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Black Country Blues


Indomitable026
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It's with great pleasure that I can announce the winner of the RMweb Project Layout.

 

The winning team is formed from the Staffordshire Finescale Group including forum members:

Indomitable026 (Damian)

Old Gringo (John)

Geoff Cook

wagonbasher (Andy)

Avonside1563 (Nigel)

Mark Forrest

 

Black Country Blues

 

A first class proposal was submitted for a layout which will portray a slice of the Black Country in the years from nationalisation to privatisation, initially in mid-70s guise. The story has already begun with preparation and planning which means readers will be able to follow the development of the project from principles determined in the Railway Clauses Act through to its appearance at key events.

 

The model will present several key civil engineering features and explain factors that should be considered when they are modelled.

 

This is no rural idyll, a secondary line through the heart of the Black Country with exchange sidings serving a nearby steel plant but there will be plenty of structures, infrastructure and ambience that give the project a deinite sense of place and times.

 

My congratulations to the team and I look forward to seeing the project develop over the coming weeks and months. The project will have its own forum area and blog in due course with updates featuring on MRL and a series of artucles within BRM magazine as we move towards it's first public showing at Doncaster at the beginning of 2013.

 

My thanks also go to the other entries for Boscarne Junction and a GE mainline/goods yard plan and the teams behind those proposals.

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Morning all, major thinking time is nearly over, serious work begins soon! Indomitable026 is champing at the bit to start building baseboards and will no doubt fill people in with his ideas and thoughts... and not all about pies and ale!

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Well there had to be a topic for this really didn't there? Hopefully it'll leave more important topics food and drink free!

 

Outsiders may not instantly use the words 'Black Country' and 'culture' in the same sentence but there are things which make the Black Country what it is, built upon a working class culture of honest workmanlike snap and beverages.

 

First of all you need to think like a yam-yam (that supposedly derogatory term used by Brummies for the inhabitants of the ill-defined area sitting twixt Wolverhampton - Walsall - West Bromwich - Stourbridge) and there's a sensible starting point to realise that there's a different language in there, supposedly more true to middle-English than other dialects.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrIqSlt9PXg

 

So that's how Shakespeare really spoke.

 

Aynuk and Ali are popular caricatures of said working class and not-so-bright folk - http://www.bbc.co.uk...try_jokes.shtml

 

Modern times dictate they're as likely to eat McDonalds and Goodfella's as the rest of the nation but there was a time when fagguts and paise were a popular dish (unless you're squeamish and think what's in your food) and proper quality ones are still exceptionally tasty. Most of the countrys' scratchings (not that puffed up rubbish) are still produced in the BC. See, you have a lot to thank 'us' for.

 

Working foundries, mills and mines is thirsty on the throat and several breweries have strong histories and many continue through to today. Bonks's (Banks's to posh outsiders) is consumed as soon as you're off bottles of milk but some may have found that a Hanson's, Holden's, Batham's or even, god forbid, an M&B house in between 'om and the nearest drop o' Bonks's. If you did have to go in an M&B house thou shud ownly drink Springfield, nun o' tha Brew XI stuff from Brummagem or Burtun.

 

Tara-a-bit.

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Guest Max Stafford

Walsall bloke goes into a tailors for a suit. Having made his choice, he is considering accessories. "Kipper tie"?, says the tailor.

 

"Oh, cheers myte", he replies; "Milk and two sugars!"

 

Dave.

Edited by Max Stafford
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That's definitely going to be one to watch: Good Luck guys!

John E.

 

Edit:14/11/2012

 

This this is an image of the key features of the layout.

 

post-6675-0-72035000-1352905652_thumb.jpg

 

The scenic section comprises of 5no 1320mm long x 900mm deep boards.

 

It's being built in EM and will be appearing first at BRM Doncaster in Feb 2013.

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Bonks dark mild, now yerm talkin.........and available at select (use the term loosely) outlets in Plimuff! :)

 

Pray tell where? I regularly visit several select premises in the City and would love to find it.

 

Have you been around long enough to remember the old P B mild?

 

But to return to the original point brings back memories of touring Bridgenorth in the early days of the S V R, it was described as having a pub on every corner and a chip shop between every two pubs.

 

Now I realise where my heart condition started.

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Looking forward to seeing this being put together; I spent a deal of time stomping round this area in the 80's whilst working in Shifnal and Wolverhampton and used to visit friends in Tipton up to a few years back...although I can't ever remember being offered a Black Country Pie; clearly missed out somewhere!

 

You've just reminded me of the 'Tipton Disney' proposal of a few years back....

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Alphabet song reminds me of A is for 'orses, B for mutton, F for vescence, M for sis, and can't remember the rest.

 

My other half once took a phone call from someone with that sort of accent. She wrote down his email address as ...@iol.com, and wondered why it didn't work.

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What no Black Pudding or Marsh & Baxters Tomato Sausage!

Every time we were driven past the Marsh & Baxters factory (is factory the correct word) my father would announce that they used every part of the pig except its squeal.

Tony

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As to be had at the Pie Factory in Tipton

 

http://www.flickr.co...lis/1424352459/

 

Ar, poynt of lump ommer plaise!

 

Anyone else done the Black Country Bus Tour? On my last go (probably 10 years ago now!) it was several of the Little Pub company's establishments, pint of Lump Hammer in each (against the clock...) with the usual fruitless attempt at a cow pie in the pie factory thrown in!

 

Oi day feel roight the next day...

 

Rich Poyner [wot used ter live near Wul-ver-ramp-tun]

Edited by Ramblin Rich
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As regard the Alphabet, I thought B would be for Bostin'. I work over in Tipton (well someone has to) now and it seams to be the most commonly used word ova' there. Along with "wont a mugga tay"

 

But god help you if you happen to call them a Brummy :O

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Birmingham - In the early 70's my mate was at Aston University and on occasional Fridays a gang of us Wiganers would head south on the M6 in my trusty Morris Marina, park up and get kalied for the weekend.

 

I allways thought Birmingham (citycentre) a bit bland & boring - but the local folks were friendly and pubs 'n clubs were great, though the chip shops didn't sell Babies Yed's (Steak puddings - not sold south of Warrington I'm told).

 

Brit15

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