New Haven Neil

Thanks Mike - I appreciate you have customer confidentiality to consider. Interesting loco though, bottom half looks like the huge Bagnall Standard 18" aka Victor and Vulcan. Perhaps if the owner is reading he or she may care to enlighten me? A Hunslet response to the design maybe...I'm intrigued.

We're between cats at the moment, but next door both ways have several we can borrow. This morning though, Bertie is trapped. It's chucking it down and he obviously had a kip on our waiting room bench and he seriously dislikes getting his paws wet, so he's stuck there for now!

Morning, from a rather soggy 17c rock - it persisteth down, and has done since yesterday lunchtime. Next door's cat Bertie is sitting in the dry on the waiting room bench under the awning, obviously stuck there until it dries up! OF's bike club day declared to be OF's Gophers Cafe in the car day. Again. So much for August. Little else planned for the day, I think I'll leave the car in Ramsey this afternoon and ride the 1440 train to Douglas to meet Debs from work, and ride back together on the 1610 before we have a romantic carry-out Chinese in the car overlooking the harbour! Given the hydraulic nature of the weather I doubt the train will be one of the more interesting cars, just a winter salon as they are the backbone of the fleet. Modern you know, 1899. I particularly dislike 21 at the moment, it carries the 'austerity' green and white livery of early (Manx) nationalisation, accurate but dreary.

This one, Mike.

Morn....ah. Up at sparrows to take Mrs NHN to work en route to having the transmission serviced on my car - all good thankfully, just fluid and filter change, no bad omens! Back home now to remember i was supposed to go to the orange store on my way. Pah. It also persisteth down, so no playing out. Pah once more.

Ah, mark 2 with the kink in the rear downtubes. Geek, me?

Deepest condolences, @tigerburnie. Sheesh....rotten news.

No sign of that 'intriguing' saddletank on the test track.....still have an idea what it is, but not sure! ;-)

This made me think about how I manage OK, and then a light clicked on. I cut the curved section of the Setrack points back quite a lot, 3 or 4 sleeper lengths if I recall correctly, to reduce the amount of curve on the diverging line. This has enabled the use of Panniers (I have Lionheart, Dapol and Minerva examples) with very few issues.

A friend who worked for the 'Big Railway' moved to York in the late 70's early 80's (age clouds the exact year) for promotion (civil engineer) and bough a quite grand 1930's house down there. It had the most superb panelling in the hallway and stairs, bearing a distinct varnished teak look. Turns out the house had belonged to a senior person from York carriage works.....but yes, no doubt someone has painted it by now. My friend 'did well' and had to move to London. Something to do with Kings Cross. Poly, my metric tools wouldn't fit that Norvin, and no doubt it sounds like a bag of them anyway. One of the things that puts me off old Britbikes, valvegear that sounds like the oft quoted Hesketh issue - two skeletons copulating in a dustbin. Cam quietening ramps hadn't been invented. Morning! 19c and not looking too bad. Unlike stupid me, who got up early to take my car in for a transmission service ('sealed for life' auto transmission fluid isn't a good idea IMHO, and you CAN change it!) and then noticed my watch was showing the wrong date - the car is due in tomorrow. Pah! As Mrs NHN is home today having had a hip bursa injection yesterday I will no doubt 'come in useful' while she takes it easy. We only have one decent hip joint between us.

Morning, from a very stiff and achey NHN - too much wood splitting yesterday afternoon I fear. Washing first then a walk to the shop to un-seize myself, then who knows, maybe some M word. Then off out later to meet Mrs NHN from work for chippy tea all the way down south to Port Erin, together with our Belgian friend. Apparently it is a Belgian trait to be late for everything so we have to tell him any arranged time -30 minutes! Nice bloke though, very laid back, shame he rides a Harley.

My training as an engineer did involve some.......large pistons. well they made hard seats so I presume thats what they are.

We scattered my old Dad's ashes at sea, between the entrance to the piers in South Shields (they are a mile long). We, ah, 'rented' ahem, the Pilot boat for an hour - old pals act. I understood at the time it was technically illegal, not sure why. The Harbourmaster appeared to look the other way, and there were three pilots in the street where I grew up (it's, or was, a family job, most being from the Purvis family).

Yes, that's Foxdale with the scissors. The station building is still extant. My first job on the rock was as Sub-Postmaster in Foxdale - miserable up there in winter, it's high! It isn't exactly my favourite place on the island.

'tis us!

Talking of slaves, I have just washed up.... Still rather overcast and windy but 18c isn't too bad. Wood splitting this afternoon I think, more slave labour duties. I like to be a warm slave in the winter!

Yes, most (but not all!) of the staff are very enthusiastic and proud of the railways, and of course their Manx heritage. I have a couple of friends there, and they work there because they really want to, also Andrew Scarffe who is a driver, is also a driving force in the voluntary support movement and is behind many books on the railway and a total fount of knowledge for anything MER. He's driving 14 in this photo. Debs shares office space with the PWay manager and the rolling stock manager in particular, she reports he often has amusing telephone calls with suppliers. Sort of go.....yes, 500V....yes DC.....no, not recently....actually 1893...no 18, not 1993......yes really.....no, daily use......not preserved, just still in use......and so on!

Indeed! That's a cracking photo of 3 down the Ramsey quayside, very rare to see a shot there, especially as it is right down at the bottom - they tend to be up at the top end just after passing over Bowring Road. Thanks for the link. The track is no longer appalling though. Mrs NHN shares office space with the head of PWay, he seems to do a good job!

That's one of the 6 original 1893 trailers too, Dave, allowed out on high days and holidays. We do like sitting at 'The Little Shed' at Dhoon, it is a little sun trap and much improved eats over the previous proprietors. In the past I would have been at Groudle Glen in an operational role on a gala day, so although I miss doing that I do now get the opportunity to see other things!

Morning, 12c and dull again. I have a list.....so better get on with it!

Amongst other things today, it has been the mini-transport festival, so of course the handy to us MER was in fine form, with 8 different car sets in constant action on the 17 mile line. We were in our fave little trackside cafe for an hour so saw a few grind by, including numbers 1 and 2, from 1893. Car 14 is a rare cop too, doesn't often run as she is hand braked only.

Evening orl. Well, Mrs NHN was leading for three quarters of the round.....she was tiring though towards the end and was beaten by the best archer of the group, but was second close behind. The miserable git was second last....11 shooting. He trotted out a lot of excuses. Happy Mrs NHN, which as we know, means happy wife, happy life. This morning we spent an hour or so sitting in our favourite trackside cafe, as it was a mini transport weekend and the Manx Electric had 8 different car sets out, including 1 and 2, 1893 originals, and 14 which I had not seen in electric previously, this is an open car with 'ratchet' brakes (like a traditional tram) and no air brake. They only let the good guys drive it! Photos have appeared elsewhere on social meeja. F1 was interesting, and shook the tree a bit, and some surprises fell out as a result. I'm a bit gutted have to wait about 3 weeks or so for the new bike, demand exceeding expectations apparently.

Morning. 19c so a bit better, dry but overcast, the overcast may make archery difficult with lack of contrast for both aim and spotting (my job) in the trees and dense undergrowth gloom in the glen. The moaner is coming along today so there will be a bit of a grudge going on! Supportive thoughts for Tiggy and family and congrats to the Abels. NHN could have had another hour or two abed this morning, Mrs NHN reporting the same, we did a lot of general running around yesterday, I actually made the mythical 10k steps target with the resultant hip and foot pain. An easy morning then, followed by a picnic lunch handily adjacent to a railway station, then to archery we will go.

Morning, touch dull here, outside 16c and dull too. Orders are not yet issued, there is confusion as to what the day will bring due to conflict of The Big Show aka the Southern Agricultural Show which we would normally go to, but suspect the traffic will be horrendous - new venue, small lane, whole island population likely to be there - and other needs of the domestic variety. Lack of sun and a rather stiff wind has kyboshed the planned kayaking. Pah, as the saying goes.

IIRC Brazil is 5 foot too? Not too big a job to re-gauge inwards for standard though, just axles really on a job like that, plenty space in the US loading gauge!