Early Risers.

[AndyID]

9 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

As I see it, there are a number of very serious problems in “banning history“;

 

I don't think anyone is attempting to re-write history. What they are doing is tearing down some symbols that should never have been put up in the first place.

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

When I was 7 or 8 the game round the neighbourhood was cowboys and Indians. I have just received some bandana face masks from the usual source

Meet El Bandito

 

When I went to El Salvador in 2007 we werecall told to take bandannas as we would be travelling on dusty roads in the back of pick ups. The only thing I had was my old cub neckerchief which was bright red. When we were there I asked if red was alright as a colour. No problem they said it was the colour of the rebels in the civil war they'll like it. 

 

Jamie

[JohnDMJ]

Good Evening all,

 

It seems that our own risk of C-19 contamination begins soon. However, if the supermarkets have managed for the last 11 weeks, if our customers have been buying food , etc., there should not be a problem! It's the emaciated waifs and strays we need to watch out for! Those of us who have maintained the business over these 11 weeks are, perhaps understandably, apprehensive about the change but over the last two weeks, four furloughed staff have returned and have fitted in to the new regime, hopefully, the change will be OK. However, a certain camaraderie has developed amongst those of us who've Carried On Regardless throughout and anxiety is rising about the changes. Will see what we will see.

 

Meanwhile, Life Goes On Despite Evereything!

 

Back at the ranch:

 

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Typical!

 

It's totally the wrong gun.

 

The 'Easy 8' Sherman which had a much superior ride due to the HVSS  (Horizontal Volute Spring system); was fitted with either a short fat 105 mm howitzer for close support or a 76 mm long barreled a/t gun with a muzzle brake.

 

I see a case of Rule One here; it's my tank and I'll do want I want! Let's face 'facts'; Thomas was is a tank engine!

 

6 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

G'day all,

 

Editor duly cleared and the rain appears to be having an inter-rainum which might give the opportunity to get the shopping to the quarantine location, the immediate use stuff as been suitably disinfected (the packaging that is, not the contents).  However more rain is promised and the weeds are clearly thriving on it while some of the veg also looks quite perky.

 

Now what an excellent idea Chris - Nice is a very good place to use as a centre for exploring the area round about and quite a lot of that can be done by train although when we stayed there we never did the CFP narrow gauge line but we did go chasing a steam special which went down well with the junior offspring (the lad) as he'd never realised such things were done by allegedly sane older people.  Yes, having a car can be advantageous, particularly to reach various out of the way restaurants and some interesting non-rail connected towns and villages but you can still do an awful lot by train including a trip over the border to Ventimiglia which among other attractions still had when we were there a roundhoiuse with overhead wiring plus some interesting electrical working for the foreign (French) trains.  There is also an excellent triangular journey you can make by rail up into the mountains to Breil (although when we did the FS part was rail replacement 'bus). 

 

The old part of Nice is recommended as the best place to eat - good grub, often local dishes, at reasonable prices compared with the bit the more affluent foreign tourists frequent and there are other towns along the coast which produce excellent eateries once you get away from their seaside parts.  One big advantage of train travel is that you go through Monte Carlo in a tunnel so you have the fortunate advantage of not seeing very much of it.  We enjoyed our stay there although it was in some respects 'on the cheap' because we stayed in a borrowed flat and although it was some way from the centre and stations there was a good local 'bus service.

 

4 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

ChrisF, I can also recommend Nice as a base. As Mike has said, the CFP is a fabulous ride and s day trip in itself. However  it's best to take a packed lunch as the Station at Digne is some way from the town. I ended up with a cab ride in both directions after chatting with the driver.  The triangulsr trip up to Cuneo and fown to Ventimiglia is now back yo all rail and when I was there, San Remo trolleybuses still run into Ventimiglia.  Sadly the electrified rounhouse is now out of use after thevoverhead mangled a pantograph on a 22XXX.  I

By chance I have some photos of the incident with the pantograph well mangled. When I get my European slides scanned I will post them on a thread. Nice has also just opened it's 2nd tram route that I believe goes to the airport. Monte Carlo is very eady. If you use the eastern entrance you can get a combination of lifts and escalators straight down to the harbour. There are even a few EMU's letterred for Monaco but numbered in the SNCF series.  Goi g west there us a frequent service to Grasse, which is also worth a visit.

 

Jamie

 

CFP (Chemin de Fer de Provence) is well worth doing; allow a whole day to spend and hour at and around Digne (village not far from the terminus - I walked there and back and had a bite to eat!); take time at the Nice end to view the original terminus in the main street.

 

The Nice tram system is worth playing with, especially with sections lacking the overhead wires.

 

If you're playing 'train traveller', Monaco's not far away and a 'Road Train' there will show you all the main highlights of the Principality. There's similar at Nice! I've done both as well as any bus tours to explore the area.

 

Grasse is also well worth a visit.
 

4 hours ago, 45156 said:

Chris, many of the Amazon masks are being sent from China, and there is no air mail at the moment - hence the silly delivery dates.  I got some off Amazon from a UK seller, and they were delivered within a few days.  However, I decided to get a cloth one off eBay, and it came on Tuesday  by first class post from a UK seller - and it only cost £4.99 including postage

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COTTON-FACE-MASK-BLACK-QUALITY-MOUNTH-COVER-REUSABLE-HANDMADE-UK-STOCK-UNISEX/254617081794?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

ChrisF: saw this and thought of you! Mine's on its way!

 

2 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

True, but not really suitable in a garage!

 

Let alone a multi-storey carp ark!

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by JohnDMJ

[Erichill16]

4 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

When I was 7 or 8 the game round the neighbourhood was cowboys and Indians. I have just received some bandana face masks from the usual source

Meet El Bandito

 

Cowboys and native Americans?

[PhilJ W]

24 minutes ago, JohnDMJ said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let alone a multi-storey carp ark!

 

That reminds me. My late father was the car parks manager for the London Borough of Havering. One of the multi-storied car parks in Romford had a spiral entrance ramp with the 'up' ramp on the outside and a flat area on each floor with a sharp and sudden transition from the ramp to the floor. One evening rush hour the down ramp got blocked. The cause was a low slung sports car that had only just got through the sharp transition from the ramp to the floor on the way up. With the down ramp being on the inside of the spiral the transition was sharper and the car had ended up see-sawing on the top of the ramp. It was quite a palaver sorting it out. Firstly cars were stopped from going above the incident so that the up ramp could be used by the cars behind the stuck car to get out. Then a Land Rover recovery was sent up to pull the car off and tow it away on its spectacle lift. It certainly cost his insurers a bit of money.

[Coombe Barton]

... more admin than marking ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/el-bandito/

 

[polybear]

3 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

True, but not really suitable in a garage!

 

I recall working in the Tornado OEU Hangar at Boscombe Down in the mid-1990's when the pilot's ejection seat went off whilst having the seat cartridges taken out; the guy was standing on the seat at the time...

He survived, amazingly - he was knocked off by the canopy and fell to the hangar floor (i.e. a bl00dy long drop), mashing his arm in the process.  The seat went thru' the roof and landed in the M.T. yard out the back.

The guys wrote to Martin Baker for "The Tie"; M-B were less than forthcoming, strangely.....

[polybear]

[roundhouse]

I see that Nat Rail is having typo issues!

 

'Disruption between Easy Croydon and Clapham Junction.'

 

 

[brianusa]

The 'statues' topic has already been removed.  If the same prolonged discussion continues, this one may be at risk.  A pity, as controversial topics discussed in a civilised manner can be stimulating and adds to the standing of this website.

    Brian

[pH]

8 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Meanwhile in Camborne ....

 

.... only in Camborne!

 

 

Perhaps on a test drive from here:

 

http://www.helstongunsmiths.com/default.asp?ID1=427&ID2=0&ID3=0&ID4=0&CB=6%2F11%2F2020+9%3A09%3A30+PM

[Joseph_Pestell]

32 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

I see that Nat Rail is having typo issues!

 

'Disruption between Easy Croydon and Clapham Junction.'

 

 

 

Ian, We both spent our formative years in Croydon. So we know that is not a typo, it is a Freudian slip.

[Compound2632]

Hunting for the chess set, the boys turned up a favourite book from over 15 years ago, Hippos go Beserk! by Sandra Boynton:

 

One hippo, all alone,

calls two hippos, on the phone.

... and so on, up to the arrival of nine hippos (in waiters' and waitresses' outfits) who have come to work, at which point...

ALL THE HIPPOS GO BESERK!

... then, of course, they leave in groups until...

One hippo, alone once more, misses the other forty-four.

 

I just thought some might appreciate that.

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Compound2632

[Tony_S]

5 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

If you put them in the small compartment behind the engine the groceries would be already cooked by the time you got home!

At least with the Elan you got a proper boot.

Dad said they put potatoes against some hot part of tanks in the hope that they might get something to supplement their food rations at the end of the day . I didn’t ask how successful this was. 

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, AndyB said:

Masks.  Swmbo sewed a job lot according to the nhs approved design. 

 

The slight disadvantage is that one's glasses steam up instantly

Monday will see the three-layer version road-tested by decree of the mop-headed one.  The email received today states that all customer-facing staff are expected to wear face coverings unless a screen is in place between them and customers.  So booking office staff = no mask; drivers = no mask unless walking back through a loaded train; platform staff = covered despite our objections on safety grounds not least fogging of glasses and the indistinct nature of the vocal warnings we must now use in the absence of whistles.  And while face-coverings are not mandated on station platforms for passengers there is an apparent inconsistency there which is being referred back for further clarification.  

 

49 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

Disruption between Easy Croydon and Clapham Junction.'

As opposed to Difficult Croydon which is slightly farther south and Remarkably Awkward Croydon which lies on a different route altogether

 

34 minutes ago, pH said:

Perhaps on a test drive from here:

More than likely a raiding party from the hills seeking supplies from our resident Camborne hobby-shop keeper    Taken at Roskear Junction out of interest.  

[Coombe Barton]

2 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Cowboys and native Americans?

 This a report of the term in common use more than sixty years ago

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Baz

[brianusa]

19 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

 This a report of the term in common use more than sixty years ago

Cowboys and native Americans?

  Doesn't have the same 'ring' to it, it'll never catch on!

      Brian.

[newbryford]

54 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

 

 

One hippo, alone once more, misses the other forty-four.

 

I just thought some might appreciate that.

 

 

A hippo and forty-four?

Is that some sort of paneer?

 

 

 

(I do know that a 44 is not a paneer, but a prayree or more importantly a Peak)

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I thought that after the exertions of the last couple of days I would have lost some weight but no. When I weighed myself this morning it showed that I had put on weight, just over a kilo! This talk of car engines heating food reminded me that in a list of 'add ons' for the Ford model T was an oven that fitted on the exhaust manifold. 

[tigerburnie]

32 minutes ago, brianusa said:

Cowboys and native Americans?

  Doesn't have the same 'ring' to it, it'll never catch on!

      Brian.

That's a quick way to offend an Indian, they don't want to be Americans, they were there long before they were "discovered" by Europeans and their country was re-named.

[newbryford]

Evening all.

Family Zoom pub quiz earlier. Instead of us all setting individual rounds, we all watched a Youtube quiz by Jay from Darwen

There were over 125000 viewers at one point!

 

Family NB were the victors by a couple of marks - albeit not helped by me getting a railway related question wrong. (Railway station with most platforms in the world)

What surprised me was that Junior NB knew the name of the author of "Fifty Shades of Grey".

I wonder if she's been reading Mrs NB's Kindle..........

 

Big Bro is still on the up - getting out for regular walks, but still a very long way to go.

As soon as it is allowed - I'll take him out for a day trainspotting and/or riding the trains. 

 

More work to be worked Friday - we will be having a discussion re shop re-opening, but it won't be in a hurry.

 

Have a good one folks.

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

 

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Evening all,

 

Not much happened today. Spent most of the morning polishing a nickel boiler and two small brass engines (live steam). Failed at making a grilled cheese for lunch. Performed a very successful steam test on the boiler I polished, I’ve decided it won’t be going into the Meccano crane. Ordered a new flywheel and regulator valve for the engine, which arrived in NYC this morning. I’ve just learned that Pres. Trump is coming to town, and will be speaking on the 99th anniversary of the deadliest race massacre in American history which occurred in Tulsa in 1921. (Essentially the white population got angry and burned the African American neighborhoods to the ground) It’s the only time in history a US army aircraft has bombed an American city, they said it was necessary for “crowd control”.  It’s well worth a google. So that will be interesting. 

 

[Erichill16]

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

Cowboys and native Americans?

  Doesn't have the same 'ring' to it, it'll never catch on!

      Brian.

Perhaps it should be

cowpersons and native Americans to be perfectly correct?

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Erichill16
Typo

[Erichill16]

Good night all,

Robert