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The Night Mail


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A reasonably early start this morning to take Nyda for a blood test.

 

I now need to get out and do 'things'.

 

Not quite sure what 'things' need doing at this precise moment in time, but perhaps the 'things' I need to do will become apparent when I get out to do 'things'!:laugh_mini:

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My bucket list has grown beyond the point where it is feasible that I can ever tick it all off. Hence the time has come for making a list of those things on the bucket list that can still be achieved without living to be the oldest man on earth. I call it the tin can list.

 

Another week begins with one of the lists I really hate - the list of niffnaff and trivia that I need to deal with before the important things of life, such as railway modelling can be attended to. 

 

Dave

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57 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

When you are doing 'things', they also come to you. Our neighbour just asked if I would look at his extension cable as it wasn't working properly:

 

Are you sure it isn't his brain that isn't working properly Richard?

 

Dave

 

Ah just seen that Q beat me to it on that issue.

Edited by Dave Hunt
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1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

When you are doing 'things', they also come to you. Our neighbour just asked if I would look at his extension cable as it wasn't working properly:IMG_20210614_093420.jpg.881cf177311d25de1a799341137d4878.jpg

Was that the neighbour who mowed your new hedging or the nice ones who supply cake?

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21 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Are you sure it isn't his brain that isn't working properly Richard?

 

Dave

 

Ah just seen that Q beat me to it on that issue.

It's sorted now.

 

Then it was Nyda's turn:

 

Apparently she gave me a plant trough that would be one of three to fit into the rebuilt window box.  It was longer than the old ones.

 

But I've made the new window box to the old dimensions.  Fortunately it was made from scrap wood, so it was only time that was used up.

 

Of course, I am now under starters orders to make a replacement pdq.

 

1 minute ago, Tony_S said:

Was that the neighbour who mowed your new hedging or the nice ones who supply cake?

 

The hedge mower!

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14 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

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

 

I grew up in that area but never met anyone from the area who didn't claim to be Welsh.  The divide across the County North-South is very obvious though; the Landsker line which runs roughly West-East divided the predominantly English-speaking South from the predominantly Welsh-speaking North.  Just look at the place names on the map to see how this left a lasting legacy, although Welsh is still the minority language across the County (as it is in most of Wales).

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2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

grew up in that area but never met anyone from the area who didn't claim to be Welsh. 

Aditi’s colleague said just because his mother gave birth to him in Haverfordwest didn’t make him Welsh. 

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I'm busy winding up my Gaidhlig speaking brother,, Him waving Scotland flags online.. He was born in Wiltshire of English born Parents...

So I wave moonraker signs at him..

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I have quite a few buckets, but no list.

 

I've just converted a B&Q preservative (fence and shed) spray system into  sprayer for diluted washing up liquid in my new war against blackfly.

 

It was useless at the former, but seems to do an excellent job at the latter.

 

The BMW's sudden failure to start has been tracked down to a battery which is slightly to the left of dead.  Since the car is an 06 plate and the BMW battery is the original, I can't really complain.  I knew it would need replacing soon, but it is amazing how quickly they die when they do decide they've had enough.

 

Of course the plus side is I can't do any shifting and moving until the new battery is fitted which will probably happen on Thursday, so tomorrow I can stay at home and mess around in the garage doing more 'things'.  

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Afternoon all,


Yachting season has arrived in Oklahoma. Typically I spend the fall/winter/spring working on my railways, and the summer is spent with my grandmothers fleet of pond yachts. About 10 years ago she purchased for all the grandchildren (of which there are 4) a pond yacht corresponding in size to their age. The eldest cousin got the largest, pictured below. As she has no known interest in it, it’s more or less mine now. It’s also the only one fitted with a rudder.

 

8F2D76B3-60F2-4ED1-8429-7510E9128083.jpeg.662ccf5d069b441fd5dec97724c7ffed.jpeg

 

116BD243-9B1E-4024-B50C-08792A100B04.jpeg.cdfce2eb9b3d878b500fc706f11dd3fe.jpeg

 

It was typically my grandfathers job to maintain them, (the kiwi one) as he is an ex mariner but as he isn’t flying over from NZ this year the task has fallen to me. All the boats are in a terrible state regardless of what the pictures show, the one above needs a complete revarnish along the hull and the keel and rudder need repainting. It’s also due to have wind controlled steering gear fitted. 

My personal craft is seen below: This is my completely scratch built model of the SS Mahanada, (kiwi grandfathers ship) everything was scratch built bar the cowl ventilators and propeller, which are bronze casting bought from a company in Canada. Currently it’s also receiving a cost of varnish. 
 

It took around a month to build and is made entirely from wood and metal, with cotton rigging. At the time I didn’t put any method of propulsion in it, but as the pool has a mild current caused by a filter jet on one side it floats along at very accurate pace.

 

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Re the Isle of Man,

 

 

I seem to recall that the Manx Electric Railway to have use Mercury arc rectifiers? They may just be static now but I know they have them. Kempton Park Pumping Station museum also has several, and one is operational.

 

Ramble/show and tell over

 

 

Douglas

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When I was dabbling with 1:12th scale 18" gauge (1 1/2" actual) I did consider making some static sailing dinghies in 1:12 scale.

 

However, after completing a Mirror dinghy (from a laser cut kit) I decided that it was likely to become very addictive so I backed off.

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25 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

The mercury-arc's are now out of use, Douglas, but still in-situ in Laxey sub-station.  we had a look around in their last weekend of.....zapping.

 

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Terrifying things to watch.

And here's the (rather smaller) ones at Kempton: 

IMG_3074.JPG.7a1f2dd2032754437c9c9d9f5be5d69b.JPG

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There was one supplying power to the Southend pier trains. When they ceased running it was sold to the East Anglian Transport Museum at Carlton Colville and used there to operate the trams and trolleybuses. I understand that it is now no longer used but 'fired up' from time to time as a demonstration. IIRC there is also one in the science museum.

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9 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

There was one supplying power to the Southend pier trains. When they ceased running it was sold to the East Anglian Transport Museum at Carlton Colville and used there to operate the trams and trolleybuses. I understand that it is now no longer used but 'fired up' from time to time as a demonstration. IIRC there is also one in the science museum.

It was the late Mike Abbott's  pride and joy. It's next to the real trolleybus system distribution switchboard IIRC.

 

 

Jamie

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There's also one in the Museum of Internal Fire in Wales, a fantastic place if you like internal combustion engines.

 

 

 

P1100925.JPG.14b52ac0fab87c4a8ab742fbfd64e689.JPG

 

Somewhere I also have a photo of the ones in the NCB Harton system at Westoe, but the photos are eluding me err, currently..... :rolleyes:  This is what they replaced though!  Rotary converters.

 

 

scan0027.jpg

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At said museum - there are several Allen engines - Mrs NHN is related....so here are some of that branch of the family, nephew Steve, his wife Sarah (they're different scales, she's N gauge, he's G1....Mrs NHN and of course Donk, posing in front of one.  Steve's an Allen, Mrs NHN had a double barreled surname I am forbidden to reveal. 

 

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Edited by New Haven Neil
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2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

It was the late Mike Abbott's  pride and joy. It's next to the real trolleybus system distribution switchboard IIRC.

 

 

Jamie

The distribution switchboard for the entire Ipswich system still exists as part of the Ipswich transport museum. The museum is housed in the old (1930's built) Priory Heath trolleybus depot and the switchboard is part of the original fittings.

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Earlier mutterings about the Isle oof Man being on bucket lists preceded an advert on TV for the IoM Steam Packet company (We were catching up on Chanel 4 so it could have been a very old ad).

 

Nyda has expressed an interest in visiting for a holiday.

 

I won't tell her about all the railways, although as she is from North Wales, she's used to the little trains.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Happy Hippo
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7 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

The distribution switchboard for the entire Ipswich system still exists as part of the Ipswich transport museum. The museum is housed in the old (1930's built) Priory Heath trolleybus depot and the switchboard is part of the original fittings.

Thanks Phil.  Mike had great pleasure in showing it to me when I was down there doing some work on the horse tram. Mike will be much missed. The board is a real piece of history.

 

Jamie

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Well, there goes our outing to London for the reunion lunch we were going to a week on Friday. It was, of course, dependent on the restrictions being lifted. No complaints, though, as getting on top of the virus obviously overrides any social arrangements.

 

Talk of Fraggle Rock and it's railways reminds me that some years ago I saw at a couple of exhibitions a layout depicting the IoM steam railway that had small (4mm scale?) live steam models. I think that the steam was generated by electric current via the track but can't be sure. Does any other TNMer remember the layout? It was beautifully done as I recall.

 

Dave

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