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Early Risers.


Mr.S.corn78
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Grey here today - but another 56 move to Norwich, hopefully a different one (local rumours are saying it might be double headed 56s - NURSE, the screens !), later so something to look forward too

 

Just got canned :O :threaten:

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You lost me there Barry. I am a complete computer numptyoholic! :scratchhead: 

 

I see that model train catalogue only allows for two billion items of stock.

Who would buy software with such limitations eh?

 

I rest my case M'Lud!

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Morning all,

 

Fingers duly crossed for all going well for our very own Black Five (he knows who I mean) and sympathy to Gordon and family.

 

Ah, aeroplanes - well i used them a bit workwise in my final big railway job and the oddest trip was from Glasgow to Brussels as I had a meeting in the land of the Belgae the day after one at Polmadie.  So having overnighted by sleeper from London and breakfasted in the now closed restaurant at Glasgow Central  then ECS'd to Polmadie it was back to Central to get to Paisley and the airport, just in time for the late afternoon rush hour where I watched a succession of aircraft depart and every one of 'em was prop driven (including a couple of Shorts 360s). Then I was off on a BAC 1-11, white fin job on lease to BA so rather fun and the front end wasn't exactly crowded so pleasant flight.  Scariest airline I ever travelled on without a doubt was LOT - the Tu134 was quite exciting and they actually had metal cutlery but the IL18 back into Heathrow from Krakov made some very peculiar noises after the landing gear had deployed, sounded just like a privy door flapping in the wind but one of the smoothest landings ever and definitely a better flight than one I once endured on a Dakota.

 

Ah well doubt that was then and flights now are few and far between but I think iD's advice is well worth listening to while another tip is to pre-checck-in and select your seats in the nearest row to the front you can get if travelling cattle class because if you're lucky you'll get them in Club configuration even if the magic curtain is nearer the front end.

 

Big day today, not - Jewson's to pay the bill, Tesco, and later off to view some auction lots as last time I was misled by the description and bought blind so instead of getting a set of 6 G&SWR steamers I actuallya got 3 different plus 3 duplicates (they're going back today for refund).

 

Have a good day folks.

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Something large and black just passed the living room window on its way down to Sheringham station on an Allelys low-loader. Closely followed by its tender. Wonder what that was? It'll take an hour or so to unload so I might go and be nosey.

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I heard in the radio news this morning that Government papers have been released from 30 years ago which suggested that psychopaths could help restore order in the country in the aftermath of a nuclear war.  This clearly never happened, as they graduated to running the country instead! :jester:

I would disagree with you there Simon sociopaths run the country now.

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The most interesting flight I had was in a Vickers Varsity. I was an air cadet at the time and a group of us were taken up for a two hour flight. The Varsity was used for training bomber crews and was fitted with a bomb aimers position in the belly, this was accessed by a hatch in the floor. At about 10,000 feet the Flight Sergeant decided to show us the bomb aimers position, some felt a bit queasy looking straight down two miles with only a thin piece of perspex between you and the ground.

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Don't talk to me about airlines! Ryanair are stopping flying from Derry (our 'local' airport) to Birmingham two days before Warley!!! (it used to be 2 flights a day, this year it went down to 3 flights a week, then .. zilch! I do see they have upped the number of flights from Dublin though. Unfortunately that means catching the bus on the Friday and staying at an hotel either at Dublin Airport or in Birmingham. Ceases to be a relatively cheap trip!

 

Alternative planning in progress!

 

John

I entirely sympathise, as our nearest airports are all between 2 and a half and 3 hours away - Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds/Bradford & Glasgow.  It always makes for additional hassle and expense when trying to fly anywhere!

 

I would disagree with you there Simon sociopaths run the country now.

On reflection, you might just be right!  But is there a clear distinction between psychopath and sociopath?

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On reflection, you might just be right!  But is there a clear distinction between psychopath and sociopath?

I suspect there are quite a few socialised psychopaths. They can be quite scary people as they have learned to "disguise" themselves. 

Tony

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Morning all, driving again today after the flu jabs. Made a 4x3x2 vivarium with number one son last night for a new snake! I am so soft with my children it is a wonder I am not a puddle. Must get on and do stuff before he leaves again, shopping etc.   

 

 

Sociopaths regard the rest of the population as wooden skittles Psychopaths want to knock them all over?

Edited by skipepsi
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Something large and black just passed the living room window on its way down to Sheringham station on an Allelys low-loader. Closely followed by its tender. Wonder what that was? It'll take an hour or so to unload so I might go and be nosey.

 

Curiosity satisfied. It was BR Standard 4MT #76084 just back from the GCR and yes, it did have a tender behind!

 

post-17811-0-65288000-1414666622.jpg

post-17811-0-48978700-1414666630.jpg

 

And whilst I happened to have the camera in my pocket... I believe the frame that Beast helped remove from Brandon box recently is destined for here...

 

post-17811-0-97860000-1414666645.jpg

Edited by Pete 75C
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I assume AirUK have disappeared too, I certainly haven't heard of them since.

Yes, AirUK are gone too.  They were bought by KLM, who formed KLM-UK.

 

Around the turn of the 21st Century (if my memory serves me correctly) KLM-UK formed Buzz which was a low cost airline flying some of the former AirUK and KLM-UK routes.

 

Buzz were then bought by Ryanair - who killed off most of the old routes and the non-Buzz remains of KLM-UK were absorbed by KLM Cityhopper.

 

It is rather a shame, because AirUK and later Buzz did an excellent service from Stansted to Frankfurt (and I mean the real Frankfurt Airport - not the one in the Eiffel ;) ).  When I lived in Essex and was travelling regularly to Frankfurt, I was a very regular passenger.

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Just to update you - Ian arrived back safely in France on Tuesday evening but found that the Internet is not working so he is in Le Mans today, trying to sort it out. So that is why he hasn't been contributing to RMWeb recently.

 

I'm adjusting to a few weeks of solo living until he returns in December, ahead of my three week Christmas/New Year visit to him. I'm being kept busy with rehearsals as I've begun to help with Tadpoles, the youth theatre branch of Toads, who are performing a play about the First World War next month. Ian has kindly left me an amount of washing and ironing to keep me occupied too!

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Morning all,

Gordon, expected or not, it is still a painful reality when it happens and a stark reminder of just how tenuous our grip on life is! Having had, at our ages, many such family losses, Joanna and I will be thinking of you and your brother. Hope all the horrid tasks are completed without hassle and you can all then dwell on the good memories.

Hope 'Elaine' copes whilst Stewart is laid low, caring isn't the easiest of jobs as Joanna is finding out after my operation. I still have a month more of the recommended recovery period and she is beginning to look very tired!

As promised, some details of the steam loco on the 'Poplar Miniature Railway', from yesterday's garden centre visit : 'Poppy' was built to a design by Roger Marsh, based on a Hunslet NG tank loco, for 'Thomas2' on the 'Beer Heights' railway. It was built to 7.25inch gauge in the Pennines by John Horsfall for the 'Grosvenor Park Railway' in Chester and purchased by 'Knight's Rail Environmental Services Ltd' and is the current mainstay at Poplar. Weighing three quarters of a ton, and steam braked, it is effectively an 0-4-2T-T as it has a sit on tender attached. Photos to come later when I get time! The owner of the company who run the railway and lease the land from the nursery, presumably Mr Wright, is a really genial chap (for an LNER/Southern fan) and I spent some time chatting to him. He was responsible for a similar venture in Eastleigh until recently but was made an 'offer he couldn't refuse' and so set up this new venture. They have a back up electric loco and a second steamer as well as an American outline which is soon to be boiler tested in time for next season. It was really pleasing to see how busy they were, despite miserable weather, during this October half term week. He sadly also told me of the sad demise of the 'Dobwalls Steam Railway' attraction in Cornwall. When I lived there in the seventies, it was founded and run by a lovely man called John Southern who has since passed away. The railway was sold but I was told yesterday that the new owner ran into difficulties and it has all been sold up with the beautiful American outline locos and stock all going to Australia! Even had a superbly detailed 'Big Boy' and a 'Mallett'. Being an old f*rt, I can't remember if it was on ERs or Lunester Lounge that I had a dialogue about Dobwalls in the past - sad eh?

Mike(Stationmaster), I hadn't realised until your earlier post, that you took an interest in the G&SWR?

Off to do my chores now and as mentioned, hope to get some photos processed and uploaded later. A curse on anything that ails any of you today,

Kind regards,

Jock.

Edited by Jock67B
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Jock my G&SWR interest (apart from reading David Smith of course) is a sort of unusual angle one as I collect railway postcards and when I can afford it I buy cards of railway owned ships - hence these particular cards.  I would also go for G&SW advertising cards but the good ones tend to be pricey and the pictorial ones are, alas nothing out of the ordinary to the extent that they can capture my money instead of it going on either GWR official issues or just about any British railway company's ships (although I have to steer clear of some of the Furness ones as they also tend to the pricey end of the spectrum; the same company's advertising cards, which are absolutely gorgeous, run into three figures EACH so are alas another thing I have to forego).

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The most interesting flight I had was in a Vickers Varsity. I was an air cadet at the time and a group of us were taken up for a two hour flight. The Varsity was used for training bomber crews and was fitted with a bomb aimers position in the belly, this was accessed by a hatch in the floor. At about 10,000 feet the Flight Sergeant decided to show us the bomb aimers position, some felt a bit queasy looking straight down two miles with only a thin piece of perspex between you and the ground.

 

Perspex, you should be so lucky. When I was at CCF camp at RAF Aldergrove (now Belfast International Airport) we were given a trip out over the Atlantic in a Hastings used for weather forecasting. That had an open hole for lowering weather equipment, guess how many caps disappeared out of there. Where's your cap boy!

 

Going back to business trips in Saudi, the road trip north from Medinah to Al-Ula travelled for a long way alongside the old Hejaz railway. There are still the remains of locos, wagons and tracks blown up by Lawrence (of Arabia) lying out in the desert and, while I was there, a Scottish firm had the contract to do up the old loco shed at Madein Salah and bring in some of the wrecks that were still in reasonable condition.

 

post-7952-0-46748400-1414670436_thumb.jpg

 

I don't know who this good looking guy is. Must be an old photo with all that dark hair!

 

post-7952-0-20058700-1414670430_thumb.jpg

 

This was the only road into one of our hospital sites in the south of the country. I travelled it twice in and twice out every month. It was a 200km drive down the tarmac from Riyadh, change vehicles then 100km on the dirt. Everything came this way, artics transferred their loads to local trucks for the drive in. The new road was being built at the same time but was finished after the hospital but long before mains electricity arrived. Towards the end of the project we were able to use bits of the new road. This was not safe as night as the contractor came back to install culverts after the road had been surfaced and there were several fatalities when vehicles fell into the holes at high speed.

 

post-7952-0-40682800-1414670415_thumb.jpg

 

John

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