Shinkansen

I was hoping to get some advise from the IT experts on this... I would like to post more videos on here and on my Youtube channel. I have a reasonably good compact camera (Panasonic TZ10) with which to film. My problem is the files that it creates. They are .MOV format and are enormous. A couple of seconds of video ends up being 40 megs!!! Way too large to upload on my basic Eircom broadband. I have tried reducing the quality but to no avail. My question is; Is there a was of 'post processing' videos into a more youtube friendly format without loosing too much in the way of clarity? If so what software tools should I use? I have googled this and came up with 1000 answers to a simple question so not much use. Filming on the phone is not much use either as video quality is fairly dodgey (but are youtube compatible). Cheers, Tom.

Anyone out there using a smart phone? Another way to put it to good use other than photos or video (or heaven forbid... call someone on it!!!) is as follows; Woodland Scenics have a niffty little scale calculator App that might be useful. Its a free download from the Google Play store (I'm sure its available for iPhone too). Especially useful for anyone doing a bit of scratchbuilding. The input and output of units, be it Actual or Model are fully adjustable. Whether you're old skool feet & inches, metric, or a mixture of both. There's a whole bunch of default scales already programmed into the App such as HO, N, S etc... Easy enough to set it up to 1:76 / OO using 'Custom Scales'.

Love the first photo looking down across the platform with the DeDetrichs stretching off into the distance. A thing of beauty

Excellent work Des. Those container flats are a must have for my layout. What looks like a lightweight skeletel frame turns out to be incredibly strong by the look of it. The Amonia wagons will be a cracking good model too. And those Y25 Bogies + frames could be a great addition to my rake of faux Tara wagons. Well done Des and hats off to ya... Cant wait to see them all completed Tom

Clonmel station looks really the part. Amazing bit of architecture well captured by Glenderg. Kirley Junction just gets better and better Tom

Tasty stuff Bosko... the weathering is the icing on the cake

Crikey, I remember seeing those buses on the roads as a kid back in the 80s. And they were fairly antique then! Will make a very interesting project. Nice work on those Cement wagons (on the other thread) by the way. They look the business. They'd make a very nice looking consist, hauled by a 141/181. Oh one more thing, The modern hand wheels by 'Model Etch'... been combing tinternet for something like these. Thanks for the tip-off Cheers, Tom.

Excellent tutorial there Irishthump. Well put together and nice clear photographs. Look forward to seeing (and hearing) 142 in action very soon Tom.

Hi Dave, I didn't fancy the big outlay for the Noch applicator either, but thats a great alternative. Very effective looking static grass. Will it do the longer fibers too? Say if someone wanted to model crops/rough grass in OO? Tom.

Excellent work there Driver, very interesting to see someone tackle Irish outline in 'N' gauge. The chance to be able to model a more prototypical station/trains whilst not taking over the whole house is a great bonus! Great possibilities with Connelly Station... DARTS, Commuters, Enterprise etc... not to mention the station building itself which is an imposing bit of architecture. Keep up the good work Tom

The station building is particulaly nice. That combined with maybe a kit-bashed Metcalf Models card kit for the canopy over the platform... could be very nice indeed.

Clonmel yard is looking really well Kirley, lovely track work and tidy looking electricals. Very jealous. Just out of interest, is the donor chassis your using for your A-class the current one I see available at Hattons at a pretty reasonable price? Class 55 St Paddy by any chance? Have a silver fox kit lurking in the projects box... requires a suitable donor! Cheers, Tom

Hey everyone, many thanks for all the kind words about the Layout. It is definitely a "blank canvas" at the moment. I have big plans in mind for it. It'll take a while to get there, and knowing me I'll probably change my mind more than a couple of times. But hey, that's what it's all about. Letting the imagination let rip and create something unique! All the encouragement is very much appreciated and a big help so cheers lads There was a time I got so hung up on what the end product should be I put off starting for ages. Best thing I did was make a shortlist on what mattered to me in a finished layout. Then go ahead and get on with building it. Finer details can be ironed out later such as theme, sceanery, track plans etc.... Building a layout that doesnt need to be dismantled when relatives come to stay (as located in the spare room) or safe and secure from younger (and more destructive!!!) relatives are definite must haves! There's some great inspiration on here, some real quality layouts being posted up and real skill on show. Hope to do my part and contribute too. To that end, here's some videos shot on the phone. Apollogies for the quality, it's a wee bit dodgy. Hope it gives a better idea of the general layout. Cheers Tom

Hi all, Have been working away at an attic room / Layout & baseboards for quite some time. As of last weekend (Sat 4th Jan 2014) the final section of baseboard was slotted into place. This allowed the first loop of track to be laid and trains to be run. It's been a slow burning project for sure. There have been plenty times I wondered would it ever get somewhere. But thankfully it has and I'd like to say to anyone working on their own layouts... there's nothing quiet so satisfying as running the first train. In my case the first train to be run was No.201 'River Shannon' pulling a rake of Mk3s. Seeing it thunder around the single loop of Hornby set-track (plenty wobbly and un-nailed!!!) was a great feeling. Making all those hours spent ferrying building materials up and down the attic ladder at the weekends so worthwhile. Firstly, the name... Why Lyttelton? For two reasons; I like the play on words Lyttelton (little-town). And also as a reminder of time spent working on the South Island of New Zealand. Lyttelton is the chief port and rail head for the South Island. I'd regularly pass coal trains heading there whilst travelling State Highway 73 enroute to Christchurch. Kiwi names aside... It'll be mostly Irish stock being run, with the odd Eurostar or NZR coal train thrown in It will eventaully be DCC, for now its the good old Bachmann DC controller and Set-track. Room size is 4 x 3meters (12' x 10') approx. It was originally just open attic space, underutilised and full of the usual household junk. I took the time to insulate and draft proof it where possible. To keep costs down I undertook the majority of the work myself, framing, insulating, plaster boarding etc... However I draw the line at modifying the roof trusses and electrical work. These were left to the professionals. Baseboards are constructed of 16mm MDF framework with 10mm tops. All mounted on height adjustable feet. They are of my own design. I wanted something completely modular that I could take with me if I ever moved house. Plus, the baseboards had to clear the 'W' roof trusses that every 80's bungalow seems to have. The boards had to have removable sections at two points, the window (mounted on 'flush mounts'), and the entrance door (mounted on a hinge). I wanted to incorporate a difference in height form the rails in regards to the landscape. I wanted to avoid the 'flat earth' look of some model railways. Therefore one of the middle sections of baseboard is mounted lower, thus giving plenty room for a wide stretch of river and a future home for a pair of Kibri viaducts I'm working on. A river being the lowest point, well below the height of the rails. Ballast, hills etc.... can be added in layers giving a depth and rolling lanscape look. At this point in time I have no finalised 'track-plan’; it’s still a work in progress. After all the hard graft it's just nice to watch the trains go by. Cheers Tom

Excellent 'Permanent way' action going on there ttc. That HOBS train and Tamper are the buisness Top stuff as always. Tom

Excellent use being made of the sound chip Irishthump. Im liking the realism it brings very much. Layouts looking very well too. Top stuff

Hi Walter, you have a PM. Cheers, Tom

Cool pics of the viaduct Enniscorthyman, a bit like our own Ballyvoyle viaduct. Nice one. Things have certainly changed since 2005 for sure. We have a cracking good resource thanks to this site and its contributers. And excellent RTR locos thanks to Paddy Murphy. Oh, and lest we forget.... no more 'dial-up' internet thankfully! Chers, Tom.

Nice find Kevrail, thanks for sharing. Impressive collection of DB 'ICE' trains, very cool seeing these going at speed. Layout aint half bad either, really liking the 'terminus' station set-up. These are impressive beasts in the real world too. Here's one I photographed in Munich Hauptbahnhof (Munich Main station) back in January 2007. Twas a bit chilly that day! Tom

Spot on Bosko, that's my plan with the layout. It'll mostly be Irish but there'll be appearances from Eurostar and Kiwirail for sure. Have noticed the TGV sitting in Amiens Street many times. She's a beauty Any chance of a few pics of the TGVs and ICE up in the Continental section sometime? I do love the high-speed stuff. Hence the avatar! Cheers, Tom.

There will be no cutting n shutting of my precious into "something Irish" thank you very much Heirflick Reckon I'll keep any mods internal. She's too pretty to be chopping! Pick up any bargains yourself? Always too many nice things on offer as always. Tom

Very happy with this, have been wanting one of these for a long while. Plenty bang for your buck with this train pack, The 6-car set is 1.6-1.7 meters long. I put the whole thing together this evening but can't run her just yet. Have to build a continous loop of track first. I wouldnt dare try and stretch her legs on an 'end-to-end' layout! There'll be some mods carried out next year, lights and DCC for sure One question, what does a Eurostar fall into, British outline, Continental, or both?

Santy just touched down with a 6-car Hornby Eurostar train pack. Super quick service lads. Many thanks Tom

Im gonna go with general chat Richie. To that end here's my two cents worth... The best looking signal box/cabin in Ireland at Waterford Plunket Station (cos I'm biased and from Waterford)! Would look great on any layout. Has anyone had a go at modelling it?

That is a sweet bit of modelling Driver301. Hats off to ya. I'm a big fan of the LUAS trams, glad to finally see one caputred so well in model form If you have more pics would love to see them. Cheers.