Little Muddle

[Mick Bonwick]

Looks much better than a cattle wagon. Any cattle wagon.

[Banger Blue]

7 hours ago, KNP said:

Todays picture

 

Heading to across the Channel, Snowflake, plows fearlessly on with her cargo of priceless toilet rolls!?!?!

 

You may want to turn her into a ‘Q-ship’ or have some stout-hearted deckhands ready to repel boarders, in case the local pirates and vagabonds get wind of her cargo!

Edited March 24, 2020 by Banger Blue

[The Johnster]

Pirates?  Bristol Channel?  You better believe it guys, the area was rife with it as late as the 17th century, with Cardiff being one of the major centres of it.  Our own home grown chap was a gentleman originally from Tintern in the Wye Valley called John Callice, and the local gentry were up to their family jewels in supporting and distributing the spoils; this is a century earlier.  A Dutch pirate by the name of Jan Janzoon who had converted to Islam and been promoted admiral of the Oman corsairs established a base on Lundy Island for some time in the 17th century (it had been a smuggler's base for a very long time before and after this), and the crescent moon of Islam was raised over what was actually part of the United Kingdom.

 

South Walian piracy, which reached it's zenith in the Caribbean and Miami/Carolina coasts of America with the murderous psychopath Bartholemew Roberts, Black Bart, who hailed from Pembroke, is one of the historical reasons for the ancient feud between South Wales and Bristol; Bristol trade was the principal victim in the Bristol Channel.  

 

The Vale of Glamorgan had it's own form of wrecking as well, as did the Kidwelly/Burry Port area further west, participants being known as 'dyn ar seax uchelwr', the 'men. with little axes', such a tool being ideal for the actual wrecking and disposal of witnesses as well.  The Vale of Glamorgan coast is high cliffs between Porthcawl and Barry, and lamps were tied to the tails of sheep grazing at on the tops, the idea being to circumvent the 1750s law passed against displaying false lights for the purpose of luring ships ashore.  Imagine trying to sail up the channel at night, tide and wind pushing you and not sure of your exact position among the shoals and sandbanks; a gently swaying lantern could easily be taken for a ship ahead of you that appeared to be in safe waters, and worth following!  The Nash Point lighthouse was originally erected to prevent this practice.

 

There were enough wrecks along this stretch anyway, without the sheep, and the little axes prevented tales of looting cargoes and timbers.  If you visit the area, go home there's a coronavirus panic on, I mean if you visit when it's safe again, you might go for a meal in the Plough and Harrow pub in Monknash village.  This was, pre-reformation, owned by the nearby Ewenny Priory and the monks would give a christian burial in the local churchyard to shipwreck victims; they were laid out in the barn area which is now converted to the pub's restaurant.  This is not a feature used to advertise the facility...

 

On the rare occasion that pirates were caught and brought to justice, mostly if they were not those pirates endorsed and supported by the Morgans, Herberts, and other local gentry, they were traditionally executed by the old Norse method.  Pirates being not fit for burial on land or sea, they were buried to the neck in sand between the low and high water marks, for drowning; I believe there is a curse in Freemasonry which mentions this along with having one's throat slit from ear to ear.

 

The Morgan family produced their own Caribbean pirate of course, or at least one who sailed close to the pirate wind as a privateer, Sir Henry Morgan, who became governor of Jamaica.  He was born in Cardiff, actually Llanrumney, in Llanrumney Hall, which was until recently a pub, but I believe is now some sort of community centre after being derelict for a few years.  It was a rough pub, the sort where a bouncer checked you for weapons and lent you his if you didn't have any, and you couldn't help thinking Henry would have been perfectly at home there...

 

Nothing wrong with an OT diversion in these isolationist times.  

Edited March 24, 2020 by The Johnster

[88D]

17 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Pirates?  Bristol Channel?  You better believe it guys, the area was rife with it as late as the 17th century, with Cardiff being one of the major centres of it.  Our own home grown chap was a gentleman originally from Tintern in the Wye Valley called John Callice, and the local gentry were up to their family jewels in supporting and distributing the spoils; this is a century earlier.  A Dutch pirate by the name of Jan Janzoon who had converted to Islam and been promoted admiral of the Oman corsairs established a base on Lundy Island for some time in the 17th century (it had been a smuggler's base for a very long time before and after this), and the crescent moon of Islam was raised over what was actually part of the United Kingdom.

 

South Walian piracy, which reached it's zenith in the Caribbean and Miami/Carolina coasts of America with the murderous psychopath Bartholemew Roberts, Black Bart, who hailed from Pembroke, is one of the historical reasons for the ancient feud between South Wales and Bristol; Bristol trade was the principal victim in the Bristol Channel.  

 

The Vale of Glamorgan had it's own form of wrecking as well, as did the Kidwelly/Burry Port area further west, participants being known as 'dyn ar seax uchelwr', the 'men. with little axes', such a tool being ideal for the actual wrecking and disposal of witnesses as well.  The Vale of Glamorgan coast is high cliffs between Porthcawl and Barry, and lamps were tied to the tails of sheep grazing at on the tops, the idea being to circumvent the 1750s law passed against displaying false lights for the purpose of luring ships ashore.  Imagine trying to sail up the channel at night, tide and wind pushing you and not sure of your exact position among the shoals and sandbanks; a gently swaying lantern could easily be taken for a ship ahead of you that appeared to be in safe waters, and worth following!  The Nash Point lighthouse was originally erected to prevent this practice.

 

There were enough wrecks along this stretch anyway, without the sheep, and the little axes prevented tales of looting cargoes and timbers.  If you visit the area, go home there's a coronavirus panic on, I mean if you visit when it's safe again, you might go for a meal in the Plough and Harrow pub in Monknash village.  This was, pre-reformation, owned by the nearby Ewenny Priory and the monks would give a christian burial in the local churchyard to shipwreck victims; they were laid out in the barn area which is now converted to the pub's restaurant.  This is not a feature used to advertise the facility...

 

On the rare occasion that pirates were caught and brought to justice, mostly if they were not those pirates endorsed and supported by the Morgans, Herberts, and other local gentry, they were traditionally executed by the old Norse method.  Pirates being not fit for burial on land or sea, they were buried to the neck in sand between the low and high water marks, for drowning; I believe there is a curse in Freemasonry which mentions this along with having one's throat slit from ear to ear.

 

The Morgan family produced their own Caribbean pirate of course, or at least one who sailed close to the pirate wind as a privateer, Sir Henry Morgan, who became governor of Jamaica.  He was born in Cardiff, actually Llanrumney, in Llanrumney Hall, which was until recently a pub, but I believe is now some sort of community centre after being derelict for a few years.  It was a rough pub, the sort where a bouncer checked you for weapons and lent you his if you didn't have any, and you couldn't help thinking Henry would have been perfectly at home there...

 

Nothing wrong with an OT diversion in these isolationist times.  

Any in Cwmdimbath?

[Mick Bonwick]

19 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Nothing wrong with an OT diversion in these isolationist times.  

 I agree, if it's informative or useful.

[Banger Blue]

Oh dear! Perhaps if Piracy is that rife, maybe the Admiralty should send a gunboat along to escort ‘Snowflake’ out of harms way. Another project?

 

Let’s not go too overboard though (excuse the pun), I’m sure Kevin doesn’t wish Little Muddle harbour to resemble Scapa Flow or Portsmouth!

[Mick Bonwick]

7 minutes ago, Banger Blue said:

 maybe the Admiralty should send a gunboat along to escort ‘Snowflake’ out of harms way.

 

This one should do the trick:

 

[KNP]

3 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

This one should do the trick:

 

 

HMS Hood, least she should manage the tidal waters OK but how far up the river she could get is  anyone's guess.....

Least there would be no bridges in the way.

Edited March 24, 2020 by KNP

[The Johnster]

1 hour ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 I agree, if it's informative or useful.

Oh.  My apologies then...

[Crichel Down]

4 hours ago, Tallpaul69 said:

I was reading your MRJ articles earlier today, prompted by the recent posts on the subject. You are honoured because I had some time ago (years probably!) copied the articles and put them in my "Modelling info to keep handy file"!

Which is just as well because I know my MRJs need putting back into order after the last time I was hunting for info on a particular subject.

Having been sorting my Coopercraft stuff the other day, I was in two minds what to do with two of the cattle wagons. I had not finished them, particularly not having fixed the roofs, and years of storage have not treated them kindly. The fragile bars across the open sides and the top bar under the roof have snapped!

Initially I was going to scrap them, but the comments about the Bachmann and Dapol offerings that I had considered superior(!), have persuaded me to try to fix and finish them.

 

I also have three Wrenn (or HB00) cattle wagon bodies that need chassis. Any suggestions any one (apart from the obvious )?

 

Best regards

Paul

 

The top rail was always a weak point on the Coopercraft kits.  I broke several, and eventually resorted to strengthening them with wire at the back. 

 

I believe the Dapol RTR model to which I referred may have been the Wrenn model re-issued.  My recollection is that Dapol  purchased the old Binns Road [Meccano (HD)/Wrenn] tooling.  There is a rather prominent protruberance inside each end of the vehicle, so I  bought only the totally enclosed Goods Fruit van version  (Diagram Y10) that Dapol also produced.  As I mentioned, it's slightly over-length, but I don't have any problem with that.

 

Sorry, Kevin; we're hi-jacking your thread, although there is one of these Dapol Y10 Goods Fruit Vans running on Little Muddle, so it's not totally irrelevant. 

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, Crichel Down said:

[Oh, blast!  That's blown my cover.] 

For those of us with long memories, your RMweb name had already done that!

[SteveTheSteam]

18 hours ago, KNP said:

 

HMS Hood, least she should manage the tidal waters OK but how far up the river she could get is  anyone's guess.....

Least there would be no bridges in the way.

no RN required - not when you have the Squadron Leader from the EAF flying in support - that's the Encombe Air Force - not to be trifled with...

 

[KNP]

Another daily picture

 

Just 4550 sitting in the head shunt waiting to move on

 

 

Edited March 24 by KNP

[KNP]

Daily picture.

 

I have decided, unless it is essential of course, to only post one picture a day as I don't want to have a finger pointed at me for 'panic posting'......

 

 

 

Update.

I can happily confirm that Snowflake made it across the Bristol Channel and has delivered her precious cargo of toilet rolls much to the relief of those around the area.

Therefore, after this delivery we can now get to the bottom of the problem and any remaining Klingons have been successfully wiped out and disposed of.

Snowflake is, at this very moment, mid channel on her return to Little Muddle due in tomorrow afternoon I believe - if I have read this tide table correctly.

Edited March 24 by KNP

[Tony Teague]

Seems to me that it's about time HM Govt passed a motion on toilet rolls.

[The Johnster]

On 24/03/2020 at 18:36, 88D said:

Any in Cwmdimbath?

Callice and his predecessors probably used the Ogwr as a place to ambush ships from; he certainly used the Bendricks rock and Barry Sound (it was a real island at high tide in those days).  Doubt if he got much further upstream than the Pelican (In Her PIety), though.  

 

On 24/03/2020 at 18:56, KNP said:

 

HMS Hood, least she should manage the tidal waters OK but how far up the river she could get is  anyone's guess.....

Least there would be no bridges in the way.

18 inch guns, with a 15 mile range; there wouldn't be anything much in the way!  Vulnerable to plunging fire, sadly, though.

[manna]

45 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Callice and his predecessors probably used the Ogwr as a place to ambush ships from; he certainly used the Bendricks rock and Barry Sound (it was a real island at high tide in those days).  Doubt if he got much further upstream than the Pelican (In Her PIety), though.  

 

18 inch guns, with a 15 mile range; there wouldn't be anything much in the way!  Vulnerable to plunging fire, sadly, though.

G'day Folks

 

HMS Hood, actually the other way round 15" guns, and 18 mile range.

 

manna

[Simond]

I imagine the difference is fairly academic, unless you’re about 17 miles away, of course...

[KNP]

Picture!

 

One with a problem.....

Didn't spot it at first but now I have.

Can anyone see what I am referring to?

 

 

 

Edited March 24 by KNP

[Worsdell forever]

We had one of them and 't door fell off...

[Mick Bonwick]

 

Somebody has been practising canopy nudging on the engine shed door?

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

Somebody has been practising canopy nudging on the engine shed door?

and the gutter.

[KNP]

It is indeed the door.

Believe it or not the gutter was deliberate!

 

When my grandson was here last week playing trains he reversed a loco pushing a wagon into the engine shed.

It derailed and knocked the door off.

He decided to carefully (his words) lean the door against the building as if the staff had placed it there.

Luckily he is at home and not likely to be around for awhile so the layout is safe and does not need to be placed in lockdown......

Edited March 27, 2020 by KNP

[Tallpaul69]

16 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

Seems to me that it's about time HM Govt passed a motion on toilet rolls.

Assuming they are not suffering from a shortage of them? Is that the real reason they packed up early for Easter?

[Tallpaul69]

8 hours ago, Simond said:

I imagine the difference is fairly academic, unless you’re about 17 miles away, of course...

My guns bigger than your gun??