A Nod To Brent - a friendly thread, filled with frivolity, cream teas and pasties. Longing for the happy days in the South Hams 1947.

[Fair Oak Junction]

I'm not a fan of overhyped things in general, not just FS. And it's not like my opinion matters. People will still go to see it in droves 😉

I would argue Mallard SHOULD be the more famous and the bigger draw, but I don't think it even comes close to FS on terms of international fame and recognition.

FS still running around while Mallard is stuffed and mounted probably doesn't help in that regard.

Edit: Also I'm not having a go about people who like it, I just don't care about the engine itself. It makes people happy, fantastic!

Edited February 12 by Fair Oak Junction

[TrevorP1]

To me FS is the same as all the other historic engines we have - of whatever method of propulsion - and we should be glad of all of them. It's the hype that turns me off FS but if that hype brings the railway to folks attention then that's all to the good.

 

I was but a little nipper when I first saw Scotsman. It must have been in its very early preservation days. Dad took me down to to Southampton Central to see it come through on a special. As we waited, Southern TV arrived and set up their camera. There was no rugby maul in those days and when the reporter stood very near us nobody else jostled to get close. I think the reporter's name was Peter Wightman. As the train ran in he spoke, "I'm waiting for a ghost train..."

 

TV duly turned in to the next news programme and there we were on the TV. I was chuffed(!) to bits but these days I'd run a mile if a TV camera came near me!

 

[The Fatadder]

The q1 is probably my favourite southern design, just looks so ridiculous it’s hard not to love it.  
Wish some had been shedded in Exeter in 47 so I could justify one on the reciprocal route knowledge workings through Brent… 

[2ManySpams]

13 hours ago, John Besley said:

Did you salute 'Winston Churchill'

 

Was nowhere to be seen. The helper had no idea, just wanted to tell me where the FS was.

[2ManySpams]

1 hour ago, Tim Dubya said:

You can't have enough Charlies (although I think my great uncle Fred, fitter at Eastleigh, called them Coffeepots).

Same as Panniers, you should always have one more than you've got... although I'm struggling to place one on a ex LSWR branch in Devon/Cornwall but that's my problem 😬

 

 

4666 and 4694 (iirc) were shredded at Wadebridge and used on the Wadebridge to Bodmin services.

[2ManySpams]

1 hour ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

I'm not a fan of overhyped things in general, not just FS. And it's not like my opinion matters. People will still go to see it in droves 😉

I would argue Mallard SHOULD be the more famous and the bigger draw, but I don't think it even comes close to FS on terms of international fame and recognition.

FS still running around while Mallard is stuffed and mounted probably doesn't help in that regard.

Edit: Also I'm not having a go about people who like it, I just don't care about the engine itself. It makes people happy, fantastic!

 

My thoughts exactly. I'm not at all bothered if others want to put the FS on a pedestal but all the hype turns me right off. I'd actually rate a pannier tank as more iconic (what have I said). In my eyes there are better looking, better performing, more powerful, and faster locos that I would put ahead of it. Ditto, don't care about it but not bothered if others like it and it makes them happy. 

 

Stunning.

 

Iconic, particularly before the engine was silenced.

 

Brutish performance.

 

Simply the best.

[Tim Dubya]

8 minutes ago, 2ManySpams said:

 

4666 and 4694 (iirc) were shredded at Wadebridge and used on the Wadebridge to Bodmin services.

 

I was thinking of placing me Charlie's in D&C, but I thank you for the info on the Paneers 👍

I must admit to not knowing much about them, although I have both a 57XX & 8750 from Bachmann.

I think I might just squeeze a Charlie in on an engineers train (and pretend very, very hard).

😬

 

[2ManySpams]

33 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

The q1 is probably my favourite southern design, just looks so ridiculous it’s hard not to love it.  
Wish some had been shedded in Exeter in 47 so I could justify one on the reciprocal route knowledge workings through Brent… 

 

Have one anyway, you know it makes sense.

[Dunsignalling]

2 hours ago, Tim Dubya said:

You can't have enough Charlies (although I think my great uncle Fred, fitter at Eastleigh, called them Coffeepots).

Same as Panniers, you should always have one more than you've got... although I'm struggling to place one on a ex LSWR branch in Devon/Cornwall but that's my problem 😬

 

A branch is pushing things, but there was a weekly-as-required PW supply train from Redbridge to Exmouth Junction that often produced one. 

 

IIRC, it came down on the Sunday night with the return working Monday night. The odd borrow for a trip working in between is not inconceivable...😉

 

That aside, they were rarely seen West of Salisbury. Though they did get down the Dorset coast route fairly regularly. 

 

John

 

 

[Ian Hargrave]

On Summer Saturdays they could be seen working on WR to SR holiday passenger turns to & from Salisbury. I can remember 72B sending locos coupled together in strings to the station to await turns taking over from WR locos to Portsmouth,Bournemouth,Brighton etc. It might include Standard 76xxx,SR moguls,T9’s and Q1.

 

e

[KeithMacdonald]

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

The q1 is probably my favourite southern design, just looks so ridiculous it’s hard not to love it.  Wish some had been shedded in Exeter in 47 so I could justify one on the reciprocal route knowledge workings through Brent… 

 

Might one or two have "wandered" from Eastleigh?

[Miss Prism]

Pannier tanks on the Southern Region

 

[Dunsignalling]

2 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

Might one or two have "wandered" from Eastleigh?

I've always presumed the rarity of Q1 appearances on the steeply graded Western Section of the WoE main line reflected their dubious braking ability.

 

John

[Mallard60022]

2 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

I've always presumed the rarity of Q1 appearances on the steeply graded Western Section of the WoE main line reflected their dubious braking ability.

John

John, did that Q1 work to 72A with that Engineering working or come off at Yeovil? Or was it 'fantasy'? 

Phil

[7802]

4 hours ago, 2ManySpams said:

 

Was nowhere to be seen. The helper had no idea, just wanted to tell me where the FS was.

Winston Churchill was at NRM Shildon when I made a visit there last year. At least the can of processed meat that bears his name was anyway.

[Dunsignalling]

4 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

John, did that Q1 work to 72A with that Engineering working or come off at Yeovil? Or was it 'fantasy'? 

Phil

 

AFAIK it worked throughout, but normally under cover of darkness, and AIUI, it didn't always produce a Q1.

 

It ran way past my bedtime as a lad and I only remember seeing it twice. I was stopping in my Gran's spare bedroom which overlooked the line east of Castle Gates within binocular distance once with a Charlie (the first I saw) and once with a BR4 mogul.

 

John

Edited February 12 by Dunsignalling
Repetition!

[Siberian Snooper]

I saw the fs at Paignton in steam when it was there for a season in the 70s, the last time I saw it,it was a pile of bits at York. The trouble with all the hype, with fs, is the trespassing and people putting themselves in danger every time it goes out.

 

 

[Oldddudders]

I saw FS at KX in ordinary service. Just another ER Pacific at the time. 

[John Besley]

47 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

I saw the fs at Paignton in steam when it was there for a season in the 70s, the last time I saw it,it was a pile of bits at York. The trouble with all the hype, with fs, is the trespassing and people putting themselves in danger every time it goes out.

 

 

Yep we had 4472 at Paignton in August 73' ... crawled around it, cleaned it drive it, coaled it etc all at 14 years old I may add...

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

I'm not having a go about people who like it, I just don't care about the engine itself. It makes people happy, fantastic!

 

10 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

It's the hype that turns me off FS but if that hype brings the railway to folks attention then that's all to the good.

 

9 hours ago, 2ManySpams said:

I'm not at all bothered if others want to put the FS on a pedestal but all the hype turns me right off.

I don't disagree with any of that but I get concerned when folk turn dislike or indifference into something less palatable, such as Flying Scrapheap.

[Fair Oak Junction]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

I don't disagree with any of that but I get concerned when folk turn dislike or indifference into something less palatable, such as Flying Scrapheap.

 

The "Flying Scrapheap" nickname is something I've heard people use for a long time, and I don't see it as that much more insulting than many nicknames given to locomotives/classes.

Pretty sure some locos over the years have been given monikers that I'm not even allowed to type on here 😄

Edit: Also concern feels a bit strong, it's just a tongue in cheek way of describing a locomotive. Not like I'm actually calling for it to be scrapped 😉

Edited February 12 by Fair Oak Junction

[57xx]

11 hours ago, Tim Dubya said:

You can't have enough Charlie

 

Daniella Westbrook would beg to differ, she was particularly fond of it, didn't do her much good though.

 

As for Q1s, I've always thought they were great looking engines, quirky but great. When I was little and playing with my Dad's TT set, one of my favourite locos was the Merchant Navy, so the Q1 naturally fell in to the "like" pile.

Edited February 12 by 57xx

[MrWolf]

13 hours ago, Fair Oak Junction said:

 

The "Flying Scrapheap" nickname is something I've heard people use for a long time, and I don't see it as that much more insulting than many nicknames given to locomotives/classes.

Pretty sure some locos over the years have been given monikers that I'm not even allowed to type on here 😄

Edit: Also concern feels a bit strong, it's just a tongue in cheek way of describing a locomotive. Not like I'm actually calling for it to be scrapped 😉

 

"Flying Money pit" is the one I've heard the most. But any steam locomotive that is owned and operated by a single person or a small group will be. They were built and operated by big businesses.

 

My concern and the reason for giving FS the "Flying Backwards" moniker is that quite a few irreplaceable locomotives have been damaged when enthusiasm has overidden experience. Do we remember when 532 Blue Peter nearly got written off with smashed valve gear and twisted axles?

 

It's no surprise that the NRM doesn't let Mallard out to play anymore. Somebody might just try finding out how fast she really is. 

 

When Scotsman got into that collision I thought that's it, she won't be out anymore and it may well be the end of main line steam. It's bad enough that operators are now being forced to idiot proof the old carriages.

 

Lots of things have rather odd nicknames, it doesn't mean that they're disliked, have a look at military slang sometime.

A friend of mine has a veteran BSA sidecar combination which has always been known as "The Oil Monster" because of its total loss lubrication system. Another has a very rare Morris Marina Deluxe known as "The Marinator" because the paint colour is best described as chicken tikka.

Years ago I had a battered old 1959 Bedford pickup truck known as "The Nasty", the name actually came from when a pair of reprobates tried stealing my Hovawart* dog out of it and it didn't end too good for them. It retained the name even after a full chassis off restoration.

 

The Scotsman is a wonderful old piece of machinery, something that keeps steam locomotives in the minds of all those weird people who aren't interested railways, does anyone think that I haven't had any stick about my name over the years? 😄 

 

*Hovawart: From the old German for "Yard Watcher", a bear like breed of dog used by farmers to scare off wolves and intruders. Loyal, playful and generally laid back, but not something you would want to upset.

[Metropolitan H]

15 hours ago, John Besley said:

 

Yep we had 4472 at Paignton in August 73' ... crawled around it, cleaned it drive it, coaled it etc all at 14 years old I may add...

My one and only cab ride on FS was 20 + years earlier - in New England Loco yard spring 1953. Grandfather - Arthur Alexander Holmes - was a signalman at Westwood Box. He knew FS was on shed on the day he was off shift when we arrived from London - so Dad and me were immediately taken over the foot / vehicle bridge into New England Loco to meet FS and crew - friends of Grandfather (?) - who invited the three of us (plus my push-chair - folded) up into the cab for a short ride from under the coaling tower along two sides of the triangle before we got down.

 

Perhaps thats why I have always been a railway enthusiast?

 

Regards

Chris H

[Fair Oak Junction]

14 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

"Flying Money pit" is the one I've heard the most. But any steam locomotive that is owned and operated by a single person or a small group will be. They were built and operated by big businesses.

 

Yes, Flying Money Pit is another that has always given me a good chuckle. I tend to use Scrapheap just because it keeps the initials the same 😉

And yes you've nailed exactly what I think about these nicknames 👍

 

The Blue Peter incident is one of those that will always remain famous because it was so dramatic and most importantly captured for posterity, much like the FS carriage bang and 60009 tearing off the gangway at the ELR. Watching the video of it happening even all these years later is a hard watch, but remains a fascinating one. The volcanic eruption from the loco, the noise and knowing it is tearing itself apart. I can only imagine the scene on the footplate during and after.

Edited February 13 by Fair Oak Junction