RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted July 30, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 30, 2016 In episode two, near the beginning there was a bit of an error in that one of the presenters said something like 'trains can't do any gradients' as the reasoning for why railways had to be built snaking around hills and the like. One extra word was all that was required to be more accurate - 'steep', as in 'trains can't do any steep gradients'. There are, of course, other ways to phrase that information that would have been better for us 'anoraks', but would probably have been seen as 'too detailed', like 'trains can't in general do 1 in 50 or steeper on most services, and even then special arrangements such as extra locomotives for banking might be required'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250BOB Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Visited the Foxfield Railway for a trip on the line last Sunday with youngest 2 year old grandson. The engine that was working on the 1st programme was in action......driven by the owner Andy Civil, who was the driver on the programme. I've known Andy for many years, pleased for him that they had this moment of fame....he even offered me his autograph. Cracking programme......loved its content. Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 In episode two, near the beginning there was a bit of an error in that one of the presenters said something like 'trains can't do any gradients' as the reasoning for why railways had to be built snaking around hills and the like. One extra word was all that was required to be more accurate - 'steep', as in 'trains can't do any steep gradients'. There are, of course, other ways to phrase that information that would have been better for us 'anoraks', but would probably have been seen as 'too detailed', like 'trains can't in general do 1 in 50 or steeper on most services, and even then special arrangements such as extra locomotives for banking might be required'. Bear in mind they're focused on the beginning of the railways really, so it'd be true for then as early steam locos would have been comparatively less powerful Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 "Full Steam Ahead" poster arrived this morning (ordered on 21st) - quite quick for BBC/OU programme support material! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Bear in mind they're focused on the beginning of the railways really, so it'd be true for then as early steam locos would have been comparatively less powerful And the Little Red Engine panted "iThinkIcanIThinkicaniTHINKican....." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventrain Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 just watch Railway for first 10 minutes from episode 3. I have turn TV off after no sign of railway for next 40 minutes (just food etc). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted August 4, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 4, 2016 Another good episode, the steam ploughing made me smile Also noted Mr Barker driving on the Swanage Branch talking about his day job Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted August 4, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 4, 2016 just watch Railway for first 10 minutes from episode 3. I have turn TV off after no sign of railway for next 40 minutes (just food etc). You must have dozed off as I saw some more It is full steam ahead not steam railways . . . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 just watch Railway for first 10 minutes from episode 3. I have turn TV off after no sign of railway for next 40 minutes (just food etc). It is a social history documentary rather than a purely railway show remember. It is fascinating to see just how much 'our' lives and way of living changed due to the coming of the railways. A similar programme on other forms of transport could equally be done, but not to as much depth I suspect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 I missed most of the programme this evening due to other commitments (but its recorded, etc, etc,etc...) and I came in on the last 5 minutes or so when they were talking about the "Watercress Line", and munching through the horrid stuff before putting it on a train... Having caught up on the previous weeks episode, I'm still enthusiastic about the programme - its well worth watching, and if nothing else is a reminder of all the sorts of traffic we can run on our layouts for greater authenticity! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertiedog Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Fascinating series, but I wondered how long it would be before complaints arrived about lack of steam trains at all points in the programme. It is about the whole railway, not just the engines, the people and produce the lines hauled then. Modellers are very partisan to see what they are interested in, and leave out the general picture, which is what is being covered very well indeed. It should provide ideas for models, it shows many nearly forgotten practices in action, all related to the railways and the effect it had on the population. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Also noted Mr Barker driving on the Swanage Branch talking about his day job God, hasn't he aged, and filled out, I haven't seen him for about 20 years or more. Good shots of Corfe, but I notice the train went from Corfe to Norden via Swanage Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted August 5, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 5, 2016 A thoroughly well made and enjoyable programme. I particularly like the information on the effects of the 'new' railway on people's food, habits etc. 9 out of 10 for me! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 I'm very impressed by this series. Sure there are simplifications and possibly arguable conclusions (but it you put three historians together you'll get at least five different opinions :-) I'm very doubtful for example about the proportion of ploughing that was ever done by steam and I suspect most Britsh farmers went straight from horses to tractors. The series is though full of interesting insights and aspects of the coming of railways and I am finding the presenters' style very engaging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 Few farmers actually owned ploughing engines, most were operated by independent contractors. So yes, in that sense, most farmers did go from horse ownership to tractor ownership, what use they made of steam ploughing by contractors is a different question. Bearing in mind a horse team ploughed 1 acre a day and steam around 20 that is a big advantage, especially for the larger farms. The latter adopting steam ploughing might have put a large acreage under it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted August 5, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 5, 2016 Few farmers actually owned ploughing engines, most were operated by independent contractors. So yes, in that sense, most farmers did go from horse ownership to tractor ownership, what use they made of steam ploughing by contractors is a different question. Bearing in mind a horse team ploughed 1 acre a day and steam around 20 that is a big advantage, especially for the larger farms. The latter adopting steam ploughing might have put a large acreage under it. Both of my grandfathers farmed - albeit relatively small size and one was basically not much above market gardening. Both had their harvest threshing carried out by contractors, one - with enough rented acreage - later went to having in a contractor to harvest using a combined harvester. Both went straight from using horses to using i/c engined tractors - the big spur originally being WWII which led to a lot of smaller farmers getting the chance of mechanising to some degree or another and a tractor which could also run a drive belt was a great advance as it allowed lots of older machines (e.g threshing machines, saws, etc) to continue to be used with the new power source. However agricultural contractors followed a slightly different course as they tended to go from horses to steam power and then to i/c engined machinery and to be earlier adopters of such things as combines. Many of the very large combines we see around nowadays belong to contractors or to farmers who also take on contracts - it's the best way to justify the costs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 Never mind, if you missed the ploughing engines on 'Full Steam Ahead', you can see much, much more here;- http://www.gdsf.co.uk/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PhilH Posted August 5, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 5, 2016 I quite enjoyed the last one (only one I've bothered to watch) , trying to watch it as a non enthusiast (aka nit picker, pedant, cynic, misery and all the other things which we are usually guilty of). On the whole informative and quite a good narrative tailored for general viewing. I did find one or two things grated, mainly in the editing of some of the sequences whereby several clips of different origin were put in the same sequence to give the impression of the same journey or whatever...but that's looking at it through the eyes of an enthusiast (aka n.......) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted August 5, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 5, 2016 Quite whetted my appetite for a return trip from Buckfastleigh to Totnes next week.Unusually for me,these programmes have held my attention for the whole of their allotted time span.I like....period. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 5, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 5, 2016 The bit that I liked was the coal fired chippie, especially the bit about using beef dripping for frying, that certainly bought back memories. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 Few farmers actually owned ploughing engines, most were operated by independent contractors. So yes, in that sense, most farmers did go from horse ownership to tractor ownership, what use they made of steam ploughing by contractors is a different question. Bearing in mind a horse team ploughed 1 acre a day and steam around 20 that is a big advantage, especially for the larger farms. The latter adopting steam ploughing might have put a large acreage under it. At least one of the contractors expanded from steam ploughing engines to steam rollers, and then all sorts of other plant- are Eddisons still about? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted August 5, 2016 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 5, 2016 The bit that I liked was the coal fired chippie, especially the bit about using beef dripping for frying, that certainly bought back memories. And the mention of chippies in front parlours rather than the later proper chip shop. There was one such enterprise close to where I grew up and our family was a frequent customer. This wasn't the 1800s it was the 1950s! Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted August 5, 2016 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 5, 2016 Few farmers actually owned ploughing engines, most were operated by independent contractors. Even these days many farms hire in the larger machines or own them as part of a co-operative. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Sorry to say that they seemed to lose the plot in this weeks episode. Dare I mention "Flying Scotsman"? It was a World Record Breaker! It went so fast because it had a water scoop, and a corridor tender, AND THREE CYLINDERS!!! I suppose the NRM wrote the script for that part - after all, they've got to recoup all the money that had to be spent to fix the poor thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted August 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 11, 2016 City of Truro set the record without any of those utilities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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