The Night Mail

[SM42]

11 minutes ago, tomparryharry said:

Massive brownie points were accumulated today. The mirror was finally attached in the hallway.  Following that, I managed to hang Kim's commission scroll as a bit of a bonus.  Tomorrow is back to shed day:- Whoopee!  

 

No, no , no

 

It's  a common male misconception  that brownie points are earned  in multiple. 

 

 They arrive singly and depart in multiple ( normally in the order of thousands)

 

It pays to remember this when you next answer the question: " Do I look fat in this dress?" honestly  as you weren't paying attention and were dreaming of panniers, red engines ( not LUL panniers either) or even blue things that go chuff not grrrrrrr, whilst bored senseless outside the changing room.

 

"Yes dear, I would love to go clothes shopping with you"

 

Andy

 

Who seems to be having a moment and digressing a bit

 

[tomparryharry]

Hello Andy. In this instance, we will agree to disagree slightly.  Brownie points are also earned in multiple. You see, I managed to complete 3 jobs today....

 

Mind you, I also agree that brownie points can be lost in multiples.... 

[SM42]

Ahh, but only 3 were earned

 

They arrived singly

One for each task completed

 

So we sort of agree. 

 

Well done on getting three

 

(Oooh. I'm a poet and I didn't know it. Makes a rhyme, every time)

 

Allow cake evaporation to get out of hand and you could be a few hundred down before  you even start.

 

Andy

[Dave Hunt]

On the subject of what to call the thing that is attached to the front of a British locomotive, in Midland Railway documents the terms buffer plank and buffer beam are both used. My good friend the late David Tee, who probably knew more about Midland and LMS locomotives than anyone I've ever known, was of the opinion that the terms were effectively interchangeable. It is possible, though, that buffer plank was the earlier term. 

 

As far as pilot and cowcatcher are concerned, I always thought that one was the railwayman's term whereas the other was coined by 'enthusiasts' - something like what a locoman would call the firebox backplate, doorplate or sometimes boiler face being known among modellers as the backhead. 

 

Dave

[Tony_S]

I too made myself useful today. Aditi had her “Houston, we have a problem...” tone as she asked if I could go and look at the compost bin. She thought I might need a hammer. I couldn’t work out how it had been damaged and Aditi said she certainly hadn’t shut the lid extra firmly. Perhaps the wind, frost damage or a large animal were her suggestions. I did manage to repair the lid. When it is warmer I will fill the cracks and paint it. 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

As far as pilot and cowcatcher are concerned, I always thought that one was the railwayman's term whereas the other was coined by 'enthusiasts'

That sort of thing happens in many situations. When I was teaching physics I expected my students to use terms like mass and weight or speed and velocity appropriately but didn’t feel the need to correct them in ordinary conversation. There were people who did though and basically annoyed people having everyday conversations about their weight. 
Also terms get “appropriated” and misused. Quantum leap for example is something used by journalists when I suspect paradigm shift would be a better term for the great leap they are trying to describe. 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Tony_S

[jamie92208]

6 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

However, I suppose that you wouldn't really want a Pilot Plank, although I bet Dave knew a few in his time as an aviator.

We had an officer who got known as plank. When his brother joined he got known as plank 2. I had the misfortune of having to supervise plank 2 in his probation.

 

Jamie

[SM42]

2 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

We had an officer who got known as plank. When his brother joined he got known as plank 2. I had the misfortune of having to supervise plank 2 in his probation.

 

Jamie

 

Was there a constant in the family?

 

Andy

[Dave Hunt]

I once worked with an RAF engineer who was known to the aircrew as 'Wedge'. He was quite pleased at first to have been accorded a nickname until someone told him it reflected that the wedge was the simplest tool known to man.

 

Dave

[Winslow Boy]

54 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

I once worked with an RAF engineer who was known to the aircrew as 'Wedge'. He was quite pleased at first to have been accorded a nickname until someone told him it reflected that the wedge was the simplest tool known to man.

 

Dave

I thought that was a hammer as before you wedge it you hammer it. Simplz's really.

 

[tomparryharry]

As far as plank/headstock is concerned, I'd suggest Ahrons books on the locomotive. I can't find my copy at the moment. I'd suggest the term beam  came into being when buffers started being attached to locomotives. Before that, it could well be called a plank. Once locomotives became larger and/or stronger, a plank would start to be unsuitable in wood form, so wrought iron, and later steel, came into play.  Although we are familiar with the terms headstock & solebar, I haven't seen an historical reference to them (yet ). Bufferbeam probably began in use right back to early waggonways, right down to today, 

 

As an aside, the term headstock might come into play as a result of the Allen -type double framed locomotives, with the cylinders being incorporated within the leading portion of the frames. The cylinders are as such confined, or, 'in stocks'.  More research needed, however. 

[tomparryharry]

Talking of 'wedge'  here we go.....

 

A stranger walked into a pub, and bought a pint of beer. Very shortly, another man came in....  " A pint of best, John, and a pint for Little Eddie".  

 

Another man came in.... "Pint of best, John, and a pint for Little Eddie". The stranger looked about, and saw a little man at the end of the bar. He had a flat head, and a huge cauliflower ear. 

And so it went on. ... "A pint of best, John, and a pint for Little Eddie"..... Intrigued, the stranger asked "Who's Little Eddie? He seems very popular!".

 

The barman replied "Little Eddie is a hero. He saved 20 men down the mine. Little Eddie held the beam up with his head, so his mates could escape. Little Eddie is a hero, no mistake."

 

"What about his cauliflower ear? Asked the stranger....

 

"Oh that. It happened when they drove his head under the beam with a sledgehammer..."

[tomparryharry]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

I once worked with an RAF engineer who was known to the aircrew as 'Wedge'. He was quite pleased at first to have been accorded a nickname until someone told him it reflected that the wedge was the simplest tool known to man.

 

Dave

One of my furnacemen had the christian name of Robert. However, his nickname was treboR.  I guess you can work it out.  The name stuck with him through 3 different jobs, and 3 different locations.  One of the other men was called 'Twoshort'.  I wondered why....

[jamie92208]

We had a female officer who was known as TC. She worked in plain clothes and insisted on wearing tight jeans but was rather broad in the buffer beam department. One of my colleagues had to deal with the grievance one weekend when she discovered that TC didn't mean Top Cat but Two Chairs. Another rejoiced in the name, Junction 33.  The Knottingley turn off.

 

Jamie

Edited December 30, 2020 by jamie92208

[rockershovel]

6 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

As far as plank/headstock is concerned, I'd suggest Ahrons books on the locomotive. I can't find my copy at the moment. I'd suggest the term beam  came into being when buffers started being attached to locomotives. Before that, it could well be called a plank. Once locomotives became larger and/or stronger, a plank would start to be unsuitable in wood form, so wrought iron, and later steel, came into play.  Although we are familiar with the terms headstock & solebar, I haven't seen an historical reference to them (yet ). Bufferbeam probably began in use right back to early waggonways, right down to today, 

 

As an aside, the term headstock might come into play as a result of the Allen -type double framed locomotives, with the cylinders being incorporated within the leading portion of the frames. The cylinders are as such confined, or, 'in stocks'.  More research needed, however. 

 

But “beam” is also a carpentry term. Roofs have beams, as do ships. Interestingly enough, despite the numerous terms applied to the timbers of a man-o’-War - the apocryphal Eskimo describing snow is quite surpassed by this lexicon - “plank” does not appear to be one of them (although the planksheer referred to a continuous timber walkway covering the timberhead). 

[Dave Hunt]

More on nicknames.

 

Prior to my knowing him a colleague had been on a Vulcan crew that got a new AEO (air electronics officer) who was regarded pretty much by all who knew him as verging on useless and was soon awarded the moniker 'Taps'. The crew were in a bar in Hamilton, Ontario, and Taps was overheard telling a young lady that he was trying to impress that his nickname was due to his proficiency with a Morse key. After she had excused herself the co-pilot leaned across and informed the AEO that his nickname was in fact, an acronym for Thick As Pig Sh!t.

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

Compared to the RAF's superior wit and inventiveness in nicknames, the Army did come to a very poor second.

 

The usual 'Smudge/Tosh/Dusty/Paddy/Jock/Taff/Lofty/Titch' abounded in the names department.

 

Sometimes, on very rare occasions,  a nickname would tower above the rest.

 

One such name was Tongue!  An Int Corps analyst, so called because he could speak four languages fluently:  We knew he had to be a cunning linguist!

 

The other was an ex ATO, very much in the 'Taps' mould.  He was called Exocet:  Because you could see him coming, and could do F all about it.

[Compound2632]

10 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

Although we are familiar with the terms headstock & solebar, I haven't seen an historical reference to them (yet ). 

 

Nineteenth century BoT railway accident reports, when listing damage to stock, tend to use the term "sole" rather than "solebar", though the latter does occur. "Headstock" is also commonly used. See for example the damage to LSWR box wagon No. 8752 in Col. Marindin's report into the accident at Guildford on 17 August 1899.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Compound2632

[tomparryharry]

2 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Compared to the RAF's superior wit and inventiveness in nicknames, the Army did come to a very poor second.

 

The usual 'Smudge/Tosh/Dusty/Paddy/Jock/Taff/Lofty/Titch' abounded in the names department.

 

Sometimes, on very rare occasions,  a nickname would tower above the rest.

 

One such name was Tongue!  An Int Corps analyst, so called because he could speak four languages fluently:  We knew he had to be a cunning linguist!

 

The other was an ex ATO, very much in the 'Taps' mould.  He was called Exocet:  Because you could see him coming, and could do F all about it.

 

One chap was presented with  salt & vinegar bottles...  " Why is that?  'That's for the  F*****g big chip on your shoulder, son..."  Being a public forum, there are certain things you can't  say, otherwise Messrs Parker & York will have words with me. 

[tomparryharry]

One day, one of the foundry chargehands  was really getting on the nerves of one of the diecasters. This went on for 3 days.  The 'caster said:- " I'll sort this out, but later..."

 

At the end of the 3rd day, Kim was waiting to pick me up from work. As I got in the car, Kim was crying with laughter.  "What's happened? I enquired.

 

"A little naked man rushed out, followed by a larger naked man, brandishing a hammer, calling him a ***steward!

 

Next shift, the story came out. The little 'caster had a bucket, in which contained hydraulic oil,  graphite separation oil, old tea/coffee dregs, old milk, sandwiches, etc.  This, he carried over to the shower block.   

 

"Hey, Nick! 'Ave some of that! As the chargehand  got it full force from the bucket...

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

'Smudge/Tosh/Dusty/

My sister in law and her sister were known as the Smudglets to their Dad’s colleagues. 

[rockershovel]

58 minutes ago, tomparryharry said:

One day, one of the foundry chargehands  was really getting on the nerves of one of the diecasters. This went on for 3 days.  The 'caster said:- " I'll sort this out, but later..."

 

At the end of the 3rd day, Kim was waiting to pick me up from work. As I got in the car, Kim was crying with laughter.  "What's happened? I enquired.

 

"A little naked man rushed out, followed by a larger naked man, brandishing a hammer, calling him a ***steward!

 

Next shift, the story came out. The little 'caster had a bucket, in which contained hydraulic oil,  graphite separation oil, old tea/coffee dregs, old milk, sandwiches, etc.  This, he carried over to the shower block.   

 

"Hey, Nick! 'Ave some of that! As the chargehand  got it full force from the bucket...

 

Ah, the robust wit of the working man! I must admit, when I returned to offshore oilfield work in the 1990s, I didn’t miss some of the more idiotic antics of an earlier time... which could at times, be quite dangerous (horseplay with compressed air lines, for one thing) and on occasion, led to quite serious fights with subsequent dismissal and even loss of livelihood. 

[Tony_S]

I managed to go to schools and university where there wasn’t a culture of “practical joking”. The first school I taught in was somewhat different. The head of chemistry seemed to be the target of many “jokes”. One I stopped having seen it from outside would have had very serious consequences but he just put it down to “lads being lads”. The staff loo exploding he found more difficult to explain. 

 

[tomparryharry]

2 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 

Ah, the robust wit of the working man! 

Yes, it can happen. Sometimes being on a shift can drag. Your fellows can be destructive, sometimes inventive. I much prefer inventive; it can provide a sense of accomplishment. Our place had a large shotblast cabinet, complete with a metre gauge trackway. The idea being that larger tools could be forklifted into place, get suited up, and work without hindrance. The double doors were 8' tall (about 2.4 metres ) so it wasn't unusual to see wheels from traction engines, or steam rollers. I think the largest we got in there was a locomotive boiler, with the smokebox portion on the trolley, with the firebox outer rested on some wood blocks. I didn't do this job myself, but a colleague certainly did.  Work like that broke the monotony, A similar parallel is created when a main-line steamer goes onto a depot.  

 

Yes, robust wit. I worked in a tight-knit bunch of people who shared jokes, pranks, and stuck together when the sh!t hit the fan. If the place hadn't shut, I'd still be there. A rough old  sh!t hole, peopled by some real diamonds.   

[Florence Locomotive Works]

28 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I managed to go to schools and university where there wasn’t a culture of “practical joking”. The first school I taught in was somewhat different. The head of chemistry seemed to be the target of many “jokes”. One I stopped having seen it from outside would have had very serious consequences but he just put it down to “lads being lads”. The staff loo exploding he found more difficult to explain. 

 

In the world of school pranks, my classes have never done much. I set my English teacher’s (now a personal friend) desk on fire when I was 13, courtesy of my Wilesco D10 spitting wax paraffin tablet everywhere. This fine dusting put itself out almost

as soon as it touched the desk fortunately. Still a good story though, and used when necessary.  
 

There was one to use the modern term, “absolute madlad” who used to get a aerosol can of AXE Deodorant and set it off in the boys locker room every Thursday. However at some point he really did go mad, and made a shooter list. As I sat right next to him in a few classes, I got hauled in for questioning. My tale and that of other classmates told, we were thanked for our help. Obviously we never saw him again after that. That story could have been made much more exciting (and accurate), but going down that route helps nowt. 
 

Everything above happened in middle school of course, nothing to my knowledge has happened in high school.

 

Douglas