Garden Railway Forum

Thanks! Some ideas to try there...

Year again a cracking little video, most enjoyable.

ge_rik wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:17 pm Certainly puts what you've done so far into perspective, Graeme. It'll be impressive when it's done!

Rik

It will be bigger than Ben Hur if everything I want to do comes to fruition.

Your've done it again Rik, what a absolute brilliant video.

I would love to "do it all again". With PB, you have a certain flair and nack with making your scenes come alive.

Rik, love the sound, and having read your blog, I know details of "greeting card" sounds are there, still very clever, and as with all your work very impressed.

Jimmyb wrote: Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:28 pm Rik, love the sound, and having read your blog, I know details of "greeting card" sounds are there, still very clever, and as with all your work very impressed.

Thanks Jim
I found a way of getting the sounds to cycle round as a loop, I just kept connecting the play button contact to other contacts on the board until it looped. At £1.49, I felt I could afford to blow one up, as it turned out, I didn't need to worry. There is a half second pause after it loops round. I might try creating a sound which rises and dips in volume and then coincide the start and finish of the sound with a dip.

The klaxon sound is on a second sound module. I tried connecting it to the same speaker as the engine sound but it drops both sound in volume. If I had room, I'd just use a second speaker for the klaxon, but space is a bit tight in the Simplex.

The volume is quite low, but as you can hear from the video, I think it's loud enough.

Rik

Just a little something to hopefully raise a smile .......


Rik

Rik, as usual a great video, very atmospheric in black and white, and the music seems perfect.

Another fine video to watch while having a morning cuppa

Keep them coming

Brilliant. And yes it did raise a smile. Thanks.

Thanks chaps. I watched the Southwold and the Leek and Manifold newsreels before making it so you might notice some overlaps .....






Rik

Hi Rik,

Your first video, what can one say but, brilliant. What program did you use to achieve it mate.

The second two vintage films are superb. On the second one at the beginning, what were they doing pushing that wagon onto and why. Not knowing sweet nothing about the runnings of trains it's all new to me and so very interesting....

FWLR wrote: Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:15 am What program did you use to achieve it mate.

Hi Rod
I use Corel VideoStudio which has loads of fancy features, of which I probably use less than a quarter.

FWLR wrote: Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:15 am On the second one at the beginning, what were they doing pushing that wagon onto and why.

That's the Leek & Manifold which had transporter wagons for carrying standard gauge wagons on their narrow gauge tracks. They are pushing a standard gauge wagon on to the transporter at Waterhouse's Station which connected to the North Staffs Railway.

Here's a picture of a standard gauge open wagon on a transporter wagon.
Rik

FWLR wrote: Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:15 am “...What program did you use to achieve it?...”

I recall you mentioning you had a MacBook Pro - and iMovie, which I imagine has similar features to CorelVideo, is free to Mac users. It’s not difficult to use.

Oh, and it’s a lovely video, of course, as we’d expect

Cheers..

Thanks Rik.

It's strange they had to push it on though, wouldn't a loco be easier or am I being stupid..

BertieB wrote: Tue Apr 28, 2020 12:18 am I recall you mentioning you had a MacBook Pro - and iMovie, which I imagine has similar features to CorelVideo, is free to Mac users. It’s not difficult to use.
Cheers..

Thanks BertieB

Hi Rod,

Using a loco would require at least one barrier wagon to avoid the risk of the loco running onto the transporter wagon (that would be like trying to put an elephant on a skateboard!). That would be far less controlled than shoving it on by hand. Loco's don't stop on a postatge stamp and the couplings would be all three link, assuming only two couplings were involved that's about 18" of slack. Not much - until the wagon flange had ridden up on top of the rail at the undoubtedly dodgy meeting of the track an the transporter wagon. A shunting horse would have been a reasonable alternative but I imaging Waterhouses didn't posses such a luxury. Hand shunting was (and is) by no means uncommon and nowhere nearly as difficult as might be imagined. Two able bodied blokes can get a short wheelbase four wheel wagon on the move with relatively little effort, once it's moving your over the hard bit. I imagine it was done in most goods yards. Coal Merchants were particularly handy at 'helping themselves like this but could sometimes leave wagons foul of other sidings, catching out unwary guards an shunters! I've seen some footage of this in action on Youtube recently.

It's much less easy with modern wagons and you'd be hard pressed to find a method statement or risk assessment for it on the national network but I'm aware it happens on heritage. I did it myself last year when the shunt engine failed with it's train over the yard exit points, we had to shove about ten wagons, one at a time, clear of the connection to get the rescue engine on top of the failure! By the time we'd finished I felt like a shunting horse myself!

All the best,

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for your explanation to something which to me seemed a better way. But as soon as I read the first few lines, I thought it was rather simple when you gave me the reason for doing it that way. To get such things to move on rails by pushing it by hand by to or more people would be a lot better and more controlled, with less risk of damage.

Although what you say about you being like "a shunting horse" would have left you with some aches I bet.

By the way, would you be able to find that Youtube video again and post a link to it.

All the best.

FWLR wrote: Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:18 am It's strange they had to push it on though, wouldn't a loco be easier ......

Hi Rod
In addition to Andrew's response, at each station on the L&M was a short length of standard gauge track on to which the wagons were parked for off loading. The wagons would have to be propelled on and off these by hand as there was no real alternative, unless they went in for chain shunting. I'd imagine trying to get a loaded milk tanker rolling would have been a real effort. . . . .
Rik

Rik,

I don't think I've seen that last picture before, it's a lovely shot. It was rather an unphotographed railway compared to the likes of the L&B, not being in and area of particular tourism I guess. However, it's always been my closest narrow gauge 'railway' (as opposed to quarry or colliery systems) so I do have a soft spot for it. I used to love driving down the track bed on familly outings to Derbyshire.

You make a good point about the loaded milk tankers. If the sidings were laid with a bit of gradient it would be possible - but then the empties would have to be pushed up hill! I suspect the use of a pinch bar was employed to get them moving, although there is no sign of one in any of the photos. They were very common and they will get a loco moving!

Rod,

I'll see if I can find the clip I mentioned, it was one of Youtube's random suggestions to watch so it might take some finding!

I'd say that the Leek & Manifold is probably one of my favourites, after the Southwold and the Welshpool & Llanfair, of course. But then, there's the Ashover .... Spoilt for choice!

I've walked half the trackbed. The plan is that once the lockdown is lifted, I'll take my bike on the back of the car and then cycle the whole line, there and back. I can just about manage the round trip in a day from here even though Staffs seems to have the highest density of speed cameras in the country!!

It's quite surprising the photos which pop upon the net.

Rik