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MRJ 260


drduncan
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Richard, does the cart 'driver' sit up somewhere on the boxes on the cart or does he walk alongside, holding the reins?

 

Given the size of the load I would imagine that the trip is a) fairly short and b) fairly level.

Unless the contents are very light poor old dobbin is going to struggle even without a driver perched on top.

My local gas works was served by a narrow gauge horse drawn tramway and the man walked alongside the horse. On a down grade under the WCML the horse was detached, the wagons run down the slope using gravity. The horse walked through light engine so to speak and was then hitched up to the wagons when back on level ground. We might benefit from an in depth article on horse operation in railway settings. There must be a multitude of operating nuances that most of us are unaware of.

Back to a serious comment. I found the brickwork notes very interesting. Probably not feasible in less than 7mm scale? Nice all the same. 

Bernard 

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I believe in the absence of a proper seat they sat alongside the crates.

It was quite common for the carter to walk alongside the horse, its possibly easier to guide the horse that way, especially in crowded yards or busy streets.  And with a heavy load the horse isn't going to be going at a speed that outpaces the carter!

 

I've seen several photos of carters leading their horses, though I suppose when there isn't a load present.....

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Finally got it. Does anyone know why it takes so long to appear in WH Smiths shops?

 

 

Why is there straw in or on the horse-droppings on the street?

 

Also horse droppings have a very distinctive rounded shape - until squashed by a wheel.

 

...R

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It was indeed Mr. Horse, in the thread for MRJ 239:

“Posted by Horsetan on 19 May 2015 - 07:22 in Model Railway Journal

Does anyone else think that Roger Lycett-Smith is a bit like the Mrs. Trellis of MRJ? His letters seem to get published so often that I sometimes think MRJ keeps his correspondence in reserve for when they need fillers....!”

I can't believe you wasted time going back all the way to that topic! :jester:

 

....Why is there straw in or on the horse-droppings on the street?

That may have fallen from the cart.

 

Also horse droppings have a very distinctive rounded shape....

Not ball-shaped, but more of a thick disc, or sections of a roll. That's down to it passing along the rectum. Also depends on what the horse has been eating in the last few hours; some deposits collapse on impact with the ground, at which point you can see the fibrous content

Edited by Horsetan
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What wonderful symmetry, MRJ has Mrs Trellis and MRJ threads have their very own "little ray of sunshine".

 

... and a developing thesis on the shape & contents of equine ejections.  Where else can one find such diverse and stimulating subject matter with such keynote topics?

 

No crap spoken in MRJ threads, no siree.

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I can't believe you wasted time going back all the way to that topic! :jester:

 

Actually only took me about 5 mins using the forum search facility and the search term “trellis”. There are actually a surprising number of threads which contain “trellis” but not in the context of “Mrs”...

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That may have fallen from the cart.

And all landed neatly and only on the masses of excrement on the street?

 

Reminds me of the levitating houses that feature so regularly on model railways (but never in MRJ, of course)

 

...R

Edited by Robin2
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Finally got it. Does anyone know why it takes so long to appear in WH Smiths shops?

 

 

Why is there straw in or on the horse-droppings on the street?

 

Also horse droppings have a very distinctive rounded shape - until squashed by a wheel.

 

...R

It’s called modeller’s licence and atmosphere.

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Given the size of the load I would imagine that the trip is a) fairly short and b) fairly level.

Unless the contents are very light poor old dobbin is going to struggle even without a driver perched on top.

My local gas works was served by a narrow gauge horse drawn tramway and the man walked alongside the horse. On a down grade under the WCML the horse was detached, the wagons run down the slope using gravity. The horse walked through light engine so to speak and was then hitched up to the wagons when back on level ground. We might benefit from an in depth article on horse operation in railway settings. There must be a multitude of operating nuances that most of us are unaware of.

Back to a serious comment. I found the brickwork notes very interesting. Probably not feasible in less than 7mm scale? Nice all the same. 

Bernard

 

This is fairly light volume-wise compared with some photos I’ve seen.

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Finally got it. Does anyone know why it takes so long to appear in WH Smiths shops?

 

 

Why is there straw in or on the horse-droppings on the street?

 

Also horse droppings have a very distinctive rounded shape - until squashed by a wheel.

 

...R

Straw was everywhere in those days. I would say I’ve not got nearly enough there. Too many models of yards etc I see are far too clean and pristine-looking.

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My copy arrived today and has had a good coat of looking at.

 

A cracking good issue and if all people want to talk about are the sort of matters raised here, then they must be pretty desperate to find fault. One might even say clutching at straws.

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One might even say clutching at straws.

 

Not these I hope Tony. Just how my old man used to get his annual delivery (and every other gardiner in the area) to the bottom of the garden.

 

post-508-0-47245000-1517087894.jpg

 

Raiway stables couln't give the stuff away out of season, so you would see trainloads of the stuff being carted of to places like this.

 

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW047788

 

P

Edited by Porcy Mane
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OT but relevant.

Shadrach Godwin, Godwin's Halt and Godwin's Siding, had a siding and station built on the Midland branch from Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead solely for the handling of horse manure. He negotiated a contract to take all the waste from horse drawn cabs out of London.

Bernard

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Not these I hope Tony. Just how my old man used to get his annual delivery (and every other gardiner in the area) to the bottom of the garden.

 

attachicon.gifHos-manure-.jpg

 

Raiway stables couln't give the stuff away out of season, so you would see trainloads of the stuff being carted of to places like this.

 

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW047788

 

P

post-31608-0-23544900-1517089039_thumb.png

 

Looks vaguely similar I’d say.

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All this talk of horsesh*t reminded me of our local fruit and veg man who still used a cart pretty much as illustrated on said mag cover.....

This would have been as late as 1970/72.

 

We lived in a Police house, one of a block of 4, with a 'Tardis' call box outside another everyday object that's gone, along with the trolley buses which used to glide past on a fairly irregular basis.

 

There were regular ques for the nags deposits, no doubt for roses, rhubarb or other garden delights.

 

Nothing to do with MRJ of course but well worthy of a letter to the editor, written in biro perhaps as I'm fresh out of quills.

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