Early Risers.

[Grizz]

In the meantime, on Monday morning, having stayed over night in Germany at Bösensell, I was very disappointed not to be able to see or film any trains between Münster and Bremen because the railway was closed due to trees on the track following the storm. 
 

But then this DB inspection vehicle turned up, running wrong road very slowly and then stopped right next to me.

BTW I was not trespassing, the place I was stood was next to the line side with no fencing and I was clearly visible with my NR vizi vest on, just so they could see me. 

It is Diesel and OHE powered. 
 

 

[Coombe Barton]

11 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Nice to see a new building that does at least show serious signs of attempts at a pleasing design outcome, rather than a modern monstrosity.

That's the facade. everything else is new. It was more complete but about seven years ago, before we had it, it was vandalised and caught fire. The place was gutted - no timber remained. It was only a shell when we got it
 

It was the Eccles Cycle factory, and I can never see that without thinking of Neddy Seagoon.

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Coombe Barton
One TYPOMAN, one autocorrect that shouldn't have been

[tigerburnie]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

MODELEISENBAHZIMMERLÄNDE FESTIVAL 2022

 

Now that East Modeleisenbahzimmerlände and West Modeleisenbahzimmerlände have been re-united and reconstruction completed, what better way to celebrate than by inviting citizens of the world to visit in 2022 and enjoy the famous MEZL hospitality.

 

Grilled sausages, tonkatsu & ramen, pork pies, triple-cooked chips, proper Lasagna Verde alla Bolognese, old-fashioned boiled fruit cake, lemon-mascarpone cake, beer, homemade limoncello, homemade fruited gins and fine whisky all await the visitor who wishes to eat and drink well.

 

Admire the amazing floor tiling (until now, not visible since 2012), gasp at the new and impressive Hobbyturm, enjoy the renovated display cabinets and - of course - visit the World Heritage sites of The Georgian Terrace Houses and The Brunel Pub - now reopened to the world after 10 years of being cut-off in East Modeleisenbahzimmerlände.

 

Welcome, welcome one and all to Modeleisenbahzimmerlände 2022!

Bundeskanzler iD

 

please note that tinned baked beans are an illegal substance in the Modeleisenbahzimmerlände, importation of which will result in high fines and /or imprisonment.

are the sausages Cumberland?................................just asking for a friend........................................

[NGT6 1315]

33 minutes ago, Grizz said:

In the meantime, on Monday morning, having stayed over night in Germany at Bösensell, I was very disappointed not to be able to see or film any trains between Münster and Bremen because the railway was closed due to trees on the track following the storm. 
 

But then this DB inspection vehicle turned up, running wrong road very slowly and then stopped right next to me.

BTW I was not trespassing, the place I was stood was next to the line side with no fencing and I was clearly visible with my NR vizi vest on, just so they could see me. 

It is Diesel and OHE powered. 
 

 

The 711.1s are diesel-hydraulic with two prime movers good for 160 kph and a smaller crawler motor for low speed work movements. The pan is for OHLE adjustment and gauging only. 
 

They‘d make for interesting models, I should think. Producers could equip them with DCC controlled special functions to their hearts‘ content!

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Well it’s not quite, but at least there is no wind or rain! I shall shortly set off to collect Ava for her usual Saturday sewing session with Sheila, I shall amuse myself by reading a few model railway and painting books/magazines as I want to remind myself of the techniques of airbrushing clouds. I intend to practice this art over the next few weeks on some small sections of blue painted lining paper to prefect the technique when painting the cellar walls! 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[simontaylor484]

5 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I have long understood the meaning and significance of the term "the fog of war". It has been eerily "compelling"* to see this playing out in real time in media reports over the last couple of days.

 

* I struggle with the proper gerund here and say this with a heavy measure of understanding and empathy for the tragedy of what is unfolding.

 

It is proper that western media (largely reporting what they can personally see and hear from their communications positions) is unable to comprehensively communicate an accurate picture of the evolving tactical situation. It gives me additional perspective of the contributions of "war correspondents" in the days before the internet age. What is becoming clear is just how bravely sovereign territory is being defended against overwhelming technical superiority.

 

The defiance of defenders of Zmiinyi Island (off the Danube estuary) and the defence of the E97 bridge* over the Dneiper River near Kherson Oblast is admirable.

 

* I don't know why that wasn't deliberately (and strategically) destroyed by defenders.

 

I am trying not to binge on the 24-hour news coverage (CNN, BBC World News etc) but the profusion of 'talking heads' is truly awful.

 

That was a classic "Russian Warship go F yourself"

 

 

[Gwiwer]

13 hours ago, Natalie said:

Am currently absolutely livid about the ambulance response time to a friend with a potentially limb threatening injury. It seems that they think 5 1\2 hours is an appropriate response time.

I totally understand that and am aware that it isn't an isolated occurrence.  

 

Cornwall relies too heavily upon a single all-purpose hospital in Truro; there are a couple of other urgent-care locations but most blue-light runs will go to Treliske.  If they are on bypass or if you happen to need help closer to the Tamar then there's Derriford in Plymouth.  Response times are often in the order of hours, ramp time is often above an hour and a non-driver friend was recently in the position of having to wake a neighbour at 2am hoping to have her son (10) driven the 15 miles to Treliske when an injury he sustained falling from his bike deteriorated to the point of alarm.  The ambulance service suggested there could be a wait of 2 - 4 hours as it wasn't classified as life-threatening.  

 

We have medics on duty at the House of Fun during peak periods and there are always at least two trained first-aid-at-work managers on duty 24/7.  We seldom need to call ambulances because almost all patients can be treated on site and many go their own way afterwards.  But when we had a cardiac arrest, non-breathing, no pulse chap literally fall out of the train doorways the 999 call was made before the radio call to the station medics - not by myself as I would have done it the other way round.  Despite very clearly being a life-threatening situation it was the fire brigade who arrived within 15 minutes to find the station medics (who are London Ambulance Service personnel) had already done the critical life-saving bit.  The emergency ambulance arrived after nearly two hours.  

 

It is increasingly common for the nearest emergency responder to be directed to the scene whether fire, police or ambulance.  Some locations, including my adopted home town of Hayle in Cornwall, even have joint emergency-service stations which both saves overall costs and provides a nominally improved service and response times.  But it still looks odd to see firefighters rushing through a busy railway station clutching not hoses but defibrillators ..... 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

 But it still looks odd to see firefighters rushing through a busy railway station clutching not hoses but defibrillators ..... 

Aditi’s uncle may have had the misfortune to be knocked off his bicycle but he was extremely fortunate that it happened outside a fire and rescue (had paramedics)  station near his  home  in California.   The firefighters didn’t need to be called, they saw it happen. He was waiting at a junction and a car approached from behind, apparently the driver didn’t notice him or the junction. The first she knew about it was a cyclist hitting her screen and roof. He made a complete recovery probably due to the rapid response. He was in a body cast for ages as most of the injuries were chest and spine. I took Aditi’s uncle to Ebbsfleet once. The security gate is quite near the ticket barrier and I could hear the metal detector beep as he went through. He has a lot of bits of metal still. 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Tony_S

[grandadbob]

Just a quick look in to say many thanks for all the sympathy and support.  It is much appreciated.

Edited February 26, 2022 by grandadbob

[PhilJ W]

13 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Aditi’s uncle may have had the misfortune to be knocked off his bicycle but he was extremely fortunate that it happened outside a fire and rescue (had paramedics)  station near his  home  in California.   The firefighters didn’t need to be called, they saw it happen. He was waiting at a junction and a car approached from behind, apparently the driver didn’t notice him or the junction. The first she knew about it was a cyclist hitting her screen and roof. He made a complete recovery probably due to the rapid response. He was in a body cast for ages as most of the injuries were chest and spine. I took Aditi’s uncle to Ebbsfleet once. The security gate is quite near the ticket barrier and I could hear the metal detector beep as he went through. He has a lot of bits of metal still. 

A similar incident happened in front of me quite a few years ago now (35 years). I had just pulled out of Pettits Lane onto the A12 when a 12 year old girl ran out into the road and collided with a motorcycle in front of me. Just as I got out of the car I saw a fire engine returning from a 'shout' going the other way. I flagged it down and a couple of the firemen gave first aid to the child, they also called for an ambulance (this was before mobile phones). The girl made a full recovery, despite internal bleeding which if it was not for the immediate first aid could have made matters worse.

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Grizz said:

As I may have mentioned before, my son and I saw a  Railadventure train travelling through Harburg with brand new locos for Finland and I’m fairly sure that some of those barrier vehicles were with that train. All the locos were on rail skates. 
 

We took video and photos of it, so I do have those somewhere, however it might take me a while to find it because as I posted earlier today, I am going to be turning my garden into a World War 1 trench system in my hunt for the leaking water pipe. I am sooooo not looking forward to starting this……my chickens on the other hand cannot wait!!!! As soon as they saw the spade, the shovel and the mattock come out of the shed they ran around my feet to find out what ‘WE’ were going to do. So much fun…

 

Please feel free to remind me about the photos mate…I’ll do my best to sort it. 
 

 

There are stethoscope devices you can use for detecting underground leaks, it might be worth asking the water company if they will use one of theirs's or lend you one. Its basically a tube with a cup at the bottom end and an earpiece at the top. There are also electronic leak detectors starting at about £20 for a basic model. It might be worth your while to call in some specialist companies.

https://www.google.com/search?q=detecting+underground+water+leaks&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB904GB904&oq=detecting+underground+leaks&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0i22i30l3j0i10i22i30j0i390.24645j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Edited February 26, 2022 by PhilJ W

[AyJay]

If you switch on the TV or radio for the news, you can pretty much guarantee what the headline will be; the very thing that all of us must have in the back of our minds right now.

The Ukraine situation is absolutely terrible and as the world stands in its condemnation of Vladimir Putin and is imposing sanctions to isolate him and his administration, China is behaving contrary to this; I read that China is throwing Russia a sanction-busting lifeline.

 

Perhaps it is now time for British brands to reassess their manufacturing capabilities in China?

[simontaylor484]

Ideally we should have no manufacturing done in China due to their appalling Human rights abuses 

[PhilJ W]

5 minutes ago, AyJay said:

If you switch on the TV or radio for the news, you can pretty much guarantee what the headline will be; the very thing that all of us must have in the back of our minds right now.

The Ukraine situation is absolutely terrible and as the world stands in its condemnation of Vladimir Putin and is imposing sanctions to isolate him and his administration, China is behaving contrary to this; I read that China is throwing Russia a sanction-busting lifeline.

 

Perhaps it is now time for British brands to reassess their manufacturing capabilities in China?

It appears that China is sitting on the fence at the moment. The best sanction would be to kick Russia out of SWIFT, the international money transfer system. That will immediately cut off Putin's money supply and even China will not be able to help him straight away as it will take time to set up any by-pass. If such a by-pass was in  China's best interest because if they were also to be taken out of SWIFT it will wipe out their economic advances of the last thirty plus years. Regrettably some nations, particularly Germany would also suffer economically if Russia was removed from SWIFT as they hold a lot of Russian debt. Though it might be possible to take Russian assets in the west that have been frozen due to the invasion.

[simontaylor484]

Afternoon all

Busy day today I have arrived at the age of 45 doesn't seem 2 minutes since I was 25. The Mrs has bought me a new DAB radio a Roberts one no less 

I have also been given a new garage alarm by the kids I did ask them for something useful I do have power tools in the garage so it is very useful.

 

I am considering buying a Ukrainian flag and hang it on the back railings 

 

[AyJay]

Before anyone goes and shoots me down...

I am not suggesting that we go and cancel any orders,  that would only hurt our friendly shops and right now they need all the support that we can give them.

No, I realise that in this age of global markets, embargos are not straightforward.

However, I do wonder if Britain went in the wrong direction when we turned away from manufacturing goods ourselves.

Besides, I have had 'concerns' about China for some time now. Their human rights record is shocking.

[PhilJ W]

Many happy returns @simontaylor484.

[simontaylor484]

13 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

It appears that China is sitting on the fence at the moment. The best sanction would be to kick Russia out of SWIFT, the international money transfer system. That will immediately cut off Putin's money supply and even China will not be able to help him straight away as it will take time to set up any by-pass. If such a by-pass was in  China's best interest because if they were also to be taken out of SWIFT it will wipe out their economic advances of the last thirty plus years. Regrettably some nations, particularly Germany would also suffer economically if Russia was removed from SWIFT as they hold a lot of Russian debt. Though it might be possible to take Russian assets in the west that have been frozen due to the invasion.

The BBC had an article about SWIFT yesterday I can't find it to link it but it seems energy supply to parts of Europe rely on it.

 

[PhilJ W]

6 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I am considering buying a Ukrainian flag and hang it on the back railings 

I hope to see some blue/yellow lapel badges or ribbons on sale soon.

[simontaylor484]

Although this is from the Sun I thought this was brilliant 

 

[polybear]

5 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Its given me thoughts about my own situation, I've lived on my own for more than half of my 73 years. I do have a few health issues with old age as I have mentioned (often) here. My one fear is if I have a fall. I have taken precautions such as installing a handrail on the stairs and moving some furniture. 

 

Bear also lives alone - I ensure I always have a mobile in my pocket, especially when doing DIY work/going in the loft etc.  Just in case....

 

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

Ideally we should have no manufacturing done in China due to their appalling Human rights abuses 

 

Governments have a convenient habit of overlooking certain details when it suits them...

 

59 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

The BBC had an article about SWIFT yesterday I can't find it to link it but it seems energy supply to parts of Europe rely on it.

 

 

It seems that Germany are less than happy about the idea of blocking the Ruskies from SWIFT because it'd screw Germany because they get an awful lot of Gas (and Oil?) from them.

 

The Telegraph are reporting this:

Two Chinese state-owned banks will restrict financing for Russian commodity purchases in a sign that cracks may be emerging between Beijing and Moscow as the Kremlin faces harsh international sanctions.

 

In other news....

The coving has received it's first coat of paint - that's four hours I'll not see again....

I've a feeling that a second coat may not be enough to disguise the joints - they're appearing as a darker shadow at the moment .  We'll see - I may have to do extra coats on the joint areas as required.

 

And finally......

A very Special Beary   Happy Birthday

Simon!! 

Edited February 26, 2022 by polybear

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Went to the sailing club rowed across to the motorboat to find the leeward mooring rope undone, leeward as in during those gales. So it wasn't that that undid it. Who or why I have no idea.

To the chandlery bought another 750ml of paint £34.   ....

 

On the way To be and queue, a Volkswagen van was about 100 yards ahead when..... Bang.... clouds of brown grey smoke From every orifice, instant slowing of  van , hazards on and I pass it...through the thick fog of unburnt diesel...

 

Picked up two sheets of ply went to the cutting counter.

Buzzer not working no staff in sight, walked to the front of store told staff, walk to back of store 

20 minutes later no cutting crew, member of staff walks past i tell him. He radios 5minutes later someone turns up and turns on calling buzzer.

Return journey

Major cockwomble, comes haring down the outer lane, pushes his way across in front of me , avoiding action taken, then he has to stand on the anchors as there is a queue into the petrol station.. I have to swerve to avoid him again....

Later on smokey Volkswagen is on back of a recovery truck still with hazards on.

 

Three times on journey back small cars do artic impressions and swerve left to turn right. Requiring avoiding action by a car in front of me.

Home, 

Boat repair sanded, 1st coat of primer applied, 

 

Given a can you just...

Convert a six foot old wooden lamp standard into a skein tree..

Lamp removed, pilot holes drilled, need to get dowling, need to sand it down as she would like it painted white.

 

Second coat of primer applied to boat repair.

In need of eyelid inspection

By for now.

 

[NGT6 1315]

Does a workshop transfer for restoring this 104 to running order seem like a plausible explanation for this kind of formation?

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

@Gwiwer I tried to send you a PM, but the system told me you weren’t receiving messages!

If you PM me, I can reply to you and get contact that way.

Cheers

iF

[melmerby]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I hope to see some blue/yellow lapel badges or ribbons on sale soon.

 

Maybe I should paint the top of my car yellow? It's already a bright blue colour.

 

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

The Telegraph are reporting this:

Two Chinese state-owned banks will restrict financing for Russian commodity purchases in a sign that cracks may be emerging between Beijing and Moscow as the Kremlin faces harsh international sanctions.

 

The Chinese abstained in an UN meeting of the Security Council to condemn Russia, seen as a tacit reminder to Russia that it wasn't with them on this.

You should see the Russian UN ambassador, who is currently president of the council squirming, when he had to read out the details of the resolution.

He naturally vetoed the motion which was followed by a scathing attack on him from the US representative.

 

The Poles have withdrawn from their World Cup 2022 play off match with Russia, even though it would have been played in a neutral country.

I can see Russia being kicked out of FIFA, the IOC and many other organisations over the next few days.

Even Eurovison who said basically they didn't do politics and Russia could still compete had kicked them out 24 hours later.

 

The isolation is mounting by the hour.

 

Nice to note that Russia has been taking heavy casualties and has found that this isn't a walkover, as Putin seemed to assume.