The Night Mail

[polybear]

24 minutes ago, Canal Digger said:

Lunch today for £15: Bacon & egg baguette, chips and salad plus coffee 

 

 

Wot, no Beans??

 

 

 

 

 

[coastalview]

11 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Just as aside does anyone know if a French Gizmo will work in the UK on the M6 toll or Dartford Crossing.

When I had tags for Liverpool tunnels and M6 Toll they wouldn't work together so ended up with two tags, so I doubt it. Things may have changed as this was a few years ago

[iL Dottore]

9 minutes ago, polybear said:

…Wot, no Beans??

Don’t encourage them…

[Canal Digger]

21 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

22 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

I can bring my Dremel with a grinding disc on it round if that would help....

 

Dave

It's probably a bit too coarse, I did try my Minidrill with a flat sanding disc, but the finger tip is too sensitive and I couldn't keep the one hand still enough, and my right hand holding the drill was shaky anyway, so it was quite uncomfortable and I gave up

 

I suppose I could try and keep the hand still by clamping it into my big machine vice and milling the nail(s) down with a fly cutter......

I can't find the article now but I'm sure that I remember reading about local (to me) explorer David Hempleman Addams being told that he might be able to go go on an upcoming expedition because of his frostbitten finger tips, so he went down to his workshop and cut the offending tips off with a bandsaw. No frostbite now!

[Welchester]

21 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Just as aside does anyone know if a French Gizmo will work in the UK on the M6 toll or Dartford Crossing.

 

No. My liber-t tag, which I used in France last month, definitely doesn't work on the M6 Toll, which I travelled both there and back.

[iL Dottore]

De gustibus non est disputandum and all that but certain culinary combinations simply Should Not Be.

 

A runny egg in a sandwich is one such thing. However, egg in a sandwich can be divine. The Japanese Egg Sandwich or Tamago Sando (or たまごサンド to be precise) is a culinary treat. And there’s an awful lot to be said in favour of a good, old, British “Egg Mayo” sandwich (I first thought “Egg Mayo” was an oxymoron - the key ingredient in mayonnaise, after all, is egg. But I then realised that it referred to roughly chopped hard-boiled egg bound with mayonnaise).

 

Those who are familiar with my culinary foibles know that I am a culinary purist (if a dish’s recipe demands pickled Ram’s testicles, then by d**n Sirrah, it better have pickled Ram’s testicles). But I do love what the Japanese have done with Spaghetti. Wafu spaghetti (Japanese style spaghetti) comes in a plethora of versions - I quite like this version https://www.justonecookbook.com/shiso-garlic-pasta/ and there’s even a version made with ketchup (Napolitan Japanese Ketchup Spaghetti) ナポリタン see https://www.justonecookbook.com/ketchup-spaghetti-recipe/) which will probably go down a treat at TNM.

[Canal Digger]

19 hours ago, SM42 said:

My regular route to the motherland involves the M25 from the M40 to the M26. 

So far no major hold ups, just a gentle plod along past Heathrow. 

 

There was one occasion  when Mrs SM42's penchant for adding 30 - 45 minutes to advertised departure time and a steady 20mph  along the M25 meant we made our crossing with 4 minutes to spare. 

This was in the days you could drive like a loon on the M20

 

In fact the M20 is the worst part of the trip now. Mile after mile of 50mph just in case the lorry park is needed. 

 

By far the most stressful part of the 932.2 miles is the bit this side of the channel. 

 

Andy

Did a good trip several years ago:

Left home 1am ish, through Chunnel (napped), Bruges for breakfast, Berlin for 10pm dinner. Then back other way 4 days later.

 

Re prats on Motorways:

Coming back late one night from Swansea, very little traffic, along M4, there was an area of 'nothing' that I was catching up. 'Nothing' in the sense that the lights ahead (oncoming traffic, surrounding lights from alongside M4 etc) would disappear then reappear, very strange. As I approached the lack of light was getting bigger & bigger, getting spooky

,,,,

,,,.

,,,,

What I was seeing (or not seeing to be exact) was the silhouette of a Cattle Truck so plastered in mud, that not a speck of light was shinning/ reflected even from 6ft as I overtook giving it a wide berth. A call to the Police followed

 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Canal Digger
correction

[newbryford]

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Used to be GIVE PEAS A CHANCE...

 

Or on the M6 near Wigan.

GIVE PIES A CHANCE

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Dartford Crossing.

It is number plate recognition. You can pay in advance. it does register EU numbers. I don’t know if French residents can set up an account though, which is what we use. We set up our Austrian motorway pass for number plate recognition instead of a screen sticker last time we went. 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Tony_S

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, coastalview said:

When I had tags for Liverpool 

 

The joys of selective editing.... 😀

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

promised, Richard Webster brought the prototype of the 7 mm scale Dapol/Lionheart Trains 3MT 82xxx 2-6-2T along to the Borders MRC on Tuesday last.

My first OO electric train set had a black 82xxx. It was Tri-ang. It wasn’t quite as detailed as the one demonstrated by Dapol. 

[New Haven Neil]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

As promised, Richard Webster brought the prototype of the 7 mm scale Dapol/Lionheart Trains 3MT 82xxx 2-6-2T along to the Borders MRC on Tuesday last.

 

Please try not to dribble over your keyboard😂:

 

 

 

 

All pictures courtesy of Nick Barclay: Chair of BRMC.

 

Totally slobberlicious.

 

But I'm frightened to point out any error as last time I got put on the naughty step - even though the manufacturer agreed with me.  However at these angles I can't see if it has been corrected - I think it was just an assembly error anyway.

 

One odd thing with these, is having had the Triang one (as I'm younger than Tony mine was a green one!) I expect them to be longer - the Triang model was elongated to fit a Princess chassis with smaller wheels.  I have a Bachmann 4mm version, and every time I look at it, I feel it is too short!

 

Still one of my favourite locos, and I need to concoct a reason for one.  Then magic the money up of course.

[Winslow Boy]

9 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Totally slobberlicious.

 

But I'm frightened to point out any error as last time I got put on the naughty step - even though the manufacturer agreed with me.  However at these angles I can't see if it has been corrected - I think it was just an assembly error anyway.

 

One odd thing with these, is having had the Triang one (as I'm younger than Tony mine was a green one!) I expect them to be longer - the Triang model was elongated to fit a Princess chassis with smaller wheels.  I have a Bachmann 4mm version, and every time I look at it, I feel it is too short!

 

Still one of my favourite locos, and I need to concoct a reason for one.  Then magic the money up of course.

 

There is one way to pay for it young man. Cough cough said very quietly sell one of your Brum brums.

 

I'm now running away very quickly and the next sound you hear will be a hammer launching itself from the middle of the Irish Sea. Incoming.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Winslow Boy

[J. S. Bach]

13 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Totally slobberlicious. ...snip...

At least it is GREEN! 😺

Edited December 15, 2022 by J. S. Bach

[New Haven Neil]

8 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

There is one way to pay for it young man. Cough cough said very quietly sell one of your Brum brums.

 

I'm now running away very quickly and the next sound you hear will be a hammer launching itself from the middle of the Irish Sea. Incoming.

 

Some OO stuff I have stashed will be on the market soon, I feel.  Now who wants an unopened BR livery H class? L@@k #Rare# etc etc.

[Dave Hunt]

The central heating in Dad's house is working again after a new boiler fitting. Although I wouldn't be in the market for one of Dapol's latest products as shown here earlier, it would have to wait a while as the number of modelling tokens expended on Dad's central heating would equate to close on five of them 😪

 

Dave 

[Dave Hunt]

Forgot to mention in my last post that the pain of paying out today was to some extent ameliorated by an afternoon Zooming with some friends, which put me in a good enough mood to look at images of green locomotives with equanimity.

 

The glass or two of Highland Park helped a bit too, of course.

 

Dave

[polybear]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

But I do love what the Japanese have done with Spaghetti. Wafu spaghetti (Japanese style spaghetti) comes in a plethora of versions - I quite like this version https://www.justonecookbook.com/shiso-garlic-pasta/ and there’s even a version made with ketchup (Napolitan Japanese Ketchup Spaghetti) ナポリタン see https://www.justonecookbook.com/ketchup-spaghetti-recipe/) which will probably go down a treat at TNM.

 

A certain Bear would try both of those - but I'd probably leave out the mushrooms in the second recipe

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, J. S. Bach said:

At least it is GREEN! 😺

Built at......

 

Swindon.

 

Who would have thought?

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

On 14/12/2022 at 12:33, Dave Hunt said:

I want to correct some extremely misleading statements regarding bacon and egg baps that have been made recently. As is widely acknowledged, bacon 'n egg baps are the finest food known to man, beating even LDC and that's saying something, but unfortunately there are those who would sully them by:

1. Putting butter on the bread.

2. Adding contaminants such as baked beans (punishable by strangulation), black pudding (yuk), cheese, mayonnaise and other foul substances.

 

The bacon 'n egg bap should only consist of white bread bap, dipped in the bacon fat, lots of crispy bacon and an egg cooked so that the yolk is thickened but still flowing. The addition of HP sauce is condoned in some quarters but is not to my personal taste.

 

An acceptable substitute for the bacon 'n egg bap, albeit just a close second place, is the bacon 'n tomato bap providing that the tomato is cooked in the bacon fat.

 

Dave   

For you consideration m’lord, made yesterday a’ternoon. (The congealed cows milk* was not added to the sandwich)

 

 *cheese

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

My first OO electric train set had a black 82xxx. It was Tri-ang. It wasn’t quite as detailed as the one demonstrated by Dapol. 

 

Same here, but most importantly it had proper black paint on it and two suburban coaches which I still have.

 

(A few bits of the 82 might still survive in "The Repository".)

[zarniwhoop]

2 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

For you consideration m’lord, made yesterday a’ternoon. (The congealed cows milk* was not added to the sandwich)

 

 *cheese

'Rotted bovine lactations'  (the Auditors in 'Thief of Time' by Sir Pterry.

[BR60103]

17 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

Is Radio Garden any help?

 

https://radio.garden/visit/hutchinson-ks/vgZ3uWhu?r=1

 

Andy

I think the source is hard-coded into the radio. A new website is not anything I can add.  Plus the one radio stopped talking to the modem and I'm afraid to try anything in case I lose the stations that are there; I lost 2 when I changed to Daylight Saving.

 

[AndyID]

5 hours ago, BR60103 said:

I think the source is hard-coded into the radio. A new website is not anything I can add.  Plus the one radio stopped talking to the modem and I'm afraid to try anything in case I lose the stations that are there; I lost 2 when I changed to Daylight Saving.

 

 

You might consider ditching the modem altogether. If you have wi-fi in your house you could stream radio channels into inexpensive tablets connected by blue-tooth to inexpensive speaker/amplifier/tv-soundbars.