Early Risers.

[polybear]

31 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

It did however have its compensations, taking a risk in posting....

 

 

 

 

Bear - taking a risk in replying.....

Purely out of technical interest you understand.....

What sort of make/model would such an implement be classified as please, knowing not a lot about what is rated as desirable (i.e. yummy) and not desirable (i.e. pooey) when it comes to such matters?  And what some of minimum diameter would such an implement be capable of traversing safely?

Not that I could be tempted, you understand...these are purely scientific/engineering queries.

The Beary early warning detector has just picked up some fast moving inbound objects heading this way, so I'm off down the bunker pdq....

 

[tigerburnie]

Morning, ice breaking duties done on the garden pond, it is over an inch thick, you could have walked on it, my 17 stone bulk might not have, minus 7 inside the greenhouse, sure I saw a Polar Bear walk past the window earlier. Off for a walk soon, no snow so I can't test my new Crampons out and we are not allowed to drive to the empty local hills for a walk.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

The sun shineth and it is actually visible for once with a generally clear sky and  only a little cloud visible away to the east.  Temprature just above zero in the porch but it has got the sun on it although not directly on what passes for a thermometer.

 

I remember the 1962/63 winter quite well.  We always went to my gran's near Wantage for Christmas and on Boxing Day my uncle used to drive us over to my aunt's on the other side of Wantage and that day it began to snow really heavily so he brought us back home the following day before it got any worse.  Just as well because within a few days the side road up to my grandparents farm was virtually impassable except for farm tractors and it remained like that for a month p the Postman used to struggle on foot up from the main road.  First Sunday after Christmas a pal and I always used to go to Swindon to do the shed and works but we had about 8" of snow on the Saturday night and having got ourselves to the station got no further because the branch bubble car had got stuck in a snowdrift.  On the first day of school there were only about a dozen pupils in by 09.00 so several of use were sent round to do a count just after 09.00  - fewer than 40 out of 400 in by then so we were sent home although we met arrivals of one of the country 'buses as we got to the bottom of the drive - and sent them away PDQ.  We had an extra week off and the snow didn't go until mid March - after which came the floods. 

 

Worst one at work was 1978 when I was AM at Taunton and that was real snow.  In the station on the through line when I stood at rail level the drifted snow was level with my nose and in the yard where it hadn't drifted it was up to thigh level on me.  We eventually had a huge gang sent down from Bristol to clear it but it a had mostly gone in little over a week.  The centre of Taunton was amazing - nothing could move on the roads except tracked vehicles (courtesy of the army) and the only way in or out of the town was by rail - we had one line open in each direction - while various officialdom etc was coming and going courtesy of RN helicopters.   The failure alarms went off on our two AHB level crossing but after one train going through at caution we ran at line speed, no chance of any vehicles getting onto the crossings - at Victory the snow just up the lane was later measured at 19 ft deep.  Snow had drifted up to eaves level against the down side station building at Taunton (single storey) and we had signals frozen 'off' where 'boxes had been closed over the weekend - we just left them switched out.  On the Saturday night when it had started we had an empty HST run through the trailing end of a crossover - did no damage at all.

 

Further east and into the Mendips it was just as bad in places.  A Westbury Driver had been sent down to Taunton witha Class 47, no ploughs, and it turned up looking like a giant snowball - he refused to go back via Castle Cary (and I didn't blame him one bit).  A pair of Class 37s with one of the big independent snow ploughs at each end at each end got trapped in drifts between Castle Cary and Sparkford and the crew had to be rescued by an RN helicopter and a BR snow plough was derailed at Merehead when it collided with 50 ton bucket loader coming in the opposite direction trying to clear the same line.   That was really the snow highlight (lowlight?) of my railway career - there were one or two others which had their impact in different ways but that was undoubtedly the most impressive for deep snow.

 

AA man due soon, I hope, so a battery boost (I hope) and a 'gentle' reminder about running the engine more frequently.

Have a good day one and all and stay safe. 

[Simon G]

Morning all,

Early start this morning as our food delivery came early courtesy of friends who also shopped for us during Lockdown 1.  Temperatures here still around zero, but they may rise just enough to melt the ice in the drive.

As our lane had become rather treacherous with ice, yesterday afternoon I walked carefully up to the end and filled a bucket with grit from a Grit Box.  I then put bits down in the worst areas, saving some to make a narrow path up my drive.  I then made another trip to get some more to put down in the lane.

 

A quite bizarre rugby match watched last night between Bath and Wasps.  I wouldnt like to have been the defence coach for either side, but it made for compulsive viewing.

[Simon G]

49 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

 

 

 

Methinks you need a snowplough for the front!

[jamie92208]

7 hours ago, Simon G said:

 

Methinks you need a snowplough for the front!

There's a couple here if you need them

Good afternoon all. A tad late on parade after the video call to Emily then a walk round the village to check two houses. We then called on Denyse, the 90 yr old Belgian Widow who plied us with coffee, cognac and cake. It would have been very rude to refuse.

 

A good day was spent yesterday, sitting lineside but not many trains were seen. However I provided the coffee and Andy brought the  Christmas cake.  Not a lot else on the agenda for today apart from some wood cutting. 

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. The sore foot kept me awake last night until the early hours which resulted in my oversleeping. I applied a new dressing this morning with the aid of a small mirror which has much improved matters. I will have to go out today as the bathroom shower hose has sprung a leak so a replacement will be sought, they stock them in Tess Coes so shouldn't be a problem.

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, Andrew P said:

I've just been informed that its nought degrees here.

 

So, we ain't got some degrees, and we ain't got no degrees

Ooooh double-negatives at work!   

 

Morning all.  Domestic engineering is occurring Upon the Hill of Strawberries but having set feet outside a few times already I can assure all that we have Andrew's missing Degrees of Celsius.  Not many, mind, but around six is far more than we have had of late.  

 

The Terrace also needs a tidy-up as the Greater Nuisance Mining Squirrel has been at work in the pansy pots. There is soil everywhere except in the pots and the forlorn remains of plants which will no longer offer us a show of colour in a few weeks' time.  As vermin it is a shame we cannot legally do more to excise them from the ecosystem.  Perhaps as natives of America (as opposed to Native Americans who are quite different) they are somehow in league with the Orange One and are staging a rearguard action.  Roll on the reintroduction of Sciurus vulgaris I say.  "Vulgar" meaning "common" rather than anything more offensive.  Red, British natives and far less destructive to the gardens.  

 

Former Neighbours (Australian) now living in the Never Lands have reported they are all slightly unwell with the Plague.  Not a lot we can do for them at this distance other than offer our good wishes for a speedy recovery.  At least they can soon go about knowing they have had it and are unlikely to get it again.  Small mercies?  

 

Best wishes to all.  I'll try to back-read later.  

 

[BSW01]

Good afternoon everyone 

 

Late on parade today, we both over slept and since getting up and coming downstairs I've been busy. I'm starting to pack up stuff to take back to the workshop, so I can restart work on the cellar walls next week. 

 

Cold and foggy here at the moment, - 2C outside, so I mihjt need to put on my jacket for the trips to and from the workshop. 

 

Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later. 

 

Brian 

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, Coombe Barton said:

But at the moment sitting with coffee.

And just after I posted this I heard a noise, that turned out to be a fluttering. It's taken me a good hour to evict the juvenile sparrow. Don't know how it got in, but it got out via the bak door.

Prior to that it took a tour of the ground floor, from front to back, The back door escape was aided by it nicking the debris from my croissants from the plate on the draining board, and somehow I got round it to open the back door.

Didn't leave a tip, though, although I may find a contribution after I've shifted all the boxes where it journeyed during the tour of the house.

The coffee is now cold.

[New Haven Neil]

Poly, some say it was once available from Roundhouse Engineering in Doncaster, supplied through the once mighty, but recently deceased Trackshack (ahem) organisation.  It has been said it is a Vale of Rheidol 2-6-2T with a gas fired boiler, 40psi pressure, fully sprung, extra large gas tank option, full R/C, whistle, drain cocks etc, gauge adjustable (32/45mm) and rumoured to negotiate a 2 foot radius curve (albeit with some difficulty) but is fine on the alleged 4 foot with some tighter bits of the L&L.  It is no longer available as a new model, this one recently attracted a fine offer to part with it far in excess of what it cost me, that has been politely turned down.  You're (allegedly) looking at about £2.5k for something similar, cheaper locos are available.

 

https://www.roundhouse-eng.com/

 

Good people, these.  Salt of the earth folk, 100% solid.

[The Stationmaster]

Battery was boosted, and wouldn't hold a full charge (only c.190 amps so less than a third of capacity).  Housekeeping money (not toy box money  ) expended on a new 680 amp battery and the AA are £139 richer as a result.

[BokStein]

27 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

The Terrace also needs a tidy-up as the Greater Nuisance Mining Squirrel has been at work in the pansy pots. There is soil everywhere except in the pots and the forlorn remains of plants which will no longer offer us a show of colour in a few weeks' time.  As vermin it is a shame we cannot legally do more to excise them from the ecosystem.

 

Are you sure?

[New Haven Neil]

Simon - it didn't need a snowplough - action shot!

Edited January 9, 2021 by New Haven Neil

[Dunsignalling]

Early afternoon all.

 

34019 Bideford, out of section light engine from Eastleigh (AC Models) earlier.

 

First new loco of the year, I've been hunting down some I missed in 2019/20.

 

Unboxing and testing later but first, a spot of lunch.

 

John

 

[grandadbob]

Looked out into the garden just now and two foxes were getting "friendly."  I'm not standing for that sort of behaviour around here   so I soon put a bloody stop to that.  Not having it!.....neither are they now.  

Pump action water blaster is now primed and ready in case they return.

Edited January 9, 2021 by grandadbob

[Barry O]

@Gwiwer in some places you get a small amount of money for the grey squirrel tails. The ones around here have gone into hibernation at last.

 

 

Was sunny earlier.. now very leaden clouds cover the sky.  Snow still here..pah!

 

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Grey squirrels are regarded as vermin. Difficulty is you must use a humane method of getting rid of them.

[tigerburnie]

Because grey squirrels are an invasive pest species, it is against the law to re-release a grey squirrel if it’s been caught alive, per the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019.

That means that any person who catches a grey squirrel alive is legally obliged to humanely dispatch it.

Fortunately we still have Reds round here, but the Greys are being dealt with not too far away in a vain hope of stopping them infecting the native Reds.

[Gwiwer]

Cornwall is successfully reintroducing red squirrels having created a "buffer zone" where greys have been eliminated.  They are hoping this can spread across the country given time but it requires resources to catch and despatch the greys.  There is not thought to be any infection between them - the greys merely out-compete the reds by being larger and much more aggressive.  

 

One issue is that if greys are removed from a fairly localised area, for example by a local person dealing with those on their own land, then more are very likely to move in overnight.  The removal needs to be on a fairly large scale.  

 

I would be very happy to catch and despatch here but am wary of upsetting others by doing so.  We have several very young children in the block for whom squirrels are cute and something to be fed - if not from the hand then by dropping a morsel a few inches from them and watching them collect it.  Our eldest resident happily feeds cream-crackers to the critters who promptly come down to this end of the block, dig up our plants and bury the crackers   

 

On the other hand of anyone needs a job-lot of decent-quality paint-brushes I'm sure some squirrel-hair might be found ....... because these pesky critters refuse to hibernate even in this weather! 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

During that 1978 snow previously mentioned, I wasn't too far away on an equipment course at RAF Locking just outside Weston super mud.

We got snowed in for three days, at least not being on the basic training course, we weren't expected to be out there with a shovel..

 

The keel bottom has been filled, one side has been painted with top coat. 

Another shelving unit is now assembled, and is setting.

 

Ben the sleeping Collie, took me for a long walk,

the farmer who now runs the farm around us, came out from the muddy lane, towing a trailer of logs with his landrover.

The lanes were frosty, once we reached the parts the farmer hadn't been, we were breaking through ice.

At the far end of the muddy lane, a family were sat at the back of their estate car with a camping stove on the ground, dad cooking sausages, cups of tea being drunk.

 

Several vehicles, went past on the tarmac bit, mostly surfers. But also including a VW  van driver and German Shepherd puppy.. pity the puppy was on the driver's lap.

 

A light aircraft was doing aerobatics just of the coast. 

 

A teenage girl was picking up litter with a grabbing stick, her bicycle parked a few yards up the road, already had a carrier bag full on the handles.

 

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, grandadbob said:

Looked out into the garden just now and two foxes were getting "friendly."  I'm not standing for that sort of behaviour around here   so I soon put a bloody stop to that.  Not having it!.....neither are they now.  

Pump action water blaster is now primed and ready in case they return.

That’s despicable.

Imagine your reaction if the tables were turned....

[polybear]

Despite very rarely watching that game whereby a bunch of vastly overpaid prima donnas who believe they are above the law (and often have an OH in tow who wouldn't be seen dead with them if they worked on the dustcarts) who turn out maybe once a week for 90 minutes to boot a round thing about, Bear will most definitely make an exception tomorrow at half four on BBC1.

 

The opportunity to see Marine (who??) give Spurs a good kicking is an opportunity not to be missed.....

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, grandadbob said:

Looked out into the garden just now and two foxes were getting "friendly."  I'm not standing for that sort of behaviour around here   

There are more than enough urban foxes already. They also emit some quite alarming cries when engaged, or seeking to engage, in acts of making more.  Far worse than anything I have heard from any of my fellow humans  
 

14 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

That’s despicable.

Imagine your reaction if the tables were turned....

I’ll not have foxes watching my antics under any circumstances.  Not that there are any antics to watch these days. The Big C put paid to that. 
 

Oh look. This just happened to fall off the bookshelf  

 

 

[iL Dottore]

47 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

....I would be very happy to catch and despatch here but am wary of upsetting others by doing so....

Of course, the ecologically appropriate method of dealing with such vermin is to re-introduce the natural predator for that species and let nature take its course. The problem is that the predator will not totally eradicate the prey species (there are some interesting data which, in graphical form, show how the peak population of a predator species follows just behind the peak population of the prey species. Over time, the graph looks like a series of waves breaking on the shore). Also, eviscerated prey species corpses strewn around the landscape can upset some people

The truly humane way of eliminating a fast reproducing relatively short lived prey species is to introduce a contraceptive into their food supply: so Mr and Mrs squirrel can enjoy playing with their nuts, but no baby squirrels result from their activities. But given that the  mammalian reproduction system is quite complicated, any contraceptive likely to work on squirrels will probably work on other species that you may or may not also want to see a reduction in the number thereof.
 

Success has been obtained, at least in managing some insect species that only mate once, by releasing radiation sterilised males into the environment so that every sexually receptive female gets a fellow who is basically firing blanks.  And, if I may be incredibly and evilly misanthropic for the moment, there are certain subspecies of H0mo sapiens to which this method of control could be most appropriately and effectively applied!