Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

Slightly changing the subject, though it's been discussed of late.............

 

Having watched some of the cricket recently, I winced at a couple of statements from the two Lancastrian commentators................

 

'He should have took the single'. David Lloyd.

 

'Those sat at home'. Mike Atherton. 

 

Groan............

 

Can anyone imagine the likes of Jim Swanton, Peter West, Brian Johnston, Richie Benaud, John Arlott or any of the great cricket commentators coming out with such tripe? And, Mike Atherton is university-educated.

 

Still with my grumpy old man head on, I listened to some screeching woman presenter this morning talking about how outdoor events have suffered because of the pandemic. She seemed to have no idea that several of the words she was murdering actually had consonants as their last letters. 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

Well, the chip's in and the C2 is on its way to Australia.........................

 

A doddle to fit, with just four joints to un-solder and four new ones to make. 

 

It's from Digitrains and it's an 860021 8 pin harnessed decoder by LAISDCC. All I did was nip off the eight-pin bit, and cut off those wires not required, whist tinning the ends of the four needed. The only problem was the similarity of the tones between the red and orange wires. I'm not colour blind, but older eyes could do with a greater contrast. 

 

The decoder fits snugly into the smokebox and is protected by the all-metal loco's body being electrically-dead.

 

I'm still puzzled why some modellers can't do this most-simple, fitting a chip, task. 

 

It still runs very well! I'm astonished. 

 

 

[LNER4479]

28 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

Can anyone imagine the likes of Jim Swanton, Peter West, Brian Johnston, Richie Benaud, John Arlott or any of the great cricket commentators coming out with such tripe? And, Mike Atherton is university-educated.

 

 

You mean like:

 

"The bowler's Holding; the batsman's Willey"

 

??

[LNER4479]

22 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Are the BR Mk.3s the most-successful carriage ever to run on a British railway?

 

 

Hornby's latest manifestation of the type. 

 

 

Putting aside personal preferences,  likes / dislikes etc (and define 'successful') it's a landmark piece of UK railway engineering. Not just the brilliantly-designed bodyshell but perhaps more significantly the BT10 bogie with airbag suspension. A real game changer.

 

[MJI]

1 minute ago, LNER4479 said:

Putting aside personal preferences,  likes / dislikes etc (and define 'successful') it's a landmark piece of UK railway engineering. Not just the brilliantly-designed bodyshell but perhaps more significantly the BT10 bogie with airbag suspension. A real game changer.

 

 

Another reason as well that the best train in the UK for the traveller is a 40+ year old Diesel train.

[CUTLER2579]

13 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

You mean like:

 

"The bowler's Holding; the batsman's Willey"

 

??

The old ones are the best ,Graham. 

[jamie92208]

17 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Putting aside personal preferences,  likes / dislikes etc (and define 'successful') it's a landmark piece of UK railway engineering. Not just the brilliantly-designed bodyshell but perhaps more significantly the BT10 bogie with airbag suspension. A real game changer.

 

The image I always remember  of the Mk3 bodyshell is the one wrapped round a bungalow at Morpeth but as far as I can recall no fatalities. Such strength and so light.

 

Jamie

[Northmoor]

28 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

The image I always remember  of the Mk3 bodyshell is the one wrapped round a bungalow at Morpeth but as far as I can recall no fatalities. Such strength and so light.

 

Jamie

I'll see your Morpeth and raise you the Colwich crash in 1986.  One well-filled train collides with another stationary, well-filled train at 100mph and the only fatality was the poor driver of the moving train.

[Arun Sharma]

2 hours ago, MJI said:

 

Another reason as well that the best train in the UK for the traveller is a 40+ year old Diesel train.

Though you could argue as Mr Riddles did, that it is actually an electric train that just happens to carry its own power station along with it.

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

You mean like:

 

"The bowler's Holding; the batsman's Willey"

 

??

Or 'Botham couldn't get his leg over' (on an occasion when he trod on his stumps).

 

There's one more piece of commentating tripe to add to what I posted earlier.................. 'He's just threw it down the wicket'. Michael Vaughan on BBC 2 just over an hour ago.

 

Groan..........................!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

Back to model railways..................

 

With the recently-painted locos now operating on LB, I thought I'd consider some comparisons. 

 

Though B16s were not daily visitors passing through Little Bytham, they did go south of Peterborough on occasions. However, four together at once?  

 

 

I think it's safe to say that this juxtaposition of B16s would never have occurred. No matter, these are LB's B16s. From top to bottom they comprise........

 

B16/1 61416, built/painted/weathered by Tony Geary using a DJH kit as a starting point. 

 

B16/3 61448, built/painted/weathered by me using a Nu-Cast kit (a very old model). 

 

B16/2 61437, originally built by Mike Edge using a PDK kit. Re-motored and painted by me and weathered by Tom Foster (the original owner). 

 

B16/3 61449, the new one. Built by me from a Nu-Cast kit (after Roy Jackson started it and then dismantled it) and painted/weathered by Geoff Haynes. 

 

Note that not only do LB's locos all carry appropriate lamps, they're also all crewed. 

 

What chance of an RTR B16 of any kind in the future? It's on nobody's radar as far as I know. Good (selfishly), because it means kit-building one (or scratch-building) is still necessary. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Tony Wright
typo error

[grahame]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Slightly changing the subject, though it's been discussed of late.............

 

Having watched some of the cricket recently, I winced at a couple of statements from the two Lancastrian commentators................

 

'He should have took the single'. David Lloyd.

 

'Those sat at home'. Mike Atherton. 

 

Groan............

 

 

Well they were playing at Old Trafford, and as you point out being Lankies they were probably catering for, or influenced by, the local Manc audience.

 

'at 'n coat time?

 

;-)

 

 

 

[bbishop]

They even have coal in their tenders!  Could someone talk me through the B16 variants, please.   They actually interest me as a LSWR enthusiast, because Robert Urie specified the S15 class 4-6-0 as the heavy freight hauler, with a sideline on summer Saturday holiday reliefs.  Was Raven thinking along the same lines?  The S15s were happy at 65mph; were the B16s similar?   Bill

[Tony Wright]

Now it's the K1s' turn............................

 

 

K1s were also not that common through Little Bytham, though I now have three. From top to bottom we have................

 

62038, built/painted/weathered by John Houlden using a Nu-Cast kit. Ex-Gamston, this was too good to miss after John sold all his OO stuff. 

 

62070, built/painted by me using a DMR kit. Tom Foster weathered it. 

 

62018, the latest one. Built by me using a Nu-Cast kit and painted by Geoff Haynes. 

 

Further views of this trio............................

 

 

 

Of course, Hornby produces an excellent RTR K1. However, I don't own one. 

[Tony Wright]

Just now, bbishop said:

They even have coal in their tenders!  Could someone talk me through the B16 variants, please.   They actually interest me as a LSWR enthusiast, because Robert Urie specified the S15 class 4-6-0 as the heavy freight hauler, with a sideline on summer Saturday holiday reliefs.  Was Raven thinking along the same lines?  The S15s were happy at 65mph; were the B16s similar?   Bill

The B16s were excellent mixed traffic 4-6-0s and extremely well-liked by the men, Bill.

 

With three cylinders, they were better riders than the B1s, which nominally were to replace them. 65 mph was easily attained. 

 

There were three types...........

 

B16/1; original Raven design for the NER.

 

B16/2; Gresley rebuild of B16/1 with outside Walschaerts valve gear and conjugated motion to the middle cylinder, retaining RH-drive (as on the originals).

 

B16/3; Thompson rebuild of B16/1 with three independent sets of Walschaerts valve gear; altered to LH-drive. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[bbishop]

I like the K1 class and even have one in O gauge.  I have strong personal views about Gresley designs.  I lump the A4s in with other streamline / air smoothed locomotives - just not my cup of tea.  I appreciate the Gresley designs with a trailing pony and the post-Gresley designs with the ogee cab style, but dislike the cutaway cabs on the Gresley moguls.  And Wright runs in to bowl from the Doncaster end and hits Bishop with a bouncer to.    Bill

[Tony Wright]

Though none of these is new, the K2s were popular locos. 

 

 

This is Bytham's trio of the class. On the left we have 61759, built by me from a Nu-Cast kit and painted by Geoff Haynes. 

 

In the middle is 61738, built by me from a London Road Models' kit and painted by Ian Rathbone. 

 

On the top we have 61745, built/painted/weathered by me using a Nu-Cast kit (another very old loco). 

 

K2s are another class not available RTR (long may that remain the case!), and three is probably enough now for LB. 

 

This view doesn't work so well because the offstage curves can be seen on the main line. 

 

Looking back through my comments this evening, I'm immensely privileged to have so many skillful contributors to Little Bytham. 

 

 

[Mike 84C]

The B16, a very appealing loco, long boiler, commodious cab and  I like the look of the motion and connecting rod driving on the first axle. Avery attractive machine which I never saw! But I am sure I read somewhere they had the nickname of "blood spitters" is it true and if so why?

[Clearwater]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Or 'Botham couldn't get his leg over' (on an occasion when he trod on his stumps).

 

There's one more piece of commentating tripe to add to what I posted earlier.................. 'He's just threw it down the wicket'. Michael Vaughan on BBC 2 just over an hour ago.

 

Groan..........................!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Did you here the wonderful set up of Atherton in the last game?  He was reading out tweets from club cricketers on their return.  “Bob Jones of Lower Snoring out for a first baller but brother Mike hits a hundred”type of thing. Someone tweeted and Atherton was handed one purporting to be from Cockermouth CC where a Hugh Jardon took 6-9(!).  The sky box collectively corpsed at the smut.
 

David
 

ps - I was listening with my son (8).  It sailed blissfully over his head though when he asked what was funny I was tempted to advise him to call 020 7240 9000 (or whatever the London Zoo switchboard number is) and suggest he asks for Mr.  C Lyon who I’m sure could explain.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Clearwater
Adenndum

[Barry Ten]

Re: grammar, usage etc. Whatever one thinks of "train station" I think most would agree that it's a relatively modern usage. I was surprised

to hear it used in an episode of Inspector George Gently, purportedly set around 1969 or 70 if I remember. I know there are worse problems 

in the world but it did make me question the period authenticity of the rest of the story. There was also an incident where a character blagged

their way into a premises by saying they were from "health and safety" which again struck me as a more recent usage. I suppose it beats getting

upset about the wrong trains and cars.

[APOLLO]

My kids get a right telling off if they say "Train station" - sure they say it just to annoy me !!!

 

As to grammar - well, even at Wigan Grammar School it was a "difficult" subject - us Wiganers don't speyk right even if we went to Grammar skool !!!. As to sport - Cricket (the dreaded nets), like Rugby at school were both back then "contact" sports which I avoided like the plague - Athletics for me - catch the Javelin, avoid the hammer ( th'ommer !!!). Happy days - NOT. At least the athletics field was at the side of the WCML just north of Wigan, and steam  was plentiful back in the 60's !!  I couldn't leave that place quickly enough. Into the fantastic 70's, MY ERA !! - steam had gone, but so had school - I was now into the real world, an apprenticeship, pay (£4 / week) BLISS !!. Never looked back (except at railways). 

 

Brit15

Edited July 20, 2020 by APOLLO
typo

[Woodcock29]

I've just watched a series of WPC56 which Is supposedly set in the mid 50s and the term 'Train Station' was used in that. I couldn't believe it! I don't recall the one in George Gently but I've probably seen it.

 

Great win at Old Trafford Tony! I guess they might keep Broad in the side (!) and bring Anderson back in?

 

Andrew

[jrg1]

6 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

The image I always remember  of the Mk3 bodyshell is the one wrapped round a bungalow at Morpeth but as far as I can recall no fatalities. Such strength and so light.

 

Jamie

I was on a southbound train from Aberdeen shortly afterwards-it was rather unnerving to see the ground churned up all the way to a bungalow, and the side of the house gouged out.

[jrg1]

7 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Slightly changing the subject, though it's been discussed of late.............

 

Having watched some of the cricket recently, I winced at a couple of statements from the two Lancastrian commentators................

 

'He should have took the single'. David Lloyd.

 

'Those sat at home'. Mike Atherton. 

 

Groan............

 

Can anyone imagine the likes of Jim Swanton, Peter West, Brian Johnston, Richie Benaud, John Arlott or any of the great cricket commentators coming out with such tripe? And, Mike Atherton is university-educated.

 

Still with my grumpy old man head on, I listened to some screeching woman presenter this morning talking about how outdoor events have suffered because of the pandemic. She seemed to have no idea that several of the words she was murdering actually had consonants as their last letters. 

 

 

I was working on the North Sea and some inane Radio 1 Jockey played "Imagine".

He said "John Lennon Number 1 again-December (1980) has been a great month for him".  

[Jesse Sim]

7 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Slightly changing the subject, though it's been discussed of late.............

 

Having watched some of the cricket recently, I winced at a couple of statements from the two Lancastrian commentators................

 

'He should have took the single'. David Lloyd.

 

'Those sat at home'. Mike Atherton. 

 

Groan............

 

Can anyone imagine the likes of Jim Swanton, Peter West, Brian Johnston, Richie Benaud, John Arlott or any of the great cricket commentators coming out with such tripe? And, Mike Atherton is university-educated.

 

Still with my grumpy old man head on, I listened to some screeching woman presenter this morning talking about how outdoor events have suffered because of the pandemic. She seemed to have no idea that several of the words she was murdering actually had consonants as their last letters. 

 

 

What’s cricket?