rrinker Easiest way for me remains my personal web page. The URL I paste here or on any forum is the same URL I can view in my browser - not like Photobucket or others where if you just copy the URL from the browser, it's your personal account page, not a public version of the image. Upload is easy enough, there's a 1 time setup of an FTP client, after that you just click connect, select the fiels you want to upload, and click upload. (I know, I keep saying the same thing - but that's because it WORKS and avoids every single hassle there's been with each different photo hosting site. And I am at no one's mercy because I registered my own domain name. If my host service goes belly up, I can move to anyone I want and my old posts will still work because despite the photos now being on a different server, perhaps in an entirely different part of the country, the URL remains the same) --Randy
Easiest way for me remains my personal web page. The URL I paste here or on any forum is the same URL I can view in my browser - not like Photobucket or others where if you just copy the URL from the browser, it's your personal account page, not a public version of the image. Upload is easy enough, there's a 1 time setup of an FTP client, after that you just click connect, select the fiels you want to upload, and click upload.
(I know, I keep saying the same thing - but that's because it WORKS and avoids every single hassle there's been with each different photo hosting site. And I am at no one's mercy because I registered my own domain name. If my host service goes belly up, I can move to anyone I want and my old posts will still work because despite the photos now being on a different server, perhaps in an entirely different part of the country, the URL remains the same)
--Randy
What does it cost to maintain your own webpage like yours?
Is this true that if you move things around the URL's remain the same??I was on one RR forum that made some sort of modification to the their software, and all my older photos that had been posted DISAPPEARED.
I think that was likely a result of a wholesale change in URL's, but I'm not sure as I am nowhere near a computer guru....ha...ha
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
It's noot the IT guys, it's the beancounters that are above them. Easily posting photots to other sites does not make them any money. Making people visit the site so they have to see the ads, that's how the photo hosters make money. There was one I used before Photobucket, that got sucked up by I thnk Photobucket, actually. You didn't have to click ANYTHING there, next to each and every picture was the code to post on a forum to link your photo. Click "Upload Picture and a box came up allowing you to browse your computer. Super simple. But no easy way to monetize it, so they got sucked up by a bigger fish.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hey Ed!
Thanks for your help. Much appreciated!
Your method differs slightly from the one I am now using but they both end up with the same result. What bothers me enormously is that neither of these procedures are intuitive. Why do these things have to be so complicated? Why don't these sites have a simple, obvious, right up front, in your face command that says "click here if you want to post your photo someplace else"? Please tell me why with all of the IT supposed professionals who are working for these websites that they can't figure out how to make the process simple for everyone. Granted, now that I have figured out how to post photos again, the process is actually fairly simple, but it is far, far, far from being intuitive! The IT people have done some amazing things, but they really are missing the boat on making their innovations user friendly for the not so computer savy types like me.
Rant!! rant!! rant!!, not that it will do me any good! I'd use some expletives here to describe my true feelings about IT but Steven would object so I won't waste his time.
Thanks again for your help Ed.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I respect you, Dave
And I'll try to at least show you a little bit that I've figured out about Flickr. I'm all thumbs when it comes to this stuff, too.
hon30critter I tried to use both Dropbox and Flickr to post the track plan, and in neither case was it even remotely clear as to how to go about doing that.
I can see the photos you have uploaded in my Flickr window since I'm one of your "followers".
So here's what works for me.
In your photostream or album list select the photo you want to show in the M-R thread and click the "right turn arrow" which, I guess, means "share" in the techno-world. I have it circled in green at the lower-right here:
MR_Photo1 by Edmund, on Flickr
A new window opens and you want to navigate over to the "BB Code" tab:
MR_Photo2 by Edmund, on Flickr
The photo imbed link is already highlighted for you, simply hold down the "Ctrl" key and hit the letter C to copy that link. [Ctrl + C]
Now go to the M-R thread you want to insert the photo in and hold down "Ctrl" and press the V key (V means paste??) [Ctrl + V] with your cursor at the place where you want the photo to show.
It should look like this:
MR_Photo3 by Edmund, on Flickr
Now, you will not see your photo in the thread, only the link to your photo as shown in the window above.
There IS another way to edit out a bunch of the text of the link but if you read the user agreement with Flickr they say you agree NOT to do that. The text under the photo is supposed to be there. Some of the forum-ites eliminate that.
Below is the photo I used as the example, Mack Lowry's O scale layout in Cuyahoga Falls, Oh. long since gone.
RR_Postcards_0016 by Edmund, on Flickr
Good luck and hope that helps.
That whole Photobucked fiasco is really hurting lots of forums IMHO! My PB account just reverted back to "free" status and many of my photos are no longer visible
**edit** I forgot to mention that you "might" have to change your "permission" for the photo from private to public.
Regards, Ed
rrebellseems to be a good plan for a club, a little bit of something for everyone which is what a club needs
rrebell:
Thank you for recognizing that. One of our more vociferous club members pointed out several times that "there is a lot of track". Yes! How else do you get as many operators as possible on to a layout that it built in a limited space?
Randy, Rich, rrebell, Brian:
Thanks for getting back to me about what happens when you try to enlarge the club layout plan. I'm glad that my fears about unauthorized access to my Documents files were unfounded.
However, I have to vent here. I tried to use both Dropbox and Flickr to post the track plan, and in neither case was it even remotely clear as to how to go about doing that. I spent several hours trying to figure it out, and I can tell you that I was pretty ticked off after spending so much time getting nowhere. Finally I went back and re-read Steven's post about how to post pictures (several times actually) and, after a time, the light finally dawned. Yes, I am a computer dinosaur! There are still a few of us out there. My point is that the software designers have lost touch with their older, less savy customers. They are too fixated on getting the techno geeks off on the latest gagetry.
I respect my elders. They don't!
Here are a couple of pictures of the layout as it stands so far.
The first picture shows the framework section plans. They are drawn with 3rd PlanIt if anyone is interested. We designed the layout so that it can be broken down if we have to vacate the building.
Here you can see the layout room in general, and the clouds that one of our members painted on the walls. Whether or not we will add backdrop scenes has yet to be decided. Unfortunately two of the walls are stippled concrete so blending in a backdrop would be next to impossible. Before anyone panics, NO, we are not using OSB on the layout! The sheet you can see was used by our lumber supplier to protect the Homasote while in shipment, and they didn't charge us for the added protection. Good supplier!
Some of the framework in the foreground of the third picture looks to be rather widely spaced but in reality it isn't. It looks funny because of the camera angle. The bigger hole in the immediate foreground is where the turntable will go, and the hole next to it with the small angled piece is an access hatch:
We had our monthly general business meeting tonight. There were so many items to discuss that it took almost two hours to cover all the points. Between the new layout and the February 2018 Show and Sale there is a lot going on! The President, Henk (good dutchman eh!) and I (as Vice President) are exchanging multiple e-mails every day. Running the club and developing the layout has almost become a full time job! Mind you we are not complaining. We are both rather enjoying it and we work very well together. I am blessed to have someone who I can work with so well, or perhaps I should say "who tolerates me so well!"
Thanks for your interest.
rrinkerAnyone in the club have even rudimentary experience as web site creation? Consider a club web page, which would allow you to share progress and information with the public. Hosting and a domain are cheap.
Hi Randy:
Actually we do have a club website. It has been around for a while but it was sadly neglected for quite some time. However, we now have a couple of new members, one of whom owns a website design company, who have taken on responsibility for the site and have made numerous improvements in the last few weeks. It is still a work in progress:
http://barm.ca/
hon30critter rrinker Not so sure that works, lol opens up MY dropbox. --Randy Ooops! I have sort of figured out how to post the track plan, but I'm seeing one problem. When I click on the track plan to supposedly enlarge it I'm actually taken back to my Documents page, and I am able to manipulate the page as if I had accessed it directly. Do the rest of you have access to my Documents page if you click on the track plan? If so, something is not right.
rrinker Not so sure that works, lol opens up MY dropbox. --Randy
Ooops!
I have sort of figured out how to post the track plan, but I'm seeing one problem. When I click on the track plan to supposedly enlarge it I'm actually taken back to my Documents page, and I am able to manipulate the page as if I had accessed it directly. Do the rest of you have access to my Documents page if you click on the track plan? If so, something is not right.
I can see the plan fine, as I also utilize Irfanview. And I can enlarge it with the Irfanview software.There is a free image hosting site that I was turned onto by someone on this forum,....https://imgbb.com/
Another tactic I have employed to post images on this site is to referenced them from somewhere else on the internet where those images all ready exist, and/or, an image I have placed in another forum discussion. I often place some postings on the same subject in several different forums hoping to solict a number of responces from a variety of people rather than just depending on those few from a particular individual forum.
Wow, for once it works perfect for me. seems to be a good plan for a club, a little bit of something for everyone which is what a club needs.
Dave, when I click on your posted photo, it is immediately downloaded as a JPG file, no questions asked.
I can then click on the downloaded JPG file, but that is all that I see, nothing else.
Rich
Alton Junction
No, it wants to know if I want to open or download it if I click on this one.
Anyone in the club have even rudimentary experience as web site creation? Consider a club web page, which would allow you to share progress and information with the public. Hosting and a domain are cheap.
rrinkerNot so sure that works, lol opens up MY dropbox. --Randy
Not so sure that works, lol opens up MY dropbox.
Trying to post a picture. Best I can do for now is a link:
https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=Scan0001.jpg
EDIT: That apparently isn't working. You are just going to end up in your own Dropbox account.
ROBERT PETRICKHave you posted the latest track plan?
I haven't posted the track plan for a while so I will post it again soon. I just have to remember how to do it!
Hey Dave -
I try to keep up with the progress.
Have you posted the latest track plan? The one y'all are working to? And the framing and benchwork plan as well? Drawings. Some of us like lots of drawings. Photos too.
Good to see you're making progress.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
If you go for a future portable layout use lightweight products.
For hardshell, no more plaster, but gave a try to red rosin paper hardshell, light, cheap, a roll cover acres of terrain.
For turnout handlaid them or use a system like FASTRACK, it's worth well the investissement if you need a lot of turnouts.
Use servos in place of Tortoise, to move points of turnouts, cheaper and with Arduino hardware and JMRI the possibility of automation is endless.
Again servos and Arduino for any animating device on your layout.
See my post on "general discussion forum" of a new use of Kadee permanent magnet, it's so simple (not because it's my idea buti t's really is).
Use DCC for locomotives control or even better RAIL LYNKS the future of DCC.
Use gator foam and foam board everywhere it's versatile and lightweight too.
My list is long but these basis choice could be helpful I strongly beleive.
Congratulations to start a so big project anyway.
Now that the majority of the 'around the wall' benchwork has been installed, I have been able to compare the actual dimensions to my plans. I am proud to say that we have built the benchwork framing to within 1/8" of the plans or less..
I have spent many hours over the last couple of days re-drawing the various cookie cutter drawings for the sub roadbed and the Homasote. My first drawings were approximate at best, so I have now managed to render much more accurate drawings which we can actually use to cut the plywood (at least I hope that they are accurate!).
On another front, we are in the thick of discussing a multitude of issues ranging fron wire gauge for the main bus to how the turnouts will be controlled. I won't bore you with all the details. However, one of our more electronically savy members did identify the fact that my really spectacular layout plan (my words - not theirs) had a major flaw with regards to creating a functional reverse loop on one side of the track. Suffice it to say that we had to make a couple of modifications to the plan, but the changes actually made for a better, simpler track plan so all is good!
Bottom line is that I am having a blast!! I am back to doing something really creative and rewarding bigtime!! Happy happy!!
Cheers all!
carl425carl425 wrote the following post 20 days ago: hon30critter I will add that the concrete walls were brutally hard. The Tapcon bits would barely put a dint in the walls and the bits burned out quickly. You need one of these:
A little update on the concrete drilling:
Once we put a decent bit in the drill we had no problems. It did help to put two guys on the drill at once so we were really pushing it into the wall.
On Tuesday night we actually managed to cut the first two sheets of plywood and Homasote! We were worried about the sawdust that would be created, but we found those concerns to be unfounded. We used Bosch jig saw blades that are ground to a taper instead of having the teeth 'set' in the traditional manner. The cutting was fast and the saw dust was minimal, even from the Homasote!
I believe that this is the blade that we used. I'll confirm in a couple of days when I can get back to the club:
https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/t-shank-jig-saw-blades-for-wood-t308bp-43107-p/
More progress, and this time without the Keystone Cops antics! (or at least almost!)
We got two more sections of the benchwork framing built and installed with only one board being short by about 3/8". My bad!
However, that wasn't the Keystone Cops part. We have been building the framework sections on a couple of saw horses with a piece of heavy particle board on the top for a working surface. The particle board was only about 3' wide so it didn't provide the best support. Never the less we coped. Tonight one of our more astute members noticed that we had 10 sheets of 4' x 8' x 3/4" plywood leaning against a wall waiting to be cut into sub roadbed shapes. He realized that the 4' x 8' sheets of plywood would provide a much better working surface than the rather narrow piece of particle board! What a brilliant deduction! How astute of him to notice something that had completely escaped all of the other members!
Like I said, Keystone Cops!!
Oh, by the way, we solved the concrete drilling problem. We had been using a new package of Tapcon screws with the supplied drill bit. The carbide tip was of such poor quality that we smoked it almost immediately. Tonight I brought in an old Tapcon bit which had a noticably more substantial piece of carbide steel in the tip. It worked much better. It still required a lot of effort to drill into the concrete but at least it didn't just sit there and spin like the newer bit did.
I'll probably get in trouble for saying this, but I'll bet money that the new Tapcon bit was not made in North America and the old one was. Lower prices are great! Lower quality, not so much.
Cheers guys!!
I've always intended to do a time lapse of setting up the club modular layout, then speeding it up and adding Yakkety Sax...
I'd laugh more if I hadn;t some something similar myself, building oen fo the sections on my old layout upside down. Rememebred it while tearing it all down for disposal last weekend, one module had a rail that has extra holes drilled in it and dried glue where nothign was attached. Oh yeah, that was the piece that had been on the other edge, making it upside down. I did figure it out BEFORE the glue dried so I was able to take it apart and fix it easily enough.
You could have just put legs on the backside.
hon30critterI will add that the concrete walls were brutally hard. The Tapcon bits would barely put a dint in the walls and the bits burned out quickly.
You need one of these:
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
ROBERT PETRICKNo other comments at this time, but all that is missing is a rinky-dink piano . . . deedle-le-deedle-le-deet
Right! We should have filmed our efforts using an old fashioned hand crank movie camera like they used in the days of silent films.
hon30critter What a comedy of errors! All we could do was laugh. Some of the guys said "...well at least we got two corners in...". I said "No, we got four corners in, two correctly and two not!". Please wish us better luck in the future. If this continues we will be laying turnouts upside down. Like I said, Keystone Cops! Dave
What a comedy of errors! All we could do was laugh. Some of the guys said "...well at least we got two corners in...". I said "No, we got four corners in, two correctly and two not!".
Please wish us better luck in the future. If this continues we will be laying turnouts upside down.
Like I said, Keystone Cops!
Good luck.
No other comments at this time, but all that is missing is a rinky-dink piano . . . deedle-le-deedle-le-deet
Just a short update on the layout progress:
Tonight we put up the two corner sections of the layout benchwork. Whoopie, except something didn't look quite right. The President put a tape measure across the gap between the two corner sections. It should have been 108". It was 156".
You guessed it! The crowd of guys who eagerly dove right into installing the two corners didn't bother to check the plans before screwing them into the walls. Both sections were put in backwards. I'll say that again. Our Keystone Cops crew managed to get two out of two sections wrong!!
I will add that the concrete walls were brutally hard. The Tapcon bits would barely put a dint in the walls and the bits burned out quickly. Since it took forever to drill into the concrete we didn't manage to get the holes deep enough for the length of the original screws that we had. We managed to find a few shorter screws, but then there were the two guys who were a little too heavy on the throttle when screwing the Tapcons in and managed to break two of them off. I think I said "...let's just use construction adhesive instead..." about a dozen times before the rest agreed. We will still have to do some drilling and screwing to hold the frames in place while the adhesive sets.
Awesome!
I got acclaimed as the Vice President of the club Tuesday night!
Thanks Randy.