Off at a tangent once more.

Hi Gary,






just ordered one from Coastal DCC £ 5 cheaper than Digitrains the difference being in the postage. Coastal only charge £1.00, digi trains are nearer £ 5.00.






Got it anyway.






cheers






Toto

I'm using in house labour on Highbridge  

Shouldn't that be in SHED labour? (or are you being allowed to work indoors?)

Hi Mike,

Fair point. " in shed " would be more accurate. I get away with some things in house …….. Card kits maybe but not cutting ply or baseboards and not soldering. The Boss wouldn't be happy with that.

That's where you are lucky ……. No one to boss you about. Start and stop when you want ……… 3 in the morning if you want if you can't sleep. What a result. She would have kittens …….. Anybody looking for a Kitten, I'm thinking about a scroller saw.

Cheers

Toto

I've been looking at the bridge supports and some of the other ply formers that I've put in. ……… They are coming out. To big and clumsy. That's 12mm ply I've used and it's a bit ropey ( as well as the fact that it brings the layout size right in.
I'm going to replace it with either 3 or 6 mm ply which will be a lot neater. The stuff holding up the embankment is fine but due to the size of stuff I've used around the bridge supports, it's going to mean that the resulting bridge bearings ( when done ) are going to be huge. So ….. It comes out.

The thinner ply will come in handy for the area between the two bridges as well. I may even get a sheet of that bendy MDF stuff as well.

Watch this space.

Cheers

Toto

2 small sheets of 5.5 mm ply ripped up into 3 and 4 inch widths. Ideal. …… And a couple of off cuts at about 9 inches wide.

Now , if I can get some time, this evening or maybe tomorrow evening, I can set to work modifying things a bit, make it neater to accept the finishing surface and release some of the space again.  I could gain as much as an inch or so which given the baseboard size is pretty good to have.

The 5mm thickness of the ply will be ideal for making walls as well. ( in theory ).

Now ……… Onwards.

Cheers

Toto

I like the double bridges Tom, the potential for some special photographs is there.


Keep it coming.


Marty

Hi Marty,


Glad you like the bridges. You can see why I was itching to use them somewhere.
I'll be busy tearing it apart later. its amazing how you can see opportunities missed . The bridges are staying and in the same place but I want to try and refine things a bit also I have a couple of ideas for building things into the embankment as it is a bit featureless at the moment. This is great fun and sometimes ( as I know only too well ) you need to take small steps backwards in order to go forward. This is the first such step on Highbridge and I am sure it wont be the last.  I'm thinking of a small culvert as one feature. Apart from the scaling down of the framework a bit, I'll remain silent on another for the moment. The brain is working overtime.


cheers


toto

You`re on a roll Toto,
The ideas are coming thick and fast……I can sense your enthusiasm for this project.

:cheers  Gormo

Hi Gormo,
Yes, I am quite hopeful of being able to churn out something reasonable here for a first attempt. Nothing ventured nothing gained. I've got some great idea's for some details if I can only get them off of the drawing board and onto the baseboard. Holidays coming up as well ……. what timing, I'll be itching to get back …… better not tell SWMBO


cheers for now.


toto

:Red Card STRIKE - I was told I was redundant !

Make that two additional PCP's

1 for each layout, and one for the warm programming track / station inside the house.

Paul

Ehhh, ……. There's no pleasing some ……. Bl@@dy bankrupt by the time you guys are finished. I don't know. there should be one comes with the power cab so that will give me two for now. By the time Breadalbane is ready ……….. They'll be obsolete.  my programmer, joiner and anointer is feeling the pressure.

I should really shut up as if Breadalbane comes on stream too quick, I'll be in the brown smelly stuff. Not Nuff hours in the day at the moment. Not like these IT wallers ………. All the time in the world these guys. :pedal

Looks good for getting back onto Highbridge tomorrow. Take out the bridge supports and chicken wire and redo with finer ply and also building in provision for another couple of wee doofers.

I have just finished the second of my spreadsheet exercises ( second time this week that I worked well into the evening ). Tomorrow I will need to spend a bit time checking it as I don't trust the filters that were installed on it ( by others ).

If all is ok , I'll email it off and unless there is more for me to do then I may get a couple of extra hours to myself. ( make up for the evenings. ).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting on with it again.

Cheers

Toto

Hi

I ordered up a lack of culverts ( 2 in a pack woodland scenics ) fom Hattons. Small concrete versions. I just need one but you get the two for six quid.

I won't get them until I return from Majorca  but that's fine. I'll be setting them in on the Sunday after my return. I've been playing around with the various parts that will be incorporated into my embankment. ( in my head and rough sketches on paper ) just to see how they will interface with each other. I think I gave the bones of it.

As I said previously, it will mean undoing bits that are already done but it doesn't matter as it was a bit rough around the edges anyway. More of a mock up in places. Now it's time to smoother out some of the rougher bits.

Cheers

Toto

Where are you staying in Mallorca Tom? We love it around Porta Pollensa on the NE coast??

Cheers
Ron

(There's a railway now from Palma to Inca, a main line but it wasn't quite finished when we went last year!!)

Hi Ron,

We're in Santa Ponsa which is down the coast a bit nearer Magaluf. I am not into Magaluf myself. It's for all the teanies. Santa Ponsa although plenty to do is a bit more sedate …….. Purple rinse territory.

The weather has been terrific there lately …… Still in the low thirties. Good enough for us. T shirt and shorts weather.

We're off to Poland in December for the Xmas markets. Brrrrrrr it'll be snow over there but we don't mind …….. Makes it feel more like Xmas. We're in Krakow so will probably visit the camps and the salt mines ……. The usual touristy things.

Ain't looking like any more progress for me on the layout front as the whole weeks work has been ruined on a corrupt excel file so it's back to the start. That's what I'm taking a break from now.
I won't get it all done but I'll be working on tonight for a couple of hours and then all day tomorrow. …….. So much for the early finish. Never mind.

Cheers

Toto

Tom

Download Libre Office.
Make a copy of your corrupt excel file. Open it in libre office, and save in .odt format.
Open the new .odt file and save as a .xls file
I have rescued several excel files that way. It does depend on how much excel trickery your file was up to.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Thanks but I started again. I'll get so much done before passing the baton to my colleague who shall finish it off.
It's a a PITA as it was a ball ache of a task to begin with but themselves the breaks. Can't be helped.

I only have tomorrow to go.

Cheers anyway.

Toto

Postie came today,

One NCE power cab  and the extra PCP as ordered.
Now, not that I needed it but there is the incentive to get Highbridge up to speed again.

We know what I'll be working on after my return from Majorca then.

Cheers

Toto

I thought you were committed, at such a moment to just swan off in search of a bit of sun, toughen up man, youre supposed to be Scottish. Cold baths, rain whisky and porridge non of this mamby pamby holiday nonsense you've a layout to build.  :mrgreen:
Hear from you when get back, and remember to keep some bits covered up to prove where you came from, afterall, anyone with a funny accent is having trouble getting into the uk.
Paul
]

Hi I will have my I Pad with me to keep an eye on what's going on. Apparently our Mr Cameron is about to make an announcement about accepting another 10,000 refugees from the Syrian border. F@c£in marvellous. I tell you it will be the start of his undoing. People are fed up of this lark. We've got enough already.

So much for being tough on immigration. Suppose my taxes will be going up to pay for them as well.

Moan over.

Cheers

Toto

It's OK Paul they will deport him back to us long before his holiday is over, he'll start a riot else lol…Oh and carefull what you wish for.  He'll be flashing his white bits on video otherwise :roll: