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Bill and Jason's Excellent UK Adventure


rapidotrains

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Instead I saw a lot of young mums with piercings. And I mean a LOT of piercings. This was not the 1970s Doctor Who episode I was expecting (The Green Death). Rather it was Invasion of the Body Scratchers.

Actually, I give her credit for being very attentive and a very good mother, talking to her little one all the time. She knew what her newborn wanted immediately when it started crying. I was the one who was scared as I have a magnet somewhere in my bag and I thought the whole bag would fly across the train and attach itself to her face.

 Anorak Alert!!

 

Most body piercings are made from 316 stainless steel, which is an alloy of chrome, nickel, and iron. There are also only 3 magnetic metals: nickel, iron and cobalt. However, when you mix (alloy) nickel and iron to make stainless steel, it is non magnetic! Thus have no fear, any magnets on your person will not fly across the train and affix themselves to your fellow passengers face (or other bits).

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Thanks for the most entertaining Thread I've read here for a while (since your Job Vacancy thread, in fact!!)

It's almost a pity I'm not interested in any models your Company produce. You don't fancy doing a decent GP38-2 in 1:48th, 2-rail O Scale, do you?? ;)

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Glad to see you stayed in a decent hotel in Salop (even if you did call it Shewsbury, or was it Shroseberry?), apparently some people can tell where you went to school according to how you pronounce it.

Be careful using the word Salop, Jason speaks French after all (well, a distorted version of it) !

 

(Translation : Salope = bitch except you cannot use it to describe a female dog unless it bit you or ate your APT-E, with Salop being the male version).

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In these days of instant communication Laughing Out Loud has become a devalued expression. But that is what I find myself doing every time I read one of Jason's travel blogs. Looking forward to seeing him at the NEC tomorrow.

 

On the subject of "salope", is that where the English "slapper" expression originated?

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Be careful using the word Salop, Jason speaks French after all (well, a distorted version of it) !

 

(Translation : Salope = bitch except you cannot use it to describe a female dog unless it bit you or ate your APT-E, with Salop being the male version).

 

A bitch (in the canine sense) is une chienne, and although a puppy is un chiot, a female puppy is not une chiotte, which means something completely different,

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Glad to see you stayed in a decent hotel in Salop  (even if you did call it Shewsbury, or was it Shroseberry?), apparently some people can tell where you went to school according to how you pronounce it.

 

This small rodent is a Shrew. Not a Shrow.

 

post-13463-0-98506000-1416598386_thumb.jpg

 

Therefore, Logic would seem to make it "Shroosbury" and not "Shroseberry", in the same way that Crewe is "Croo" and not "Crow"

 

The people that pronounce it "Shroseberry" also seem to insist that Garage is pronounced "Ga-raazh" and not "Garridge" which as we all know, is the correct way of pronouncing it.

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Jason -

 

It's a small step I know, but as Caterpillar are one of my current clients (HQ in Peoria IL, rather than Muncie IN) I'm steadily eroding their profits and investing my ill-gotten gains back into Canadian railway equipment. Yours, mostly...

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-----------

 

The people that pronounce it "Shroseberry" also seem to insist that Garage is pronounced "Ga-raazh" and not "Garridge" which as we all know, is the correct way of pronouncing it.

 

but paradoxically those people are unlikely to include the leader of a certain political party with pretensions of grandeur in his own name...:D

 

 

 

 

I'll get my coat...

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Radio silence from Rapido today? The Warley Show must have worn them out!

 

Either that or visiting all those Welsh/Great Western places are slowly brain washing Jason (or making him see the moral virtue - depending on your point of view) into making a layout of a Great Western branch line ;-))

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Well they were both in deep conversation every time I passed, you couldn't miss them in the hi vis ;) APT E test shot looks good though the blue stripe was obviously a bit rushed so don't take that as a problem. Both my pics were useless so hopefully Andy will get to it tomorrow as he was out and about with the camera.

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Well they were both in deep conversation every time I passed, you couldn't miss them in the hi vis ;) APT E test shot looks good though the blue stripe was obviously a bit rushed so don't take that as a problem. Both my pics were useless so hopefully Andy will get to it tomorrow as he was out and about with the camera.

 

"A bit rushed" does not do it justice. Painted by a flock of Canadian geese after spending the night partying in Ibiza would be a better description......

 

-Jason

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"A bit rushed" does not do it justice. Painted by a flock of Canadian geese after spending the night partying in Ibiza would be a better description......

 

-Jason

Well done Jason, keep up the Canadian content ;)

 

Cheers,

 

David

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Today was the day for my annual trip to the Warley show.

 

As the doors opened at 9.15, I made a beeline straight toward the Locomotion stand and was met by Bill in a very fetching APT-E Branded turtle neck. After revelling in what can only be described as an astonishingly good example of a 'rough draft' model for several minutes, I started chatting with Bill. Having followed the assorted APT-E/Rapido threads on here, I had the impression that both he and Jason would be very approachable and I was not disappointed on this front. After a short period of pleasant banter with Bill, we were joined by Mr. Tilt himself, who then joined in with the conversation and got his 'ongoing project' N gauge APT-E out for show and tell. 

A slightly worse-for-wear Jason then showed up. Not quite sure whether it was the late night or the Indian food that did him in. He did seem to perk up somewhat after I (the first person on their visit to do so) shouted "GO HABS" in his general direction.

 

After much discussion about APT-E, the company's performance and philosophy and an upcoming project that they can't say too much about as it might upset one of the other manufacturers (sshhh!) and pressing my nose against the glass of the cabinet housing the model, I shook hands with the 3 stooges and and walked away from the stand, 45 minutes after I arrived and extremely comfortable with handing over a large chunk of money to them, knowing I will not be disappointed with the end result.

 

The level of information the guys at Rapido are constantly drip feeding us is phenomenal and in my eyes very important as without us the consumer, they would not survive, but also I feel that by being involved in every step of the journey, you get a deeper understanding and appreciation of the amount of time, effort, blood and sweat that goes into the development and production of what some people still view as a toy. Not only that, but the way that Bill and Jason interact with their public means that instead of dealing with a large, faceless company, you see the human side of it all which in my eyes is undervalued by a lot of people.

 

Mr. Spackman was very friendly and was more than happy to regale me with various stories of his days working on the various tilting projects. I particularly enjoyed when he was looked down upon for being in first class in mucky overalls whilst carrying a rather large spanner, the occasion of alighting from APT-E to go to a Rod Stewart concert and the communications headset that was modified to play the Three Degrees throughout the train.

 

Today was a good day.

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And on another note,

 

Today, I met Pete Waterman and shook his hand.

 

Pete Waterman has touched Kylie Minogue with said hand.

 

So, to summarise and use the laws of transitive property,

 

Today, I touched Kylie Minogue.

 

 

Another reason today was a good day.

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And on another note,

 

Today, I met Pete Waterman and shook his hand.

 

Pete Waterman has touched Kylie Minogue with said hand.

 

So, to summarise and use the laws of transitive property,

 

Today, I touched Kylie Minogue.

 

 

Another reason today was a good day.

 

following that logic, I'd rather be trying to find and shake Jason Donovan's hand! :D

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 I shook hands with the 3 stooges and and walked away from the stand, 45 minutes after I arrived and extremely comfortable with handing over a large chunk of money to them, knowing I will not be disappointed with the end result.

I did much the same when Jason was doing his roadshow across Canada with the samples of The Canadian back in 2011. The Canadian was close to $2000, so a big comittment. However, it is a gorgeous train, and I'm sure the APT will be better. Rapido put out a first class product, much better than any brass model I own. I truly believe their products are the best money can buy, full stop.

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It was good to meet the Rapido crew today. The conversation moved onto the provision of a lamp bracket. I did not recall this so had to dig out my old 126 shots and there it is. I thought it was a mark on the film.

 

post-9992-0-00843900-1416786739_thumb.jpg

 

I model 1930's steam but I still ordered one.... as I was there

 

Mike Wiltshire

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It was good to meet the Rapido crew today. The conversation moved onto the provision of a lamp bracket. I did not recall this so had to dig out my old 126 shots and there it is. I thought it was a mark on the film.

 

attachicon.gifAPTE 6aa copy.jpg

 

I model 1930's steam but I still ordered one.... as I was there

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

AMAZING PHOTO!

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You can't leave it there.....what is the secret?...

 

I have no idea.  I'm loving this big suite at the Crowne Plaza, sitting here at a massive desk on a top-of-the-line ergonomic chair in a plushy oversized dressing gown provided by the hotel.  How's the Novotel, Bill?

 

:jester:

 

-Jason

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I have no idea.  I'm loving this big suite at the Crowne Plaza, sitting here at a massive desk on a top-of-the-line ergonomic chair in a plushy oversized dressing gown provided by the hotel.  How's the Novotel, Bill?

 

:jester:

 

-Jason

You need an assistant there Jason?

 

Now that you have done Warley when will you do Supertrain in Calgary. Don't get me wrong Dan is a nice guy but I have yet to see you there!

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You can't leave it there.....what is the secret?...

I don't think it would be fair to spill the beans about which of them decided on which hotel of the two mentioned thus far (remember one was liked and the other wasn't - now it could have been happenstance but it might have been down to something else such as luck - or even lack of luck - so you never can tell).

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