Sunshine!!

If you would like to share some of your garden railway photographs or photos of prototypes which might inspire members, then please post them in here
Post Reply
User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6497
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Sunshine!!

Post by ge_rik » Wed May 20, 2020 8:03 pm

The weather was so glorious today, I felt it was obligatory to run some trains. I decided not to take any video or photos (I'm sure everyone is sick of seeing the PLR), but as were were enjoying our BBQ dinner this evening with the sound of the stream and the sand quarry train (which happened to be running when I set up the BBQ), the setting sun just caught the brewery at Beeston Castle and so I couldn't resist a couple of snaps.
S1730009.JPG
S1730009.JPG (195.05 KiB) Viewed 9103 times
.
S1730011.JPG
S1730011.JPG (271.6 KiB) Viewed 9103 times
.
I checked tonight's forecast before deciding what to leave outside overnight - but what exactly does a 14% chance of precipitation actually mean? Tonight's forecast has just changed to say there is a 14% chance of precipitation in our area. Does that mean there will be a 14% risk of a downpour or a 14% risk of a light shower? Or that it will rain continuously at 14% of maximum capacity or that it will rain for 14% of the night?

These things are important when trying to decide whether to bring all my rolling stock inside tonight or leave it out so I can continue operations tomorrow!!!

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
tom_tom_go
Driver
Driver
Posts: 4824
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:08 am
Location: Kent, UK
Contact:

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by tom_tom_go » Wed May 20, 2020 9:04 pm

Great photos Rik.

User avatar
gregh
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 566
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:44 am
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by gregh » Thu May 21, 2020 12:32 am

ge_rik wrote: Wed May 20, 2020 8:03 pm
I checked tonight's forecast before deciding what to leave outside overnight - but what exactly does a 14% chance of precipitation actually mean? Tonight's forecast has just changed to say there is a 14% chance of precipitation in our area. Does that mean there will be a 14% risk of a downpour or a 14% risk of a light shower? Or that it will rain continuously at 14% of maximum capacity or that it will rain for 14% of the night?

These things are important when trying to decide whether to bring all my rolling stock inside tonight or leave it out so I can continue operations tomorrow!!!

Rik
Great picture Rik. Sometimes the sun does just the right thing and we are there to take advantage.
BUT re the weather. The % rain forecast must have something to do with the Forecaster's bank balance - has nothing to do with anything else. :scratch: They are nothing but a load of crap which means nothing to anybody except maybe the idiotic computer programmer that causes them to be spewed out.
Greg from downunder.
The Sandstone & Termite's website: https://members.optusnet.com.au/satr/satr.htm

User avatar
LNR
Driver
Driver
Posts: 1533
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2016 5:26 am
Location: Australia

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by LNR » Thu May 21, 2020 2:00 am

Two very nice pictures there Rik, for the weather I'm a glass tapper. Every morning I tap and reset my barometer to know whats happening. Although I do like to check the 500km. rain radar on the computer for a more short term answer.
Enjoy the sunshine.
Grant.

User avatar
RylstonLight
Trainee Fireman
Trainee Fireman
Posts: 209
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:10 pm
Location: Pontefract West Yorkshire

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by RylstonLight » Thu May 21, 2020 7:13 am

It is quite a simple meterological term really. It means 14% of any rolling stock left out will get wet :D

Andy
Andy S. at the Rylston Light Railway

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6497
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by ge_rik » Thu May 21, 2020 7:16 am

Ironically, it didn't rain during the night (when it was predicted to be 14% likely), but we had a 15 minute shower first thing this morning when it was only 2% likely!

I left the stock outside, but covered each station with plastic sheeting - took the locos inside, though. So far, 0% of the stock got wet, but I bet the odds will increase the moment I take the covers off.... ( sorry, that is self evidently true, but you know what I mean)

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
sjrixon
Trainee Fireman
Trainee Fireman
Posts: 150
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:13 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by sjrixon » Thu May 21, 2020 7:58 am

Cracking pictures, hope the bbq was as good!

As for the rain. Who knows.

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6497
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by ge_rik » Thu May 21, 2020 8:12 am

LNR wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 2:00 am Two very nice pictures there Rik, for the weather I'm a glass tapper. Every morning I tap and reset my barometer to know whats happening. Although I do like to check the 500km. rain radar on the computer for a more short term answer.
Enjoy the sunshine.
Grant.
Good idea. Found an animated rainfall radar map for my area and, by the look of it, we were lucky to get away with only 15 mins of light rain. Looks like the next band of rain will miss us, so (as they say at Wimbledon), the covers can come off!
2020-05-21-08-08-32.jpg
2020-05-21-08-08-32.jpg (279.35 KiB) Viewed 9065 times
.
Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6497
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by ge_rik » Thu May 21, 2020 8:24 am

sjrixon wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 7:58 am Cracking pictures, hope the bbq was as good!

As for the rain. Who knows.
It was very enjoyable, thanks. It was clear that the BBQ hadn't been used for some time .... but the burgers turned out well. .

The train behaved well until I was packing the BBQ etc away and one wagon decided to take the wrong route through a point it had previously negotiated successfully a few dozen times and got jammed! By the time I dashed across the garden, found and switched on the transmitter the loco had given up the ghost. I thought I'd blown the output transistors in the RX but by the time I'd taken it apart to check, everything was working ok.

Sod's Law - the moment you turn your back ....... 🙄

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
Jimmyb
Fireman
Fireman
Posts: 492
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2019 10:43 pm
Location: Weston-super-Mare

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by Jimmyb » Thu May 21, 2020 9:13 am

Rik, great photos, love them. As for the 14% chance of participation, its the "risk" which can be broken down to "over a given area 14% will get wet" or "the risk of rain in any given spot is 14/100". On the other point, I never (knowingly) leave my stock over night

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6497
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by ge_rik » Thu May 21, 2020 10:58 am

Jimmyb wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 9:13 am ...... "over a given area 14% will get wet" or "the risk of rain in any given spot is 14/100".
I honestly can't see how they can calculate that. Either a belt of rain is heading towards us or it ain't. OK, they can't be certain it will peter put before it reaches us, but to assign a value to that seems to be tempting fate. Presently, the risk for our area is 2%! I think they pluck that sort of figure out of the air. Maybe Greg is right.
Jimmyb wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 9:13 am On the other point, I never (knowingly) leave my stock over night
It takes me two days to run through a full day's working on the PLR and it takes around an hour to deploy or recover the stock from the outlying stations so, I like to try finding two consecutive days when I can run trains. Saves a lot of faffing....

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
Peter Butler
Driver
Driver
Posts: 5219
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:33 pm
Location: West Wales

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by Peter Butler » Thu May 21, 2020 11:40 am

ge_rik wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 10:58 am
It takes me two days to run through a full day's working

Rik
Much like the real thing then?
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6497
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Sunshine!!

Post by ge_rik » Thu May 21, 2020 12:39 pm

Peter Butler wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 11:40 am
Much like the real thing then?
This ain't Southern Rail, yet !..... 🤔

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest