The Night Mail

[Compound2632]

44 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

The town (now city) of Swansea had the GWR, MR, LNWR, R&SB and the Mumbles Railway all terminating within less than mile of each other. At the time the railways were built, Swansea was a relatively small town and to be served by so many companies was incredible.

 

Ah, but they weren't there for the town, were they, but for the docks and what was up the valley?

 

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

I seem to have opened something of a gusher by mentioning the Midland and western companies. To add to it, I think I'm correct in stating that the Midland was involved in more joint lines than any other company.

 

Amongst which it counted joint lines with both Great Northern Railways.

 

What I find as interesting is the companies in which it had an overt or covert financial interest, from the Forth Bridge Company to the M&SWJR and Hull & Barnsley, or an interestingly close working relationship - the two Scottish companies of course, but also the LC&DR and Brighton. And the whole web of relationships at the locomotive department level.

[Happy Hippo]

9 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Ah, but they weren't there for the town, were they, but for the docks and what was up the valley?

 

Swansea docks was a much better set of docks than Cardiff, Penarth or Barry.  The further out from the mouth of the Severn you get, the tidal ranges are not so fierce so navigation in and out is a lot easier.

 

My great grandfather was a Bristol channel pilot, in the days before the pilot cutters had the benefit of an iron mainsail.  In those days, all the shipping pilots were independent, and it was quite a cut throat business.  It was not unusual for him to sail down channel, often as far as Lundy Island looking for trade. 

 

When he taking a ship out from Cardiff, the mate and boy who remained on the cutter had to get down channel and meet at a pre arranged spot, in order to lift him off quickly so he could be looking for the next ship.

 

Apparently doing this at night, in a bit of a blow could be quite exciting!

[Dave Hunt]

53 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

What I find as interesting is the companies in which it had an overt or covert financial interest, from the Forth Bridge Company to the M&SWJR and Hull & Barnsley, or an interestingly close working relationship - the two Scottish companies of course, but also the LC&DR and Brighton. And the whole web of relationships at the locomotive department level.

 

I am firmly convinced, as is David Pearson who has made a detailed study of the Midland's activities in Ireland, that the Company from the 1860s to the turn of the century had its sights set on becoming the London, Midland, Scottish and Irish Railway. It's courting of the G&SWR, efforts at the Irish Sea traffic, arrangements with the NBR all speak of trying to become the main player in Scotland. It is my opinion that its encouragement of the G&SWR to get into bed with the NBR was carefully designed so that were it successful in amalgamating with (or effectively taking over as far as the Derby board was concerned) the G&SWR it would then be in a very strong position north of the border. Its huge investment in the Forth Bridge I think can only be appreciated if it was part of that plan but unfortunately the reluctance of the Sou' West shareholders (who could probably see the makings of an English attempt at domination of Scottish lines) were reluctant to play ball and when Matthew Thompson died so did the grandiose plans.

 

The above is only a very sketchy description of what David and I surmise but without turning TNM into a long dissertation I think it gives a reasonable summary. Doubtless others will have different ideas.

 

Dave

 

PS - is it just me or do others get p!ssed off with the predictive text thingy often apostrophising words such as its and were ?

 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

I asked you which part of Wales you are from."

While camping near St David’s (camping shows how long ago it was) we bumped into Aditi’s work colleague who was in the area also camping with his dogs and two cousins from South Africa.  He mentioned that he had been born in Haverfordwest. I innocently mentioned that I never knew he was Welsh. He was really indignant and insisted he wasn’t. 

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I cannot claim to be a railway historian as there are huge gaps in my knowledge, but I find all this information quite fascinating.

 

The town (now city) of Swansea had the GWR, MR, LNWR, R&SB and the Mumbles Railway all terminating within less than mile of each other. At the time the railways were built, Swansea was a relatively small town and to be served by so many companies was incredible.

Very simple, plenty of ways for people to escape.....

 

Jamie

[PhilJ W]

11 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

On a completely different topic, if you have an Alexa device, ask it the following:

 

'Alexa, say two nine five in Welsh'.

Google translate says DAU NAW PUMP.

[Happy Hippo]

10 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Google translate says DAU NAW PUMP.

It does but it's the way it's spoken.......

 

Which sounds very much like:

 

Die Now Pimp.

 

Alexa's really a vigilante!

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Swansea docks was a much better set of docks than Cardiff, Penarth or Barry.  The further out from the mouth of the Severn you get, the tidal ranges are not so fierce so navigation in and out is a lot easier.

 

My great grandfather was a Bristol channel pilot, in the days before the pilot cutters had the benefit of an iron mainsail.  In those days, all the shipping pilots were independent, and it was quite a cut throat business.  It was not unusual for him to sail down channel, often as far as Lundy Island looking for trade. 

 

When he taking a ship out from Cardiff, the mate and boy who remained on the cutter had to get down channel and meet at a pre arranged spot, in order to lift him off quickly so he could be looking for the next ship.

 

Apparently doing this at night, in a bit of a blow could be quite exciting!

My dad's family were Watermen working the lower Thames and estuary based at Gravesend. They used to perform pilotage duties until Trinity House took over in the 1860's. My 2 X Great Grandfather then became an engineer on a tugboat. When the tea clippers arrived each season they required towing up river to the port of London. My GG Grandfathers tug was in a line going out to the tea clippers when one of the boilers exploded. It turned out to be a faulty pressure gauge that was at fault.

[bbishop]

43 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

It does but it's the way it's spoken.......

 

Which sounds very much like:

 

Die Now Pimp.

 

Alexa's really a vigilante!

You could tell he is South Walian.  Nyda and I would say:

 

Diy  Now  Pümp

 

Bill

[Adam88]

17 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Douglas good luck with the apprenticeship in homology.

 

A friend of my dad s son is an biologist and earns a fortune doing it. He is a direct descendant of Charles Parsons 

 

That confused me twice over.  I was expecting to read horology but read homology, then I was expecting a mathematical reference so was confused by the biological context.  In fact one well-known fount of sometimes reliable information provides several other options for homology.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

5 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

what was up the valley?

What, the hippo?

[Florence Locomotive Works]

5 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Swansea docks was a much better set of docks than Cardiff, Penarth or Barry.  The further out from the mouth of the Severn you get, the tidal ranges are not so fierce so navigation in and out is a lot easier.

 

My great grandfather was a Bristol channel pilot, in the days before the pilot cutters had the benefit of an iron mainsail.  In those days, all the shipping pilots were independent, and it was quite a cut throat business.  It was not unusual for him to sail down channel, often as far as Lundy Island looking for trade. 

 

When he taking a ship out from Cardiff, the mate and boy who remained on the cutter had to get down channel and meet at a pre arranged spot, in order to lift him off quickly so he could be looking for the next ship.

 

Apparently doing this at night, in a bit of a blow could be quite exciting!

You may like this then HH,

 

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

While camping near St David’s (

I was not aware it was so green around inner city Exter.

[Tony_S]

50 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

I was not aware it was so green around inner city Exter.

Apparently St Davids in Pembrokeshire was a city once, then stopped being one ( it wasn't when we visited) but had its status restored in the 1990s. 

[Dave Hunt]

3 hours ago, Adam88 said:

 

That confused me twice over.  I was expecting to read horology but read homology, then I was expecting a mathematical reference so was confused by the biological context.  In fact one well-known fount of sometimes reliable information provides several other options for homology.

 

I thought that homology means a characteristic common to separate species, such as opposable thumbs in apes and humans or a liking for dark green things in GWR enthusiasts and hippos.

 

Dave

[Adam88]

56 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

I thought that homology means a characteristic common to separate species, such as opposable thumbs in apes and humans or a liking for dark green things in GWR enthusiasts and hippos.

 

Dave

 

In that case, I think that at some point you may have to go and update the famous on-line encyclopædia.

 

[Happy Hippo]

9 hours ago, Tony_S said:

While camping near St David’s (camping shows how long ago it was) we bumped into Aditi’s work colleague who was in the area also camping with his dogs and two cousins from South Africa.  He mentioned that he had been born in Haverfordwest. I innocently mentioned that I never knew he was Welsh. He was really indignant and insisted he wasn’t. 

Pembrokeshire is known as the Little England beyond Wales which probably explains his insistence.

 

We had a family gathering this afternoon.  our contribution to the feast was a blackcurrant frangipane tart and a golden syrup tart.

 

Georgie and Sam owed me a favour and I called it in.

 

Some of the remains have been moved to our South Wales storage site although I honestly feel it will  not have survived the journey south.

 

I've put the last two slices in the food safe so I can have them for breakfast. (Or a snack during the night if really necessary.)

Edited June 13, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[SM42]

Hello again NM'ers

 

I am back after a short break working all the hours god sends (well it seemed that way)

 

Things have moved on a pace here I see.  I've lurked a bit when I could.

 

Today we actually managed to visit a pub, the first we have been in since February last year.

 

My reward was to come home a find I could not open the bathroom window.  Something inside the lock had snapped. With judicious wiggling of the key and applying sideways pressure to the handle I managed to open it.

"I know" I thought, "let's close it again to see if I can repeat the trick" 

 

Not a chance. 

 

A spare handle (obtained many years ago) stares at me and giggles. If only I could get the handle open again I could unscrew it from the frame and put the spare in, but the lower screw is behind the locked, closed handle.

 

I force a screwdriver into the lock and turn, like all the best housebreakers probably  wouldn't.  It spins uselessly in the handle

 

I Try the key again. After much cursing, wiggling and pushing and pulling I snap the key off in the lock. The spare handle bursts into uncontrollable laughter.

 

I pick it up and study it. Ah! I see what I need to do. If only I had something thin and reasonably robust that I could slide in between the handle and  the body and  push the locking tang open.

 

The screwdriver is too big. What else can I use?

 

Now this is where the never throw anything away mantra comes into its own

 

I grab an old prepayment card for the photocopier at my university (last used c 1991 and probably has about 60p left on it) and slide that behind the handle.

 

Success

 

The spare handle stops laughing

 

Window repaired

 

Brownie point earned

 

Blood pressure slowly returning to normal

 

Andy

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2021 by SM42

[simontaylor484]

7 hours ago, Adam88 said:

 

That confused me twice over.  I was expecting to read horology but read homology, then I was expecting a mathematical reference so was confused by the biological context.  In fact one well-known fount of sometimes reliable information provides several other options for homology.

Sorry for any confusion its the stupid spellchecker on my fire tablet i was using and the fact i was cream crackered I have altered the original post 

https://www.rupertparsons.co.uk
 

Edited June 13, 2021 by simontaylor484
Link found

[New Haven Neil]

This lunchtime, we were mostly:-

 

[Dave Hunt]

Neil,

The words lucky and sod come to mind. 

Wish I was there.

 

Dave

Edited June 13, 2021 by Dave Hunt
Miss tie ping

[New Haven Neil]

Just now, Dave Hunt said:

Neil,

The words lucky and sod come to mind. 

Wish i was there.

 

Dave

 

We're lucky to live here, Dave, we love the place.  And as I love early electric railways (grew up next to the Harton system) nearly as much as steam,living here the past, er, 19 years, eek, is a great privilege.

 

No.6 was out today too making a change from the Winter Saloons.

 

[Dave Hunt]

We travelled on No. 6 two years ago as part of one of the great days out we had. Once the situation improves I hope that we will do it again. I think that the Rock's got it all - scenery, seaside, steam railway, vintage electric tramway. A beautiful place.

 

Dave

[PhilJ W]

Fraggle Rock is on my bucket list.

[coastalview]

It's another place added to our increasingly long list of places to visit.

 

The list as seemingly growing exponentially. But the time to visit seems to be shrinking rather to quickly.

 

This could be a problem Houston.