Jeff, which is why Long Marton has sat with very little done for the last month and a half or so...the 28 got it's replacement smoke generators installed, and I fiddled around with the "new" stationary decoder for the Appleby bell box, but most of my time has been diverted elsewhere by nice weather, got a metal arbour (? spelling) installed last night, the van is full of plywood and 2x4's for a _non_ layout project, the lawn has been mown (x2), and some measurements taken for the ongoing plan of 7.5"/4.75"/3.5"/2.5" railway. That, and monster care, along with doing another Lego show (last until September), and lots of teaching at work of the real world of physics (water is wet !) Don`t knock yourself over the head with the coal hammer because progress is slower than you would like if you are doing other things that you like, James

I drove a Schools once- MSschools1 by Peach James, on Flickr James

But of course Jeff, it does still attract some of us to work on them. I think of what Brian Hollingsworth wrote, about the last of the lads going to South Africa to get some time firing on 25NC's and 15F's. I'm following their footsteps- mind, I think we only have ~5 years left or so with our ship then it will be all done for steam in the RCN except the crane. (& that'll be a bit over 105 years of it...) I have been working on getting the 4" Fowler ready for steam, I did a hydro and now only need to roll it out of the container, and clean tubes & firebox, then light the fire and go for a drive... Dad drove on the road up until we left the UK in 76 for Lloyd Jones Brothers... (hardbitten steam to the end) James

There's another one on my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47105471@N05/sets/72157632737028633/ HTH, copywrite is mine, so feel free to use it. James

"Dumb ways to die, so many Dumb ways to die..." Dress up like a moose during hunting season Disturb a nest of wasps for no good reason Stand on the edge of a train station platform Drive around the boom gates at a level crossing Run across the tracks between the platforms They may not rhyme but they’re quite possibly (the youtube sensation) James

Why settle for a mere 250V ? Go the whole hog, get a cattle/horse fence generator (for electric fences) and tag that up. If that doesn't settle them from trying to get into the shed, they are on the "hard to deter" part. At that point, even Mr 12 and rock salt is unlikely to deter...you need the full meal deal, which gets you in trouble except in the US. I'm glad that I have no real concerns about security- we've a dog, and 22 km to the nearest town...keeps the scrote population to a minimum. If someone is going to travel 22 km to nick stuff, the're going to do a good job of it...and frankly, those type people are probably already in the plod's list of ppl to investigate. I'd be far angrier about the trashing of the layout than the out and out theft of stock, as I can buy more stock, but rebuilding the layout(s) would be most aggrovating. James

Jeff, MRJ 220 has an article on casting masters/ect, in the form of 7mm London Transport BoBo's. I know that the supplier dates back to MRC days, as they were ref'd in one of my copies of MRC. It's a little wrong though, as Lego will work fine to build the box for casting from. The MRC article included that little detail ! James

With regards to Jam's choice for topping polystyrene- I use plaster skimmed over the foam board, with about 10 lb/board added or so total weight. (this is on 3x6ft boards). Even using "large" quantities of plaster, I have used a lot less than Jeff has on Lunefell...like, I am at about 20 kg total over 5 boards, rather than 80+kg. In places, I used 2 part foam to fill in space- this is the 2 lb/ ft^3 stuff, available from a good plastic supplier, or a surf board maker. (mine comes from Industrial Plastic & Paint, but it is fairly available). The issue with this is it is an iso-cyanate, so don't go breathing the fumes or doing the work in the house. The expanding foam is also available in a can, and I have used that as well in places. (it works well for filling volumes up that you made mistakes with...but don't fill the space "full" or else you will end up pressing out from somewhere). Somewhere I have a story about a canoe and filling the ends of it with the 2 part liquid....and a somewhat "excessive" amount was used...it is also exo-thermic James