The Night Mail

[Philou]

Hello fellow TNMers,

 

I've been busy catching up on all your news and views - and very pleasurable it was. I'm pleased Mr Hunt is out and possibly about.

 

I was away taking Mrs Philou's grandchildren back home to Porn-ic, where they now live. The house moving took place over the weekend - who was roped in to unload the van (twice!) and re-assemble some flat-pack furniture? Harrumph! After a 750km drive (just short of 500 miles) I didn't really feel much like it but nonetheless it was sort-of enjoyable especially as the van had been really well loaded and the cartons labelled properly. The two loads took an hour each, including the man-handling of washing machines and other such domestic electricals.

 

I'm back and ready for the scaffolding tomorrow - hopefully my lead will be delivered today so I can get it cut and shaped ready for fitting as flashing.

 

Here's a little photo of me caught asleep on the job - again!

 

 

Have a good day everyone,

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Philou
er ..........

[Philou]

Builders' merchant just rang to say - 'No lead today. Been put back until next week's delivery'. Bit of a bummer, as I was hoping to clear the roofing work and concentrate on hacking off the old render and repointing. Oh well.

 

(Just in case anyone was wondering what it was I was doing when I fell asleep, I was applying stain to the woodwork that is right in the corner where the two rooves meet. It's simply not possible just there without untiling, removing some laths and then the vapour barrier. It'll be as best as I could do - the rest is fine.)

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[New Haven Neil]

Did someone mention Paneers?

 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Did someone mention Paneers?

 

where's the other one Neil? We need a pushmepullyou paneer, Festering Nog style

[bbishop]

I was allowed to travel round the London termini on a Wednesday afternoon from the age of nine.  There were only two rules.  When I got home I had to show the four pennies provided for an emergency phone call.  The second rule was that when I was finished at Marylebone, I had to catch the Bakerloo to Waterloo.  Bill

[Philou]

Funny thing that travelling alone when one was younger - at the age of three I flew 'alone' from Cardiff to Paris in a Dragon Rapide. (Someone my parents knew accompanied me on the same flight so not quite alone). However, at the age of 10, I did travel alone with a duffel bag between Cardiff and Bordeaux (flight to Paris courtesy of Cambrian Airways) met by an aunt at Le Bourget and then a quick transfer to Gare Austerlitz to get the Drapeau to Bordeaux where I'd be met by my grandparents.

 

The point of the ramblings above is: How many parents today would even consider letting a 10 year-old out alone, let alone travel hundreds of miles in a foreign country as I did 60 years ago?

 

On my return trip that year, I shared the compartment (remember them?) with an American couple 'doing Europe'. He was Percy H. Wood, editor of the Chicago Herald Tribune. Must've been taken by a quaint little English boy travelling alone in France as he took my photo and sent it to me all the way from Chicago. I had it for years but I don't know where that photo is now.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[New Haven Neil]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

where's the other one Neil? We need a pushmepullyou paneer, Festering Nog style

 

Ah, they all face the same way due to the gradient.  Here's the lot.

 

[Happy Hippo]

Dare I say not a red engine in sight?

Edited September 2, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[Tony_S]

6 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Dare I say not a red engine in sight?

I have a  pannier; six-wheeler, scarlet painted, London Transport ...

Edited September 2, 2020 by Tony_S

[pH]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I have a  pannier; six-wheeler, scarlet painted, London Transport ...

... diesel-engined, 97 horsepower ... (oh, sorry, wrong form of transport).

[chrisf]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I have a  pannier; six-wheeler, scarlet painted, London Transport ...

 

... but a bit more than 97 horsepower and not diesel engines.  Yay to Flanders and Swann.

 

Chris

[New Haven Neil]

I have no 7mm scale red enjuns.  Various green and black, but no red.  Even the red wagon isn't very red any more.

[bbishop]

Wasn't just me.  My kid sister's reward for passing the 11 plus was horse riding lessons, which soon extended into mucking out all Saturday.  The stables were a cycle ride away (my bicycle with crossbar!).  I'm certain our mother didn't worry, we both knew the highway code, I was careful on stations and my sister knew which end kicked.

 

I commuted to school alone from the age of seven.  My mother met me for three days.  On the third day my train home broke down at Bromley South and standing on the platform I heard the announcement that the Kent Coast service would stop at St Mary Cray.  Years later my mother told me that she saw a window pulled down, a hand come out to open the door, the window pulled up, then I stepped out and closed the door.  She decided that I knew what to do and there was no need to meet me any more. 

 

Bill

[Dave Hunt]

I too used to travel alone to and from school from the age of six. Bus to Penny Lane (yes, that Penny Lane) then ten minutes walk. The return journey took longer as the route from school to Penny Lane was via the side of the West Coast Main Line near Mossley Hill to see the likes of the Red Rose thunder past.

 

And not a pannier in sight.

 

Good night everyone.

 

Dave

[The Johnster]

My teenage years coincided with the end of steam, and between 1966 and 68, when I was 14 to 16 years old, I and a group of chums would regularly disappear for weekends from Cardiff on various expeditions to the north of England, surviving largely on our own resources and in a manner that would have social services alerted nowadays.  Parents were concerned on the first of these jaunts, Crewe, Manchester, and Liverpool, but when we all arrived back at Cardiff on the last from Crewe on the Sunday evening, IIRC 20.45 off Crewe and 23.35 into Cardiff, in undamaged condition, exhuasted, filthy, but happy, they realised we knew what we were about and a routine was established.  The outward journey was on the 'Midnight Special', the 00.05 Cardiff-Liverpool.  We were each equipped with a two shilling piece to be not spent under any circumstance except as emergency phoning of parents; we never used it.

 

Food to keep us going overnight on the Friday was carried but after that we lived off the land.  Chippies, bus or factory canteens, greasy spoons.  Sleeping on the Saturday night would be in the carriages, at Newton Heath, Neville Hill, or somewhere of that sort, where we would encounter similar groups of lads and sometimes even the shadowy, semi-mythical, and completely legendary ninjas of the Master Neverer's Association*, who were good for lifts if they had cars or vans and a valuable source of information regarding places to eat and where their clean locos would be running if any had Sunday duties.  We got as far north as Carlisle in '66, but I'd already accomplished this feat by having summer hollys with my grown up sister who was living in Selby at the time.  As steam contracted we concentrated more on the northwest.  We also took advantage of cheap fares for Cardiff-Aintree Grand National excursions, in 1967 having a Black 5 hauling the train between Edge Hill and Aintree.

 

My job was itineraries, and the unbreakable rule was to be back at Crewe before 20.30 on the Sunday night; I have a 100% record for this.  It would be unimaginable for modern parents to let 14 to 16 year olds off the leash in this way, but I believe it was a highly beneficial thing to do.  We learned a lot, about adaptability and dealing with setbacks, coping within our own monetary, physical, and mental resources, and self reliance in general.  We also had the time of our lives; I remember it now as being mostly laughing!  We were aided considerably by BR's long suffering staff and the unbounded friendliness of the people of the North of England, who were unstintingly generous, helpful, and supportive,  Not always cheerfully so; there are some miserable oop north, but unstintingly.  I won't hear a word against them.

 

Mothers soon got the hang of having a bath run and a clothes basket handy for when we got home (courtesy of whoever's dad's turn it was to pick us up on Sunday night an hour and a half after the last buses) to control the filth, and to be honest after 48 hours solid, much of it around steam locos, we were none to fragrant by this time, followed by something hot and filling.  We were to make school in the morning if it was in term time.

 

 

* The SAS of gricing; they appeared from nowhere, illegally cleaned the locos, then disappeared back into the night whence they came...

[jamie92208]

Yes we were off the leash far more in those days. I must be about a yearcyounger thst The Johnstdr but lived across the valley from Settle so saw steam till the end. At the agecof 13 and 3/4  I was allowed to roam North West England on a half price rover ticket price £1 2s 6d.  Cycle in the morning the  milevand a half to Giggleswick  or Settle station, catch the first train and set off. I did have a couple of overnights with assorted aunts but had a wonderful time on my own. Highlights were a tour of Kingmoor shed, driving a standard gauge fireless at Carrs Biscuit works and discovering Laal Ratty.  I do have vivid memories of waiting, seemingly for ever, on a cold plstform 4 at Carnforth for the last train back to Giggleswick.  Happy days. This wouldvhave been the summer of 66.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

I am very tempted to mention my youth when reading these fascinating  tales of the elderly.

 

But as my Great grandfather used to say: 'Children should be seen but not heard'.

 

I know my place.

[Happy Hippo]

The other half of the household has been using the jet washer to clean the blocks of the front drive.

 

She seems to be really enjoying it.

 

I am very tempted to introduce her to such delights as the rear terrace, the conservatory roof and the various old cars that litter the Hippodrome.

[Dave Hunt]

From the age of 6 to 13 I lived less than a mile from Edge Hill sheds where my uncle, who lived next door, was a fitter then foreman until he moved to Kenya. Hence I was able to get into the sheds with him when he was on a weekend shift and even when he went abroad I knew enough of the shed staff to continue my visits there. How Mum put up with the filthy state I got into I'll never know. In 1960 we moved out to Formby and the shed visits ceased but for a couple of years I roamed the Northern rails, the main sites visited being Tebay, Carnforth, Skipton and Carlisle. Then I met Jill and apart from the odd trip out with her brother railways took a back seat, the spare time I had left being largely devoted to aeroplanes.

 

Having an extremely lazy day today as I'm feeling a bit carp, probably a reaction to all the medication I'm taking and the fact that I went a bit mad yesterday on the foodstuffs in a frenzy of celebrating a release from hospital fare.

 

Have a good day y'all.

 

Dave

[jamie92208]

43 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

The other half of the household has been using the jet washer to clean the blocks of the front drive.

 

She seems to be really enjoying it.

 

I am very tempted to introduce her to such delights as the rear terrace, the conservatory roof and the various old cars that litter the Hippodrome.

Beware, if she ends up with a full licence for the jet wash she may well suggestvthat you get similar qualifications  on such items as the washing machine and the iron.

 

Jamie

[TheQ]

Hmm childhood, a tale of  4 parts

 I can just remember Cyprus, Famagusta /  Nicosia but not a lot,,

 

I can remember Ballykelly, roaming the Married quarters  with the stream running down the middle, and of course the primary school,

 

Ludgershall, Wiltshire, I can just remember seeing steam train deliveries to the military side, and can remember seeing the workmen burning the wood left over from demolishing the civilian station. The through line had been closed since 58, we arrived in 63, but I will have been on the line as a babe in arms previously to visit the grandparents, childhood spent roaming the country side, the edge of the new forest and the edge of Salisbury plain, cycling to school between military lorries / stalwarts / scorpion tanks.. etc.. Cross country at school dodging tanks and crossing the old Tidworth branch line, by now a head shunt for the military side of the station.

 

Benbecula Outer Hebridies, first Sgoil at Eochar, South Uist, so bad I came top in all subjects except Gaidhlig.. 3 months later

 the council paid for me join any other of the brighter children  going to Inverness..

 

Hour and a half by car to the ferry port, 2 hours ferry crossing, school bus across Skye, picking up other children here and there at least 2 hours, short Ferry crossing, to Kyle of Lochalsh station.. Then the good bit, 3 hours Down the Kyle line to Inverness, class 26 or 27? and Mk1 carriages. Then another bus to the prison they called Drummond park hostel, windows nailed so they only opened 3 inches.

 

Routine , breakfast 07:30, walk to school,

09:00 till 12:00 , free school dinner, 13:00 to 16:00 school , walk back, evening meal around 17:00,

18:00 sit in attached classroom doing homework or revision in silence, till 19:00, if not the age for exams that year, 20:00 if taking exams, coffee and a biscuit,  bed by 21:00.. ( i think I've remembered the times)..

Friday night no class work, off to nearer school gym for indoor foot ball,

Saturdays, meals at same times but allowed out..

Sundays, same meal times, but church in the morning, free in the afternoon and back in class in the evening..

  

[Happy Hippo]

56 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Beware, if she ends up with a full licence for the jet wash she may well suggestvthat you get similar qualifications  on such items as the washing machine and the iron.

 

Jamie

As an ex soldier, I have a Msc in Ironing and also a PhD.  My thesis  was based around Ironing in extreme places.  The chapter on ironing whilst underwater in a river whilst using a plugged in electric iron is used as university reference materiel. (Pathology I think)

[Stubby47]

An ex-boss of mine was a Captain in the army and said he took 20 minutes to iron a single shirt...

He didn't say if that was on the side of a mountain or underwater though.

 

[Happy Hippo]

57 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

An ex-boss of mine was a Captain in the army and said he took 20 minutes to iron a single shirt...

He didn't say if that was on the side of a mountain or underwater though.

 

He'd have failed the advanced freefall course with a time like that!

[tomparryharry]

Aaaarg! I just couldn't get going today. I didn't fancy going on the roof in drizzle, so I awaited the drier weather, which showed up about 12. I'm a bit disappointed with myself, as I thought I was better than that, but sadly not. Still, at least I've got a couple of hours in. 

 

Talking about expensive cars, I remember my first Aston Martin. I felt very pleased with myself. If you pressed the button, a miniature James Bond got ejected from the roof....