Ffarquhar - North Western Region of British Railways

[Corbs]

Note 5741 has lost the extra toolboxes as well by this point...

[Tom F]

14 minutes ago, Corbs said:

Note 5741 has lost the extra toolboxes as well by this point...

 

Yep, Duck is missing them throughout the book. I believe they are sandboxes, as depicted on some of the older GWR panniers.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Tom F

[Bucoops]

Somewhere I have a Sodor Map.

[Pacific231G]

21 hours ago, Corbs said:

 

Sorry to hijack Tom's thread again but in the Reverend's own words...

 

(I abbreviated sections of the above so it's not just copy and pasting from the book)

Thanks for this Corbs. It's fascinating stuff and rather reminiscent of what Anthony Trollope did with Barchester and  Barsetshire. Needless to say, if you create an imaginary location in a real country there are bound to be some loose ends.

 

Surely the engineman in the four foot is simply approaching the pannier tank (Duck?). presumably to drive it  and simply crossing the line at an angle. Don't tell me that railway workers always used the boarded crossings or always crossed tracks at right angles. 

I wasn't familiar with that illustration for which thanks Tom. With the coast and the port or pier in the background it is absolutely gorgeous and it feels like we're looking at one end of an MPD possibly from the shed roof.  I assume the red lights on what looks like a pier are sea marks rather than signal lights. Though there a clearly many differences, could it have been inspired by Penzance?

Edited August 5, 2019 by Pacific231G

[MGR Hooper!]

A very interesting topic! Something I'd love to see when completed.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

Look what I found:

 

 

 

 

 

Gibbo.

[Bucoops]

Oh gosh yes we have some Johnny Morris read ones on record too - one has Terence the Tractor as a character - very amusing how Johnny does that!

[Titan]

If only Johnny could have done the TV series instead of Ringo!

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

Here is Johnny giving it the beans !

 

 

 

Loads more on YouTube,

 

Gibbo.

[Tom F]

I have a couple of those kicking around upstairs, but I now have them all in digital format. Not the biggest fan of the Johnny Morris narration, much prefer the later Willie Rushton narrations of Books 9-26.

 

I'm also looking at making a couple of cameo layout/set/dioramas. One of which is for Tidmouth Sheds, and thanks to a bit of horse trading with Luke@ExplosiveCookie, this looks to be doable. Mine is going to be based on the illustrations from the 1960s as seen below.

 

Luke's own handiwork can be seen here, with his depiction of the Tidmouth Shed Roundhouse entrance, as seen in Christopher Awdry's later books. I photographed this while it was on display at Tywyn Station on the Talyllyn Railway back in July.

 

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Titan said:

If only Johnny could have done the TV series instead of Ringo!

Johnny Morris was a Vice-President of the Bluebell Railway for many years.

[bimble]

On 26/06/2019 at 19:09, Tom F said:

I had a good chat with @BritishGypsum4 earlier. We were discussing my WTT/ Layout sequence and the variety of stock I can portray. Our attention turned to BR locos. Although the NWR looked on the 'R' being Railway....it was technically the sixth region of British Railways, and BR had running rights onto Sodor. To quote Awdry himself in Book 12 'The Eight Famous Engines' referencing trains working onto the NWR.

 

'Lots of people travelled to the big station at the end of the line. Engines from the 'Other Railway' sometimes pulled their trains. These engines stay the night, and go home next day'

 

Hence follows a heated debate between Gordon, Duck and a Patriot from the LMR.

 

This is referencing passenger trains, but it's fair to say this ruling would also cover goods trains. It's fair to say engines from Barrow (4Fs, 8Fs etc) would possibly work in on a fairly regular basis. This should prove an interesting juxtaposition when one compares the BR fleet's black liveries with the colourful appearances of the NWR fleet.

 

The following talk about the Patriot was interesting... but did anyone else notice that Duck appears to have gained a leading bogie in this picture...??

[Tom F]

2 hours ago, bimble said:

 

The following talk about the Patriot was interesting... but did anyone else notice that Duck appears to have gained a leading bogie in this picture...??

 

Yes, I wondered the same thing....however all is not as it seems. I hadn't realised that, the illustration in question had been heavily edited from a couple of years ago for a DVD segment where another artist had widened the original illustrations.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I found this on railcar.co.uk and I would guess that the incident was the inspiration for the story of 'Thomas Comes to Breakfast', page 6 of 'Branch Line Engines'.

 

https://www.railcar.co.uk/topic/accidents/details/royton-1961

 

It would seem that the Reverend changed one of Daisy's compatriots in the actual event for Thomas in the story version.

 

Gibbo.

[Nearholmer]

That story always chimed with me, because a friend's car came to tea in our house.

 

We lived at the bottom of a steep T-plan close, and said friend drove down the hill at about six o'clock on a dark winter evening. His brakes failed, and, in panic, he turned left (downhill) instead of right (uphill) towards his own house, which would have slowed him to a halt.

 

Straight through our hedge, across the front garden and bang, hitting the wall below the front window. Rubble all over the floor, the front of the car bonnet protruding slightly inside.

 

We were eating tea (dinner), and my father always sat at the end near the window, reading the evening paper (and telling us not to read at table!), and he was as cool as a cucumber. He folded his paper, opened the curtains, opened the window, and there was our neighbour, staring in at us, still clutching the steering wheel and looking rather shocked. "Good evening XXXX," says my father, "we weren't expecting you to join us.".

 

 

 

 

[Tom F]

3 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Folks,

 

I found this on railcar.co.uk and I would guess that the incident was the inspiration for the story of 'Thomas Comes to Breakfast', page 6 of 'Branch Line Engines'.

 

https://www.railcar.co.uk/topic/accidents/details/royton-1961

 

It would seem that the Reverend changed one of Daisy's compatriots in the actual event for Thomas in the story version.

 

Gibbo.

 

Thanks for that Gibbo, interesting article!

The dates correspond very closely. Branch Line Engines was published in 1961, and the incident is dated early in that year.

[Tom F]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

We were eating tea (dinner), and my father always sat at the end near the window, reading the evening paper (and telling us not to read at table!), and he was as cool as a cucumber. He folded his paper, opened the curtains, opened the window, and there was our neighbour, staring in at us, still clutching the steering wheel and looking rather shocked. "Good evening XXXX," says my father, "we weren't expecting you to join us.".

 

 

 

 

 

That almost sounds like the reaction of the Stationmaster!

 

The Stationmaster's wife always cracks me up!
"You miserable engine! Just look what you've done to our breakfast! Now I shall have to cook some more!"

[Gibbo675]

9 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

That story always chimed with me, because a friend's car came to tea in our house.

 

We lived at the bottom of a steep T-plan close, and said friend drove down the hill at about six o'clock on a dark winter evening. His brakes failed, and, in panic, he turned left (downhill) instead of right (uphill) towards his own house, which would have slowed him to a halt.

 

Straight through our hedge, across the front garden and bang, hitting the wall below the front window. Rubble all over the floor, the front of the car bonnet protruding slightly inside.

 

We were eating tea (dinner), and my father always sat at the end near the window, reading the evening paper (and telling us not to read at table!), and he was as cool as a cucumber. He folded his paper, opened the curtains, opened the window, and there was our neighbour, staring in at us, still clutching the steering wheel and looking rather shocked. "Good evening XXXX," says my father, "we weren't expecting you to join us.".

 

 

 

 

Hi Kevin,

 

Its a good job your father's neighbour drove a car and not a DMU or a tank engine !

 

Gibbo.

[Nearholmer]

It was actually one of those Reliant three-wheelers, so very small and light. It was nicknamed The Wheelbarrow. Things would have been far worse if he had even a decent-sized car!

[Gibbo675]

8 hours ago, Tom F said:

 

Thanks for that Gibbo, interesting article!

The dates correspond very closely. Branch Line Engines was published in 1961, and the incident is dated early in that year.

Hi Tom,

 

I won first prize at school for the drawing and describing of this very story and the reason it was my favourite in a poster competition. I drew a picture of Thomas being recovered with the window frame around his smoke box.

The prize was a £1 book token that I used to buy book 9, Edward the Blue Engine (60p) and book 10, Four Little Engines (55p) I subsidised the purchase of the books with three weeks worth of pocket money and were purchased on a Saturday morning. Once I had chosen the books that I had bought with my prize money I had them taken off me, wrapped up and sent to school so that I may be presented back my own books from the head teacher in assembly the next Monday morning, I was not impressed at having to wait two days to read my own books.

I still have the books and they are inscribed, " First prize lower juniors poster competition, 1978."

 

Gibbo.

[Bucoops]

7 minutes ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Tom,

 

I won first prize at school for the drawing and describing of this very story and the reason it was my favourite in a poster competition. I drew a picture of Thomas being recovered with the window frame around his smoke box.

The prize was a £1 book token that I used to buy book 9, Edward the Blue Engine (60p) and book 10, Four Little Engines (55p) I subsidised the purchase of the books with three weeks worth of pocket money and were purchased on a Saturday morning. Once I had chosen the books that I had bought with my prize money I had them taken off me, wrapped up and sent to school so that I may be presented back my own books from the head teacher in assembly the next Monday morning, I was not impressed at having to wait two days to read my own books.

I still have the books and they are inscribed, " First prize lower juniors poster competition, 1978."

 

Gibbo.

Branch

I forget the reason for it but I won a similar prize - some years later than you I guess as it was £2.50 - I think it was about 1990. For some reason most of the winners opted for a £2.50 English-French dictionary. Me? I went for a £10 Dai Woodham story and Bulleid my parents into springing for the shortfall. Going up to collect it I got some looks as they all thought I'd got a bigger prize token.

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Bucoops

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

It was actually one of those Reliant three-wheelers, so very small and light. It was nicknamed The Wheelbarrow. Things would have been far worse if he had even a decent-sized car!

Crikey, the wall wasn't up to much then.

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, Bucoops said:

Branch

I forget the reason for it but I won a similar prize - some years later than you I guess as it was £2.50 - I think it was about 1990. For some reason most of the winners opted for a £2.50 English-French dictionary. Me? I went for a £10 Dai Woodham story and Bulleid my parents into springing for the shortfall. Going up to collect it I got some looks as they all thought I'd got a bigger prize token.

 

For the First Form Modern Languages Prize in 1968 I chose Don Boreham's "Narrow Gauge Railway Modelling".

[Nearholmer]

“Crikey, the wall wasn't up to much then.”

 

Brick, cavity, block, quite modern construction for c1927 when it was built. Weak point would have been the mortar joints.

 

Impact was directly below a window, and it effectively shoved a ‘panel’ of bricks and blocks out, the width of the window, and sill to floor. Window frame remained intact, as did the glass.

 

A Reliant Regal apparently weighs c400kg, and if we assume a residual velocity of 5 km/hr (c80m/s), the energy involved is, I think, c386 Joules, which is roughly equivalent to  38kg mass, dropped from 1 metre.

 

Having knocked a similar panel out from under a window, to create the opening for a French Door, using a club hammer, I can tell you that it is not at all difficult.

 

Anyway ....... like a true engineer, I’m taking this far too seriously!

 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Gibbo675]

12 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

“Crikey, the wall wasn't up to much then.”

 

Brick, cavity, block, quite modern construction for c1927 when it was built. Weak point would have been the mortar joints.

 

Impact was directly below a window, and it effectively shoved a ‘panel’ of bricks and blocks out, the width of the window, and sill to floor. Window frame remained intact, as did the glass.

 

A Reliant Regal apparently weighs c400kg, and if we assume a residual velocity of 5 km/hr (c80m/s), the energy involved is, I think, c386 Joules, which is roughly equivalent to  38kg mass, dropped from 1 metre.

 

Having knocked a similar panel out from under a window, to create the opening for a French Door, using a club hammer, I can tell you that it is not at all difficult.

 

Anyway ....... like a true engineer, I’m taking this far too seriously!

 

 

Hi Kevin,

 

Have you been reading Niels sums on Imaginary Locomtives ?

 

You could have explained as an engineer that a wall constructed from bricks, blocks and mortar (lime or cement ?) with a cavity is in effect of composite matrix construction that is entirely comprised of ceramic elements that only display their maximum strengths in compression. Such composite matrix constructions are notoriously weak in both shear and tension, especially when subject to shocks imparted by impulse forces.

 

Stop, stop now - off topic !

 

Gibbo.