Fallen into temptation and decided to introduce my layout, which is a tribute to a certain set of books...
Here are a couple of photos taken at a meeting of LAMPOONS when Darryl kindly let me set it up in his front room. Since then work a=has been sporadic, but I have fixed one building in place, redeisgned Lord Snapcase's cruet set (again), built "The Bounty" as a waterline model, and other things...
I'll try to remember to update here.
(https://i.imgur.com/IiHpn3m.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZlLRYdY.jpg)
Ook! ;D
Quote from: GraemeD on May 23, 2009, 19:22
Ook! ;D
That's a thought, what figure(s) are you going to modify to portray the Librarian????? :D
Ken
I commissioned an orang utan from Karen Rush, who does bespoke animals
Dwarfs, of course, come from the war gaming fraternity...
I made a waterline model of the Titanic.
All you need is a sheet of ripple glass. :-)
Just a thought.....................
Evolution of a cruet set
Those of you familiar with A-M will know that one of the big tourist attractions is Mad Lord Snapcases's Cruet set.
Designed by BS Johnson with his usual flair for disregarding scale, the pepper pot is used as a grain store and the salt cellar houses four families.
Now, I had to have these on the layout, and a lot of silver cruets are very architectural and one can see how they may well scale up nicely into buildings.
I built a prototype (i.e. a test) salt cellar. Although I liked the shape, it was obviously too small to house four families, and the windows weren't right. (pic 1)
(https://i.imgur.com/6E0Gxyl.jpg)
A redesign produced the set with the square bases. I got as far as undercoating these. The domes are a the ball from a roll-on deodorant bottle cut in half. I was happy with these, and was thinking about getting some owls - say 7mm scale? to sit on each corner of the top of the ground floors. The domes have hole in the top - after all, they are for salt and pepper. The holes make "P" on the pepper pot and "S" on the salt cellar. I put chimneys on the dome of the salt cellar, but I was not really satisfied they "worked".
(pic 2)
(https://i.imgur.com/0N7Qh6y.jpg)
The situation stayed like that for some time, until I was well on with the baseboards, and I arranged end pieces for the layout that allow the two halves to be secured face to face with a large gap between. This lets me have tall buildings that interleave - the temptation was to make the cruet set even taller - so back to the drawing board.
I have gone back to a round base again. The windows on the salt cellar are from Grandt lines - they are H0 technically. All the doors, by the way, are Chivers. The pillars are bamboo barbecue skewers cut up. There are holes on the domes again, but this time one large hole on the salt cellar - could double up as a chimney, and a pattern of smaller hols on the pepper pot.
(pic3)
(https://i.imgur.com/x8adu2f.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9GGmdlf.jpg)
(modified 16 Feb 2013 to use external images rev 24 June 2020 to use imgur)
A new pic of the layout:
(https://i.imgur.com/UENHzwb.jpg)
{mod 16 Feb 2013 to use external image rev 20200626}
B.S. Johnson would be proud!
Very nice Hugh - when do we get to see it in the flesh?
It'll be at the next S Yorks group meeting on 18 Oct...
If it doesn't go up in flames(!) I'll need to build a _lot_ more buildings to get it fit for
public viewing - oh and complete the ballasting, and... and...
Quote from: hughn on September 25, 2009, 11:02
It'll be at the next S Yorks group meeting on 18 Oct...
If it doesn't go up in flames(!) I'll need to build a _lot_ more buildings to get it fit for
public viewing - oh and complete the ballasting, and... and...
Don't I know it ;) :D
Though you could take the "never finished layout" solution that it Latham's Brewery! ::)
Long time no post, but I have been working on it...
I have cheated for the station and bought a couple of Honrby Skaledale buildings, but otherwise
cereal packets are still in use.
Here's a photo of the (a?) Watch House (with a cereal packet upper floor!) And yes that's a working blue light
(https://i.imgur.com/cwqZosw.jpg)
{rev 20200626}
That's "made my day" ;D
It's a great building.
I love the look of your buildings but am ignorant as to the books which you alude to, could you enlighten me?
many thanks and keep it up, you can't have too much strangeness in railway modelling.
Cheer
John
Terry Pratchett's Disk World series...
Ah ha. Perhaps I will have to dip my toe in the water ontop of the turtle again. Read one years ago and didn't really get on with it but maybe the time is right for a retry several people I know love them.
Thanks
John
OOOOK!
Quote from: Isle of Stoner on May 24, 2010, 16:31
Ah ha. Perhaps I will have to dip my toe in the water ontop of the turtle again. Read one years ago and didn't really get on with it but maybe the time is right for a retry several people I know love them.
Thanks
John
For fear of turing this into a literature forum my feeling is that it took Sir P about 3 books before he really got good at the Discworld thing. For the beginner try starting with Mort, Pyramids or Wyrd Sisters. Small Gods is also very good and if you wanted a tase for Anhk Morepork then Guards! Guards! is also equally good. Don't discount his 'childrens' stories (the 'wee free men' series are also set on the disc) either.
Now, back to the toy trains ;D
****** Brief Further Aside Before Fully Going Back To What We're All Here For *******
For those wishing for a quick dose of Discworld, Sky are starting their next adaptation this coming Sunday.
They are doing Going Postal this time, IMO one of the best Discworld books done to date, and it is almost entirely set in Ankh Morpork. It has the advantage of not having David B*##@y Jason in it this time and Sky's take on AM is pretty good by most accounts...
****** We Now Return You Properly To The Toy Trains ********
More buildings planted...
I have put images on
http://hnorwood.co.uk/files/angst.htm
TTFN
{rev 20200626}
Ain't I a dummy , looking at your first photos I immediately thought of the 'twin towers' by you know who .
:-[ :-[ :-[ . Cheers john ...
Excellent photos and slide show!
More buildings planted! Nearly finished the lefthand side of the layout (viewed from the front)
www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/angst.htm
{rev 20200626}
Impressive....
May I offer you some more inspiration.
http://www.discworldemporium.com/catalog.php?category=1
Nice.. I like the Alchemists house with the exploded room.. ;D
Nice photos and nice models Hugh - and good grief there's a 2-8-0T Pugbash lurking in there (don't tell you know who........) :)
Mick
Hugh, I look forward to seeing that in the flesh! Very nice indeed.
First outing!
Narrow Gauge North, Leeds 12/13 March 2011
(Nothing like a deadline to get things going!)
More pics on the link
www.hnorwood.co.uk
and clickon Angst Lesspork
TTFN
Excellent photos! The buildings have such a lot of character. (muttter, mutter, millenium hand and shrimp...) And does it have "one of those sorts of shops"?
I look forward to seeing in the "009 News"!
That's an idea - just requires a self-adhesive shop front that I can stick in a different place each time! Hmmmm....
Updated photos at the usual site...
Bravo. Looking good! Can you say please what the 'wizzard' figure in photo 2 is? It has the proportions of a Games Workshop dwarf.
The wizard was bought from a small producer at the Leeds Wargaming Society's "Fiasco" at the Armouries last October. The figure came minus a hat and with a raven on the top of his staff!
The dwarf on the platform is also a wargaming figure - I can't remember the name of the producers off the top of my head, but I have the box somewhere.
I have put a stop to buildings at the moment, as it is due to be seen at the weekend; thought I'd better get the rest of it ready. So I've hemmed 3 metres of fire-retardant poly cotton for the "skirt", and I need to get the track super-cleam and think about the rolling-stock.
(Oh dear, long time no post...)
Had a great outing at Narrow Gauge North; Angst behaved well and I got a lot of interest from the public. And a couple of invitations for 2012.
A number of people commented that it was a) not dirty enough and b) not smelly (You have to have read some of the Discworld books to understand that one...)
I had a week or so off from modelleing and am now completing the final large building for the layout. I made a shopping list for York to get some more figures and a couple of horse-drawn vehicles, among other items.
Next outing is at Middleton Railway on 2&3 July.
Good to hear it! Any photos from the show?
Quote from: hughn on May 02, 2011, 10:55
A number of people commented that it was a) not dirty enough and b) not smelly (You have to have read some of the Discworld books to understand that one...)
At least the little people can protypically walk on the surface of the river ;)
If you visit the NGN site www.narrowgaugenorth.org.uk you might be able to see a couple of photos... (Shame it didn't get onto the pages of NEWS) (2011 gallery; page 5; 8th pic)
Latest Update
I went and bought one of those "keyfob" video cameras, stuck it to a flat wagon and propelled it round Angst.
The two test videos can be seen on my web site (see above)
What I need to do now - when I next set the layout up - is have the camera pointed at an angle so as to get some or the view "from the carriage window" rather than straight ahead. But I'm impressed with what the camera can do
BTW the original resolution is 720x480 - the YouTube videos are lower than this
What a (light) fantastic idea!! I've been a big fan of T.P. for many years. Love the layout. Any chance of a working clacks tower?
It has crossed my mind to make a clacks tower. It would have to be a working one, of course. Trouble was the early references in the books made me think of mechanical semaphore - so two arms waggling about - could be done with a couple of miniature stepping motors from floppydisk drives; and of course the semaphore could actually transmit real semaphore!
But that's about as far as I got. Later books revealed that the (main) towers transmitted black/white light/dark signals - which would be easier to do (white LEDs) but I'd have to do some research into the codes. (I must admit I prefer the waving arms idea...)
I think you're right. The TV adaptation showed shuttered lights but the earlier semaphore version would look much better as a model. Have you considered using radio control servos?
If it is a relay station I guess there should be two sets for "up" and "down". I've forgotten the details in the book, but I'm sure anyone who makes his own sword because he received a knighthood almost certianly has something to say about coding. (I liked the bit about choosing a book with lots of diagrams in it to slow down coding and transmission!) I take it you will also have representations of the postal service? :D
You could work on the principle that the the semaphore arm system was superseeded with the shutter system (the latter could work at night where as the earlier system would be limited to daylight hours), so build a disused semaphore (no need to worry about maing it work) station alongside the new working tower...
Just an observation - you'll probably need 'warm white' LEDs to stimulate candle / oil lamp light as opposed to the blue-white that most white LEDs produce (unless the Disc has arc lamps...)
White LEDs might do for octarine light or at least the way muggles perceive it (oops sorry wrong stories).
I've completed a horse-drawn wagon for the horse-muck collector!
Also finished a few Airfix Roman soldiers for the Watch.
Agnst is currently on the back burner as I've got to finish my M*rr*s dance costume...
Angst! I can't spell my own layout's name!
As far as I am aware, Angst will still be going to NGSW 2012 in Shepton Mallet.
(It appears to have dropped off the official list of layouts attending...)
Just had my first look at Angst - can't imagine how I missed a layout with such a name! Where did it come from?
A great combination of imagination, nice modelling (I especially like your structures) and a good sense of fun. The harbour/river has some nice views. Who said all modelling must be serious?
It is a place with a virtual twinning with Wincanton:
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2F3%2F3f%2FAnkhmorpork_sign.jpg%2F200px-Ankhmorpork_sign.jpg&hash=e63064e661476e936dbb8d355a94853a3bfd97c2)
;D
Quote from: tedp on December 22, 2011, 22:44
Just had my first look at Angst - can't imagine how I missed a layout with such a name! Where did it come from?
A great combination of imagination, nice modelling (I especially like your structures) and a good sense of fun. The harbour/river has some nice views. Who said all modelling must be serious?
Many thanks for your comments, Ted.
Angst-Lesspork is a play on "Ankh-Morpork", greatest city on the plains on the Discworld, a fantasy location created by Terry Pratchett. See http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/ for instance.
And yes, it is twinned with Wincanton!
Best wishes
I have been toying with the semaphore idea and after some research (including reading Pavanne by Keith Roberts - thanks, Jim) I have built a light box with 6 LEDs and have drafted a design for a light-semaphore tower.
I have also drafted a two-arm semaphore pole to scale. I must say I prefer the arm idea, but I don't think I can get it to work in 4mm scale.
Why six lights? well there was a six-paddle semaphore system so there is a precedence, and you get 64 combinations of on-off, so that's ample for numbers, letters and other characters.
Here's a diagram (Don't know if it will be done by Shepton, however)
I like the idea of the light tower, just a couple of questions though.
In the dark how will the next tower in the chain tell which lights are lit and which are not?
Wouldn't it be hard to tell, for example, whether it's left, middle or right is lit, or for that matter, top or bottom? or will there allways be two or more lamps lit? Maybe a couple of coloured marker lamps either side for orientaion purposes? Unless the lamps were spaced far enough apart wouldn't they just blur into one at a distance?
Of course, if the operator is watching the tower through a sutaible telescope that might not be a problem.
Darren.
Yup, I've been thinking about that. There's enough redundancy in the system to have at least one of the (say) left-most lights "on" for each character - it cuts the number of combinations. Another option is as you say for a pilot light.
As to how do you see the lights - you use a telescope of course; the towers would be just under the limit distance for a given telescope. Bigger distances would have bigger lights. All that would be hammered out between the engineers and the accountants!
I think 6 is probably the limit for the number of lights (or paddles); any more would make it difficult to "read" each combination fast enough and accurately enough for the system to work (I think the 4x4 matrix used in Sky's "Going Postal" was a bit over the top - even now the Internet still only uses 8-bit (equates to 2x4) and that's computers. [OK OK it's often 7bit plus parity]
A fascinating problem! From a modelling point of view, perhaps making patterns that are easily recognised than going for code efficiency might add a level of interest. It would need some electronics to display messages, but I can imagine a sheet showing the cipher and a challenge to read the message(s).
The image of the dots on a die (as in dice) and also the "pig pen" or Masonic cipher popped into my head:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/easy-masonic-ciphers-to-figure-out.html (http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/easy-masonic-ciphers-to-figure-out.html)
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.wiley.com%2FLux%2F03%2F146103.image0.png&hash=8ca87e27dd65d6a84d916016a91d57e44e421fa1)
Going off into flights of fancy, I wonder if the shapes on a 3 x 3 LED square would be sufficiently recognizable? I've doodled a number of them. Rather than the dots in the "pig pen" shapes |_ (4 rotations), |_| (4 rotations), I've used the shapes T, H, V, X, +, Y and triangles in their various rotations. Hmm, it would make an interesting project for an Arduino microcontroller...... :)
As a former professional sailor and a present leisure sailor, I would say the light pattern on a LED semaphore is recognisable provided you use separate LEDs on a rig of adequate dimensions, like present-day harbour semaphores. There are various examples in Channel ports. These use coloured and white lights, but the positions can be made out provided they are far enough apart. I'm afraid on the rig you sketched the lights are too close together.
Valid reasons for using a compact lamp display in this situation could be found. This clacks tower is down by the harbour and might be a "local exchange" relaying messages to the financial and commercial districts a few hundred metres away, giving the latest ship and cargo arrivals, I imagine.
I anticipate there would be a trade-off between transmission speed * and distance with large arrays being used for long distance transmission at the cost of heavier and stiffer operating mechanisms.
(* no doubt called the "board rate" - a pun that only works if you are English. As Daphne in 'Frazier' said: "being English I never know what to do with my R's" ;D )
I suppose board rate doesn't work for Scots seeing it only works if you're English? ;D
Anyway there's boards and boards. And board rates. ::)
As to local message exchange, perhaps a pigeon might work better. Or a boy on a bicycle!
Baud rate comes of course from Baudot (E(acute)mile) the French Telegraph engineer - look him up on Wikipedia.
Sad as it may seem, I used to be able to read some of the codes on teletype 8-column paper tape. Back when I worked in Cosmic Ray research a lot of our data was put on punched tape, and a quick eye-ball of the tape was useful in looking for problems.
I have visions of the contraption being operated like a carrilon with multiple keys being pressed together as on a stenograph. Probably using fists, forearms and feet.
My "researchers" are investigating coding schemes.
:laugh:
Ah, it was baud rate you meant. Well that's phonetically nearly similar to board rate. Board rate I recognise, baud rate as well, but not the connection. Pulling my leg and caught me out, you so-and-so! :P I should have known, having been in IT for many years! ;D
Quote from: tedp on January 04, 2012, 17:40
Ah, it was baud rate you meant. Well that's phonetically nearly similar to board rate. Board rate I recognise, baud rate as well, but not the connection. Pulling my leg and caught me out, you so-and-so! :P I should have known, having been in IT for many years! ;D
I realized I'd gone off at a tangent into flights of fancy and also referred to the display as an array rather than a board as I intended to. :D
I was watching the tail lights of the cars this evening to see how far away I could resolve them! I've just found values for optical resolution for the human eye ranging from 0.7 to 2 arc-seconds. Given the somewhat unique physics of Discworld I reckon the clacks tower could be seen from quite some distance.
Quote from: GraemeD on January 04, 2012, 18:31
I was watching the tail lights of the cars this evening to see how far away I could resolve them!
What a good excuse! I'll have to remember that one if I'm ever pulled over by the Boys in Blue!
Try watching an array of lights, each a few metres apart, at a distance of a few miles, through binoculars, against a background of other shore illumination. To begin with you won't even know what to look at, let alone decypher the actual 'aspect' shown by the array. ;D
Ted,
I appreciate the impracticalities of such a system, but you are applying a rigorousness that is often not found on layouts purporting to be inspired by real locations. The inspiration for Hugh's layout is a fantasy flat world set on the back of a space-faring turtle with a sun that goes round it and light that can be dammed like water!
Back to justifying the unjustifiable ;) The towers are fixed (transmission is between towers, they do not broadcast), buildings other than the university are not tall and the main source of (non-magical) light would appear to be dribbly candles. Possibly a "viewing tube" pointing in the right direction to the next tower, to cut out stray light, without any optics, would be more than adequate. A more urgent problem in the city would be lack of range due to fog from thousands of domestic fires. Down by the river I wouldn't be surprised if the smell alone did not bend light. :laugh:
I am enchanted by the layout. The references to the source material are subtle. I find it amusing that Hugh has taken an nonsensical situation and applied a logic to it. I do hope I can see it some day! :)
Surely the signaling device would involve the use of imps, prompted to emit pheremones which would be detected by corresponding imps in the next tower. Light would be merely a by product of the pheremone emmision. Sort of like stimulating fire flies.
I think I just invented smellyvision ........ :-)
Quote from: GraemeD on January 05, 2012, 11:42
Ted,
I appreciate the impracticalities of such a system, but you are applying a rigorousness that is often not found on layouts purporting to be inspired by real locations. The inspiration for Hugh's layout is a fantasy flat world set on the back of a space-faring turtle with a sun that goes round it and light that can be dammed like water! ...
I stand corrected, gentlemen.... Perhaps I have been led from the straight and narrow path of fantasy by the discussion about the visibility of light patterns. Please do continue your 'imagineering' discussion and don't mind grumpy old salts putting their oar in... :-[
Not at all, Ted. Your expertise and insight are welcome.
I, for one, had not realised that light semaphore was still in use. I based the 6-light "box" on the six-paddle mechanical semaphore. Trouble is, that whereas I found several sketches of the buildings, I haven't yet found the codes. Anyway it's all a bit of fun; the layout is there to entertain. On a separate tack (pardon the nautical terminology!) the decorations come down today so I can move Angst back out of its hidey-hole, where it has been over the Christmas period, and get on with the snagging process, as well as the semaphore tower.
Well harbour semaphores are not really a semaphore in that sense. They only use a limited number of messages, mainly to allow or forbid shipping movements in harbour in connection with ferry sailings. Generally they have three vertically positioned lights in two columns on a tall gantry. If you enter a ferry port with your small boat you have to check the various signals they can make first, then obtain permission using the VHF radio, and wait for the signal to be displayed. They do so at Dunkirk, Ramsgate, Ostend, Dover and Calais to name just a few.
You must be glad to have the layout back in its proper place. I'm fortunate in having a separate room for the layout.
A semaphore tower is taking shape...
Currently in several pieces, I assembled it last night at a LAMPOONS meeting and here is a photo...
Hugh, that looks really excellent! Well done.
Many thanks.
I had a rummage (oo-er!) in my box of figures and found a (German?) soldier hold binoculars to his eyes - so that's my observer to go in the cabin behind the windows. He's currently under-coated matt-black. The structure is due to be covered in clapboard (strips of 4mm wide 120gsm paper).
Is it the one tower you will make or will there be two, exchanging signals? I take it the LEDs have already been installed?
Just the one! it's takinglong enough to build.
Yes the LEDs are alreday installed - you can just see one in the lower row in the "lamp hut" on the top of the structure in the photo
Looking good, but no Mister Gryle I notice :o ;D
It does have a suitably Civil Service/GPO look about it. Definitely dragging Angst Lesspork into the year of the Fruitbat!
the turtle moves...
Et Viola!
working lamps as well....
Hugh - that looks marvellous! Well done! It's a shame it's mostly hidden! Can it be seen more from other angles?
Very nice, Hugh. I've been following this idea with interest.
Excellent! Do the LEDs flash on and off in an appropriate way?
Hugh, looks good - an evolution of the "clacks" I suspect
I don't know why but I can't see the pictures of the layout that you posted in the early pages of this subject
Bob Berry
I've made a small keypad with six buttons so the LEDs may be switched on and off. I might have it at the front of the layout for folk to play with.
More photos can be seen by heading to
www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/angst.htm (http://www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/angst.htm)
Lovely photos - certainly "made my day..." :D
Hansom Cab (R Parker kit) now completed. I've added a driver and passenger...
Excellent collection Hugh; well done. The semaphore tower looks good. All we need now is a dragon or two...
http://www.buccabury.co.uk/ltr/dragons.htm
;D
Thank you.
There is a swamp dragon on the roof of the Watch house; its exact breed has yet to be determined!
Must be a cousin of mine:
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.009dutch.nl%2Farchive%2F2003%2Fdraak%2F02f.jpg&hash=731a61c283837c271610a9cd6f9f33ef2c7e3081)
;D
Nice hansom cab by the way, well detailed.
I have two of them on the layout. One is the local doctor's carriage, waiting at his door in Dunalistair.
Thanks, Ted.
I like the dragon-spotting pages. How did you pose your dragons, David? I was worried I'd snap my one in two.
An interesting story: I got my dragon, and a mermaid, from Dart Castings when they came to York a few years ago. Later on that day Garry W reported that Dart Castings had sold out of mermaids, and thought us all a but weird in Yorkshire (!)
I haven't placed the mermaid on Angst. I think that no self-respecting mer-person would care to swim up the Angst river (they'd have to wriggle on top of the crust)
Perhaps if it's an edible crust.... It might attract mermaids by the dozen ::)
My dragon was blown over from Wales in a SW gale (it was sent to me by David). It has been living since in the 'loom' of Rae Bridge works (top left of this picture (http://www.009dutch.nl/cdr/main/foto/raebridge/pict1626.jpg)).
Ah... Dragons - my favourite creature! :)!!
The answer Hugh, is very, very carefully! The material is more brittle than some whitemetals but if you pose the necks, wings etc slowly you can manage it without cracking the casting. I'm sure you have some fine pliers or substantial tweezers which could do the job. The eyes by the way were photoshopped in!
The large dragon came from a stand many years ago at the Model Engineer's Exhibition when it was at Wembley (so early '80s); it might have been the Skytrex stand. Certainly it had a lot of interesting fantasy items including just this one dragon (which is actually more Chinese in appearance - but if you don't tell him you know he'll never realise it and he'll keep growling in his ancient Celtic dialect).
I hadn't spotted Errol on the Watch house (if indeed it is Errol; as you're not sure of the breed I guess it probably isn't Errol. Perhaps he could be called Flynn...)
I agree with Ted - the Hansom cab is excellent. Have you yet built the carriage of Lady Sybil Ramkin?
I wonder if I can use dragons instead of Border Collies? They'd need proper training and supervision. I like roast lamb but I'm not keen on the smell of singed wool...
I've just thought of a crated load for my flat wagons... ;D
Quote from: Tigger on February 10, 2012, 13:23
I hadn't spotted Errol on the Watch house (if indeed it is Errol; as you're not sure of the breed I guess it probably isn't Errol. Perhaps he could be called Flynn...)
He's (she's?) visible in photo 5 of the slideshow.
I can see I shall have to purchase a Brougham for her ladyship...
Many thanks for the kind comments.
Will you have room on it for the Ramkin Motto "Non Svmet Nvllvs Pro Respondo" and the Coat of Arms?
That street scene is great, Hugh. Lots of detail and atmosphere :)
What are the various coloured bits that are hanging from the beam on the timbered building above the handsom cab in the photo?
Quote from: invercloy on February 12, 2012, 08:52
That street scene is great, Hugh. Lots of detail and atmosphere :)
What are the various coloured bits that are hanging from the beam on the timbered building above the handsom cab in the photo?
Many thanks for your kind remarks.
The coloured bits on the (several) shops on the layout are the Langley store front parts.
The nearest to the camera is the hardware shop (pots and pans) futher away is the poulterers - great racks of dead animals (poultry and rabbits etc) There is also a saddler which is not visible in this shot.
Ah, now you've said that I can see they're the Langley ones. I've been tempted to buy some for my layout, thanks Hugh :)
Very impressed with the street scene, I might be showing my age but I remember a butcher/poulterers in Ashby De La Zouch that hung the Game outside in that fashion,.....Eeh, when I were a lad.......... ::)
I must look out for this Disc World stuff, it sounds like first class escapism, or truth? RGDS Mike
Thank you, Mike
I remember those hardware shops where things were supsended from the ceiling (wellies, parafin heaters, criminals (sorry - joking there)) and they'd sell screws individually if required.
They were wonderful places. A wall full of drawers behind the counter, each one usually with a brass handle and a handwritten card in a brass frame! And yes, they'd sell you one nail if you needed it! They'd also offer you an idea or two if you needed some help on a job you were doing. There were three local to me - all gone now.
When I used to live in Stockport my dad would take me to hardware shop just like those described. There was always a smell of parrafin/turpentine/white spirit/wood in the shop.
There wasn't any self service, it hadn't been thought of in those days, you stood in a queue and waited for the owner (Mr Elliott) to help you with whatever you wanted.... don't get me started or I'll talk about the toy shop on the same street that sold Hornby Dublo three rail and how I got a train set for my 8th birthday !
Bob
"Four candles?"
"Nah.., Fork 'andles, 'andles for forks." :D
Gott'ny O's?........................
Mick
Plugs...for the barfroom...firteen amp...
A complete digresion! A very skillful sketch. Barker had all the funny lines but it's actually Corbett who got all the laughs, from his reactions to them.
Ok. Back to Discworld before we completely hijack Hugh's narrative! ;D
Yes. My apologies! I'm sure plenty of other excellent features will appear on the layout to distract us.
A pub I use is just like that hardware shop, sadly no dragons, wonderfull creatures, if a little hot to handle. Enjoying the layout thread. rgds Mike
I dont holds wiv it. Clacks is semafore, Clacks is.
We got a Guild ya know. None of that fantastic lights nonsense.
Wont last.
Take my word on it.
You'll be talking Infernal Combustyen next.....!
Do you think the Clacks Guild and the Semafors Guild could amalgamate to form a new Signalling Guild? The Guildmaster could be called 'Bobby'... ;D
Clacks IS semafore.
But seriously (?) I think a great opportunity to have madly whirring arms flailing about and giving the viewer the impression of a demented windmill grinding out dwarf-bread flour has been lost here.
A see-saw operated contraption of rods & linkages powered by solenoids with perhaps an old morse key as a switch apparatus is forming in my mind.
Nurse - more meds please.
Yes, well, if you go to page 4 of this thread, you'll see my design for the semaphore tower with a two-arm system. I would have preferred to make a working mechanical system, but it would need very small chains to work it in order to keep within the scale size post. Someday I may be able to do it, but not at present.
There's plenty of material on the 'Net about semaphore systems for those interested enough to look it up.
Had a very good time at Shepton Mallet. Thank you for all the encouraging comments received.
Yes was nice to see it, as a fellow Disc World fan as well as NG-er! Have you seen this:
http://img.neoseeker.com/v_concept_art.php?caid=3031
Quote from: hughn on February 19, 2012, 22:47
Had a very good time at Shepton Mallet. Thank you for all the encouraging comments received.
It was good to see the layout in the flesh at last, thanks Hugh.
Quote from: JulienW on February 20, 2012, 10:45
Quote from: hughn on February 19, 2012, 22:47
Had a very good time at Shepton Mallet. Thank you for all the encouraging comments received.
It was good to see the layout in the flesh at last, thanks Hugh.
I'm sure photos will appear - I look forward to seeing them (being unlikely to see it "in the flesh" - alive, undead or otherwise :D )
This (http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien_webb/sets/72157629402283955/) should link to the set I took at Shepton Mallet that are on Flickr - by no means an exhasutive photo report as I just took a few snaps of layouts I had not seen before (or not seen for a while at least) that included Angst...
Quote from: hughn on February 19, 2012, 22:47
Had a very good time at Shepton Mallet. Thank you for all the encouraging comments received.
Thanks for bringing it - a very enjoyable layout. My wife is now very sore she didn't attend.
Thanks also for the appearance of the familiar-looking tram engine for my son (blonde-haired toddler, liked playing with the clacks button)
AE
Looking at Juliens' photos reminds me that I must get some hawsers to moor the shipping!
[next outing at Keighley 24/25 March]
:)
Had a good time at Keighley; Apart from one slight panic on Saturday when we lost power to the track coincident with a smell of burnt insulation (which actually came from a layout in another hall! - phew) it performed well. Lots of good comments.
New cruet set installed - I shall be putting a small hoist on the roof of the grain store.
I have found some 1mm rigging cord which should work for mooring.
Long time no post...
I have put mooring ropes on Bounty (four!) and she now look a bit better at the dockside. Sometime I might do the other two boats. No photo as yet.
I have made a witch on a broomstick (started life as an Airfix camel-mounted arab). I have put a photo on the web site.
Had a great time at Water Orton.
Good to see you and the layout at Water Orton.
I particularly liked the witchport. Inspired!
Frank
I've never read this thread before, so was interested to see what it's about. But the pictures on the first page aren't linked anymore and therefor not displayed. Maybe you could repair this?
There has been discussion on this forum before about the transiency of images posted. They appear to be regularly culled to keep space down.
All my images are available on my Angst-Lesspork web site.
Either click on the sig below (it says "Angst-Lesspork")
or
click in the little world icon under my avatar picture on the left.
PS I suggest that if you wish to remain in the forum, then right-click on either of these links and select "Open in new tab" or the equivalent from the pop-up menu that your browser will display
Kind regards
Angst has successfully returned from across the Border to Colne (we managed to smuggle boot-leg Dandelion and Burdock under the noses of the Excise men!)
Angst won "Best layout voted by the public"
(Blush blush)
Quote from: hughn on November 19, 2012, 16:09
Angst has successfully returned from across the Border to Colne (we managed to smuggle boot-leg Dandelion and Burdock under the noses of the Excise men!)
Angst won "Best layout voted by the public"
(Blush blush)
Well done Hugh, and for those of you who have not yet seen Angst Lesspork, it is scheduled to appear in the January 2013 edition of Railway Modeller, out on sale on Thursday 13 December.
I second that, Hugh - well done indeed! Well deserved in my opinion.
Thank you, chaps. It wouldn't anything like as good without the support, advice and feedback of the LAMPOONS and wider members of the Society.
Quote from: hughn on November 20, 2012, 16:04
Thank you, chaps. It wouldn't anything like as good without the support, advice and feedback of the LAMPOONS and wider members of the Society.
What about the narrower members...?
;)
Congrats on the RM inclusion - as I said to Mrs W an issue of the Modeller I might have to fight her for!
Well done on all accounts! The visitors to the show clearly had good taste and I look forward to reading the RM.
My subscription copy of RM January 2013 arrived this morning ( in the shops on the 13 December ).
Angst Lesspork is featured as promised, the article takes the form of an interview of Hugh, conducted by Steve Flint.
No time to report further, departing for Wimborne at midday for tomorrow's mini event at Colehill.
Spring must be in the air - I'm getting creative again.
I have mocked-up a low-relief theatre for Angst.
(https://i.imgur.com/OOUHPcj.jpg)
It fits in behind the Watch House yard. Problem is - is it tall enough? Also - is it obviously a theare (in the "Globe" tradition - or should I say "Ye Dysk")
{rev 20200626}
I think "Ye Dysk" would be a very suitable name and then leave it for the informed to nod sagely and the uninformed to wonder what on earth (what on flat?) it is meant to be.
Mick
Great work!
I hope we will see plenty of "fly posting" ..... thinks...
Two gentlemen of Pseudopolis
The merry wives of Lancre
The merchant of Genua
Perry Cleese prince of Krull ....?
"Ye dysk" is excellent! ;D Did the Pratchett one have a name? I can't remember. Was there a view of it on the front cover of the book? I reckon it's about the right size, Hugh. Any bigger and it might be a bit too imposing.
Thanks, chaps. The theatre in Ankh-Morpork is called "The Dysk", so I'll probably need to find an alternative name. There were other theatres in the Shakespearean era than the Globe, but that's such an iconic name, the others aren't so well remembered...
I did think about "The Ankh-Lesspork Arena" as a dig at the new Leeds Arena (spit).
I have quite a few fly-bills around Angst - mostly copies of real ones reduced in size and printed on self-adhesive labels. Also a poster for the world-famous Dwarf music-with-rocks-in band "Iron Midden"
(!)
And how about that well-known new-wave cookery group - Punk Floyd. ;D
If the Pratchett one is called 'The Dysk' then I think you'd be ok calling yours 'Ye Dysk'
Or perhaps find a Discworld poet and use 'Ye Royal <<poet's name>>' as in The Royal Shakespere.
Should you not name it after the Patrician?
Ah - "The Vetinari Clinic"?
Hunting for "theatres in the round" (OK I know it doesn't mean the building is round):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_in_the_round (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_in_the_round)
How about "The Nonagon" or some other equally unlikely shape.
Taking it further I'm sure B.S. Johnson could even design a theatre with not only an non integral number of sides but an irrational number.
There is always the O2 to take the mickey out of.
Hows about O09 or perhaps The Orange? :-)
Quote from: GraemeD on February 15, 2013, 17:05
Taking it further I'm sure B.S. Johnson could even design a theatre with not only an non integral number of sides but an irrational number.
Points for being able to translate 0.707106781186548... into a definitive fractional statement (easy). Bonus points for 0.866025403784439... (also easy now that you've worked the first one out....).
Ah yes, the joys of A-level Maths circa 1977/8 :-)
Mind you, it takes a particular type of genius to come up with a non-integral number of sides!
What's that you say? Thread drift? Ooops... sorry!
Too lazy to do it, but I might come back to it later.
My favourite ratio is: 1/( 113/355 ) - easy as pie! :laugh:
(Back on topic..)
Here we are. nearly finished.
(https://i.imgur.com/iYO9wXm.jpg)
{rev 20200626}
Looking good, Hugh!
A travel accessory has been spotted on Angst station platform...
(https://i.imgur.com/d6tEIUj.jpg)
Luggage with feet and Rincewind I presume
Bob
I spent a fruitful hour or two finding and correcting a weird fault that surfaced at the end of the day at Pewsey. I had missed out a wire in the control box. (lesson to us all there...)
Since the layout was up, my daughter helped me plant some more people. I am slowly coming round to the idea that the buildings need to be "dirtied". Perhaps the odd tree growing in a roof gulley?
Pewsey was a great day; many thanks to the Wiltshire Group for organizing the event. I can vouch for the Lardy Cake.
I have finally worked out a way to make a working mechanical clacks tower!
I've got the stepper motors and the microcontroller and have written a short test program as a proof-of-concept.
(I've also tracked down the code book for the Popham semaphore system, which is the version I'll be going for.)
Angst-Lesspork has been invited to the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, which will be in London on 14-18 August 2014. Phew!
Web site http://www.loncon3.org (http://www.loncon3.og)
(edited link)
Great news and what a recognition of the layout.
Have you been at at nanny Ogg's scumble or otherwise have "og" on the mind? ;D Try:
www.loncon3.org (http://www.loncon3.org)
thank you! :)
Well done Hugh!
And of course the latest Terry Pratchet book will be out by then, telling the story of how the railway came to Discworld. You might have to make another loco or some different stock....
Frank
Mechanical semaphore (almost) comes to Angst.
While I have yet to built the semaphore post and attach the arms, the rest of the mechanism works fine; A spare PC keyboard, a small circuit board with the microcontroller and interface chips, and two stepper motors each with an arm butchered from plastic propellers.
Press a key and it waves its arms!
Right.. Back to packing....
Will it 'clack' ? :)
It works very well indeed! I saw the demo at the Convention today. As for clacking, the stepper motors are a good size so a football rattle or gragger-like like affair might be driven off the shaft perhaps? Just a thought.
Quote from: GraemeD on September 28, 2013, 23:01
It works very well indeed! I saw the demo at the Convention today. As for clacking, the stepper motors are a good size so a football rattle or gragger-like like affair might be driven off the shaft perhaps? Just a thought.
Damm - I missed that!
A Mechanical Semaphore system
Those of you who have seen Angst-Lesspork will be familiar with the optical semaphore tower on the layout. This was a version of the Murray system used by the (UK) Admiralty.
I had really wanted to make one with waving arms - if you search for the Popham semaphore you'll see what I mean. I thought it would probably be beyond my skills to make, but I have recently changed my mind...
Here is a sketch of a Popham tower near Portsmouth
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.portsdown-tunnels.org.uk%2Fimages%2Fancient_sites%2Ftelegraph%2Fsemaphore_mast.jpg&hash=1b20d46204bd9d6c5167da09f183d3e2ea8a357c)
taken from www.portsdown-tunnels.org.uk
And I found the codes that represent letters:
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hnorwood.co.uk%2Ffiles%2Fimages%2Fsempopham.gif&hash=bfcbb53a155857afdb7532722c169fb4fa5effdd)
(from an old Encyclopaedia Britannica) Unfortunately, whoever created the lookup table did not differentiate between the upper and lower arm, so I have arbitrarily named the upper arms positions A..F rather than 1..6
| arms | char | arms | char | arms | char | arms | char |
1
2
3
4
5
6
| 1
2
3
4
5
6
| A
B
C
D
E
F | A
B
C
D
E
F | A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6 | 7
8
9
0
G
H | B1
B2
B3
B4
B5
B6 | I
K
L
M
N
O |
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6 | P
Q
R
S
T
U | D1
D2
D3
D4
D5
D6 | V
W
X
Y
Z
J | E1
E2
E3
E4
E5
E6 | | F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6 | |
I also found that there was no "J" in the table - so I put it at the end.
The semaphore station at Portsmouth had a mast between 30 and 50 feet high
The arms were 8 feet long by 1 foot 4 inches wide (32mm by 5mm in 4mm scale) and the arms fold inside mast.
The photos of the Chately Heath tower, however, give the impression that the arms are attached to one side of the post
Now, I recently got involved with the picAXE range of microcontrollers when developing a digital-only PWM train controller. When I bought the development breadboard, it came with a 18M2+ version of the controller.
I realised this had enough interface pins to let me connect up a PC keyboard to provide the "input" and two stepper motors to drive the two semaphore arms.
OK, so what's a stepper motor? You ask.
A stepper motor has a shaft sticking out one end - like a "normal" motor, and it does rotate. BUT instead of going round smoothly, it moves in a series of steps, determined by how the current is switched through the coils inside the motor. The direction of stepping is determined by the sequence in which you drive the coils.
A full treatise on these devices isn't needed here; I chose a pair of "unipolar" motors (stocked by the firm that supplies the picAXE range of microcontrollers) These particular ones have 200 steps per revolution.
The advantage to me was that 25 steps would bring the semaphore arm to the lower quadrant position (1|6|A|F), 50 to the horizontal positions (2|5|B|E) and 75 steps to the upper quadrant positions (3|4|C|D).
It's time to take a few photos...
Hugh,
You're obviously well read up on these things, so you may be able to answer my query?
Where I live in Blandford, Dorset, there was a relay station on the site of the current Defence School of CIS on the Admiralty Shutter Telegraph system on the route from London to Plymouth. It is recorded that they were able to get a message from the Admiralty to Plymouth 230 miles away and receive a reply in approximately 4 minutes, which is not a bad feat for a totally optical manual communication system 200 years ago in my book!
Question: was the Popham Semaphore that you described here using the same shutter telegraph system on the Admiralty to Portsmouth route?
There is some interesting information about optical telegraphs and martello towers on Wikipedia:
optical telegraphs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_telegraph)
martello towers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martello_tower)
As you may know, the two were closely linked in the defence systems of Napoleonic times.
Hi Mick,
As far as I can see the term "shutter telegraph" refers to the Murray system of two rows of three (or three rows of two) shutters that are either vertical (showing their face) or horizontal (showing an edge). It appears that the Popham system replaced the Murray, but I think I might have to do some more reading to give a definitive answer.
Here is a photo of the two stepper motors fixed together for testing:
(https://i.imgur.com/Ns0XNNq.jpg)
And here is a short video of the arms in action.
See if you can decode the message. NOTE you are looking from the rear so the arms are back to front...
http://youtu.be/RZwXq13EMoA
:)
Excellent stuff.
Is there a way to speed things up to make them appear more 'manic'?
In my imagination the ones in the book are thrashing about like demented tic tac men at a race course. :)
Yes - I purposely put a delay in during development, and have reduced it quite a bit. I think I'll have to reduce it even further.
I have received the brass strip to make the actual semaphore post and have ordered pulleys and drive belts. So we're cooking on charcoal! Dragging the layout into the century of the Fruitbat (or whatever it is at present)
Quote from: DeadHorse on October 04, 2013, 14:01
Is there a way to speed things up to make them appear more 'manic'?
In my imagination the ones in the book are thrashing about like demented tic tac men at a race course. :)
I don't think that the arms "thrashed about" at that sort of speed. The arms would have been quite heavy and it must have been a physically demanding job operating the pulleys that moved the arms. I am sure that I read many years ago that there were teams of operators who alternated every 10 minutes because they got tired out so quickly.
Although fictional the second story in Keith Roberts 1968 alternate history fix-up novel "Pavane" called "The Signaller" includes details of the physical effort required to opreate the semaphore arms in this type of signalling station.
Garry
Quite so. Also, in the Discworld books, the clacks rapidly evolves from a (supposed) two-arm system to the shutter system with an unknown number of boxes. I thought the 4x4 matrix used in the TV adaptation of "Going Postal" was a bit over the top - they have to be read by human operators, after all. The Murray system of 6 shutters (3 rows of two) probably represents a workable compromise between readability and "density" of code. After all, to transmit 26 characters and 10 numbers, you don't need that many individual codes. It's only when you start to do strange tricks that you need more.
(Monstrous Regiment indicates coding grey-scale images for example)
And remember the original ASCII code was 7-bit and only coded A-Z, a-z, 0-9, a few punctuation marks and some non-printing codes.
The ASCII code is still 7 bits (128 characters) though an 8th bit can be used for an error (parity) check bit in serial transmission or various non-standard things (graphics characters in LCD panels etc).
Predating ASCII is the Baudot code (as in the same person recognised in "Baud rate") which is a 5 bit code:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baudot_code (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baudot_code)
If you get really adventurous in your programming then there are all sorts of possibilities such as signal arm bouncing.
Many years ago when I used to teach HND students including a number of mature students (some really quite mature) from the oil industry we had a multiple choice section in the introductory computer engineering module. As one of the "distractors" for a question along the lines of:
From the following statements select the one which best describes the ASCII code.
I included the (obviously wrong) choice:
The ASCII code was invented by Arthur Ascii.
It was amusing to see one of the older part-timers laugh out loud much to the puzzlement of the younger full-time students in the exam.
I used to be able to read punched tape (by eye, I mean!) Sad innit?
Quote from: hughn on October 05, 2013, 10:52
I used to be able to read punched tape (by eye, I mean!) Sad innit?
Don't tell me you go back that long, Hugh... ;D
I've kept my good looks ! ;)
In the days of Acoustic Coupler modems I used to show students how they worked by whistling into the mouthpiece end and the modem would respond by whistling back. Trilling messages was beyond me (or anyone) I expect.
It is I believe possible to dial a phone number by tapping the right number of taps on the cradle so as to simulate the contacts of the dial as it rotates. This was a useful skill in the days when people would lock the dials to prevent unauthorised use.
In theory it might be possible to dial a number by whistling into the phone to simulate the tones generated by more modern phones.
Probably only local numbers though.
Frank
Quote from: Frank on October 06, 2013, 13:00
It is I believe possible to dial a phone number by tapping the right number of taps on the cradle so as to simulate the contacts of the dial as it rotates. This was a useful skill in the days when people would lock the dials to prevent unauthorised use.
In theory it might be possible to dial a number by whistling into the phone to simulate the tones generated by more modern phones.
Probably only local numbers though.
Frank
Before everyone starts tapping away, I have to advise that tapping the numbers out on the cradle only works on a strowger exchange (the old fashioned type with the great big relays and rotating selector switches). I would be very surprised if there are any operational strowger exchanges left in the UK!
Mick
R2D2, please respond! ::)
OK, chaps, back to the plot...
Here is the circuit diagram for the electronics bit:
(https://i.imgur.com/yspjmMU.gif)
and here is a photo of the circuit board:
(https://i.imgur.com/JJoHnOL.jpg)
The stereo jack socket is where you plug in the programming cable when reprogramming the picAXE (something I left off when building the PWM train controller! The ps/2 connector is a 6-pin miniDIN socket into which a PC keyboard plugs for entering the letters/numbers to be displayed.
Very neat Hugh, a nice efficient circuit.
A lot of the work of course is in the software .....
One query, where does the common wire from the motors go, positive supply or ground?
Frank
Quote from: Frank on October 07, 2013, 07:33
One query, where does the common wire from the motors go, positive supply or ground?
The common goes to +Vm, which is +5volts in this case
Quote from: MickT on October 06, 2013, 18:15
Quote from: Frank on October 06, 2013, 13:00
It is I believe possible to dial a phone number by tapping the right number of taps on the cradle so as to simulate the contacts of the dial as it rotates. This was a useful skill in the days when people would lock the dials to prevent unauthorised use.
In theory it might be possible to dial a number by whistling into the phone to simulate the tones generated by more modern phones.
Probably only local numbers though.
Frank
Before everyone starts tapping away, I have to advise that tapping the numbers out on the cradle only works on a strowger exchange (the old fashioned type with the great big relays and rotating selector switches). I would be very surprised if there are any operational strowger exchanges left in the UK!
Mick
Think you'll find that the Festiniog now has the most extensive Strowger system in the UK.
Quote from: hughn on October 03, 2013, 12:35
And here is a short video of the arms in action.
See if you can decode the message. NOTE you are looking from the rear so the arms are back to front...
http://youtu.be/RZwXq13EMoA
:)
Hugh, that's wonderful! Well done!
The turtle moves...
The drive belts have arrived at last (after some concern) so, with the pulleys and brass strip already in the workshop, I've no excuse - apart from a bad cold... :(
Well, hope the wait is worth it. I have made up the post and arms for the semaphore tower and here is a video of the arms in action.
http://youtu.be/riuX47VJazc (http://youtu.be/riuX47VJazc)
Excellent work! The difference between this and the direct stepper motor you showed at the Convention is clear. It is much less "steppy" and rigid and it looks like someone is pulling the levers.
Very good Hugh, if you was sending us a message, I didn't get it. ;D
My radio control equipment has just been posted back to me, so I should be able to have a play next week.
Regards,
BrianT.
As I mentioned in another place the message reads HELOWORLD
:D
Here's a photo of the mock-up semaphore tower
(https://i.imgur.com/ktlkrZ4.jpg)
Was really great to see this working 'in the flesh' at the Oldham group meeting last week. Wish my electronic skills were up to such a task ( I don't even understand the diagrams ). Think I'll stick to wiring track!
Thank you.
I found an interesting paper here:
http://royal-signals.org.uk/Datasheets/Telegraph.php (http://royal-signals.org.uk/Datasheets/Telegraph.php)
It's long (I printed it out and it came to 36 pages) and is written in a curious style, but contains much of interest to students of mechanical semaphore. The arms were painted red with a white stripe on the front and yellow with a black stripe on the rear. (What does that remind you of?). On some towers the support post could be rotated depending on which way the message was going along the chain.
Hugh, this looks fantastic!! Well done! A worthy contender for next AGM's Peter Bayly Award most definitely!
*Blush*
I'm sorry to confess I'm not a Discworlder, but I was pleased to see in the paper that steam trains have now officially arrived there. I'm not sure what the consequences for your railway will be...
David.
I'll probably find out on 9th August....
Sorry - you'll have to explain the significance of the date...
David.
David
Check the diary where Hugh is taking Angst Lesspork in August.
Roger
Oh - I thought it might be Independence Day or something similar in Discworld!
David.
Load off my mind!
Just booked my hotel room for the World SF convention. Angst-Lesspork will be there somewhere on 15, 16, 17 August.
A number of visitors to exhibitions have asked me where the elephants are that support the layout.
So... I'm working on a set of feet that the legs will sit in..
Progress so far:
(https://i.imgur.com/VVqU2Qn.jpg)
In true Blue Peter style - 6" flower pots and newspaper... :)
There's only three shown. So what about the other two? :D
Ta-da!
(https://i.imgur.com/BK7L3Rd.jpg)
Truly Heffalumpish!
On a more serious note, I've been adding to my loco roster - see under locos...
It's official:
http://www.dwcon.org/pages/57/upcoming-attractions (http://www.dwcon.org/pages/57/upcoming-attractions)
(I have been asked to mention this is not a public event - and all the tickets have been sold :( )
If you need help with running the layout let me know
Moz
Angst at Upton last Saturday - the elephant's feet show up quite well.
(https://i.imgur.com/6hvmMkL.jpg)
The Effalump looks to be stood at a funny angle, and one of it's toe nails wants cutting Hugh. ::) ;D
Regards,
BrianT.
Latest arrival in Angst:
(https://i.imgur.com/RgJ0qkG.jpg)
Otto the staff photographer on the "Times"...
Very nice indeed! But 'Iconographer' surely?
Quote from: GraemeD on August 02, 2014, 19:41
Very nice indeed! But 'Iconographer' surely?
Yes. indeed, but I didn't know how many here might know the term....
He's a very finely attired fellow whatever his trade. You certainly have the knack of finding the right characters to fit the scene. The origin of some, it is easy to spot (such as the 1980s Citadel dwarf wizard adventurer) but this fellow has me wondering. Not obviously military in origin, somewhat theatrical (as would befit a great artist in captured light) but what his previous employment was I'm not sure.
He is the Preiser Vampire (of course!)
The incisors must have been difficult to remove Hugh ;D, but he looks very majestic.
Well done.
Regards, BrianT.
Quote from: hughn on August 03, 2014, 13:28
He is the Preiser Vampire (of course!)
Aha. I forgot that Preiser do all sorts of weird and wonderful characters.
I had the honour to be invited to exhibit Angst at both the Discworld Convention and the World SF Convention - and what incredible events they were. Great fun and lots of people coming up to chat about the layout and its construction. All very positive. Here are some photos from Loncon3 - the SF convention:
(https://i.imgur.com/NAESQGd.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eedyj1a.jpg)
Nanny Ogg taking an interest in the trackwork...
(https://i.imgur.com/6BhoT1T.jpg)
Angst nearly facing arrest by the Watch
(https://i.imgur.com/jLrC6Ru.jpg)
Some people take this very seriously....
(https://i.imgur.com/6wlAr6E.jpg)
The only other 4mm scale model - a static diorama interpreting a post-apocalyptic car-park. Unfortunately no-one was present to talk about it.
Wonderful photos, Hugh - it is a real fantasy world isn't it. That apocalyptic car park looks great from a distance.
The watch - you cannot have minded being arrested by that young lady! ;D
Quote from: tedp on August 25, 2014, 17:43
Wonderful photos, Hugh - it is a real fantasy world isn't it. That apocalyptic car park looks great from a distance.
The watch - you cannot have minded being arrested by that young lady! ;D
I think you will find that she is a bit of a 'dog' Ted. :-)
Quote from: cornelius on August 26, 2014, 11:47
I wonder if we signed up any new members as a result?
We can but hope - I certainly ran out of publicity leaflets at loncon3!
I must say Greebo is looking remarkably well behaved, or is Nanny pointing at something he did?
Super photos and what an opportunity!
I'm amazed with the layout, it looks great especially considering its based just on books!
What size is the layout? I am guessing its 3 x 2 or 4 x 2?
Close - it's just under 6' by 3'
Each baseboard is A1 in size and the two are joined at the short side. The river cantilevers off the front.
Ok thats weird - thats more or less the same size as I have (mine two boards are slightly over A1-sized each). Might borrow your track plan rather than trying to modify the one I am using if you don't mind!
A couple of things that I would change if I was starting again:
1) The station run-round is too short; move one pair of points (in front of the signal cabin) onto the other board
2) Look into adding a fourth road to the fiddle yard by bringing the back-scene forward and possible using curved points.
(this might have a knock-on effect on how the layout packs up)
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hnorwood.co.uk%2Ffiles%2Fimages%2Frail%2Fplan.jpg&hash=0474c20dd37030339c98736ba2c3b9921146f934)
Here's a photo of Angst packed away ready to go in the car...
(https://i.imgur.com/a0ygXwZ.jpg)
Ahh, thanks for that, I might make those changes when I copy it. It packs up into a very neat little package!
That crate is light enough for me to load and unload by myself (but help is always appreciated!)
Ian Drummond has come up with an interesting way of attaching legs to his layout, that is worth looking at...
LOL, I have to get a pic of my boards really, they were ones I got given from a member of my club in Crawley when he moved to New Zealand.
Originally meant to be part or a larger On30 layout but I decided 009 would be a much better use of them!
I will have a look for the info on the legs - the boards I have were designed to slot onto the top of a set of Ikea shelving legs (their IVAR range I belive).
Hugh,
Slight side topic but the plastic boxes to the left side of the picture look useful, are there stacking boxes inside them too ?
Please can you tell me where you got them. We were very disorginised about storage on Blaenau North
Thanks
Robert
Quote from: berryr99 on September 24, 2014, 16:07
Hugh,
Slight side topic but the plastic boxes to the left side of the picture look useful, are there stacking boxes inside them too ?
Please can you tell me where you got them. We were very disorginised about storage on Blaenau North
Robert
You used the correct terminology Robert ! The boxes are produced by the Really Useful Box Company.
They do an amazing range of sizes from tiny 0.14 litre capacity up to a massive 145 litre capacity. You can view the whole range at www.reallyusefulbox.com
Many retailers sell them, examples are Tesco, Staples and Rymans, I got most of mine from Woolworths before they closed down.
Garry
Storage Boxes
You can add Hobbycraft to Garry's list but my local Tesco has not stocked them for a while.
Roger
Thanks for the info
Robert
B&Q too.
http://www.diy.com/search/results/?question=really+useful+box (http://www.diy.com/search/results/?question=really+useful+box)
The stackable insert trays are useful for small components and I'm sure I've seen a portable layout designed to fit the large "Xmas tree storage" box.
The 6 litre "C4 envelope" size is just right for storing many modelling materials such as brass and plastic tube, section and sheet but is not as commonly stocked as other sizes.
Watch out for special offers at Hobby Craft.
(You may have guessed I have a few of them!)
For stock boxes I use the A4 boxes that the 009 sales stand used to sell. You can get three stacked one upon the other in the smaller of the two "Really Useful Boxes". I have an idea I described my stock boxes in another thread.... These A4 boxes are not as bulky as the "R.U.B." versions.
[Later...]
Well I can't find the post on this forum - it must have been the Other Place (and I couldn't find it on that either!) So.. here are a couple of photos..
(https://i.imgur.com/jwzQOPv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IjSoJed.jpg)
NB I do not take the credit for using photos to remind me what is in the boxes!
PS a couple of small blobs of BluTak under each A4 box stops them sliding around inside the bigger RUB box.
That's actually a very sensible idea. hopefully you can never loose track of anything then!
Thanks again.
I use a B&Q 20 compartment organiser for locos because each compartment is a separate box which can be taken out. Its rolling stock/scenery etc etc etc I'm looking to store in a better way.
Robert
Thats a very good idea, that way you know what is where and its easy to change what stock you are taking with you to an exhibition if you wanted to.
A couple of new figures for the layout. A trip to the local War Games show at the Armouries resulted in a find of figures suitable for a werewolf and a golem:
(https://i.imgur.com/8El77D8.jpg)
after painting we have Sgt Angua in "plain clothes" (subject to the cruelties of close-up camera work...
(https://i.imgur.com/la0oua7.jpg)
{Later}
I have been reminded that I should have enlarged on my comments:
Sgt Delphine Angua von Uberwald of the City Watch is their chief tracker. She is also a werewolf and spends a few days each month suffering from pre-lunar tension. She spends most of the time in human form, but can change at will, if required. While in wolf-form she is referred to as being in "plain clothes"
And the golem figure:
(https://i.imgur.com/cIzEcsN.jpg)
I'm still slightly undecided how to finish this one - it is supposed to be a Postal Worker. I've painted a royal blue patch on the front and back and given it a satchel for the post:
(https://i.imgur.com/dMHxIca.jpg)
(NB It's taller than the humans)
I'll see about photographing both in the setting... (which means unpacking the layout...)
{Later}
And... Golems arrived on the scene in "Feet of Clay", and in "Going Postal" many were employed by the Post Office - mainly, I think, because their legs are insensitive to dog bites!
Still on the fantastical.. I have painted up one of the dragons that I also bought at the Wargames show.
(https://i.imgur.com/AxKmkJQ.jpg)
It currently sits on the stand that came with it - to assist in painting. I need to work out a way to support it so that it seems to be flying over the layout. I tried 0.45mm brass wire, but it wasn't stiff enough. I'd prefer a wire support from below as if I used a thread from above, if I get the hole in the wrong place it won't fly level...
On the mundane front, I have assembled and almost finished painting one of the two wooden wagons I bought from Ancorton models ( see thread http://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=1885 (http://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=1885) )
This is the two-wheel delivery van.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hnorwood.co.uk%2Ffiles%2Fimages%2Frail%2Fdelvan.jpg&hash=d43d07c1f06202ba1ccce220d2f26f8ff804a0c5)
I've not assembled anything in this material before now; The parts weigh virtually nothing and feel fragile, but I don't think they are. I used Roket card glue, which seems to gave done the trick. Very little fettling required to fit the parts together. No horse is supplied; fortunately I had a spare (unpainted). I used my usual trick of radical surgery by drilling a hole through the horse and a short length of 0.45mm wire goes through the shafts and the horse... :o
It looks very good Hugh.
The bar through the horse is a good tip.
The latest people for Angst are now ready to take their places. I bought a couple of sets of Edwardian figures from Andrew Stadden early last year. I decided they were too good to be spoilt by my impressionistic approach to painting, so I asked Roy Hirst if he'd like to paint them for me. Got them back last night - Wow!
(https://i.imgur.com/k7RToPs.jpg)
Set 1
(https://i.imgur.com/P3wObiq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dyZV6jm.jpg)
Set 2
(https://i.imgur.com/L0Zo46T.jpg)
A Couple have already climbed aboard the balcony of may railmotor...
(https://i.imgur.com/0JuS60d.jpg)
That's wow indeed - the detail on those figures and the paintwork are amazing!
Finished the two Ancorton models waggons:
(https://i.imgur.com/jLW0BMh.jpg)
and
(https://i.imgur.com/frjyBme.jpg)
(horses are not included with the kits)
I have also planted the rest of the new people plus Sgt Angua, the golem and another dwarf....
Sad to here about the Death of Terry Pratchett's
A light has gone out.
http://time.com/3742565/terry-pratchetts-last-tweet-twitter/ (http://time.com/3742565/terry-pratchetts-last-tweet-twitter/)
Greetings,
AS one who is not familiar with the books referenced in the humor part of this thread, I was hoping that some one could point me to one of his books which will give me a taste to see if I want to read them all. It saddens me greatly to see some one of this caliber of people pass before they write every thing that they need to write.
Andre Anderson
Portland Oregon
I'll send you an email!
He is/was quirky and very British. A flavour of his wit:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11469176/Terry-Pratchett-50-best-quotes.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11469176/Terry-Pratchett-50-best-quotes.html)
Of course there are as many 50 best quotes as there readers. A favourite passage of mine (the Hogfather is not so much the American Santa Claus as the somewhat fading British Father Christmas or an incarnation of all three of Dicken's ghosts of Christmas. I understand Father Christmas dressed in green and the red garb is an invention of Coke Cola):
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/66591-all-right-said-susan-i-m-not-stupid-you-re-saying-humans (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/66591-all-right-said-susan-i-m-not-stupid-you-re-saying-humans)
A master of reverse bathos - a story can rattle along apace, full of silliness and then swerve and pull you sharp, often bringing a lump in the throat.
He is best known for the Discworld series, but there are some Discworld books for "younger readers" and then there are the non-discworld children's books, plus other books. He is also a master of parody and takes plagiarism to a level where it becomes uniquely his own. The Nomes are the Borrowers (Mary Norton), the Carpet People could be Flatlanders (Edwin Abott) and it is great fun spotting all the references in Discworld - Cohen the Barbarian for one! Puns abound too as the last example shows.
Sorry - I'm hijacking Hugh's thread, but is it any wonder he chose to make his own homage in layout form?
Angst will be at Keighley next weekend. Do drop by if you are in the area...
Had a good time at Keighley last weekend. Thanks to Ian Drummond for co-piloting on Saturday.
Quite a few Pratchett fans dropped by to chat.
I found a suitable support for the dragon, from a local trader at the show - a piece of 1mm brass tube, which he reminded me was stiffer than a solid wire. So the dragon spent Sunday "flying" over the rear of the layout.
(https://i.imgur.com/1wKFIjQ.jpg)
(I've air-brushed out the support)
Goodness, what a gap since my last post....
I was very interested to see (at the Members' Day at Mansfield) that Chris Ward had brought along his infillings for 009 track and points. After a bit of thought as to whether I needed a left-hand or a right-hand insert, I bought a right-hand one.
I've got around (at last) to installing it on Angst-Lesspork
Here's the eyesore as was on the dockside:
(https://i.imgur.com/bUFHhRZ.jpg)
After very little fettling the inserts (which were all I required) fitted in nicely.
Each insert has a couple of little blocks on the underside, which fit snugly between the sleepers and are stuck to the baseboard; I lightly sanded the underside of these to give a "key" and applied a smear of Roketcard glue an allowed it to dry. I then applied a bit more glue and inserted the pieces into the point. I held the inserts down until the glue had gone off, then left the layout overnight.
Here is the result
(https://i.imgur.com/6hlhtkH.jpg)
They have had only a single coat of paint for the moment; a bit of weathering will do the trick. The result actually looks better than the photo shows - we all know how critical the camera can be!
(Usual disclaimer - I'm just a satisfied customer)
It's certainly saved me a lot of bother...
2nd photo not showing for me
Try that...? let me know, please - there was a typo
(Interestingly Firefox was forgiving, which was why I didn't pick it up)
Thanks working fine now
Like the look of it how much are the parts
The inserts meld in very well and finish off the track.
Mixing my SciFi/fantasy genres.... it appears you have a problem with the holodeck projectors in the area below the wharf in the second photo. By the looks of it one of the characters has noticed and is pointing to it.
:laugh: :laugh:
I think I ought to say that you get the "side" pieces in the infill kit - I just did not need them. Here's a picture of what comes in the pack
(https://i.imgur.com/Xpmd0pJ.jpg)
When I did the trialling of these tram track point kits I found, like the straights and curves, were great as long as you take time to fettle each piece in before fitting. A bit of time making the odd adjustment and offering each piece up before gluing makes all the difference. Certainly on Lochsanda Tramway they really look the part and do not affect the running at all. I have never been as successful using other methods.
Angst-Lesspork will be at Manchester first w/e in December (DV). If you're going, do drop by and say hello!
I'll have all my controllers, which you'd be welcome to try out...
link: http://mmrs.co.uk/exhibition/ (http://mmrs.co.uk/exhibition/)
Had a good time at Manchester; John V successfully navigated us into the city centre to the University. We were in the Barnes Wallis room (no sign of spinning drums, unfortunately - all rather civilised, really). Lots of people - the organisers were very pleased with the attendance.
(https://i.imgur.com/rEIMGlx.jpg)
Guest drivers included best-selling author Ian Drummond
(https://i.imgur.com/qvi9uFK.jpg)
And Peter Kirkby's grandson, who drove the layout for some time and with a certain flair; he also engaged with the younger members of the public who came by to watch. Well done and many thanks, Oliver!
This is what it looked like ready to run on the Saturday morning.....
(https://i.imgur.com/EbBGt6T.jpg)
That must be the lowest ceiling height of any exhibition hall, looks like your below decks ?
Stan.
OK.. so how did this topic get locked????
Quote from: hughn on January 16, 2016, 20:25
OK.. so how did this topic get locked????
?? I can post in it so its not locked
Quote from: Mozzer on January 16, 2016, 20:34
Quote from: hughn on January 16, 2016, 20:25
OK.. so how did this topic get locked????
?? I can post in it so its not locked
That's because I explicitly unlocked it....
Quote from: hughn on January 17, 2016, 13:34
Quote from: Mozzer on January 16, 2016, 20:34
Quote from: hughn on January 16, 2016, 20:25
OK.. so how did this topic get locked????
?? I can post in it so its not locked
That's because I explicitly unlocked it....
So you @^$*¢∞§ unlocked it then Hugh... :o
(MrW wanders off muttering about the bad language the youth of today indulges in... ::) )
Gargoyles have been seen occupying some the the buildings in Angst-Lesspork...
(https://i.imgur.com/m359g7P.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YGIO6D4.jpg)
(And I've planted a few gulls and dogs...)
(https://i.imgur.com/sCPrTqX.jpg)
I didn't find one on the 3rd picture - or should they have converted into more men-like shapes? :)
The gulls make it. As you are at a harbor they are normally present.
Very nice Hugh, certainly adds to the atmosphere.
Speaking of atmosphere (there's an impressive link!) had you thought of including Foul Ol' Ron and his merry band?
Frank
Quote from: Gerhard Novak on May 17, 2016, 16:08
I didn't find one on the 3rd picture - or should they have converted into more men-like shapes? :)
The gulls make it. As you are at a harbor they are normally present.
Well.. the third photo (as it says) shows two gulls and a dog... :)
Quote from: Frank on May 17, 2016, 21:32
Very nice Hugh, certainly adds to the atmosphere.
Speaking of atmosphere (there's an impressive link!) had you thought of including Foul Ol' Ron and his merry band?
Frank
Yes.. they are on my list as are an assassin and another witch...
I may have to resort to using filler on "normal" figures - not something I look forward too as I'm not certain what the results would look like
Will CMOT Dibbler be selling his wares?
Jeff S.
He's there if you know where to look...
I shall have to have a good look next time I see the layout then Hugh.
We are expecting the family to come over on Saturday, including four grandchildren under seven, and so are getting a "treasure hunt" ready for them. They have to find various things in the garden from a sheet of photos. Now I know how they will feel!
Frank
Quote from: hughn on May 18, 2016, 16:05
He's there if you know where to look...
I checked the images and videos on your blog site, Hugh, but was unable to locate Mr. Dibbler. Any hints?
Jeff S.
He's camera-shy....
I was going to suggest you see it in the flesh, but I see that might be a bit difficult where you are! I'll have a look through my other photos and if he's not there I'll take some new ones!
A little update:
Some very nice plates have arrived from Narrow Planet:
(https://i.imgur.com/7qPXjwS.jpg)
and, courtesy of a fellow modeller, a couple of figures:
(https://i.imgur.com/p1wFzj3.jpg)
(Who will do for an Omnian missionary priest)
and
(https://i.imgur.com/bzSMdzy.jpg)
(who is apparently a Star Wars figure... )
I can see you have an "Evadne" --- so surely it must be "Hilda" & not "Hilta" ?
Garry
Alas, Garry, not Hinge and Bracket, but Hilta Goatfounder and Evadne Cake.
The majority of locos are named after Discworld witches (with one or two notable exceptions...)
If I found a fat nun, then I could have Mr Pin and Mr Tulip aka "The Firm"...
Quote from: hughn on July 21, 2016, 14:27
Alas, Garry, not Hinge and Bracket, but Hilta Goatfounder and Evadne Cake.
The majority of locos are named after Discworld witches (with one or two notable exceptions...)
If I found a fat nun, then I could have Mr Pin and Mr Tulip aka "The Firm"...
Perhaps Preiser 28056 ---- a single nun will do---- try eBay
Garry
Sausage inna bun?
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8897/29591748421_77c9a1db8b_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/M5VrQZ)bun2 (https://flic.kr/p/M5VrQZ) by h_norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/53006103@N06/), on Flickr
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8369/29673090835_d8e95d037f_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Md7m7p)bun1 (https://flic.kr/p/Md7m7p) by h_norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/53006103@N06/), on Flickr
CMOT Dibbler makes an appearance...
Very good additions to the populace! Do you have a man with a white beard and a large black fedora lurking anywhere? He often makes a cameo appearance.
Many thanks, Hugh.
Jeff S.
Well, after some soul-searching, and some encouragement from the DW community, I have purchased and installed street lighting - not something that should be done this late in a layout's existence, I feel (having to work with it placed upside down on the floor did my knees no good). They are Gaugemaster LMS "oil" lamps... This is a photo of one I mocked up to see what it looked like.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3754/33438748885_cd33002acd_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SWSk4c)lampstandard (https://flic.kr/p/SWSk4c) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
I managed to get the lamps installed (and wired up) in time for the Rainford show/AGM....
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2808/32955823754_050b725437_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SdcdeQ)Angst-Lesspork (https://flic.kr/p/SdcdeQ) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Very good!
Watch out for Jadis driving a Hansom cab attempting to break off one of the lamplighter's bars. Oops, wrong story!
Quote from: GraemeD on April 04, 2017, 09:09
Very good!
Watch out for Jadis driving a Hansom cab attempting to break off one of the lamplighter's bars. Oops, wrong story!
:laugh:
I will have to cross the Seven to see the layout in October
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4418/36669112000_8792ca2c08_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/XSjMsY)Lady Sybil's coach (https://flic.kr/p/XSjMsY) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Lady Sybil's coach is now ready
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4415/36895070552_deaa7132d7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/YdhT55)Lady Sybil's coach (https://flic.kr/p/YdhT55) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Reins and a coach driver needed Hugh, which I'm sure are in the workshop somewhere, but it looks rarin to go ;)
Is it going to make the journey to Edlington this weekend?
Regards,
BrianT.
Quote from: gtmspyder on September 06, 2017, 22:53
Reins and a coach driver needed Hugh, which I'm sure are in the workshop somewhere, but it looks rarin to go ;)
Is it going to make the journey to Edlington this weekend?
Regards,
BrianT.
Or are they? Mwahahaha! No, right you are. I was thinking of Uberwald.........
Excellent as always Hugh. The bumper sticker (?) is a good touch.
Perhaps BSJ has invented, or attempted to invent, the driverless carriage.
Nice work, Hugh. What is the origin of the carriage?
Jeff S.
And there's me thinking Winny was her middle name ::)
regards,
BrianT.
Quote from: gtmspyder on September 06, 2017, 22:53
Reins and a coach driver needed Hugh, which I'm sure are in the workshop somewhere, but it looks rarin to go ;)
Is it going to make the journey to Edlington this weekend?
Regards,
BrianT.
Please note SYG meeting is at Balby and not Edlington this coming Saturday pm.
Garry
Thank you Gary, yes I found out the hard way by sitting outside the meeting venue / School in Edlington for twenty minutes, because not only did I get the venue wrong, I also arrived early having dropped my wife and a friend off at the Lakeside outlet in Doncaster.
The penny finally dropped and a quick gallop across to Balby got me to the correct venue and an interesting conversation with your good self sir.
I don't post much on the 009 forum now that my 009 Glen Ogle layout has departed to a new location in Scotland with it's new owner.
But because I needed to find something to model, I decided to go up a scale and model in 0-16.5 narrow gauge, I thought that my ramblings in this new format would not be welcome on the 009 forum but I know several of you have followed my posts on the Narrow Gauge Online forum, and today it was suggested that my new ramblings, whilst not being in 009 scale, might not be as unwelcome as I thought on the 009 forum?
I have no wish to impose my heretical ramblings upon a site I might be unwelcome on, but would enjoy being a part of this online camaraderie once again, if it was thought that members would be interested in my current modelling?
I enclose a single picture from my new 0-16.5 layout of Knottworthy Magna, which is a blatant copy of, but done as a tribute to, a fine 009 modeller, Ted Pollet with his little layout, Nixne.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1010.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf229%2Fgtmspyder%2FDSCF3133_zpsind3kur7.jpg&hash=172d0408915094827d883919e366ba3ec8cde989) (http://s1010.photobucket.com/user/gtmspyder/media/DSCF3133_zpsind3kur7.jpg.html)
If this offends no one on this forum, and you wish to see more of my modelling of my new layout, please let me know.
Whoops, sorry Hugh, I forgot I was in the middle of your thread, I was responding to Garry really.
Kind regards,
BrianT.
(Been a while since I last dropped by...)
It is a Langley Brougham. (needed quite a bit of fettling)
I've taken advice on the reins and shall attempt to put some on. I also need to finish painting (!) the horses. I don't think it needs a driver as it can be stationary.
A couple of figures...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4346/36829668360_64755530f6_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Y7vFh5)Witch with broomstick (https://flic.kr/p/Y7vFh5) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4387/36669111000_914812098c_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/XSjMaJ)What duck? (https://flic.kr/p/XSjMaJ) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Ah! A duck with a man growing out of its feet.
Excellent characters as usual.
Thank you... I need to find a small scruffy dog now...
Nice to see the layout at Christchurch MRE on Sunday-
Steve
Quote from: Steve Facknell on October 17, 2017, 00:32
Nice to see the layout at Christchurch MRE on Sunday-
Steve
Likewise! Nice to see you Hugh and your charming assistant Garry so far south. I think some of the local population thought you had brought a scale model of Leeds with Angst Lesspork as some of them aren't really familiar with what the frozen lands north of Salisbury look like..... ::). I hope you have recovered from the "Rigsby experience" of the accommodation and thanks to you both for the welcome interlude, cup of tea and friendly chat!
Mick
I've now returned from Rail-Ex in Taunton, which was a great event. Three 009 layouts (Ernie's Halt, Tal Coed and Angst-Lesspork) and the Society stand were together in the "Dance Studio". A good number of people through the door and lots of good comments about all 3 layouts. I think we held high the 009 "flag"!
.. and the lunches were VG
Many thanks to Geoff, William and Andrew for driving the layout while I went off to stick my trotters in the trough, attend to calls of Nature, etc. And for helping me load the layout back in my car on Sunday evening.
I have had a few problems with one point on the layout occasionally not throwing one way (but fine the other). It became a bit of an issue at Taunton. Of course, it is the point that is used most as it isolates the station section allowing me to move trains forward in the fiddle yard. I decided that perhaps the switch in the control box was wearing out. Today I bit the bullet and performed "brain surgery" on the control box. I don't like showing my soldering as I always think it could be better, but here are a couple of photos.
Firstly, the box:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4483/38111626321_6bbd4e2242_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/214N3Hx)Control box (https://flic.kr/p/214N3Hx) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
then the box opened up:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4456/24259573678_f23d330ee5_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CXJE4G)Control box (https://flic.kr/p/CXJE4G) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Pleased to say that it tests out fine! (Just need to try it out in an exhibition scenario... January next)
Hugh,
I am impressed with how you have designed the track plan on the top panel of the box.
Jeff S.
I'm even more impressed that anyone can make any sense of all that spaghetti underneath...!
David.
Hi Hugh,
That looks like the sort of box I have been trying to find.
Do you remember the source it came from?
Thanks
Very nice indeed. I'm impressed!
Quote from: Scottish Modeller on November 02, 2017, 19:41
Hi Hugh,
That looks like the sort of box I have been trying to find.
Do you remember the source it came from?
Thanks
Hmmmm. it was a long while ago... It might even have been the dreaded Maplins (although a quick look at their site doesn't show it now)
Rapid do something similar (under instrument enclosures)
Quote from: hughn on November 03, 2017, 14:17
Quote from: Scottish Modeller on November 02, 2017, 19:41
Hi Hugh,
That looks like the sort of box I have been trying to find.
Do you remember the source it came from?
Thanks
Hmmmm. it was a long while ago... It might even have been the dreaded Maplins (although a quick look at their site doesn't show it now)
Rapid do something similar (under instrument enclosures)
Hi Hugh,
I tried Maplin and they no longer do the larger box - just the smaller one.
I will see what I can find from rapid and ebay.
Thanks
Rapid is my go-to supplier these days, although it can take some searching to find what you want. I've always found them reliable and prompt. Usual disclaimer of course!
(I use Maplins if I'm in a hurry...)
I have also found Farnell excellent although finding the right item out of their huge lists is often a challenge. Their customer service is excellent.
Back to "front of house"
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4523/38242812161_71a7f4a455_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/21gopGn)Duckman, Ron and Gaspode (https://flic.kr/p/21gopGn) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Here are Foul Old Ron and his Thinking Dog, Gaspode with Duckman.
I decided I'd have to attempt to make Gaspode myself and eventually remembered I had some oldish Fimo lying around. That seems to have worked.
Is Duckman's duck made from Fimo, too?
Jeff S.
No - it's a white metal one from Langley
Well, we got back from a great show at Calne, and I have to report that the point was still giving problems - so I'm going to have to change it, I think. Shouldn't be a big problem, thankfully. I took the opportunity of purchasing a couple of SEEPS from Squires' stand at the Calne show. It'll have to be next week now as I've too much else on the timetable, what with Burns' Night and all!
Many thanks to Garry Whiting for co-piloting and navigating!
It got busy at times at Calne!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4720/38993899515_9c8bef639b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/22pKVNk)A busy day (https://flic.kr/p/22pKVNk) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
A vsitor to the Calne Show asked me how many figures I had on the layout. I answered "A couple of dozen or so!" He had a quick head count and told me he thought it was around 100.
Well, I had to do a census.
I tried a head count on the boards when I had them separated for some work, but kept losing my place. Some aerial photographs were taken and I am surprised...
117 including 1 wizard, 1 Librarian, 1 witch on a broomstick, 1 werewolf, 1 troll
This does not include people on the trains (drivers, passengers), people on or in vehicles or the crew of the big ship. Neither does it include Foule Ole Ron and the Duck Man as they have yet to be placed.
{edited 22 May 20 as part of the text had disappeared...}
I have succeeded in motorising the witch on her broomstick. Up to today she has relied on the operator pulling a string at the back of the layout to make her take off, then letting it go carefully down again.
I have used a PicAXE microcontroller to drive a small servo motor, which raises and lowers the broomstick at pseudo-random intervals (although it can be overridden)
Here are a couple of videos of it in operation.
The mechanism behind the scenery:
https://youtu.be/4sFe2h0o2kk (https://youtu.be/4sFe2h0o2kk)
and the witch herself:
https://youtu.be/fjQ5KP02sWg (https://youtu.be/fjQ5KP02sWg)
Simply amazing. Nice work.
Jeff S.
:) :) :) ;D :laugh:
Super - just the right amount of wobble and "wind buffeting"
The helicopter witch landing pad is just brilliant too.
Thank you!
I have completed a Governess cart for Angst. This is the Dart Castings kit, with one of their ponies. The driver is an old Airfix figure (after some orthopaedic surgery to get her to fit in the foot well.)
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1749/40943613460_8e2a06a38b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/25o3HQ1)Governess Cart (https://flic.kr/p/25o3HQ1) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
The photography group at my local Neighbourhood Network had a new project recently; to take photographs around Leeds with a view to producing some picture postcards.
This provided me with the inspiration to do something similar with Angst-Lesspork.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1777/30159881688_a11004f513_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/MX8h59)A Souvenir of Angst-Lesspork (https://flic.kr/p/MX8h59) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
I had a look though all my existing photos of the layout, and it was obvious that most would not do, as they were taken from an elevated position, whereas most postcard shots are taken at eye-level or thereabouts. How to take photos at the eye-level of a 4mm scale figure (about 22mm from ground-level)? I waited for the next
What an interesting idea.
Jeff S.
What may well be the final low-relief building is taking shape. It needs some judicious weathering..
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1841/29452774477_e3474e78f3_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LSDaJv)Low-relief buildings (https://flic.kr/p/LSDaJv) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Most intriguing with strong hints of other structures to be added (the door in mid air).
And here we are -planted on the layout..
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1875/42789884370_d84837325c_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28cckR5)Big building (https://flic.kr/p/28cckR5) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1935/31159416888_b80102ddf6_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ptsa4E)Mk2 Luggage (https://flic.kr/p/Ptsa4E) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
I made the Mk2 Luggage some months ago and I have finally got round to planting it. Because it is animated I was trying to think about how to connect it up. Well, I just bit the bullet this morning and got on with it. Currently the lid just opens; I can get it to turn slightly left to right, but I'll save that for another day! (The daylight under the feet is not so noticeable fro "Normal" viewing distances!
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1949/43220569610_d3817be6f7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28RfHyE)Mk2 Luggage (https://flic.kr/p/28RfHyE) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Very cool. I hope they know there's a Mimic on the loose! :D
Hugh,
Very nice work. I have two questions.
1. Is the station a kit or is it scratchbuilt?
2. Where's Rincewind?
Jeff S.
Quote from: Jeff Schumaker on October 01, 2018, 20:03
Hugh,
Very nice work. I have two questions.
1. Is the station a kit or is it scratchbuilt?
2. Where's Rincewind?
Jeff S.
1) The station building is Hornby Skaledale
2) I guess he can't be far away if the Luggage is loco-spotting!
Hugh,
Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that the luggage was a railfan.
Jeff S.
Angst-Lesspork is off to Railex2018 this coming weekend in Fareham.
If you're going, please do drop by and say hello!
{I can't find a suitable section to post in for this...}
Recording a Driver's eye view
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1951/44509454374_4af22935cb_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2aP9A6L)Miniature video cam (https://flic.kr/p/2aP9A6L) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Some 6 years or so ago, I investigated making a driver's eye view video recording of the layout. I bought a "keyfob" camera (the postage was more than the camera!) and made a few trail runs. The camera was not good, but when you factor in the cost; the results were to be expected.
My curiosity was stirred again by a letter in the Railway Modeller with a photograph of a small blue cube mounted on a wagon; this was a newer type of miniature video camera and the writer had claimed some success using it.
So I bought one. The device, which goes under the generic term of "SQ11", is a cube 24mm on a side. It has two buttons one marked with the universal "power" symbol, the other marked "M". It has a slot for a micro-SD card (I bought a 16Gb one) and a small USB socket for the cable that comes with it. The buttons are on the top surface of the camera.
I watched a short Youtube tutorial on how to use it, as neither the leaflet that come with it nor the recommended web page were much use.
It is capable of recording in 720p or 1028p, using about 1Mb/sec in 720p and 2Mb/sec in 1028p. It has other modes of operation, but I won't list them here.
My initial tests showed that it is incapable of focussing down to the distances required for my purposes.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1945/45231616151_f453fb65ee_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2bUXRCT)Miniature video cam (https://flic.kr/p/2bUXRCT) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
I had a think about whether I could correct this; I held a close-up lens for my DSLR in front of it and got an improvement in close focussing. So - how to get a suitably-sized "monocle" for the camera? Well, you can get lens attachments for mobile phone cameras, so I browsed online and came up with a kit of lenses containing a macro lens, a fisheye lens and a wide angle lens, with a clamp that holds the lens over the phone camera. I sent off for one.
The clamp just about fitted over the camera, so I tried out the various lenses. The macro lens was unfortunately too strong to be useful, but both the fisheye and the wide angle lenses were great. I decided to go with the wide angle lens as the image distortion was acceptably low.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1972/45231615081_80c19e161b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2bUXRjr)Miniature video cam (https://flic.kr/p/2bUXRjr) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
I cut up the clip from the kit to leave me with the screw mount for the lenses, which I super-glued onto the front of the camera, It covers the six infrared LEDS that can be used for taling pictures in low light, but I
A Youtube video is here
https://youtu.be/X6NB3GrDgho (https://youtu.be/X6NB3GrDgho)
Quote from: hughn on October 11, 2018, 14:16
A Youtube video is here
https://youtu.be/X6NB3GrDgho (https://youtu.be/X6NB3GrDgho)
Excellent Hugh!
Garry
Great, deserves an article in the News.
Peter
Amazing, from what at first seems a Heath Robinson solution the pictures are far more than just "acceptable". They really capture the atmosphere of the layout. You are far too modest Hugh.
Bill
It really shows off the atmosphere and the little cameos - wonderful. I'm impressed by the video quality and depth of focus given the tiny distances involved.
I'm also intrigued by the sound. I hear hall sounds but also a dog barking and gulls. Is that from the layout?
Quote from: GraemeD on October 13, 2018, 09:02
It really shows off the atmosphere and the little cameos - wonderful. I'm impressed by the video quality and depth of focus given the tiny distances involved.
I'm also intrigued by the sound. I hear hall sounds but also a dog barking and gulls. Is that from the layout?
Yes - I have a background sound track with gulls, barking dogs, distant bells, street cries, a farrier hammering away, horse-drawn vehicles, steam loco noises and harbour noises, I usually keep it at the just audible level, so you only the impression when you are close up to the layout.
Unfortunately the venue had a lot of background noise as well as the next-door layout's rather LOUD bird song (and crickets!) so I turne dup my volume a tad.
I had a frenetic but very enjoyable weekend away at the Member's Day in Ilton, followed by the Weston Train show.
I decided the horse-apples on the layout had faded rather too much over the years (just like the real thing?), so I spent a quiet hour refreshing them....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4916/32916558778_bc7a14bd9a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S9HY8u)Horse apples (https://flic.kr/p/S9HY8u) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
I have made a pair of tank wagons. The tanks were from the late David Monk. I got a pair of Minitrains bogie chassis at the Ilton Memebers' Day (sales stand) the chassis were shortened a tad and the supports fashioned from strip and channel. They are waiting for me to think of appropriate signage for the sides and a bit of toning down.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4843/40032542563_03ac1fd2c4_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/23Zxfc6)Tank wagons (https://flic.kr/p/23Zxfc6) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
And I have made a windsock for the broomstick users! Many thanks to Garry W for the tissue paper that makes the sock itself. It does flap about in the breeze, too.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4836/46945304912_fbd2e51781_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ewoXAQ)Windsock (https://flic.kr/p/2ewoXAQ) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Oh dear, I've not been keeping this thread up to date!
I purchased some "Snotty Goblins" from Langley (who knew they did a small range of "wargaming" figures?
Some have been painted in a stone-like colour scheme and so far a couple have been planted on the layout:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/7897/40498061613_abed53a6da_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/24GF9MB)New gargoyles 1 (https://flic.kr/p/24GF9MB) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
and
(https://live.staticflickr.com/7916/47411178422_aed0c96103_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2feyFyJ)New gargoyles 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2feyFyJ) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
And I found a wizard on Shapeways:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/7865/40498061193_529634e4d1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/24GF9En)a new wizard (https://flic.kr/p/24GF9En) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
But more to the point, I have completed my Popham semaphore tower
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40665235633_11fa992772_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/24XrXNi)Model semaphore tower (https://flic.kr/p/24XrXNi) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
On this thread back in 2012 you can see that I mention it as an aside - I went and built the six-light version as it was easier to do.
Well, I did build a version of the two arm Popham system back in 2013, but I was not happy with the belts I used to drive the arms, so it got put to one side.
Earlier this year I chanced upon a supplier (Motionco) of small drive chains and sprockets; after some thought I decided it was worth a go using their chain and the ten-tooth sprockets. The chain is very easy to make to length just by clicking individual link in and out of the chain. As may be seen in the photos, there is some slack in the chain but it does not seem to affect the working (and of course shortening the chain by one link would make them too tight).
The mechanism is fixed to a wooden block which is in turn fixed to the small baseboard. The octagonal building
I also rewrote the drive program to speed up the operation. I would like to be able to enter a string of letters and let the controller rattle off the message, but until I can work out how to program it to handle strings, that is going to have to wait.
The video shows it showing the letters A to T in order - but without J; Back then, J and I were more or less interchangeable in English - the context told you which letter was meant. I tacked on a spare code for J at the end after Z
https://youtu.be/5O2zZsTQVF0 (https://youtu.be/5O2zZsTQVF0)
Very nice Hugh. Well done.
Hello Hugh, the model looked and operated very realistically when I saw it at the last meet, as ever with your models, very well executed.
Kind regards,
BrianT.
We had a good time at the Barry and Penarth show recently.
There is a very good "documentary" on Youtube, where you can see Bowlegget Manor and a brief bit on 009 kits as well as Angst-Lesspork
https://youtu.be/KrK2pNtsXHA (https://youtu.be/KrK2pNtsXHA)
(If you don't want to sit through it all, Bowlegget starts about 7m52s, Angst at 9m54s and the 009 kits at 14m49 (although that is very brief)
The track on Angst-Lesspork passes through two holes in the backscene on the way to the fiddle yard. Spurred on by the discovery that my latest
The right-hand archway comes out from the backscene at an angle. This one is made of cereal packet card with a layer of Howard Scenics brick-embossed card on the front face. The dressed stone work is made from 240gsm card, and the railing along the top is Ratio fencing.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48612079588_4a84428f99_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2h4FBDf)Backscene update (https://flic.kr/p/2h4FBDf) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Both were painted and distressed using enamel paint
Nicely done, Hugh.
Jeff S.
Thank you!
Very neat and effective Hugh, they look good.
Frank
As ever Hugh, your modelling is superb, I would not want to meet up with the battering ram on the Sheffield Super tram traveling roads on a wet and stormy day as it appears out of the mist and spray on the roads occupied by cars and tram at the same time :o ;D
Regards,
BrianT
While having a wander round the Barry and Penarth show in early July, my eye was caught by this armoured car on the Dragon Badger stall. Just what Leonard of Quirm might come up with, I thought. They did not have one in stock, but very kindly printed one off overnight for me! I have at last got round to finishing it off.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959064776_42e08f5f02_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hAm1fu)armoured car (https://flic.kr/p/2hAm1fu) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959251252_8b3b673617_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hAmXFA)armoured car (https://flic.kr/p/2hAmXFA) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Another tram loco
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48958521263_261a2eda18_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hAidFz)Portstewart tram loco (https://flic.kr/p/2hAidFz) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
This loco is from Model Engine Works; it is based on the tram loco on the Portstewart 3ft gauge tramway. Being designed by David Hurst means it looks really good.
You have the option of buying a roof with fascia boards; I decided to make my own roof from laminated paper. The parts were soaked overnight in white spirit, then washed and allowed to dry for a couple of days.
I painted it a matt grey as a primer, then filled the inside of the boiler with Liquid Gravity. I then stuck sheets of lead to the underside of the boiler (there's plenty of space) plus a small piece to either side of the body at the firebox end.
I "decorated" the firebox end and provided a whistle and safety valves that go through the roof, on the assumption you wouldn't want to be inside an enclosed space if the safeties blew off. I kept the supplied coupling at the front and used a Greenwich coupling at the rear. NOTE the photos of the loco show it mainly travelling "cab" first.
Also, the photos show the windows being glazed and at least some obviously slide down into the bodywork, so I have left some of the apertures open. The body sits on a Kato 104 chassis and runs very well. It weighs 55gm.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959258202_920bef6b8f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hAmZKq)Portstewart tram loco (https://flic.kr/p/2hAmZKq) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
It is nice to see that even disabled drivers can work at Angst Lesspork, even those legless from drink?
Hugh, I think your armoured car is based on Leonardo da Vinci's origional design for a tank.i remember watching some documentary with some guys actually building it. It wasn't a great success. Too heavy and cumbersome. Looks cool though. Paul.
Quote from: Retiarius on October 25, 2019, 20:21
It is nice to see that even disabled drivers can work at Angst Lesspork, even those legless from drink?
Most of the figures on Angst have undergone "heroic" orthopaedic surgery - usually a brass wire up one leg to hold them in place. Long John Silver here also needed an amputation the clear the Kato chassis!
Quote from: paul ludlow on October 25, 2019, 23:45
Hugh, I think your armoured car is based on Leonardo da Vinci's origional design for a tank.i remember watching some documentary with some guys actually building it. It wasn't a great success. Too heavy and cumbersome. Looks cool though. Paul.
You are right - it is a model of the daVinci armoured car.
Looking forward to seeing the latest developments next weekend at Gaydon.
Thank you, Julien - that's reminded me that I have omitted to let the Diary man know I'm off to Gaydon - Sorry, John!
Here's a link
http://gbmrs.com/ (http://gbmrs.com/)
Following a great weekend exhibiting at the Great British MRS at Gaydon last weekend, I decided it was high time I added rotation to the Luggage. Back in October last year, when I installed the Mk2 Luggage I made the linkage to open the lid, the goal was to make it move left and right a bit, too.
This required glueing a short piece of brass wire around the supporting tube under the baseboard, making up a link arm (from bamboo skewers) and taking the motion through a right angle using a spare servo arm and up through the baseboard just behind the backscene.
Here is a very short video of the Luggage in action:
https://youtu.be/hy-cko1nVI4 (https://youtu.be/hy-cko1nVI4)
Excellent as ever Hugh! Your inventiveness and humour always raises a smile. :laugh:
Wonderful!
Frank
Very well done as usual Hugh.
Regards,
BrianT.
Thank you, everyone!
And what every Gentleman needs to complete his wardrobe.
https://youtu.be/crCOeHlzrgY (https://youtu.be/crCOeHlzrgY)
Quote from: hughn on November 27, 2019, 21:35
And what every Gentleman needs to complete his wardrobe.
https://youtu.be/crCOeHlzrgY (https://youtu.be/crCOeHlzrgY)
Invented by BSJ, perhaps?
Jeff S.
Those clever clogs at Unseen University, more like... :)
Hi Hugh, you've probably been asked a million times where the name "Angst Lesspork" came from....?
Just curious - one could make uneducated guesses of course !
Best regards,
Dave
Perhaps Hugh is plotting another delightful and cunning addition to the layout and is occupied or perhaps the luggage swallowed him?
Angst Lesspork ~ Ankh Morpork from Terry Pratchett's Discworld books!
As Graeme has said - it is indeed a very poor pun on Ankh-Morpork.
I did think about calling it Ankh-Morquorn, but thought I might get flak from the textured vegetable protein manufacturers!
Quote from: hughn on December 07, 2019, 17:16
As Graeme has said - it is indeed a very poor pun on Ankh-Morpork.
I did think about calling it Ankh-Morquorn, but thought I might get flak from the textured vegetable protein manufacturers!
That would have been a big misteak. :)
I was pleased to see another source of "period" figures opened up recently. Modelu, who you must have heard of by now, have released a set of 27 figures in a range called "Ragged Victorians" (after a group of re-enactors, I believe, who I guess must have been scanned for the project).
I ordered ten figures (noting that two "figures" are actually each two people - so I got more people for my money!)
They come in a grey plastic which is ready to paint, according to modelu, so I trimmed the "sprue" off them and added my usual brass wire up one leg.
And these characters may well appear on the layout - just passing by on the way to the Restaurant at the end of the Universe
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49749666021_833f32b781_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iNd3sr)Figures (https://flic.kr/p/2iNd3sr) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
Quote from: hughn on April 08, 2020, 19:13
And these characters may well appear on the layout - just passing by on the way to the Restaurant at the end of the Universe
These look great, I am sure there is a gag there somewhere involving "The Book" and the Librarian :-)
Is that Moist Von Lipwig on the left? :o
Jeff S.
At a guess (L-R): Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Trillion McMillan/Astra, Marvin, Zaphod Beeblebrox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxEqIt-NUSY
Quote from: Jeff Schumaker on April 10, 2020, 16:24
Is that Moist Von Lipwig on the left? :o
Jeff S.
which row of figures?
The figures in the photo you posted. Graeme has clarified who they are.
Jeff S.
I bought a Society Cattle wagon kit at Narrow Gauge North this year.
I had one already, but thought that just a single one looked out of place.
During the build, I stuck tissue paper on the roof of both wagons to simulate canvas
They are both now painted and ready to go into traffic
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49869853212_b32e51a9bc_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iYQ2Vo)cattle_wagon2 (https://flic.kr/p/2iYQ2Vo) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
And the "Ragged Victorians" have been all planted.
Here's a selection:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49869546131_c11fd19cc8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iYNsCT)ragvic_a (https://flic.kr/p/2iYNsCT) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49869545741_93d4fcd4bf_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iYNswa)ragvic_d (https://flic.kr/p/2iYNswa) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49869013198_01c7883452_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iYKJdo)ragvic_f (https://flic.kr/p/2iYKJdo) by H Norwood (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hnorwood/), on Flickr
A question...
Can everyone see those last three photos? Or perhaps I should can anyone _not_ see them?
I know of one person who can't, and I was wondering how wide-spread the issue was.
Ta
I cannot speak for everybody, but I can see them.
Sitting here using the iPad all I can see are 3 little squares but no photos, sorry Hugh.
Sorry Hugh, I see no photos. :(
I see nothing too.
I saw nothing, but clicked on the angst lesspork at the bottom of the post and was taken straight to hugh's blog and the photos. Very nice cattle wagons. I must get a couple or three.
Lack of photos seems to be a browser issue:
Windows 10 / Firefox = no show
Windows 10 / Edge = show
Maybe Andrew can have a look?
Quote from: andy1878 on May 07, 2020, 23:34
Lack of photos seems to be a browser issue:
Windows 10 / Firefox = no show
Windows 10 / Edge = show
Maybe Andrew can have a look?
I think it may be a posting error. You must use either the 'add image' button on the bottom right of the panel when you write your post, or use BBcode to add the img command within [] square brackets and then finish the command with /img within [] square brackets. ( I can't show this as a complete command because the system will expect an image URL.
E.g. using the image button appears to work fine
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hnorwood.co.uk%2Ffiles%2Fimages%2Frail%2Fragvic_am.jpg&hash=38c0623f7731939687e18da9ad4e01d7f4eff918)
I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm using Chrome and the source viewer includes the following warnings:
Mixed Content: The page at '<URL>' was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure image '<URL>'. This content should also be served over HTTPS.
(+ 5 instances)
Cross-Origin Read Blocking (CORB) blocked cross-origin response <URL> with MIME type text/html. See <URL> for more details.
(+5 instances including this one - )
Mixed Content: The page at 'https://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=282.0;last_msg=31042' was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure image 'http://www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/images/rail/ragvic_am.jpg'. This content should also be served over HTTPS.
Copying the URL above into a new tab in Chrome or into Edge works.
Edit: funnily, now I've given the link to Hugh's photos in plain text, the forum has turned it into a hotlink and I can see the photo when I click on it!
Edit again: that's odd, as it was typing the forum told me a message had been posted, but it is time stamped at 00:21:42.
And again - I forgot to mention I can't see the images either.
Nothing on here, W10/Chrome.
Quote from: JulienW on May 07, 2020, 19:42
Sitting here using the iPad all I can see are 3 little squares but no photos, sorry Hugh.
Ditto here, three little squares but no photos.
On an iPad, as Julien.
Frank
I only see little black squares, apart from the photo of the hitch hikers in reply 278, which is fine. Mind you, I have been having problems on various forums seeing pictures on this old (windows 7) laptop while my modern machine is away for repair. Goodness knows when I'll get that back.
Thanks, chaps - I have changed them to links to flickr.
(It looks like it was because I do not use https on my own web site - why should I? as I don't collect information and I don't sell anything!)
It should be OK now
I can see the photos now Hugh, and very nice they look too.
Couldn't see them yesterday, but I can today. Has Rincewind been let loose again?
Quote from: JulienW on May 07, 2020, 19:42
Sitting here using the iPad all I can see are 3 little squares but no photos, sorry Hugh.
However, sat at the computer (iMac) this morning using Firefox I can see them! Whatever you did has worked Hugh.
They look the part too.
The seem fine to me now :-) I really like the cattle wagon, how did you get that finish on the wooden bits?
Quote from: Stephen Rainsbury on May 08, 2020, 12:26
The seem fine to me now :-) I really like the cattle wagon, how did you get that finish on the wooden bits?
Thank you for your kind comments, all.
I painted the wagon grey, then used black to highlight the strapping.
Finally I dry-brushed a darkish red in downward strokes over the sides and ends.
As always with this, don't overdo it (been there, got the doublet!)
All Humbrol enamels; I can't recall the colour numbers off the top of my head.
Quote from: hughn on May 08, 2020, 21:01
As always with this, don't overdo it (been there, got the doublet!)
Thanks Hugh, that's handy as I only have grey primer at the moment so I will start there :-)
Stephen
Thanks Hugh,
All OK now and well worth the wait - they look very effective and spot on for Angst Lesspork!
Frank
Quote from: hughn on May 08, 2020, 21:01
All Humbrol enamels; I can't recall the colour numbers off the top of my head.
It was Humbrol 70 which is a red-brown.
I used a 10mm wide flat brush to apply it.
A new census
I have done a new census as new figures have been added since 2018. This time I have included people in or on road vehicles and railway locomotives and carriages.
171 people (people includes wizards, witches, dwarfs, trolls, golems, werewolves etc..)
(and 21 horses)
That's impressive. Doubly so given so many are "characters" and not the more commonly seen "rent-a-mob" packs most of us rely on.
I take the census includes "otherly alive" and other non-binary living/deceased characters? (I guess golems come under that category, so I guess you do.) :)
I was inspired by the works of Paul Walton on the faceborg 009 group (or one of them...) to have a go myself at scratch-building a vertical boiler Class "A" Climax loco.
These are interesting, in that the drive gears and shafts are all hidden away, so you can get away with a B0-B0 diesel chassis.
I had a spare short wheelbase Tomytec chassis lounging away, which I thought would do. The next step was to look for images and drawings of real and other model Class A Climaxes to get some ides as to how it should look. I drew a up a few sketches, and after a first version which I binned as it did not look right, The mark 2 is ready to run on the layout....
(https://i.imgur.com/M4RwZnX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Vd8CrAO.jpg)
That has real back-woodsy character. Perhaps in from the Sto Plains hauling wagon loads of cabbages. Or cut timber and carrying the name of Sweevo? ;D
I'm interested to hear what materials you used?
Quote from: GraemeD on June 25, 2020, 10:47
That has real back-woodsy character. Perhaps in from the Sto Plains hauling wagon loads of cabbages. Or cut timber and carrying the name of Sweevo? ;D
I'm interested to hear what materials you used?
Sorry - I don't know what you mean by Sweevo Graeme
Construction details are over in the blog: http://www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/amblog.htm (http://www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/amblog.htm)
Quote from: hughn on June 27, 2020, 16:47
Sorry - I don't know what you mean by Sweevo Graeme
Construction details are over in the blog: http://www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/amblog.htm (http://www.hnorwood.co.uk/files/amblog.htm)
The lesser Discworld god of uncut lumber. Perhaps appropriate for an engine type often associated with logging?
Thanks for the Blog link. There's interesting stuff there!
Edit: just found this -
https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Panipunitiplasty (https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Panipunitiplasty)
There are probably PhDs in Discworld studies. I must go back to the start and read them all again.
Ah found him - seems to be mentioned only once in the canon - in the Last Hero. I shall have to go and look him up.
Hugh,
Are any of your locomotives named for those in Raising Steam?
Jeff S.
Quote from: Jeff Schumaker on June 28, 2020, 15:50
Hugh,
Are any of your locomotives named for those in Raising Steam?
Jeff S.
Hi Jeff,
no - they are named mostly after DW witches. The layout pre-dates Raising Steam.
I got the impression that the railway in RS was standard gauge. The only named loco (as far as I recall) is "Iron Girder" - a name I don't like, particularly - anyway people would have their own mental pictures of what it looks like.
(One reason why I have not built the Mended Drum!)
You may recall I made a couple of tank wagons (back in Feb 2019 - see page 23 of this thread)
Well, I have at last got around to thinking about lettering them. I made up dummy "transfers" by printing on paper to see what they looked like and to judge if the results fitted on the tank sides.
I think they'll do.. perhaps tidy up the font for the Syrup wagon.
I should be able to get them printed as decals without the background colour, so they should work OK on the tank bodies
Oh yes! they'll do very well. Go for it!
Robin.
BCB free?
Jeff S.
Quote from: Jeff Schumaker on July 17, 2020, 21:10
BCB free?
Jeff S.
Got me there too! Presumably a play on Polyclorinated Biphenyls but possibly something to do with elephants, knowing a little of Discworld geology. Do let us in on it, Hugh!
Quote from: Frank on July 18, 2020, 08:19
Quote from: Jeff Schumaker on July 17, 2020, 21:10
BCB free?
Jeff S.
Black Crunchy Bits?
Frank
That could be it. A quick Google seems to indicate Terry Pratchett was quite fond of the phrase, especially in relation to fried foods.
Oh yes, indeed. A reference to "The Fifth Elephant". You'll have to read the book. Suffice it to say that both fat and treacle are mined; the fat occasionally has BCBs in, which are refined out (or not as the case may be!)
I had the decals for the tank wagons designed and printed by Custom Models Decals (Retarius of this Parish).
They arrived on Saturday and I was delighted with them.
I have applied decals to the Syrup wagon. The Oil wagon was not a success - it displayed "silvering" - a term for a thin layer of air under the decal. I guess the red paint is rougher than the green paint on the Syrup wagon (they are both Matt Humbrol enamels).
So I am waiting to receive some gloss varnish (and also some matt varnish) to apply to the wagon before trying again. (I ordered more transfers than I needed, as insurance against problems!)
Anyway, here is the Syrup wagon
(PS usual disclaimer!)
That looks very good indeed Hugh!
Frank
Quote from: hughn on August 02, 2020, 11:10
I had the decals for the tank wagons designed and printed by Custom Models Decals (Retarius of this Parish).
They arrived on Saturday and I was delighted with them.
I have applied decals to the Syrup wagon. The Oil wagon was not a success - it displayed "silvering" - a term for a thin layer of air under the decal. I guess the red paint is rougher than the green paint on the Syrup wagon (they are both Matt Humbrol enamels).
So I am waiting to receive some gloss varnish (and also some matt varnish) to apply to the wagon before trying again. (I ordered more transfers than I needed, as insurance against problems!)
Anyway, here is the Syrup wagon
(PS usual disclaimer!)
Glad you like them Hugh. All misspellings are this time deliberate to customer specification I must add! I can do them accidentally sooooo easily LOL.
After waiting for some varnish to be delivered, then waiting patiently for same to dry on the Oil tank, I attached the decals. Being cautious, I did one side one day and the other side the following day. Since taking this photo I have applied matt varnish, too
Quote from: hughn on August 09, 2020, 19:52
After waiting for some varnish to be delivered, then waiting patiently for same to dry on the Oil tank, I attached the decals. Being cautious, I did one side one day and the other side the following day. Since taking this photo I have applied matt varnish, too
They came out well Hugh. Did you use any form of decal fixing system such as the Vallejo or Humbrol decal fix systems on the original application of decals that silvered?
Yes - I used Humbrol Decalfix on both wagons.
I watched the Youtube video on using the solution before using it. I can only assume that the red paint had a rougher surface than the green paint. However, a couple of coats of gloss varnish seems to have done the trick (I used Humbrol gloss and matt varnish, too - I think they are acrylic varnishes as you wash the brushes in water)
Both wagons have now had a coat of matt varnish; I think I shall re-photograph them.
I recently bought some more of ModelU's excellent figures (in their "Ragged Victorians" range. I've just finished painting them and they are ready to plant...
(https://i.imgur.com/s5QaLPd.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7ol7qNo.jpg)
The detail is remarkable - the broadsheet ballad seller (second photo, first left) has a tankard hanging from his belt - it is hollow!
Another wizard and others
I have had these figures in the To-do box for over a year(!) They are from Hasslefree Miniatures. After cleaning, they were given brass wire inserts for installation on the layout, then painted with primer, undercoat and acrylic top coats.
(https://i.imgur.com/DfCSPaf.jpg)
I decided the wizard looked better for Angst without the sword and with the addition of a hat
(https://i.imgur.com/I9ivUqe.jpg)
I then repainted the hat dark red and added some "bling" in the guise of some glitter from my daughter's craft supplies. And then I got to wondering if I could replace the knob on the end of his staff (stop tittering at the back!) with a clear bead and a micro LED. The wires go down inside the staff.
(https://i.imgur.com/5aLihKS.jpg)
Another addition to the traffic chaos on the streets of Angst-Lesspork; this time a Stanhope Gig.
(https://i.imgur.com/F3C2noy.jpg)
This white metal kit is model G22 from Langley's
(https://i.imgur.com/Nrfse9z.jpg)
The kit goes together quite well. I cleaned all the parts and then assembled all but the wheels, driver and horse prior to painting with primer. The lamps and the steps were difficult to attach; it took me several goes to work out how to glue on the steps without inadvertently sticking down my tweezers as well. I found the steel wire supplied for the axle to be too hard to work with, so substituted a length of 1mm diameter copper wire.
The horse is attached with a short length of 0.45mm brass wire passing through both shafts and the horse's body.
After painting, I glued two small "crystals" to the lamps to make lamp glasses. All it now needs are the reins (from sewing thread).
Hi Hugh, has Angst Lesspork featured in the mainstream modelling mags and if so which ones?
Barry
Quote from: Barry Witteridge on March 20, 2021, 09:31
Hi Hugh, has Angst Lesspork featured in the mainstream modelling mags and if so which ones?
Barry
Railway Modeller - January 2013 (ooh, that makes me feel old....!) :)
Time for an update then ? :)
(It would be great to see appear again!)
Thanks Hugh, sorry to have made you feel old! Regards
Barry
Perhaps if I wait long enough it can appear in RM in their "What happened to..." thread?
:)
I like the gig. I've been looking for one of them and a steam roller.
Robin.
I uncrated the layout at the weekend and planted some figures
(https://i.imgur.com/idr5Jkv.jpg)
"Slogger Rose" outside the Alchemists' Guild Hall
(https://i.imgur.com/YC3agJA.jpg)
Emily and Rose
(https://i.imgur.com/24naxwb.jpg)
Adam (I think Sgt Angua has her eye on him!)
(https://i.imgur.com/wsDdy3b.jpg)
Mr B the broadsheet ballad seller..
(https://i.imgur.com/YD5bZj7.jpg)
.. and the junior witch is waiting her turn at the landing area..
(https://i.imgur.com/X6oT1fG.jpg)
and the new wizard has been planted, too.
and here is a video...
https://youtu.be/PCA5YjKqLWU (https://youtu.be/PCA5YjKqLWU)
What's the Librarian doing out and about?
Jeff S.
On his way to the Broken Mended Drum?
Quote from: Jeff Schumaker on March 29, 2021, 19:09
What's the Librarian doing out and about?
Jeff S.
Oh, you never ask!
Quote from: hughn on March 30, 2021, 19:57
Quote from: Jeff Schumaker on March 29, 2021, 19:09
What's the Librarian doing out and about?
Jeff S.
Oh, you never ask!
Somethings are best left unknown.
Jeff S.
Just thought I'd add one extra "Like" Hugh to make it the round 60 - I'm sure you deserve it !
Dave
Thank you!
:)
I have now finished the Landaulet; quite a difficult build, as some of the parts were mis-shapen, but it looks fine from the normal viewing distances.
(https://i.imgur.com/z6GKSUn.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/PrYH8T7.jpg)
The next vehicle is the horse-drawn omnibus from Langley. Quite a kit - there are over 40 parts..
(https://i.imgur.com/4sTnAus.jpg)
I built the body and roof as two sub-assemblies; the interior has to be painted and glazed followed by the addition of passengers before the roof is attached.
(https://i.imgur.com/m1blDpQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ucowt7V.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xPgNBmQ.jpg)
The panels were made up using PaintShop Pro and printed onto self-adhesive labels.
There is a problem - the whole thing is fractionally too tall to fit into my standard stock boxes.
That looks really good Hugh. The adverts etc. really bring it to life.
Frank
Well, It's just reminded me I've not posted for at least 120 days! (so what?)
This arrived yesterday:
(https://i.imgur.com/z16KBOq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vhXpfrW.jpg)
I found the STL files (don't ask - it's black magic!) and Tom Alexander kindly printed them for me.
Great A'Tuin is big:
(https://i.imgur.com/SgC0vYz.jpg)
I shall have to do some research in how to paint it realistically (what am I saying?) That will now have to wait until after the festivities.
I am really pleased with it!
A little update...
I noticed that the elephants were tuskless.
(https://i.imgur.com/jFU7Anq.jpg)
So I dug out my Fimo (no mean task given my modelling stuff has been put away for the Festive period!) and made a few. I made more than required just in case I broke one - as it is I've lost one somewhere on the carpet...
(https://i.imgur.com/khYzJak.jpg)
Trimmed to length and fit, I drilled a .5mm hole in the blunt end of each task and .5mm holes in the elephants' cheeks. 0.45mm brass handrail wire keeps everything together...
(https://i.imgur.com/Uwo6ajD.jpg)
I have also removed a lot of the "whiskers" - side effect of the printing process and corrected the Circle Sea feature (it wasn't a circle)
Looking good!
Hmm, just pondering. Given the fate of the 5th elephant could there indeed be an Ivory Coast somewhere on Discworld? ;D
Ah, the Carpet of the Lost Parts. I have one here.
Jeff S.
Carpet of lost parts? I've got tongue in groove wooden flooring & still manage to lose vital small parts that escape from the tweezers!! Many a frustrating period scouring around on all fours following the direction of the ping it made as it bounced away 😫
I have been busy fitting out a box with a Frizinghall Models turntable motorising kit to make the Disc revolve on the back of the elephants. Here is a video to show it working....
Now to complete the painting.
And, of course, to tart up the box a bit and possibly add a clear cover...
https://youtu.be/n_zc6Jonf3w (https://youtu.be/n_zc6Jonf3w)
Very nice, Hugh.
Jeff S.
The turtle moves! :D
Looks super!
I found a suitable box at The Wooden Box Mill.
Here it is with the drive shaft in its sleeve coming out of the lid
(https://i.imgur.com/z9aY6LF.jpg)
The Wooden Box Mill: https://www.thewoodenboxmill.co.uk/ (https://www.thewoodenboxmill.co.uk/) {usual disclaimer}
Under the lid I added some thin plywood strengtheners and mounted the turntable motorising kit. The red gear takes a 4mm diameter shaft; I used a length of 4mm OD brass tube – this goes up through a length of 5mm OD (4mm ID) aluminium tube which is secured through the hole in the lid.
The lower bearing is a short piece of 3mm brass tube inserted into a small piece of plywood as shown.
(https://i.imgur.com/kgq1VpC.jpg)
The turtle and the elephants have a 5mm hole drilled through and these sit on a small ply spacer so the turtle should look as if it is floating above the lid.
(https://i.imgur.com/hyDhyO2.jpg)
Meanwhile, the Disc is being painted...
(https://i.imgur.com/BGQeJQS.jpg)
The world on a Turtles back. A story of creation by the Iroquios of North America, and from India with Elephants standing on the back of a Turtle, with a Z scale narrow gauge railway joining us all together.
I like it very much.
Robin.
I suppose the real challenge would hav been to make the flippers move in unison, so the turtle appeared to be swimming. Bow that would require considerable surgery and much micro-engineering. As it is, a beautiful little rendition of which any Pratchett fan could be proud.
Someone else has wondered that... I guess it might be possible by editing the 3D design files to make the turtle articulate, but that's way out side my capabilities. :)
Looking good!
Animated flippers is perhaps getting into Grandmaster Laurie McLean territory. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl70y5faL3M
Nearly finished....
(https://i.imgur.com/eUaRgkz.jpg)
After some reflection, I decided that since the lid opens, the box should have teeth.
The teeth are made from 40thou (1mm) styrene sheet and the supports (gums?) from various styrene strip
(https://i.imgur.com/2yIbFhr.jpg)
They are hinged and sprung so that they collapse into the box when the lid is shut but come out when the lid is opened.
(https://i.imgur.com/uip4YO2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lRFUieQ.jpg)
I think the teeth need to be yellowed a bit.
(Now got to source some feet....)
Well done Hugh, I like what you do, there's nowt like bit of complication to keep us amused 8).
Brian. ;)
Update on the Discworld.
I wasn't too happy the motor from the turntable kit - it was very noisy and drew too high a current to be battery operated. I recently had a good look at these N20 motor/gearbox combinations that a lot of people are using.
They are certainly small enough, and come with a variety of gearbox ratios (this was a big issue to begin with; which ratio should I go for?) The output shaft is 3mm diameter; the worm shaft from the turntable kit is 4mm diameter, so some sort coupling would be needed. I decided to chance a N20 with a 298:1 gearbox and sent off for one, a 3mm/4mm coupling, a motor bracket and a couple of plastic bearings for the worm shaft.
Everything worked; the motor, when driven from a 4.5V battery box, drove the Disc round at a suitable speed. So it all got installed in the box.
(https://i.imgur.com/g1Sru7p.jpg)
I wanted also to have the Turtle swimming over a starlit background, so I cut 8 lengths of plastic optical fibre, used the heat from my soldering iron to form a blob at one end of each length and installed these into holes I drilled into the black lid of the box. I glued them in from the underside using GlueNGlaze
The free ends were gathered together into a short piece of sleeving which was pushed into a short piece of brass tubing with a 3mm bright white LED stuffed in the other end. This assembly is held together with GlueNGlaze. NOTE I've used heat shrink tubing because that was what I had, but I did not shrink it as the optical fibers melt before the sleeving starts to shrink...)
(https://i.imgur.com/2C23SBh.jpg)
here you can see some of the "stars"...
I took it along to the East Midlands Group show at Portland College.
The feet arrived and have been installed....
(https://i.imgur.com/d1P4rel.jpg)
So... the feet have been painted. I'm now investigating motorising the lid.... (Tidying up the front will have to wait)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ovbihb3.jpg)
Right - That's it - the Discworld-in-a-box is complete....
https://youtu.be/tSrDun5PoUc (https://youtu.be/tSrDun5PoUc)
Hugh
Impressive piece of work, Lady Sybil's Sunshine Sanctuary next?
Maybe I should join you and make my next project Discworld themed, I have my Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook handy for a bit of research.
Any thoughts on where the slate for the roofs on Ankh Morpork comes from?
Barry
Quote from: Barry Witteridge on September 12, 2022, 18:19
Hugh
Impressive piece of work, Lady Sybil's Sunshine Sanctuary next?
Maybe I should join you and make my next project Discworld themed, I have my Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook handy for a bit of research.
Any thoughts on where the slate for the roofs on Ankh Morpork comes from?
Barry
Llamedos?
Apologies if I'm being too PC, but those feet all appear to be quite white (though less so now than when they arrived).
I'm not familiar with Discworld but presumably they don't have a Diversity Officer (yet)?
David.
[ ;D ]
I understand that the luggage came with Twoflower from the Agatean Empire so whether Sapient Pearwood takes on the colour of the inhabitants of its country of origin I could not say... If so, it might be a fairly homogenous palish hue. If the feet took on the colour of raw or freshly cut pearwood they might also be something like that colour. Now if it was Sapient Walnut it might be darker.
I think the upper surfaces being a bit darker would be entirely consistent with being a well travelled and weather-beaten traveller.
[ / ;D ]
Super work Hugh! The only improvement I can think of is Terry Gilliam teeth:
(https://c.tenor.com/G0EKXeos4ygAAAAd/monty-python-terry-gilliam.gif)
Lord Vetinari is very forward thinking and has encouraged Commander Vimes to be very diverse in his recruitment to the Watch and include the cities ethnic minorities into it's ranks dwarfs, trolls, the undead and werewolfs along with humans, well maybe not in the case of Nobby Nobbs!
I recently got some things from Shapeways, including these
(https://i.imgur.com/M4fXZRj.jpg)
I only wanted one of these little chaps:
(https://i.imgur.com/bYAI0Hc.jpg)
But they come in a pack of thirty - in assorted "poses" (!)
He fits in the cage:
(https://i.imgur.com/4NWfEbD.jpg)
Now to think of where on the layout to put it!
I shall be at the Bristol Model Railway show next weekend at Thornbury Leisure Centre.
We had a great time at the Bristol show - plenty of interest in the layout, which is always a plus, and met up with 009ers, too.
I took advantage of Modelu being present at the show to get scanned so that I can visit the layout at scale!
Here is my avatar along with some railway engineer ready to be planted...
(https://i.imgur.com/nkzhUof.jpg)
Hornby are having a sale on some of their "steampunk" figures 1:76
https://uk.hornby.com/outlet-sale?encoded=Tc9RC4IwFAXgv-KTb0JWSD2MoIiCCIXoSWRcdc3R3MZ1g_z3LaPc4_ku58DdSVC8ANuRTqOqx8Q944eQluFQnsBxVpF_PkgGCKoJrReKGhQfW8wIrx-m2cwFsiTHlmHQ3_vBNsi3BmS4f79ER4QArtrqcKD3ffA00q_QeqxKg7p1jaUctTMVOU-vRbmzktnYAGdUtCRdrrL1Nh40Wl8im-lAsjc
plus some on another page. May have a place on Angst? Don't think steampunk has been a huge success!
It's been a while since I last posted here (oh dear...)
However, I seem to have picked a few invitations, so someone must like it!
Next up will be Abingdon MRS a.k.a. AbRail 2024 2nd and 3rd March
AbRail2024 (https://admrc.org.uk/exhibitions/abingdon-exhibition-2024)
Here is a photo from the Warley Show..
(https://i.imgur.com/W3i3Edz.jpg)
It drew a lot of onlookers.
And I am now planted on the layout, in conversation with a well-known engineer... (no, not BSJ!)
(https://i.imgur.com/KBGW9ry.jpg)
Thanks to David Burleigh for helping me find a spot to locate the figures.
I bought this at the Society's 50th event at Statfold in September from CM3 Models - I thought it would make some nice corner-fillers for the layout.
(https://i.imgur.com/oUTpa4I.jpg)
It contains a large number of laser-cut items in thin plywood, thin wood and card. The instructions contain no words, but consist of compehensive diagrams. (Although I still have no idea where parts "13" go!)
(https://i.imgur.com/SNVpu8V.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UGdvZnI.jpg)
For glue, I used Roket Card Glue, with Glue 'n' Glaze for the door grills on the hutches. At the stage of the above photo, I think it's time to paint the items before final assembly...
(https://i.imgur.com/I3fYc2x.jpg)
Here they are ready to plant.
Quote from: hughn on May 23, 2009, 18:28(https://i.imgur.com/ZlLRYdY.jpg)
Hello Hugh.
This project looks promising.
Could you tell me about the bridge seen in the photo?
Quote from: Pirlouit on February 21, 2024, 10:57Quote from: hughn on May 23, 2009, 18:28(https://i.imgur.com/ZlLRYdY.jpg)
Hello Hugh.
This project looks promising.
Could you tell me about the bridge seen in the photo?
Thank you
brdg10.jpg
The bridge itself is a Wills SS82 River or canal bridge.
I built some houses to go on top. It is demountable and covers the join in the river at the front
There is more on this link: Angst-Lesspork bridge (http://hnorwood.co.uk/files/bridge.htm)
You may have seen elsewhere that I have withdrawn from the Abingdon Show this coming weekend, due to ill health.
With a bit of luck and a following wind (as they say) I should be at the Oxford Group's members' day at Steventon in June...
Sorry to hear you are unwell Hugh and everything is shipshape soon.
Sorry to hear you are unwell Hugh.
Get well soon.
I hope that you do not have to go to the Lady Sybil Free Hospital in Ankh-Morpork!
I understand it is easy to get lost in that place, but if you do, despite his age, Dr. John 'Mossy' Lawn, is still your best bet!!
(For those that do not know this is Disacworld stuff!!)
Get well soon Hugh.
Hello Hugh.
Take care of yourself.
Get well soon.
Sorry to hear you are not well Hugh. Hopefully not too long before you are back up and running and can join us at a ScOONs Zoom call again. Take care.
Hello Hugh.
I subscribed to Railway Modeller and just read the article in the January 2013 issue on your network.
It's really beautiful.
The sailboat is superb.
Well done.
Quote from: Pirlouit on March 28, 2024, 14:24Hello Hugh.
I subscribed to Railway Modeller and just read the article in the January 2013 issue on your network.
It's really beautiful.
The sailboat is superb.
Well done.
Thank you!
I've finished this delightful model of the Huddersfield Corporation tramshelter on Edgerton Road (The prototype is Grade-II listed)
(https://i.imgur.com/iz46R8k.jpg)
David Hurst presented me with a three-part, 3D printed model of this tram shelter, at Narrow Gauge North on 9th March.
(https://i.imgur.com/pMNbX9i.jpg)
The prototype has a slate roof; I modified my page of "slates" that I use for my buildings, as I decided I needed some 2mm slates (previously the smallest size was 2.5mm), and printed a sheet onto 120gsm paper. They are stuck on with Roket Card glue
(https://i.imgur.com/PgcnBIz.jpg)
The windows are glazed with clear acetate sheet stuck on with Glue 'n' Glaze. I thought some seating might be a good idea; I used some 5mm square styrene tube. I added some posters and a "timetable" – and a waiting passenger.
(https://i.imgur.com/ThZxq1d.jpg)
The final step after glueing on the roof was to create the lead flashing over the porch.
(https://i.imgur.com/UVVYmuU.jpg)
Now I need to find a suitable space on the layout to site it – and a suitable excuse for a tram shelter on a layout with no trams...
Is the model available generally, if so is it possible to provide a link? It would save me slaving over a model of similar building local to my little line.
David Hurst has a Shapeways page but I didn't see it there, but a bit more digging and I found his blog.
https://modelengineworks.blogspot.com/ (https://modelengineworks.blogspot.com/)
He gives his contact details at the end which suggests you may be in luck.
Quote from: Ian Jopson on April 28, 2024, 17:55Is the model available generally, if so is it possible to provide a link? It would save me slaving over a model of similar building local to my little line.
Sorry - I've only just picked this up.
I think the answer is "yes" - he could well release it - there were a lot of very good comments about the model when I took it to the "Not the LAMPOONS" meeting on Saturday, and David was there. I'd send him a message and ask.
Bear in mind that Shapeways are very expensive these days; there may be alternative routes to getting the model.
Thank you. I'll contact David and see how it goes.
On Monday I uncrated the layout to add the "farmyard" accessories and took the opportunity to perform a new census (the last one was four years ago, and I haven't been keeping a proper tally of new figures.
I took birds-eye view photographs of both boards by putting them on the floor and holding my phone over them. I then trimmed the photos, converted to grey scale, printed each side onto a sheet of A4 paper - and counted the heads. I compared the images with the layout, to check I had included everyone - especially those that were in the "shadow" of tall building and hidden because of the engle of view from the camera.
2024lhsm.jpg
Left-hand side
2024rhsm.jpg
Right-hand side
I also got out all the stock boxes and checked on the horse-drawn vehicles, the locos and rolling stock..
There are 230 people on the layout, comprising
150 that are "fixed" to the baseboards
21 in or on horse-drawn vehicles
43 on loco foot plates (includes passengers and guards in railmotors)
16 in coaches
"people" includes non-humans and the undead.
and there are 28 horses.
I didn't count the dogs (no, not even Gaspode) (there is one cat!)
I have added some rolling stock to the roster:
Two balcony carriages from Fourdees see topic:
https://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=5536.0 (https://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=5536.0)
and a GWR-inspired brake van and cordon wagon from 247 Developments; see:
https://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=5537.0 (https://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=5537.0)
I haven't given up with figures; here are a trio currently waiting to go on the layout...
(https://i.imgur.com/KDpopDl.jpg)
For those who aren't up to speed in Discworld, these are an attempt at "History Monks" - who try to make sure that one thing follows another...
Looking forward to taking the layout to the Oxford Narrow Gauge Modellers' Open day on 22nd June
https://oxngm.org.uk/openday.htm (https://oxngm.org.uk/openday.htm)
(https://i.imgur.com/XBXgb22.jpg)
This is a M6 bolt (screw?) and wing nut - so what?
There are a number on Angst-Lesspork that are used to hold the layout together during transit and while on display. I have frequently thought there must be an easier (and faster) way to connect things together - usually when taking down the layout and preparing it to go home at the end of an exhibition and everyone else seems to have gone already!
I bought some 6mm Aluminium rod and "R" clips...
Well, I finally got round to doing something with them:
(https://i.imgur.com/VNfJNRy.jpg)
Ta-da! a quick-release fastener. (The clip at the "short" end has been bent over to make it permanent.)
I knew there was a reason I succumbed to the temptation of a Expo drill and stand from the 009 Sales at Narrow Gauge North!
(https://i.imgur.com/cG7dxrF.jpg)
Here is one is use. The little piece of cord is to make it easier to take the clip out.
The downside of course is that they have to be made to fit a particular use – you can't just screw down the wing nut.
So far I have made four to keep the two halves of the layout together in transit. (Two each end)
I'll see how it goes.
I'm off on the road again soon -
a) to the Swansea show on 14/15 September
b) to Ambeley Museum's Discworld-themed day on 20 October
https://www.amberleymuseum.co.uk/whats-on/discworld-industrial-trains/ (https://www.amberleymuseum.co.uk/whats-on/discworld-industrial-trains/)
Had a great weekend at the Swansea show this past weekend.
The show occupied the Sports Hall at the "LC" and folk call it.
swans01.jpg
swans02.jpg
Two views just prior to opening, taken from the "exhibitors' refreshment room"...
Good to meet local 009-ers who were there with the publicity table.
I have (at last) remembered to video one of the earliest animations on the layout...
(Children like this sort of thing!)
And, at the end of Sunday, I ran a long train, pulled by the (long) Belgian Type 23 Garratt
Next outing is coming up soon -
The Amberley Museum is holding a "Discworld and Industrial trains" day on Sunday 20th October and they invited the layout along...!
There could well be cos-players in evidence!
More details on the museum web site here https://www.amberleymuseum.co.uk/whats-on/discworld-industrial-trains/ (https://www.amberleymuseum.co.uk/whats-on/discworld-industrial-trains/)
Meanwhile...
I have been working on a little something to adorn some corner of the layout.
gibbetb.jpg
The crows are from Modelu (they don't explain how they got them to stay stil long enough to scan!)
The cage and its occupant are from (the defunct) Shapeways and the gibbet itself is styrene strip...
The Discworld and Industrial trains day at Amberley Museum was.... wet. I think it put a lot of people off coming, unfortunately - they missed a great day.
I didn't get much of a look-round the extensive site (too wet...) but the bits I did see were very interesting; if it was a bit closer, I'd go again as a visitor.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54892828390_3399a4cb0e_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rCG6rG)
I did meet Granny Weatherwax
{photo - John Varley}
Off to Gaydon tomorrow! (I must be a sucker for punishment... And m'lady wife reminded me that the Barnsley show is only two weeks after that!)
Quote from: Graeme Dunbar on May 23, 2009, 19:22Ook! ;D
That does look a nice layout you're building. 👍
Quote from: 9604BHUR on November 27, 2024, 21:07That does look a nice layout you're building. 👍
Thank you! - it's getting quite old (middle aged?) now.... (bit like me)
The Hogfather
I was inspired by David Burleigh's photos, over on Facecloth, of his painted Modelu Santa and sleigh, to consider if I could kit-bash into the Hogfather from Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
All that was required in addition to the figure were four wild boar...
I found that Gaugemaster had in stock Faller set 151701 "Hunters and Wild Boar" - which contains 6 boar, so I sent off for one of these and for Santa and his sleigh from Modelu. Typically of me, this was early December - would the parts arrive before Christmas?
They did; I removed the support sprues from Santa:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54827576778_5e633c222f_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rwVEpU)
And sorted out four of the boars from the Faller pack - and lined them up...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54827307526_736fd393b1_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2rwUhnC)
They looked fine despite the boars being H0, so I removed the reindeer and painted the sleigh and Santa.
(https://i.imgur.com/m5uZ2SH.jpg)
Unfortunately, I could not find a definitive version for the harnessing of reindeer for sleighs (and certainly not for wild boars!), so I decided to wing it and hope! I carefully drilled a 0.5mm hole through each boar and set them in two pairs using 0.45mm diameter brass handrail wire. A small loop was put in the centre of each of these two links, through which a longitudinal wire was passed to act as the link holding both pairs and the sleigh itself in a line. Hopefully the photo shows this arrangement.
(https://i.imgur.com/YgdwstO.jpg)
The boars come painted a uniform brown; I dry-brushed black over their coats, gave them red eyes and a bit of read in their mouths, and tried to paint the tusks yellow.
A suggestion of harness was made by wrapping 1mm wide strips of paper round the boars and painting these red. The reins and traces are red sewing thread filtched from m'lady wife's sewing basket!
I finished the "rigging" - tying up the threads - on Christmas Eve, so took the opportunity to photograph the sleigh on the Christmas Cake...
(https://i.imgur.com/9lI7ZG8.jpg)
Nicely done, Hugh. It looks like the perfect topping for the cake.
Jeff
Mileage
After returning from Narrow Gauge Now at Portland College, I set to wondering how far the layout has travelled over the years since its first outing in March 2011. Spreadsheet time! - plus a session with Google maps.
Angst has been to 52 shows and clocked up a total of 12327 miles. (That's just to and from show venues – I have travelled a bit further due to travelling between show venues and accommodations, but that would be small by comparison)
Swansea and Christchurch were equal longest trips at 560 miles return (which is odd as I expected the Isle of Wight would be further...) - the shortest trip was five miles return.
2014 and 2018 were the busiest years with 7 shows, but 2019 saw the highest mileage at 2256.
I realise there will be layouts with higher mileages - and, indeed, layout owners with more than one layout, who can also surpass this, but I found it an interesting exercise.
The layout has had a working Clacks (semaphore) tower since the early days (I'm pretty certain it was there for its first outing)
Up until now, it has been powered by a battery box with six buttons on one side and peopel were encouraged to send a message - with the proviso they had to make up their own code.
Following on from the web-based simulation I made earlier this year, I have at last upgraded the Clacks tower to computer control. Here is a video showing the text that has been entered from a retired mobile phone being sent as semaphore signals..
I've done a similar upgrade to the Popham semaphore model, but as that's not part of the layout, I have posted about it in the Electronics SIG forum here https://forum.009society.com/index.php?topic=5964.0 (https://forum.009society.com/index.php?topic=5964.0)
Off on the road again.
Carlton Model Railway Society Show
at
Howden School
Derwent Rd
Howden
DN14 7AL
21/22 March 2026
No other details as yet (and they do not appear to have a web site)