Garden Railway Forum

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. . .
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 photos Rik.

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. 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.

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.

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

Andy

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

Cracking pictures, hope the bbq was as good!

As for the rain. Who knows.

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! .
Rik

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

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

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

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?

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 11:40 am
Much like the real thing then?

This ain't Southern Rail, yet !.....

Rik