The Night Mail

[SteveyDee68]

48 minutes ago, Mike Bellamy said:

If you are a girl without a blog,

Or a boy who wants a dog

 

You're welcome to relay your news 

What you tell us you can choose.

In the spirit of the above, I should state that I am a boy* who is currently looking after a dog for a friend whilst she and her family have jetted off to Florida for a two-week-long, Walt Disney themed holiday.

 

To do so, I am also house-sitting which means I am away from my modelling paraphernalia. Having said that, I shall be collecting a loop of track, a couple of controllers, some lubricant oil and many (many) locomotives** that require “running in” and will be able to set up said loop on the dining room table here without danger of interruption. 😁

 

My lovely friend, in a bid to make sure I am comfortable whilst dog/house/sitting, has provided various alcoholic beverages, M&S meals-for-one and a great deal and variety of cake*** (best keep my location secret lest @Happy Hippo, @Bear and @polybear are in search of sustenance****)

 

She also left me multiple tins of Heinz tomato soup, which I am not particularly fond of and am wondering why she thought I might be keen! But, as they say, never look a gift horse in the mouth so I am off out shortly in search of German (or Polish) style sausage to add to said tomato soup and rustle myself up a filling meal as first encountered on a music tour in Germany back in 1983!

 

SteveyDee68

 

Sorry…

 

Steve S(andiford)

 

 

* Ahem, actually ahem 55 years old (and 3 days) … not quite a “boy” as such … then again, I like “toy trains” 🫢😆

 

** I’m only 17 miles from home, so a quick one hour round trip!

 

*** IMHO, there’s no such thing as too much cake, or even too much discussion thereof!
 

**** aka cake

 

 

[Hroth]

Does this mean we've all got to start appending our real names to our deathless prose?

 

A N Other. age as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.

 

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

Does this mean we've all got to start appending our real names to our deathless prose?

 

A N Other. age as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.

 

 

A bit of Internet anonymity is always a good idea. For example my email address has nothing to do with my name. I have another address that does include my surname but I'm forever getting messages that are supposed to go to other people.

 

One Australian gent who worked for a bank in Singapore kept giving out my email address to hotels and clubs. I was only able to stop him doing that by contacting his boss at the bank 🤣

[John Isherwood]

42 minutes ago, AndyID said:

A bit of Internet anonymity is always a good idea.

 

Why?

 

CJI.

[The White Rabbit]

9 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

Why?

 

CJI.

 

I suggest it's a big subject and fully accept it's often one with a subjective answer. But this article puts the case for users having some privacy: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/internet-ethics/resources/why-we-care-about-privacy/ 

[AndyID]

21 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

Why?

 

CJI.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ohDB5gbtaEQ

 

[Dave Hunt]

Although Phil Parker has reinstated br2975 to TNM, he is still on indefinite 'moderation' and so feels uncomfortable posting. He will, however, still look in from time to time and if anyone has any queries that he could help with he will PM them. It's a great shame but there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it. Happy Hippo is adamant that unless Brian was to receive a public apology for the way that he was treated, which seems highly unlikely, he will not be renewing his membership of RM Web, which is also a great shame. If anyone wants to contact HH let me know and I will pass on his email address (for which I have his permission).

 

The events of the last 24 hours distress me, especially since I feel that they were quite unnecessary, but in deference to others I will not say any more.

 

Dave 

[SM42]

Today has been spent with a friends parents. 

 

A ride on the Zulawski narrow gauge railway started the day 

 

The extensive passenger facilities at the  Sztutowo end of the railway 

 

 

Our loco of sorts

 

 

The whole train on retum to Sztutowo 

 

 

At the other end of the line the power car carried out a run round. 

 

At the Sztutowo end it appears  ( we didn't wait around to find out, but it was how the staff seemed to set it up) the train is propelled around one side of a triangle before proceeding power car first. 

 

The first stop is at the site of one of the first concentration  camps set up in September 1939 at Stuthoff ( to give it its German name) 

A sombre reminder of the unfortunate history of this part of Europe 

 

At the far end of the line there was just time to head across a field and up the flood defence to get a look at the Wistula River before heading back to the train. 

 

Later we headed out further east past Krynica Morska and to the Eastern extremity of Poland hereabouts. 

 

 

That's Russia on the horizon ( Kaliningrad enclave)

 

A visit to to a light house, a paddle in the Baltic ( yes it was cold)  and finally dropping our friends home, ( well their allotment)  which resulted in coffee and a large quantity of fresh produce from the garden being given to us. 

 

Many storks seen and for a change some cormorants mixed in with the ducks

 

 

All in all a good day

 

Andy

 

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by SM42

[New Haven Neil]

Sooo, the Baltic is....baltic? 😇

[Tony_S]

15 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Sooo, the Baltic is....baltic? 😇

Did you ever go there during your maritime career?

[SM42]

19 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Sooo, the Baltic is....baltic? 😇

 

Yes it was. 

 

Also had a good view of a storm out to sea and that it was heading our way. 

 

We got back to the car in good time. 

 

The forecast was for a 77% chance of rain. 

We didn't  see any till after 6 pm. 

 

Andy

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, Hroth said:

Does this mean we've all got to start appending our real names to our deathless prose?

 

A N Other. age as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.

 

If I ever start writing verse I might choose E J Thribb.. 

 

Can I also thank Dave for his work behind the scenes.  As one of HH's Co conspirators in setting up TNM this has. Not been pleasant.  IIRC it was my addled bonce that thought up the name. 

 

Jamie

[New Haven Neil]

14 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Did you ever go there during your maritime career?

 

No Tony, not one of the seas I got to sail on.  Presumably the charters of the ships I sailed on didn't have any trade up there.  Went other cold places though!

[SM42]

This impressive piece of engineering was recently  built to avoid the need to go via Baltiysk, Russia  to get off the Baltic and into the Zalew Wislany lagoon to access the port of Elblag amongst other places

 

 

 

This is looking towards the Baltic. 

 

Two swing bridges carry the road over the lock. One bridge will always be closed, so road traffic is not held up when a ship uses the channel. 

 

The new breakwater at the Baltic Sea end  is visible in the distance

 

Andy

Edited August 8, 2023 by SM42

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

No Tony, not one of the seas I got to sail on.  Presumably the charters of the ships I sailed on didn't have any trade up there.  Went other cold places though!

It was summer when we went there. It was a small cruise ship and we often had breakfast outside on the aft deck. At times the Baltic was quite rough. Heading north the waves were quite long so the ship seemed to run down hill and then up. I don’t normally get seasick but I felt most odd with that motion. After leaving Stockholm and heading south we had conventionally rough seas that prevented tenders being used for a couple of port visits. 

[Hroth]

@SM42 Looking at MBxd2-212, it seems that someone saw a Pacer and thought "What a good idea"!

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Hroth
mistype

[SM42]

16 minutes ago, Hroth said:

@SM42 Looking at MBxd2-212, it seems that someone saw a Pacer and thought "What a good idea"!

 

 

Unlike a Pacer it has two bogies under there. 

 

Didn't ride on it nor the trailer car, so can't vouch for the ride, but it didn't seem to jump around too much. 

 

The track was quite rough, so a Pacer copy would probably bounce itself off into the ditch

 

The open sided carriages are great.

 

You can sit in your seat, arm on the side plate, elbow sticking  out and lean your head out to  look along the train and pretend you are Casey Jones. 

 

Fortunately in this case the vegetation has been kept in trim, so no risk of a tree in the face. 

 

The open carriages has 2 × 1  seating with tables. All in timber. Basic but well appointed

 

The train was very busy with tourists getting on and off along the line.

 

Standing room only most of the way. 

 

3 guards worked the train selling and checking tickets. 

 

Andy

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Although Phil Parker has reinstated br2975 to TNM, he is still on indefinite 'moderation' and so feels uncomfortable posting. He will, however, still look in from time to time and if anyone has any queries that he could help with he will PM them. It's a great shame but there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it. Happy Hippo is adamant that unless Brian was to receive a public apology for the way that he was treated, which seems highly unlikely, he will not be renewing his membership of RM Web, which is also a great shame. If anyone wants to contact HH let me know and I will pass on his email address (for which I have his permission).

 

The events of the last 24 hours distress me, especially since I feel that they were quite unnecessary, but in deference to others I will not say any more.

 

Dave 

 

I for one, have always found Brian's posts entertaining/enlightening/engaging. (which will no doubt mean I'm added to the "watch list".)

#bringbackbr2975

 

[newbryford]

If there's one place amongst soshulmeeja that regulates itself better than anywhere else, it's TNM.

 

#bringbackbr2975

[Northmoor]

I am sympathetic to those affected here but can I suggest a little also goes in Phil and Andy's direction?  They are trying to keep discussions on the straight and narrow and (generally) model railway related.  It would only take a couple of comments posted with discriminatory language for one of the national newspapers to become aware and suddenly we'd have "Racist Train Spotters Outrage" headlines, with the same old photos of diesel enthusiasts "saluting" (which look in freeze-frame and from the wrong angle like Nazi salutes) trawled from the archives.

 

Personally, I wish I'd never commented on the recent subject myself.

[AndyID]

49 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

I am sympathetic to those affected here but can I suggest a little also goes in Phil and Andy's direction?  They are trying to keep discussions on the straight and narrow and (generally) model railway related.  It would only take a couple of comments posted with discriminatory language for one of the national newspapers to become aware and suddenly we'd have "Racist Train Spotters Outrage" headlines, with the same old photos of diesel enthusiasts "saluting" (which look in freeze-frame and from the wrong angle like Nazi salutes) trawled from the archives.

 

Personally, I wish I'd never commented on the recent subject myself.

 

I could make a comment here about who is actually running the country but it would be hypocritical for me to suggest that the US is any different 😄

[NHY 581]

Morning all, 

 

I spoke at length to Brian yesterday and heard at first hand of the actions he has been subjected to. Having worked with Brian for a number of years and had similar experiences, I have my own views on the subject which has led to this. 

I can also understand Richard's course of action. That said, I can also see why Phil felt the need to intervene. 

 

But..........

 

Two mature, educated, articulate, well respected ( during their professional lives and privately) individuals who are brim full of life experiences and extremely capable of presenting a balanced debate have felt they are uncomfortable with the nature of and manner in which the intervention has been conducted.

 

You may draw whatever conclusions you may from that but I for one am equally uncomfortable with it. 

 

For my part, though only an occasional contributor to TNM, I will no longer post on this thread or air any opinions on the wider forum which stem from knowledge gained through my professional experiences. Expand that to my more than occasional "humorous aside" and I am now questioning ALL posts outside of anything modelling related, including this one.

In effect, by proxy, I feel that I too have been moderated and I now find myself questioning my own future contributions to this forum. 

 

Rob

 

 

[polybear]

31 minutes ago, NHY 581 said:

For my part, though only an occasional contributor to TNM, I will no longer post on this thread or air any opinions on the wider forum which stem from knowledge gained through my professional experiences. Expand that to my more than occasional "humorous aside" and I am now questioning ALL posts outside of anything modelling related, including this one.

In effect, by proxy, I feel that I too have been moderated and I now find myself questioning my own future contributions to this forum. 

 

Rob

 

 

 

I can appreciate and support why you (and others) feel as you do; I for one find your (and @br2975's posts - amongst others) regarding your professional careers not only most enlightening but more importantly very useful.

I suspect I saw @br2975's post which led to all this; it came very shortly after Phil's request to "tone it down" and my personal suspicion is that the post was drafted and sent without Brian being aware of Mod intervention.  (I'm sure most, if not all of us have at some time seen reference to posts and thought "I don't remember reading that" and on further investigation discovered that several posts were missed as they occurred whilst typing and sending a post of our own).

[Dave Hunt]

37 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I suspect I saw @br2975's post which led to all this; it came very shortly after Phil's request to "tone it down" and my personal suspicion is that the post was drafted and sent without Brian being.....

 

As far as I have been able to establish that was the case but it was decided that the principle of ignorance of the law is no defence was applied.

 

Dave