Castle Aching

[Nearholmer]

Until c20 years ago, it was still customary to put your jacket on before going to The Chief’s office to see him, but since then things have changed a great deal. Barely anyone wears a tie for one thing, and the CM&EE I most recently worked for was a lady.

 

Shopping etiquette was being scrupulously observed today, except by one slightly strange woman, the only person in the place wearing a bandana round her face, who seemed to think that gave her the right to invade other people’s bubbles. I got the impression that she was so terrified that it had affected the balance of her mind.

[Compound2632]

It's creeping up on us...

 

[webbcompound]

When I worked for the Master in Lunacy at the Court of Protection in the 70s we could either wear jacket and tie, or if a hot day was announced by the Master we could wear a shirt with rolled sleeves and no tie. A jacket with no tie, or no jacket with sleeves down and a tie, or sleeves rolled and a tie, or sleeves down and no tie, were absolutely forbidden. Don't even think about how the arcane and entirely pointless system for filing evidence was structured, it would drive you mad. I was once reprimanded for referring to the Court as the "Island of Lost Souls" whilst on the phone to the Official Solicitor's Office.

[Donw]

2 hours ago, webbcompound said:

When I worked for the Master in Lunacy at the Court of Protection in the 70s we could either wear jacket and tie, or if a hot day was announced by the Master we could wear a shirt with rolled sleeves and no tie. A jacket with no tie, or no jacket with sleeves down and a tie, or sleeves rolled and a tie, or sleeves down and no tie, were absolutely forbidden. Don't even think about how the arcane and entirely pointless system for filing evidence was structured, it would drive you mad. I was once reprimanded for referring to the Court as the "Island of Lost Souls" whilst on the phone to the Official Solicitor's Office.

 

These days you cold probably self identify as a woman and wear a dress and they would have to accept it.

 

Don

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, Donw said:

 

These days you cold probably self identify as a woman and wear a dress and they would have to accept it.

 

 

Or either of those without the other. 

[Northroader]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

It's creeping up on us...

 

Celebratory drinks are being prepared:

 

[robmcg]

p.s. George Jackson Churchward succeeded William Dean no obvious family connection...  (just been reading previous posts, as you do....)      probably by marriage, or murder or Royal Assent or something?

[robmcg]

Edwardian engine, Dawlish... Churchward having demonstrated a perfect steam locomotive by 1911. 

 

 

Apologies a previous pic of a Hornby Star with 15-on based on  copyrighted background and coloured. was not permitted.  

 

As I understand it there is no way that any bit of a copyright picture can be modified, coloured, changed, distorted, or used in any way on RMweb?

 

I hope I haven't caused problems.

 

p.s. Is it because RMweb is deemed to be a commercial entity, and thus parts of historical images can be published only by permission, but could be shared privately only?

Edited April 5, 2020 by robmcg

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

4 hours ago, Northroader said:

Celebratory drinks are being prepared:

 

 

Umm.... the municipal health inspector has pointed out to me that she is not wearing a face mask ..............

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

 

Umm.... the municipal health inspector has pointed out to me that she is not wearing a face mask ..............

...or much else.

 

(Yes I know she's Hilda not Else but you get my drift).

[Donw]

I assume that although there is no direct charge for membership there are adverts which are commercial plus the fact that unregistered guests are allowed means it is public.

 

Don

[Hroth]

10 hours ago, robmcg said:

p.s. George Jackson Churchward succeeded William Dean no obvious family connection...  (just been reading previous posts, as you do....)      probably by marriage, or murder or Royal Assent or something?

 

By the time of Dean, things had settled down a bit, but the Armstrongs of the Northern Division Wolverhampton Works formed a GWR engineering dynasty in the mid years of the 19th century. Joseph Armstrong even moved from Wolverhampton to Swindon to take over from Gooch, leaving George Armstrong in charge of design and production at Wolverhampton.

 

15 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

It's creeping up on us...

 

It over-ran...

 

12 hours ago, Northroader said:

Celebratory drinks are being prepared:

 

Could be interesting...

 

7 hours ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

 

Umm.... the municipal health inspector has pointed out to me that she is not wearing a face mask ..............

 

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

...or much else.

 

But oh so easily cleaned...

And wiped down......

And.........

 

 

[Edwardian]

Beard of the Day

 

Sir Edward Watkin (1819-1901), director of 9 English railway companies, trustee of a 10th, with extensive foreign railway interests and a plan to dig a Channel tunnel, needs no introduction.

 

Many pictures show pronounced mutton chops linked with an under-chin beard, as with this 1860s engraving.

 

 

There are a couple of portraits with full beards to be found, including this one apparently dated 1891.

 

[TheQ]

21 hours ago, Hroth said:

TWW has a beard you could camp in.....

 

As an aside, railway mechnical engineering seem to be infested by family gangs.  there's the Stephensons, the Drummonds, the Holdens, Ivatts and Wordsells.

 

Is there a genetic component, or is it just some sort of nepotism?

 

btw, the Toastie was very nice...

 

Nothing to do with nepotism,  in those days if your dad was a coal miner you became a coal miner. You generally  followed your dads trade. 

Stephenson the elder was lucky to get out of just being a " fireman " aka stoker.. 

 

It was only the very rich that didn't,  the  oldest son got the family inheritance, the second son went into the military, the third became a vicar.. 

[Hroth]

55 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Sir Edward Watkin (1819-1901), director of 9 English railway companies, trustee of a 10th, with extensive foreign railway interests and a plan to dig a Channel tunnel, needs no introduction.

 

But should also be remembered for "Watkins Folly"* the foundations of which may still lie deep under the pitch at Wembley Stadium.

 

* A never completed rival to the Eiffel Tower

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watkin's_Tower

 

Edited April 6, 2020 by Hroth

[Northroader]

Edward Watkins learned the hard way, cutting his teeth as it were on the MSWJR, when it was a small, impecunious outfit, with limited staff and horizons. The management structure was very much hands on, and to his credit he built it up into a thriving cross country route, before going on to much larger exercises.

The Railway family I like are the Uries. I’m sure nepotism was never used, it was just that members of the family had the capability and the interest in railway engineering to all make their mark. Bob Urie of Eastleigh is the best known, running a large organisation, when electrification, modern 4-6-0s, and WW1 armaments, were all happening. Another Urie (brother?) was on the Highland trying to introduce modern ways before going on to help the LMS when it was floundering, and another (son?) was shedmaster at Brighton pre WW2. I had the privilege of knowing a further member of the family (another Bob) who had a distinguished career at Derby in BR days. A nicer guy as you would ever wish to meet.

[Compound2632]

Watkin shows the progression from high Victorian to late Victorian beard, characterised by the sideburns creeping down and round to meet in the middle. His nemesis, large-scale art collector and, I have concluded, running dog for the Derby octopus, James Staats Forbes, seems to have always been clean shaven:

 

[Compound2632]

14 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Edward Watkins learned the hard way, cutting his teeth as it were on the MSWJR, when it was a small, impecunious outfit, with limited staff and horizons. The management structure was very much hands on, and to his credit he built it up into a thriving cross country route, before going on to much larger exercises.

 

 

I think you may be confusing Watkin with Sam Fay. As far as I'm aware, Watkin had no connection with the MSWJR or its forebears, which were rather in the LSWR and later, Midland, camps. Watkin began his railway career in 1845 as secretary of the Trent Valley Railway and when that line was amalgamated into the LNWR, he became assistant to Capt. Mark Huish - so it needs no great imagination to deduce the skills he acquired then in plotting, underhand dealing, and general commercial swashbuckling.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Compound2632

[Hroth]

9 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

His nemesis, large-scale art collector and, I have concluded, running dog for the Derby octopus, James Staats Forbes, seems to have always been clean shaven:

 

He compensated using his terrific eyebrows... 

 

 

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

2 hours ago, Edwardian said:

Beard of the Day

 

Sir Edward Watkin (1819-1901), director of 9 English railway companies, trustee of a 10th, with extensive foreign railway interests and a plan to dig a Channel tunnel, needs no introduction.

 

Many pictures show pronounced mutton chops linked with an under-chin beard, as with this 1860s engraving.

 

 

 

 

Clearly a man who never had to contend with a jacket or jumper that had a zip-up front ....... 

[Compound2632]

23 minutes ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

 

Clearly a man who never had to contend with a jacket or jumper that had a zip-up front ....... 

 

Although invented in Watkin's lifetime, the zip fastener did not become a commercial success until the 1920s, after the decline of the beard. I wouldn't like to say whether there was any meaningful connection there.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Compound2632

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

I had the privilege of knowing a further member of the family (another Bob) who had a distinguished career at Derby in BR days. A nicer guy as you would ever wish to meet.

Absolutely. He was Deputy (to Frank Paterson) GM on the Eastern when I was there. A good boss and a good man. After he retired he did a lot of work with the NRM, interviewing people for their sound archive.

[Tom Burnham]

13 hours ago, robmcg said:

p.s. George Jackson Churchward succeeded William Dean no obvious family connection...  (just been reading previous posts, as you do....)      probably by marriage, or murder or Royal Assent or something?

G J Churchward's second cousin was Alaric Watts Churchward, whose father had run the Dover to Calais and Ostend mail steamers until they were taken over by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway in 1862.  A W Churchward was appointed as superintendent at Queenborough Pier - it was at a time when the Queenborough to Flushing steamer service was used by many important people including royals, being a good route to North Germany where several of Queen Victoria's family reigned.  Churchward was a Cambridge athletics Blue and was married to a Neame daughter (of the Faversham Shepherd Neame brewing dynasty) so was no doubt considered a more suitable person to represent the company than someone who had left school at 14 and risen through the ranks.  Churchward later became the South Eastern & Chatham Railway's represntative in Paris where he was, amongst other things, involved in arranging Edward VII's visits to Biarritz.

[Annie]

Page 1000 !  

 

Edited April 6, 2020 by Annie
added picture

[Compound2632]

Ta da!

 

 

Smith-Johnson Compound No. 2631, as, successively, de-Smithified and re-numbered by Deeley and finally rebuilt to conform to Deeley's own Compounds but with the addition of superheater. Deeley's first batch of non-Smith Compounds were originally numbered 1000 - 1029 but were re-numbered 1005 - 1034 in 1907 to make way for the ex-Smith-Johnson Compounds 2631-5 to be renumbered 1000 - 1004.