Early Risers.

[NGT6 1315]

Mawnin' awl. Bit of a nuisance in the late afternoon yesterday as we needed to remove some clogging from the fluff retainer in our washing machine, which involved some probing and tugging as a chunk had got stuck right in the drain pump intake. Finding out the exact cause to begin with took a while, too, but the machine is now back in working order. We had already had visions of having to order a technician…

 

Best wishes to you, folks. Have a good Monday…

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Well fairly good as after a very wet and windy night the sun has peeped briefly through the clouds but it's still pretty breezy.

Very enjoyable game of Rugby yesterday and I thought it was a fair result.

The Boss is working for the 3rd Monday on the trot as a favour to her boss but has told him it will not become a regular habit as we occasionally like to go away for long weekends. 

I've got a few "accounting" tasks to do which basically means that some money has to be moved to pay a couple of bills. After that The Boss will need collecting and the new door key I had cut on Friday needs to be returned as it doesn't work.

Later on I have to collect Gemma from gym club after school. Hopefully this week she will be out on time - if not I will be annoyed but that is nothing to what her mother will be. Nicki is very like I was at her age which means if you light the blue touch paper you better retire a very long way. 

Have a good one,

Bob.

[Happy Hippo]

HH. I did think of giving a "funny" rating, but decided that supportive might perhaps be more appropriate. I hope Obergrumpenfuhrer likes her valentines present, I'm sure you'll find a good home for it!

 

 

The acquisition of any machinery is a standing joke in this household.

 

The complaint that it is yet another piece of stuff that gathers dust whilst it stands unused.

 

When something needs fixing, it is pointed out that the machine that did the fixing was the 'useless unused machine' stood in the corner'' (Even on some occasions if it wasn't!)

 

My mill and rotary table are particularly liked as they enabled  some circular bits to be made up with 5 and  7 holes equally spaced around concentric circles.

 

What they were for I never inquired, I just made up the 25 as requested.

 

Ditto the A3 wireless printer.  I'm not the main user of the A3 printing facility.........................'I don't know how we ever managed with a small printer before' was a quote just before Christmass.

 

Once a few crafting jobs have been done from the free patterns, as opposed to serious railway stuff, and it's full potential for making things for Girlguiding crafting events, it will become a much adored device that I will have difficulty in getting my paws on it!

 

 

Edit: deletion of repetition of repetition

Edited February 8, 2016 by Happy Hippo

[Tony_S]

Aditi never fails to be impressed by the useful applications of tools that I purchased to help with playing trains. She was very impressed with the electric Aldi multi bodger tool I had bought for landscape carving. It was really useful for some surface repairs prior to painting he bedrooms recently. Aditi was especially impressed by the clearance price tag too.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Tony_S

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Anyone else ever get the 'what do you mean you hope you've got a screwdriver which is the right size or pattern thingy - you've got loads of them!'?

 

Anyway in the meanwhile we had the wind, rain, and things that went bump in the night, but it has calmed a bit although still the odd thing out there going bump.   But on a brighter note I'm pleased to see that Ian's (RH) Czech layout will be appearing as RISEX in a couple of weeks time although regrettably the good Doctor can't get a day off for that one (or for RAILEX).  Oh and BTW Andy the judging is for an exhibition, not a competition and I do wonder if someone is setting me up for his own mischievous purposes (but not in a nasty way - mischievous being the appropriate word I think), oh and I get into the show for nothing plus a parking place although I normally use their shuttle 'bus.

 

More seriously today will have to centre around delving through a considerable number of Edwardian trade cards and various ephemera in an effort to try to establish a particular shade of blue for one of xxxxxxxxxxxxxx's forthcoming products as their recently posted artwork looks distinctly off tone.

 

Have a good day one & all

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Was quite sunny when I got up a couple of hours ago but now the cloud has arrived so its shopping by car today. Imogen is blowing hard but despite that the garden/kitchen waste wheely-bin is still upright, usually a lesser wind will have it on its side. I put it down to the mass of soggy tea leaves in the bottom, tea bags are one of the things that is forbidden due to the bags themselves not rotting down but now that I am using leaf tea I can empty the remains into it. At the moment the overgrown council shrubbery next to my house provides some shelter from the wind, about fifteen minutes ago I heard the sound of machinery outside, it was the council workmen cutting back the shrubbery. At least it means that I can get on with installing the fence that will stop said shrubbery from encroaching on my front garden. On the subject of furniture being distressed I have a couple of old dining chairs that are not distressed as much as they must be under half a dozen layers of paint. They were acquired by my dad about sixty five years ago second hand from a church that was being replaced by a new building. The church was disposing of the old pews, the said chairs which as I recall were fitted with a small plywood box on the back for the prayer books. At the time furniture was still rationed and the church limited them to two per person so my dad went with my grandparents and was able to acquire six chairs. The old church was built about 1925 and was of the 'tin chapel' variety and the chairs date from the same time so must be about ninety years old. Enough of my ramblings for now, be back later.

[Robert]

I was somewhat saddened to read that Edgar Mitchell - Apollo 14 Astronaut and sixth man to walk on the moon died a few days ago.  I don't know how I came to miss that.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Robert

[bbishop]

Mawnin' awl. Bit of a nuisance in the late afternoon yesterday as we needed to remove some clogging from the fluff retainer in our washing machine, which involved some probing and tugging as a chunk had got stuck right in the drain pump intake. Finding out the exact cause to begin with took a while, too, but the machine is now back in working order. We had already had visions of having to order a technician…

 

Best wishes to you, folks. Have a good Monday…

Dom,

 

Do you still have a full complement of cats and rabbits?

 

Bill

[NGT6 1315]

Dom,

 

Do you still have a full complement of cats and rabbits?

 

Bill

 

Yes, Bill, they're all fine!

[Tony_S]

Things that should be in the washing machine sometimes end up in the dog. Fortunately Aditi's socks seem to be able to pass through without harm( to the dog). We try very hard to stop him but Robbie seems to have doggy ninja powers when it comes to sock larceny.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Tony_S

[Jock67B]

I was somewhat saddened to read that Edgar Mitchell - Apollo 14 Astronaut and sixth man to walk on the moon died a few days ago.  I don't know how I came to miss that.

Sad as you say Robert, although 85 is quite a good run. It really saddened me to read the full Telegraph obituary and discover that he had started to turn in to a 'bit of a fruit cake', even as early as on the way back to Earth according to one of his fellow travellers! In the end he was convinced that 99% of the UFOs we've seen are real visits from extra-terrestrials! Very sad, but RIP nonetheless!

Kind regards,

Jock.

[skipepsi]

Morning all, took Mrs B for her nuclear medicine today so I am now sharing the house with a radioactive wife, no blue touchpaper just a big red button marked Don't Touch. Weather was pants yesterday, taking DD1 back to Derby explaining why you don't use cruise control in very wet weather only to look across to the north bound carriageway of the A38 and see cars sprinkled between police cars all over the road. I counted 6 police cars in total that must be all of Derbyshire;s traffic squad. I couldn't believe that the officers blocking access to the A38 were being asked why they had blocked the road.... 

[Smiffy2]

I don't believe it. 

There was a tram incident in Croydon overnight. Apparently, because of Imogen, a car hit a tram.

 

From the local Guardian:

 

A baby was among four people injured after a car smashed into a tram in Croydon town centre during torrential rain last night.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the site of the crash in Wellesley Road just before 10pm yesterday as Storm Imogen began to hammer south London.

A firefighter from Croydon station said the impact of the collision "was so great it lifted and moved the tram about 15 feet".

 

How hard do you have to hit a tram weighing 36 tonnes to lift it off the track and move it 15 feet? I think he's talking spheroids.

[Gwiwer]

 

 

How hard do you have to hit a tram weighing 36 tonnes to lift it off the track and move it 15 feet?

 

It is within the realm of the possible.  Much depends upon the closing speed of the vehicles, whether the tram was on straight or curved track or passing through points, the approach angle at which the vehicles met and other prevailing conditions.

 

When I worked for the tramways here there was a nasty incident.  A bus driver allegedly failed to observe a red traffic light and entered an intersection travelling at around 35mph across which ran a tram line.  As luck would have it the bus ploughed into the front of a tram moving at about 30mph under clear signals.  The tram was derailed at the leading end and - again as luck would have it - pushed into the path of and was struck by an oncoming tram on the other track also travelling at around 30mph.  Damage to both trams was moderate with the sacrificial panels doing their work and the structure remaining intact.  The bus was broken up at the scene, I believe, as it was too badly damaged to even tow away.  Despite an extremely forceful impact there were few serious injuries and both trams returned to service soon after.

 

Another incident occurred one morning at a location where the tramline is on reserved route and the street crosses on a railway-style level crossing.  At this location the tram is actually on a former heavy-rail alignment.  The crossing is equipped with warning bells, lights and boom gates.  All of which were insufficient to deter a van driver intent on being somewhere in a hurry and who swerved around the boom meeting the tram at an angle of around 45 degrees and both at estimated speeds of 40mph.  That is above the permitted road speed but is not above the tramway speed limit there.  The leading car of the tram was pushed off the track and some 10 metres into the bushes alongside the line with the van embedded beneath it.  Again there were few serious injuries but the tram required extensive repairs as the wheels and undercarriage had been damaged due to the angle and exact position of impact.  

 

The second incident shows that such an event is possible - though in Croydon with its street running and lower speed limits is less likely - even if the incident itself is not as apparently severe as the first one described.

 

While working in car insurance I received many calls claiming that "a tram has hit my car".  My first question was always "Is everyone OK?" and the second "Was the tram still on its tracks?"  To which the answer was invariably affirmative and usually followed by a pregnant pause as the insured party realised they had just effectively admitted fault and had hit the tram rather than the other way around.  There were cases of trams striking stationary and even parked cars but f both were moving the motorist was always held at fault; they cannot make contact with a tram unless their vehicle is partially obstructing the marked tramway / tram lane.

[Smiffy2]

In this case there were only minor injuries, and a 30mph limit.

 

Puts me in mind of a case involving a music hall star who had a reputation for getting tanked up before driving his Roller. One day saw him summoned for driving under the influence and causing a collision. He stated to the court that he saw a vehicle approaching him and decided not to allow it to intimidate him, and the end result was that it crashed into him.

 

It was a tram.

 

We had a spate of white van incidents when the trams were reintroduced to Croydon. Apparently the drivers couldn't get their heads round the idea that the trams couldn't steer round their parked vans...

[Ian Abel]

Congratulations/commissertions where appropriate, and my apologies for not managing to get through all the pages for the weekend <sigh>

 

No report all weekend, ended up very busy as plenty of ":lost time" due to the client who was unresponsive to actions for so long, finally getting their server restarted Saturday morning and THEN being inundated with emails from the system, "told you so!!!". Of course, they then called ME and wanted me to make it all stop  

 

Blew a good few hours of my Saturday free time on them throughout the day 

 

Otherwise just "busy". Brunch with Trevor, continuing the kitchen remodel component selection/pickup, and a couple of other items Mrs had on my list.

 

Picked Jemma up on her return from London - actually met her at the airport as there was only an hour or so before I had to leave for Long Island.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the "Steam Days" Q1 issue, suitably in my possession and great pictures.

Jemma ALSO came home with "Airports of the World" the Jan/Feb 2016 issue, which had delighted her as there is an article spotlighting Minneapolis/St Paul airport and even BETTER, the cover shot is of one of her planes at the gate at MSP --> http://www.airportsworld.com/central/images/covers/large/6481.jpg  - N715CZ is a ship she's flown many times. If you get a chance take a look at the cover in your favourite/local WH Smiths (or equivalent!!)

 

For a thread that was supposed to be a simple announcement of "better looking track", that thread sure is getting "testy"!!! Similarly the thread about exhibition operators/operations! <phew>

 

Monday and here I am on Long Island again. Weather supposed to take a turn for the worse later with some snow and blowing snow. I won't necessarily know as I'm stuck in the basement!

 

Enjoy the start of the week if you can.

[Smiffy2]

I've seen pictures of the tram now, it was hit on a curve and derailed. It stayed upright.

 

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/14260515.Baby_injured_after_car_smashes_into_tram_in_town_centre/?ref=mr&lp=1

[jamie92208]

I've seen pictures of the tram now, it was hit on a curve and derailed. It stayed upright.

 

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/14260515.Baby_injured_after_car_smashes_into_tram_in_town_centre/?ref=mr&lp=1

That appears to me to be pretty conclusive evidence of dangerous or reckless driving. However I suspect that the driver will only get prosecuted for due care. The car appears to accelerate before the collision. However I suppose it will all come out in the wash.

 

Jamie

[Tony_S]

... However I suppose it will all come out in the wash.Jamie

I think they may need some T-Cut as well though.

[Smiffy2]

The video wasn't there when I posted earlier. Yup, that looks pretty cut and dried. Looks like the driver is blaming torrential rain for driving too fast and not seeing traffic lights...

 

Good job it was a tram, and not someone with a pushing a baby buggy.

[Donw]

The video should make it imperative that the driver is checked for sanity before being allowed to drive again.  

 

Some years ago when pop socks (a sort of dwarf stocking?) were popular with ladies. We used to find them in the dog poo left in our garden by Jack a rescue dog. I seem to remember that eating such things can cause expensive problems. How can you explain that to a dog.

 

Rich (Gwiwer) the latest issue of the Gauge 0 guild feature an Australian themed 0 gauge layout which will be shown at Guildex. They claim it the the first Australian layout to be shown in the UK. I think you got there first!

 

Imogen has been pretty dreadful today. Marion had to go in for an urgent Fields of Vision Test today which meant we weren't getting blown away up on North Hill this morning. Just as well it can be hard to keep to your feet in lesser winds over Selworthy Beacon.

Don

[Happy Hippo]

I've seen pictures of the tram now, it was hit on a curve and derailed. It stayed upright.

 

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/14260515.Baby_injured_after_car_smashes_into_tram_in_town_centre/?ref=mr&lp=1

I see that it was yet another 'terrifying' incident.

 

Typical journalists of today.

 

:Looking at the footage, I imagine it was all over before anyone had a chance to be terrified.

 

Watching it a second time I allowed myself to become totally terrified, so I screamed, wept and eventually  managed to not only wet myself, but also managed  to foul my breeches..  I'll now need  extensive counselling to get over the total trauma this video clip has caused.

 

Do you thing I might be able to make a claim for my damaged feelings?

 

Edit:

 

'Do you thing'

 

That's how bad it was, I can't even spell straight anymore!

Edited February 8, 2016 by Happy Hippo

[Shedman5]

Afternoon, busy weekend with watching rugby, eldest son back for the weekend from Stockholm and lunch on Saturday with the youngest and his latest girlfriend .

Both sons in good spirits which was good news.

Also put the finishing touches ie hotel bookings for our forthcoming trip to California and even managed to get some time in the shed.

 

Meanwhile outside it has chucked it down as per usual, had hoped to get to the Stafford show but couldn't manage it which was a shame but never mind.

16.58 and it's still light! Things are looking up.

 

Enjoy your evening

 

Alan

[roundhouse]

Lots of trains cancelled tonight out of LBG especially on he South Eastern side but a fair few on Southern.

Luckily ours is running just two minutes late departing. It's wedged with refugees off other services as two later trains cancelled and I think there are a fair few going to Tonbridge this way round rather than on South Eastern.

Fingers crossed we are not delayed much more than a few minutes but at least we have a seat.

 

UPDATE

 

We were just a few minutes late into merstham where we bailed out as the two trains in front were showingon line as very late so we might have got held up trying to get into Redhill (Brighton line shut somewhere further south due to trees down). Waited five minutes for the bus and on time home.

Edited February 8, 2016 by roundhouse

[Tony_S]

Windy today

 

Tony