Wright writes.....

[grob1234]

12 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Losing one's temper with a model?

 

There is a bedroom wall in a semi-detached house in Stafford, which, when examined centuries later by archaeologists, will reveal the outline of a K's O4 chassis embedded in the plaster. They'll have to scrape away the Polyfilla to reveal it, but it'll be there, complete with four circles describing the drivers. 

 

I hurled it at that wall with such force, that it stuck there, momentarily held by its crankpins on one side. It even had an imprint of the K's Mk.1 motor. It then fell to the floor, before I heaved it out of the window (it was summer) in utter contempt. So, in a garden in Fernwood (hopefully buried), just off the Stone Road, it might still be there! 

 

I did eventually build the body/tender of that ancient O4 (50-odd years ago), but nothing mechanically about it was K's. At least I learned a lesson that day (other than that my actions were hardly 'grown up'); that being to never again use any K's wheels or motors! 

Would make a good time-team special. They could geo phys (whatever that is) the front garden to unearth the mysterious little train. Bonus points if they connect the hole in the wall with the model. Then they could link it to some ritual practise millennial man had, whereas they’ll never know that the bloody thing simply didn’t work properly!

 

 

[FarrMan]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

If there's one thing I miss about my years in teaching (apart from the holidays) is my access to fully-equipped metal and wood workshops. Anyway, I doubt if such facilities exist today in schools.

As a techy teacher (in the Scottish sense, i.e. wood, metal and plastic work, as well as electronics, pneumatics, etc) I fully agree. One school that I was supply teaching in for a while even had a milling machine. My wife's sewing machine had a broken part that was difficult to source, so I managed to make a new one of fairly complicated shape from a block of aluminium, all at no cost to me! That would have been nearly thirty years ago now, and I think it has now lasted longer than the original part!

 

Lloyd

[FarrMan]

13 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

It was Rich,

 

Digging out the pictures of those toys I'm reminded of the (groan-inducing) description of them.......

 

I made a wooden engine, a wooden carriage and a wooden wagon. I put them all together, but they wooden go! 

 

Apologies; I wonder if the moderators will remove this post............ In the interests of good taste. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

It may be groan inducing, but gets my prize (virtual, not real!) for funniest comment on WW this year, despite many other very amusing comments.

 

Lloyd

[Tony Wright]

More on wooden toys..........

 

Though neither of our lads had a Brio railway, they had a (cheaper, probably) plastic thing, with a battery-operated loco and several carriages/trucks. To make it 'more realistic', I made these for it.........

 

 

Though the plastic railway was given away years ago, they decided to retain these wooden models (though they've left them at home!). 

 

They've also left the larger wooden train models here (if they ever have children of their own, then, maybe, they'll disappear..........). 

 

 

 

Thomas and two other wagons were joint presents, and both the lads had hours of fun with this set (when friends of theirs visit, who have children, then these toys are brought out every time).

 

The point is, they were made to be used, and if the odd dent/chip/knock occurs, then that's the smallest price to pay. They've certainly never lived in display cases.

 

I enjoyed making them, free from the restraints of 'accuracy'. Pupils I taught enjoyed making their own as well. It was a particular popular activity at this time of year, especially among those with younger siblings. A 'personal' present has so much more about it. Just as something one's made oneself has, even though it might be 'inferior' to what one can buy ready-made. 

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, FarrMan said:

As a techy teacher (in the Scottish sense, i.e. wood, metal and plastic work, as well as electronics, pneumatics, etc) I fully agree. One school that I was supply teaching in for a while even had a milling machine. My wife's sewing machine had a broken part that was difficult to source, so I managed to make a new one of fairly complicated shape from a block of aluminium, all at no cost to me! That would have been nearly thirty years ago now, and I think it has now lasted longer than the original part!

 

Lloyd

 

Plastic work was seen as the future when I went to secondary school in the early 1980s. I was watching an episode of the panel show "Would I Lie To You?" a while ago and Lee Mack made a keyring almost exactly the same as the one I made!

 

It was virtually just sticking two pieces of Perspex of different colours together and shaping it to a template. Then drilling the hole for the ring. Then you could engrave something on it.

 

 

There was still drills, lathes and milling machines, but they were hardly used.

 

 

Jason

[t-b-g]

I wonder what anybody unfamiliar with the content of Wright Writes is thinking if they look in for the first time to see a selection of carefully crafted, home made, push along wooden trains?

 

It is as if we have slipped into a parallel universe where finescale modelling somehow never caught on.

[D-A-T]

Continuing the thread drift I wonder (worry) at children no longer being exposed to Woodwork, Metalwork etc in schools.

 

I did my O level Metalwork in 1981, 1 of only 6 in a big Comprehensive, as most others did the new, trendy CDT. I do wonder if H&S has a lot to do with it? 15 and 16 year olds in a workshop with lathes, milling machines, forge, foundry and brazing hearth. I loved it but I’ve a feeling the risk would be too much today in our litigious society?

[polybear]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

If there's one thing I miss about my years in teaching (apart from the holidays) is my access to fully-equipped metal and wood workshops. Anyway, I doubt if such facilities exist today in schools.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

I read a trade building magazine some months ago that had an excellent editorial (how I wish I'd kept a copy) - the writer discussed that the lack of such facilities in schools in recent years meant that very few kids were now experiencing the joys of hands-on skills (I suspect the nearest that most will experience now will be 3d printing etc.) and as a consequence few were choosing to enter the building trades - carpentry, plumbing, plastering etc.  As a result there is apparently an increasing lack of many skills.

[Northmoor]

7 minutes ago, D-A-T said:

Continuing the thread drift I wonder (worry) at children no longer being exposed to Woodwork, Metalwork etc in schools.

 

I did my O level Metalwork in 1981, 1 of only 6 in a big Comprehensive, as most others did the new, trendy CDT. I do wonder if H&S has a lot to do with it? 15 and 16 year olds in a workshop with lathes, milling machines, forge, foundry and brazing hearth. I loved it but I’ve a feeling the risk would be too much today in our litigious society?

H&S fears are often suggested as the reason for the loss of those facilities, but I strongly suspect the DofEd wanted to free up time in a crowded curriculum and resources from teaching children skills that the vast majority would never use.  After all by the early 1980s, what proportion of 16 year-olds were going to go off into heavy engineering firms, compared to the numbers who might start needing to use computers?  Computer Studies was a new subject in the early 80s but to fit into the timetable, it had to replace something. 

It's the same reason why only (some) private schools still teach Latin; it's irrelevant to the vast majority of young people unless you're expecting to  go into Law, perhaps medicine at a senior level or aspire to be Jacob Rees-Mogg.  Anyone in the latter category should obviously be diverted to some sort of secure institution.

[Steamport Southport]

5 minutes ago, D-A-T said:

Continuing the thread drift I wonder (worry) at children no longer being exposed to Woodwork, Metalwork etc in schools.

 

I did my O level Metalwork in 1981, 1 of only 6 in a big Comprehensive, as most others did the new, trendy CDT. I do wonder if H&S has a lot to do with it? 15 and 16 year olds in a workshop with lathes, milling machines, forge, foundry and brazing hearth. I loved it but I’ve a feeling the risk would be too much today in our litigious society?

 

I think it was realisation that most of those jobs were no longer available. Why have one man turning items when a machine can do hundreds of them in the same time?

 

There was the old joke that if you wanted a welder then go to Birkenhead as there were thousands being taught on YTS schemes in Cammell Laird. Yet no jobs for them after finishing.

 

 

Jason

[Tony Wright]

9 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

H&S fears are often suggested as the reason for the loss of those facilities, but I strongly suspect the DofEd wanted to free up time in a crowded curriculum and resources from teaching children skills that the vast majority would never use.  After all by the early 1980s, what proportion of 16 year-olds were going to go off into heavy engineering firms, compared to the numbers who might start needing to use computers?  Computer Studies was a new subject in the early 80s but to fit into the timetable, it had to replace something. 

It's the same reason why only (some) private schools still teach Latin; it's irrelevant to the vast majority of young people unless you're expecting to  go into Law, perhaps medicine at a senior level or aspire to be Jacob Rees-Mogg.  Anyone in the latter category should obviously be diverted to some sort of secure institution.

Let's not let Wright writes get into politics, please. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by Tony Wright
to add something

[drmditch]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Let's not let Wright writes get into politics, please. 

I do agree.

(I would say 'Hear Hear' but perhaps that might be overly political in a parliamentary mode.)

Of course we should avoid 2020s politics.

But what about 1920s politics?

     Railway Nationalisation vs Railway Grouping

     Sir Eric Geddes 

     The Eight Hour working day

     Mr Lloyd George (but perhaps best avoided.)

 

Sir Frederick Banbury obviously thought so regarding what became B3 6167.

Can anyone think of another set of nameplates that were removed (1923) but remained hidden for so long (1963) ?

Was there a secret body of LG admirers in Top Shed?

Or perhaps was someone just being careful in case LG managed to make a comeback?

 

I should say that despite LG being quite repulsive in many regards (treatment of women, sale of peerages etc) , I do say 'Thank you Mr Lloyd George' every four weeks when my State Pension enters my Bank Account.

Edited December 22, 2022 by drmditch

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

There was the old joke that if you wanted a welder then go to Birkenhead as there were thousands being taught on YTS schemes in Cammell Laird. Yet no jobs for them after finishing.

 

Skilled (coded) Welders can practically name their own price now........

[Bernard Lamb]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Skilled (coded) Welders can practically name their own price now........

Seeing as part of my job was testing them, I wonder if it is worth coming out of retirement.😀

I can remember a time when welders from the North East were living in a caravan in the factory car park as there were no jobs locally. They were working on semi automatic welding machines. One day I noticed that a person was doing some hand welding behind a screen. I thought I better check who it was and what he was doing. I waited until he had stopped and then went round the screen. You have done welding before I said. I had been listening to how he was working. He then told me that he used to work on crane masts but the firm closed. He had come south to find a job and as he could weld he was recovering rejected items from the machine. He was soon found a job where his skills could be better used.

Bernard

[MJI]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

It's the same reason why only (some) private schools still teach Latin; it's irrelevant to the vast majority of young people

 

I am of the opinion they are teaching it wrong, you do not need to be able to read it or speak it.

 

What you need is to understand the context of it with modern languages.

 

I reckon one term of it like that would be usefull with English lessions. And how to find a source so you can for example understand plant names.

 

That is it, no need to waffle on in it.

 

 

[LNER4479]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Let's not let Wright writes get into politics, please. 

Shh!! Don't tell my mother I'm in politics - she thinks I play piano in a whore house.

[D-A-T]

Oldie but goodie 🤣

[bbishop]

4 hours ago, MJI said:

 

I am of the opinion they are teaching it wrong, you do not need to be able to read it or speak it.

 

What you need is to understand the context of it with modern languages.

 

I reckon one term of it like that would be usefull with English lessions. And how to find a source so you can for example understand plant names.

 

That is it, no need to waffle on in it.

 

 

Totally agree with you.  My first year of Latin taught me English grammar.  What the English masters were doing I know not.  A fourth term left me utterly bored so I negotiated with the master that my time would be better spent doing extra Maths. He agreed!  In the year end exams, I came 1st in Maths and amazingly wasn't last in Latin. 

 

We did an hour of "Crafts" a week.  Which meant woodwork, so I am still putting those skills to use 60 years later.  Bill

Edited December 22, 2022 by bbishop

[APOLLO]

Latin lesson !!

 

 

Brit15

[Bernard Lamb]

Further to my last post.

I attended various welding courses at The Welding Institue.

Practical courses were at Abington near Cambridge and theoretical work was done at the facility in Kensington.

Some of these courses were a bit on the heavy side and I did not approach them in a good frame of mind, but I always felt better when I looked at the board with the names of past presidents of the institue and saw the name Bulleid.

I did have some experience of the ultrasonic welding of plastic. It was going to be the great way forward with car bodies made from a series of smallish parts. The last I heard it was being used to stick glazing into model coaches. The original idea was to be able to weld the top onto a container that housed explosives.

Bernard

[john new]

7 hours ago, Northmoor said:

H&S fears are often suggested as the reason for the loss of those facilities, but I strongly suspect the DofEd wanted to free up time in a crowded curriculum and resources from teaching children skills that the vast majority would never use.  After all by the early 1980s, what proportion of 16 year-olds were going to go off into heavy engineering firms, compared to the numbers who might start needing to use computers?  Computer Studies was a new subject in the early 80s but to fit into the timetable, it had to replace something. 

It's the same reason why only (some) private schools still teach Latin; it's irrelevant to the vast majority of young people unless you're expecting to  go into Law, perhaps medicine at a senior level or aspire to be Jacob Rees-Mogg.  Anyone in the latter category should obviously be diverted to some sort of secure institution.

So many changes and life skills not taught in schools. I went to a boys only school (Hampshire in the 60s was not co-ed) and we did metal and woodwork, art and pottery. On the other hand due to embedded sexism in the curriculum of the day we got no tuition in cooking, why - useful for single adult men post school and anyone thinking of the catering trade as chefs. Nor were we taught shorthand and typing which despite the fact that in that era most secretaries were female would have been something which when I went into clerical work after A levels would have been useful to me. (I took typing at night school in my own time later as I was supervising typists but never quite mastered touch typing).

 

Not sure of the year but in the mid 60s some education high up (Presumably at national level) set up what our school called the 'Newsom Groups' where the beginnings of skills used in the building trades were taught. (Edit: It was 1963 - see link)

 

I guess some of the crafts we learnt then are useless today for most workplaces but would be useful household skills - replacement of pottery, woodwork and metalwork with computer skills makes sense given the post-1980s world but the concept of the Newsom Groups is as valid for many upper secondary school age kids as it was in the 1960s. Shorthand would still be useful for anyone needing to take notes in meetings as would touch typing (for either sex). A QWERTY keyboard is a QWERTY keyboard whether working an analogue or digital machine. Art - design may be with IT software today but many, many, jobs exist that need design skills. Drama is another one being run down - but a basic element for business presentations, several roles in the legal profession etc., so why is it so decried?

 

It isn't really about party politics but presumably about how the Westminster policy groups, of a social collective that many members of were not brought up outside the white collar classes, just don't get that many people are not gifted for working in offices and the like but have a bent that suits manual work.

 

Not a rant against education just an observation on how during my lifetime since leaving school/FE College in 1970 the world has changed so much. My father died 50 years ago tomorrow, he was an Art School lecturer, almost every traditional printing skill he taught when I was growing up has gone from the mainstream, but what I absorbed from him on typesetting styles etc., remains valid albeit using software not whitemetal type and engraved blocks. I cringe at a lot of modern printed works where the basics are just not present.

 

The proverb of babies and bathwater comes to mind.

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by john new
Corrected Newsom's name and added the link.

[FarrMan]

6 hours ago, D-A-T said:

Continuing the thread drift I wonder (worry) at children no longer being exposed to Woodwork, Metalwork etc in schools.

 

I did my O level Metalwork in 1981, 1 of only 6 in a big Comprehensive, as most others did the new, trendy CDT. I do wonder if H&S has a lot to do with it? 15 and 16 year olds in a workshop with lathes, milling machines, forge, foundry and brazing hearth. I loved it but I’ve a feeling the risk would be too much today in our litigious society?

The various reasons suggested so far probably all contributed to the reduction in craft skills being taught. I remember when doing my teacher training about 30 years ago now (as a mature student), our lecturer telling us about casting steel mouldings in sand, which used to be taught in Scottish schools. On one occasion he had prepared the mould for the class to watch as he poured the molten steel into it. Unfortunately, there was too much water in the sand, and the molten steel shot back out of the mould, fortunately over the heads of the pupils watching! Imagine the horrors of the H&S folk at that these days, or the parents! Forge work was still taught in secondary schools when I spent my fairly brief spell in teaching, though there were very few problems with it, except in one school in Ayrshire. In six weeks, six pupils managed to burn their hands. I could understand it if their bit of steel was hot but still grey, but when it is cherry red!!!

 

Lloyd

[stewartingram]

11 hours ago, MikeTrice said:

Bet that was hard to solder!

Not if you use nails and solder them together!

[Tony Wright]

6 hours ago, t-b-g said:

I wonder what anybody unfamiliar with the content of Wright Writes is thinking if they look in for the first time to see a selection of carefully crafted, home made, push along wooden trains?

 

It is as if we have slipped into a parallel universe where finescale modelling somehow never caught on.

Good evening Tony,

 

I wonder if anyone is looking at Wright writes for the first time? If so, perhaps they'd like to comment.

 

I don't think 'finescale' modelling ever caught on with me, parallel universe or not. With regard to that, I've dug out some pictures of some models I was building for myself when I was making those wooden toys for our lads. The pictures are from more recent times, but the models are into their 5th decade now (or just about)...........

 

 

Prior to DJH bringing out their 'revolutionary'A1 kit, I produced models of the class by modifying Wills A2s (extended smokebox turned from copper central heating pipe, scratch-built central footplate and chassis, using Jamieson valve gear/cylinders). This was the last from that source, three others having long since gone. 

 

 

A Jamieson V2 towing a Nu-Cast GS tender with flared coping.

 

 

What I did was to switch the tenders with this Nu-Cast O2/3 I was building at the same time. Five-pole open-framed motors were the choice of the day! This has a scratch-built chassis - I could never get white metal lumps to work. 

 

 

Another Nu-Cast loco on a scratch-built chassis - this B16/3. 

 

 

And, yet another Nu-Cast loco - this time a V2, again on a scratch-built set of frames.

 

 

A scratch-built K4, seen after I'd repaired it two years ago.

 

 

And a Jamieson B1. 

 

 

Finally, a Jamieson hand-cut A2/1 from the late-'70s. Well, mostly from the '70s - its tender is more recent, the original not having any rivets.

 

Apart from the V2s (which have had replacement motors/gearboxes), these are rarely used (just living in boxes/drawers). 60508 does see the occasional run, though I should replace its open-framed motor with a current can-motor/gearbox. 

 

At least everything about them is my work.

 

See what I mean about my lack of association with 'finescale' modelling, though, I suppose, in their day? 

 

There were many others from this period or just before; scratch-built A1/1, A2/2, A2/3, K1, K1/1and so on, but those have long since been sold-on.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[t-b-g]

3 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good evening Tony,

 

I wonder if anyone is looking at Wright writes for the first time? If so, perhaps they'd like to comment.

 

I don't think 'finescale' modelling ever caught on with me, parallel universe or not. With regard to that, I've dug out some pictures of some models I was building for myself when I was making those wooden toys for our lads. The pictures are from more recent times, but the models are into their 5th decade now (or just about)...........

 

 

Prior to DJH bringing out their 'revolutionary'A1 kit, I produced models of the class by modifying Wills A2s (extended smokebox turned from copper central heating pipe, scratch-built central footplate and chassis, using Jamieson valve gear/cylinders). This was the last from that source, three others having long since gone. 

 

 

A Jamieson V2 towing a Nu-Cast GS tender with flared coping.

 

 

What I did was to switch the tenders with this Nu-Cast O2/3 I was building at the same time. Five-pole open-framed motors were the choice of the day! This has a scratch-built chassis - I could never get white metal lumps to work. 

 

 

Another Nu-Cast loco on a scratch-built chassis - this B16/3. 

 

 

And, yet another Nu-Cast loco - this time a V2, again on a scratch-built set of frames.

 

 

A scratch-built K4, seen after I'd repaired it two years ago.

 

 

And a Jamieson B1. 

 

 

Finally, a Jamieson hand-cut A2/1 from the late-'70s. Well, mostly from the '70s - its tender is more recent, the original not having any rivets.

 

Apart from the V2s (which have had replacement motors/gearboxes), these are rarely used (just living in boxes/drawers). 60508 does see the occasional run, though I should replace its open-framed motor with a current can-motor/gearbox. 

 

At least everything about them is my work.

 

See what I mean about my lack of association with 'finescale' modelling, though, I suppose, in their day? 

 

There were many others from this period or just before; scratch-built A1/1, A2/2, A2/3, K1, K1/1and so on, but those have long since been sold-on.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all have our own ideas about what constitutes finescale modelling and there will never be a definition that everybody agrees with.

 

What I was building 45 years ago I wouldn't call finescale but I would like to think that I have moved on and that what I am doing now is.