The Night Mail

[J. S. Bach]

29 minutes ago, Mike Bellamy said:

I know I should not be suggesting that a former officer of the law should consider breaking the law that he had sworn to uphold but how many times have you travelled back to UK with a car load of 'stuff' and been stopped by Customs - I realise thing have changed following 'B' but are you still able to just drive though - and what would the chances be for a stop and search ?

.

Were the models/kits/etc originally sold/bought in England? If so, wouldn't any duty have been paid by the original importer?

Edit: I just realized that if they were made in England, there should not be any duty. Customs laws vary though and I am only familiar with US customs laws.

Edited November 20, 2021 by J. S. Bach
To add some information.

[Compound2632]

34 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Gondola; U. S.:

 

Might pass for a gondola in Venice, CA, or Venice, FL, but not Venice, Italy!

 

But, as they say, whatever floats your boat! And I'm the last person to complain at seeing a nice bit of wagon modelling.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Compound2632

[AndyID]

40 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Gondola; U. S.:

 

 

 

A war emergency style built with wood sides instead of steel sides. The models are Ulrich HO kits.

 

And the emphasis is on a different syllable. 

 

(to quote Mike Myers)

[Compound2632]

41 minutes ago, AndyID said:

And the emphasis is on a different syllable. 

 

Ah, but do American English speakers pronounce both sorts of gondola the same way?

[Dave Hunt]

Jamie,

 

I've been selling a friend's S7 models and have been asking, and getting, between £30 and £45 for kit built wagons, the lower end of the range for a 5 plank open and the higher end for a long cattle wagon, rectangular tank wagon or other more unusual stuff. When it gets to coaches and locomotives there is a much greater range but if you give me a ring I'll try to give you some idea of what I've been doing. As far as customs duty is concerned, all I can suggest is that having come back from overseas postings and detachments many times, if items can be shown to have originated in the UK I've never had any problem. 

 

Dave 

[Happy Hippo]

Before the rugby match this afternoon, which Wales managed to scrape a win again, I decided that it was time to document some of my signalling work.

 

This is the top of a GWR ground signal casting, of which the disc pivot bearing is not the best:

 

 

I modified it by filing the damaged boss down, and then drilling it to accept a length of 2 mm dia brass tube:

 

 

Then I cleaned up the disc and soldered in a n/s 1 mm dia spindle:

 

 

 

I suspect I'll probably carryout the same  modification to the bearings of the balance weight on the main casting, and replace the white metal counterweight with a brass version.

 

The lamp now has to be modified to take an LED and then i the disc has to be set up to run off a servo mounter underneath.

 

The fiddly bit is going to make the operating rod work through the balance weight.

 

I'm so tempted to make the disc a direct drive off the servo, and just let the balance weight hang there.....It would save having to drill out the casting and make more brass bearings.

 

It would also save having the fiddle of trying to make an exact length cranked rod to connect the weight to the disc.

 

I'll cogitate tonight and see what transpires tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

[bbishop]

4 hours ago, bbishop said:

 

Thanks for reminding me to take a test.  Bill

Negative.  Bill

[br2975]

The 'egg chasers' descended on Cardiff again today - accompanied by their 'camp followers' (the scantily clad females who now turn out for such events)

.

Once upon a time, Welsh international matches were attended by rugby supporters, most of whom are now unwilling to part with £75 in order to take part in an involuntary Mexican wave, by bobbing up and down every five minutes to let someone pass to either stock up on beers, or to divest themselves of the last lot of beer.

.

The 'Principality Stadium' was recently dubbed "The World's Largest Pub' by the local media.

.

The stadium, and Cardiff city centre is now awash with event goers ( no rugby fans anymore ), not just the 70,000 who go to the stadium, but another 30,000 who are attracted by the bright lights and 'craic' and who decorate our streets with their urine, their vomit, their chip wrappers and kebab boxes.

.

Even if there were a downpour, the detritus wouldn't wash away, as most gutters are blocked by an overweight, mini skirt clad, face painted comatose drunk.

.

I'd wager that none of those locusts descending on Cardiff on international days could even tell you who plays at Pandy Park, The Gnoll or Sardis Road, let alone have ever attended a club game on a wet and windy Tuesday night.

. 

So,  today it's time to abandon my hometown, and head for Newport, to watch the spherical ball game. 

.

Turning up at my local TfW station, Waungron Park, the dot matrix informs me that ALL  services on the line ( there are  but 2 tph ) are caped for the day, due to staff shortages.

.

So, I use my TfW 'crinklies' bus pass, and reach Cardiff Central Station, only to be faced with Cardiff's answer to Hampton Court maze, a metallic Rubic's Cube designed to dissuade intending travellers.

.

Funnily, my ticket from waungron Park to Newport would have been £7:00, but with a free bus journey to Cardiff Central, it dropped to £4:90; almost the price of my first pint in a Wetherspoons in Newport................. and where it dawned on me, without a Wetherspoons, Newport would be a ghost town.

.

And, having vented my spleen, I retire.

.

Good night.

[Dave Hunt]

I've never been to the Principality Stadium but the atmosphere at the old Arms Park was fantastic on an international day and as far as I could tell it was populated by real rugby fans. Both before and after games all I saw were people out to enjoy themselves and appreciate the game and even afterwards the losing fans did not turn into drunken barf bandits. Or did I imagine it?

 

Dave 

[Happy Hippo]

4 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

I've never been to the Principality Stadium but the atmosphere at the old Arms Park was fantastic on an international day and as far as I could tell it was populated by real rugby fans. Both before and after games all I saw were people out to enjoy themselves and appreciate the game and even afterwards the losing fans did not turn into drunken barf bandits. Or did I imagine it?

 

Dave 

The Arms Park terraces was one large urinal, but the stands of the Millennium Stadium were a great place, but it started to go down hill very rapidly when it changed it's name to the Principality Stadium. (Just a coincidence).

 

Brian's right about the flotsam and jetsam that flood into Cardiff and are there just to see if their stomach is strong enough to throw their liquid dinner across the road.

 

"Even if there were a downpour, the detritus wouldn't wash away, as most gutters are blocked by an overweight, mini skirt clad, face painted comatose drunk." 

 

And that's just the men!

 

Another real grip of mine are the ill mannered  scumbags  who whistle and jeer when conversions or penalty kicks are being taken.  When I first started going to matches it was considered extremely bad form for that sort of behaviour from fans.  Now it seems par for the course.

 

Yes there are a lot of real rugby fans that go to these matches, but I fear they are a dying breed.  When we have tickets for an International match, it's in for a pre booked meal, go to the match, and endure the countless 'Mexican waves', as described by Brian. Then at full time we get out of the city centre as soon as possible. This avoids the oiks and the obnoxious who bring their stunted manners and lack of drinking decorum with them.  

 

I'm not as enamoured about attending any more, it must be my age and increasing intolerance of the growing number of cretins I have to put up with when I do attend.

[jamie92208]

8 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Jamie,

 

I've been selling a friend's S7 models and have been asking, and getting, between £30 and £45 for kit built wagons, the lower end of the range for a 5 plank open and the higher end for a long cattle wagon, rectangular tank wagon or other more unusual stuff. When it gets to coaches and locomotives there is a much greater range but if you give me a ring I'll try to give you some idea of what I've been doing. As far as customs duty is concerned, all I can suggest is that having come back from overseas postings and detachments many times, if items can be shown to have originated in the UK I've never had any problem. 

 

Dave 

Thanks very much for that Dave, it isn't going to be for a while. At the moment I'm just trying to get information for Kate.

 

Jamie

[rockershovel]

I don't mind admitting that I can't remember the last time I attended a club match, of any description, on a cold wet Tuesday night. 

 

Cardiff is great inside the stadium but after the game, I get straight outta Dodge because the general madness in the streets is no fun at all. 

[Tony_S]

I was in Dublin a few years ago (2018). There was a rugby international against Scotland. The pubs were rather crowded but I don’t recall any unpleasant behaviour. We found a Czech themed pub for meals and drinks. The people running it were Slovakian though. A woman on the LUAS told me two kilted Scotsmen had turned away from her and flashed her with their pants embroidered  with “pogue mahone”. She said that I wouldn’t understand “being British” , but I said I did. 

Edited November 20, 2021 by Tony_S

[Dave Hunt]

Rugby results:

Leicester Tigers - won.

England - won

Wales - won

Glasses of Penderyn - two

Dave - happy bunny

 

G'night everyone

 

Dave

 

[SM42]

5 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Good evening, someone turned off the lights here, I better put some shillings in the meter.  The pool shed has been erected.  It still needs it's doors because some fool had assembled one of the back to front but it went together very well with help from a friend. Fortunately it was windless and sunny this afternoon.  I did curse this morning when an M8 bolt sheared when I started to tighten it up. I had to drive to Aulnay to buy another.  Cheap Chinese Carp.   Anyway everything else went together.

 

On another tack can I seek some advice from the assembled brains of TNM.  I went to a model railway group meeting yesterday.  Our host is going down with dementia and has a fairly large O gauge layout in his attic. There are several locos, a dozen or more coaches and probably about 50 wagons plus the track.  Mainly of the GWR persuasion.  A lot of the wagons have been weathered and have coal loads.  Obviously in de course it will sadly have to e disposed of.  I have offered my help to Kate, Grant's wife.  He is a member of the Gauge O Guild but the E % T has closed down.  Kate says that she is worried about customs duties if she takes the stock back to the UK to sell. 

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Jamie

 

There are tax free limits for bringing things through customs. 

Currently £390  on non excise goods

.

A few trips might be needed ( 20 wagons, 3 coaches or a pair of locos per trip and still have some left for your own things) and exactly how would a second hand piece of rolling stock be valued by a customs official?

 

It's an interesting dilemma

 

Andy

 

 

[AndyID]

13 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Bear's M.E. Evening Class College is seeking a Coded Welder to teach, er, welding.  Good luck with that one....

 

 

Would I do? I can weld (gas & electric) and I can write code. Just pick-up my travel expenses and I'll do it for nuthin'

 

Recently I saw on a FB ski group where some lad wanted to know how to adjust the bindings on an old pair of skis. He was bombarded with loads of posts pointing out that no reputable ski shop would even touch them because of their age and anyway only certified "experts" should ever adjust ski bindings.

 

I pointed out that you can't necessarily trust experts because it was experts that left out one of the only four bolts that attached the engine in my dad's Fiat 125 to the gearbox when they replaced the clutch. Then there were the experts at the Volvo dealer in California who left one of the wheel bolts out on my brand new Volvo XC. Another expert told me the brake drums on my Vanagon had to be turned and he turned them eccentric and another one told me the rear brake calipers on my Ford Crown Vic would need to be replaced to fix the handbrake. (The handbrake is a little drum-brake inside the disk rotor. It has nothing to do with the disk calipers.)

 

I could go on but just color me cynical instead.

 

People would probably be shocked to hear that I installed all the electrical plumbing (it's in metal conduits) in my shop/shed. Two advantages - saved a lot of money and I know it's done right. You can still do stuff like that here but obviously you better know what you are doing.

[AndyID]

5 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Why not teach them to speak English?

Or get a canary.

[Happy Hippo]

15 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

There are tax free limits for bringing things through customs. 

Currently £390  on non excise goods

.

A few trips might be needed ( 20 wagons, 3 coaches or a pair of locos per trip and still have some left for your own things) and exactly how would a second hand piece of rolling stock be valued by a customs official?

 

It's an interesting dilemma

 

Andy

 

 

Perhaps speaking to HMRC for some advice might be in order.

 

If the railway stuff was bought in the UK, (which of course it would have been...) then it has already had any UK tax required, paid at the time of purchase.

 

If it's been weathered then it really will look old and decrepit (over 7 years old so no receipts extant) ..... and not worth much.

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[Winslow Boy]

6 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Perhaps speaking to HMRC for some advice might be in order.

 

If the railway stuff was bought in the UK, (which of course it would have been...) then it has already had any UK tax required, paid at the time of purchase.

 

If it's been weathered then it really will look old and decrepit (over 7 years old so no receipts extant) ..... and not worth much.

 

 

Are we speaking about Jamie or the railway stock?

 

If you speak to the HMRC they will say for you to declare it. For which you need to then say, can you confirm that in writing and there response will be ..............

 

 

[AndyID]

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Ah, but do American English speakers pronounce both sorts of gondola the same way?

 

This American English speaker does but I can't speak for the rest of them

[AndyID]

Leg Lurgi Status:

 

I'm happy to say that whatever it is/was is now in serious retreat. The dermadoc put me on an antibiotic and an industrial strength steroid oinkment. Not sure which did the trick or maybe it was a combination of both.

 

So I will be able to go to the ball ski slopes! (hopefully).

[PhilJ W]

39 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

There are tax free limits for bringing things through customs. 

Currently £390  on non excise goods

.

A few trips might be needed ( 20 wagons, 3 coaches or a pair of locos per trip and still have some left for your own things) and exactly how would a second hand piece of rolling stock be valued by a customs official?

 

It's an interesting dilemma

 

Andy

 

 

Take the stuff to a French dealer and ask him for an offer in writing. Obviously the offer will be a lot less than what it is worth  but you might get HMRC to accept it as the value. 

[AndyID]

There's a lot more to electronics and software that many of the World's captains of industry would like to think. You can get it 99.9% right bit it's the 0.1% (or much less) as does yer in

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/glitchy-features-dent-electric-suv-155738079.html

[Northmoor]

13 minutes ago, AndyID said:

There's a lot more to electronics and software that many of the World's captains of industry would like to think. You can get it 99.9% right bit it's the 0.1% (or much less) as does yer in

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/glitchy-features-dent-electric-suv-155738079.html

Or this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59357306

[zarniwhoop]

Apropos the conversations a few days ago about car keys, a slightly different approach from Tesla: Tesla drivers locked out of cars by server outage

 

Perhaps I should cross-post it, e.g. on the leccy cars thread.

 

 

sorry, didn't realise a link to it had been posted while I was pages back trying to see if this was the right thread.

Edited November 21, 2021 by zarniwhoop
Nothmoor already posted about this.