The Night Mail

[SM42]

12 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Oh so they do care in community in France do they. Asking because I hear the weather better there and I 'know' someone with a large sorry massive shed where I could 'bunk down'.

 

He's got a nice large pool to relax in too apparently.

 

He calls it the pool, most people call it the Mediterranean. 

 

Andy

[Oldddudders]

4 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

He's got a nice large pool to relax in too apparently.

 

He calls it the pool, most people call it the Mediterranean. 

He's actually much, much closer to the Bay of Biscay!

[SM42]

28 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

He's actually much, much closer to the Bay of Biscay!

 

I think that's the garden water feature. 

 

Andy

[iL Dottore]

@jamie92208 is extremely reticent in saying how large his property actually is (and that’s not including the “pool”, the “water feature” and the Amazon shipment centre sized warehouse, sorry, modest shed). But the truth will out!

 

I recently asked him how long it would take me to get to him,  if I were to visit one weekend;,

He said “oh, it’s only about half an hour by train“.
“From Paris?“ I asked,

“No“ he absentmindedly replied “from my front gate“

 

Edited August 18 by iL Dottore
Deleted surplus comma

[Dave Hunt]

I’ve always been a bit suspicious of Jamie calling his abode Leatherslade Farm.

 

Dave

[iL Dottore]

Well, I am certainly going to be facing a convoluted few months. Our offer on the Atrium House has been accepted, and now we will have an abundance of paperwork to address, money to move around, and 30 years of accumulated living to sort through and, unfortunately, downsize.

 

The Atrium House has the advantage of a large cellar (workshops) which runs under the entire footprint of the house, so this is ideal and I will be able to set up our workstations down there.

 

But why do I mention this? Well, firstly, because I am thinning out my model, railway stocks, retaining just enough material to create my layout “Saint Cuthberts” in EM. So I have plenty of items to (almost) give away. Secondly, and regretfully, as my plans for a post-retirement gigging band has come to nowt, I will be downsizing my guitar, amp and pedal collection*. So I have a 70s Gibson Les Paul Gold Top, a 50s Fender Telecaster and a Seagull 12 string acoustic to sell on, amongst others.
 

Therefore, I am happy to receive messages of interest from TNMs

 

But out with the old and in with the new, Whilst I will be losing much of my model, railway collection, and certainly the greater part of my guitar (et cetera) collection, in return, I will be acquiring a good quality 3D printer (probably FDM as that is going to be sufficient for my needs) for the workshop and an ultra short throw video projector with a motorised, tensioned ALR screen (ambient light rejecting screen) for the new home cinema. The latter simply because much of our current home cinema system is not transferable to the new house.

 

* the decision to thin down my instrument, amp and effect pedal collection was, surprisingly , a much,, much more difficult decision than to downsize my model railway stocks. Perhaps it was because I had been deluding myself that I could transform myself and my playing into a top-notch gigging guitarist, whilst I had no delusions of creating another Pendon or  Copenhagen Fields.

[SM42]

Thinning out is also in action at SM42 Towers as moving to a larger modelling  room has meant I have less space 🤪

 

Mrs SM42 is currently  doing her on line learning for work 

 

She is about 6 courses behind so that should keep her busy.

 

It has taken nearly an hour to get to the start point as she has had to log into her work account ( password long forgotten) then log in to the learning account ( not the same password) and then log in to the courses section. ( guess what)  

 

So  we have reset 3 passwords when it ought to be one to cover it all at initial log in. 

 

 

I am now on standby for advice on how it works, which is funny, Cos I  haven't got a clue. 

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

When we move, we are considering upsizing the house and getting a smaller garden.

 

We currently live in a small house, which is adequate for the two of us, but when we have a full on family stay (2 adults + 2 children) things get quite cramped.

 

Thank goodness we had our conservatory converted by way of a solid insulated roof into a useful garden room, which is useable 24/7.

[Northmoor]

40 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Well, I am certainly going to be facing a convoluted few months. Our offer on the Atrium House has been accepted, and now we will have an abundance of paperwork to address, money to move around, and 30 years of accumulated living to sort through and, unfortunately, downsize.

 

The Atrium House has the advantage of a large cellar (workshops) which runs under the entire footprint of the house, so this is ideal and I will be able to set up our workstations down there.

 

But why do I mention this? Well, firstly, because I am thinning out my model, railway stocks, retaining just enough material to create my layout “Saint Cuthberts” in EM. So I have plenty of items to (almost) give away. Secondly, and regretfully, as my plans for a post-retirement gigging band has come to nowt, I will be downsizing my guitar, amp and pedal collection*. So I have a 70s Gibson Les Paul Gold Top, a 50s Fender Telecaster and a Seagull 12 string acoustic to sell on, amongst others.
 

Therefore, I am happy to receive messages of interest from TNMs

 

But out with the old and in with the new, Whilst I will be losing much of my model, railway collection, and certainly the greater part of my guitar (et cetera) collection, in return, I will be acquiring a good quality 3D printer (probably FDM as that is going to be sufficient for my needs) for the workshop and an ultra short throw video projector with a motorised, tensioned ALR screen (ambient light rejecting screen) for the new home cinema. The latter simply because much of our current home cinema system is not transferable to the new house.

 

* the decision to thin down my instrument, amp and effect pedal collection was, surprisingly , a much,, much more difficult decision than to downsize my model railway stocks. Perhaps it was because I had been deluding myself that I could transform myself and my playing into a top-notch gigging guitarist, whilst I had no delusions of creating another Pendon or  Copenhagen Fields.

Assuming such companies also operate in Switzerland, I will offer the same advice as I gave to a neighbour yesterday who is moving out in a week and was clearing his garage: take advantage of a self-storage unit.  If you are disciplined to withdraw from the unit before too long - and you're not moving a long distance - it can be a very cost-effective way of reducing the stress of moving day.  Basically, put everything other than your main furniture and living essentials into storage before your move (defer sorting through it all until after you've moved), then your new house quickly looks like a home instead of a storage unit for weeks/months afterwards.

 

Self-storage companies make their money (a business I wish I'd gone into around here 25 years ago) by people putting their belongings into storage for longer than they ever intended, because the initial low fees (which can be £1/month for the first two, although there are other charges) tend to rise to "normal" levels after a short period.  But popping back to your unit for a boot-full of bozxes a couple of times a week, means that you can see your progress as the unit progressively empties (and you can usually move into a smaller one to save money) and your house never contains more than a few boxes at once.  This is especially helpful in the space that you want to set up to as a shed/garage/workshop, but can't because it's full of boxes of stuff.....

 

We did this twice; once when part of our garage roof was being repaired and a second time when we re-built the kitchen.  Both times it was well worth it.

[Tony_S]

14 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

When we move,

We are not planning to move. What Aditi thought years go was a small garden is “just right’ now. Much of the house is low maintenance, and any dodgy household  plumbing seems to have revealed itself recently while I am still capable of dealing with it. We think there are good transport links (bus routes to both local hospitals!) but seem to be too remote for family visits. It would seem to be nearer for us to do the driving.

[iL Dottore]

1 minute ago, Northmoor said:

Assuming such companies also operate in Switzerland, I will offer the same advice as I gave to a neighbour yesterday who is moving out in a week and was clearing his garage: take advantage of a self-storage unit.  If you are disciplined to withdraw from the unit before too long - and you're not moving a long distance - it can be a very cost-effective way of reducing the stress of moving day.  Basically, put everything other than your main furniture and living essentials into storage before your move (defer sorting through it all until after you've moved), then your new house quickly looks like a home instead of a storage unit for weeks/months afterwards.

 

Self-storage companies make their money (a business I wish I'd gone into around here 25 years ago) by people putting their belongings into storage for longer than they ever intended, because the initial low fees (which can be £1/month for the first two, although there are other charges) tend to rise to "normal" levels after a short period.  But popping back to your unit for a boot-full of bozxes a couple of times a week, means that you can see your progress as the unit progressively empties (and you can usually move into a smaller one to save money) and your house never contains more than a few boxes at once.  This is especially helpful in the space that you want to set up to as a shed/garage/workshop, but can't because it's full of boxes of stuff.....

 

We did this twice; once when part of our garage roof was being repaired and a second time when we re-built the kitchen.  Both times it was well worth it.

That’s a super suggestion, Northmoor. I’m not sure if they have such things in Switzerland, although I would be very surprised if they didn’t

 

Most definitely something to check out.

 

Very much a top tip. Thank you.

[Oldddudders]

I can second Northmoor on that. Deb and I decluttered our house in Kent to a storage unit, enabling us to display the small house to its best advantage for buyers. Come moving day, the removers simply emptied the unit and off it went to France. 

[polybear]

34 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Assuming such companies also operate in Switzerland, I will offer the same advice as I gave to a neighbour yesterday who is moving out in a week and was clearing his garage: take advantage of a self-storage unit.  If you are disciplined to withdraw from the unit before too long - and you're not moving a long distance - it can be a very cost-effective way of reducing the stress of moving day.  Basically, put everything other than your main furniture and living essentials into storage before your move (defer sorting through it all until after you've moved), then your new house quickly looks like a home instead of a storage unit for weeks/months afterwards.

 

Self-storage companies make their money (a business I wish I'd gone into around here 25 years ago) by people putting their belongings into storage for longer than they ever intended, because the initial low fees (which can be £1/month for the first two, although there are other charges) tend to rise to "normal" levels after a short period.  But popping back to your unit for a boot-full of bozxes a couple of times a week, means that you can see your progress as the unit progressively empties (and you can usually move into a smaller one to save money) and your house never contains more than a few boxes at once.  This is especially helpful in the space that you want to set up to as a shed/garage/workshop, but can't because it's full of boxes of stuff.....

 

We did this twice; once when part of our garage roof was being repaired and a second time when we re-built the kitchen.  Both times it was well worth it.

 

Unless.....

 

Mrs iD really likes that initial "minimalist look" and rapidly gets the right 'ump when iD starts retrieving priceless goodies back to Chateau iD.....

 

32 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

We think there are good transport links (bus routes to both local hospitals!) but seem to be too remote for family visits. It would seem to be nearer for us to do the driving.

 

I'd call that a significant bonus.....it means they won't be turning up every five minutes expecting to be fed.....

[Tony_S]

18 minutes ago, polybear said:

initial "minimalist look"

We moved from a very small house to a much larger one. For quite a while we didn’t add any extra furniture so we had a rather minimalist look. Two years after moving in, most of downstairs seemed to be covered in toys. 

Edited August 18 by Tony_S

[DenysW]

On 17/08/2024 at 10:07, iL Dottore said:

anti-GWR rantings

There's nothing wrong with the Great Wander Round that couldn't have been cured by sacking IKB and his delusions of competence (in mechanical engineering) when the pissing-contest-gauge had only got to Maidenhead and replacing him with some-one rational and conventional. Might not have made the locomotives red, but that's another story, and you can't have everything.

[Dave Hunt]

Ah, but at the time IKB was around, Midland locomotives were green and still had yet to transition to a lighter green and then to crimson lake.

I vaguely recall reading somewhere that one of the famous locomotive engineers but can’t remember which one (Me, old and forgetful? Rubbish!) said that had it been practical to re-establish the railway system in about the 1880s that a gauge of around 5ft. 9in. Would have been ideal.

 

Dave

[Tony_S]

18 minutes ago, DenysW said:

Might not have made the locomotives red,

My last purchased model GWR locomotive was red, Crimson Lake actually. 

Edited August 18 by Tony_S

[DenysW]

23 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

that a gauge of around 5ft. 9in. would have been ideal.

Possibly, but I'm not convinced - The Virginian railway on its Standard Gauge line managed to get 48" low pressure outside cylinders on its most extreme compounds. They didn't fit onto most US loading gauge so had to be delivered then assembled.

 

Thus the killer mistake (not predictable in advance) was actually about making loading gauge = twice nominal gauge and is down to George Stephenson et al. If he'd assumed that a good ratio was loading gauge = thrice nominal gauge and it would work and not make bad things happen to carriages and wagons, UK railways would have cost somewhat more to build, but still have been fit-for-purpose today.

 

Also, if only he'd decided to have 12 ft between lines instead of 'the six-foot', then Huskisson wouldn't have died. No brakes on the locomotives (assumption: there will be no need for unplanned stopping) didn't help.

 

In terms of general ignorance of the importance of loading gauge over nominal gauge, I give you the Leicester & Swanington. Its locomotive on opening day lost its funnel to the height its tunnel had been built, and it had a restricted gauge on wagons until it was finally abandoned.

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

I'd call that a significant bonus.....it means they won't be turning up every five minutes expecting to be fed.....

We did have visitors (friends not family) on Friday. They came for lunch but bought a cake as well. They had been to the Singapore High Commission in London to get their daughter’s citizenship registered. Dad is from Rochdale, Mum is from Singapore. Anyway Hannah thought it would be nice to get some cakes so she said they went into a patisserie .Sam said he had never been in cake shop with bouncers on the door before. It was located in a hotel with doormen. The cake was a nice crème brûlée. 

[bbishop]

..... sitting in a stand at Lord's,  between games.   We are already busy, except it to get busier.

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

Ah, but at the time IKB was around, Midland locomotives were green and still had yet to transition to a lighter green and then to crimson lake.

I vaguely recall reading somewhere that one of the famous locomotive engineers but can’t remember which one (Me, old and forgetful? Rubbish!) said that had it been practical to re-establish the railway system in about the 1880s that a gauge of around 5ft. 9in. Would have been ideal.

 

Dave

The Irish railways were built to several different gauges so someone took an average and calculated it at 5' 3" so that became the Irish standard gauge. 

[PhilJ W]

5 minutes ago, bbishop said:

..... sitting in a stand at Lord's,  between games.   We are already busy, except it to get busier.

I'm watching the cricket from Lords on BBC2.

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Assuming such companies also operate in Switzerland, I will offer the same advice as I gave to a neighbour yesterday who is moving out in a week and was clearing his garage: take advantage of a self-storage unit.  If you are disciplined to withdraw from the unit before too long - and you're not moving a long distance - it can be a very cost-effective way of reducing the stress of moving day.  Basically, put everything other than your main furniture and living essentials into storage before your move (defer sorting through it all until after you've moved), then your new house quickly looks like a home instead of a storage unit for weeks/months afterwards.

 

Self-storage companies make their money (a business I wish I'd gone into around here 25 years ago) by people putting their belongings into storage for longer than they ever intended, because the initial low fees (which can be £1/month for the first two, although there are other charges) tend to rise to "normal" levels after a short period.  But popping back to your unit for a boot-full of bozxes a couple of times a week, means that you can see your progress as the unit progressively empties (and you can usually move into a smaller one to save money) and your house never contains more than a few boxes at once.  This is especially helpful in the space that you want to set up to as a shed/garage/workshop, but can't because it's full of boxes of stuff.....

 

We did this twice; once when part of our garage roof was being repaired and a second time when we re-built the kitchen.  Both times it was well worth it.

 

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

That’s a super suggestion, Northmoor. I’m not sure if they have such things in Switzerland, although I would be very surprised if they didn’t

 

Most definitely something to check out.

 

Very much a top tip. Thank you.

When we decided to emigrate we had 38 years worth of rubbish to declutter. I looked at the various options. As we had already set a moving date some 2 years ahead. I found that the cheapest solution by far, was to buy a 20' shipping container and put it on a farmers land.i did a deal with him that he wouldn't charge me rent but I would give him the container when we finally departed.  Everything was then sorted, room by room and triaged into, tip, charity shop or France. A few things were sold.  Every few months I came over with a trailer full of stuff.  It worked. 

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

In the late 1990s someone at the MoD decided that someone else should try to establish what had happened to all the shipping containers that had gone to the Falklands. Quite a few had been repurposed as remote accommodation, some had been put into use as storage facilities, some were just lying about unloved and unemployed and some were at the bottom of the oggin after sinkings. The total accounted for, however, was no less than four hundred short of those that had been noted as going there. Four hundred??!! How the **** do you lose four hundred bl00dy big items like shipping containers in somewhere not much bigger than the Isle of Wight? 
 

Answers on a postcard to Room 9999, back corridor next to the broom cupboard, somewhere in Whitehall.
 

Dave

Edited August 18 by Dave Hunt

[The White Rabbit]

If the sites and logistics allow, using a container, whether 20' or 40' is very useful. I was going to suggest it but Jamie beat me to it. Trying to cram everything into one day is ... extremely stressful* ... 

 

I speak as someone who has recently moved - and a long way - if you can pack as much as possible away before M day and have them away from the old house then it gives you a lot more space to move in. If you can pack them in a container, then it gives you the option of being able to retrieve things at leisure. Need/want to revamp the new kitchen? No problem. Leave the stuff in the container until you're ready for it. Of course it does mean you get stick from Bear for living on takeaway pizzas for a while... 😉

 

* other terms available and may be a lot more accurate - but would fall foul of the naughty words filter.