Castle Aching

[RedGemAlchemist]

“They hung in the air in the same way that bricks don’t.”

Superb use of language.

Agreed. The intro to the first book is one of my favourite quotes ever. Won't post it though as it is quite long.

 

Along with pretty much everything Marvin ever says.

Edited October 17, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[Hroth]

Agreed. The intro to the first book is one of my favourite quotes ever. Won't post it though as it is quite long.

 

Along with pretty much everything Marvin ever says.

The "original trilogy" was good, the following novels were like flogging a dead horse.  I did like the Dirk Gently books.

 

Even when Marvin is whining about his diodes?

[Andy Kirkham]

And that's a bad thing? I I've loved the series ever since I was about 8.

 

No, I think it's a great book, but I feel it's a shame if a kid is reluctant to read anything else.

[corneliuslundie]

Make him read Bradshaw for a while. After that anything will seem interesting.

I like The restaurant at the end of the universe. The idea of running back time so that the event can be re-run for the next lot of diners is marvellous.

Jonathan

Edited October 17, 2018 by corneliuslundie

[RedGemAlchemist]

The "original trilogy" was good, the following novels were like flogging a dead horse. I did like the Dirk Gently books.

 

Even when Marvin is whining about his diodes?

I will admit that So Long and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless are weaker, I wouldn't call them bad. They certainly have some very funny moments (“Take me to your lizard" always makes me chuckle, along with the Stavromula Beta closure - then again the entire concept of Agrajag is intrinsically hilarious and easily one of Adams' darkest ideas) but Life, The Universe and Everything is easily my favourite.

 

"Now the world has gone to bed,

Darkness won't engulf my head,

I can see by infrared,

How I hate the night."

 

I like The restaurant at the end of the universe. The idea of running back time so that the event can be re-run for the next lot of diners is marvellous.

Jonathan

Agreed. The entire idea of Milliways is pure genius.

Edited October 17, 2018 by RedGemAlchemist

[TT-Pete]

Unless you constructed a Sinclair digital watch kit.  You know, the black plastic one where you had to press the case to see the time because the "calculator" style LED would otherwise suck the life out of the batteries in hours. There were many other design "features" too...  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch_(wristwatch)

 

After that, anything with a LCD that stayed on all the time and showed a reasonable approximation of the time would seem a pretty neat idea!

 

Aaaaah, Sinclair. The Best of British;

 

"a very sensitive integrated circuit which could be rendered useless by static shock (which, unbelievably, Sinclair had failed to allow for in its production process - meaning that many watches were DOA from the factory)"

[corneliuslundie]

The recent discussion on signalling on another thread to which most of the denizens of this thread seem to contribute lead to the obvious question:

Who was the signalling contractor for Castle Aching station?

There are plenty to choose from: Stevens, Evans O'Donnell, Gloucester, Railway Signal Co, Saxby & FarmerMcKenzie & Holland etc etc (not sure of some of the dates). In 1905 it is quite likely that the block instruments would be in the station building, as on the Mid Wales Railway and Cambrian, so the box could be quite small. I like the little Stevens boxes on the Mid Wales Railway (see Sarn for my model) but that might shout Wales too strongly.

Jonathan

[wagonman]

Totally irrelevant observation, so apologies in advance, but coming home from Sheringham along the A149 down Deadman's Hill I saw the NNR's MetCam dark green DMU trundling along with about 3 people on board. Is this carrying historical re-enactment a little too far?

Edited October 17, 2018 by wagonman

[wagonman]

The recent discussion on signalling on another thread to which most of the denizens of this thread seem to contribute lead to the obvious question:

Who was the signalling contractor for Castle Aching station?

There are plenty to choose from: Stevens, Evans O'Donnell, Gloucester, Railway Signal Co, Saxby & FarmerMcKenzie & Holland etc etc (not sure of some of the dates). In 1905 it is quite likely that the block instruments would be in the station building, as on the Mid Wales Railway and Cambrian, so the box could be quite small. I like the little Stevens boxes on the Mid Wales Railway (see Sarn for my model) but that might shout Wales too strongly.

Jonathan

 

 

Don't forget Duttons. By 1905 I think the Gloucester interests had been passed to the Railway Signal Co. 

[Hroth]

Aaaaah, Sinclair. The Best of British;

 

"a very sensitive integrated circuit which could be rendered useless by static shock (which, unbelievably, Sinclair had failed to allow for in its production process - meaning that many watches were DOA from the factory)"

I've got an UNOPENED Sinclair Radionics Calculator kit, got it for a fiver* from a little shop opposite the Cathedral in Worcester many more years ago than I care to recollect...

 

 

I suspect that if I opened it, I'd find that the chip had expired in that too!

 

I also built one of his portable transistor radio kits too.

 

 

Ruddy useless!

 

 

* Thinking about it, I may have paid far less as it was sale stock at that point.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Hroth

[Regularity]

Recommended watching is the BBC’s “Micromen”. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[DonB]

 

I like The restaurant at the end of the universe. The idea of running back time so that the event can be re-run for the next lot of diners is marvellous.

Jonathan

Many years ago (Probably 40 !) we went on Holiday to France and stopped for a meal at St.Lo where a postwar hotel (Hotel Universe) had been built as a fairly elongated block. We took advantage of the Menu Touistique at the little restaurant at the far corner of the block. So literally, we ate at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe!  

[Hroth]

Many years ago (Probably 40 !) we went on Holiday to France and stopped for a meal at St.Lo where a postwar hotel (Hotel Universe) had been built as a fairly elongated block. We took advantage of the Menu Touistique at the little restaurant at the far corner of the block. So literally, we ate at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe!  

Where's a trombone sound when you need it?

[RedGemAlchemist]

Where's a trombone sound when you need it?

Indeed!

[Compound2632]

Totally irrelevant observation, so apologies in advance, but coming home from Sheringham along the A149 down Deadman's Hill I saw the NNR's MetCam dark green DMU trundling along with about 3 people on board. Is this carrying historical re-enactment a little too far?

 

Ah, but how much had they paid for that authentic experience?

[Hroth]

The recent discussion on signalling on another thread to which most of the denizens of this thread seem to contribute lead to the obvious question:

Who was the signalling contractor for Castle Aching station?

There are plenty to choose from: Stevens, Evans O'Donnell, Gloucester, Railway Signal Co, Saxby & FarmerMcKenzie & Holland etc etc (not sure of some of the dates). In 1905 it is quite likely that the block instruments would be in the station building, as on the Mid Wales Railway and Cambrian, so the box could be quite small. I like the little Stevens boxes on the Mid Wales Railway (see Sarn for my model) but that might shout Wales too strongly.

Jonathan

There was some discussion on block instruments, many many pages ago - somewhere in the 120s I think, I have a bookmark to the area which I found a couple of days ago, but I can't remember which of my computers it was on....

 

I do remember the design of the cases was fairly gothic.

 

Ok, found it using Google.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/107713-castle-aching/page-150

 

Only a bit out, pagewise.

 

The page also has a pic of JA with a shotgun, which may pique the interest of the Parish Council!

Edited October 17, 2018 by Hroth

[Northroader]

Reminds me, do you want to mess around with block bells and semaphores, or just stick to good old hand signalling of trains?

[nick_bastable]

the cosmic loop is complete 

 

Nick

[Caley Jim]

..... So literally, we ate at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe!

There's a pub on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh called The World's End. In days gone by it was next to the gate in the city wall which, as far as the good burghers of the capital were concerned, was as far as the world went.

 

Jim

[Regularity]

Reminds me, do you want to mess around with block bells and semaphores, or just stick to good old hand signalling of trains?

70FC3CD7-F180-4558-8FDA-F2099232E2D0.jpeg

That’s disgusting.

Where’s the train?

[webbcompound]

Where's a trombone sound when you need it?

https://www.soundsnap.com/tags/trombone

[phil_sutters]

Reminds me, do you want to mess around with block bells and semaphores, or just stick to good old hand signalling of trains?

70FC3CD7-F180-4558-8FDA-F2099232E2D0.jpeg

Mr. Oram, the signalman at Highbridge East B box used to use a tea-towel to signal local movements in and out of the S&D goods shed. No photo of the SB or Mr. Oram - could do you several of the goods shed.

[wagonman]

There's a pub on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh called The World's End. In days gone by it was next to the gate in the city wall which, as far as the good burghers of the capital were concerned, was as far as the world went.

 

Jim

 

 

There's a pub in Chelsea called the World's End – there's probably several of them Nationwide – though this one is a classic Edwardian era boozer

[Hroth]

https://www.soundsnap.com/tags/trombone

The strangest things lurk on the interweb, don't they!  #9 and another further down on the first page were appropriate...

 

 

There's a pub in Chelsea called the World's End – there's probably several of them Nationwide – though this one is a classic Edwardian era boozer

And there's the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film of the same name, concerning a pub crawl, ending at the eponymous pub, which uncovers an alien android invasion....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World%27s_End_(film)

 

I'll be the first to admit that this is a bit off topic!

[TheQ]

The strangest things lurk on the interweb, don't they!  #9 and another further down on the first page were appropriate...

 

 

And there's the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film of the same name, concerning a pub crawl, ending at the eponymous pub, which uncovers an alien android invasion....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World%27s_End_(film)

 

I'll be the first to admit that this is a bit off topic!

Is it?

I have to drive / walk Down Riverside past the real Worlds End, Knares

borough to my Brothers house..

Edited October 18, 2018 by TheQ