Peckforton Light Railway - Setting up a session

[ge_rik]

I've been experimenting with stop-action video again. Thought you might be interested in my latest effort .....

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Rik

[LNR]

Oh! what a superb video Rik, boy the head shunter really knows his stuff, un-coupling everything so quickly . The placement of the copper mine buildings was like a scenery change on a theatre stage, greenery one minute, busy industrial scene the next. I see the timber sidings in the whole picture now.
I also feel much better knowing that someone else is darting around their backyard carrying strange loads on a running day. I've often wondered what someone looking over my fence, would think!
Grant.

[robc_wa]

Rik, excellent video. Lots of inspiration there. Obviously the head shunter is so quick because he is assisted by a very nifty combined shunter's pole and point lever . What is it?
Regards
Rob

[ge_rik]

Rik, excellent video. Lots of inspiration there.  Obviously the head shunter is so quick because he is assisted by a very nifty combined shunter's pole and point lever  . What is it?
Regards
Rob

Hi Rob
At the start of the video I was using a metal tri-square as I couldn't find one of my usual uncoupling tools - a plastic plant label.


It fits in the back pocket, the blunt end is just right for LGB hook and loop couplings (which I retain, although ugly they are reliable) and the pointy end is useful for hoiking rubbish out from point blades and check rails. You'll see I had to do this a few times at the start of the video.

Rik

[-steves-]

Brilliant video, well done Rik

[James from Devon]

Love it Rik!

If you convert that to Black and White it would a little like a good old slapstick comedy!

The great thing is that the video shows the scale of your line, love how the stations are tucked away from each other, gives a real sense of your line serving different destinations. Also love the prototypical operation.

Really enjoyed it!

Cheers

Jim

[andymctractor]

I enjoyed the video too.
When I have two knees available (one is presently out of use ) I enjoy setting up my railway and its not a chore. This also allows the railway set up to get changed around from time to time. Most of my buildings spend most of the time stowed away but my railway is very firmly set into the ground. (check out my website below) This makes the requirement for two efficient knees to be more of a necessity.
Also as I don't have a connection with indoor storage sidings, my rolling stock takes a bit longer to organise.

[Peter Butler]

Just wonderful Rik.... that shows the extent of your railway and how well it integrates with the garden. I'm amazed by the amount of stock you have there, it seems I should spend more time building, although I don't have the sidings capacity that you do and I might just get everything in a tangle. Your garage appears to be endless!

[tom_tom_go]

I never realised how much setup and pack up you have to do Rik for each running session!

Thanks for sharing, wish my garage was as big as your one

[Soar Valley Light]

That's very different and very intersting Rik. Another aspect of the hobby that isn't often considered. You are clearly well practised and well organised in this task. Nice to see the train list in your hand.

[Andrew]

That's very impressive! All that shunting before anything actually "happens", and not a single derailment!

Thanks for a very interesting little film,

Andrew.

[KjellAn]

Thank You Rik for this enjoyable video.
What is time spent in real time to put all the stuff into place before running the trains? Thought about this now after visiting your garden last autumn.
And how long time to put all trains and stuff back into garage and boxes?

[ge_rik]

Just wonderful Rik....  that shows the extent of your railway and how well it integrates with the garden.   I'm amazed by the amount of stock you have there, it seems I should spend more time building, although I don't have the sidings capacity that you do and I might just get everything in a tangle.     Your garage appears to be endless!

I've probably gone for quantity rather than quality. I wish my stock was as well detailed as yours. I wanted to have enough stock to be able to run a reasonably realistic freight service for five stations - so some of my stock has been mass produced (eg resin cast open wagons) which are OK but not as detailed as your bespoke plasticard models.

I've now reached the maximum capacity of my three storage roads in the garage - but I probably now have just enough stock for reasonably realistic freight handling on the line (unless of course I extend it ...... )

Rik

[ge_rik]

Thank You Rik for this enjoyable video.  :D
What is time spent in real time to put all the stuff into place before running the trains? Thought about this now after visiting your garden last autumn.
And how long time to put all trains and stuff back into garage and boxes?

Hi Kjell
This setting up session took just under an hour and a half, but that's because it was the first proper session of the season. Normally, I don't need to spend quite so long brushing down the station areas and the goods stock will have gone into the garage in the order in which it was retrieved from the outlying stations and so there's not the need to label and assemble the distribution goods train.

A normal setting up session is usually between 40 mins and an hour

Rik
PS - Putting away is much quicker - about 30 mins usually

[ge_rik]

That's very impressive! All that shunting before anything actually "happens", and not a single derailment!

Thanks for a very interesting little film,

Andrew.

I wish........! You may notice there were a few occasions when I had to rerail stock. No matter how carefully I try to hoik out debris from the point blades I find there's some rolling stock which loves to seek out that one grain of sand between the blade and the stock rail and prise them apart. Once I've run a train or two things settle down. In the running session which followed (which took a day and a half to work through a "day's" timetable), I had only four derailments and those tended to be from stock running over or catching on overhanging plant stems. Mind you, it doesn't always work like that - some days are ..........!!!! #@**!!! per minute days!

Rik

[ge_rik]

That's very different and very intersting Rik. Another aspect of the hobby that isn't often considered. You are clearly well practised and well organised in this task. Nice to see the train list in your hand.

Courtesy of my home grown freight management program - http://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2015/04 ... puter.html

Rik