The Night Mail

[petethemole]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Various sites in Enfield and Waltham Abbey had to have a lot of the topsoil removed to make them safe for housing construction. Lots of former production of gunpowder and other munitions had made the soil unsafe. Near here Pitsea marshes was a major production site for cordite during WW1. Originally opened by Alfred Nobel.

I did some archaeological assessments and fieldwork at Priddy's Hard RNAD (Gosport) after it was split into development areas and a public open space.  One part was the Shell Filling Rooms, a row of structures about the size of detached house, separated from each other and the rest of the site by a series of blast walls.  A developer wanted to convert them into houses and demolish the blast wall at the front to give a view across Forton Lake.  A survey for toxic material revealed that each structure was so badly contaminated it was as though they had been soaked.  This was mainly the residue of the fumes from TNT.  They had to demolish the buildings and design new houses. 

 

 

We also observed test pits dug to find contamination in the area to be public open space.

Edited April 18, 2022 by petethemole

[rockershovel]

3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

The Dome at Greenwich is on the site of a large gasworks.

It seems to have had a remarkable history, from an explosives factory in the 17th century onwards! 

 

Coal gas production was often associated with the production of a wide range of by-products using the assorted oils and phenols extracted from the coal; tar, pressure-treated  timber, preservatives  and various light oil fractions. I suspect the drawings following are by Gustave Dore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lambeth Gas Workers, by Dore 

Edited April 18, 2022 by rockershovel

[AndyID]

7 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Let's hear it for truculent old biddies!

 

Deb's Great Aunt Doris - unmarried but had become a mum in the 30s, as we found out after her death at 93 - had upset the inhabitants of Holy Island when she was the skool-ma'am there before the war. She was sure some of the marriages were a mite "close", as can be the case on an island... Anyway, approaching 90, she took exception to her neighbour's bonfire smoke drifting across her garden while she tended it. Since he declined to extinguish it she simply got out her hose and did it for him!

 

One of the aforementioned Bexhill Crew (not the 1100 driver) was born in Demerara and received an MBE in '36 for her nursing work in Uganda. I only met her once but she was quite a character.

[laurenceb]

Birthday greetings Andy

[Tony_S]

Restoration work. Made in mid 1990s. Put away in sheds and garage about 2000. 

Hacked trackbase out of old layout. 

Wired up point motors. One had disintegrated as had one point. 

Getting there.

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by Tony_S

[Gwiwer]

6 hours ago, SM42 said:

Happy birthday @AndyID

 

🥳

 

Andy

Woteesed.  🍻

[SM42]

AIUI the now not so new Chiltern depot at Banbury was built on the site of old loco shed 

The question of what to do with the old asbestos diesel shed on demolition apparently turned out to be fill the old turntable pit with it. 

 

I believe this delayed construction  a little whilst it was emptied and the contents therein disposed of

 

 

Andy

[PhilJ W]

I have a family link with the Lambeth gas works. My paternal grandmothers family came from Portland Bill in the mid nineteenth century and some of them found employment in Lambeth gasworks. At about the same time relatives of my paternal grandfather were employed at the Beckton gasworks. This was long before my grandparents met.

[bbishop]

If any of you were to look at the BBC Website for the London area, you may find the following article: "Volunteers to use ambulance cars to transport patients to hospital".

 

That could be me folks.  I have the skills, I'm just not sure if the London Ambulance Service would trust even a knackered ex-response car in my incompetent hands.

 

Bill

[polybear]

And a very late

Happy Birthday  

 

to AndyiD 🎂

from Bear 😊

Edited April 18, 2022 by polybear

[AndyID]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

And a very late

Happy Birthday  

 

to AndyiD 🎂

from Bear 😊

 

Many thanks! But not late at all. It's only 1:25 here 🙂

[PhilJ W]

[Florence Locomotive Works]

I have returned from the north with a grand tale.

 

 

We arrived in Kansas City Thursday night, after a very easy drive up from Tulsa. Friday was the big day though. We met Bill for breakfast that morning, and after that had concluded, went over to his house of wonders. The first order of business was checking out the 1870 Baldwin lathe exhibited at the 1876 Columbia Exhibition he has in his living room, along with the 1830 Rose Engine next to it. Then, we did a photo shoot for Instagram, of me holding none other than the Palmer Micrometer. This is the first known micrometer in the practical sense, and only 4 are known to exist. It was made in France by Palmer in around 1850. 

 

 

Here it is with Brunel, which was specially requested to be brought up with us. I never imagined the two objects would ever meet. Brunel received Bill's blessing, and I later got some lessons in soldering better.

 

 

Heres Brunel stored atop the Baldwin lathe. 

 

 

After that, we went and looked at the various other wonders in his house. The 1750 rose engine spindle on a bookshelf, or the drawing caliper owned by George the Third. Then we went and looked at the shop, a veritable cave of wonders. He has 4 lathes, a Swiss milling machine, a pantograph, and many many other things of great mechanical fascination too numerous to list. After that we sat around talking for a while, mostly about Henry Maudsley. We also looked through a bunch of books from his library, including this one containing copies of all the original R & W Hawthorn drawings for this North British 0-4-2. You could use them to build it if needed. 

 

 

Then we went and toured the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, which he designed and laid out.  An excellent dinner was had afterwards. 

 

 

The next day arrived. After breakfast, lesson in engine turning were had by me, which was extremely interesting. 

 

Here I am using it. It was made in 1830 in Paris, and spent the majority of its life with its horizontal twin (also owned by Bill) in Cartier's workshop.  It is a joy of a machine to use, and very very charming. It produces little mess so lives in his living room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, I was given free rain to go through all the watchmaker and antique machinist tools given to Bill by an estate back east for selling on. There is roughly 6,000lbs of hand tools, so I didn't get through very much in three hours, and I won't list everything I got. I returned home with nearly 40 pounds of it though. Here's some of the highlights of one of my drawers back home after fitting out with just some of the new acquisitions, everything besides the parallel pliers is from before 1890. The hand vise is probably from 1830. 

 

 

All in all a very good time was had an I'm very indebted to Bill and my dad for making it happen. 

 

 

Douglas

 

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Florence Locomotive Works

[BR60103]

Douglas:

Be cautious with ivory.  It can present a problem if you try to take it across borders.  Even if it is so old that it predates endangered species laws.

 The rest of the visit looks fascinating.

 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

2 hours ago, BR60103 said:

Douglas:

Be cautious with ivory.  It can present a problem if you try to take it across borders.  Even if it is so old that it predates endangered species laws.

 The rest of the visit looks fascinating.

 

Yes I am currently looking into that. I have a friend who works at the zoo and we are trying to figure out if it’s actually legal, but as far as I know it is. If not then I have hardwood backup already made.

[Gwiwer]

6 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

You will find me in the naked garden. Clothed 

[Happy Hippo]

20 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

You will find me in the naked garden. Clothed 

So you don't have a finely chiselled and beautifully bronzed body like Oldddudders?

 

Douglas is very impudent!

 

How dare he post pictures of engineering ecstasy which turn me green without the lifesaving antidote of a picture of a cake.

 

Even one of these would have prevented my almost lapsing into into Grumpy Hippo mode......

 

 

I just hope PB sees this before he fully digests Douglas's pictures, otherwise all hell might break loose!

[polybear]

4 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

I have returned from the north with a grand tale.

 

 

We arrived in Kansas City Thursday night, after a very easy drive up from Tulsa. Friday was the big day though. We met Bill for breakfast that morning, and after that had concluded, went over to his house of wonders. The first order of business was checking out the 1870 Baldwin lathe exhibited at the 1876 Columbia Exhibition he has in his living room, along with the 1830 Rose Engine next to it. Then, we did a photo shoot for Instagram, of me holding none other than the Palmer Micrometer. This is the first known micrometer in the practical sense, and only 4 are known to exist. It was made in France by Palmer in around 1850. 

 

 

Here it is with Brunel, which was specially requested to be brought up with us. I never imagined the two objects would ever meet. Brunel received Bill's blessing, and I later got some lessons in soldering better.

 

 

Heres Brunel stored atop the Baldwin lathe. 

 

 

After that, we went and looked at the various other wonders in his house. The 1750 rose engine spindle on a bookshelf, or the drawing caliper owned by George the Third. Then we went and looked at the shop, a veritable cave of wonders. He has 4 lathes, a Swiss milling machine, a pantograph, and many many other things of great mechanical fascination too numerous to list. After that we sat around talking for a while, mostly about Henry Maudsley. We also looked through a bunch of books from his library, including this one containing copies of all the original R & W Hawthorn drawings for this North British 0-4-2. You could use them to build it if needed. 

 

 

Then we went and toured the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, which he designed and laid out.  An excellent dinner was had afterwards. 

 

 

The next day arrived. After breakfast, lesson in engine turning were had by me, which was extremely interesting. 

 

Here I am using it. It was made in 1830 in Paris, and spent the majority of its life with its horizontal twin (also owned by Bill) in Cartier's workshop.  It is a joy of a machine to use, and very very charming. It produces little mess so lives in his living room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, I was given free rain to go through all the watchmaker and antique machinist tools given to Bill by an estate back east for selling on. There is roughly 6,000lbs of hand tools, so I didn't get through very much in three hours, and I won't list everything I got. I returned home with nearly 40 pounds of it though. Here's some of the highlights of one of my drawers back home after fitting out with just some of the new acquisitions, everything besides the parallel pliers is from before 1890. The hand vise is probably from 1830. 

 

 

 

I was also given a hole bunch of scrap ivory by Bill, to do whatever I pleased with. And as I have been thinking about fitting outside motion to Brunel for a while now, I though what better than to carve the cylinders from than 200 year old elephant ivory? 

 

Heres the result, not quite done. 

 

 

 

 

All in all a very good time was had an I'm very indebted to Bill and my dad for making it happen. 

 

 

Douglas

 

 

 

Florence, you are indeed a lucky little bunny.

I must admit to having some (quite a lot, actually) reservations about the use of the Ivory.  Whilst typing this I did wonder what it would be appropriate to use it on.  Actually I think it wouldn't be appropriate to use it on anything.

 

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

You will find me in the naked garden. Clothed 

 

Bear breaths a sigh of relief.....

 

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Douglas is very impudent!

 

How dare he post pictures of engineering ecstasy which turn me green without the lifesaving antidote of a picture of a cake.

 

Even one of these would have prevented my almost lapsing into into Grumpy Hippo mode......

 

 

I just hope PB sees this before he fully digests Douglas's pictures, otherwise all hell might break loose!

 

After seeing Florence's piccies I'm sure a single cupcake won't be anywhere near enough to rescue a Bear from descending into, well, GHM as well.  It's a nice start to what will no doubt be a long (very long in fact) period of therapy....

[SM42]

3 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

You will find me in the naked garden. Clothed 

 

Now there's an excuse to make the neighbours regret removing the screen of trees that stopped them overlooking our garden.

 

Andy

Edited April 19, 2022 by SM42
Grocer's apostrophe

[PhilJ W]

10 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

My garden is not overlooked and next door will be empty for the foreseeable future so I could easily garden naked if not for the thistles and nettles, and the biting insects.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

I must admit to having some (quite a lot, actually) reservations about the use of the Ivory.  Whilst typing this I did wonder what it would be appropriate to use it on.  Actually I think it wouldn't be appropriate to use it on anything.

Yes I am a bit unsure about using it too. I was thinking if though, if I was an elephant and was killed for ivory, I’d much rather have the remainder of my tusks used on something nice rather than sitting in a plastic bag until the sun degrades them into nothing. Then again if I was that elephant I wouldn’t wish to be killed at all!

[Florence Locomotive Works]

In the interests of the elephant community I have deleted any media pertaining to the ivory cylinders on Brunel until I can establish its origins and confirm its legality. If not then I believe it has to be handed over to some sort of government agency.

 

EDIT: I just received this from Bill, regarding the ivory.

 

”This ivory came from a long retired gun maker, it had been scrap from his shop for decades, then acquired by another craftsman and sat in his shop for years before coming to me. It is much older than you and probably older than me. All of the ivory I have is pre-convention, much of it with certificates.”

 

 

What do we think?

Edited April 19, 2022 by Florence Locomotive Works

[simontaylor484]

ODouglas 

 

Ivory is legal as long as it is pre 1947 under the CITES legislation.

Other wise it just comes down to an ethical issue with yourself if you want to use it.

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Yes I am a bit unsure about using it too. I was thinking if though, if I was an elephant and was killed for ivory, I’d much rather have the remainder of my tusks used on something nice rather than sitting in a plastic bag until the sun degrades them into nothing. Then again if I was that elephant I wouldn’t wish to be killed at all!

I think if you were that elephant, you'd be past caring.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

43 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

ODouglas 

 

Ivory is legal as long as it is pre 1947 under the CITES legislation.

Other wise it just comes down to an ethical issue with yourself if you want to use it.

 

 

 

34 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I think if you were that elephant, you'd be past caring.

Very good points, I’ll think on it.