A layout in progress, slow progress...

Keith

Good to hear you are back on your feet again and finally able to get the Railway (and its timetable) back into operation. Still looking fantastic.

Good luck with the next part(s) of your brilliant project - looking forward to the next update.

You take care of that knee and back of yours; don't want you laid up again and away from the layout.

Cheers
Dave

S’mae Brian and Dave

I’ve been working on this layout for such a long time now I must admit that all I can see is what I haven’t/should have already done ages ago, so your comments are much appreciated.

Managed to progress the timetable another 8 minutes, trouble is it took over an hour! – I’d quite forgotten how busy it gets during the morning rush hour. In that 8 minutes : an arrival and a departure from Woodside together with transfer of the London Sleeper stock to the carriage sidings, an arrival and departure from Rock Ferry (aka the carriage sidings), some shunting in the storage loops under Woodside – as somebody had sent the morning local parcels (MPV) out with an additional CCT van, so it didn’t fit in it’s assigned space – and a departure from the fiddle yard, not to mention the engine off the London Sleeper returning to shed for turning. Certainly this knackered frame of mine doesn’t help, in an attempt to avoid kneeling I managed to get myself wedged under the storage loops while trying to sort out a rare derailment!! I fear that the dreaded old age may be trying to make an appearance, which is a little annoying as it isn’t on my schedule. Still, the worst of the rush is now over and soon I can start on the freight.

Slight hiatus just now, took advantage of Black Friday and upgraded our Broadband, already at 80 Meg – due to be sorted today after a slight delay caused by a glitch at the exchange. When the dust finally settles, we will be on Ultrafast Broadband – 160 Meg, with 100 Meg guaranteed minimum speed, all down to FTP of course. Still hard to believe – as here in little ol’ leafy Pennant, less than two years ago, all we could get via the phone line was 0.5Meg!

Cofion

Keith

[user=1798]Woodside[/user] wrote: 

Certainly this knackered frame of mine doesn’t help, in an attempt to avoid kneeling I managed to get myself wedged under the storage loops while trying to sort out a rare derailment!! I fear that the dreaded old age may be trying to make an appearance, which is a little annoying as it isn’t on my schedule.
Keith

Not on my schedule either Keith but it too has appeared but some of the symptoms have appeared - grey hair OK but not Arthur in the fingers, that can be left off the list…

[user=606]Sol[/user] wrote:

[user=1798]Woodside[/user] wrote: 

Certainly this knackered frame of mine doesn’t help, in an attempt to avoid kneeling I managed to get myself wedged under the storage loops while trying to sort out a rare derailment!! I fear that the dreaded old age may be trying to make an appearance, which is a little annoying as it isn’t on my schedule.
Keith

Not on my schedule either Keith but it too has appeared but some of the symptoms have appeared - grey hair OK but not Arthur in the fingers, that can be left off the list…

Hi Ron and Keith. Yes old age is pounding on the door. And if I knew the secret of avoiding both old age and arthritis or getting rid of it in my case I would be over the moon 🌓. But worst of all in my case is going “ A over B” . Best wishes Kevin 

Getting "wedged under the storage loops" sounds painful Keith and I hope whoever sent the morning local parcels out with an additional CCT van got a severe talking to  :lol:



Ed

S’mae Ron, Kevin and Ed

Usual apologies for the delay – this Ultrafast Broadband hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as we’d hoped…we’ve got 150Meg at the hub no problem, but wireless through a three foot stone wall appears to create intermittent problems. There is a doorway close by it could use, not too sure how to tell it that! When it’s OK it is lighting fast, then other times not that much different to the 80Meg line we had. Perhaps the wall has a max of 60Meg (what we get the other side). Going to try hard wiring to the hub, hopefully that should sort it, that’s assuming the hub supports both wired and wireless at the same time – important as our printer is wireless…. all this technology is too much for my overworked grey cell, things were much simpler back in the day!!!

Yes this old age lark is a right pain – so far the arthritis is only in the left hand, but It’s probably already packed it’s bags ready for a trip to pastures new…..

… and Ed,  yes, it was!  I’ve given myself a right good talking to, not that it will make any difference mind. I really should know better, but every now and then I like to add an extra coach, van, wagon to trains, just to see what impact it has on running the timetable… every time I decide no more experiments…. until the next time…. perhaps as a first step I should try avoiding the rush hour….

At least the rush hour will soon be over, time think about that backscene and the terrace at Hooton perhaps, it would be nice to get at least one part of the layout looking something like finished…

Cofion

Keith

Keith

You will never get the 150mb hub speed over a wireless connection it will always be substantially less.
If you want faster connections on certain devices you need to connect them by ethernet (patch cable) or you will get a better speed using the plug in network adapters that run through the mains household wiring.

Brian

S’mae Brian

Thanks for that – just a pity that the support folk couldn’t have told us that when we first ordered the upgrade and then we would have been prepared. Yes, when we hard wired (ethernet cable) the computer late this afternoon, 150Meg, no problem…. and a bonus, the hub does support wireless and ethernet connections simultaneously – so we’re sorted! We have got a couple of those adapters due in the Post tomorrow, but given the hard wired solution, we’ll probably stick with that. Must admit the fact that we’ve got 150 Meg at all is still hard to believe… and it is seriously quick….

Now enough of this technology, got to get the grey cell focussed on more important stuff!

Cofion

Keith

Ooooo Keith.

Can you see the signs of green floating across the 'net' - your 150MB broadband? I'm pleased to get a miserable 9MB! As Brian indicated, the link speed over wifi can be well below that which fibre can provide to the router and a lot will also depend on who else close to you might be using the same wifi channel (even though the router should be able to automatically swap channels for something quieter, but it doesn't or cannot always be possible). My wifi link speed comes in at around 64MB at fairly close range from a bog-standard copper-wired 9MB line.

It's fast enough for me, so, as long as it stays around that ballpark figure of 9MB, I'm quite happy. I can't justify the seriously extortionate figures these folk want for full fibre. Sounds fine during the introductory period, but then…..no chance, definitely can't justify it for the bit of web browsing and the odd bit of iPlayer viewing we do - and it (the cost) would never get passed the Chancellor!

I'm also not over-keen of having to swap providers every 12/18 months just to keep getting 'introductory offers'. In the past when I've had (what I think is a decent speed - for me) and I change providers, I always seem to get some hassle or other and the speed is never as good until I start a fight to get it upp'd (and that's usually down to BT not getting the interface to the new provider correctly setup). So I tend to just hassle the current provider to give me a better renewal deal, something more like their competitors are offering at that time. I guess it works much the same for fibre, but it's the cost. Maybe we'll look at it again when this contract is due for renewal.

In the meantime, back to the drawing board, keeping the old bones from snarling up and creating. It ain't no fun gettin' old! Keep up the good work - and stop experimenting!

Dave

S’mae Dave

  Yes, I never expected to get 150Meg on wireless, but I assumed that there would be a pro rata increase over the previous 80Meg line.  Anyway, with the cable it is 150Meg at the computer so I’m a happy bunny. Out here we don’t have much choice over providers, with BT taking the lion’s share, the other ‘big’ boys aren’t interested in these very rural locations – none of their fibres get anywhere near here. In terms of cost, the upgrade from 80 to 160 came in at just over £2/week – that’s not even a coffee, so I’m told (must be really big cups they use these days!), and it is fixed for 18 months so I can’t complain. Anyway, I fear we are getting a bit ‘off topic’ here, and all this technology is not good for me, so it is time I got back to layout….. and perhaps just the occasional experiment….

  Cofion

  Keith
  

You can now have up to 330mb to the home if you have fibre to the home installed already.
I can upgrade to either what Kieth has gone for the 150mb at the price he is saying if you went the full hog i think its another £10 a month on top of that.
I think it depends on your usage whether its worthwhile upgrading from my position at present its well fast enough for what we use it for i suppose my biggest thing would be when downloading sky films at present we can press the button to download and withing 10 seconds it says you can watch now no waiting or stuttering.

Also unless something has changed BT have the monopoly with fibre to the home so you cant switch providers at present anyway.

Brian

S’mae Brian

Usual delay, usual apologies, yes, we could have gone for the 330Meg, but I thought that was just being silly. The local ISP here, who supplied the majority of the satellite based systems prior to fibre, also offered fibre broadband once FTP was installed – that may be down to the fact that WG part funded the roll-out of FTP in rural Wales – but we decided to go for BT. In the almost two years we’ve had FTP here the prices have dropped quite dramatically.

That’s the trouble with this technology lark, once it is mentioned it is difficult to stop talking about it…. very sorry,
Alan.

Cofion

Keith

And just to make sure…..

Right, back to railways again. Just finishing off the rush hour – and a chance to get my Hall in service – it worked a south bound freight, for the Cambrian line, the previous day. There is a rather odd passenger service each morning from Wrexham to Woodside – departs Wrexham at 7.30, arriving Chester at 7.54, it then waits for 35 minutes (plenty of time for the engine to be turned) before heading off as a stopping train to Woodside. So I thought an ideal opportunity to get the Hall back to 6C. Halls were regular visitors to 6C, but normally on freights, can’t recall seeing a Hall on a passenger service – but this particular service seemed an ideal opportunity. Anyway engine and stock marshalled in the fiddle yard – off we go… seen here emerging from fiddle yard and about to enter the tunnel…



…didn’t get that far as it turned out as it came to a sudden halt after entering the tunnel. Initially I thought the engine was sticking on the points at the junction. It wasn’t… it hadn’t reached the junction…. The chimney was catching on the frame of the upper baseboard! I’d had a problem with the Hall on it’s first run South at the entrance to the fiddle yard with the chimney catching the upper frame. Obviously all that excessive heat over the summer had had an impact on either the timber of the layout, or more likely, the roof timbers – can’t imagine they’ve ever been this dry for aeons. No other engines have this problem, which suggests that the Hall chimney must be uniquely taller than any other model – anyone else found this to be the case? So some serious chiselling in a very restricted space was required to sort it. Once more the timetable was stopped while the fat controller found his chisels….. 

…yes, as expected, they were in a box….

Keith

Hi Keith

I thought it was only me that got surprised by loco clearances in inaccessible places  :roll: :oops: :roll:  I hope you got it sorted without too much fuss and certainly without being trapped again.

The train from Wrexham (alias Granby :)) intrigued me. Do think the extended stop in Chester was to wait the arrival of a second train that terminated at Chester?

Best Wishes

John

S’mae John

I’m really glad that it’s not just me! Do you also find that most derailments occur in these inaccessible places?

Yes, the Hall safely passed under the offending support, following an attack with my chisel, and after a four minute wait at Hooton (more of that in a minute) it safely passed under the same support on departing. The only real test now is how it manages on the return working, probably a freight again, later in the day, something to look forward to…. It was OK last time, but that was last time…. before that ridiculous summer….

Hadn’t thought about a second train, so I’ve been reading the timetables again (favourite pastime of mine) – but I can’t see any obvious candidate, either from the Holyhead direction, Wrexham or Crewe. Checking my ’59 Bradshaw, this service is in the timetable, same 7.30 departure from Wrexham, but in ’59 it also stopped all stations to Chester, reducing the waiting time in Chester to a still relatively long 18 minutes, with the same arrival time in Woodside, and including the 4 minute wait at Hooton. Incidentally anyone on the Wrexham train bound for Port Sunlight, Rock Ferry or Woodside  would almost certainly transfer to the 8.10 from Chester (the one I christened the ‘nine to five, office workers special’) in order to arrive Woodside roughly 25 minutes earlier.

I have had another thought – is it possible that the Wrexham train in ’61 had local parcels? That would explain the long wait (26/18 minutes, not 35 as in last e-mail, sorry about that) at Chester if it was unloading parcels for Chester and then loading new parcels for all stations to Woodside. It would also explain the 4 minute hold at Hooton, as they would have not only Hooton parcels, but parcels for the Helsby branch, and the West Kirby branch (still open in ’61 for freight (and parcels?)). So it all sounds plausible, so plausible I’ll probably add a full brake on the next run through the timetable, which judging by current progress will probably be in about 2023!

Were you tempted by Hattons 12 days of Christmas, and the green Night Owl? Caught me still in black mode, so I didn’t bother this time…. but I had already taken advantage of their Sale of the Century to increase the choc and cream Mk1 stock on the layout.

Cofion

Keith

Very best wishes to everyone for Christmas and a successful 2019…. I fancy 2019 will go faster than 2018… a trend I’ve noticed over the last few years!!

Hi Keith

Bitter experience has taught me to expect derailments in the most inconvenient places! I have just spent a lot of time building a complex lift off over a new tunnel because inevitably the previously flawless mineral train that lives there will now start mis-behaving. :roll:

I do admire your knowledge of working timetables. Like you, I find these subtle changes in timing quite fascinating. I have downloaded some but I have problems navigating my way through them. I guess I really need to print out some hard copies.

Now I need a load of "shock" "horror" emoticons…. :shock: :shock:….I missed the night owl sale which now appears to be over……I have to ask…….what was the sale price?

Hope you and your family (not forgetting Fflyff) have a great Christmas

John

Smae John

They were on offer for £139.50,  not a huge saving, but every little helps. The fact that they reoffered  them on the 12th day suggests that they still had plenty available. I'm  checking again at New Year, another excuse for a Sale, may yet be  tempted, if I'm not still in black mode. If I do see them on offer again I'll send a PM, just in case you  miss it.

Fflyff is eating well at the minute, fingers and everything else crossed, so we are hoping for a quiet, crisis free Christmas. My best wishes to you and the family, and of course not forgetting Hunter, for Xmas and 2019.

Cofion

Keith

Thanks Keith

 :cheers :cheers

By now I was hoping to have finished with the rush hour, unfortunately there is no progress to report.  The last five days before Christmas saw our Fflyff suffer from a couple of minor strokes which resulted in her back legs not exactly functioning as they should. The cat ICU was immediately set up, a visit to the vet after the first episode told us what we didn’t want to hear, and basically all we could do was to keep her safe. As we weren’t confident she’d actually make it to Christmas everything here (and that included Christmas) was put on hold. Christmas became New Year and now, as usual, not wishing to tempt fate, all I’ll say is that she is still with us and eating again, all four legs functioning as normal, and we continue in ‘one day at a time’ mode.

Once the rush hour had been cleared I was intending to post a photo illustrating just how hard the fat controller had to work during the rush hour  - so despite the fact that the rush isn’t quite over, here goes…



In the foreground there is a train held at the signal waiting for a slot in the fiddle yard, one of which has just been vacated by another departing up the incline to wait under Woodside for it’s due arrival at Hooton. In the background another train is held at the signals as it begins the main line approach to Woodside. In Hooton a train has called on the way up to Woodside. Out of shot in Woodside there are two recent arrivals, and in the loops under Woodside there are no less than four more waiting their due time at either Woodside or Hooton. This is what the fat controller is supposed to control, in real time, with his four controllers. I reckon with a couple more well trained people it is just about on, but given that the fat controller is, shall we say, somewhat lacking in the organisation department, in solo mode things take rather longer, something approaching for ever….

When I was looking for something under the layout a couple of weeks back I caught a glimpse, from ‘inside’ the tunnel, of the 2P waiting for a fiddle yard slot and thought it would make a good photo, particularly now that that enormous front coupling has gone …. very difficult light levels with my point and click camera, and especially when I can’t see the viewfinder and my hand is working in less than 4” handroom… so not exactly what I was hoping for… but this is the best I could manage….



… you get the idea, still the 2P is much improved with the front coupling removed. I do like 4-4-0 locos, I doubt if that wheel arrangement ever made an appearance in Birkenhead, but there were odd examples based not that far away, so not impossible. Rush hour now scheduled to finish before the end of the month (notice no particular month specified), depending on you-know-who… then I think the backscene on the mainline, with additional signal box, and perhaps the l/r houses at Hooton. Those two jobs would certainly give the Hooton/mainline section a sense of being not far off done… just the green bits and fencing to finish off… mmm, the green bits, so that’ll be the static grass then…. that could, and probably will, be quite messy…..I’m something of an expert in messy…. there’s a real chance half the loft will be covered in static grass before I’m finished, not to mention yours truly…. I’m (not) really looking forward to that…. but I can’t keep putting it off…. there again….. there’s still lots of other stuff to do…. not forgetting keeping the timetable ticking over.

Keith

Hi Keith

Sorry to hear about Fflyff - at least she is hanging on in there and, so it sounds from your description, improving now that she's eating again. Long may it continue.

Excellent photo of your 2P from inside the tunnel mouth. The lack of the front coupling certainly works (and looks) a treat. Good to see an unusual shot of a layout - well proportioned and setup (at least, to my untrained eye).

Good luck with the static grass when you start to apply the stuff. Hopefully there'll be a few more "interesting" photos to show - and not with the fat controller having turned a nice shade of green! I've yet to splatter much of the stuff around John Street just yet. I tried it around the engine shed and it seemed to work reasonably well on that small patch - but I'm sure it could be improved upon with more practice elsewhere on the layout when I get round to getting the more scenic parts installed.

Keep up the good work…..
Dave

Hi Keith
Our two elderly pets, thousands of miles apart, appear to be following similar lives. Glad that Flyff , like Hunter, is still hanging in there. All one can do is welcome the good days and be understanding and comforting during the bad times.

Coincidentally an Ex  Midland 4-4-0 regularly runs into the Canadian version of Woodside! Mine is the Bachmann compound one of my favourite locos.

I do admire your dedication to running to a proper genuine timetable. I cant even get my fictional one started yet

Good luck with the grass

John