Rik Thistle

Eric, This is all quite fascinating and informative for me, especially since you have a backgound in how landscapes are actually formed. I look forward to each post (and Comments) on the bridge and tunnel scene taking shape. Keep 'em coming, thanks. Richard

Greg, That is a great result. Very well done. Richard

Threshing machines in Europe were designed to output into sacks. That rings a bell. I think a tractor and trailer* then carried the sacks from the thresher to the drying building. And then I can sorta recall the labourers taking the sacks on their backs up the stairs to the drying floor where the grain was then spread out. I now do remember there being neat piles of sacks stored in that building. Sacks played a big part in farm life. Richard *Again my memory is a bit fuzzy. Threshing was carried out near the farm buildings so it is possible there was no need for tractor/trailer - rather the labourers walked the short distance to the building with the sacks on their back, or perhaps used a sack trolley - I do remember there being a few sack trolleys about the farm.

Eric, On my Dad's farm (late 1950s/early 1960s) I vaguely remember the grain from the fields being lifted up* in to the first floor (UK terminology) drying loft of one of the large farm buildings where it was then spread out on the wooden floor. Rats and mice were always a problem hence plenty of farm cats. Once the grain was dry, it was then put in to sacks and slid down a short wooden slide fitted to the bottom of one of the first floor 'doors' onto the trailer positioned underneath where the sacks were stacked up. *I can't recall how the grain was first lifted up to the drying floor.... racking my memory but nothing yet. As Egilman says, a bucket chain lift could have been used but I don't recall seeing that. I know later in the farm's history there was a Lister bale/sack elevator used for moving heavy items up (and down?). Perhaps something like what is depicted here was used in the earlier days....https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/straw-elevator.html?sortBy=relevant .... but handling loose grain would still need some kind of container to carry it up there. Maybe the workers carried grain filled containers on their back up the stairs. Richard PS: Page 37.... https://wshc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Wilts-Farmsteads-Char-Statement-2017pt3-504.pdf seems to imply that, in the UK, in the 18th/19th century the grain was lifted up in sacks.

Kevin, This kit looks very interesting. Looking forward to your build. Richard

OK, thanks James. Richard

James, Currently, when I 'Sign In', I use firstly click on the small banner at the top of the page.. ...then the box shown below appears and I enter my Display Name and Password. Are you saying that 'Display Name' will be renamed 'email address'? Thanks, Richard

I gather life-vests would prevent the rowers in the water to duck through the surf, but on the other hand being knocked unconscious could be fatal. Yes, good point. I can see that that a life-vest would be a bit cumbersome and a hindrance in certain situations. Mark mentioned that jet-skis were used to quickly get to trouble spots. Those things are quick but every second does count. Still, a very interesting competitive sport that I wasn't aware existed. I'll keep my eye out for it in the future. Richard

Mark, It's pretty common for 30-40% of the boats to not finish a race & sometimes worse. I can believe it! The sport looks very challenging but must give an enormous buzz to the participants. I can see it is also a great spectacle so am surprised none of the international TV companies have picked it up, or have they? Richard PS: No life vests, but I suppose everyone out there can swim like a fish 😉

RGL, This has come up OK A slight understatement, to put it mildly 🙂 I look forward to seeing the figures working the machinery in the farm yard. Great stuff. Richard

All over Europe, threshing contractors were going around from farm to farm (as were ploughing contractors), as buying threshers (or steam-ploughing sets) would not be economical for individual farms. Yes, certainly in Scotland the farms tend to be quite small compared to the USA, say. There are sheep farms in the Scottish borders at about 2,000 acres but usually farms are much smaller. There is a tendency now to merge farms (and remove hedgerows) to improve efficiency, but I suspect the large capital equipment is still hired in. In England, Harry's Farm (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFNRLTPU9263dTOYgrVcnHw/videos ) has it own combine harvester but Harry (like Clarkson) has other revenue streams. Anyway, RGL, thank you for doing this impressive build...it looks superb and has rekindled some very old and fond memories. Richard Edit: From Wiki.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combine_harvester History - In 1826 in Scotland, the inventor Reverend Patrick Bell designed a reaper machine, which used the scissors principle of plant cutting (a principle that is used to this day). The Bell machine was pushed by horses. A few Bell machines were available in the United States. In 1835, in the United States, Hiram Moore built and patented the first combine harvester, which was capable of reaping, threshing and winnowing cereal grain. Early versions were pulled by horse, mule or ox teams. --------- A parallel development in Australia saw the development of the stripper based on the Gallic stripper, by John Ridley and others in South Australia by 1843. I didn't know any of that....I learn something new every day 😉 I remember we still had a couple of Clydesdale horses on the farm but they were in well deserved retirement. Powerful, friendly animals.

RGL, On my Dad's farm, at harvest time, the thresher used to arrive plus a road going steam tractor. Once they were hooked up and working, the noise movement, worker activity and 'stoor' was more than a very young child could wish to see. Very happy days. Richard

Jackson, Another aspect to modelling, which is a very absorbing hobby, is the ability to discuss/share projects with others eg this forum. I think the 'internet' has added a whole new dimension to the matter as one is now able to retain the individualism of the build whilst immediately discussing it with many others from many lands. Richard

A 1hr video recording by 'Andy's Hobby Headquarters, Arizona' ... So much to see. Amazing models, dioramas, figures, paints, accessories etc everywhere. Thank you Andy. Richard

This link any good?....Archaeologists Find 500-Year-Old Shipwreck in Baltic Sea | Archaeology | Sci-News.com -https://www.sci.news/archaeology/shipwreck-baltic-sea-07431.html Extract: “This ship is contemporary to the times of Christopher Columbus and Leonardo Da Vinci, yet it demonstrates a remarkable level of preservation after 500 years at the bottom of the sea, thanks to the cold, brackish waters of the Baltic,” said team member Dr. Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, a maritime archaeologist and deep sea archaeological expert at the University of Southampton. Richard Edit: From Feb 2023 ... Shipwreck of 500-Year-Old Floating Castle Found to Contain 'Thrilling Haul' - Newsweek - https://www.newsweek.com/shipwreck-500-year-old-floating-castle-gribshunden-found-thrilling-haul-1780019