FINAL NEW FWLR LINE

[FWLR]

It is great to see your new line taking shape and how you have worked around the tree. Like your windmill too.

Thanks Julie. The Windmill was a B&M but last year... I thought it would be better all round (forgive the pun) to be able to take it away for Anne and also to put the garage on there too.

[ge_rik]

Great to see progress being made, Rod. Soon be up and running again. But slowly does it.

Rik

[Sylvian Tennant]

Shame the tree extended construction time but it's looking grand so far.

[FWLR]

An update is needed on our line. After some more unforced illness again, I am now back into the swing of things. I have finished the garage, so I went to place it on the new extension, for which it was originally for. It looked good until Anne pointed out the slight overhang with the car compound.

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Has you can see it's to flipping big....
So now it's going to be a small Hamlet or village, is a Hamlet smaller than a village......
The garage is now going to be on the curve by the front patio...
The weather is supposed to be fine for the next week, so it maybe finished by then.
I do have a short video of Anne's tram pulling the coach that wouldn't run on the old line, so it seems the extension is now able to have most locos and rolling stock running on it, hopefully he says....



The tram is a little bit noisy, but it's only run twice this year and I am hoping some dry grease on the drive will help to make it run a bit quieter...

[Peter Butler]

Looking good Rod, shame about the garage but you will sort out a different location I'm sure.
Your tram is noisy, but probably about average for its type..... it is a hollow 'sound-box' and will amplify the noise of the gearing unless you can deaden it somehow with insulation. It might not be as noisy if operated in the reverse direction?...... or it could be worse?????

[FWLR]

You're correct Peter, it is more noisier in reverse. Will have a look at trying some thing to deaden it a bit. I do have some of that poly stuff, [they look like quavers], might do the trick, but if not we will probably have to put up with it......

[FWLR]

Well another update on our line.....

It's finished, well almost, I just need to sort a problem out with the side of the bridge closest to the pond. It is a bit wobbly...but it's an easy sort.

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Also just needs the three corners making a little bit rounder and another coat of Shellac, then the grass Anne wants putting it on.

I am knackered now so going for a lay down first and then finish those little bits before the blooming rain comes again. Looks like it may still be raining for a local open day in Southport Anne and I was going too.....

[tom_tom_go]

That's a good sizeable run your locos will have now Rod.

[Peter Butler]

Nice overview of your garden Rod, shows the space and how you have used it to advantage.

[FWLR]

It's been sometime since I ran my Billy ("Patricia Anne") You may notice I have took the old name plates off. After Tom's maintenance on her and only finishing the relaying of the line on Friday, the rain stopped for Sunday. So after going to Fleetwood, it was a large fishing town in the North West of Lancashire, (before the EU quoters) to what is called Tram Sunday. We were there about 9.30 in the morning and it was extremely busy then.

So after we got home we had a go at running "Patricia Anne". She only ran for about 8 minutes on her first run. She or was it I, was a bit tentative, but off she ran. I am still getting used to her controller, it's a bit sensitive.





So after refilling her with gas, off she went again. I was starting to get used to the T/X, you can even the hear chuffer now, after Tom replaced it back to how it should be.





Anne and I are really pleased that after 15 minutes she was still running. I can run her with a lot less gas and she isn't blowing her top with escaping steam. Anne did notice that and remarked " She is running a lot better now Rod, it's really great how long for "
After more running this week, I will be used to the sensitive T/X and she will run many hours with lots of enjoyment from the Grandkids with Anne and I.
The Grandkids won't be running her though...

This is her still running. Forget about the title, it's just for Youtube.




She eventually stopped running after 28 minutes. My right finger was getting tired....

If you could have seen the smile on my face afterwards, it was beaming with delight after so long not being able to run her for one thing or another. I will be running her now with more rolling stock behind her. Maybe a photo or two will appear in the Photo Competition too.... Maybe......

[ge_rik]

Great to see you've got things up and running, Rod. 28 mins sounds like a good long run for a live steamer to me.

Rik

[Peter Butler]

Congratulations Rod, it is certainly good to see her running smoothly, it sounded just like that for me so it must have been the fall which dislodged the chuffer.
28 minutes run is a long time which I couldn't manage so Tom is a miracle worker.

[Tropic Blunder]

Lovely!

[TonyW]

My right finger was getting tired....

An aching of the finger caused by a historical limitation that no longer applies.

30 years ago, the only radio control transmitters available for on 27MHz. The left stick went up and down, and the right stick went left and right. And that is all they did. It was decided by person or persons not necessarily unknown that the left stick should control the regulator and the right stick should control the reversing function, with left being forward and right being backwards.

Nowadays we have lovely 2.4GHz systems and the sticks will move wherever you want them to. However, for the reason explained above most locos on stick transmitters still use Left=Forward, Right=Reverse and, to make things worse, they have a spring that returns the stick to centre. This means the stick has to be held in place, and it makes your finger ache.

If you're happy with that, well that's fine. If not, move the reverser servo plug to the channel that uses right up and down, remove the spring in the transmitter and fit a ratchet strip (copy the one used on the left stick). Not only does this give a more meaningful use of the stick (the reversing lever on a full-size loco goes front to back, not side to side) it allows finger-free operation.

[DonW]

Its is a nice little line making the most use of the space and the limitation of not owning the place. You would have been alright with the reversing out as far as railways go. The reversing out would have been done at a slow speed for a short distance before proceeding mormally. The pushing of a train from the rear for any distance has to have a driver up front so he can see the line is clear to go at any speed. However you are right about the Grandkids, over doing the throttle going to the end and the loco takes a dive. Best to be safe.
Controls can be funny my Taliesin has one of those gun types, it is designed for a right hander really being left handed I end up moving it from hand to hand. Turned the throttle the wrong way and being a bit of a greyhoud it lept off the track where it went behind the back of a shed on a friends layout. I ought to change it.

Don

[tom_tom_go]

Glad you are happy with it Rod, don't forget to keep that gas down

I did offer to remove the spring in the Tx, however, it's very easy to do so have a go!

[FWLR]

Great to see you've got things up and running, Rod. 28 mins sounds like a good long run for a live steamer to me.

Rik

Thanks Rik. It's been a bit of full on 18 months that's for sure...She could have gone on for longer, but like I said my finger was getting tired. I still need to drive her with some caution, which is a good thing I think. Don't think I would get has much enjoyment with just switching her on and letting her run. Even battery run locos need to be driven don't they.....

Congratulations Rod, it is certainly good to see her running smoothly, it sounded just like that for me so it must have been the fall which dislodged the chuffer.
28 minutes run is a long time which I couldn't manage so Tom is a miracle worker.

It's been a long time Peter has you know.... Even Anne said she sounds a lot better....

I think 28 minutes could have turned out a little bit longer if I turned the gas down even more, but I was just happy to see her running again, has she was when I got her from you....

Lovely!

Thanks...

My right finger was getting tired....

An aching of the finger caused by a historical limitation that no longer applies.

If you're happy with that, well that's fine. If not, move the reverser servo plug to the channel that uses right up and down, remove the spring in the transmitter and fit a ratchet strip (copy the one used on the left stick). Not only does this give a more meaningful use of the stick (the reversing lever on a full-size loco goes front to back, not side to side) it allows finger-free operation.

Thanks Tony....

Its is a nice little line making the most use of the space and the limitation of not owning the place. You would have been alright with the reversing out as far as railways go. The reversing out would have been done at a slow speed for a short distance before proceeding mormally. The pushing of a train from the rear for any distance has to have a driver up front so he can see the line is clear to go at any speed. However you are right about the Grandkids, over doing the throttle going to the end and the loco takes a dive. Best to be safe.
Controls can be funny my Taliesin has one of those gun types, it is designed for a right hander really being left handed I end up moving it from hand to hand. Turned the throttle the wrong way and being a bit of a greyhoud it lept off the track where it went behind the back of a shed on a friends layout. I ought to change it.

Don

Thanks Don and welcome. It's nice to know that members like what I do. Though I may make mistakes, I always find that the members on here are a very friendly and helpful lot, who helped and encouraged me in lots of ways.

[FWLR]

Glad you are happy with it Rod, don't forget to keep that gas down

I did offer to remove the spring in the Tx, however, it's very easy to do so have a go!

I am extremely happy, has is Anne, Tom. You did a great job and I can't thank you enough.

Has for the spring, I may give it a go, but things like inners on electrical items to me are frighting...
But I guess, nothing ventured, nothing gained.....

[FWLR]

It's been a long time since I have posted anything on my thread ..I am very sorry for not doing so, but there reason being as many of you know, things have not been to great. I am not going to bore you with details, but to cut a long story short, I needed another operation on my heart. I am still recovering from it. I am at home now, I have been for 3 weeks I think, this memory hasn't improved with the op... The reason was I had the operation is, I was getting pains in my chest with the constant going up and down the stairs and I was finding it hard to breath also. Anne was also struggling with her breathing too, she has Bronchiectasis and it's frighting watching her coughing and struggling to breath. So a decision was made by Anne and myself for us to move. I was in hospital for some weeks before my operation, so it was left to Anne to find us a new place to live, which she did. We rent has most of the members know, so it was a case of finding a place and giving our notice.

The thing was our line had to be lifted again.. . Anne and one of my Son-in-laws did it while I was in hospital and now it's back to how it was when we moved in, well almost. Anne had to re-seed the areas where the boards had been.

This is how it looks now. Anne took this photo for me.

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Since Anne took that photo the bare patches have already started to recover. And the pond is also gone. You will see it in the next photos, along with the bridge looking like it's been blown over..

We have now moved again, with Anne doing all the organising of the move. She did a absolutely brilliant job of looking after me while I am recovering and moving us. She did all the packing up, even taking great care of my scratch build Crane, some of you will know it.

This is our new garden, it does have some scope, but there are a few places where the water with all the rain we have had over the country, is a bit like a mini lake, so that will need to be looked at.

Couple of photos Anne again took of the new garden.

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Nothing will be done in or on the garden until next year, or until the son-in-law is able to get over and do some work in it. He will also be doing most of the relaying of the line, I have had my orders from Anne, no lifting to be done at all.......


While I am here, I want to say a very very big THANK YOU to Peter Butler. His emails to and from Anne has been so helpful, not only to me, but mainly to Anne. At times she was needing someone apart from the family to talk to and Peter was there when she sent an email to him.

Thanks again Peter.

And also to the members who were sending well wishes to Anne about me...Thank You.

[Andrew]

Hello Rod,

Glad to hear you're on the mend - Anne's a miracle worker!

Sorry that the old railway's had to go, but I guess the modular construction means that you (well, your son-in-law!) should be able to re-erect it without too much trouble? The new garden looks like it has a lot of potential - lawn and flowerbeds to form an attractive background, but plenty of hard standing to make for good operating conditions.

Good luck with everything,

Andrew.