The Night Mail

[Tony_S]

Now we are back on model trains I thought some may be interested in this extract from a 1950s novel I was reading earlier. 
Chief Inspector Maigret is seeking his doctor's opinion about someone’s sanity (he worked in the model railway department of a shop)  who came to see him who believed his wife was planning to murder him.

 

[bbishop]

Attached but not needed.  Good old CPR, ADM and OXG (me).  Later, we found out why when the SJA truck returned from the hospital, sorry not for publication.

[newbryford]

16 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Mick! Mick! YELLOW stuff!

 

 

Nice model, but the train formations in the video are c*ck.

[iL Dottore]

21 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

That's Dink, his sister - lives with the nephew in Swansea….

Phew, for a moment I thought we had a breeding pair there! 😃
 

Thank goodness they are siblings (I think, stranger pairings than that happen in animal husbandry 🤣)

[iL Dottore]

13 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

..Most people would be lucky to hit a door at that range with a pistol despite what you see in action movies and on Youtube.

Another, for me, incredibly annoying thing about action movies is how the hero/heroine gets shot in the shoulder or leg with a large calibre pistol (or other shooty thing) and carries on as if they have only scratched themselves on some brambles.

 

Take it from me, if you have been shot in the shoulder or in the leg with a large calibre bullet you will definitely not be doing anything further that day (or for some considerable time thereafter). As the Americans would say you will  definitely be “in a world of hurt“.

 

The shock and pain of the impact alone would take you out of action very quickly and add to that the damage from the bullet (neat little hole at the front, huge nasty hole at the back)  and I can assure you the first thought in your mind would be “s0d the bad guys, get me to an effing hospital right now“

12 hours ago, Tony_S said:

..I never saw Dad with a pistol but he seemed pretty competent with a rifle. Unlike me, I just seem to be useless. Fortunately it wasn’t a skill I needed in my career. 

I have not done much shooting in my life (just one or two attempts with an air rifle), but believe you me it is a skill that I would love to have had (along with how to effectively use a Fairburn-Sykes commando knife and the best way of using piano wire) given some of the collaborations with not to be named individuals from not to be named companies I’ve had to endure.🤣

7 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Now we are back on model trains I thought some may be interested in this extract from a 1950s novel I was reading earlier. 
Chief Inspector Maigret is seeking his doctor's opinion about someone’s sanity (he worked in the model railway department of a shop)  who came to see him who believed his wife was planning to murder him.

 

Why is it always railway modellers that are depicted in literature and films as sad, desperate, lonely and psychologically dodgy individuals? Okay, a visit to Warley or any other model railway show would throw up plenty of examples of such individuals, but the majority of railway models are “normal“ (and as Terry Pratchett would add: “for a given value of ‘normal’ “).
 

Certainly of all my model railway “chums“ I have met through RMWeb, I would only consider one to be really “weird“. Mind you, with the medicalisation of the outliers of normal behaviour (something the trick cyclist doctors are indulging in at present), even sitting at home minding your own business, reading a good book whilst listening to classical music is sufficient to diagnose and classify you with an “-ism” or “-obia” of some kind or another.

 

Why is it being an obsessive football fan, intensely (and sometimes violently) partisan about a football team is considered “normal”, whilst obsessing about the correct placement of ground signals in a shunting yard or the right colour for a locomotive in 1935 is considered “weird“? After all, you don’t get newspaper articles along the lines of “The centre of Birmingham was terrorised today by running battles between EM and P4 fans after the end of the Warley show“ as you do with football fans.

Edited August 19, 2022 by iL Dottore
To correct the autocorrect. :-(

[jamie92208]

As to ID's last point, we may not have running battles between mobs of EM and P4 fans but watch what happens when a red loco is placed on a GWR layout.

 

By the way @bbishop, well done with the ROSC.  That must be a very satisfying outcone.  Thanks to watching Emergency  Helicopter Medics I know what ROSC stands for.

 

Jamie

Edited August 19, 2022 by jamie92208

[polybear]

8 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

Yes you can only use one specific make of pistol. 

 

 

 

So if Dave H turned up with one of these screwed to an old lump of floorboard it would be considered "bad form" then?

https://weaponsystems.net/system/880-27mm+Mauser+BK-27

 

8 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Mick! Mick! YELLOW stuff!

 

 

The Driver got into a LDC scoffin' competition with a certain Bear (very unsuccessfully, I might add) and barfed out of the cab window on the way home.

[Northmoor]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Why is it always railway modellers that are depicted in literature and films as sad, desperate, lonely and psychologically dodgy individuals? Okay, a visit to Warley or any other model railway show would throw up plenty of examples of such individuals, but the majority of railway models are “normal“ (and as Terry Pratchett would add: “for a given value of ‘normal’ “).
 

Certainly of all my model railway “chums“ I have met through RMWeb, I would only consider one to be really “weird“. Mind you, with the medicalisation of the outliers of normal behaviour (something the trick cyclist doctors are indulging in at present), even sitting at home minding your own business, reading a good book whilst listening to classical music is sufficient to diagnose and classify you with an “-ism” or “-obia” of some kind or another.

 

Why is it being an obsessive football fan, intensely (and sometimes violently) partisan about a football team is considered “normal”, whilst obsessing about the correct placement of ground signals in a shunting yard or the right colour for a locomotive in 1935 is considered “weird“? After all, you don’t get newspaper articles along the lines of “The centre of Birmingham was terrorised today by running battles between EM and P4 fans after the end of the Warley show“ as you do with football fans.

Nail, head, etc.

 

I have seen at least the same proportion of genuinely strange (by anyone's assessment) people at football matches as around railways.  The sort of oddballs who the general public will poke fun of at the end of station platforms, can always be found near the front row at the ground; these characters know the result of every game their club has played for the last 20-odd years.  This is considered socially-acceptable (which it is, what harm are they doing?) but showing the same knowledge about GWR steam loco classes is something that apparently needs to be corrected.  Which is odd, because the one thing I've noticed about railway enthusiasts is that (a) they don't expect everyone else to share their interest and (b) can usually hold a conversation about something else.  The world of classic car owners doesn't have the same reputation in the media, but there are some serious obsessives there who will gladly and loudly point out to other owners the errors in their car's restoration.

 

I like football (it's a great game too often spoiled by the fans and/or the players), but am not an obsessive fan who will watch ANY match on TV.  However, an old friend once had an experience meeting a new neighbour which I think sums up some young men and football.  The two of them spoke for a minute about moving in, where they worked etc., then the new guy said, "Who do you support?".  My mate looked at him blankly and after a couple of re-phrased questions realised he was being asked what football team he supported.  Once he replied that he wasn't interested in football that was basically the last conversation they had in the year they were neighbours, limited to one-word acknowledgements/greetings afterwards.  It was as if the new guy didn't know how to hold a conversation with someone they didn't know well, if it wasn't about football.

 

It is slowly changing I think; the pandemic seemed to show the value of having absorbing interests when stuck at home, while there are more prominent characters in the media who admit to an interest in railways, Michael Portillo, Tim Dunn, Pete Waterman etc., so it has become more accepted.,  Who would have thought, 20 years ago, that you could find programmes about railway architecture or travel on TV every single night?

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis was going hammer and tongs this morning and I had to force myself to move. I've taken a couple of Nurofen and they are beginning to work. We were due to have a garden railway visit yesterday afternoon but the host had a minor injury last week that impeded his preparations so it was called off. My friends young lad was disappointed as he has a battery powered 0 gauge Hymek (Lima?) that he wants to try out.

[New Haven Neil]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Phew, for a moment I thought we had a breeding pair there! 😃
 

Thank goodness they are siblings (I think, stranger pairings than that happen in animal husbandry 🤣)

 

Be afraid - very afraid.  That's him on the right when much younger, the Mrs on the left is no longer on the scene, having being involved in a relationship breakup (not ours!).  The kid is with her, also in Swansea, with our nephew's previous partner and child (not his).

 

[iL Dottore]

Blimey, Neil – by the look of that picture you better get the poor beasties onto some really serious antidepressants toot sweet!

 

By the way, was that picture taken from before or after a great part of the family moved to Swansea? 🤣

[BSW01]

On the subject of stereotypes. Many years ago a colleague thought I was nuts spending £xxx pounds on a radio controlled model tank! I asked him how much he spends on his carbon fibre fishing rods.

His response was, ok fair comment!

He never again questioned my sanity over what I spent my money on, nor I with his purchases. 

[SteveyDee68]

24 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

It was as if the new guy didn't know how to hold a conversation with someone they didn't know well, if it wasn't about football.

This very issue was dealt with very humorously in an episode of the hilarious sitcom “The IT Crowd”, when the socially awkward Moss (played brilliantly by Richard Ayoade) is able to have a “normal” conversation with a “bloke” after stumbling across a website designed to help those with no interest in football…

 

Moss: Did you see the match last night?

Bloke: Yeah

Moss: (sucks air through teeth and shakes head) What a performance!

Bloke: Tell me about it!

Shortly afterwards the viewer discovers that Moss has absolutely no idea what he is talking about and is simply repeating various phrases he has learnt that appear to fit the moment!

 

Later, at an actual football match (having accepted an invite from some fans after enjoying the fact he felt “normal”)

 

Moss: (in a bored monotone) Oh, look, he’s kicked the ball to that other player. Oh, apparently that warrants our applause. Yay.

 

I find myself feeling exactly like Moss (having little to no interest in football) and sometimes resort to saying out loud the above quote when footballing clips are shown on the news!

 

Steve S

[Happy Hippo]

37 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis was going hammer and tongs this morning and I had to force myself to move. I've taken a couple of Nurofen and they are beginning to work. We were due to have a garden railway visit yesterday afternoon but the host had a minor injury last week that impeded his preparations so it was called off. My friends young lad was disappointed as he has a battery powered 0 gauge Hymek (Lima?) that he wants to try out.

Hymek by Big Big Train (Triang/Rovex).

 

It's a pity they didn't carry on as the chances are that 7mm rtr would be much further down the road today. 

 

Although a decade ago, one would never have considered the massive impact the likes of Minerva and Dapol would have made in the affordable off the shelf models.

Edited August 19, 2022 by Happy Hippo

[PhilJ W]

10 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Hymek by Big Big Train (Triang/Rovex).

 

It's a pity they didn't carry on as the chances are that 7mm rtr would be much further down the road today. 

 

Although a decade ago, one would never have considered the massive impact the likes of Minerva and Dapol would have made in the affordable off the shelf models.

I thought it was by Triang Big Train but wasn't sure. The lads into DCC and radio control so we're looking into fitting R/C.

[Oldddudders]

I grew up in a household where the principal topic of mealtime conversation was football, at least among my father and my younger twin brothers. I was very much on the fringes, although dad had taken me to a number of First Division matches, all London clubs when Newcastle were visiting, and I admit to visiting Old Trafford at age 18. Since then the only match was at Loftus Road, under a 3-line whip from Deb's sister, about 1978. 

 

As I may have recounted before, almost 40 years ago Deb and I met dad and the twins at the NFT bar, celebrating my 34th. We then went to dads's favourite café for a meal. Deb and I sat and looked at each other while the other three discussed football. Then the twins headed off, and Deb and I saw dad off on the platform at Waterloo. He went home, and while watching England vs Greece on tv, suffered his second and fatal heart attack. Football can leave a funny taste in my mouth...

[Canal Digger]

On 17/08/2022 at 10:14, Happy Hippo said:

 

They can have a terrific bite if necessary.

Are there any still flying?

[Darlington_Shed]

10 minutes ago, Canal Digger said:

Are there any still flying?

 

Apparently, there are 3 or 4 airworthy examples in North America. In the UK, The Mosquito Pathfinder Trust is working to restore one to flying status (thewoodenwonder).

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

24 minutes ago, Canal Digger said:

Are there any still flying?

KA114 (shown) an FB 26, was restored to flying condition in New Zealand a few years back and in now resident in the USA.

 

According to Wiki the other three airworthy Mosquitos are:

 

PZ474    FB VI

TV959    TIII

VR796    B35

 

RL249  is in UK under restoration as mentioned above by DS is an NF36.

 

There are a few others in either taxiable condition or being  restored with a view to a return to flying condition.

 

The biggest problem with Mosquito restoration is the delamination issue where the original glues used in their construction have failed.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Happy Hippo

[Northmoor]

1 minute ago, Happy Hippo said:

KA114 (shown) an FB 26, was restored to flying condition in New Zealand a few years back and in now resident in the USA.

 

According to Wiki the other three airworthy Mosquitos are:

 

PZ474    FB VI

TV959    TIII

VR796    B35

 

RL249  is in UK under restoration as mentioned above by DS is an NF36.

 

There are a few others in either taxiable condition or being  restored with a view to a return to flying condition.

 

The biggest problem with Mosquito restoration is the delamination issue where the originl glues used in their construction have failed.

 

A Mossie is the aircraft that above all others, I would like to see flying in the UK.  The only thing better than the sound of a Merlin engine, will be the sound of a pair of them....

[Happy Hippo]

Another couple of interesting Mosquito facts:

 

The Fighter and Fighter Bomber variants were slower due to the higher drag of gun ports and the flat armoured single piece windscreens.

 

The pure bomber and PR variants. having a streamlined plexiglass nose, no gunports and a split screen windscreen shaped in a shallow V to improve airflow.

 

The fighter and fighter bomber versions had an access door in  the side of the right front of the fuselage to clear the 20 mm cannons mounted in the belly.  The bomber and PR versions entry hatch was in the floor of the aircraft.

 

Finally the fighter and fighter bombers had a stick type control column, whereas the bomber and pr versions were fitted with a yoke.

 

Mosquito afficionados always smile when they see the bomber version of the Mosquito masquerading as a fighter bomber variant in the film 633 Squadron.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Happy Hippo

[Happy Hippo]

4 hours ago, BSW01 said:

On the subject of stereotypes. Many years ago a colleague thought I was nuts spending £xxx pounds on a radio controlled model tank! I asked him how much he spends on his carbon fibre fishing rods.

His response was, ok fair comment!

He never again questioned my sanity over what I spent my money on, nor I with his purchases. 

There are some very expensive sports hobbies and pastimes out there which can put the money we spend on modelrailways firmly into the small change bracket.

 

Buying and then entering a single handed dinghy into class competition where you are probably racing once or twice a month at locations around the UK will set you back easily upwards of £15K.

 

The shooting fraternity will  buy a new rifle, such as a Steyr SSG 08 for around £5600  and then spend a minimum of about £1600 for a Schmidt and Bender scope.  They will certainly look the part on the firing point:  Whether they really need to spend that sort of money when a cheaper combo would undoubtedly do just as well over the ranges they are firing is a pointless question.  They must have x, y or z because it will make them a better shot, when in truth the only thing that will make them a better shot is practice.

 

I'm sure there are many other examples such as golf or skiing, and don't even attempt to start on the donkey walloping brigade.

 

Some years back we knew a family whose children were recieving free school meals. Despite their hardship it was somewhat enlightening to see the family out in their (new) Mercedes estate and their ability to run a small fleet of horses and a  pony for each of the children.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Happy Hippo

[Canal Digger]

Harragh!! I've caught up with the posts being added faster than I have the time to read them.

Spent yesterday towing a boat to and from the river, for some tree clearing so that we can do do boat trips in a few weeks

 

No sheds, 3 garden tool stores, and a double width garage (built by the previous house owners), that is too short to take a Mondeo Estate(!), so garage has become a workshop/ storage area/ pool hall

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

There are some very expensive sports hobbies and pastimes out there which can put the money we spend on modelrailways firmly into the small change bracket.

 

Buying and then entering a single handed dinghy into class competition where you are probably racing once or twice a month at locations around the UK will set you back easily upwards of £15K.

 

The shooting fraternity will  buy a new rifle, such as a Steyr SSG 08 for around £5600  and then spend a minimum of about £1600 for a Schmidt and Bender scope.  They will certainly look the part on the firing point:  Whether they really need to spend that sort of money when a cheaper combo would undoubtedly do just as well over the ranges they are firing is a pointless question.  They must have x, y or z because it will make them a better shot, when in truth the only thing that will make them a better shot is practice.

 

I'm sure there are many other examples such as golf or skiing, and don't even attempt to start on the donkey walloping brigade.

 

Some years back we knew a family whose children were recieving free school meals. Despite their hardship it was somewhat enlightening to see the family out in their (new) Mercedes estate and their ability to run a small fleet of horses and a  pony for each of the children.

 

 

 

That reminds me of the saying three cars on the drive but no food in the fridge.

[Happy Hippo]

17 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Aw, Hippo.....

Don't go revealing Bear's secrets.  Snafflin' can be hard at the best of times.

☹️

But Tony and Aditi are such nice people it's only fair to let them know that they are not losing against a batallion of bears, just the one.

 

(Which I suppose is actually worse!)