The Night Mail

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, Chris Snowdon said:

think I prefer the work of Charles Addams, I feel a bit more confortable with that.

Even Uncle Fester?

[Chris Snowdon]

4 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Even Uncle Fester?

Light-bulbs, energy-prices...  Just a thought...

 

Apparently BBC Inside Science this week is looking at how many lemons it would take to power the ISS, so I'll be listening out for that episode.

[Winslow Boy]

30 minutes ago, Chris Snowdon said:

Light-bulbs, energy-prices...  Just a thought...

 

Apparently BBC Inside Science this week is looking at how many lemons it would take to power the ISS, so I'll be listening out for that episode.

It's not the getting up to ISS that bothers me, it's getting back down.

[PupCam]

43 minutes ago, Chris Snowdon said:

That "Dawn Patrol" video was splendid.  Took me back to reading "Biggles" as a boy (and since - some of the 1930s and 1960s novels are a bit spicy for today!).  Am very curious - are those machines 7/8ths models, built and certified as microlights?  I heard something about (I think...) the Shuttleworth Collection flying that kite (so to speak) about 20 years ago and whilst it made sense to me then, I don't know what became of it.

 

No, they are all 1/3 scale models.  As Shuttleworth was mentioned, here is a picture showing one of the largest gatherings of Dawn Patrol aircraft which happened to be at Shuttleworth about 10 years ago.    If you look carefully you can see my uncovered Sopwith Triplane on the right-hand side at the back and those that know me might even be able to spot my ugly mug.   The Fokker DVII seen in the film is behind the Triplane and the Sopwith Pup "Camera Ship" is seen in the centre-left foreground.

 

 

 

43 minutes ago, Chris Snowdon said:

PS, IIRC, the very first story is actually spicy enough:  Biggles, having lied about his age, is on his first day's training.  An older pilot tries to land, crashes, and burns to death.  The later WWI stories basically involve alcoholism ("lemonade" and "ginger beer" were both originally "whisky"), womanising ("Marie"), manly showing off (Biggles and Wilks having a camera-gun fight to show whether the Camel and SE5A were matched), and several stories in which Biggles clearly has a near-breakdown (including almost shooting Algy).  The tenderness shown by Biggles when Batson dies is also a memorable piece of writing.  All of which now seem to make the 1930s and 1960s stories seem a little tame.

 

I believe James Bigglesworth aka "Biggles" is a contraction of Biggleswade (a mile from Shuttleworth) and Shuttleworth although I can't now remember the exact nature of the connection of W.E.Johns with either although I suspect he was a friend of Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth, the founder of the collection.

 

 

 

[Chris Snowdon]

2 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

It's not the getting up to ISS that bothers me, it's getting back down.

After all the doings, mis-doings and non-doings recently and over the past three years, I'd rather not pursue that one...

[Happy Hippo]

17 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

It's not the getting up to ISS that bothers me, it's getting back down.

Slide down the ladder you keep in your she......

Sorry

[J. S. Bach]

11 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

As those that are well acquainted with my scattergun thoughts know, I do tend to flit from fantasy to fantasy with a short break for the occasional lucid thought.

One such thought passed through my head this morning. I am the nickname of a diesel multiple unit aka The Class 175. ...snip...

There was a Pennsylvania RR I-1 (2-10-0) nicknamed Hippo; it had two large airtanks mounter right up front under the smokebox:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad_I1_class

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[skipepsi]

12 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

As those that are well acquainted with my scattergun thoughts know, I do tend to flit from fantasy to fantasy with a short break for the occasional lucid thought.

 

One such thought passed through my head this morning.

 

I am the nickname of a diesel multiple unit aka The Class 175.

 

 

 

 

I can think of Polybear:

 

The Great Bear

 

And the illustrious DH:

 

A Hughes....

 

...Crab.

 

 

Dave wins that one!

[skipepsi]

10 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

There was a Pennsylvania RR I-1 (2-10-0) nicknamed Hippo; it had two large airtanks mounter right up front under the smokebox:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad_I1_class

Looking at it I am surprised it isn't called Betty...

[polybear]

6 hours ago, PupCam said:

 

No, they are all 1/3 scale models.  As Shuttleworth was mentioned, here is a picture showing one of the largest gatherings of Dawn Patrol aircraft which happened to be at Shuttleworth about 10 years ago.    If you look carefully you can see my uncovered Sopwith Triplane on the right-hand side at the back and those that know me might even be able to spot my ugly mug.   The Fokker DVII seen in the film is behind the Triplane and the Sopwith Pup "Camera Ship" is seen in the centre-left foreground.

 

 

 

 

I believe James Bigglesworth aka "Biggles" is a contraction of Biggleswade (a mile from Shuttleworth) and Shuttleworth although I can't now remember the exact nature of the connection of W.E.Johns with either although I suspect he was a friend of Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth, the founder of the collection.

 

 

 

 

Is the Dawn Patrol still going?

[AndyID]

On 30/09/2024 at 13:10, Dave Hunt said:

I still haven't managed to figure out how to shut down the 'driver assist' carp on the loan car and tomorrow I have to drive it to Bedford where I'm giving a talk in the evening. Should be fun on the M6 and M1. I should have had my own car back by now but the garage that has it still hasn't been able to get the parts.

 

Hence, any more Dad Wall cracks from our Pacific Northwest correspondent will not be received with equanimity 😡

 

Dave

 

I should confess that on one occasion I was reversing my truck down the road a bit to wave to my daughter when a tree trunk suddenly moved and hit my truck. Trees are not to be trusted.

[AndyID]

7 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

It's not the getting up to ISS that bothers me, it's getting back down.

 

Fear not! You will return (eventually).

[Happy Hippo]

6 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

There was a Pennsylvania RR I-1 (2-10-0) nicknamed Hippo; it had two large airtanks mounter right up front under the smokebox:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad_I1_class

That is far more in keeping with my physical profile, although it seems from looking in a mirror, I only have one air tank at the front.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

 

I should confess that on one occasion I was reversing my truck down the road a bit to wave to my daughter when a tree trunk suddenly moved and hit my truck. Trees are not to be trusted.

Neither are telegraph poles.  How do I know that. 

 

Jamie

[AndyID]

6 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

There was a Pennsylvania RR I-1 (2-10-0) nicknamed Hippo; it had two large airtanks mounter right up front under the smokebox:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad_I1_class

 

I might have this wrong but I seem to remember passengers on the observation coach at the rear of the Hiawatha going up the Bitterroots were slightly underwhelmed by the "Hippo" shoving their observation car. IIRC they responded by substituting a pilot loco up front.

[Winslow Boy]

9 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Slide down the ladder you keep in your she......

Sorry

Don't worry I have a garage. Haven't I mentioned that before. How forgetful of me.

Edited 3 hours ago by Winslow Boy

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

 

I might have this wrong but I seem to remember passengers on the observation coach at the rear of the Hiawatha going up the Bitterroots were slightly underwhelmed by the "Hippo" shoving their observation car. IIRC they responded by substituting a pilot loco up front.

I think most folk would be unimpressed by being shoved up the rear end by a Hippo.

[Winslow Boy]

11 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I think most folk would be unimpressed by being shoved up the rear end by a Hippo.

I think most people would have other things on there minds if they were being 'shoved' by a hippo namely getting out the way. Well I would, but i can't speak with one hundred percent certainty for all TNM'ers.

Edited 2 hours ago by Winslow Boy

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Winslow Boy said:

I think most people would have other things on there minds if they were being 'shoved' by a hippo namely getting out the way. Well I would, but i can't speak with one hundred percent certainty for all TNM'ers.

 

Makes me think of that bit in The Italian Job where Benny Hill was assisting an "amply built" woman board a coach....

 

[PhilJ W]

Abandoned locomotive in the UK.

 

Somewhere in north Wales, I'm sure I saw the Great Orme in some of the shots.