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Jack has come back from walking our dogs at her usual haunt and I cannot believe what has happened. Of course I cannot say if it was an accident or deliberate, but some numpty has put down rat poison and so far two dogs have died and three are critically ill. There are gardens that back onto the lake there and it might be a non thinking resident thats done it to stop rats coming into their garden or it could be a deliberate act of vandalism. Either way, it must be tragic for the owners. It may well be Jack will know them as she knows most of the walkers there. Hopefully we'll find out more in due course.

Super pic DD! My old Canon is still performing, but has been left behind in terms of spec. Sad old ###### that I am, I depreciate domestic stuff by estimating how long it will last and then dividing the cost by the number of months and setting aside that amount of cash each month. At the end of the term, you've saved enough to replace it without a huge bang on your monthly income. Years of business practice taught me to do that and I always feel good when something goes beyond its estimated life.... The Canon paid for itself a year ago, so I started looking at a replacement. We tend to buy most stuff through Amazon as their service is amazing and you can always return stuff without any problem whatsoever (with the usual proviso re packaging etc). I eventually decided on a Lumix G3 and in its favour, it was light and did most things very well, but the image quality was probably 8.5 out of 10 whereas I wanted a 9.5. Cameras are expensive and I make few compromises, so I returned it and took a Nikon D5100 instead. Chris Nevard had mentioned the D7000 and it is superb but more than I wanted to spend, so reading the reviews, the D5100 had all the basics of the D7000 but was less than half the price. Still learning my way round it, but I have to say the image quality is terrific, so I will keep it.

Thanks Ian. Jeez, the front on that Gallardo is pretty close to the ground.... What camera/lens is Deb using?

He's done that since he was a puppy and takes that cushion most places. More often than not he will be found resting/sleeping in that position. Makes me chuckle how he rests it on his front legs....and he's not as daft as you think, that's the route of the central heating pipes, so he gets a nice warm tum. Hope the golf goes well Dave. Hopefully when my back settles down again, we'll get that 18 holes with Geoff... Looking forward to seeing the pics Ian. We passed through Le Mans many years ago on our way to the coast, probably the Vendee, when we used to go camping with the kids. I recall driving down the Mulsanne straight and seeing where it joined the circuit either end. For a petrol head it was my Mecca.....

Morning all...shhhhh, it's not raining. Something that might make you chuckle. Have you ever known a dog to sleep like this? Regular occurrence in our home....

Hi Trev, I think I understand what they are suggesting and I'm happy to show you how it's done, but to be honest I've never had cause to do it. I simply file one side in the jig to 1:10 and then file the other rail exactly the same, other than the rail is reversed, so that the thicker section of the bullhead rail is at the top. I've always found this creates the correct angle and they just slide together. If you look closely at the pics above, you can see the filed shape and how they fit together. Next instalment. I've finished off the other two vees/crossings and here there is a minor difference. As I mentioned before, I prefer to make these as one piece and then cut the isolation gaps afterwards, so the vee has been formed on a length of rail that runs through the next crossing and out to the end. At this point I only solder sufficient sleepers to hold the rails in the crossing section and the rest of the rail is left loose. One of the things I forgot to mention is that you must build point work to the gauges and not to the drawing. Martin's Templot prints are very accurate but they are only a guide. When you are sitting at a bench and soldering rails, you can get a parallax error where you believe the rail is in line with the drawing and solder it into position. When you change position or stand up, you may be surprised to see the rail may be a fraction of a mm out to the drawing. Not a problem providing you ignore the drawing and build to the gauges. You have plenty of space in which to gently ease the rail away from the crossing if necessary and gently bring it back in line with the drawing. So don't worry if you see your rail is slightly out when compared to the printed rail, it really isn't an issue. One of the greatest tools we are equipped with is our eyesight and there is no doubt in my mind that the key to flowing point work is our ability to look along rails and see if the curve changes anywhere along its length. These two inner rails will be set up by eye and only the gap between the check rail and the rail set up with the 1mm shim. Once you have got a decent flowing curve you can solder the rail in position. Don't work your way along the rail, but tack one end, then the middle and then the other end. Continually check the curve by eye and keep dividing each section down into smaller and smaller sections until every sleeper is soldered. The outer rail is then gauged from these inner datum rails using the track gauges. I'll get round to that tomorrow and then we can tackle the point blades and the dummy sleepers which will act as a tie bar.

Pete, the 16.2mm gauge is only really critical in the frog/crossing area so I widen the track back out to 16.5mm over a few inches beyond the critical area. Let's face it, we're only talking about 12 thou, which means a deviation of 6 thou on each rail. By the time you get to the exit or approach points of my turnouts, the gauge is 16.5mm, so is a perfect match for 00 SMP track. I'd be hard pushed to see that at the best of times, even with glasses....

Thanks for your very kind and flattering comments. It was only a few years ago that I had never built a turnout and my skills have improved, but I'm still a million miles away from the Norman Soloman's of this world. This photo strip is just an attempt to show how straightforward it really is, if you just take your time and use a mix of basic engineering skills and common sense. There is no mystique about it, just a few simple tools and an understanding of how a turnout works. None of this is rocket science and you'll be surprised what you can do if you make a start.

Morning all. Hope you find yourselves in fine fettle. Hasn't stopped raining for the best part of 12 hours now. Bloomin' hosepipe ban.... Been taking pain killers for my back once again. No doubt it will settle, but they are supposed to make you drowsy. Unfortunately they do the opposite for me and I find myself down here on the PC for a couple of hours each night, normally between 1am and 3am. I'll be glad to come off them, as interrupted sleep is not a lot of fun if it goes on for weeks.

Depends on the size, Robert as that dictates the number of sleepers and the number of solder joints, but on average about two hours from start to finish. I don't really take time on board though, as it will take as long as it takes. Once you start thinking about time, you may start cutting corners and that's a recipe for disaster. Just enjoy the journey....

No, those are the check rail gauges and as you say, they have flats on one side so they can sit on top of the crossing eve/wing rail.

I said at the front end, there are many ways to build turnouts and generally speaking there is no preferred method. You do however need to be aware of the critical dimensions and how a turnout functions. The key area for me is not the gauge but the relationship between the vee, the wing rails and the outer check rails. When I first started building turnouts, I made the mistake of fitting the outer rails and then gauging the check rails back from the outer rails. This is not the best way to ensure the dimension between the wing rails and check rails is correct, so here I perhaps differ from the norm, in as much as I fit the check rails at this point of the build and then set the outer rails from the check rail, not the other way round. This dimension is critical for good running, whereas the gauge of the outer rails is much less so. So just to finish off today, cut the check rails to length and form the flare. Accurately position them using the gauge and solder into position. Repeat the process on the other side and that's the critical bit complete. The next job will be to complete the other two vees, but here I will form the rail to run from the vee, right through to the end and then cut the isolation slot afterwards, rather than build in short sections. You can do it that way, but I just prefer to establish the curve right through and then make a cut.

Thanks Mike. The two at the front face North East, and there's one at the back facing South West. There are blinds on all three that are normally down for exactly the reasons you give Mike. I only lift them if I'm working or taking pictures, but I am acutely aware of direct sunlight and they aren't open if there's any chance of fading etc. I agree it could be a problem, but I wanted it to be bright and sunny whilst I was working and not dark and dingy, so it just needs a bit more care on my part.

OK, let's get this show on the road. I'm going to do it in sections that will coincide with the build, rather than leave the whole write up to the end. I'm not going to launch into a tutorial on soldering, but I will say soldering really depends on heat and cleanliness. I use an Antex 660C 50W temperature controlled soldering station and a Circuit Works Flux Pen. Before attempting to solder to PCB sleepers, I scrub the surface clean in the joint area with a fibre glass brush. I always start with the crossing vee and everything is gauged or measured from there. There are several ways to file up the vee, many of which have been shown in RMWeb, but I prefer to use these jigs available from the EM Gauge Society. This jig covers crossing angles of 9,10,11 and 12. There is a smaller one to cover 5,6,7 and 8. This particular turnout is a C10, so I have filed up one end using the correct slot. I find BluTack invaluable in the build process, so I gently curve the rail by pulling between my fingers and then tack solder the rail into place three or four sleepers back from the vee. I do not solder the nose at this point of the build. Next stage is to file up the other rail. The vee is formed by slip jointing the two rails. Do not try and file the rails to half the vee angle. The actual join is made some 15mm or so back from the nose. It's at this point in the process I fill the vee with solder and then use a fine needle file to clean off the surface to form a good flat surface. The nose of the vee is soldered in position by applying heat to the pcb a fraction of a mm away from the rail. Once it is hot and the flux evaporating, apply a small drop of solder to the pcb surface next to the vee, without actually touching the rail. Capilliary action will take the solder under the nose of the vee and fix it into position. These turnouts are being built to 00-SF standards and gauges can be obtained from Brian Tulley (Polybear on RMWeb). You will need a pair of track gauges, a pair of check rail gauges and a pair of 1mm shims. http://00-sf.org.uk/ The wing rail is cut to length and the flare bent up to drawing with a small pair of long nosed pliers. Only form the flare at this stage and leave the rest of the rail straight. Use the 1mm shim to accurately space the rail away from the vee and hold in place with Blutack whilst soldering. The position of the bend is found by laying the 1mm shim flat against the vee and then bending to shape at the point the shim touches the rail. Now we need to attach the second wing rail so repeat the process using the 1mm shim to set the flange way gap and identify the bend position on the rail. Finally cut the wing rails to length, clean up and job done. The first one is always the hardest and don't be afraid of making mistakes. Even when making this one, one of the check rails was not correct, so off it had to come and I used copper solder braid to remove the excess solder before making a second one. If you feel it is wrong, take a break for five minutes to calm down and come back to it. The more you make, the easier it will get, so stick with it. It's nowhere near as hard as you may think, but I would advise you to get the right tools as it makes the whole job so much easier.

Morning all. Those lovely doggie pics cheered me up no end as I had a rough evening thanks to some reheated sausages for lunch. Sun is out and everything looks fresh after the amount of rain we've had. Still some massive puddles on the golf course, so it will clearly take a few days to completely drain. Have a good one whatever you do...

Robert, I deliberately leave the tie bar out at his stage as it's too easy to solder it up to the outer rails, when I'm in full flow. The tie bar is the last thing I add, so I just leave space for the dummy sleeper. As I said, there are many ways to build turnouts and using a dummy sleeper as a tie bar is often frowned upon, but I've never had a problem, so it's a compromise I can live with.

Just started making the point work for access to the storage roads and Pete (Trisonic) has asked if I'd mind doing a blow by blow account, which I'm happy to do. This particular area consists of three turnouts, all curved, a B8 and two C10's. First job for me was to print off the Templot sheets and tape them together. Andy Y very kindly donated some plate glass going spare a few years back and I managed to get hold of a sheet that is approximately 1100mm x 450mm and made up from two 4mm sheets laminated together with a central membrane. This make a very strong and flat surface on which to build point work and is perfect for building simple complexes such as this one. I prefer to build these in one go as it really enables the point work to flow and avoid the small kinks that can appear if they are built separately. The turnout sleepers are 4mm x 1.06mm strip from C & L, cut to length to suit the plan with an old pair of Xuron track cutters. The plain track sleepers are from SMP and come pre cut, 3.3mm width from single sided PCB. I use 12mm double sided tape to hold the sleepers in place and run it down both ends of the sleepers rather than a single strip down the middle. I have found over the years that soldering rail in position can cause the ends of the sleepers to curl if you only have one strip and this can mean turnouts with a slight side to side bow. Holding each end of the sleeper prevents this happening and is no harder to do. It can take up to an hour to measure and cut all these sleepers, so just take your time as there are no short cuts. Take a break rather than pushing on as it is quite easy to lose your motivation once a job becomes a bore. Rail wise, I'm using nickel silver bullhead rail from C & L and the build will be to 00-SF standards using 16.2mm gauge and 1mm flange ways. This standard of track will accept a wide range of wheel standards without having to radically change back to back measurements. So that's where we are to date. I'll run a photo strip to show how these are built, but let me stress at the front end, there are many ways to build turnouts and I'm not saying you must follow this method. It suits me and I'm pleased with the results and if it give encouragement to anyone else to build their own track, then I will feel it has all been worthwhile.

Happy to take some pics and do a blow by blow account, but wondering whether or not to start a new thread. I have done similar accounts in the past on ET, so don't want to repeat stuff that's been done before, but if you believe it would be of interest to the general membership, then happy to. This is where I'm at, so far..... Just back from Twyford where we were lucky to catch the Great Britain on its last leg to Paddington. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe thrashing up the slow line at a fair old lick. I would guess around 70mph, but could be way off. It was certainly going fast for an old lady. We were lucky to catch it as it turned up the best part of 10 minutes early, so barely had time to turn on the camera. Thankfully it turned out OK....other than Steptoe's Yard at the front.

Be nice to see some pics, Ian. That's my sort off day... The 458 was a fantastic car to drive, probably my favourite of those I managed to slide into last year. Hoping to catch a glimpse of a GWR Castle passing through Twyford this afternoon. No doubt it will be wet and windy, so I don't fancy hanging around too long. Was going to start on the next group of turnouts for ET, but somehow I haven't got started and Spurs are on later, so I guess I won't get started at all...

In the words of Diana Ross, 'I'm still waiting'....... Edit: I guess you pulled some strings 'cos there it was....Great!

After much cussing and swearing I finally managed to clear the whole area under the windows and last night saw the first boards gently eased into place. It really doesn't matter how many times you measure something, there always seems to be an issue when you try to manoeuvre such a long piece of carpentry into a designated space. More often than not the angles conspire against you and you find a combination of width and length means gaps you thought were miles big enough shrink overnight and you can't get something into the space. It was a huge relief to find this board did fit into its space and clearances at the back mean I will still be able to access the hidden track work should anything go wrong. Of course I'll have to lose a few inches off my waist and develop some flexibility to get in there, but I did manage it this morning. So the next section will be the other end of the storage loops/goods storage and the inner goods loops. On paper in looks pretty straightforward but please don't quote me on that. I've already built the couple of the turnouts for the raised goods storage roads, but still require another seven for the lower level storage. I also need to give some thought to the landscaping on this board and how I will create the entrance to the hidden roads. A few tunnel mouths are certainly possible as are some plate girder bridges to take the raised goods loops and storage. Like a lot of things, I'll need to get the boards completed and track down before I can visualise it. Two dimensional drawings are one thing, but you can't beat looking at the real thing once it is in situ....

Tony Hicks had the hairstyle I wanted when I was a teenager. Wasn't possible then and is certainly not now....

Don't worry DD, we've been watching it every night for years. It all started as a bit of a joke really. Every Christmas we all get together as a family and after dinner we normally play games and I organise a quiz for two teams (without seeing the answers). There then follows a lot of banter and gentle leg pulling and last year I joked that we should apply to go on Eggheads. One thing lead to another and here we are. My brother, daughter, niece, SiL and myself..... Knowing the answers is one problem, but by far the biggest one, is trying to remember them....

Morning all..... Just had a pleasant but somewhat scary email. A few weeks ago we went to London and I wasn't specific why were there. We had been invited to go for an audition for "Eggheads" a quiz show on BBC where you compete against five real Eggheads, all of which have won numerous quiz shows like Mastermind. Amazingly we have now heard we got through and now have to go to Glasgow for filming..... Of course I realise it was not our collective brain power, but probably the two pretty young things, my daughter and my niece in our team that swung it. I doubt if we have a hope in hell of beating them, but who knows... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggheads_(TV_series)

Google says this... http://forums.techarena.in/operating-systems/1137752.htm