The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

It's time for cake!

 

Enjoy your day, where ever you are and whatever you are doing

 

[Happy Hippo]

Just released by the Ursine Uploader!

 

A picture of the incredibly brave and handsome team that took out ID's cake repository in deepest Switzerland.

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[coastalview]

I hope everyone has as a good day and let's hope for a better 2021. I'm off to take the dog for a walk and then back for bacon sarnies and the rare treat of full fat coffee. 

[polybear]

 

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

It's time for cake!

 

Enjoy your day, where ever you are and whatever you are doing

 

 

That's very generous of you Big H - it'll slide down real nice.......

But what about the other Guys (and ladies)?   Ok, ok - I guess Bear can spare a slice; Chrimbo cheer n' all that......

Just don't tell, I've a reputation to protect....

Have a good Chrimbo fellow ER'ers - (especially those who are home alone) and let's hope next year is better than this one.  And may all your cake be free, yummy, and above all - never-ending.  Just don't get any ambitions about raiding a certain strategic reserve......

[PhilJ W]

That reminds me, I have a stollen in the cupboard that remains untouched (but not for long). Down here in Estuary-Land we have plenty of mud but by the time HH gets here from Hipposhire it will be GONE.....

[Oldddudders]

Merry Christmas from a cold Sarthe. Bright and clear but frosty - our first real frost of the Winter. I intend to go for a walk shortly. Back in Devon, Sherry is preparing to play for the 10.00 service at All Saints, Babbacombe. We had a Zoom an hour ago, will do so again later today. 

 

I hope today is good for all of you.

[SM42]

On 25/12/2020 at 07:11, Happy Hippo said:

It's time for cake!

 

Enjoy your day, where ever you are and whatever you are doing

 

 

 

It's a bit late for cake

 

Here at SM42 Towers we are on leftover cake for breakfast (one of the gifts that Christmas always brings)

 

We are down to our last few slices of butternut squash cheesecake (yeah, I know, but strangley nice and it is cake after all, even if it is made with cheese) the homemde gingercake has been all but exhausted and we have only a yule log and a pannetoni left in reserve and I can't see those lasting much beyond tomorrow morning

 

We need an urgent re-supply

 

SEND MORE CAKE!

 

I'm sure a decent artillery piece could get some over here from Hipposhire.

 

Otherwise we are going to have to eat biscuits and chocolate and we don't want to descend into desperation  just yet.

 

 

Andy

Edited December 26, 2020 by SM42

[Doncaster Green]

A merry Christmas to all Night Mailers and a fervent hope that 2021 will be better; let’s face it, it can’t be worse, surely!
Cake will be in short supply here due to the dietary restrictions of my other half, but there is a plentiful supply of fine English cheeses, pickles various and Port!  There is also beer, a decent malt and brandy so I will not go short.

Have a good day one and all.

 

John

 

[SM42]

Mrs SM42 has returned from church and announced coffee is to be drunk

 

Here at SM42 Towers that can only mean more cake as you can't have one without the other.

 

Supplies will  now be desperatley low.

 

Got to pop out and fit the doorbell we had for Christmas afterwards ( A hint from friends that Mrs SM42 doesn't always  hear when people knock at the door,) so will need the energy boost.

 An SM42's work is never done, even at Christmas, with a bad back, luckily I have a healthy supply of industrial painkillers

 

I hope all the NMers out there are enjoying cake and are making merry this Christmas in whatever way they can.

 

Yesterday we kept up the Polish tradition of eating Christmas dinner, opening presents and singing carols (with the folks in Poland by the power of the internet, ) however we did not indulge in that other Polish Christmas tradition of watching Home Alone

 

Here's to a much better 2021

 

Wesolych Swiat i szczesliwego Nowegu Roku

 

Andy (full of cake and painkillers)

[Danemouth]

A Merry Christmas to you all.

 

'er indoors has given me, amongst other things a bottle of Penderin.

 

Suitable anti-HH measures have been implemented to guard against marauding Hippos

 

Dave

[tomparryharry]

Merry Christmas from a slightly cold, but very bright, Newport. A leisurely stroll down the Monmouthshire canal, and after I finish typing this, a little bit of woodwork.  Mrs Smith is currently finishing off her distribution board for 'the shed' and electrical preparation work for the garage rebuild. 

 

There is a bottle or two of Penderyn hereabouts, but it is destined for a belated Christmas present.  Should we travel up the A49 in the future, we'll take on a security escort from Abergavenny to Wrexham, to guard against 'cake pirates'.

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by tomparryharry
Text clean-up

[Winslow Boy]

A merry Christmas to one and all.

 

Followers of the esteemed ramberlings of the big H will recall that I finished my last posting on a rather cynical note as I was somewhat unbelieving of the Big H's assurance that my cake was in post.

 

You can therefore imagine my surprise to awake this morning to find several cakes in my Christmas stocking- other repositories of Christmas goodies are available. A photo of said cake is enclosed.

 

Please note that several of the cakes have been duly dispatched for quality control and safety checks. However there have been no reports of any failures to date.

 

It is pleasing to note in these days of cynisium and despair that Santa can always be relied upon.

 

Yours rather replentedly 

 

Ian

 

Ps No cherries!!!

 

 

 

 

[TheQ]

Of sudden deaths my eldest sister's husband's brother was found dead yesterday morning by one of  my nieces.

In his fifties , no apparent reason.

 

 Working in the radars or sitting in the tea bar in the Hebrides on duty over Christmas is a close approximation to the Falklands.. Very much so in outside appearance only it's Heather and grass  in the hebrides with tiny ferns and  grass in the Falklands.

 

All the other radar stations dark when you went to work, dark when you went back to barracks, no windows in the buildings you only saw daylight on patrol...

 

I've been at Mount Pleasant during Fixmas, that's Falklands Islands Xmas  celebrated their mid winter, similar weather to the winter Hebrides ..wet and windy..

 

There are nice smells coming out of the kitchen, dinner will be served shortly followed by panettone and cream.

 

 

[tomparryharry]

Panettone & cream sounds nice. In fact, it sounds very nice. 

 

We used to be given a turkey by the foundry management at Christmas. Naturally, it was frozen.  Once collected, up the road to the club. If you've ever seen 20-odd drunken foundrymen playing rugby with a frozen turkey, you've never lived.  One tried to 'drop kick' over the posts....

 

It was just as well that we knew where Cardiff Royal Infirmary was.....

[simontaylor484]

9 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

My daughter and precious granddaughter live on the site of Allerton Bywater pit and wal on the old line to Garforth. When I first started in the area in 1974 coal was still going by barge from Saville Colliery up to Skelton Grange Power station.

 

Christmas day was usually very quiet till about 10.00am then the sudden death's used to start being reported. I was working early turn on our eldest's 1st Christmas so the PW who I was working with, and I called in for a coffee with Beth and Martin. Judith wanted a cuddle and Martin excelled himself by being sick all over her. Fortunately Beth had a spare uniform shirt for her. 

 

Hope you all have a lovely, peaceful and safe Christmas. 

 

Jamie

Your family must live near that poor family that were murdered by the Husband a few years ago. I kmew the mother to speak to as she was manageress at the wilko store in cas we often used to see her opening up as we did the first run of the town centre. I ended up getting on the local news walking past the store pushing my barrow a couple of days later 

Edited December 25, 2020 by simontaylor484

[Florence Locomotive Works]

This was the main gift I received today, my Lionel New York Central J1e 4-6-4 “Hudson.” Unfortunately it was fairly badly damaged in transit, and arrived with a smashed cowcatcher and a electrical pickup wheel missing, which was later found. However it does run quite well, even with my small transformer. 

 

Below we see the cowcatcher that went straight out of box when it was dropped in transit, thankfully the main frame of this very heavy engine (over 15 pounds is my guess) was undamaged. 

 

 

Happy Holidays,

 

Douglas

 

Edited December 26, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[rockershovel]

3 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

This was the main gift I received today, my Lionel New York Central J1e 4-6-4 “Hudson.” Unfortunately it was fairly badly damaged in transit, and arrived with a smashed cowcatcher and a electrical pickup wheel missing, which was later found. However it does run quite well, even with my small transformer. 

Below we see the cowcatcher that went straight out of box when it was dropped in transit, thankfully the main frame of this very heavy engine (over 15 pounds is my guess) was undamaged. 

 

Happy Holidays,

 

Douglas

 

 

Will you return it? Lionel Hudsons aren’t rare, and a dealer with service facilities (I’m guessing it’s the loco that was on eBay recently)  should be able to replace easily enough. 

Edited December 25, 2020 by rockershovel

[New Haven Neil]

Seen elsewhere, but in case you don't visit there, Donk has helped out wit the cakie stuff.....

 

[SM42]

That's  Home  Alone watched

 

All Christmas traditions - tick

 

Andy

[Florence Locomotive Works]

2 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 

Will you return it? Lionel Hudsons aren’t rare, and a dealer with service facilities (I’m guessing it came from should be able to replace easily enough. 

Probably not, as I don’t think it’s worth the hassle, due to everything being easily repairable. 

[polybear]

1 minute ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Probably not, as I don’t think it’s worth the hassle, due to everything being easily repairable. 

 

Perhaps you can get a replacement catcher sent out to you (hopefully at the seller's expense)?

[Dave Hunt]

Jill is currently watching Call the Midwife. I'm eating Christmas cake and stilton and drinking Highland Park 15 whilst trawling RMW. I think I'm having by far the better time.

 

Felicitations to all.

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

I am being on my best behaviour watching a film called Jingle Jangle. It is like a musical: I hate musicals. I've managed to take my daily eye medication early, emptied the dishwasher and I'm still stuck watching. Fortunately my drawing pad is to hands I am drawing up an operating schedule for Torri Gwynt. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

26 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Perhaps you can get a replacement catcher sent out to you (hopefully at the seller's expense)?

That may be possible, but we accidentally accused the seller of shipping us the wrong engine due to it really seeming like it was the wrong engine. But after closer inspection we discovered it was the engine we bought, but I doubt he would like to send a replacement cowcatcher. I also trust nobody in the USA model train business, due to previous bad experiences. 
 

A few other things need buying for it as well, like the correct scale front bogie, and a larger transformer, but that’s not strictly for the engine. 
 

Douglas

[rockershovel]

45 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

That may be possible, but we accidentally accused the seller of shipping us the wrong engine due to it really seeming like it was the wrong engine. But after closer inspection we discovered it was the engine we bought, but I doubt he would like to send a replacement cowcatcher. I also trust nobody in the USA model train business, due to previous bad experiences. 
 

A few other things need buying for it as well, like the correct scale front bogie, and a larger transformer, but that’s not strictly for the engine. 
 

Douglas

 

I’ve bought several locomotives from US trade sources and had good service. I’ve always paid for the double box, a practice I’ve copied from my bike dealings, and that has served me well. 

 

Regarding the pilot bogie wheels, what are you seeking to achieve? I went through this maze and learnt a number of things in the process. The “Scale” bogie Lionel supplied with some versions of this locomotive does not have “scale wheels”, it has wheels of approximately Scale size (18mm) with the deep flanges and wide treads necessary for negotiating tubular track. No post-WW2 Lionel locomotive has “Scale wheels” in the sense of the NMRA standards. 

 

This will cause problems from the rear bogie wheels fouling the backs of the cylinder castings on curves less than O72 (ie, 36” radius).

 

The “scale wheels” sometimes seen on conversions are often from North West Short Lines. They seem to be perfectly good wheels, but won’t cope with tubular track. MTH locos deal with this by having wheels which are somewhat undersize, but less so than Lionel wheels, and having more clearance behind the cylinders. That’s how I came to the “Coarse O Scale” 15.5mm wheels on my Williams Scale Hudson; these work fine on tubular track and will clear O42 curves with O54 transitions, or O42 with care. 

 

If you are planning on using O Gauge tubular track with its standard O31 curves, keep the standard front bogie. 

 

Another thing I learnt, is that there are three different tenders fitted to various versions of this loco. There is the PT, or “centipede” tender, which you don’t appear to have. Then there are the long, and short versions of the 6-wheel bogie tender. The “short” one will negotiate O31, the “long” (ie, scale length) one won’t. You most likely have the “short” tender. TBH, I wouldn’t bother with “scale” front wheels unless I was going for a full-size tender and full valve gear at the same time. I didn’t lose anything on my Williams Hudson as it already had the full-length tender.