The Night Mail

[Oldddudders]

4 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

As he is a private dentist, I may have to sell a kidney to pay for the repaired tooth....

Well, Eduardo did a full exam and x-ray etc. Unsurprisingly, the tooth - what's left - needs to come out, and I have signed up for that on Friday afternoon. Cost is a few hundred - but visible infection under the tooth indicated pain to come if we didn't act. 

 

Meanwhile, cryptosporidium has been found in tapwater in Brixham, and a number of residents are not well. This is the third time in 33 years that the Littlehempston treatment plant has been found wanting. So, following advice, we are boiling water before drinking etc, as are many others. B&B people are complaining that yhey are losing bookings already. I wonder how many such people bought water and other utility shares when they were all sold off? 

[PhilJ W]

8 hours ago, Hroth said:

Only problem with radii and cheap Government software is what if there's a 3 mile wide river estuary between the outbreak and you, and its about 50 miles by road to the infected site?

Apparently supermarkets use the same software, local Aldi shops ended up with Welsh Christmas signage one year....

It's used in Estuary-Land as well, what is five miles as the crow flies can be over thirty miles by road.

 

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

My 42% Nigerian Princess scam seems to be going down well.

 

7 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

Especially with other Hippos.

Like this?

Edited May 15 by PhilJ W

[polybear]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

While you are there it might be worth asking for a quote for an implant!

Around £2.5K, plus or minus a monkey depending on where you live.  Turkey is rumoured to be a lot cheaper and comes with free sepsis afterwards🤣

[AndyID]

Yippee! The UP Big Boy is coming to Idaho in July! It's going to Soda Springs and that's only 600 miles from here.

[4630]

13 minutes ago, AndyID said:

Yippee! The UP Big Boy is coming to Idaho in July! It's going to Soda Springs and that's only 600 miles from here.

The tour schedule is here for others who may be interested. 
 

 

[AndyID]

17 minutes ago, AndyID said:

Yippee! The UP Big Boy is coming to Idaho in July! It's going to Soda Springs and that's only 600 miles from here.

 

And in a different time zone 🤣

[SM42]

It looks like I shall be window cleaning again tomorrow. 

 

Mrs SM42 did it a couple of weeks ago and really just smeared the first about. 

 

Non smear formula my eye.

 

I had a go last week and can  now see in the low sun, that I missed a few spots. 

 

The move into the West wing continues.

It totally disorganised as usual. 

 

I have been given a  deadline. 

 

The old modelling room/ office needs to be converted to a bedroom  by end of August. 

 

The built in wardrobe needs remodelling as part of that, so I need to get my friendly carpenter in. 

 

Its going to be tight to time this one.

 

During my packing today I found two box files of part built wagons. 

I think I'll have plenty to do if I ever get to retire, just as long as I can find the bits. 

 

I also discovered I own more tinlets of paint than I thought. 

 

I've probably got enough to paint the room, but not all one colour.

 

On the subject of painting, the neighbour is out painting his fence. I suppose I'd better get on and paint my side now, but first I need to tidy up to get to it. 

 

The jobs just keep adding up. 

 

Andy

[figworthy]

7 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

(Taking payments by card at ExpoEM - though admission to the show was still cash only; the good old EM gaugers still having both feet firmly planted in the 20th century.)

 

 

And yet, the gentleman in front of me in the queue and myself both paid by card (guess who forgot to raid the cash machine before going).

 

Adrian

[New Haven Neil]

Played with trains today.  Trying to get Dingham coupling heights correct.  Badly.  But it keeps me out of trouble.

 

[SM42]

Whilst sorting I dropped a part built brake van.

 

It's now a rebuild brake van. ☹️

 

 

Andy 

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Played with trains today.  Trying to get Dingham coupling heights correct.  Badly.  But it keeps me out of trouble.

 

At least I sent you two height setting gauges, one for the Dinghams and one for the Flippems.

 

However rolling stock manufacturers, even in 7 mm scale, has a nasty habit of small, but irritating height fluctuations,which can cause all sort of upsets when you find you have to open up a coupling slot upwards at one end of a wagon, and then downwards at the other.

[J. S. Bach]

4 hours ago, SM42 said:

Whilst sorting I dropped a part built brake van.

 

It's now a rebuild brake van. ☹️

 

 

Andy 

I just happen to have a O scale brake van in my very limited UK "O" stash:

I actually bought years ago it to convert it to a trolley work motor but since having signed on to RMweb and developing an interest in UK (and some other foreign) rolling stock, it will now stay a brake  van.

 

 

Edited May 16 by J. S. Bach
To correct a typo

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[Happy Hippo]

No Trayne Klubbe this morning, so at least one trip to the recycling centre with garden waste will be required.

 

The remains of the laurel bushes need to be disposed of.

 

Now, do the stumps go into green(garden )waste, or into the wood... Which they certainly are.

 

Fortunately the green waste and timber skips are usually parked next to each other, and the staff at the centre are very helpful. (But not so helpful as to unload the car for me🤣.)

 

From mutterings in the kitchen, it would appear I'm off to Shrewsbury this afternoon to order up more stuff for the garden.

[SM42]

So far today the neighbour's cat has come to visit and is currently asleep on  top of a suitcase, her usual location is unavailable. 

 

Mrs SM42's booby trap of the day has worked and I have knocked her cup of coffee off the banister end where it had been balanced. 

 

" well you could see it"

 

" I was concentrating on the stairs"

 

Fortunately she had mostly finished it, so she's not too upset, unlike the coffee dregs. 

 

At least it wasn't left on a book. 

 

Meanwhile, another day similar to yesterday looms. 

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

37 minutes ago, SM42 said:

So far today the neighbour's cat has come to visit and is currently asleep on  top of a suitcase, her usual location is unavailable. 

 

Mrs SM42's booby trap of the day has worked and I have knocked her cup of coffee off the banister end where it had been balanced. 

 

" well you could see it"

 

" I was concentrating on the stairs"

 

Fortunately she had mostly finished it, so she's not too upset, unlike the coffee dregs. 

 

At least it wasn't left on a book. 

 

Meanwhile, another day similar to yesterday looms. 

 

Andy

You still manage to leave out the critical information:

 

Was the cup hurt?

 

Will it be putting in a claim for PTSD?

 

Is it still in one piece, or is it a kit of parts?

[PhilJ W]

8 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

I just happen to have a O scale brake van in my very limited UK "O" stash:

I actually bought years ago it to convert it to a trolley work motor but since having signed on to RMweb and developing an interest in UK (and some other foreign) rolling stock, it will now stay a brake  van.

What a great idea, a tramway works motor from a LMS brake van. One of the earlier vans without the duckets would be better.

[Winslow Boy]

On 14/05/2024 at 22:55, Winslow Boy said:

Well at least they've managed to do something although I'll believe it when I see it.

Well as predicted the ban on rainbow lanyards didn't last long forty eight hours. 

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

You still manage to leave out the critical information:

 

Was the cup hurt?

 

Will it be putting in a claim for PTSD?

 

Is it still in one piece, or is it a kit of parts?

You've left out the most important question namely will more fresh flour be required to paint over the coffee stains.

[Steamport Southport]

6 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Well as predicted the ban on rainbow lanyards didn't last long forty eight hours. 

 

Should just ban rainbows unless you are a fan of Ritchie Blackmore. He had it first...

 

Their flag wasn't used until 1978. Rainbow had one in 1975!

 

 

[Compound2632]

17 hours ago, figworthy said:

And yet, the gentleman in front of me in the queue and myself both paid by card (guess who forgot to raid the cash machine before going).

 

Then I beg their pardon - but I'm sure that's an innovation since last year.

[Happy Hippo]

One of the advantages of the internet is the ease at which you can look things up.

 

One of my schemes involves a small terrace of typical valleys housing with a public house at one end and a corner shop at the other.

 

Eventually, it would form part of  a complete street.

 

Suitable photographs were looked at, and then a trip down memory lane was taken courtesy of the Google maps street car.

 

I had expected, somewhat foolishly, tha the terrace would be a simple build with stone courses and various stone mullions quoins etc.

 

This is not the case and what I thought would be a plan has now taken a step back as the complexity of these buildings becomes apparent.

 

First of all you need to decide whether how all the windows and doors anr going to align.

 

Depending on the period in which the terrace was built sees double fronted houses with dressed stone lintels etc, these then gave way to single fronted houses with rather ornate brickwork around the doors and windows.  

 

These single fronted houses could be 'door to door', or door/window/door depending on the location.  Most have a view from the front of a door and a window on the ground floor, and then a pair of windows on the first floor:  But that is not a hard and fast rule.

 

Ends of terraces may very well see dressed stone, or even cast concrete replacing the bricks around window and door openings.

 

It certainly looks better, so I wonder if these were put in by the builders to make the houses look more important towards the end of the street.

 

considering the majority of these were houses built for the workforce and not local dignitaries, a lot of ornate work went into their design.

 

Of course it may be possible that some of this stonework is later replacements; Certainly a lot of the houses I've looked at are missing their chimney stacks. 

 

There are some definite replacements, although many others look original.

 

Much of the slate roofing has gone to be replace by tiles, so contemporary photos are needed to confirm various features.

 

Quite a few of the stone built houses also have brick chimneys!

 

Creating the stonework will be interesting, as I suspect the terrace, which will be built in low relief, will need to be a single continuous building, so it is going to be quite long, possibly as long as a certain engine shed I have admired up at Hunt Towers.

 

Hand carving the stonework out of foam, will be marginally quicker than using the DAS clay method, but I can see it taking quite some time whichever way I proceed.

 

Perhaps, I'll best go and do something less time consuming which will have more chance of completion.

 

Eating a whole Bara Brith springs to mind🤣

[Tony_S]

I think if I ever do a terrace again I will do it as a single building. I can’t really park a bus to hide each join. 

[SM42]

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

You still manage to leave out the critical information:

 

Was the cup hurt?

 

Will it be putting in a claim for PTSD?

 

Is it still in one piece, or is it a kit of parts?

 

The cup bounced.

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

You've left out the most important question namely will more fresh flour be required to paint over the coffee stains.

 

The stains are / were on the stair carpet.

 

No painting required

 

That could be an album title that.

 

Andy

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

I think if I ever do a terrace again I will do it as a single building. I can’t really park a bus to hide each join. 

 

Build it as a bridge, and park the bus on the roof...

 

Just a thought!

 

Edited May 16 by Hroth
pressed the wrong screen area...