The Night Mail

[petethemole]

I gather slightly belated Birthday Greetings to Stubby 47 are in order.

[newbryford]

11 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I have just finished drilling some holes in the bottom of the bath!

 

Crazy as that sounds, when it was being cleaned yesterday, prior to a visit by our daughter and the grandchildren, a crack was seen.

 

Since it's one of these plastic /grp type baths, welding the crack was not an option.

 

So a pair of holes have been drilled at each end of the crack to stop it from enlarging and the crack between the two holes has been opened up to form a 'V' shaped trench. 

 

I often wondered why the female of the species had a hole near a crack............

[pH]

18 hours ago, AndyID said:

I haven't been able to find out where it originated - Stranraer perhaps? My pal across the street and I used to call it the 8:15 because it left Paisley Canal heading for St Enoch around that time. We were watching it about half a mile East of the station as it screeched along the severe check rails around Saucel Hill.  My brother took it sometimes on his way to GU.

 

There were plenty of "namers" pulling it. Clans, Britannias, IIRC. There might have been some Scots/Pats too, but I can't remember.

 

I'm even more intrigued now!

 

I've not heard of Pacifics on that end of the Canal Line before. I've seen pictures of Pacifics on Corkerhill shed, at the other end of the line (Corkerhill even had a couple of its own for a short time), but they would have come on shed from the Glasgow direction. And I'm not surprised they screeched, since the track (as the name says) was built on the line of a canal and was described by David L. Smith as having "more curvature per mile than the Himalayan-Darjeeling". I don't think the train would have come from Stranraer, at least without an engine change, since I'm pretty sure Duchesses were not allowed at Stranraer. I'd think it's most likely to have  come from Kilmarnock, and possibly from Carlisle, by way of the "Long Road" through Dalry.

 

18 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Regarding Camden Pacifics on Glaswegian locals, I believe that the Scottish sheds were well known for using locomotives that were 'parked' on their premises for several hours on return workings from south of the border. Thus those that hauled the various named Scots and such, which would include LMR crimson Coronations, would sometimes be seen on some quite untypical duties. From the different types listed in Andy's post could it be that the 8.15 was such a working?

 

Not necessarily Camden engines, Dave. Crewe North Pacifics were quite common in Glasgow, and the Carlisle sheds had some too. I believe, by the time Andy is talking about, Kingmoor would have had some and they appeared regularly in Glasgow. The last Duchess I saw in BR service was 46255 of Kingmoor, on Polmadie shed.

 

From what I've seen  and read, Polmadie and Corkerhill were more likely to 'borrow' English-based steam locos for 'one off' duties, either specials or to cover failures, not schedule them to regular duties - Corkerhill using Holbeck engines for Ayr race specials was an example. There were scheduled duties for some English-based diesels, though e.g. Co-Bos  off the 'Condor' and,  in later years, Midland Lines Peaks and Sulzer Type 2s on Clyde Coast services. 

17 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

This train has been mentioned on another thread. I think that it was mainly a way of getting the train back out from Glasgow quickly rather than it take up platform space during the rush hour.

 

17 hours ago, AndyID said:

Hi Joseph

It was heading for Glasgow St Enoch. I can't remember if the stock was corridor or suburban. Corridor I think but all things considered it's surprising I can remember any of it.

Andy

 

Joseph, as Andy says, the train he's describing was heading towards Glasgow, not away from it. If it was running 'smokebox first' into Glasgow (and I think Andy would have mentioned that if it wasn't),  and had taken an earlier train into Glasgow, it would have had to have taken a train out of Central or St. Enoch tender first (and been turned on a table before running back through Paisley Canal). I have never seen any indication that big express engines ever did that, with the exception of engines being turned by taking a train round the Cathcart Circle (and I don't know if that was still happening in BR days.)

 

So, my guess is that this train came from Carlisle, through Kilmarnock and Dalry, using an engine from Kingmoor shed. Any of the G&SWR experts on here like to comment?

[pH]

3 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

I am also finding myself drawn more to railway poetry as I age.

'From a Carriage Window' has long been a favourite,  but 'The Night Mail' is renewal of a childhood memory whilst 'Adlestrop' is a recent find.

 

I'd love some more recommendations of similar verse.

 

This man was an employee of the Glasgow and South Western Railway and wrote under the name of 'Surfaceman':

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Anderson_(poet)

 

Here are some of his poems which refer to railways: 

 

https://allpoetry.com/-Drew-The-Wrong-Lever!-

 

https://allpoetry.com/A-Day-Dream-On-The-Rail

 

https://allpoetry.com/A-Dream-Of-Yarrow

 

https://allpoetry.com/poem/8576893-The-Engine-by-Alexander-Anderson

 

I know there are others, but I can't find references to them online.

 

Edit to add:

 

You might find (some of!) this interesting:

https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3073

 

and:

https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/0905489195?&cm_mmc=AMZ-_-Storefront-_-OOS-_-ISBN

(The author's name is William McLagan, as given at the top of the entry, not the name given in the description.)

Edited July 5, 2020 by pH

[Steamport Southport]

Poetry and Scotland.....

 

https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/tay-bridge-disaster/

 

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Goodnight ladies and gents, from Oklahoma.

 

Douglas

[AndyID]

3 hours ago, pH said:

 

I'm even more intrigued now!

 

I've not heard of Pacifics on that end of the Canal Line before. I've seen pictures of Pacifics on Corkerhill shed, at the other end of the line (Corkerhill even had a couple of its own for a short time), but they would have come on shed from the Glasgow direction. And I'm not surprised they screeched, since the track (as the name says) was built on the line of a canal and was described by David L. Smith as having "more curvature per mile than the Himalayan-Darjeeling". I don't think the train would have come from Stranraer, at least without an engine change, since I'm pretty sure Duchesses were not allowed at Stranraer. I'd think it's most likely to have  come from Kilmarnock, and possibly from Carlisle, by way of the "Long Road" through Dalry.

 

 

I eventually found my Observer's Books of Railway Locomotives of Britain. (They had been relegated to the third division behind the quilting books )

 

As far as I can tell from my annotations the following Coronations were observed on the Canal line, almost certainly hauling that train. This was likely in 1961 or 1962.

 

Cities of

Bradford

Bristol

Hereford

Liverpool

Salford

Sheffield (possibly - my notes are ambiguous)

 

Duchess of Norfolk

 

I also recorded Athol, Buccleuch, Gloucester and Montrose but my crappy annotations don't reveal where I actually saw them.

 

According to my notes I also saw Princess Alexandra and Queen Mary on the Canal Line, probably hauling the same train.

 

 

 

 

[AndyID]

The pyromaniacs are out in force. It's usually bad but it's a lot worse than usual this year, probably on account of the virus.

 

A large percentage of the fireworks being set off are completely illegal. A lot of the dimwits with more money than sense seem to think we are on the tribal reservation and exempt from the state/county law, but we are not. The county sheriff has jurisdiction here but he is too chicken to enforce the law.

 

As long as they don't set fire to my boat I don't really mind for one night but this BS is likely to go on for about a week.

[Stubby47]

Thanks for the poetry links, lots there I've not seen before. 

[PatB]

I'm not too bothered about the dentist, apart from the big bill at the end of the session, but the last significant work I had done was the extraction of a wisdom tooth which had been coming through horizontally in fits and starts for 20 years. The bloke doing the extraction explained that the tooth would need to be cut up in situ with what appeared to be a Dremel cutting disc, which would take a while, may be disturbing, and it was recommended I have a neuroleptic in addition to the local anaesthetic. As I had to drive home myself, I turned down the sedative and just asked him to make sure my jaw was full of novocaine and I'd be fine. Which I was, but that was partially due to the realisation, as the first needle went in, that I'd locked my keys in the car. As a result, I was admirably distracted, for the requisite half hour or so, by working through the procedure for breaking into a VW Beetle without causing damage and using only the contents of my pockets. Not that I ended up following it. Instead, I borrowed a coathanger from the receptionists, which worked much better.

 

Another observation on medical/surgical procedures, while I'm here, is that, as with the wisdom tooth, if I'm offered a choice of local only or general/sedative, I tend to opt for the local. Not because I'm particularly fearless, but because empirical experience and anecdotal evidence suggest that, if the patient is present and aware, the surgeon is more careful, or, at least, more gentle, resulting in less bruising and general post-op inflammation and discomfort; a trade-off between immediate and longer-term benefits I find myself able to make.

[jamie92208]

Belated birthday greetings to Stubby, here was little old me thinking that he had a fondness for these. This one is from the Silver Jubilee tour of 1977 at Woodlesford.

At the time I was about to start guarding the royal seat and kharzi for 12 hours at Elland Road.   

 

Jamie

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by jamie92208

[bbishop]

I asked for a local when I had an exploratory knee operation, but was told it had to be a general.  I haven't had an eye operation/ but that would be a general.  I have a phobia about anyone touching my eyes.   Bill

[Erichill16]

7 minutes ago, bbishop said:

I asked for a local when I had an exploratory knee operation, but was told it had to be a general.  I haven't had an eye operation/ but that would be a general.  I have a phobia about anyone touching my eyes.   Bill

I can’t even watch SWMBO putting her contact lenses in. I think this started at school when we had bulls eyes to dissect.
I have a friend who goes for an injection in his eye every couple of months or so. To me a very brave man but I suppose to him it’s a necessity.

Robert

[Happy Hippo]

12 minutes ago, bbishop said:

I asked for a local when I had an exploratory knee operation, but was told it had to be a general.  I haven't had an eye operation/ but that would be a general.  I have a phobia about anyone touching my eyes.   Bill

Both the cataract operations I had were done under local anaesthetic.

 

So was the repair to the detaching retina.

 

My worry was that they were going to shove a needle into the eye, but I was somewhat reassured when I found out the anaesthetic was administered in the form of eye drops.

[New Haven Neil]

The thought of a needle in to the eye is a double word score. I'd pass out, or have a hearty.

 

 

[newbryford]

My fear is wasps. Sphecksophobia.

 

Last time one stung me, I ended up in A&E 3 days later with an elbow joint considerably larger than it should be.

The doc recommended the strongest anti-histamines and also a lecture on how anaphylactic shock could have set in as I'd left it so long to get treated.

(And I know all about AP shock due to a nut allergy.......)

[Happy Hippo]

33 minutes ago, newbryford said:

My fear is wasps. Sphecksophobia.

 

Last time one stung me, I ended up in A&E 3 days later with an elbow joint considerably larger than it should be.

The doc recommended the strongest anti-histamines and also a lecture on how anaphylactic shock could have set in as I'd left it so long to get treated.

(And I know all about AP shock due to a nut allergy.......)

My wife is also paranioid about wasps.

 

I once broke up a wasps nest whilst using a fork to turn over the compost heap.

 

Did I say fork!

 

I legged it down the garden pursued by a very angry swarm: Fortunately we had a large deep paddling pool which was in the middle of the lawn so I took a flying dive into that.

 

Not such a bright idea as I could have broken my neck during the dive, but I was safely submerged, and stayed in there surfacing occasionally and quickly for air, until my newly acquired friends had gone elsewhere.

 

I still got stung multiple times and was later warned that if I was stung in future, then anaphylactic shock was something I should be aware of.

[Happy Hippo]

Today has been spent on major domestic duties.

 

My daughter and her two children are coming to visit tomorrow, and will be here for a week.

 

I will have to be really good with the excuses if I am not to be a full time operative in the entertainment regime.

 

Small amounts I can cope with, unfortunately they get bored after a couple of hours of me reading Thomas the Tank engine books.

 

Why they can't go and play in the sand pit  so I can finish the books in peace is beyond me!

[Erichill16]

All this talk of snakes, needles, eye balls etc is going to give me nightmares sooner or later so I’m going to change the subject of my posts. 

On ERs I’d be excumunicated for doing this but on here H.H. says that model trains are welcome.

So here is what I’ve been upto this evening, no I’ve not built them all tonight,  I’ve just added (most) of the transfers. I’ve run out of  ‘w’ and ‘H’s . Not the best, but some of the coaches are nearly 40years old and still not quite finished. The coaches are Dundas and the wagons are Bachmann’s.

Edited July 5, 2020 by Erichill16
Typo

[Erichill16]

Sorry Stubby47, nearly forgot to wish you a belated happy birthday.

All the best,

Robert

[AndyID]

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I legged it down the garden pursued by a very angry swarm:

 

As R Burns had it,

 

"When out the hellish legion sallied"

 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

All this talk of snakes, needles, eye balls etc is going to give me nightmares sooner or later so I’m going to change the subject of my posts. 

On ERs I’d be excumunicated for doing this but on H.H said that model trains are welcome.

So here is what I’ve been upto this evening, no I’ve not built them all tonight,  I’ve just added (most) of the transfers. I’ve run out of  ‘w’ and ‘H’s . Not the best, but some of the coaches are nearly 40years old and still not quite finished. The coaches are Dundas and the wagons are Bachmann’s.

One of the reasons for setting up The Night Mail was to give those without a dedicated layout thread, and who didn't want to start one, the place to show, tell, ask for help etc without upsetting the non railway ethos that ERs has to respect in the Wheeltappers zone..

 

This is not so much a dictate of those that frequent the ERs, but rules from a higher level of management.

 

We are very much the Misc in MM&M so are not so restricted.

 

Of course, now you have posted the pictures, the collective 'we', want to know more. (As an aside the first  point building I attempted was in 009.  Surprisingly it worked!)

 

Trials and tribulations and diversions into other interesting directions  are all part of our ethos, but we still all like trains.

 

Our followers who do have their own threads are at liberty to either post here, or just let us have the appropriate link(s).

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[bbishop]

I appreciate the permission to wander in and out of train topics as the fancy takes me, without fear of the awl.

 

I'm at the London Ambulance Service tomorrow and I can look at RMWeb once the initial rush has subsided.  We haven't signed any contracts and are there "on trust"; I look at RMWeb but don't log in so can't post.  I drafting an article for the South Western Magazine on the two Terriers purchased from the LBSC so I'm taking in correspondence between Drummond and Billinton extracted from committee minutes.

 

Bill

[AndyID]

Beautiful day here. The only problem is too many people are spoiling it with their power garden equipment. I may have to retaliate with the tractor

 

We've been here for 25 years and we are fortunate that we are surrounded by undeveloped lots. The third acre to our left is sporting a lot of daises at the moment. There were a lot of lupines earlier but they have died off now.

 

 

The two third acre lots behind us are also undeveloped. They are heavily forested with Douglas Firs and Ponderosa PInes.

 

The third acre lot across the street is also undeveloped. The owner put it on the market last year and MrsID was really concerned that somebody would put a house on it and spoil our view, so we bought it. It also came with a boat slip on a community dock which is quite a valuable asset. The State of Idaho no longer permits community docks on lake Coeur d'Alene

 

 

I park the boat and our olde fangled looking caravan on it. Despite its appearance it's only a couple of years old. In total we have almost two acres to play on but we only pay taxes on two-thirds of an acre.

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

All this talk of snakes, needles, eye balls etc is going to give me nightmares sooner or later so I’m going to change the subject of my posts. 

On ERs I’d be excumunicated for doing this but on here H.H. says that model trains are welcome.

So here is what I’ve been upto this evening, no I’ve not built them all tonight,  I’ve just added (most) of the transfers. I’ve run out of  ‘w’ and ‘H’s . Not the best, but some of the coaches are nearly 40years old and still not quite finished. The coaches are Dundas and the wagons are Bachmann’s.

 

I had to research the WHR. It wasn't in business the last time I was in Wales. I imagine it's well patronized.

 

They may have made a mistake by failing to do something similar here. There was still track on it when we came here. It's now "The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes"