RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 20, 2014 In the supermarket. Cans of tomato soup. "Buy one get one free". MW at the checkout: "Please can you tell me which of these is the one I've bought, and which one is free?" Checkout Operator: "It doesn't matter." MW: "It does to me. One of these is for my next-door neighbour and I need to know whether to charge him for it." CO: "Oh I see. Well this one is the free one. I'll mark it with this felt-tip pen so you know when you get home." CO 1, MW 0. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 20, 2014 New wiper blades duly fitted - they fit. and when you know how to do it it's a lot easier than the 'hook' type. My what an exciting life we lead . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 20, 2014 New wiper blades duly fitted - they fit. and when you know how to do it it's a lot easier than the 'hook' type. I have spent much time in the past staring blankly at new wiper blade arms . It always makes me feel stupid as when they (eventually) go on it is "so obvious". The Land Rover ones are easy, no intellectual effort required. My Astra had aerofoil thingies on the wiper blade arms to keep the blades on the windscreen at high speed. They needed a lot of staring at! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 20, 2014 I have never legitimately worked a signal box under the correct authorisation. I hope I won't be thrown off Early Risers. Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 At the last MoT I had to tie a perished wiper blade to the wiper. Naturally I asked the garage to replace it before testing. I collected the car an hour later and a pass certificate. The perished wiper was still tied to the blade. I think this proves that being able to see out of the windscreen is over-rated! I haven't tested out whether it is a legitimate excuse for going through a speed camera at a rate of knots though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) To me, this isn't very welcome in ERs. Take it somewhere else please. Edit: Not you Andy! We posted at the same time... Edited October 20, 2014 by Pete 75C 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 At the last MoT I had to tie a perished wiper blade to the wiper. Naturally I asked the garage to replace it before testing. I collected the car an hour later and a pass certificate. The perished wiper was still tied to the blade. I think this proves that being able to see out of the windscreen is over-rated! I haven't tested out whether it is a legitimate excuse for going through a speed camera at a rate of knots though. I used to be terrified of trying to get through the Spanish MOT (ITV). Apparently, if you accidentally leave a 12 pack of beer on the passenger seat, they'll pass any old piece of junk (and so my old Toyota truck lived to fight another day)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I've been trying to lose half of my 12 pack for weeks. What's ITV stand for Pete? Inquisition Terribile Vehiciola? Bet no-one expected that. But they may expect this! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiffy2 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I have never legitimately worked a signal box under the correct authorisation. I hope I won't be thrown off Early Risers. Martin. I'm worried. I've never even been in a signal box, I've no idea how all those levers work and I've only ever built one model of one. I'm a signal box virgin... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 What's ITV stand for Pete? Inquisition Terribile Vehiciola? Inspecciòn Tècnica de Vehiculos, but I think I prefer your version! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 20, 2014 From now on "I'm Spartacus" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 From now on "I'm Spartacus" Does that mean we'll have to take your avatar seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 20, 2014 I have operated a signal box totally illegally several times - the signaller involved has passed away so no careers have been harmed in the production of this matter. All three boxes I operated had real levers and signals with arms, all that stuff. Oh, he became a signal inspector too......and still let folk operate boxes under supervision. Do I need to hand myself in? 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) I was an unofficial "box boy" at Epsom for 3 days in 1984... does that count? Epsom was a scary box. It was suspended over the tracks and used to sway in the breeze and shake every time a freight or a fast train went through... © copyright 2014 DjIPiX.com & David Ive Edited October 20, 2014 by Pete 75C 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I have operated a signal box totally illegally several times - the signaller involved has passed away so no careers have been harmed in the production of this matter... Do I need to hand myself in? Depends. Did you use your real name or the dead man's handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 20, 2014 Don't tell but I was in a signal box only last Wednesday, pulling levers - in fact I pulled so hard they came off in my hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) Depends. Did you use your real name or the dead man's handle. My real name - it wasn't a secret in those days, as I was a Merch Officer not someone dealing with life's more unpleasant characters in a Court of Law. Or selling steam trains.... Talking of dead man's handles....a Tyne Dock driver (only recently deceased) used to tell a great tale of having two 'items' for shunting with 204's (03's to the younger) one wedge for the throttle, and a brick or something like that for the dead mans handle. That way the driver could jump out and change the points while still moving....as the shunter was in the pub. With the secondman. And the yardmaster. And the guard. Edited October 20, 2014 by New Haven Neil 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelintrev Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Ok, I'll own up to being unofficially in a signal box as a lad (signal man now passed on, signal box now a distant memory as the station site is now a housing estate ) The only signal I could never pull off was the down distant - (GNR somersault) as it was round a corner and as every train stopped I dont think it had ever been pulled off! Such were the joys of country branch lines in the 50's & early 60's? Best press on with work - trying to prove to a wheel re-inventor why we have to use a specific size crane for a job. Wont take " cause I say so" as an adequate answer grrrrrr! Be good Trev. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Today I discovered that quite a lot of things were not done at the beginning of term that should have been done by other people. I've just had to do them. And now I'm waiting for the expletive deleted system to work! Watergate/Richard Nixon (1972) was the first common use of this phrase, for those young enough not to know. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 20, 2014 Watergate/Richard Nixon (1972) was the first common use of this phrase, for those young enough not to know. I remember it well... Watched it on the news, read the book, saw the film... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Evening all. Firstly it was great to hear from Don today - a small post, but one that was nice to see. Secondly, as someone who has suffered from abuse on this site over the past few months (and has made the mistake of taking the bait), I am sad to see an argument brewing here on a page which I thought was safe from such practices. I did not agree with Andy.Y the other day, but totally agree with his recent comment. I hope things clear up soon. Today has been ok, as we near the end of term the day has been dominated by assessments. There is parents evening later this week and there are school tracking systems to update before the end of the week. A busy week is likely. Today saw the headteacher place a notice on the staff bulletin board asking for us to order the drinks we want bringing round during the parents evening. Not sure he was too impressed when I asked for "Hobgoblin". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon G Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 At the last MoT I had to tie a perished wiper blade to the wiper. Naturally I asked the garage to replace it before testing. I collected the car an hour later and a pass certificate. The perished wiper was still tied to the blade. I think this proves that being able to see out of the windscreen is over-rated! I haven't tested out whether it is a legitimate excuse for going through a speed camera at a rate of knots though. My local MOT garage told me the other week that if you have wipers that don't work for any reason, you can get an MOT pass by removing the windscreen altogether for the test. Once passed, you then replace the windscreen. Likewise, if a door doesn't close properly, this is an MOT fail, but if you remove the door completely, it is not an MOT fail! There are apparently a number of these "loopholes" in the MOT test rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon G Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I'm worried. I've never even been in a signal box, I've no idea how all those levers work and I've only ever built one model of one. I'm a signal box virgin... I have operated a signal box totally illegally several times - the signaller involved has passed away so no careers have been harmed in the production of this matter. All three boxes I operated had real levers and signals with arms, all that stuff. Oh, he became a signal inspector too......and still let folk operate boxes under supervision. Do I need to hand myself in? I operated the signal box at Lakeside on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway back in the late 1970s. I seem to recall that my training took all of 5 minutes, and was part of my occasional role as guard on the train. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sidecar Racer Posted October 20, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) My local MOT garage told me the other week that if you have wipers that don't work for any reason, you can get an MOT pass by removing the windscreen altogether for the test. Once passed, you then replace the windscreen. Likewise, if a door doesn't close properly, this is an MOT fail, but if you remove the door completely, it is not an MOT fail! There are apparently a number of these "loopholes" in the MOT test rules. If a part is on the test sheet it must comply , if it aint there you cant test it . Silly but correct . Edited October 20, 2014 by Sidecar Racer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 My local MOT garage told me the other week that if you have wipers that don't work for any reason, you can get an MOT pass by removing the windscreen altogether for the test. Once passed, you then replace the windscreen. Likewise, if a door doesn't close properly, this is an MOT fail, but if you remove the door completely, it is not an MOT fail! There are apparently a number of these "loopholes" in the MOT test rules. A few years ago, my car failed its MOT test because in the opinion of the tester; "the wipers were perished"......my protestations that the warm weather forecast for the next day would make them feel absolutely-toasty, fell on mirthless ears! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now