divide and conquer

The semi-annual Model Railroad flea market approaches. A table has been booked. A variety of items are gathered in boxes to be carted out and, with any luck, transferred to the possession of someone else. Just freeing up the space consumed will be a benefit, however a monetary gain will certainly be realised.

Recent consultations have all pointed to a need for tighter focus and drastic reduction in excess inventory. There simply aren't enough years in a life to undertake all of the projects one would like. Removal of distraction will, no doubt, be liberating.

A discussion overhead by a coworker has yielded an opportunity to provide a younger hobbyist with a significant amount (30+ pounds) of previously enjoyed reading material of the periodical variety. He'll have a big box of MR to peruse by tomorrow night...

on a positive note

public display failure
neighbourhood power failure
ABS plumbing failure
drainage failure
tractor drive belt failure
laptop battery failure
iMac power supply failure
medical system failure
appointment scheduling failure
employment ethics failure

but, frankly, the bacon was absolutely delicious

I'll be Mac

I'm now a month or so into the iMac experience. The OS has been upgraded to 10.5 Leopard (top version for a G5 PPC), 50% of my images have been transferred from the WinPC, iPhoto and Mail have taken over from Image Browser and Thunderbird, while Time Machine chugs away in the background managing past configurations. Both mail and primary picture archives remain on the WinPC for the moment.

The WinPC isn't seeing a lot of use except for image edits and CAD, as I don't have comparable image manipulation software on the iMac (yet). Not a problem except for some shared directory issues still to be resolved to simplify transfers between machines. Not entirely happy with the still camera sync to iPhoto; it wants to download all images in the camera - even those that have been already transferred in previous sessions.

Oddly enough, the USB teleconferencing camera from the WinPC, which was a bit of a pain to set up under XP, worked flawlessly when plugged into the iMac. As a bonus the iPod, which has been reformatted and reloaded, no longer hangs up when finishing its sync process.

Plans are to replace the generic USB mouse, add a powered USB hub to expand connectivity, and pick up a general text with a decent 10.5 overview (likely "the Missing Manual" for Leopard).

casting about

The final podcast of Model Rail Radio for 2010 is done. N scale was the primary thread of conversation, and several guests stopped in to chat about both model and prototype topics. The long format conversation lends itself to exploring many facets of each discussion point.

The Model Railway Show now has 4 episodes posted for your listening pleasure. Be sure to drop in to hear from some of the leading lights in the hobby. These are short and to-the-point interviews with publishers, manufacturers, and authors.

pole position

Bachmann's On30 trolley is a decent little model. It runs well and is reasonably priced. With a little redecoration, it will serve admirably on small a display layout.

I found that (as purchased) the pickup pole itself did not go high enough to contact the overhead wire at the recommended height (20' = 5"). It was a simple matter to remove the two springs, push out the pivot pin, and file a little off the foot of the pole to allow more vertical travel. This increased the angle of elevation from about 25 to 40 degrees.

But, in the end, there may be no easy way to make the factory pole to collect power from the overhead wire...

aftermath

The Christmas Train Show is now over and there has been time for some reflection.

1) If our group ends up in front of the 18' high roll-up door again next year, I'll simply turn around and head home. I have no desire to stand in near-freezing wind for 4+ hours trying to set up the modules for a third show in a row. Someone else can have their turn, or the organisers can re-arrange the entry and exit of vehicles from the exhibition space.

2) Attendance this year and last seemed less and, in fact, it was. Turns out that another 2-day train show at the other end of the city has been scheduled for the same weekend as the TCTS two years in a row. This splits the attendance of vendors, layouts, and the public. Oh, and a number of other, 1-day shows in the general area were held on either the Saturday or Sunday. Having the show on the same weekend as the Santa Claus Parade smacks of poor scheduling as well.

3) Other than the presence of the various club displays, there is very little to draw a crowd of enthusiasts. Certainly the general public comes by to bring children to see the trains, but very few modellers outside of the exhibitors themselves seem to attend. Very few 'show specials' from vendors, no large manufacturers, no flea-market tables.

Without serious changes in the approach of the organisers, the show will continue to decline to the point where none of the vendors or exhibitors will attend.

cutting the cords

Just transferring all of the iPod content from the PC to the iMac via my LAN. This will be the ideal chance to organise the many "miscellaneous" files into a better structure.

My address book has already been transferred from the PC (Thunderbird LDIF export & import). iCal is being filled with dates & times for various events. I'll finally be able to sync those important details to the iPod; no straightforward way to do that on the PC.

*EDIT* The transfer took much longer than expected. Cleaned up many duplicate files and shuffled appropriate collections into folders. Added a pile of missing album art (more still to do) and restored the iPod to factory defaults before the resync. Just under 3800 items to copy over at USB2.0 speeds. I'll find something else to do for a couple of hours. *EDIT*

service survives

Again, I've had two excellent customer service experiences...

1) Broadcast Systems & Equipment - John Waling of BSE took the time to understand the type of hardware I needed to add extra functionality to an audio mixer. He deals with much bigger customers all the time, but he still made the effort to locate, hook-up, test, and allow me to hear for myself the hardware in question. Brilliant.

2) Long & McQuade - the staff at the shop helped me to quickly locate the cables I needed to hook up the new piece of hardware (BSE makes cables to order on a per-project basis) and had me on my way in minutes. No wasted time, no blank stares in response to my questions.

finally fun

After the demise of the Commodore Amiga, there remained only two real choices of computing platform. The Intel-based, so-called "IBM compatible" personal computer, and the underdog Apple Macintosh. At the time of the Amiga's passing, monetary restrictions prevented the exploration of the latter path. Experience with the Mac OS (5 or 6) via a hardware emulation board on the Amiga gave a sketchy impression at best. Pending employment in a DOS/Win environment equipped with x86 hardware cinched the decision. The MS route was followed, and computing operations proceeded in a predictable fashion thereafter.

At last, however, the situation has righted itself. Thanks to a combination of good fortune and excellent timing, a G5 iMac has been obtained. Many of the hardware related frustrations associated with the MS OS and firmware tomfoolery has vanished overnight. Every peripheral transfer (often without any drivers or software) to the new machine has taken less time than its initial installation with accompanying discs and documentation on the 'PC'.

Despite virtually identical specifications of 2GHz CPU/2Gb SDRAM/250Gb HD, comparative functional testing of the two units (using identical applications) reveals a significant improvement in performance in favour of the Mac. Using the new machine is a real joy. Computers are finally fun again.

once more unto the breach

Another Christmas Train Show is once more upon us. As usual, the last-minute rush to complete outstanding work on the display elements threatens to deaden the mood. How events unfold over the next two days will dictate future participation.

There remains to emerge a truly great train show in this region. The last one of any magnitude or consequence was in 2003, and that one very nearly didn't happen at all due to politics and knee-jerk reflexes.

It is sad to realise that, in an urban locale with 8+ million souls within reasonable driving distance, we cannot collectively attract more than a few thousand largely passive attendees for an annual exhibition. Perhaps it is because the displays do not change appreciably from year to year, or that the vendors fail to offer any real bargains. Perhaps it is because the major manufacturers choose to regularly absent themselves from the event, and the minor ones cannot afford to attend.

Frankly, there are other annual activities occurring within this timeframe which are becoming more appealing...

podcast premier pending

The Model Railway Show launches November 1st
Free podcast engages model railroading enthusiasts in thought-provoking, fun-filled journey

(Toronto, Canada) – November is National Model Railroad Month, and we’re celebrating with the launch of The Model Railway Show. The first episode will be available November 1, 2010.

This free podcast follows the classic radio newsmagazine format, featuring the hobby’s best-known enthusiasts, along with the hard workers and innovators that keep this exciting hobby moving ahead.

Each episode of The Model Railway Show will run approximately 20 minutes, with quick yet informative interviews with a pair of guests. Topics will cover the full spectrum of the model railroad hobby – ranging from interviews with authors, editors and publishers, to chats with officials at the various organizations that keep the hobby growing, in North America and around the globe.

The Model Railway Show will broadcast twice a month over the Internet as a podcast. Listeners can subscribe at no cost via iTunes and have shows automatically delivered for listening on their computer, iPod or other digital music device. Alternately, listeners can monitor the show’s web site and RSS feed for new episodes, which can be download directly from the show’s servers in mp3 or m4a/AAC formats.

Details on how to listen by either method are provided on The Model Railway Show web site:

www.themodelrailwayshow.com

The Model Railway Show is hosted by Trevor Marshall and Jim Martin. In addition to being lifelong model railway enthusiasts who have worked in a wide variety of scales and gauges, Trevor and Jim both bring professional journalism, writing and radio backgrounds to the show.

yakkity yak

I've been very lucky to be able to participate in a great number of Model Rail Radio podcasts over the last couple of months. The audio police have yet to come banging on my door in the wee small hours demanding that I stop hemming & hawing while I talk.

Topics vary widely, from benchwork to DCC to planning to updates of various ongoing projects. Content is largely generated from listener feedback; I'm never quite sure what will be discussed.

light work

Imagine my horror when I took the module set to the most recent exhibition, only to discover that the scenic work I'd done was completely the wrong colour under proper lighting conditions. So much for 'making do' with what I had.

Installation of two single fluorescent fixtures, equipped with daylight tubes, over the modelling bench in the shop has revealed exactly what I suspected; namely, that it's a miserable dark pit. I'll need at least one more single fixture to provide ambient light just for the bench area.

The daylight tubes certainly render much better colour than the mishmash of incandescent bulbs which were in the track lighting that I tore out. In addition to the overheads, there are two daylight incandescent swing arm lamps pointed directly at the bench's work surface which are the all-important task lighting part of the equation. There's no sense in mixing colours from the various bulbs in the shop itself so I'm trying to install all 'daylight' sources regardless of fixture.

A tawdry chandelier (? = don't ask) still has to be removed, and three or four more fluorescent fixtures will have to be installed to provide ambient light the lathe & mill end of the shop. Proper task lighting will still have to be situated at each tool to brighten the jobs at hand.

It may seem like a lot of bother to swap out light fixtures and add a bunch of goose-neck or swing arm lamps but, in the end, if you can't see what you're doing the jobs will be that much harder to complete.

absence

Not a lot of posts lately; too busy with a variety of domestic tasks.

The workshop has languished largely unused. Recreational project progress is virtually non-existent.

However, a certain amount of work was accomplished in preparation for the 2010 Copetown Train Show. The fact that the module carrier I had devised did not fit through the back door of the new house necessitated a rebuild of the unit to permit movement in to and out of safe storage. This was accomplished using scraps of material saved from other fabrication jobs. The three-section module is now handled in two carriers, each of which are manageable by a single person.

Also, in preparation for the show, a mock-up of the sugar beet loader was made using Mt. Albert strip wood and a slightly modified O scale "Red Devil" coal loader. A liberal amount of artistic license was exercised in the creation of the basic structure, primarily due to space restrictions on the module base.



In spite of a tight fit, the loader gives a suitable impression of the method of loading the rail cars for shipment to a processing facility. It is a shame that the local sugar beet industry essentially died out in the late 50's.

and, speaking of print...

Peter Jones' book, Building Small Steam Locomotives, has a title that means what it says. The book reviews the nomenclature, planning, and process of building your own steam loco, either from commercial components or from raw materials. While no specific plans are printed within the covers, you are given just enough information to help locate all the bits & pieces (including drawings) to begin construction.

eMedia

It's difficult to accurately categorise the newest generation of online "publications" as direct replacements or even competition for traditional magazines. They exceed the capabilities and features that mere paper can offer. As such, they may not replace the old ways very quickly or completely.

Both Model Railroad Hobbyist and The Modeler's Guild (sic) offer a familiar format of articles, reviews and photos but also provide streaming video, user conversation/interaction, and reader feedback options not possible following the print paradigm.

one corner of the promised land

That is to say, land that I was promised. Finally, the workspace begins to take shape. A little more elbow room and a little less worry about dropping pointed, heavy, or glue-covered stuff on the floor.

More bins will have to be added to hold detail parts, and a rack will be made to hold both wood & styrene strip. Currently envisioned is a set of 12" long plastic tubes (2.5" or 3" diameter) arranged in a "wine-bottle" style matrix.

One issue that needed immediate resolution was that of humidity. Having noted rust on several steel surfaces, purchase of a decent humidifier with a continuous drain occurred forthwith.

Still outstanding are a powered vent for solder/paint fumes, and flat storage for sheet goods & drawings. Existing ceiling lights really need to be replaced with something that actually illuminates; the camera flash is deceptive.

to thine own self...

Solid reference material like this article on Byron Henderson's blog, will get most people moving down the right track in terms of their own layout planning. Note: make sure you follow along to the subsequent parts of the article series to get full benefit of the material; it's well worth the time invested in reading it.

Having spoken to a number of people (of various experience levels) about their layout plans, I've noticed one very important factor. The more honest you are with yourself with respect to an analysis of your own abilities, disposable cash, and overall goals, the more likely you are to build a satisfying layout. This seems like a "duh" point at first but, having now seen the results of the planning and execution of several layouts - and getting the back-story of a few more layouts during operating sessions, a definite pattern is emerging.

Those people who ignored finances (I never have enough money for gas, but I'll need 33 extremely rare brass locomotives for this plan to work) skill level (despite the fact I can't tie my own shoes, I'm sure I'll be able to cut my own offset mitre gears for an N scale Climax one day) or goals (I'm a confirmed and grumpy loner but my design requires 7 to 9 tightly-knit operators to make the sessions work) have generally built layouts that make them unhappy to own and operate.

Notice I've used the qualifier "satisfying" instead of "good". A good layout is not necessarily one that receives critical acclaim for its clever use of materials or 100% adherence to prototype track arrangement, but it certainly is one that brings you joy to use and is not a unbearable burden on your time, a regrettable use of your space, or an onerous money-pit that can't be finished without depriving yourself of food & clothing.

almost, but not quite, entirely unlike success

The progress bar is at 99.9%. Legal eagles have taken their pound of flesh, inspections are acceptable, and the final few arrangements are made. Receipt of keys is pending, and that appears to be clear sailing at this point.

So far, so good. Only a few crashing breakers to spoil the otherwise feathery chop of waves.

Construction of a layout will not be the 1st priority, but it will be nice to be able to erect (and leave out) the S module set for repair and further additions to scenery and structures as time permits. It's always been a problem not having a protected space to work in while being here at the condo. The cats would have a field day with the field grasses, and I'd never see the scarecrow again...

down to the wire

We're cutting it close. Things are happening on the home front but, as usual, not as quickly or smoothly as we'd like. The process of changing locales must have been deliberately made painful to discourage the average person from confusing civil servants with their whereabouts.

If everything works out according to plan there will be room for a workshop, a large garden, and our endlessly growing library of books. The kitchen is merely adequate as-is, and must be renovated to meet our future needs. If it all happens on time there will be barbeques and a garden party of some sort while the weather is still nice.

First steps will be familiarising ourselves with the perculiarities of the new house, getting used to new traffic patterns, and learning where all the local shops & markets are. A bit of painting & mending will see us through the summer & autumn.

The lot size is ample enough for even a garden railway venture should "planning permission" be given for such a folly. Proportion for native equipment would be 1:19.1 on 32mm gauge track, however, a dual gauge 32/45mm right-of-way would be built in order to accomodate visitors.