The Night Mail

[Steamport Southport]

This is how they really spoke in the RAF...

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

Memories of a Cleese training film, an RP thing (oh yes, us stokers learned RP, not like a brown job) 'Jerry blighter, belly flopped, blahbalh - I say old man, can't understand your banter'.  I heard Cleese made more from them than Python.

 

All wasted, of course.  

[Steamport Southport]

8 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Memories of a Cleese training film, an RP thing (oh yes, us stokers learned RP, not like a brown job) 'Jerry blighter, belly flopped, blahbalh - I say old man, can't understand your banter'.  I heard Cleese made more from them than Python.

 

All wasted, of course.  

 

I found some of those a while ago. They are probably still on YouTube.

 

I can't remember them very well from the time but they were BBC training films which were shown in the "educational" slots on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Mostly things like customer service and learning to read.

 

i think some of them were job interview techniques as well.

[New Haven Neil]

They were rammed down the throat of this young officer cadet at the time - wasted!  Must look for them on youtube for a laugh!

[bbishop]

4 hours ago, Philou said:

Hello fellow Night Mailers,

How much dark humour is allowed - I do have two that are religious, but they were told to me in a church. I thought they were quite funny, but I shouldn't want to offend anyone - well not accidentally anyway .

Philip

 

 

At least three Night Mailers are committed Christians.   I think we should not attack any belief systems, but would not object to black humour, especially directed at the Church of England.  But could dave and Jamie express their views?  Bill

[BR60103]

There is a town called Paradise in Pennsylvania where the Strasburg RR meets what used to be the Pennsylvania. Te souvenir book of the SRR is called The Road to Paradise.  If you look for it on maps, check out other nearby towns for interesting names.

 

[jamie92208]

Morning all.  Re black humour, it was an essential survival tool as a police officer and I still use it and enjoy it. I have to be a bit careful sometimes in some situations. As to belief systems, as Bill has pointed out, several of us are committed Christians. However  i am all in favour of humour and look forward to seeing your jokes Philou. Among various clergymen of my aquaintance ranging from Catholic to Baptist, the common thread seems to be an awful tendency towards punning.

 

Anyway onto other matters.  Last night I poured myself a reasonable measure of Scottish Medecine  from Aberfeldy.  I noticed that there wasn't much left in the bottle so it would have been rude not to finish it. Later on I was trawling through various modelling websites, including the Guild forum. A thread about a 7mm scale Leader caught my eye. Apparently there is a 3D printed one on Shapeways. Further musing lead me to MOK's website. They listed a rebuilt Merchant  Navy but that it was withdrswn for upgrading.  I blame the Aberfeldy as I've now been in touch with Dave at MOK and have put my name down for one in due course, though with no financial commitment.  I spent two Sundays working on Clan Line at Longmoor in 1968 and have always held a fascination for Mr Bulleid's creations.

 

Jamie

Edited September 6, 2020 by jamie92208

[Stubby47]

And there was me thinking a 7mm Leader was a Modelu Andy Y...

[AndrewC]

howdy all. Mr Hippo's demolition pic yesterday inspired me to extract a digit and get on with things. I've now cleared off 2 of the old Essex staging boards prior to rebuilding. Long story short, my bloody builder from 2 1/2 years ago managed to stack a bunch of crap on the modules leading to damage to the tops and some track. So far I've recovered just over 80' of track and 9 points. A couple of hours with the branding iron and a couple of G&Ts on the patio and the track has been cleaned of wiring droppers and copper clad sleepers from the old module joints. The rebuild will have fewer but longer storage roads. 

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I blame the Aberfeldy as I've now been in touch with Dave at MOK and have put my name down for one in due course, though with no financial commitment.  I spent two Sundays working on Clan Line at Longmoor in 1968 and have always held a fascination for Mr Bulleid's creations.

After half a bottle of Aberfeldy Jamie will tell you that in those two Sundays, he completely rebuilt Clan Line line to mainline condition on his own with, one hand tied behind his back.

 

Well I can tell you he is a real fibber..................

 

He was wearing handcuffs!

Edited September 6, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[Happy Hippo]

To amplify what Andew was saying about recovering track, if you go back to the picture of the track demolition you will see rather large screw heads, covered in solder.  Rather than solder thin dropper wires to the rails, and then through the board to the wiring loom, the screw went through the boards and was screwed into a chocolate box connector!  The top of the screw was soldered to the underside of the rail.  This has made removing the track more of a challenge, especially when you have a number of screws in close proximity to each other.  The two turnouts I have extracted so far were a particular challenge.

 

I'll do some more this morning.

 

Such fun.  Perhaps a bottle of Penderyn will help?

Edited September 6, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[New Haven Neil]

I think we should steer clear of joking with regard to religion.  As an atheist, I have no issue with anyone's beliefs provided they aren't hurting anyone, I just don't personally go along with them, but I do think we shouldn't use them as a target for humour, other than perhaps in the lightest sense.

 

Jamie, I hoped your model rebuilt spam would be 35020 rather than that minor outfit......declaring an interest!  You can see who I worked for.  That '20 fell to bits (before rebuilding) at high speed causing something of an issue has nothing to do with me.....I wasn't born then!

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

I agree with Neil, by all means send jokes to the joke forum or if you feel that they might be a touch on the 'dangerous' side, then use the PM facility.

 

After all there is enough humour here, whether intended or accidental to keep readers smiling.

 

I've just had to renew my Girlguiding 'Safe Space' Level 1 training.  I'm not quite sure why as I hold a current Level 3. Level 1 lays down the principles which are reinforced and amplified as you advance up the levels.  

 

It's not quite in the same league as pilots requiring check rides to demonstrate continued competence as Dave has mentioned previously.

 

Mention of the man in Hunt Towers brings me back yet again to the track demolition, and the rebuild.

 

I'm pretty sure that my replacement will be all Peco (as I have so much) with hand built point work.

 

However, should you visit the lair of the S7 beast, the trackwork is just so.  Rail lengths are to within a gnat's whisker of true to scale, and I'm pretty sure that the fish plates actually bolt together.  The rail chairs have individually applied screw to hold them to the sleepers, whilst the chair keys are all individual slivers of oak.

 

I would do likewise, but Nyda would refuse to act in the role as a  p way ganger and dutifully go along with a mallet replacing the keys as they fell out.

 

Although if I were to insist, I might get a reply very similar to what a p way ganger would use.

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

And there was me thinking a 7mm Leader was a Modelu Andy Y...

I think you are getting confused with the Fuhrer class!

[SD85]

I don't know if this signifies much, but I dreamt last night that I was wandering around a (much larger and more urban) version of Grosmont looking for model railway locos, and I ended up buying a Warship class (that I didn't want) - which bizarrely was named after the F1 driver David Coulthard - and then a model of a Duchess (original unstreamlined version) that for some reason appeared to be made by Bachmann and date from the 1990s. I also bought several lengths of Peco flexitrack and a plastic 9F kit. I tried to buy some new trainers as well but the shop didn't stock my size.

 

I have a lot of dreams like this. Just a sort of weird narrative that makes no sense.....

Edited September 6, 2020 by SD85

[jamie92208]

When I was restoring the Leeds Horse tram I had a horrible task to perform. I had to go to Grosmont to visit a firm called Armstrong Oilers. Liitle old me toddled along all unsuspecting looking forward to a day out in the country.  When I got there the premises were next to a railway line and to get there I had to walk through a yard full of huge black machines that had fires in them and were dirty and had steam coming out if various places. I don't know how I coped with the trauma.

 

Jamie

[Stubby47]

Dreams..... last weird one was I was trying to see how many sports or pastimes used a spherical ball.

 

There were rules, so Football could only be counted once( not 5-a-side or fusbol), or Marbles (but not Kerplunk).

I also had a target of 34.

 

When I mentioned this to the family, once they'd stopped laughing we started to compile a list.

We got to 36.

[tomparryharry]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

When I was restoring the Leeds Horse tram I had a horrible task to perform. I had to go to Grosmont to visit a firm called Armstrong Oilers. Liitle old me toddled along all unsuspecting looking forward to a day out in the country.  When I got there the premises were next to a railway line and to get there I had to walk through a yard full of huge black machines that had fires in them and were dirty and had steam coming out if various places. I don't know how I coped with the trauma.

 

Jamie

 

Fibs: All Fibs. C'mon, fess up! Trauma, my bum!

[Happy Hippo]

26 minutes ago, tomparryharry said:

 

Fibs: All Fibs. C'mon, fess up! Trauma, my bum!

Careful, he used to be a policeman and has been trained in the use of a truncheon.

 

Trauma my bum might be taken literally!

 

 

[Oldddudders]

9 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Trauma my bum might be taken literally!

I think it was Nat King Cole who sang "Unforgettable".

[Philou]

The jokes weren't making fun of anyone's beliefs (I'm RC but not committed anymore) but they were irreverent - I shall desist therefore - err on the side of caution and all that.

 

I have a floor plan, I have a list of timber and consumables, but no costings at the moment. I will need to get prices from my local merchant (he delivers and I get a modest discount). I suspect the bill will be somewhat hair-raising! I shall do further calculations this afternoon for flooring (probably OSB) and all the ironmongery, insulation and plasterboard to do dry-walling. Electricals will not amount to very much.

 

I'm going to try and create the layout in SketchUp so I have some idea of the amount of 9/10mm ply I shall need. I saw it done on another thread, but I don't know how it was done!

 

I have no track to rip up or baseboards to recover - all virgin territory for me. Track will be a mix of Peco code 75 bullhead and flat-bottom ('cos I have the F/B already in stock for about half the layout). The mix is OK as the prototype is a mixture anyway - even in 2020. I was going for RTP pointwork, but it does seem that a fair few of you are into making your own - what do you think?

 

Black machines? All steamy and dirty? The closest experience to those I've had was a day on the Severn Valley railway. As a child, though I went miles on my own, railway spotting or going to the sheds at Cathays or Canton never once crossed my mind. Before I went back to railways at the ripe old age of 11 or so, I was more into Corgi vehicles (Dinky didn't cut the mustard for me). When I started serious modelling at about 15, steam was all but gone from the Cardiff area - 1966 or thereabouts?

 

Anyway, have a good day everyone,

 

Philip

[Erichill16]

Not posted for a while but trying to keep up. I’m also contemplating what to do for my next layout. Extend a current  one or start afresh. With W.HR. (Yorkshire) as good as complete I need to get cracking with something. 

A picture from last weekend at my friends. Robert

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Philou said:

I have no track to rip up or baseboards to recover - all virgin territory for me. Track will be a mix of Peco code 75 bullhead and flat-bottom ('cos I have the F/B already in stock for about half the layout). The mix is OK as the prototype is a mixture anyway - even in 2020. I was going for RTP pointwork, but it does seem that a fair few of you are into making your own - what do you think?

 

Black machines? All steamy and dirty? The closest experience to those I've had was a day on the Severn Valley railway. As a child, though I went miles on my own, railway spotting or going to the sheds at Cathays or Canton never once crossed my mind. Before I went back to railways at the ripe old age of 11 or so, I was more into Corgi vehicles (Dinky didn't cut the mustard for me). When I started serious modelling at about 15, steam was all but gone from the Cardiff area - 1966 or thereabouts?In reverse order:

I remember steam in the Valleys and on the South Wales main line  in 1964.  A lot of the sheds closed in 64, so steam was pretty restricted after that

 

I think it all came to a grinding halt in 1965.  Something in the back of my mind says August for the whole of the Western Region.  Apparently  9F  92073 made it to Cardiff in Oct 65 and was photographed by John Wiltshire at Rumney Bridge

 

 

 

You could still see a few ex GWR locos on the Midland region into 1966.   From the withdrawal dates 5605 and 6697 out of Croes Newydd shed (Wrexham) were some of the very last western engines steaming in revenue service. 

 

As far as the pointwork is concerned, I think that most of us in the point building saga are modelling in 7 mm to the foot.

 

If I were using 4 mm scale I'd probably opt for rtp in code 75.  I like the new Peco bullhead points and track, but I'm not a fan of their uni frog they've opted for.  I prefer a traditional micro switch to effect the crossing nose polarity.  I might be being pedantic, but there seems too much of a risk of a short using a unifrog due to the minute clearances that seem to be involved.  Much better to have gone with the tried and tested method where a much larger section of track switches polarity as required.  I believe some modellers have taken to painting the insides of the rails to prevent shorting out.

 

The other disadvantages  of the current Peco bullhead points is the price, and the lack of variety in the range.  They desperately need to get slips and diamonds.

 

Whilst I'm having a Peco bash, I cannot understand why they've never bitten the bullet and produced  UK points to the same switch angles as their American trackwork.

 

[Happy Hippo]

41 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

A live steam version in that scale would be sublime.

[Philou]

I'd forgotten about Unifrog - I don't like the look of it all. I shall collect all I can in Electrofrog while it's still about - albeit flatbottomed. I shan't mind doing a little extra wiring if I have to. I have some pointwork that I shall not probably be able to recreate without hacking Peco pointwork about (I've seen that done on a thread somewhere too), so some Templotting and jigs will be required.

 

I agree regarding the crossing angles - you'd think that by now they would have had a 'toy' range (Setrack), a slightly better range (Universal), and a 'proper' range with 'proper' radii (nothing less than 5ft/1.5m) for example.

 

Thanks for the info regarding steam in South Wales, I recall seeing a steam loco on the Levels at Marshfield from our school playground atop Quarry Hill (St Mellons hill) and being told by one of my pals that that was the last steam hauled service ever - unfortunately, I don't recall the date at all.

 

Philip