The Night Mail

[AndyID]

28 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

All this talk of ride-on mowers prompts an observation of life's changing priorities.

 

In my childhood, we had a lot of caravan holidays.  Many Caravan Club sites had a ride-on mower with a trailer for the warden to go round collecting the bins as well as the mowers' main purpose.  At the time, I thought a job where I got to drive a small tractor seemed like a dream (and I grew up in rural Wales with tractors going back and forth every day) and I'm sure many little boys thought similar.  Who didn't want to drive a JCB when they were a kid?  Of course as we get older, you get encouraged to aspire to more, perhaps a "profession" and to improve your status.

 

I wonder how many men, after years of the 9 to 5, advancing as far as they can in their career and seeing others much younger catching them on the career ladder, dream again of driving a small tractor for a living as a preferable and much lower stress existence.

 

Guilty as charged m'lud. 😀  (Although in my case it was more like 8 to 8 and panic phone calls and emails all weekend. Then there was the engineer hostage taking by little outfits like HP, IBM, ...............

 

I'm surprised I even lasted until I was 57.

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

Of course that isn't actually the Gatwick Express but you knew that.  The North Downs line says much that is wrong about transport investment in the UK.  

 

Maintaining the finest traditions of the South Eastern Railway.

 

 

[Embedded link.]

[Dave Hunt]

4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

As for me, I'd rather go out with a bang than fade away in a cancer ward like my father.

 

A quote from Bob Monkhouse, "When I go I'd like it to be peacefully in my sleep like my father.....

 

.... and not wide awake and screaming like his passengers."

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, Doncaster Green said:

At the time an Uncle was a senior engineer with that organisation it was known within the family as the Ministry of Plunder,  Blunder and Wonder.

 

John

 

When it was responsible for all RAF infrastructure it was often referred to as the Ministry of Prats, Bodgers and Wan**ers.  

 

Dave

[SM42]

48 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

Misspent  youth obviously. It explains a lot.

 

It was.

 

Mostly for growing vegetables I didn't like. 

 

What a waste

 

Andy

[Hroth]

3 hours ago, PupCam said:

Do tell us more.    Being "vertically challanged"  I could never reach the top shelf in the '70s ......

 

 

I never personally handled the magazine myself, but the title must have caught my eye at an impressionable age...

 

There is a wikipedia article about it, I won't link it here but will leave it as an exercise for the curious.  The original American publication sounds like it was a pretty unpleasant publication. The UK edition might/must have been toned down to conform to obscenity laws.

 

[Winslow Boy]

47 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

It was.

 

Mostly for growing vegetables I didn't like. 

 

What a waste

 

Andy

 

So to clarify it was a waste of 'youf' or vegetables?

[Doncaster Green]

51 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

When it was responsible for all RAF infrastructure it was often referred to as the Ministry of Prats, Bodgers and Wan**ers.  

 

Dave

We were being nice to Uncle, but, having been on the receiving end of their successors, the PSA, I totally understand where you coming from!

John

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[AndyID]

Serious goings-on near Maison André. The private road in our little community was getting some much needed work done. When we came here almost thirty years ago it wasn't paved at all and it produced a lot of dust in the dry months. Much better since it was paved but the problem is too many seem to think it's a motorway so we had to install speed bumps. (And these are people who claim to be responsible adults. Other terms are available.)

 

 

[pH]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

Serious goings-on near Maison André. The private road in our little community was getting some much needed work done. When we came here almost thirty years ago it wasn't paved at all and it produced a lot of dust in the dry months.

Our street was gravel when we moved here. (Technically, it’s a lane.) At the beginning of every summer it was graded, then oiled. Not a great thing if you had a white car. It’s been paved for many years now.

[polybear]

10 hours ago, PupCam said:

Target Technologies was started and run for many years by Rob  Davies who used to own the P51 Big Beautiful Doll.   The new owner of BBD had asked him to display it at one of the Duxford air displays.  I bumped into Rob at TTL the week before his unfortunate accident at Duxford in BBD when it was struck by a Skyraider that took a short cut.   Although he stayed with the aeroplane initially it was clear to him that it wasn't going to last and fortunately at minimum altitude he managed to get out and land safely if not totally devoid of injury.      Analysis revealed significant damage to the P51's lower rear fuselage - just where the control runs to the tail are located.    Anyway, thank heavens  he made it OK.     The wounded Skyraider with a shortened wing managed to complete the circuit and land safely.

 

 

Nothing like Google for a bit of Duff Gen:

 

Mustang Skyraider Crash at Duxford

In the world of aviation, Mustangs and Skyraiders are two names that are synonymous with power, speed, and agility. However, even the most sophisticated aircraft can experience mishaps that can result in catastrophic consequences. In this subsection, we’ll delve into the Mustang Skyraider Crash at Duxford and take a closer look at the details surrounding this infamous incident.

The Incident

In 2011, the “Big Beautiful Doll,” a P-51 Mustang, and the Skyraider collided during a display at the Flying Legends Airshow in Duxford, UK. The impact caused both planes to plummet to the ground in a barrage of smoke and fire, leaving the audience in shock and horror. The pilot of the Skyraider, who remained calm and composed throughout the ordeal, managed to eject himself from the plane before the crash. Unfortunately, the pilot of the Mustang, Rob Davies, was not as fortunate and tragically lost his life in the accident.

 

10 hours ago, Northmoor said:

All this talk of ride-on mowers prompts an observation of life's changing priorities.

 

In my childhood, we had a lot of caravan holidays.  Many Caravan Club sites had a ride-on mower with a trailer for the warden to go round collecting the bins as well as the mowers' main purpose.  At the time, I thought a job where I got to drive a small tractor seemed like a dream (and I grew up in rural Wales with tractors going back and forth every day) and I'm sure many little boys thought similar.  Who didn't want to drive a JCB when they were a kid?  Of course as we get older, you get encouraged to aspire to more, perhaps a "profession" and to improve your status.

 

I wonder how many men, after years of the 9 to 5, advancing as far as they can in their career and seeing others much younger catching them on the career ladder, dream again of driving a small tractor for a living as a preferable and much lower stress existence.

 

I suspect that many JCB Drivers are earning a nice little wedge (without getting rich) and have a hell of a lot less stress and aggro than others do.

[jamie92208]

My middle son, who drives all manner of machines including JCB's, delighted in driving it along busy  roads during the rush hour, going slowly. 

 

Jamie

[AndyID]

14 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

My middle son, who drives all manner of machines including JCB's, delighted in driving it along busy  roads during the rush hour, going slowly. 

 

Jamie

My tractor is considered "agricultural" so I can just about get away with driving it, untaxed and uninsured, on the local roads. I've done that a couple of times but it's unlikely I'll do it again.

[SM42]

8 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

So to clarify it was a waste of 'youf' or vegetables?

 

Both really. 

 

So much effort for such a poor outcome. 

 

Still.

 

A Merry Tiller

 

Not a complete waste of time after all

 

Andy

[iL Dottore]

15 hours ago, Tony_S said:

The only Norwegian train I have been on was to Flåm. That was rather interesting. Our local trains are Trenitalia and I have no complaints. Nether are airport trains though. I delivered Aditi’s uncle to Stansted last Saturday without difficulty. I did suggest on his return the week,after next it would be easier to get the Stansted Express to Tottenham Hale and either get a cab to Enfield or get  one of the Enfield family to collect him as he will be staying with them. I hope the Stansted Express isn’t too bad. 

I'm currently sitting in a SBB Stadler FLIRT on the way to ZRH. It's two connected 4-car EMU units, but not specifically an airport train. None of the SBB services to Zürich Airport are dedicated airport trains, just whatever is on the service that goes through Zürich Airport station.

 

The Stadler FLIRT is OK, but not as good as the regular rolling stock (stand alone carriages). It's also not really suitable for an airport service. There is a small luggage compartment, but certainly not enough for an airport run.

 

The last dedicated airport train I travelled on was the NEX (Narita Express) when I left Tokyo at the beginning of July. Rather pleasant too.

[AndyID]

2 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

Both really. 

 

So much effort for such a poor outcome. 

 

Still.

 

A Merry Tiller

 

Not a complete waste of time after all

 

Andy

 

I can't stop wondering if there is a connection between the Merry Tiller and the Merry Widow.

[Winslow Boy]

42 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

I can't stop wondering if there is a connection between the Merry Tiller and the Merry Widow.

You mean apart from the song.

[newbryford]

3 hours ago, pH said:

Our street was gravel when we moved here. 

 

You were lucky to have gravel..........

 

(cue four Yorkshiremen sketch)

 

 

[bbishop]

I'll ask the question in TNM, knowing we have three Midland Railway enthusiasts who can answer for their railway.  

It is apparent, from my research into the London & South Western Railway, that some directorships were regional.  So there would be a director representing Devon, another Dorset, another Hampshire. There was always a couple of bankers and, after the acquisition of Southampton Docks in 1892, a couple of shipping magnates.  But were the regional directorships typical of other railways?

 

Bill

[newbryford]

12 hours ago, Northmoor said:

 

I wonder how many men, after years of the 9 to 5, advancing as far as they can in their career and seeing others much younger catching them on the career ladder, dream again of driving a small tractor for a living as a preferable and much lower stress existence.

 

I find that a few hours on the mower on the course is quite stress relieving. 

Especially last night. It's not often I do the "top three" on the course.

 

The views across the Ribble Valley are superb.

 

 

And yes - it is tricky to play along the slopes.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by newbryford

[jamie92208]

52 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

You mean apart from the song.

You mean the are both about having furrows ploughed.

16 minutes ago, bbishop said:

I'll ask the question in TNM, knowing we have three Midland Railway enthusiasts who can answer for their railway.  

It is apparent, from my research into the London & South Western Railway, that some directorships were regional.  So there would be a director representing Devon, another Dorset, another Hampshire. There was always a couple of bankers and, after the acquisition of Southampton Docks in 1892, a couple of shipping magnates.  But were the regional directorships typical of other railways?

 

Bill

Certainly the head if the Farrer family at Clapham N Yorks had a directorship.

 

Anyway here is my humble little yellow machine that I've used to pick up the hedge clippings this morning.  The very useful trailer was left by the previous owner. We bought the tractor mower for a couple of deltics.

Jamie

 

[MrWolf]

I had a McCulloch chainsaw some years ago, very good bit of kit, despite what the chainsaw snobs said (Stihl saw or no saw.)

[SM42]

The heating is on at SM42 Towers to facilitate testing of the boiler for its service. 

 

It's a little on the toasty side to say the least

 

 

Andy

[MrWolf]

Here at Firkham Hall, I have all of the windows open and it's still tropical.