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Gold train found?


LNERGE

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This is beginning to resemble the ongoing mystery that is the tomb of Qin Shi Huang - nobody actually knows what might or might not be under that hill. Until you can actually get clearance to dig in and explore, it's all conjecture, fable and legend.

 

....and in the case of Qin Shi Huang, what might be under that hill could still turn out to be some sort of ancient practical joke.

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The story gets sillier as it goes along.

 

I wonder if it has ever occurred to journalists to interview someone who actually knows what they're talking about, and isn't batsh*t crazy?

 

First there was the Polish official who claimed that he could reliably identify an armoured train from a GPR image.

 

Then there was the bloke who claimed that because it was an armoured train it must be carrying valuables - like it was a G4S truck delivering coins to the bank. Now this.

 

What's next - the death ray from Raiders Of The Lost Ark?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

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For boiler storage, I would remove the tubes and grease the tube holes before inserting wooden bungs and delag it, as the lagging holds moisture. Remove all the boiler fittings and replace with blanks, using oil soaked gaskets to protect the flange faces. These days you could use silica gel bags instead of lime.

 

I wouldn't try removing tubes on any loco here, as our boiler code calls for them to be expanded, flared, beaded, then seal-welded in place. Removing them means burning them out with the oxy. But I'm with you on de-lagging, removing all the boiler mountings and using silica gel.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

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Just one thought though - surely someone must have noticed a new branch line disappearing into a mountian?

 

That's yet another aspect of this story that doesn't ring true to me. It's reasonable to assume that in a mountainous area like this you would not just be laying temporary track on the ground. You would expect that some basic earthworks would be needed to provide a roadbed.  And yet there is apparently now no evidence of this at all? I really think the whole story is far-fetched.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

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.....You would expect that some basic earthworks would be needed to provide a roadbed.  And yet there is apparently now no evidence of this at all?....

 

I've had a look on the Google / Google Earth images around Ksiaz Castle and Walbrzych, and other than the visible disused lines / formations, there doesn't seem to be anything that leads into / is cut off by the hills.

 

That said, evidence of old lines can disappear - just look at the old Lambourn Valley formation, most of which is now very difficult to detect on the satellite images. 

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Well we know that wagons carrying heavy water (from the isolated Rjukan railway in Norway) are presumably still at the bottom of Lake Tinnsjo together with the train ferry SF Hydro.

 

there is quite a good documentary on the tube about the finding of the Hydro and yes the drums are still there and have been identified from visible serial numbers.

The backtracking concerning the gold train seems to have started when the Russians indicated that any gold found on board was probably theirs so I'm told.

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A colleague of mine lives (or lived) near the area in question and we were discussing this at some length.

 

It is well known that there are many tunnels under the hills there, and some of them were rail served. Some have been turned into tourist 'attractions' and/ or museums. Why the surprise that there might well be more of them?

As for the absence of track beds, in this particular case you are talking about perhaps only 30 yards of track being removed, that was laid 1943 or 1944 at latest. It was on a line that would have had a maximum speed of 40-45MPH and the particular 'junction' likely only at walking pace. Don't expect to see compacted track base with full cant, as there wouldn't have been any.

 

I really fail to understand how this can present so much of a shock to the system.

 

Whether there is gold or not is a completely different matter. What my colleague did agree is that the delay in digging makes no sense. More likely there are diplomatic issues to be resolved with Berlin and Moscow first.

 

Oh and of course I'm sure we all realise that the "entrance" appearing in all the newspapers is a red herring. Wherever the entrance is, it's certainly not where they've taken the photograph. After all it MIGHT contain tonnes of gold... might.

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I really fail to understand how this can present so much of a shock to the system.

Oh, I don't regard it as a shock to the system. Just a very tall tale that gets taller each time it's told.

 

I came across a quote from a man involved in the search for the fabled Burmese Spitfires which I think is relevant. He said,

 

“I’ve come across this story constantly all over the world,” shrugged Mr Brockman.

“It always involves something iconic and valuable. Jeeps, Harley-Davidsons, Spitfires – always discarded at the end of the war, you always hear of it second or third hand.”

 

That has been my experience as well. I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong, and see an intact armoured train recovered from the depths of the earth, but I think I might be waiting a long time for that to happen...

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

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Mark,

 

I don't know about gold or armoured trains, but I am quite open to the idea of another tunnel being discovered. The nazis dug out miles and miles of them down there.

 

However, all the tunnels so far seem a little narrow to take trains and there is no reason to believe this one will be any different.

 

It also begs the question that since stalin was known to be quite a greedy, power mad chap- and he was looking for the contents of the amber room, that he would have torn apart any hills where there were likely "treasure trains" hidden. The idea that such a badly kept secret could have been kept from his security forces is quite ridiculous.

 

I expect a tunnel to be found, with nothing of monetary value, but for those interested in modern archaeology some absolutely priceless bits and pieces of junk.

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  • 3 months later...
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Of course, if you were a Polish "official" and you had good evidence that the train was there and very likely full of gold, you would tell the world that there was nothing there. Wouldn't you? Put all the treasure hunters off the scent and allow for the excavation and extraction with the minimum of fuss and risk of discovery/robbery.

 

There is nothing like a good conspiracy theory so hopefully I can start one going......

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I think richard branson, gold finger, ernst stavros blofeld, ernst stavros blofeld's cat and tony blair are down there in a secret chamber ready to take over the world.

 

I have a witness who reported the whole thing to me on condition of total anonymity. Meanwhile a 'government source' said...

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Hopefully now once the media and everyone else has wandered off, the data can be published and someone can consider a nice archaeological dig for those "absolutely priceless bits and pieces of junk" (and someone else maybe look at the development of the legends). Unfortunately so much has to be bigged-up these days...

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Austin Powers got there first and spirited the train away - to the top secret Ruritanian Strategic Reserve  - where you can also find the Jet room from the Winter Palace, a B17 Sandringham, Claude Hamilton, Shergar and Red Rum.

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Like many gold "finds", it turned out to be a flash in the pan.....

Don't worry - I've recently come into possession of a Milliput duck, which I'm toying with putting up for sale. Now, it may look like the warped product of a night of far too many blasphemously-strong beers by someone with barely any sentience (let alone artistic skill), but I have it on reliable authority that Ronnie sent it as a special gift to Maggie. Offers in the region of £200K carefully considered. Genuine Mona Lisa (on toilet) poster also available. :secret:

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