Early Risers.

[roundhouse]

Morning all,

 

Rather grey here but rain promised later.  Herself and the good Doctor have set off to the Tower of London to say farewell to the poppy field but I'm staying at home to get on Later) with some auction lot shuffling (altering unsold lots to hopefully make them more attractive) and to receive three rather nice railway 'official' postcards from Pre-Grouping - one of which is G&SW which might excite Jock.

 

Ah Dom, I've been to Halle too - well only to change trains during my grand tour.  Impressive new (this was 2003) station but an awful lot of lineside weeds.  So here you are, Halle (Saale) station on 05 September 2003 -

 

gtd01 050903 253b Halle.jpg

I remember getting off at Halle in the early 90's on a very cold winters morning, the station was so gloomy back then (and plenty of weeds).Its much cleaner nowadays and good to see the main tran shed is till there. Those new platofrms are used by the services to Halberstatd and Wernigerode, well, certainly each time we have been there.

 

Up at 4.45am this morning so had a reasonable nights sleep. Might have a lay in tomorrow morning as no work, so will probably be up just after 5.00am!!!

Edited November 13, 2014 by roundhouse

[Barry O]

Have completed MY housework... sorry but I am banned from painting, lifting objects above my head and anything outside of our house(s)!

 

Coffee time then.. trains...

baz from a very wet, grey and dull Leeds..

[Ashcombe]

A wet and windy morning here but I'm happy indoors being amused by my neighbour's cat, Sabrina. She is spending the morning here whilst her owners prepare to move house tomorrow, when she'll be with me for several hours!

 

[Killybegs]

Weather report from the western approaches. Still raining but getting brighter. Temperature has dropped 4 deg C since 6.30 this morning!

 

John

[Killybegs]

While I was writing the last post, it struck me that one may wonder what was the relevance of the ship in my avatar. Jeannie Johnston is a replica of a  three masted barque that was used as an emigrant ship during the famine. The replica has had a chequered career, repeating the voyages to Canada and the States, operating as a sail training vessel and finally ending up as a static museum in Dublin. For more info see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanie_Johnston.

 

She visited Killybegs back in 2004. Having ascertained what time she was due to leave, I hiked out to the headland at the entrance to the harbour (about a two mile walk from the road end, negotiating bogs, barbed wire fences and aggressive cattle!) and waited and waited and waited. Two hours after she was due I packed up and headed for home. I had only gone a couple of hundred yards when I heard the flapping of sails and had to rush back to my vantage point. It was, however, worth all the effort.

 

Here she is seen heading out to sea past the lighthouse at St John's Point. The avatar actually shows her a little later with Ben Bulben in the background. Ben Bulben towers over Drumcliff in County Sligo where W B Yeats is buried in the local churchyard.

 

History lesson over for today. Back to modelling!

 

John

 

[The Stationmaster]

"My" RHTT has 37604 at the head today, due to a collision on the Kings Lynn branch it's currently 2 hours early heading my way - I can almost hear the noise already !

(I hope no-one was injured in the collision)

I hope you haven't been putting a jinx on one of my old fleet Mr Beast 

[NGT6 1315]

If you're afraid of trains, don't look here! Spotting in Dreich Conditions

 

 

 

 

[Oldddudders]

Afternoon all

 

First of all, TVM for all the kind wishes yesterday - much appreciated! The privileged environment that is ERs means you have known for some time of the plans that Sherry and I have for 2015. My entry on Facebook yesterday hinted that marriage next year is on the cards, but it is still mete for me not to name the poor victim! I got lots of warm responses, many from people who knew Deb rather better than me, which was nice.

 

Yesterday was bright and sunny, albeit with a bit of breeze, most of the day. Today is overcast but some sun is making an impact now. Alison has been doing the housework this morning, is now weeding the flowerbed.

 

Next Monday is the formal hearing of her dispute with her former partner, Ben, who is now at Uni in Abersytwyth, but of course claims to be at home. The custody of the three young children is the issue to be decided by the court. And guess what - the lawyers are going on strike from next Monday. The dispute (the lawyers' one, that is!) seems to be about proposed changes to their role in criminal cases, so as this is obviously civil she may be lucky. Only in France.....

 

Hope the week is tying up nicely for you. Nearly Friday!

[NGT6 1315]

Managed to post another loco profile, too: Chestnut and Isabelline Behemoth: FS class E.428 from Rivarossi

 

 

And because I like this video so much, I'll just repost it, too:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTDV7Nn1Bp4

[trisonic]

Missing in action yesterday, so a big welcome to the 66 Club, Ian.  Hope you had a wonderful day….

 

I'm with you on car dashes, DD.  There are a few buttons here I've not used in over year and God help you trying to adjust the heating flow or changing the radio frequency in the dark at 70...

 

Give me the simple rotary controls any day of the week.

 

 

I totally agree . Mercs need to learn ergonomics - they are absurd!

 

Sorry I missed you last night, Jock! I had a great “quote” too. Hopefully tonight...

 

Best, Pete.

[skipepsi]

Nearly crashed ours trying to change from auto wipe to bloody fast wipe because the auto wipe wasn't fast enough to clear the water. As an extra thought why do auto headlights not come on when it is foggy, both the zafira and the picasso are the same.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Late on parade, as I had a quite early start taking 30747 to the local Infirmary where she was due to have her annual camera up the back end inspection.  Due at 8.30, and little traffic, so we were there before they unlocked the unit at 08.00 and once we were in, we sat and sat and sat with no explanation - I had to go into town at 9, and she was still sitting there with nobody telling her what was going on.  Finally called (after I'd been gone a while) at 9.15, as the Doctor was late in arriving - but no real reasons given.  So homewards about half an hour behind expectations, and after I'd had to shift the car due to being in a two hour bay.  The receptionist suggested that I could use the 20 minute pick up/drop off bays at the back of the unit, and when I got there, the same two cars that had been there since about 8.30 were still in the two spaces - no doubt if that had been me, the parking enforcement people would have taken a turn round the block and stuck a ticket to my windscreen.  Dinner duty, and then a trip out to let 30747 walk off the after effects of the procedure. 

 

Fully caught up - again it's taken a while, and hence, just the usual blanket congratulations and commiserations all round as I need to get Lily out before it starts to rain - the wind is already getting up a but not as bad as some areas, by all accounts.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Ian Abel]

Morning all...

 

Visited our friend who had the bypass last night - he's doing amazingly well, full of cheer, sprightly, walking around and says he never felt better. They're moving him today to a rehab location close to their home on the east side of the metro area, he's ahead a couple of days of normal recovery so we're well pleased He may well be feeling good enough to join us for Thanksgiving dinner after all (two weeks from today).

 

Auto ergonomics - bahhhhhh... I've spent half-a-lifetime working on human interface design on computer systems (successfully I might add!!) and concluded long ago from looking at most cars out there - both ones I own and others -  that the interior controls/human interfaces are generally designed by nocturnal blind aliens with no arms or other appendages to work the controls, therefore they just sling any parts they have to hand at the dash and whatever sticks is what you end up with - you're lucky it actually works at all!

 

Then again - the other parts aren't much better - I mean, what numbnuts designed the Mitsubishi Diamante I used to own, in such a way that in order to change the spark plugs you have to remove the entire bloody intake manifold and associated components, as well as draining the damned cooling system?!?! The local garage wanted $600+ for the job (that's $100 a plug for those arithmetically challenged!!!  ), and they're my local/friendly/reasonable cost place! I ended up doing it myself - with a LOT of pissing and moaning, as there is enough associated plumbing and crap to remove and reattach that you go berserk!

 

With apologies to any auto engineers/designers here - the common joke/suggestion I hear is that auto designers are the folks that FAIL design school

 

On to the day - a "bracing" -8 this morning, partly sunny, expecting to rush all the way up to -4 today before plummeting to -14 over night!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Ian Abel

[shortliner]

I've always said that auto engineers/designers should be given the average motorists tool-set, and made to take it apart and put it back together for six months and drive it a minimum of 100 miles a week during that period, before the model is released onto the unsuspecting punters. Watch designs change rapidly!!!

[Smiffy2]

Why do I need a mechanic to change my headlight bulbs?

[jamie92208]

Afternoon all.   Got back safely from the funeral after some problems in the morning.  The whisky didn't seem to make the transfers stick as well as meths and the 4,2 & 0 fell off.   I just had time to apply new ones and put the loco back together.   The funeral went off very well, if that's the right words.  Peter was an enthusiast of many things including motorbikes and model railways.  His coffin arrived on the sidecar of a Triumph motorbike escorted by hi son and son i  law on bikes.   His daughter drove up with a granddaughter in the Panther 3 wheeler kit car that he had built using a 2CV s the parts donor.  Several 2CV's turned up as well.   One of the songs we sang was "You'll never get to heaven"  and one of the verses was  "in an old Ford car". 

 

The loco was with a selection of other memorabilia at the wake and was much admired even if the 4 and 2 had slipped a bit.   It'll be coming back for me to finish it off and varnish it in due course.    Thanks to all ER's for all the support.  I was happy to have played a  small part in helping the day to go off well.  Now it's back to the normal madness of getting Green Ayre ready for warley and getting the Wakefield show sorted.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

ah but you see they design the car to be built not to be serviced! Hence the need to remove the battery and fuse box from a 04 plate Mondeo to change a headlight bulb....

 

Production engineering gone mad...

 

Baz

[Happy Hippo]

Looking at a lot of 'professionally' designed items, I am convinced that the designer does not:

 

a.  Have to live in it or use it.

 

Or decides to

 

b. Makes it look good rather than being ergonomic and functional.

 

However they must

 

c. Ensure that any consumable items within the structure are totally inaccessible.

 

Apart from that, it's been a grey and damp day here, so Elsa decided not to go for her daily jaunt up to the moor head.

 

Our tickets for the RBS 2015  rugby match in Rome for  Wales v Italy arrived this morning, and I've already sorted out the flights. Free, courtesy of NatWest Yourpoints! (And by BA too, not white knuckle airlines)

 

Now we just need to sort out the accommodation.

 

On the railway front, my Bachrus rolling road has arrived in country, and is to be delivered tomorrow.

 

Hours of fun are bound to ensue.

[Tony_S]

Big knobs for the things that you might need while driving, pushbuttons for stuff you shouldn't be fiddling with while driving.

[station cat]

I have returned from London. As The Stationmaster said up-thread, the original aim was just to go and see the poppies, but we ended up going to a couple of other places too. I'd never previously been to the Cenotaph at this time of year and it would have been rude to pass through Paddington without going to the GWR memorial.

 

Poppies at the Tower

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merchant Marine and Fisherman's Memorial, which is just behind the Tower in front of Trinity House

 

 

The Cenotaph

 

 

Royal Naval Division Memorial on Horseguards (looks rather dilapidated sadly)

 

 

GWR memorial at Paddington

 

 

 

FGW locos were wearing their poppies

 

[trisonic]

Re the above:

They are generally a good thing but there are problems if the phone lines are down etc.,.

I know of one elderly lady who has used it to advantage after a fall.

 My MiL over here has one that uses the cellphone system - they always know where she is even if she decides to take a stroll in the local park.

Experience with massive power outages after “Sandy” here indicate that these things still work up to 5 days after power goes out (when cell towers back up starts to fail) - even then text data seems to get through somehow.

 

Dunno whether you have this facility in the UK, of course...

 

Best, Pete.

Edited November 13, 2014 by trisonic

[trisonic]

Big knobs for the things that you might need while driving,

We won’t go there; but numeric keypads have no place in a “cockpit”.

 

Look to F1 where they can control most parameters manually but their systems are actually fairly simple to input even when they are busy. I suppose it will trickle down eventually.

 

Best, Pete.

[Smiffy2]

Looking at a lot of 'professionally' designed items, I am convinced that the designer does not:

 

a.  Have to live in it or use it.

 

Or decides to

 

b. Makes it look good rather than being ergonomic and functional.

 

However they must

 

c. Ensure that any consumable items within the structure are totally inaccessible.

 

 

Especially true of cookers. I'm convinced that no cooker designer has ever had to clean one.

[Happy Hippo]

We won’t go there; but numeric keypads have no place in a “cockpit”.

 

Look to F1 where they can control most parameters manually but their systems are actually fairly simple to input even when they are busy. I suppose it will trickle down eventually.

 

Best, Pete.

No wipers, lights or even a reverse gear.

 

No pedestrians, cyclists or slow moving vehicles and everyone going the same way on exactly the same route.

[Ohmisterporter]

Stewart's experience in our local hospital today reminded me of a similar happening about five years ago. I had an appointment at 09:00 and was early for it, along with a dozen or so others. We sat and waited until quarter to ten when one of our number intercepted a passing nurse and asked how much longer we had to wait because she had only parked for an hour and it was running out. The nurse replied, "Oh, mister xxxxx does his ward rounds first thing in the morning, he won't get here until ten o'clock!", and marched off. If they know that why on earth do they ask people to come in at nine?