#modelrailway — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #modelrailway, aggregated by home.social.
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#Tech post! #Today I finally found time to remove #Fedora from my #Linux laptop. I had intended to replace it with #MXLinux - in fact for a couple of hours I did - but in the end I had so many problems customising #KDE #Plasma that I actually stopped and had a rethink.
I had always liked Plasma for its customisability, but wrestling with panel configuration seems to be getting harder - or I'm getting older - and I just couldn't get the desktop how I wanted it. After 2 hours I realised life was too short for such nonsense.
I needed a polished distro with fractional scaling on #HiDPI displays, and after some research to get me up to date, I plumped for #Pop_OS with its #COSMIC desktop.
Pop_OS is great - it has a solid #Ubuntu base and the UI feels far more consistent and robust than either KDE or #Gnome - but my essential #Java app, the #JMRI #ModelRailway control software, looked awful at any scale. Jagged fonts, boxes overflowing, etc.
After a lot of searching I found a shell command to force font anti-aliasing for old Java apps (comment if you need a link to the Gist), and with a few more tweaks finally all was well.
Pop_OS, like MX Linux, seems to be AI-neutral rather than overtly AI-positive like Fedora, so I've achieved my original goal, even if it took me in an unexpected direction.
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#Tech post! #Today I finally found time to remove #Fedora from my #Linux laptop. I had intended to replace it with #MXLinux - in fact for a couple of hours I did - but in the end I had so many problems customising #KDE #Plasma that I actually stopped and had a rethink.
I had always liked Plasma for its customisability, but wrestling with panel configuration seems to be getting harder - or I'm getting older - and I just couldn't get the desktop how I wanted it. After 2 hours I realised life was too short for such nonsense.
I needed a polished distro with fractional scaling on #HiDPI displays, and after some research to get me up to date, I plumped for #Pop_OS with its #COSMIC desktop.
Pop_OS is great - it has a solid #Ubuntu base and the UI feels far more consistent and robust than either KDE or #Gnome - but my essential #Java app, the #JMRI #ModelRailway control software, looked awful at any scale. Jagged fonts, boxes overflowing, etc.
After a lot of searching I found a shell command to force font anti-aliasing for old Java apps (comment if you need a link to the Gist), and with a few more tweaks finally all was well.
Pop_OS, like MX Linux, seems to be AI-neutral rather than overtly AI-positive like Fedora, so I've achieved my original goal, even if it took me in an unexpected direction.
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#Tech post! #Today I finally found time to remove #Fedora from my #Linux laptop. I had intended to replace it with #MXLinux - in fact for a couple of hours I did - but in the end I had so many problems customising #KDE #Plasma that I actually stopped and had a rethink.
I had always liked Plasma for its customisability, but wrestling with panel configuration seems to be getting harder - or I'm getting older - and I just couldn't get the desktop how I wanted it. After 2 hours I realised life was too short for such nonsense.
I needed a polished distro with fractional scaling on #HiDPI displays, and after some research to get me up to date, I plumped for #Pop_OS with its #COSMIC desktop.
Pop_OS is great - it has a solid #Ubuntu base and the UI feels far more consistent and robust than either KDE or #Gnome - but my essential #Java app, the #JMRI #ModelRailway control software, looked awful at any scale. Jagged fonts, boxes overflowing, etc.
After a lot of searching I found a shell command to force font anti-aliasing for old Java apps (comment if you need a link to the Gist), and with a few more tweaks finally all was well.
Pop_OS, like MX Linux, seems to be AI-neutral rather than overtly AI-positive like Fedora, so I've achieved my original goal, even if it took me in an unexpected direction.
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#Tech post! #Today I finally found time to remove #Fedora from my #Linux laptop. I had intended to replace it with #MXLinux - in fact for a couple of hours I did - but in the end I had so many problems customising #KDE #Plasma that I actually stopped and had a rethink.
I had always liked Plasma for its customisability, but wrestling with panel configuration seems to be getting harder - or I'm getting older - and I just couldn't get the desktop how I wanted it. After 2 hours I realised life was too short for such nonsense.
I needed a polished distro with fractional scaling on #HiDPI displays, and after some research to get me up to date, I plumped for #Pop_OS with its #COSMIC desktop.
Pop_OS is great - it has a solid #Ubuntu base and the UI feels far more consistent and robust than either KDE or #Gnome - but my essential #Java app, the #JMRI #ModelRailway control software, looked awful at any scale. Jagged fonts, boxes overflowing, etc.
After a lot of searching I found a shell command to force font anti-aliasing for old Java apps (comment if you need a link to the Gist), and with a few more tweaks finally all was well.
Pop_OS, like MX Linux, seems to be AI-neutral rather than overtly AI-positive like Fedora, so I've achieved my original goal, even if it took me in an unexpected direction.
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#Tech post! #Today I finally found time to remove #Fedora from my #Linux laptop. I had intended to replace it with #MXLinux - in fact for a couple of hours I did - but in the end I had so many problems customising #KDE #Plasma that I actually stopped and had a rethink.
I had always liked Plasma for its customisability, but wrestling with panel configuration seems to be getting harder - or I'm getting older - and I just couldn't get the desktop how I wanted it. After 2 hours I realised life was too short for such nonsense.
I needed a polished distro with fractional scaling on #HiDPI displays, and after some research to get me up to date, I plumped for #Pop_OS with its #COSMIC desktop.
Pop_OS is great - it has a solid #Ubuntu base and the UI feels far more consistent and robust than either KDE or #Gnome - but my essential #Java app, the #JMRI #ModelRailway control software, looked awful at any scale. Jagged fonts, boxes overflowing, etc.
After a lot of searching I found a shell command to force font anti-aliasing for old Java apps (comment if you need a link to the Gist), and with a few more tweaks finally all was well.
Pop_OS, like MX Linux, seems to be AI-neutral rather than overtly AI-positive like Fedora, so I've achieved my original goal, even if it took me in an unexpected direction.
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Model railway update! The two corner boards are progressing nicely. I’ve used some thick acrylic tarmac paint to paint in the road, and finished the brown undercoat everywhere else, on both boards.
I’ve been working on the point rodding and that is now about two thirds done. After that it’s ballasting and then base scatters for the grass areas.
The loose short piece of track in the first photo is to be fitted shortly to allow the point rodding to be completed on the curved point. If you study really closely, the rodding is probably not quite right but that won’t be noticeable once the boards are installed.
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Model railway update! The two corner boards are progressing nicely. I’ve used some thick acrylic tarmac paint to paint in the road, and finished the brown undercoat everywhere else, on both boards.
I’ve been working on the point rodding and that is now about two thirds done. After that it’s ballasting and then base scatters for the grass areas.
The loose short piece of track in the first photo is to be fitted shortly to allow the point rodding to be completed on the curved point. If you study really closely, the rodding is probably not quite right but that won’t be noticeable once the boards are installed.
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Obviously I'm getting one. #ModelRailway #CountBinface
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Obviously I'm getting one. #ModelRailway #CountBinface
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Ok, brilliant. Someone I know has started selling model railway scale models of Count Binface #ModelRailway #CountBinface
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Ok, brilliant. Someone I know has started selling model railway scale models of Count Binface #ModelRailway #CountBinface
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Bahnhof Bärstadt auf der Anlage der Modelleisenbahnfreunde Odenwaldkreis. Anlagenstandort ist das Stadtmuseum Michelstadt. (06/12/2025).
#modellbahnfreunde_odenwald #bärstadt #michelstadt #odenwald #bahnhof #modelbuilding #trainstation #v200 #bundesbahn #silberlinge #modellbahn #modellbahnh0 #modelleisenbahn #landscapemodel #modelrail #modellbahnanlage #modelrailway #modelrailroad #hOscale #dieseltrain #h0scale #1zu87 #187scale #h0 #modeltrainlayout #modeltrains #hO #märklin #sbahn #sbahnberlin
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Bahnhof Bärstadt auf der Anlage der Modelleisenbahnfreunde Odenwaldkreis. Anlagenstandort ist das Stadtmuseum Michelstadt. (06/12/2025).
#modellbahnfreunde_odenwald #bärstadt #michelstadt #odenwald #bahnhof #modelbuilding #trainstation #v200 #bundesbahn #silberlinge #modellbahn #modellbahnh0 #modelleisenbahn #landscapemodel #modelrail #modellbahnanlage #modelrailway #modelrailroad #hOscale #dieseltrain #h0scale #1zu87 #187scale #h0 #modeltrainlayout #modeltrains #hO #märklin #sbahn #sbahnberlin
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1. Our recent #coconut harvest, though not our biggest by number of nuts, is the record-holder for gross profit thanks to bigger nuts and a higher market price per kilo for the dried #copra.
2. Some useful comments on my humungous #tech post last night mean that I have some new #ModelRailway software to try out.
3. My efforts to show willing for my wife's birthday event include a new shirt, which (after having bought it under duress) I actually quite like, despite spending 99% of the time in a teeshirt these days.
Added the #3GoodThings tag because they're all good today!
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1. Our recent #coconut harvest, though not our biggest by number of nuts, is the record-holder for gross profit thanks to bigger nuts and a higher market price per kilo for the dried #copra.
2. Some useful comments on my humungous #tech post last night mean that I have some new #ModelRailway software to try out.
3. My efforts to show willing for my wife's birthday event include a new shirt, which (after having bought it under duress) I actually quite like, despite spending 99% of the time in a teeshirt these days.
Added the #3GoodThings tag because they're all good today!
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If I had a blog, this would be a blog post. I don't, so you lot are blessed with it... it's a bit long.
I've been diving down some deep rabbit holes recently, making some tough choices about my tech stack.
It's kind of a macOS vs Linux post but just about considering practicalities rather than ideology.
Since 2020 my main computer has been an M1 #MacBookAir with a nice big 4K LG monitor, an OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock with umpteen ports, and a Sound Blaster Katana soundbar. I also have an elderly Linux Thinkpad that I bought second-hand for controlling the #ModelRailway but I'll come back to that.
As a privacy advocate I would love my main working environment to be Linux, and I absolutely hate macOS #Tahoe (I downgraded back to Sequoia after trying it for a week), so I've been watching the #AsahiLinux project closely. Sadly the lack of progress on #Thunderbolt ("work in progress" for 2 years!) means #Asahi is still not an option, because I can't work without the big screen or the dock.
But recently I realised my Thinkpad has Thunderbolt support, and although it's old it's fast enough for software development (it's an X1 Carbon with a 6th gen i5 CPU).
So... (lightbulb moment) why don't I just swap the 2 machines - use the Thinkpad as my main dev machine, and the #MacBook as my model railway controller? Quite an exciting thought. I then spent ages plotting out how this might work, checking which apps I could still use, etc etc.
Unfortunately I came up against 3 barriers:
1. My particular Thunderbolt dock model does not have a Linux driver.
2. Creative do not offer a Linux app to control their Sound Blaster Katana models, and without an app most of the functionality is unavailable.
3. My model railway layout planning app (RailModeller Pro) is a Mac-only app, and using it on a small screen (because the Linux laptop would be using the big screen) would be impractical. The only Linux app that does the same job (XtrkCad) is a monster with a near-vertiginous learning curve and terrible UI. There are Windows apps but I refuse to go down the Wine route.
Whichever way my thoughts take me, I can't get past these three issues. I simply don't have the budget to replace the soundbar, and although the Thinkpad has more ports than the Air, I'd still be juggling cables to a frustrating degree. And yes I could unplug the big screen and put it into the Mac when using RailModeller Pro, but when I consider all these issues together, it's just too much friction to consider swapping the two machines' roles. I'm too old to deliberately make my life harder.
So now, after months of thinking Asahi Linux was going to transform my life, I'm coming to terms with the fact that I should just keep things as they are, and in particular accept these two compromises:
1. Live with Apple-level surveillance on the basis that it's still way better than Microsoft-level surveillance.
2. Stay with macOS Sequoia for as long as possible, and hopefully by the time Apple forces me to upgrade to a new OS version, they will have moved on from the appalling liquid glass UI in Tahoe.
So that's it. I don't like compromising; I never have. The #autistic side of me always wants to take a purist, absolutist approach (privacy at all costs!), but in the end I have to be realistic. Not to mention the #ADHD side of me getting way too excited about CHANGING SOMETHING! YAY! DOPAMINE! But now that I've lived with my #AuDHD diagnosis for a while I'm getting better at accepting necessary compromises.
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If I had a blog, this would be a blog post. I don't, so you lot are blessed with it... it's a bit long.
I've been diving down some deep rabbit holes recently, making some tough choices about my tech stack.
It's kind of a macOS vs Linux post but just about considering practicalities rather than ideology.
Since 2020 my main computer has been an M1 #MacBookAir with a nice big 4K LG monitor, an OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock with umpteen ports, and a Sound Blaster Katana soundbar. I also have an elderly Linux #Thinkpad that I bought second-hand for controlling the #ModelRailway but I'll come back to that.
As a privacy advocate I would love my main working environment to be Linux, and I absolutely hate macOS #Tahoe (I downgraded back to Sequoia after trying it for a week), so I've been watching the #AsahiLinux project closely. Sadly the lack of progress on #Thunderbolt ("work in progress" for 2 years!) means #Asahi is still not an option, because I can't work without the big screen or the dock.
But recently I realised my Thinkpad has Thunderbolt support, and although it's old it's fast enough for software development (it's an X1 Carbon with an 8th gen i5 CPU).
So... (lightbulb moment) why don't I just swap the 2 machines - use the Thinkpad as my main dev machine, and the #MacBook as my model railway controller? Quite an exciting thought. I then spent ages plotting out how this might work, checking which apps I could still use, etc etc.
Unfortunately I came up against 3 barriers:
1. My particular Thunderbolt dock model does not have a Linux driver.
2. Creative do not offer a Linux app to control their Sound Blaster Katana models, and without an app most of the functionality is unavailable.
3. My model railway layout planning app (RailModeller Pro) is a Mac-only app, and using it on a small screen (because the Linux laptop would be using the big screen) would be impractical. The only Linux app that does the same job (XtrkCad) is a monster with a near-vertiginous learning curve and terrible UI. There are Windows apps but I refuse to go down the Wine route.
Whichever way my thoughts take me, I can't get past these three issues. I simply don't have the budget to replace the soundbar with anything decent (I love my music), and although the Thinkpad has more ports than the Air, I'd still be juggling cables to a frustrating degree. And yes I could unplug the big screen and put it into the Mac when using RailModeller Pro, but when I consider all these issues together, it's just too much friction to consider swapping the two machines' roles. I'm too old to deliberately choose to make my life harder for any reason.
So now, after months of thinking Asahi Linux was going to transform my life, I'm coming to terms with the fact that I should just keep things as they are, and in particular accept these two compromises:
1. Live with Apple-level surveillance on the basis that it's still way better than Microsoft-level surveillance.
2. Stay with macOS Sequoia for as long as possible, and hopefully by the time Apple forces me to upgrade to a new OS version, they will have moved on from the appalling liquid glass UI in Tahoe.
So that's it. I don't like compromising; I never have. The #autistic side of me always wants to take a purist, absolutist approach (privacy at all costs!), but in the end I have to be realistic. Not to mention the #ADHD side of me getting way too excited about CHANGING SOMETHING! YAY! DOPAMINE! But now that I've lived with my #AuDHD diagnosis for a while I'm getting better at forcing myself to accept necessary compromises.
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Thread: railway layouts from Exeter Model Railway Show.
Apologies, alt text and more descriptive posts to be added when I get home.
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Thread: railway layouts from Exeter Model Railway Show.
Apologies, alt text and more descriptive posts to be added when I get home.
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It's shame Kato doesn't make Unitrack in code 55 or even code 40. Would make T-Trak a lot more appealing for building an actual layout from.
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It's shame Kato doesn't make Unitrack in code 55 or even code 40. Would make T-Trak a lot more appealing for building an actual layout from.
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It's shame Kato doesn't make Unitrack in code 55 or even code 40. Would make T-Trak a lot more appealing for building an actual layout from.
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It's shame Kato doesn't make Unitrack in code 55 or even code 40. Would make T-Trak a lot more appealing for building an actual layout from.
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It's shame Kato doesn't make Unitrack in code 55 or even code 40. Would make T-Trak a lot more appealing for building an actual layout from.
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First time I've been about to form a train in about 40 years as well.
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First time I've been about to form a train in about 40 years as well.
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First time I've been about to form a train in about 40 years as well.
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First time I've been about to form a train in about 40 years as well.
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First time I've been about to form a train in about 40 years as well.
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Picked up one of Mark Jesser's laser cut ply T-Trak single modules to take for a test run.
Very nicely done, fits together well. Looking forward to putting it together and get some track and scenery on it - this will be the first time I've actually had some track down in something like 40 years.
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Picked up one of Mark Jesser's laser cut ply T-Trak single modules to take for a test run.
Very nicely done, fits together well. Looking forward to putting it together and get some track and scenery on it - this will be the first time I've actually had some track down in something like 40 years.
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Picked up one of Mark Jesser's laser cut ply T-Trak single modules to take for a test run.
Very nicely done, fits together well. Looking forward to putting it together and get some track and scenery on it - this will be the first time I've actually had some track down in something like 40 years.
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Picked up one of Mark Jesser's laser cut ply T-Trak single modules to take for a test run.
Very nicely done, fits together well. Looking forward to putting it together and get some track and scenery on it - this will be the first time I've actually had some track down in something like 40 years.
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Picked up one of Mark Jesser's laser cut ply T-Trak single modules to take for a test run.
Very nicely done, fits together well. Looking forward to putting it together and get some track and scenery on it - this will be the first time I've actually had some track down in something like 40 years.
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Off to Exeter in the morning for the model railway exhibition at the cattle market.
Shopping list written? ✅
Rucksack emptied? ✅
Fluids for the journey? ✅
Self control packed? ❌What can possibly go wrong? Pics will follow as I tour the exhibits.
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Off to Exeter in the morning for the model railway exhibition at the cattle market.
Shopping list written? ✅
Rucksack emptied? ✅
Fluids for the journey? ✅
Self control packed? ❌What can possibly go wrong? Pics will follow as I tour the exhibits.
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I bought some tighter curves for the TT:120 train set to make it fit my table. Turns out Peco track and Hornby track do not like joining together. For fucks’ sake, you cooperate just fine in OO but suddenly a new gauge means fuck the rest of us. #ModelRailway
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I bought some tighter curves for the TT:120 train set to make it fit my table. Turns out Peco track and Hornby track do not like joining together. For fucks’ sake, you cooperate just fine in OO but suddenly a new gauge means fuck the rest of us. #ModelRailway
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After seeing the real thing on Sunday, it has been nice rolling this about for a bit. #ModelRailway #CityOfTruro
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After seeing the real thing on Sunday, it has been nice rolling this about for a bit. #ModelRailway #CityOfTruro
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Corner board is having plaster bandages applied now that the foam is glued down. One layer on so far. Going to add a second layer then smooth out with a thin layer of sculptamould. Dried really quickly in the heat…
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Berlin: Schloss Bellevue, Amtssitz des Bundespräsidenten, im Leeraner Miniaturland (27/04/2024).
#leeranerminiaturland #berlin #berlincity #ostfriesland #leerostfriesland #modelbuilding #norddeutschland #loxx #schlossbellevue #bundespräsident #modellbahn #modellbahnh0 #modelleisenbahn #landscapemodel #modelrail #modellbahnanlage #modelrailway #modelrailroad #hOscale #castle #h0scale #1zu87 #187scale #h0 #modeltrainlayout #modeltrains #hO #germancastles #berlinberlin #hauptstadt
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Berlin: Schloss Bellevue, Amtssitz des Bundespräsidenten, im Leeraner Miniaturland (27/04/2024).
#leeranerminiaturland #berlin #berlincity #ostfriesland #leerostfriesland #modelbuilding #norddeutschland #loxx #schlossbellevue #bundespräsident #modellbahn #modellbahnh0 #modelleisenbahn #landscapemodel #modelrail #modellbahnanlage #modelrailway #modelrailroad #hOscale #castle #h0scale #1zu87 #187scale #h0 #modeltrainlayout #modeltrains #hO #germancastles #berlinberlin #hauptstadt
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#ModelRailway #NGauge #TrainTrackTuesday #Trains
#Today I finally completed the model railway layout plan I've been working on for way too long. I'm already in the early stages of building the benchwork and am feeling quite fired up with the thought of building the layout over the next few (OK, many) months. Here's a blog post with all the details you probably didn't need to know: