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

All this talk of the plague and general depression leads me to post a pic of my gardener. He's the sort of all purpose tradesman that can make a living in these troubled times.

 

1638971406_grim-reaper-pop-art-vector-19635961(2).jpg.d58871424823fde23039f4f5e7430834.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Does he ride a horse called 'Binky'?

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Alas I am deprived of the sight of wind-swept, rain-drenched moors as No. 1 Son has postponed his return to Durham by a week, while we all shake off our non-Covid cough and cold. All teaching online in the first week anyway. Next weekend looks more promising for sunlit uplands.

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4 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

Alas I am deprived of the sight of wind-swept, rain-drenched moors


Looking out of the window here, which is as far as I’ve taken it today, the sodden fells appear to have moved south overnight, bringing the wind with them.
 

The weather is not pleasant!

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1 minute ago, Nearholmer said:


Looking out of the window here, which is as far as I’ve taken it today, the sodden fells appear to have moved south overnight, bringing the wind with them.
 

The weather is not pleasant!

 

I'm not missing driving the 580 mile round trip in this weather!

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Glad I don't live in a flood plain area, but near the creast of a hill and that the ground slopes gently down in all directions!

 

At least the weather is keeping me indoors and doing some track laying / wiring - some may now need the smelling salts to revive them!

 

Regards

Chris H

Edited by Metropolitan H
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Meanwhile here its a long weekend, 3 days straight of 30 degrees and sunny, and theres been no new local  covid cases in the state for 9 days running.

 

MAybe  yous should have kept the convicts there and moved the UK to here  back in the day!

 

 

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5 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Alas I am deprived of the sight of wind-swept, rain-drenched moors as No. 1 Son has postponed his return to Durham by a week, while we all shake off our non-Covid cough and cold. All teaching online in the first week anyway. Next weekend looks more promising for sunlit uplands.

 

Yesterday here was the most miserable kind of wet weather.

 

Today saw a break in the weather, so, at Miss T's insistence, I took the offspring and the dogs south to a woodened valley beyond a reservoir in Yorkshire.   We have just come back.  It is fine and sunny here and a good day for walking in the footsteps of the white canons. 

 

 

 

Edited by Edwardian
spelling!
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17 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Too many of them are lacking in conviction...

 

Eerr.....  I rather think they are not quite lacking in the complete and utter arrogant conviction that they are absolutely correct in all their utterings, illustrated by the chaos following the EU vote.  This backed up by total lack of awareness of whatever logic may be being delivered by facts, or anyone else and the media polarised so far, as to be unable to do their jobs. which used to be delivering news and informed comment.

 

What is lacking is a good dose of someone able to cure...

16 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Only because they haven't been caught out yet...

 

 

Enjoy the rain, it may feel as miserable as those mentioned above...  but it is at least so useful as to be essential.

 

Julian

 

 

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Just to counter this deep vein of cynicism that I have unleashed with a passing witticism, I'd like to assert that there are politicians of genuine conviction on all sides of the House of Commons; they tend not to be the ones who make it into government.

 

BTW A parliamentary fact I learned very recently: the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail, Liz Saville Roberts MP, is the only Plaid Cymru MP to be the Chair of an All-Party Parliamentary Group. (Succeeding Nicky Morgan MP, would you believe it?)

Edited by Compound2632
Replaced "onto the front benches" with "into government".
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2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Just to counter this deep vein of cynicism that I have unleashed with a passing witticism, I'd like to assert that there are politicians of genuine conviction on all sides of the House of Commons; they tend not to be the ones who make it into government.

 

BTW A parliamentary fact I learned very recently: the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail, Liz Saville Roberts MP, is the only Plaid Cymru MP to be the Chair of an All-Party Parliamentary Group. (Succeeding Nicky Morgan MP, would you believe it?)

 

Indeed there are and it's sad that so few make it into Gov't, but, yes, some still do, it's a real pity it isn't more.

 

Julian

 

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So long as none of them are what I got called this evening we're alright. Apparently this (My Talyllyn Winter Uniform);

IMG_20201004_194823_480.jpg.cd6e41b5ef9f54e78a098ccb324520f1.jpg

Looks like this;

1220427544_Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-2008-0276_Hans_Heinrich_Lammers.jpg.c2d1502058f75bb1737f089aaeac97c1.jpg

Which I suppose, in a vague way it might. But apparently it means that I must obviously be a Nazi. Last night the patrons of 'The Vale of Rheidol' pub decided I looked like this and yelled to me as such across the road;

blakeyarrrghh.jpg.446d7e342f536af73ff873cfa758ba71.jpg

Or possibly they meant this;

onthebuses12-1-681x464.jpg.b2154e805dc9552ea04ffde17d49c76b.jpg

I think that possibly the latter two are more flattering in as much as at least they aren't SS officers!

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4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

Just to counter this deep vein of cynicism that I have unleashed with a passing witticism, I'd like to assert that there are politicians of genuine conviction on all sides of the House of Commons; they tend not to be the ones who make it into government.

 

Because they're not self-serving, lying, cheating, obnoxious lizards, the nice ones (almost) never get into positions of power, if only because they'd immediately show up the self-serving, lying, cheating, obnoxious lizards by comparison.

 

The main problem is that people have voted for the self-serving, lying, cheating, obnoxious lizards in the first place...

 

Trying not to be unhelpful.

 

Talking of self-serving, lying, cheating, obnoxious lizards, it appears that the Great POTUS seems to have the Man Flu version of Covid...

 

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16 minutes ago, sem34090 said:

So long as none of them are what I got called this evening we're alright. Apparently this (My Talyllyn Winter Uniform);

IMG_20201004_194823_480.jpg.cd6e41b5ef9f54e78a098ccb324520f1.jpg

Looks like this;

1220427544_Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-2008-0276_Hans_Heinrich_Lammers.jpg.c2d1502058f75bb1737f089aaeac97c1.jpg

Which I suppose, in a vague way it might. But apparently it means that I must obviously be a Nazi. Last night the patrons of 'The Vale of Rheidol' pub decided I looked like this and yelled to me as such across the road;

blakeyarrrghh.jpg.446d7e342f536af73ff873cfa758ba71.jpg

Or possibly they meant this;

onthebuses12-1-681x464.jpg.b2154e805dc9552ea04ffde17d49c76b.jpg

I think that possibly the latter two are more flattering in as much as at least they aren't SS officers!

 

Well....

 

At least you don't look like the Nazi Demented Parrot, and compared to the OTB crew, you haven't made your hat look like this

 

image.png.c39265001b934155460b3bc5c8ebee99.png

 

Yet.....

 

 

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My main question is: did the staff of the Talyllyn Railway actually dress like that? I would have thought that set of fancy togs would have consumed the railway's entire takings for the year.

 

But I only say that because I have "a thing" about preserved narrow gauge railways projecting an image that conveys an inaccurate impression of what pre-preserved narrow gauge railways were all about.

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I agree entirely that it's hideously inaccurate, but it fits with the line's modern image and I am relishing the opportunity to gradually fashion myself a more pre-grouping style uniform than I could get away with on the MHR. Nowhere near that yet. And also it's more elaborate than what most other modern TR staff wear, from what I gather!

 

The problem with preserved NG lines, with the possible exception of the VoR, L&B and other grouped lines is that they seem to have had little in the way of uniforms and now* are, invariably, more popular since preservation than at any time in their pre-preservation history. The modern TR cannot hope to replicate the original TR outside of photo charters as the original stock, facilities, infrastructure and staff levels would be absolutely inadequate to meet modern demand! Besides which, there's also public image to deal with. I agree that it would be lovely to see, and perhaps at Rhydyronen on a quiet day with the original stock it might be possible to get a sense of the old Talyllyn. Ultimately way back when it was a railway that could operate with probably about five people at most way back when. Today Wharf alone had a staff of eleven.

 

That said, less busy lives like Tanfield seem to evoke that atmosphere much better even though it's more 'contrived', in a sense.

Edited by sem34090
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Victims of their own success.

 

Interesting you mention Rhydyronen, because the last time I took any photos when visiting the TR was there, precisely because it is a bit of a backwater where the old ghosts get a look-in.

 

The same dilemma afflicts many SG preserved railways, although some individual stations do retain a bit of atmosphere, and Horsted Keynes has regained some since it ceased to be the terminus of the Bluebell; between trains it is almost possible to believe.

 

I've often thought it would be good to have a conserved railway, but it probably wouldn't be a very practical proposition, unless it was part of a giant living-history park ........... actually, it might be popular with deep nostalgics and reactionaries to create a living-history county.  Nineteenfiftyshire. It could become a giant social laboratory, to find out whether people were really happier or if, as I suspect, just as disgruntled as now, but for different reasons.

 

 

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Just now, Nearholmer said:

Victims of their own success.

In a sense, absolutely. But then again, I'd rather that than them to not exist at all.

Just now, Nearholmer said:

Interesting you mention Rhydyronen, because the last time I took any photos when visiting the TR was there, precisely because it is a bit of a backwater where the old ghosts get a look-in.

Exactly!

Just now, Nearholmer said:

The same dilemma afflicts many SG preserved railways, although some individual stations do retain a bit of atmosphere, and Horsted Keynes has regained some since it ceased to be the terminus of the Bluebell; between trains it is almost possible to believe.

My only trouble with Horsted (and Aldwych on LU) is that it appears in soooooo many film and TV productions!! I think Kingscote has a marginally more convincing atmosphere, although not so much correct appearance, at times because it's that much quieter but certainly Horsted has oodles of atmosphere when quiet. At Medstead, my MHR 'home', if one looks the right way and the atmosphere is right it is, as you say, almost possible to believe. Particularly at night (when the moon gives light and the ghost of the... Ooops, not Cliddesden!).

Just now, Nearholmer said:

I've often thought it would be good to have a conserved railway, but it probably wouldn't be a very practical proposition, unless it was part of a giant living-history park ........... actually, it might be popular with deep nostalgics and reactionaries to create a living-history county.  Nineteenfiftyshire. It could become a giant social laboratory, to find out whether people were really happier or if, as I suspect, just as disgruntled as now, but for different reasons.

I love the concept, but can think of a variety of flaws. If we have to do it anywhere, could it be the Isle of Wight please? And in the Thirties? A few Beyer Peacock 2-4-0Ts left, the Terriers and a few of the O2s as well please? Oh and forget about the economic depression; most people seem to...

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It might be easier with the Isle of Man, because some of their social outlook is already decidedly retro, and more of their railways are closer to the classic model.

 

Its been used for internment camps before, so maybe the whole island could be made a place of internment for those who have incurably romanticised notions of the past. To unite two strands of this thread, I can think of a few politicians that I would intern there on that basis.

 

Might create problems though, because perhaps not everyone who lives there now actually wants to live in the past.

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