Castle Aching

[Northroader]

Funny. So that’s what, 14-1 and you still think it sweet?

Well, I suppose it’s a big deal for you, but really it’s just a minor annoyance.

When she saw the result, my wife asked me how long it would be before Scottish friends crowed over it. Thank you for confirming a national stereotype.

Hey, chill out, us English can be just as partisan. Scots Rugby has had a long time in the wilderness, I’m just glad to see they are starting to provide serious opposition again.

[Nearholmer]

StE,

 

Lamp-based controllers are all pretty much like the below (deliberately drawn out in the period manner!).

 

Sometimes the rheostat is omitted, or a second lamp used instead. There voltage drop across the lamp(s) and rheostat, if there is one, can be varied by changing the lamp for ones of different rating.

 

They are effective, but can be phenomenally dangerous, because:

 

- many used open-terminal ‘faceplate’ rheostats;

 

- if no load is connected, any exposed terminal will be at full supply voltage.

 

They were commonly used as toy train controllers up to the 1920s, which is a particularly deadly application, because if there is no loco on the track, the full supply Vince latte appears across the track ...... so potentially 240V for little Johnny to touch.

 

Real old trains used to be wired similarly, with three 240V lamps in series across a 660V supply from the track, and if one lamp blew or was removed, the full 660V was present across one lamp fitting. The 4-SUBs were like that until the end, and flash overs in lamp fittings were reasonably common, often as the lamp died, so passengers would be treated to a shower of broken glass and a firework display.

 

I remember my father causing such, by swinging a suitcase up into the luggage rack rather enthusiastically, and having to explain himself to a ‘jumper’ (travelling ticket inspector) who was on the platform. Dad told us all that the chap was an “Admiral of the Railway”, on account of all the gold braid on his cap, and we almost believed him.

Edited February 26, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Regularity]

Well Scotland played well and deserved their victory.  England did not play so well.

 

I’m not upset: Scotland deserved to win - even when England are playing, I want them to play well but I much prefer to see the best team win: this is union Rugby, after all. Wasn’t me who felt the need to trumpet moving from a 74-39 deficit to a 74-40 deficit.

[Regularity]

Hey, chill out, us English can be just as partisan. Scots Rugby has had a long time in the wilderness, I’m just glad to see they are starting to provide serious opposition again.

I agree with the latter point: and about time, too.

As for the rest, I am perfectly chilled. Not me who felt the need to draw attention to the end of a losing streak. Not me who thinks that match is a big deal, either...

[Hroth]

You mean the English after Saturday?   

 

Jim (running for cover again)

Nahhhh,,,

 

T'was but an act of charity.  The constant "England" on the winners plate was getting a bit embarassing!

 

Never mind.  Next year at Twickers..... 

[St Enodoc]

Nahhhh,,,

 

T'was but an act of charity.  The constant "England" on the winners plate was getting a bit embarassing!

 

Never mind.  Next year at Twickers..... 

Cup not plate - Calcutta, of that ilk.

[justin1985]

On soldering, I used an Antex XS25 for a long time but recently got a cheap Chinese temperature controlled station from eBay. These are available under many different brands, but are generically known by the model number "936".

 

These are supposedly 60w and controllable through a narrower range of temperatures than Antex ones (only down to 180 I think), but has worked really well for me so far and coped with every job I've used it for. You can find them from eBay from about £20 delivered (from a UK seller).

 

I'm usually a bit suspicious of eBay Chinese electronics, but they are positively reviewed by this chap on YouTube who generally tears apart this kind of thing. Only issue was mine, like his, was supplied with an illegal shrouded earth pin plug. So I just had to wire on a normal plug, 1980s style.

 

 

J

[Donw]

I agree with the latter point: and about time, too.

As for the rest, I am perfectly chilled. Not me who felt the need to draw attention to the end of a losing streak. Not me who thinks that match is a big deal, either...

 

Actually that it not how it came across to me.  Obviously not what you intended.

 

Don

[Donw]

Well Scotland played well and deserved their victory.  England did not play so well. There is very little point in getting upset over it, but if it makes Simon feel any better, by way of consolation, I offer him this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vh-wEXvdW8  (perhaps they practiced beforehand, which spoils all the fun! (different version))

 

At the risk of sounding like I have won an Oscar (as opposed to wiring 2 pieces of track to a controller), I would like to pause to thank everyone for their consistent support and practical advice, and to apologise for the rather unhelpful periodic outbreaks of Defeatism, which are largely due to my inability to cope with the vagaries of Real Life at the moment. 

 

The next challenge, and, for me, it seems like a significant challenge, is to make the track live through the points. Fortunately, I should have on-site assistance today, in the form of stalwart parishioner Runs As Required.  

 

I think it was good you achieved that yourself, a welcome boost to the self confidence.

 

Don

[Hroth]

Cup not plate - Calcutta, of that ilk.

The cup has a wooden base, with silver plates affixed "...additional plates which record the date of each match played with the name of the winning country and the names of the two captains."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcutta_Cup

[Northroader]

Not so long ago it was kicked along Princes St. by the winning team celebrating on Saturday night, and needed extensive repairs.

[uax6]

Trundling back to the cattle movement, I have in front of me a borrowed copy of the GWR (cough, cough) 1936 General Appendix to the rule book. Its full of lovely stuff, but here is the bit that is relevant to Livestock traffic:

 When Live Stock by freight train is to be conveyed long distances, or from any cause is detained at an intermediate or receiving station, such stock must, where necessary, be supplied with water as well as food, and any expense incurred be charged forward to destination and collected from the consignee. The stock must be frequently examined, and the period within which various descriptions of animals must be watered are as follows:-

Horses, Asses and Mules 24 hours

Cattle 27 hours

Sheep and Lambs 36 hours

Pigs 27 hours

There is no specific regulation which requires Railway Companies to feed animals after they have been in transit any particular number of hours. The Protection of Animals Act of 1911, however, makes it incumbant upon the Compainesto avoid undue suffering to animals in transit, and as such suffering would be caused if the animals were kept without food for a prolonged period, the Railway Companies generally as a matter of convenience have adopted the practice of feeding animals at the same time as they are watered. This practice must be continued.

The station Masters and Agents must clearly understand  that they are held personally responsible for seeing that the instructions are adhered to at the expensive of the owners.

When milking cows are tendered for conveyance, the sender or his agent, must be requested to starte how long the animals will go without being milked to aviod suffering pain or discomfort, and should be asked to make arrangements to meet the requirements.

Care should be taken to see that milking cows are milked in transit if it appears they are suffering any pain or discomfort.

Young calves traveling with the mother should not be loaded with other cattle, but put behind partitions by themselves, unless the number is sufficient to warrant a truck being used exclusively for them.

A cow shall not be permitted by the owner thereof, or his agent, or any person in charge thereof, to be carried by the railway, if the calving of the cow during transport by the railway is reasonably probable.

When cows, which are apparently near their calving time, are tendered for conveyance, the attention of the sender or his rep, must be called to this regulation, and (before the cows are accepted) his assurance obtained that they are not likely to calve on the journey,

An assurance in writing on the consignment note, signed by the sender or his Representative, should be obtained where practicable.

Live Stock labels, including those for Horses, should show the time of loading, and also when and where the watering and (or) feeding takes place on the journey.

 

Now this in theory re-opens the possibility that livestock could come from Scotland to East Anglia by rail. Now this does have issues. Firstly All Scottish cattle wagons were unfitted (and also few were piped) so they cannot run in passenger trains. Indeed the fact that some also had grease axleboxes, so again restricting speed. So potentially they would run as a Special train, which would require to be examined every 50 miles (Again from the GWR appendix.) Potentially this train would run as a class E or class F freight, (3-2 or 1-4).

 

So say the cattle is coming off the Highland. Vans are handbraked only, so cannot go in passenger train. They get to Perth and get handed over to the NBR. They then run them to say Newcastle, where they get unloaded and fed and watered. After a period (Presumably of some hours) they then get on their way again, handed over to the GN and then the M&GN.

Say speeds for a special are something like 15mph average, that would give about a two day transit time. I would guess that the wagon change would occur at Newcastle, to reduce empty running, and for convenience all round, and there may indeed be another change somewhere else.

 

Interesting book this general appendix, its going to give me hours of reading this month! (and not all of them in the box!)

 

Andy G

[Compound2632]

Those Great Western rules mirror the 1927 Order I mentioned a few pages back - the significant addition being about feeding. But I don't think either tell us much about whether the animals were taken out of the wagons during their journey.

[Caley Jim]

The Caledonian Railway's 'General Instructions Relating to Goods Mineral and Live Stock Traffic'  makes no particular mention of long journeys, but, at Para 145 states:

 

'In accepting Live Stock to be forwarded to any through or local station, care should be taken to inform senders of the most suitable trains, so as to prevent, as far as possible, undue delay at sending stations or any junction.  This point should be carefully considered in sending off Cattle on the evening of Friday or on Saturday, in case they may be detained at any station short of destination on Sunday.'

 

And at para 146:

 

'Live Stock must not be booked from or to any Station at which the train by which it is required to go is not timed to stop, unless under special instructions, nor must it be booked through to Stations on branch lines unless it is known there are trains which will take the stock forward without considerable detention.'

 

Jim

[corneliuslundie]

Interesting if academic for the particular circumstances of CA. However, what is relevant is that cattle wagons might well have been borrowed/hired by the WNR from adjacent companies for transporting fattened cattle to market in London. I know for a fact that the Barry Railway often borrowed cattle wagons from the GWR because the Directors were asked to buy some more so it no longer needed to happen. So GNR, Midland and GER cattle wagons could reasonably easily turn up in CA in the Spring. In a way M&GN ones are less likely because they would probably be in use for the same traffic from other towns in the area. Other companies would probably be too far away, except possibly the LNWR (which got to Peterborough).

Jonathan

[Edwardian]

I had a thoroughly enjoyable and instructive afternoon with Runs As Required.  It was also a great confidence builder.

 

We enjoyed a cold collation and toasted the success of the West Norfolk Railway.  We have wired through from the platform road to middle turn out (the long curved one).  Traffic stops when it reaches the frog of the outer point, so this must now be wired and then, of course, the mainline laid beyond it.

 

This also proves that at least one of the turnouts works in one of its two paths.  Only the very low clearances of our skirted C53 tram engine objected to my point-work.

 

So far we have run a small but varied selection of motive power successfully through the points: Dodo the short wheel-base 0-4-0ST Peckett, the Electrotren 0-6-0 outside cylinder tank (to become WNR No.9, ex-CMR 0-6-0T), and WNR No.7, the Cowan/Neilson 4-4-0. 

 

Thank you to David for all his help, an excellent cold collation, and a happy afternoon chatting and soldering.  

[runs as required]

The West Norfolk Opens at Last !

A momentous day in the annals of Castle Aching

The Chairman drinking a toast to the prosperity of the new line while enjoying the cold collation.

He has just inspected a cavalcade of locomotives through and out onto the mainline led by the newest locomotive, still in works grey completed at Stratford to the design of Mr Holden for the Wisbech & Upwell.

After partaking oflunch, the Chairman demonstrated his technical skill at every aspect of managing the modern railway

Here he shews the party how to to test for continuity, His accuracy in soldering droppers to and from every angle of the new set of rails was masterly.

 

dh

 

[Annie]

Well done sir!  

[Northroader]

That’s what’s good about this web, isn’t it? Well done. Anyhow, back to moving cattle around, when Irish cattle where still being imported live through Fishguard into block trains of cattle wagons off the boat. The train ran through to Severn Tunnel Junction, where they were “watered” and checked to see no cattle were “down” (I.e. not standing) if they were, they had to be got out. Then proceed onwards, Banbury seemed to be a favourite destination, I think there was a large market there, then on for the Midlands or the North.

[Hroth]

Huzza!!!!!

[Andy Kirkham]

That’s what’s good about this web, isn’t it? Well done. Anyhow, back to moving cattle around, when Irish cattle where still being imported live through Fishguard into block trains of cattle wagons off the boat. The train ran through to Severn Tunnel Junction, where they were “watered” and checked to see no cattle were “down” (I.e. not standing) if they were, they had to be got out. Then proceed onwards, Banbury seemed to be a favourite destination, I think there was a large market there, then on for the Midlands or the North.

MAR 74 08. D1040 Western Queen at Severn Tunnel Junction. September 1973? by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

Observe the STJ cattle dock still in situ and apparently in good order as late as 1973. Mike the stationmaster has suggested that it might still have been used in connection with the transport of superannuated donkeys from Ireland to a retirement home near Reading.

Edited February 26, 2018 by Andy Kirkham

[truffy]

But I don't think either tell us much about whether the animals were taken out of the wagons during their journey.

 

Could animals reasonably be taken out of wagons, unless accompanied by trained staff? Otherwise untrained railway staff might have the devil of a job with livestock.

[Edwardian]

Could animals reasonably be taken out of wagons, unless accompanied by trained staff? Otherwise untrained railway staff might have the devil of a job with livestock.

 

And trained locomotives, too ... 

[Caley Jim]

Could animals reasonably be taken out of wagons, unless accompanied by trained staff? Otherwise untrained railway staff might have the devil of a job with livestock.

This is very true.  I know from experience that beef cattle, who get little handling compared with dairy ones, can be feisty beasts.

 

Jim

[Donw]

I suspect that there were many railwaymen with experience of animals. If you started out as a porter at a rural station you probably got roped in to help with loading and unloading livestock.

 

Don