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Posted on 01/08/25 06:15:26 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7044 Reply  |
Challenge 1065: One-track mind
I visited a sculpture exhibition in which a friend had some work last week, which involved going to Cowden station. Maybe it's not that unusual in the provinces, but I was surprised to see there was only one platform, and indeed only one track. It turns out the train goes one way, then comes back along the same track in the opposite direction. What could possibly go wrong? High res is here.  |
Posted on 01/08/25 07:38:07 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3117 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Cowden Train Crash: See Wikipedia |
Posted on 01/08/25 10:35:03 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5748 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
When I was a young lad it was still the days of steam and, like most young boys of that era, I was fascinated by the big steam locomotives and wanted to be an engine driver. My doting mother kept many of my childish artworks. I discovered them in a drawer after her death. Here's a painting I did when I was about eleven or twelve years old. It hangs now on my workroom wall. (Memory fails me but I have a sneaky suspicion I might have posted this once before, long ago, in which case my apologies for the repeat.) Seems I had an idea of perspective but hadn't quite got the hang of it. 
Anyway, I remember reading, as a boy, (in Hornby or Meccano magazine?) about the token system used in Britain on single lines. It was used a lot for tunnels which were often reduced to single line on an otherwise twin track stretch.. It worked something like this: on leaving a single line section of track Driver A would deposit a physical token in a box by the track. Driver B, coming in the opposite direction, was not allowed to enter the single line section until he had taken the token from the box and had it in his physical possession. He would in turn deposit it in the box at the other end upon leaving. It was a wonderfully simple and secure system and was fine in the days of tiny local branch lines but soon became too slow and cumbersome as the railways grew. Electric equivalents were devised which meant the trains didn't have to stop. Over time these got linked into the signalling system and became ever more automated. As these systems became more sophisticated failsafe protections were installed. The problem is that, no matter how clever and sophisticated they are, if enough failsafes fail at the same time along with human error (for which there is no failsafe) accidents happen. This was the case in the Cowden head on collision. Well that was fairly boring! ............. but now you can baffle (and bore) folks with trivia on the British Rail branch line token system at the next pub quiz ............. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 01/08/25 2:50:26 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5748 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Shame to let childish efforts go unloved and unused ............ 
One interesting part of this was rebuilding the background perspective to fit the head on train. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 01/08/25 3:18:01 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3117 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
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Posted on 01/08/25 4:01:24 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3297 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
We had the same search results Mariner... 
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Posted on 01/08/25 4:29:05 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3117 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Which ones Loyd? |
Posted on 01/08/25 6:07:52 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3297 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
The train on the left half Michael, I should have been more specific. |
Posted on 01/08/25 6:08:33 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3297 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
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Posted on 02/08/25 04:44:08 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3117 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Never mind Loyd. I see your moose is/are back. Or should that be mooses. Perhaps your sign should read "Beware of the Moose(s)". 
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Posted on 02/08/25 07:07:14 AM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 636 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
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Posted on 02/08/25 09:58:14 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3117 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Good idea Ben. |
Posted on 02/08/25 11:24:16 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5748 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Oh I do like that Ben! _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 02/08/25 11:32:01 AM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 636 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Thank you Michael. Love your artwork David. |
Posted on 02/08/25 11:51:27 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5748 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Michael I see I was not the only one to do a platform rebuild for changed perspective. It's very well done. I didn't spot it at first. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 02/08/25 12:15:27 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3117 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
David, thanks, I had to rebuild it because, yippee! I found the carriages on the net. They obviously belonged in this station (the reflections in their windows?). The only way I could make them look natural was by rebuilding the original platform. |
Posted on 02/08/25 12:54:51 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3297 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Or perhaps 'meeses'... That moose usually only shows up when I am struggling to make anything that fits the WC theme.
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Posted on 02/08/25 12:56:27 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3297 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
A bit of silliness... 
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Posted on 02/08/25 4:58:36 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5748 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Seems we had similar thoughts Loyd. I never thought I'd be playing with animation again and I think, in the future, I probably won't. But I've learned a little bit more. The little clip I've incorporate is far too short and low res but that's all I could find that I could fit in properly. Sadly he is leaving bottom left of frame in the original clip so I couldn't try moving him further away and looping to give him a longer travel.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 02/08/25 10:26:18 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3297 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1065: One-track mind
Buster Keaton works great David. I really like this, you should continue with the occasional gif.
I've also been working on a monochrome version, but have had all kinds of problems getting it to suit me. The perspective and the overall tone is giving me fits.  |
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