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Topic: Collect other things?

Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 08, 2009 02:42 PM

My track laying days were before I even had a real computer in the house. Being that this is narrow-gauge track it shouldn't be too close to perfect anyway!

I did some real trackwork at the Museum (up in Maine) dedicated to my prototype line in the same years as I built the layout. One of the things I learned was to start by tapping the spike in about half an inch because if it isn't solid in the tie you may bounce it off your leg the first swing. I also learned if you hit the railhead with the spike hammer it may take a few seconds for your hearing to return. Tight to the gauge: inside spikes first. Loose to the gauge: outside spikes first. Make sure the bevel on the spike point is crosswise to the tie or it will split!

It was fun, but it made me appreciate having an office job!

At home I figured a foot of track per night was about enough. The wood is soft and the spikes are sharp, so it's not hard to push them in.

My rail was mostly .070", which is 35 pounds per yard in O-Scale, but sidings could go down to .055" for 25 pound which is very tiny stuff.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted March 08, 2009 02:54 PM

JOE!

You reminded me of my Murray Hill four record set of the Marx Brothers, officially titled ...

"Three Hours ... Fifty Nine Minutes ... Fifty One seconds ...

with ...

THE MARX BROTHERS!

It's a box set, (boxes with no rips or tears, that's somewhat rare!) and except for some slight wear on the front of the box, it's in mint condition. I don't even know if the records were even played, perhaps once; they don't look it.
I have always had a yearning to take this and, with a good record player, convert these straight to CD on one play and do further audio restoration on them in the computer!

It had that rare early radio broadcast, "Hollywood Agents" (1938) which was neat to hear.

I'm sure you already know, but apparently, other companies either just got the rights to these reocrdings or pirated them, (with less quality control) on other labels, as I know that another label released the same set a little later, but divided it into two, 2 LP sets.

Stewart!!! I so envy you and your collecting those old cylinder
records from over a hundred years ago! Do you have any plans to somehow restore the audio from those? To me, it's amazing to actually hear people, whether singing, playing music or talking from over a hundred years ago! They live once again; spanning the years!

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 08, 2009 04:20 PM

How can you restore audio on Lps from a computer?

The Marx edition, yes I have - Someday I will completely sell-out everything, for now, the chase was/is an adventure -

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Glenn Brady
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 117
From: North Carolina, USA
Registered: Nov 2006

posted March 08, 2009 05:05 PM

[deleted]

[ March 09, 2009, 04:42 PM: Message edited by: Glenn Brady ]

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted March 08, 2009 06:55 PM

Joe ...

It depends on the program, but if you load the audio from, lest say a slightly worn LP, it will ...

1. Get rid of the surface wear on the actual vynl (I think I spelled that wrong), getting down to the core recorded signal on that platter.

2. Beyond that, (if you wish), you can then get rid of original tape or disc "hiss" in the recording, leaving the actual recorded sounds and not the background noise of the recording source or what the recording is made on.

Audio purists really differ when it comes to this. Being that you are into old time radio as well, the results from this audio restoration can be quite striking. I have the full series of Sherlock Holmes shows (Not the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce shows), and the shows actually sound like your in the very recording hall, (they were done live), even, in some cases, the background "coughs" and creaking of a chair, (not in script). The digital restoration of much of the "X-Minus One" (best sci-fi radio series ever!) are amazing when you compare them to the old cassette versions that we used to have to suffer through.

Some audio purists, though, would actually prefer to have that tape hiss still in there, and I agree at some points, as some digital programs can slightly cut off a fading guitar pluck for instance, or slightly clip off dialogue, if not done well.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted March 08, 2009 09:42 PM

This is a good topic makes very interesting reading especially model railways I did have a Hornby train set when I was young a lot of fun I landed up giving it away to a friend who then gave it to his younger brother. It was interesting that on a visit to to my parents in UK the 90s I came across his sister who told me that they had never forgotten me giving them that train set "amazing after all those years" it was still being used and assured me it had been well looked after.

I do remember when I was about 10 or 11 we built a hut at the back of an old church close to the railway line and some bright spark "not me" had the idea to get rid of the long grass with a match...well our hut went up in flames but so did the church yard. I guess the wind was blowing the wrong way...soon the railway embankment went up in flames [Eek!]

right up to the tracks. I do remember a few fire engines turning up real quick. It was not long before the railway police were knocking on the door. I wont mention what happened over this but I guess I could say that I always had interest in the railways. [Wink]

Graham.

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Stewart McSporran
Master Film Handler

Posts: 272
From: Glasgow, Scotland
Registered: Nov 2003

posted March 09, 2009 03:26 PM

Osi,

Yes there is magic in listening to the old cylinders - except for the so called comic ones - while I'm not a member of the PC brigade by any means I'm more than happy that some of these styles of humour are now museum pieces.

I was thinking of restoring some, even tracked down some websites that gave ideas on doing it, but just never really got round to it. The simplest way to record them is to use a magnetic cartridge on the end of a long arm (about three feet at least). However I've felt a bit dubious about possibly damaging the cylinders with a diamond stylus. The originals are sapphire, and still available from a company in New York!

I did turn an old Realistic direct drive turntable into a dedicated 78 RPM machine, complete with custom stylus and KAB Vintage Signal Processor which does such a good job of cleaning up the sound you need very little, if any, post production on the PC.

I recall having a discussion similar to this about a year or so and someone else here collects cylinder machines.

Stewart

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