MichaelW

So where are all the early-birds this morning? Probably frozen solid - everything outside my window is white with frost.

 

Looks like a bit more planning / indoor work today...

 

Jeff

Well, I had to break the wheelybin out of it's ice lock this morning, then got to work (55min drive) with ice still on the windows. So I expect the normal usual suspects are outside sunbathing...

I agree with that - unless of course your heating seems to dislike making the house warm. 8C in the lounge this morning... I think I know what I'm doing over Christmas...

2) I've been inspired by Andy's mate, George, on Andy's Trebudoc and George's own Abbot's Mead. Have a look, Michael. George's work is just what I need - ply base for structures. I will probably not use DAS - Slaters for me - but the underlying base is right down my street. Inspiring indeed!!

Thanks for the steer to that one Jeff, it looks like one to follow. I've been reading the Trebudoc thread too. I think my cantbearseditis is caused by tiredness more than a lack of mojo - I sit at work all day wanting to get on, then I get home and can't be bothered to do anything... Oh well.

Good to see the control panel progressing. I seem to fall into the category of "How complicated can I make this?" rather than the sensible, "How simple can I make it to get things going?"....

The microscopic grain of silver lining is that I now can shift the myriad boxes and materials upstairs this weekend, and feel like I am moving forward. I just have to focus on that.

And by the time you've got all the boxes and materials in, will you be able to see the floor?

I like the revamp of the plan - the double slip does make a difference to the appearance. However, I'm not convinced by the sidings above the turntable - there appears to be quite a reverse curve into them. My first understanding of Robert's comments on parallel lines was that he was refering to the one above the shed - I wonder if that could be tilted slightly, allowing an easing of the reverse curve - or even running straight into the other pair, as if there was a boundary at an angle to the shed building? This would also help mimic the overall shape of the Stockton shed plan, with it being wider at the shed end...

Maybe a bit like this (apologies for the crudeness)

Now then, how much SERIOUS modelling did you discuss today? None! Other viewers will doubtless be totally bemused by the goings-on here. I think Andy York should take a look at this thread!! Lol.

Plenty, just not on here, this is the Kirkby Lunaticside thread afterall! Jason's gone all Southern with his black country carriage house, Larry's been narrowing his crossovers, and I've been told the club layout I'm finishing the baseboards for can't get in the club for another 2 months...

Hope you manage to shake off your bug soon. I've been afflicted with cantbearseditis for the past week, I hope I haven't infected you Just so long as you don't come down with trachyuppyitis again in your weakened state...

Just a thought for your new door jeff, you did remember to order it with bolts on the inside?

Can I ask what the line is at the bottom of your plan? (The one that starts blue, turns black and has a couple of points on it...) If that is a running line, then any movement round the shed would block the running line. You may need to add a head-shunt to free the movement round the shed.

I suppose we should at least be grateful that they managed to get it the right way up... What are you going to do? Get them to relay it all, or just accept it and get going on the layout?

Was there a reason you wanted it parallel to the long walls?

Erm... Left and right walls aren't parallel? (They seem closer together at the bottom) The flooring has been laid the wrong way?

The light switch is at layout height?

Rob, you may find that a soak in water _may_ loosen the ballast enough to let it be removed - I can't promise that it won't cause other things to come unstuck though...

I think I have sussed out the roof 'issue'. Look at the aerial photo and for the cart shed, the roof is not equal on both sides (something I had missed). Does that mean that the pitch differs (Surely it can't because of the hipped roof visible on the end view) or is the rear wall lower?

 

It is a head-scratcher.

I don't think so - I think it's the angle of the photo - it's not a straight down view. You can see the walls on the 'top' side of the building, and not the bottom, so I expect the difference in width is a result of the angle of view (which I think places the camera some way off the top of the picture, so as well as looking down, you are looking down. erm, looking down from above, you are looking down the page, if you see what I mean).

On the other hand, having dissimilar sides to the roof could make sense - the ridge could be offset towards the open side, giving a lower back wall (cheaper to build), without loosing that much usable height inside. This would offset the hip at the end, but that would give it a nice 'feature'.

On a slightly different topic, consider carefully which wing of the building has the main roof - at the moment you have the cart shed roof being the main one - I would have expected the (fully sided) barn to have the main roof - it would be better able to support it...

I'm looking forward to what you can make of this Jason.

Almost time for Michael to post in and reveal how many fingers he's sawn off today!

None!!!!

I haven't quite managed to pluck up the courage to pick up the saw yet...

I like Jason's approach to conference calls - don't think I could get away with it though - I have to do all mine at the office. Having said that, seeing as on Tuesday I managed to eradicate a few days work with a single misplaced mouse click, perhaps I should do modeling instead...

Now you've got the fiddle yard connected Jeff, does that mean the tunnel entrance will be appearing shortly? Early home tonight, so I'll get something done...

I've just got in from work, and it's 11C upstairs... daren't go and check what it is downstairs. I wonder what's happened to the heating system - it must be time for it's annual upgrade...

I hope you're not intending to derail the discussions by going way off topic and posting pictures of Kirby Luneside...

Glad to hear you've made progress Jeff, all I've managed since Saturday is 7 saw cuts. I wouldn't mind so much but 4 of them are on my hand

Ditto for the driver, and hopefully the two would agree? What happened if they didn't?

Morning all... I'm a bit bewildered, Jeff has cheerfully admitting to not making much progress, yet there's pages of posts to read... Oh well, it fills in the time at work.

Interesting to see different approaches to storing stock - all mine is either kept in the original boxes, or have been transferred into large stock trays - no way to see it, but then it is mostly new fangled deseasals, so not that great to admire...

Hope you get your track today Jeff, how's the control panel coming along?

I managed to get some strip (but no girders) to work on the bridge on Friday night, then OH appeared, closely followed by mum, so we spent the weekend working in the garden. Might get to make some progress tonight - I have my camera on charge to cope with the copious pictures...

The door looks good - you've done a very good job of scribing in the planks. On first sight, I thought you'd done a good job of a weatherbeaten door, but I guess with all the grime on the rest of the layout, it's a bit too clean to be a Bacup door.

Hi Gordon,

I've been reading through your thread for the past week or so, and I have to say I'm mightily impressed. Not just with the results of your attention to detail, but also the way you explain your way through what you're doing, and what you are thinking about the project. After a while each new page was a voyage into the unknown - will the layout still be there at the end of the page? Glad to see you've returned to gradients in a plan that you are happy with. I shall keep following to see how you get on now.

Glad to hear that the latest outbreak of the black track plague hasn't affected you

I guess I'm still at that enthusiastic state on here, where I want to do something so I do have a reason to post (yes, I know, I don't need a reason, but it's still nice to be able to) - this evening, I have 2 things to post about, tomorrow, probably none. Once you have a number of followers, I guess the pressure is there, and that is not always a positive, sometimes you do need to take the time out to have a think and do nothing till you know what you want to do. Having another hobby gives you time away to do that thinking.

Like Jim I'm a member of the Long Distance Walkers, and I find walking all day gives you plenty of time to think and get a distant view of things. I guess the same could be true of golf. Though as the result of my last walk was the destruction of a layout, perhaps this isn't such a good thing

Jeff, don't worry about not being able to progress, I'm sure you could spend the time catching up on other things (bailing out the garden?). I think we're more than capable of entertaining ourselves without progress updates. It makes reports on your progress all the better for the anticipation

ps. Jim, I'm 35 and I get overtaken by the same people - who are twice my age! Really is depressing when they just storm off up the hill without being out of breath!

Gordon's been quiet today... Let's hope he hasn't caught it again

There are certainly some strange forces at work. Probably explains why my ballasting went haywire and I too had to rip up a whole double junction and start again.....

 

Creepy!

That does it, I've reported this thread, and asked for it to be decontaminated. Let's hope we can stop the spread before it reaches Bacup...

Yes it was the line on the embankment, but only because I was using a sloppier PVA mix last night, and didn't want to get any on the track. It wasn't glued down, so it was easy enough to lift. I think it does too. May get the track down and ballasted tonight, if I can get the embankment painted and dry quick enough...

009? I think it dates back to when the club I was a member of in Edinburgh started a 009 layout ('Cearedwyn'), which I was involved in the build of (I can remember one Saturday morning spent threading fishing line through about 20ft of fence posts...) As was the way, the layout was stocked using members stock, and I decided to build some things for it. (It helped that they ran on N-gauge track, which I had at home.) So I had a number of locos and rolling stock at home, and at uni one summer decided to build a layout for it (that would be the one I destroyed in the first post). I think the appeal is partly that it's something a bit different, partly that it has to be kitbuilt, and partly that a self contained system is a lot easier to model without looking silly...

Edit to say - yes, it can be cute, and that is part of the appeal, but I don't think this qualifies. I want one. Or two...

Rob, I agree with Jeff, that trackwork is looking good. I hope you're pleased with what you have achieved.

Jason, I'd noticed that, and I'm worried that it might be catching... I lifted the track on my narrow-gauge module last night too. Maybe I should check the anti-virus on my computer to make sure it can't spread any further

Makes you worry what Jeff'll do today when he's fiddling with the wires...

Edit:

And now he's admitted to doing even more. Quick, isolate him in the Bunker till he recovers!

That's an incredibly neat sketch, but it does capture the look of the prototype. How are you going to deal with the widened 6ft? Stetch it sideways, or make the whole thing bigger? I guess you'll have to be careful to not lose the elliptical shape of the arch.

That's looking good Rob. Did you go with the double sided tape in the end?

I'm sure it will only take a few days. The problem is minimising the number of wasted days of experimentation getting to the point that you can build them in a few. I shall look forward to seeing the result.

Bailey Bridges may start again on Friday, I'll be able to get some smaller I-beams at Wakefield, then I'll see what I can do with them. I'm really looking forward to getting to do something like this again.

Well said that man - it is indeed for us to decide what we do with our layouts. Advice is freely given on here, and hopefully our input is welcomed and listened to (of course, that doesn't mean it has to be followed). The problem starts when opinion becomes an absolute...

Lights are needed to finish off the scene - working or not is up to the builder of the layout, but a station with no lamps does look wrong. (Unless it's a halt in the middle of nowhere...)

How is the other half of the fiddle-yard Jeff? Are you still awaiting points?

They had CANDLES in Yorkshire? If I'd known that in the 60s I'd have been so jealous! Better than rubbing sticks together in Bedfordshire, eh?

So I'm reliably informed... Must say that when I was living in Bedfordshire in the early 80's, we did have that new fangled electrickery.