Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Links to and discussion of garden railway video footage or videos of real railways which might inspire members with their modelling
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thornmini
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by thornmini » Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:00 pm

Rik - Sorry I inadvertently missed your "stroll" before replying above. As always, it was a charming well done visit to your line. Thanks for sharing and allowing us to relax and enjoy. :thumbright: :thumbright:
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 20, 2021 4:17 pm

thornmini wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:00 pm Rik - Sorry I inadvertently missed your "stroll" before replying above. As always, it was a charming well done visit to your line. Thanks for sharing and allowing us to relax and enjoy. :thumbright: :thumbright:
Just had another play with the app out in the garden. I got on a bit better this time. I must admit, I am not a great fan of mobile phones and mine is the cheapest of the cheap so may not be representative of the breed.

The spreadsheet worked as it should - and it was quite useful in being able to check and update things on the fly.

However, as it's a spreadsheet, it's very easy to click in the wrong places on the sheet and potentially change something unintended. Also, the screen is very small and quite hard to read (but again that might just be my phone).

I have amended the sheet slightly and included a drop-down menu on the wagons page which enables me to sort it according to the various columns. I found this useful when checking that stock was in its expected location at the start of the session.

I still think my Psion is the best solution, if only I could find a way of increasing its system memory!

Rik
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FWLR
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by FWLR » Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:43 am

Great video Rik. Really enjoyed thank you.

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by gregh » Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:18 am

Thanks for another enjoyable 10 minutes.
I haven't seen the level crossing scene before. Always another little detail hiding on the PLR.
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Lonsdaler » Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:11 am

ge_rik wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 4:17 pm
I still think my Psion is the best solution, if only I could find a way of increasing its system memory!

Rik
A quick google suggests that may be possible Rik, and plenty of Psion's on Ebay if you don't want to risk damaging your own - there may even be some with a standard larger memory, assuming yours is not the largest then available.

And the walk around video is another hit :thumbup:
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:20 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:11 am A quick google suggests that may be possible Rik, and plenty of Psion's on Ebay if you don't want to risk damaging your own - there may even be some with a standard larger memory, assuming yours is not the largest then available.
I've put a bid in for a Series 5 which has 8mB of RAM, whereas my 3A has only 1Mb.

However, I've now rewritten the program, making it much shorter and more efficient. I've been testing it out in the garden today and so far (fingers crossed), it's not run out of memory but I've not yet completed the running session. I'll let you know how it goes ..... If all else fails, I'll increase my bid on the Series 5

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:21 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:11 am A quick google suggests that may be possible Rik, and plenty of Psion's on Ebay if you don't want to risk damaging your own - there may even be some with a standard larger memory, assuming yours is not the largest then available.
I've put a bid in for a Series 5 which has 8mB of RAM, whereas my 3A has only 1Mb.

However, I've now rewritten the program, making it much shorter and more efficient. I've been testing it out in the garden today and so far (fingers crossed), it's not run out of memory but I've not yet completed the running session. I'll let you know how it goes ..... If all else fails, I'll increase my bid on the Series 5

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Mon Apr 26, 2021 6:23 pm

Sorry - yet another video - but this time it was requested. A couple of people asked, after my last video, how I actually organise one of my running sessions. The easiest way to explain that seemed to be to video part of a session. Apologies for some of the shots - they are not framed as carefully as usual as I was more focused on running trains and so literally plonked the camera down from one location to the next.



Pleased to report that the Psion behaved itself impeccably during the session - not once did it run out of working memory. I'm hoping that my rewrite of the program is responsible and not just pot luck. :dontknow:

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:08 pm

Another splendid video Rik, I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent scenery and your stock all looks, and behaves, wonderfully. The idea of running a garden railway in this manner is not my preferred method but that is what makes the hobby so varied and interesting.
I just hope you don't set us a test on what came next in the sequence?
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:25 am

Peter Butler wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:08 pm Another splendid video Rik, I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent scenery and your stock all looks, and behaves, wonderfully. The idea of running a garden railway in this manner is not my preferred method but that is what makes the hobby so varied and interesting.
I just hope you don't set us a test on what came next in the sequence?
Thanks Peter.
As they say, each to their own - and may it always be so. I have to admit that I sometimes quite enjoy watching my own videos, especially when bad weather means I've not been able to get out into the garden for a while. Though I do have to turn down my narration ..... 🙄 I must be really nerdy to enjoy watching wagons being shunted .... :lol:

It's a lot easier to run the trains in sequence than it looks on the video. After each movement, I quickly scan the garden to see what hasn't moved for a while, though occasionally I might forget there's a train at Bickerton as it's a bit tucked out of sight .... :?

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by sjrixon » Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:47 am

Oh, looking forward to this one.. Need to grab a coffee, thanks for posting..

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by FWLR » Tue Apr 27, 2021 8:39 am

Now then Rik, as I see it in this thick'o brain of mine :scratch: , you have the Psion to look at to see what is running and then move a train to its next destination along the line.
Do you still move them by remote or is the Psion doing it for you :dontknow: :withstupid:

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:06 am

FWLR wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 8:39 am Now then Rik, as I see it in this thick'o brain of mine :scratch: , you have the Psion to look at to see what is running and then move a train to its next destination along the line.
Do you still move them by remote or is the Psion doing it for you :dontknow: :withstupid:
No Rod. All the Psion is doing is telling which wagons need to be moved where. I still have to control each loco with a transmitter. The Psion program generates wagon movements on a semi randomised weighting system. This means, for example, that timber wagons are most likely to go to the sawmill and fruit vans to the two stations nearest the fruit farms. However, there's a random element as well so I've no idea at the start of a session which wagon will be selected or where it will be sent. It makes running session more interesting for me as sometimes the program throws up movements I wouldn't have thought of doing.

There's more about it on my blog - https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2012/1 ... ilway.html

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by sjrixon » Tue Apr 27, 2021 11:48 am

Really enjoyed that with my morning coffee :) More please...

You are going to make me go away and think about how my little railways runs, I'm sure I can develop it to do something similar.

Question though, do you have a table in the middle of the lawn with 20 remotes, the psion, cup of tea and the camera on? I think you would need 8 arms for some of those movements!

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Lonsdaler » Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:54 pm

Glad to hear your Psion didn't have memory issues Rik :salute: I was surprised that your bluebells are out. I'm only 80 miles or so north of you and ours are yet to appear! And I think anyone working for Canadian Pacific would be alarmed to see passenger trains taking precedence over freight :lol: But then of course, most of their passengers are tourists out to look at the views, rather than commuters, so as well as allowing more time to view the scenery, you get to see some awesome freight trains as you wait in a loop!

Not viewed from a loop, but from Whistlers Peak summit (there are multiple Whistler Mt.s in Canada :dontknow: ) - the town of Jasper, with a freight train passing through -
ImageJasper Long Train Runnin by Lonsdaler, on Flickr
The locos at front are by the star at bottom left, and the rear is beyond the red star at top left. That train (as best I could work out on Google maps) is over 3km long! How do you fancy sorting a manifest and shunting that into order Rik? :lol:
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:30 pm

sjrixon wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 11:48 am Really enjoyed that with my morning coffee :) More please...
Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
sjrixon wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 11:48 am Question though, do you have a table in the middle of the lawn with 20 remotes, the psion, cup of tea and the camera on? I think you would need 8 arms for some of those movements!
The Psion fits into my pocket and one Tx22 transmitter can control up to 12 locos. However, I do use another couple of transmitters from time to time and there's another one to control the remote pointwork. I tend to leave the relevant transmitter next the the dormant loco so I know where to find it. If you look closely at the video you can see a couple of transmitters which strayed into the shot lying beside stationary locos.

The points controller generally either sits on top of the sawmill roof or on top of the bush beside Bulkeley Station.

One day, I'm going to 3D print belt clips for the transmitters so I can hang them from my belt when not in use .... :D

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:34 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:54 pm Glad to hear your Psion didn't have memory issues Rik :salute: I was surprised that your bluebells are out. I'm only 80 miles or so north of you and ours are yet to appear! And I think anyone working for Canadian Pacific would be alarmed to see passenger trains taking precedence over freight :lol: But then of course, most of their passengers are tourists out to look at the views, rather than commuters, so as well as allowing more time to view the scenery, you get to see some awesome freight trains as you wait in a loop!
The general manager is a stickler for running passenger trains according to the timetable ..... :?
Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:54 pm Not viewed from a loop, but from Whistlers Peak summit (there are multiple Whistler Mt.s in Canada :dontknow: ) - the town of Jasper, with a freight train passing through -
The locos at front are by the star at bottom left, and the rear is beyond the red star at top left. That train (as best I could work out on Google maps) is over 3km long! How do you fancy sorting a manifest and shunting that into order Rik? :lol:
I think I'll pass on that one .... I think my laptop would probably run out of memory let alone the Psion.... :shock:

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by FWLR » Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:15 am

ge_rik wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:06 am
No Rod. All the Psion is doing is telling which wagons need to be moved where. I still have to control each loco with a transmitter. The Psion program generates wagon movements on a semi randomised weighting system. This means, for example, that timber wagons are most likely to go to the sawmill and fruit vans to the two stations nearest the fruit farms. However, there's a random element as well so I've no idea at the start of a session which wagon will be selected or where it will be sent. It makes running session more interesting for me as sometimes the program throws up movements I wouldn't have thought of doing.

There's more about it on my blog - https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2012/1 ... ilway.html

Rik
Of course when you think about it, they could never be paired with you Psion....Silly me. And the running of the trains has got to be far more interesting than just switching on a remote and letting the train run around or up and down the lines. I really do see the advantage of the system, unfortunately I wouldn't have the skills and the room to have something like yours mate. :thumbright:

The blog is brilliant as usual Rik. :salute:

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by FWLR » Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:18 am

Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:54 pm I was surprised that your bluebells are out. I'm only 80 miles or so north of you and ours are yet to appear!
Ours have been out for a couple of months Phil over in Lancashire....... :thumbright:

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Lonsdaler » Wed Apr 28, 2021 9:26 am

FWLR wrote: Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:18 am
Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:54 pm I was surprised that your bluebells are out. I'm only 80 miles or so north of you and ours are yet to appear!
Ours have been out for a couple of months Phil over in Lancashire....... :thumbright:
Ah, but we live North of the ice wall Rod :lol:
Phil

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