The Night Mail

[Compound2632]

I could do with a couple of those aero engines in our blender. My royal icing is currently the consistency of pouring cream...

[Happy Hippo]

 

6 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

I could do with a couple of those aero engines in our blender. My royal icing is currently the consistency of pouring cream...

I remember the thrill of getting a couple of blobs of emulsified steam oil onto some toast and marmalade during an early morning steam up.

 

Well done to all, we've already passed page 150 with a few days to spare.

[rockershovel]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Although the Typhoon has better flat out speed than the Spitfire, it was not as agile nor had the high altitude performance.  This was recongnised quite early on and led to the development of the much better Tempest.

 

quite so, it was a heavier, stronger aircraft designed for close support work, plus the speed to be viable against the Fokke Wulf 190. The two aircraft aren't really comparable, the required tactical role had changed 

[Winslow Boy]

I notice that no mention has been made of the raid on the Schloss Alder aka the supplementary strategic store of confectionery supplements reserve refered to as the Holiday Hovel. Have assets been dispatched from Hipposhire to the FOB in Charente ready for covert infiltration into said target. Further more has Mr Hunt and colleagues been placed on standbye in case air support is required. What of Mr Bear attempts to distract attention by refusing to provide a negative test result at Dover and cause a hold up in the repatriation of EU nationals. Satellite images have confirmed the mobilization of heavy armour so one is assuming Q is readying his former colleagues to provide suitable protection for the lorries  carrying the confiscated confectionary to a safe establishment in Hipposhire.

 

We await with baited breath to hear of the exploits of our compatriots. Enough of this nonsense of whether M12 wing nuts couldn't be used because our american compatriots didn't understand that Merlin's were in fact birds and not complicated pieces of mechanical genius which they had been led to believe.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Winslow Boy

[Tony_S]

Just before we leave the tales of Merlins I do have a family connection.  I am  sure that many of you know the Merlin engine was used as the basis of the Meteor engine used in some tanks. That had a cut down version for lorries called the Meteorite. These were made at the Rover factory in Acocks Green. In 1950 both of my parents worked there. We have a note my father wrote on the back of a Meteorite test report sheet asking if my mother would like to go out for a drink. I presume she did!

Edited December 23, 2020 by Tony_S

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

I notice that no mention has been made of the raid on the Schloss Alder aka the supplementary strategic store of confectionery supplements reserve refered to as the Holiday Hovel. Have assets been dispatched from Hipposhire to the FOB in Charente ready for covert infiltration into said target. Further more has Mr Hunt and colleagues been placed on standbye in case air support is required. What of Mr Bear attempts to distract attention by refusing to provide a negative test result at Dover and cause a hold up in the repatriation of EU nationals. Satellite images have confirmed the mobilization of heavy armour so one is assuming Q is readying his former colleagues to provide suitable protection for the lorries  carrying the confiscated confectionary to a safe establishment in Hipposhire.

 

We await with baited breath to hear of the exploits of our compatriots. Enough of this nonsense of whether M12 wing nuts couldn't be used because our american compatriots didn't understand that Merlin's were in fact birds and not complicated pieces of mechanical genius which they had been led to believe.

PB and I have been in and out.

 

Covert cake ops being a speciality of ours.

 

The hardest part was replacing the real stuff with inedible replicas

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 

quite so, it was a heavier, stronger aircraft designed for close support work, plus the speed to be viable against the Fokke Wulf 190. The two aircraft aren't really comparable, the required tactical role had changed 

There is even a railway connection. One of OVS Bulleid's sons flew either Tempests or Typhoons. The tale goes that he was impressed with the way the sleeve valves worked when he examined the engine. That inspired him to use Sleeve valves on the Leader.

 

Jamie

Edited December 23, 2020 by jamie92208

[Florence Locomotive Works]

14 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

safe establishment in Hipposhire.

Meaning the cellar under the sweet shop in Blists Hill Victorian Town...

 

My suggestion is we goad the Hippo and pay the Bear an airfare to fly down to Hipposhire. Then they both work in unison to dig a 7 1/4 inch railway out of the cellar and into the Hippodrome. Quad Bofors should be put at 500 foot intervals along the track. Crusty has been specified to be used as motive power. 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Happy Hippo]

43 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Just before we leave the tales of Merlins I do have a family connection.  I am  sure that many of you know the Merlin engine was used as the basis of the Meteor engine used in some tanks. That had a cut down version for lorries called the Meteorite. These were made at the Rover factory in Acocks Green. In 1950 both of my parents worked there. We have a note my father wrote on the back of a Meteorite test report sheet asking if my mother would like to go out for a drink. I presume she did!

The Meteor was a Merlin sans supercharger, as it was felt that ground ops didn't require the extra power. 

 

Another user of the Merlin/Meteor was the Royal Navy  for some of it's MTB and MGB  as well as the boats for RAF air sea rescue

 

The big Fairmile D MTB  required four engines, all of which came from Packard.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

5 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

the Leader.

I think the leader would have been much more accepted had it looked more like a GG1. However that probably wasn’t possible. 

[Happy Hippo]

1 minute ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Meaning the cellar under sweet shop in Blists Hill Victorian Town...

 

 

Douglas,

 

Bad boy!  You were told that little gem in confidence.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Just now, Happy Hippo said:

Douglas,

 

Bad boy!  You were told that little gem in confidence.

Then I suppose everyone here is now in confidence. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Douglas,

 

Bad boy!  You were told that little gem in confidence.

There’s always the subbasement of Shrewsbury pumping station...

 

The HMOCI* cleared me on that.

 

*Hippo Ministry of Cake Importation. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[New Haven Neil]

18 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

There is even a railway connection. One of OVS Bulleid's sons flew either Tempests or Typhoons. The tale goes that he was impressed with the way the sleeve valves worked when he examined the engine. That inspired him to use Sleeve valves on the Leader.

 

Jamie

 

If memory serves, LBSC 'Curly' of 'Model Engineer' fame, was involved in development of sleeve valves, but IIRC in automotive use - however that could have been a ruse to divert attention from the real purpose.  Awful things to lubricate, like anything that oscillates rather than rotates.  Sleeve valves, not Curly.......

[TheQ]

27 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

The Meteor was a Merlin sans supercharger, as it was felt that ground ops didn't require the extra power. 

 

Another user of the Merlin/Meteor was the Royal Navy  for some of it's MTB and MGB  as well as the boats for RAF air sea rescue

 

The big Fairmile D MTB  required four engines, all of which came from Packard.

More than that the Meteor engine rotated in the opposite direction.  Many parts were crash recovered from Merlin's, or failed in construction for Merlins. Some light alloy parts were replaced with steel.

The Meteor still produced twice the power for the same sized liberty engine. 

It was used in 9 different tanks.

[simontaylor484]

Ferrybridge power station had a couple of RR olympus engines for emergency back up but they would cost a fortune to run.

 

 

Hh i think you need to get Douglas to sign the official cake secret stash act

[TheQ]

Barton natural gas site has an olympus used to pump gas, it runs on waste gases from the site, darn noisy inside that building..

[Happy Hippo]

14 minutes ago, TheQ said:

More than that the Meteor engine rotated in the opposite direction.  Many parts were crash recovered from Merlin's, or failed in construction for Merlins. Some light alloy parts were replaced with steel.

The Meteor still produced twice the power for the same sized liberty engine. 

It was used in 9 different tanks.

The DH Hornet was fitted with two slim line Merlins.

 

These were capable of over 2000hp each, so drove 4 bladed props.

 

The Merlin 130 turned normally, but the 131 turned the opposite way (extra idler gear in the reduction box).

 

This produced an aircraft with little tendency to swing whilst taking off.  Which is always more of a problem with taildraggers as opposed to aircraft with tricycle type undercarriage.  This was very handy for the naval version which was carrier borne and having to operate off very short runways!!

 

 

 

 

[simontaylor484]

I have been on landfill sites where they have converted Caterpillar marine diesels yo run on waste methane gas to generate power.

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

2 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I have been on landfill sites where they have converted Caterpillar marine diesels yo run on waste methane gas to generate power.

 

 

I can categorically deny that I keep any cake under landfill sites.

[rockershovel]

2 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

I think the leader would have been much more accepted had it looked more like a GG1. However that probably wasn’t possible. 

 

The Leader would have been much more accepted if it had worked! Unfortunately that didn’t seem to be possible, either. 

 

Too many innovations crammed into a single design, too much weight and axle loading for its supposed purpose,  excessive coal and water consumption, untenable working conditions for the crew and a primary goal - extending the life of Steam traction - which wasn’t generally regarded as worthwhile, meant it would have had to perform exceptionally to be regarded as any sort of success; and it didn’t perform at all well. 

[Winslow Boy]

My dear readers not wishing in any way to cast any modicum of doubt on our glorious leaders annoucments but we have only his assurances that cake has actually been procured from that formidable alpine redoubt code name Holiday Hovel. No disturbance in the space time continuum emminating from Switzerland on the Swaltz-Hoffman detector.

 

So Mein Leader when will we be receiving samples of said cakes and I would like mine with a cherry on top please.

[Happy Hippo]

You don't really think that iD is going to admit to having his cake stock burglarised?

 

He will either mention that nothing happened or keep very quiet indeed.

 

Your cake is in the post...

[Winslow Boy]

I will await my cake, with cherry, but forgive me if I remain somewhat sinical until then.

[simontaylor484]

Mmm i have seen reports of British armoured vehicles massing at Sennelager is this the jump off point for where hippo and bear dare

 

Which one is Broadsword and Danny Boy