The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Then they wonder why people take the law into their own hands.

 

The property damage I might understand but the assault is completely unacceptable. That's a definite nasty-gram to the Chief Constable, MP and the Daily Wail.

They tried that with Nyda about 25 years ago, so it's nothing new.  To cut a long story short, I protested to the local police and invoked the name of my solicitor.

 

He was a a very fierce Scottish advocate, who was considered the devil incarnate as far as the CPS was concerned,  and he was not partial to any police officer whom he felt was shirking in their duty.  

 

A successful prosecution followed.

 

These days,I'd merely suggest that a lack of action would result in a complaint to the IOPC, who are the biggest bunch of anti police persons this country has.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Happy Hippo

[AndyID]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I removed the wheel bolts on a Renault Scenic I had, but the wheel would not come off. I went to the garage where I had bought it and asked them to take the wheels off and put them back on. They did but said mine was the first Scenic with that problem though they had dealt with a number of Renault Espace with similarly stuck wheels. 

 

Those familiar with the original VWs will remember it is impossible for a wheel to stay attached to the hub once the five bolts are removed. That's because the wheels did not have centers at all. They were more like rims with lugs for the bolts to go through. And they were attached by bolts that threaded into the hub/brake-drums.

[Winslow Boy]

11 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

And I think that I've known several who just have a black hole instead of one. 

 

Jamie

They would be the owners of Audi's who drive at speed through flooded sections of road flinging up most of said liquid over my car. Argh well at least I won't have to wash the car.

[AndyID]

On 09/12/2023 at 13:46, Dave Hunt said:

 

 

On 09/12/2023 at 13:46, Dave Hunt said:

 I think I know what happened as yesterday evening when going for the fish 'n chips I hit one of the myriad potholes that Shropshire seems to be growing and although by the time I got back the tyre low pressure warning hadn't come on it must have caused enough damage to leak overnight. I'll have to take it into our friendly tyre man on Monday morning and just hope that the alloy rim hasn't been KO'd.

 

I had a similar incident with the Fiat Spider last year. The tire developed a slow leak and I was really concerned that the wheel was cream-crackered. Fortunately the wheel was OK but the tire was a gonner because the leak was in the wall.

 

Unfortunately the tires were the originals that came on the car when new and there were no replacements available in the US so I ended up getting four new tires. It wasn't too bad because the treads were quite well worn.

 

There is no spare wheel of any sort. You couldn't even fit one in the boot. The car does come with an electric inflator pump but if that doesn't get you moving it's AAA time.

 

Come to think of it, even though the car can't carry a spare it might not be such a bad idea to keep one at home. A lot of the mileage is close to home and I could probably get a lift home and come back with the spare and swap it myself.

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by AndyID

[Hroth]

5 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

They would be the owners of Audi's who drive at speed through flooded sections of road flinging up most of said liquid over my car. Argh well at least I won't have to wash the car.

 

Well, you know what they say about Audi drivers!

 

[polybear]

8 hours ago, SM42 said:

Just had update from friends. 

 

A complaint has been made. 

 

They have reported the car as having no MOT and being used on the public highway online. 

 

They are leaving it at that. 

 

The damage ( small dent and scratch, ) is probably less to repair, than their excess when seen in the cold light of day  so no point going down the insurance route. 

 

They are putting it behind them now content in the knowledge that some karma may come from  the MOT thing.  

 

Andy

 

Check here to see if it's insured:

 

https://ownvehicle.askmid.com/

 

Of course they could say "dunno nuffink 'bout it Occifer - Archie the Audi is on the drive at the moment cos' he's not very well, that's why the MoT's expired".

And if the MoT has expired (and/or the car is uninsured) then Archie has to be SORN'ed - failure to do so is an automatic eighty quid fine.....so your Buddy could always fone DVLA and "remind" then.....

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by polybear

[coastalview]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

see if it's insured:

 

https://ownvehicle.askmid.com/

Well I didn't know you could do that. Thanks 

[newbryford]

On 09/12/2023 at 10:15, skipepsi said:

Whisper this quietly I am thinking of buying a second-hand pannier in 0 gauge probably from ebay are there any suggestions?

 

Therapy?

 

[Jeepy]

2 hours ago, coastalview said:

Well I didn't know you could do that. Thanks 

I think in most cases if the vehicle has no mot the insurance would be void anyway,

 

Jim.

[PhilJ W]

10 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

They would be the owners of Audi's who drive at speed through flooded sections of road flinging up most of said liquid over my car. Argh well at least I won't have to wash the car.

Hopefully some of that water got into his engine compartment and he spluttered to a halt a few miles down the road.

[newbryford]

14 hours ago, AndyID said:

IIRC the wheel nuts on one side of Armstrong-Siddeleys had reverse threads because someone had a rather large bee in their bunnet 🤣

 

Morris LDs had different threads on each side.

LD axles were the favoured method of supporting F1 stockcars....

 

"Slack to the back" was the easy way to remember it - unless someone unwittingly put a left side hub on the right axle end

Not pointing any fingers at my brother.......

 

 

 

The studs did have a "L" stamped in the ends to help, but not easy to see after a shale race.

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

6 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

Morris LDs had different threads on each side.

LD axles were the favoured method of supporting F1 stockcars....

 

"Slack to the back" was the easy way to remember it - unless someone unwittingly put a left side hub on the right axle end

Not pointing any fingers at my brother.......

 

 

 

The studs did have a "L" stamped in the ends to help, but not easy to see after a shale race.

 

 

 

He, ieve that Rolls Royce had left and right hand threaded wheel nuts, hopefully not on the same side. 

 

Jamie

[Porkscratching]

The Ford centre hub nuts I was fighting with a scaff pole were "handed" R and L respectively as I recall..  ( I was aware of this btw and wasn't trying to undo 'em the wrong way! ) 

[Canal Digger]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

Check here to see if it's insured:

 

https://ownvehicle.askmid.com/

 

Of course they could say "dunno nuffink 'bout it Occifer - Archie the Audi is on the drive at the moment cos' he's not very well, that's why the MoT's expired".

And if the MoT has expired (and/or the car is uninsured) then Archie has to be SORN'ed - failure to do so is an automatic eighty quid fine.....so your Buddy could always fone DVLA and "remind" then.....

looks useful thanks

[polybear]

4 hours ago, coastalview said:

Well I didn't know you could do that. Thanks 

 

One reason why not declaring any accidents etc. when changing insurers will backfire - it's all on the MID for Insurance Companies (not Joe Public) to refer to - and use as a reason to refuse a claim.

[Happy Hippo]

The visit to the Rolley man cave was made earlier on, the Efflew Valley received an inspection: The report will be graded highly satisfactory.

 

Goodies were exchanged, and Brian found that feeding me Welsh Cakes is akin to putting coinage into a slot machine.

 

I have now stopped in Monkland for a top up: This time some soup, and a slice of their chocolate cake.

[br2975]

17 hours ago, SM42 said:

Well where did that weekend go?

 

Bit depressing today in that some friends were involved in a minor collision in a car park

 

They were stationary at the time. In fact parked.

 

When they challenged the occupants of the other car for their details, the got aggressive and refused.

When friends started taking photos of the damage the other party got physical.

 

It was suggested the police be called and they made haste in the direction of off.

 

A check of the car registration  reveals no MOT (so possibly no insurance either depending on the wording of any policy they have).

 

Friends reported the incident to the police. Both the accident and the road rage that followed

 

It appears making off from the scene of an accident is no longer a police matter, neither is having no MOT or indeed any provison of The Road Traffic Act as well as anything related to assault  as it was in a public (council run ) car park.

 

So there you have it. Crime is not crime in the West Midlands unless it is committed on the open road.

 

I despair.

 

 

Andy

 

.

An RTA (Road Traffic Accident) in a car park can be a difficult one.

.

The wording of Section 170 of The Road Traffic Act, 1988 includes - "............ 

owing to the presence of a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road, or other public place, an accident occurs by which—

(a)....................  or

(b) damage is caused.

.

The difficult one here is defining a 'public place' to suit the RTA

.

A 'public place' is 'a place to which the public has access (at the material time) whther upon payment, or otherwise.

.

e.g.

A football stadium is private property, but once the turnstiles open, and during a match, that private property becomes a public place.

.

Similarly, a Retail Park car park is private property but can be deemed a public place when the stores are open.

.

This scenario is a minefield, when it comes to the law - take for example Max-Power Rallies on Retail Park car parks when the Retail Park is closed for business ?

.

This is compounded by the police failing to train their (civilian) call handlers in the finer points; and these undertrained 'call handlers' are under pressure to real with as many callers as possible.

.

Sadly, many police officers are now no longer trained in such matters either

.

My brother was victim of a FTS (Fail to Stop) RTA very recently (on a public road) and despite having the VRM of the offending car, was told the same 'it's not a police matter, report it to your insurance'

In his case it was a clear offence contrary to Sec.170 of The Road Traffic Act.

He made a formal complaint to the local force, who have admitted their 'call handler' was in the wrong and labelled it as a 'misunderstanding' and a 'training issue' - which means the force concedes they have failed to train, or supervise their 'call handlers'

.

Whether the circumstances described actually do form a reportable road accident as described under the Road Traffic Act and associated legislation is not for me to determine; but I would always 'demand' to know how the call handler, or officer arrived at their decision.

.

And remember, the telephone conversation with a police control room or contact centre is always recorded.

[br2975]

16 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

They are putting it behind them now content in the knowledge that some karma may come from  the MOT thing.  

 

.

Tell them not to hold their breath.

.

Even if action is taken regarding the 'alleged' lack of a Test Certificate, the punishment will be minimal.

[bbishop]

Drinking a cup of tea in the National Gallery cafe.  The way I like it - Earl Grey,  with lemon not milk.  Then off to Dutch 17th century. 

[AndyID]

3 hours ago, Porkscratching said:

The Ford centre hub nuts I was fighting with a scaff pole were "handed" R and L respectively as I recall..  ( I was aware of this btw and wasn't trying to undo 'em the wrong way! ) 

 

The handing on the center hub nuts does make sense. I can't remember whether its determined so that forward travel would tend to slacken or tighten the bearing. Not sure which would be worse - a hub parting company with the axle or the hub shearing the axle off the suspension :)

 

The handing of the wheel nuts is a load of rolocks. As as a wheel rotates the inertia of a nut tends to resist rotation so the friction between the nut and the wheel has to apply a torque to the nut to make it rotate at the same speed as the rotation of the wheel. Depending on the direction of rotation that torque will either tend to tighten or loosen a normal right-hand thread.

 

So technically it does make sense to use left-hand threads on one side. The flaw in this reasoning is that the amount of torque is tiny compared to the torque required to keep the wheel properly attached to the hub.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

13 minutes ago, bbishop said:

Then off to Dutch 17th century. 

Tomorrow, you could  do it for real, jump on an early departure Eurostar to Amsterdam, take a brisk walk to:

https://www.thepantry.nl/en/

order Erwtensoep* for the authentic old time flavour and consume,  then walk back to platform 15b to return to St Pancras.

[Porkscratching]

10 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

The handing on the center hub nuts does make sense. I can't remember whether its determined so that forward travel would tend to slacken or tighten the bearing. Not sure which would be worse - a hub parting company with the axle or the hub shearing the axle off the suspension :)

 

The handing of the wheel nuts is a load of rolocks. As as a wheel rotates the inertia of a nut tends to resist rotation so the friction between the nut and the wheel has to apply a torque to the nut to make it rotate at the same speed as the rotation of the wheel. Depending on the direction of rotation that torque will either tend to tighten or loosen a normal right-hand thread.

 

So technically it does make sense to use left-hand threads on one side. The flaw in this reasoning is that the amount of torque is tiny compared to the torque required to keep the wheel properly attached to the hub.

They're tightened against the main direction of rotation so they'd theoretically not tend to undo in normal use. Some will probably have various types of knock over tabs to secure as well. 

[iL Dottore]

On 09/12/2023 at 15:19, Happy Hippo said:

It probably won't work.  You either follow the accepted standards of the society, or you end up with running issues. Flanges and flangeways will drives you nuts if you start trying the mix and match approach.

 

The 'standards' are there for a reason, in that they have been proven to work over a number of years.  At the very least they allow you to buy wheelsets that will run as expected without any tweaks or alterations.

I think that you're right, that way madness lies.

 

In the sample kit the the 3mm Society sends to new members (and a nice little kit is is as well) there are two lengths of track: one 12mm wide, the other 14.2mm.

 

The thing is, would a layout with minimal track work (as is planned) look better with 14.2mm track (prototypical width) or 12mm track? If there is no discernible difference, I would not go for fine scale and the associated headaches. If there IS a noticeable difference, I would go for 14.2mm (I could possibly commission point work).

 

Actually, what I might do is post a sketch of the planned layout and see what the combined sages of TNM have to say...

[newbryford]

9 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I think that you're right, that way madness lies.

 

In the sample kit the the 3mm Society sends to new members (and a nice little kit is is as well) there are two lengths of track: one 12mm wide, the other 14.2mm.

 

The thing is, would a layout with minimal track work (as is planned) look better with 14.2mm track (prototypical width) or 12mm track? If there is no discernible difference, I would not go for fine scale and the associated headaches. If there IS a noticeable difference, I would go for 14.2mm (I could possibly commission point work).

 

Actually, what I might do is post a sketch of the planned layout and see what the combined sages of TNM have to say...

 

12mm in 3mm scale (4 feet) is slightly worse than 16.5mm (4 feet 3 inches)  in 4mm scale.

 

IIRC, British Finescale in conjunction with the 3mm Society are doing 14.2mm track and points?

 

If you have minimal track, then I would go for the 14.2 approach.

 

edit: found this: 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by newbryford

[AndyID]

11 minutes ago, Porkscratching said:

They're tightened against the main direction of rotation so they'd theoretically not tend to undo in normal use. Some will probably have various types of knock over tabs to secure as well. 

 

Castellated nuts with splitpins used to be common. I've also seen split nuts with an Allen head screw to clamp them on the axle.