PatB

11 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

... the absence of the buckets, little cable car things that transported the spoil from the screens up the mountain to the tip.  

Not to mention unfortunate gangsters. Or was that a purely north-eastern thing . 

Which rather suggests that Elizondo has a bit of a vested interest in keeping the whole gravy train rolling. 

6 minutes ago, BernardTPM said:

Actually 1930s, but the sidecar probably wouldn't look that out of place in a 1950s setting.

 

 

My paternal grand parents that I never met.

I used to have a not dissimilar shot of my maternal grandparents. I'm pretty sure I've still got it, but it's "somewhere". Probably next to the photos I know I have of my paternal grandparents, father and aunt aboard the much more imposing outfit that my grandfather had c1950. A V-twin Matchless Model X with almost double adult sidecar (it was built to contain my grandmother and aunt, neither of whom were large), the body of which was built in the front bedroom of No 2 High Jobs Hill, Crook, and extracted via the window.

More prosaically, stuff like this would have been common in those pre-Mini days.

I know the Busmar ad is 1960s, but I'm pretty sure that egg shaped design had been around for a decade by then, though possibly with larger, spoked wheel.

11 hours ago, johnofwessex said:

 

I passed an AA box in Wales on holiday a few weeks ago

ISTR finding that the few remaining ones are listed structures.

21 hours ago, SRman said:

 

I used to dress like that in Queensland in the '70s. 

Many things were done in Queensland in the 70s that probably should be left there .

4 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

What idiot parked those Presflos so close on converging roads ??!?

Not to mention a set of sidings apparently divulging straight onto a running line. Totally unrealistic. 

22 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

Maybe things are a little different in WA?

Well his rather frequent visits seemed quite well received, to the extent that I started to wonder if we'd be continuing the Australian tradition of being a convenient hiding place for members of the British aristocracy too embarrassing to keep at home. 

On 50s Road vehicles in general, something often neglected on layouts (presumably due to a dearth of rtp models, is the utilitarian sidecar outfit. I'm aware it's possible to get AA/RAC combos, but the window cleaner's "float" or the massive, double adult saloon used as family transport, both attached to some wheezy sidevalve workhorse would have been relatively common. 

Given that the aforementioned AA outfits will provide a ready made BSA M21 "tug", and a sidecar chassis, much of the modelling work is already done. 1950s sidecar bodies, being made largely of plywood (oh yes they were; contrary to what the classic bike world would have us believe, elegant torpedo shaped Steibs were a rarity) , would not be a challenging scratchbuild in styrene sheet. 

1 hour ago, CameronL said:

Just reflecting the mood of the country at the moment. Perhaps other followers of this thread might like to suggest some challenges that a certain Prince-In-Self-Imposed-Exile might actually win in what would basically be a popularity contest with UK voters.

Ah, but you'd need to open it up to everyone with the British monarch as head of state, and the Aussies seem to rather like him, which might even things up a bit. 

6 hours ago, kevinlms said:

But the two brothers are NOT in line, they are separated by Prince William's 3 children (plus any more and any of their descendants), which is why Meghan has made such a dreadful mistake of thinking her husband, will one day be King.

 

There would need to be a series of major disasters in the line for that to occur.

 

Not that I think that Prince Charles, is as unpopular as he once was.

 

More gory details here.

https://www.royal.uk/succession

Nothing that can't be sorted out by traditional means. Or, in this day and age, perhaps by reality TV show, if we really want to give all that messy fratricide business a miss. 

5 minutes ago, DavidB-AU said:

Speaking of which, has anyone noticed that we have an ageing monarch, a rather unpopular heir to the throne, followed in line by two estranged brothers, one of whom is living in exile and attempting to build a following? And we've not had a decent war of succession for centuries. If the media play it right it'll be a licence to print money for decades. 

6 hours ago, 101 said:

 

 

I've often wondered why that thread is hidden away down there,  instead of being in the prototype forum 

I'd guess because it covers models as well. 

Finding out that an actress, who you considered an attractive older woman when you were 17, died 3 years ago at the age of 78.

Given that dining trains operate successfully and profitably elsewhere, I think we can safely assume that difficulties with the WSR operation are WSR specific rather than due to the inherent challenges and limitations of operating dining trains.

Given that centre throttle pedal arrangements were de rigeur on very sporting machinery in the 1920s and 30s, methinks the little Fordson had ideas well above its station.

I vaguely remember an article, in one of the classic bike mags in the mid 80s, about an aftermarket electrically operated front brake from the 1930s or 40s. Someone had found a NOS kit and, in the interests of research, had fitted it to his Model U (I think it was). It was, predictably, utterly dire but, IIRC, not really any worse than the standard unit.

There's an enormous 16T wagon thread somewhere on RMWeb with loads of photos, many from your era. It should be possible to track down enough info from there alone. Here's the link

On 18/06/2021 at 03:47, hexagon789 said:

Unfortunately not. The path next Thursday was simply if today's run had to be cancelled for an unforeseen reason, it's not a second attempt.

 

Avanti have said they will consider trying again next summer if the situation permits.

I take it they're having trouble finding a Triang motor bogie with the original 2-start worms . 

43 minutes ago, Rob T said:

Yes, the train lengths may have been rather short. Whilst I suspect the frequent tunnels on the lower level might have given the illusion of longer trains, there would be no hiding on the upper level.

 

@Joseph_Pestell I had totally forgotten about the restored carriage clubhouse, so much to enjoy in the article … I must source another copy (oh for the return of exhibitions).

Many of Freezer's rather appealing tailchaser designs assumed a maximum train length of 4 (or even 3) coaches, so the layout in question was not so very far from the norms of the time. 

16 minutes ago, lather said:

 

That poses an interesting legal question - If a driverless train hits a driverless car on an automatic crossing, who's to blame? 

The most junior and expendable engineer in each of the respective manufacturers. 

2 hours ago, Curlew said:

One idea not so far considered is that the Caledonian may have imposed the restriction itself.

They may, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a reason, unless the axle loading was something silly. After all, as long as loading gauge restrictions are met, one unfitted 4 wheel wagon, running at unfitted train speeds, is going to behave much like another, given reasonable bearings and maintenance. Given the Scottish penchant for antedeluvian mineral wagon designs, surely the Caley wouldn't have any practical running problems with a reasonably up to date implement wagon. 

32 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

In Railway Modeller for 1962 November, there are some drawings of GER wagons, drawn by Sir Eric.

The last one with the number 21647, a Portable Engine Wagon, carries the wording as per the title.

 

Any ideas of why the wagon would carry such a marking and why the Caledonian Railway is specified?

Maybe they had a reputation for not giving wagons back . 

More likely might be a loading gauge issue. Did parts of the Caley have particularly restrictive clearances that would be exceeded if the wagon was loaded with any of the portable engines manufactured in GER territory? If so, perhaps a blanket prohibition was the simplest means of dealing with the problem. 

On 10/06/2021 at 22:18, Aire Head said:

I will always remember driving up a long steep hill by me and witnessing 3 blokes in their 30s/40s clad head to toe in Lycra on proper road bikes being overtaken by a bloke in his 70s on a bike with a basket on the front.

I had a not dissimilar experience when toiling up our local railway trail; not especially steep, but a bit relentless. I'd just been overtaken by a group of riders on serious machinery, when we were all passed by what I can only describe as a handsome lady of late middle years, vigorously pedalling a sit up and beg roadster that was probably made for "The Empire" 30 years before I was born. Yes, it had a basket on the front. She breezed by with a cheery "Lovely day for it", in the sort of accent that has caused my memory to insist that she was clad in tweed twinset and green wellies, although this seems unlikely. Well, more unlikely than the rest of it anyway. 

Realistically, though, whilst still too frequent, fatal collisions with obstacles are, thankfully, quite rare events. As such, resources may be better spent on projects to improve road/rail separation (elimination of level crossings, basically), and improving crash worthiness of locos and stock. Indeed, in this day and age, how critical is it for the driver to be right at the pointy end? If looking at aircraft tech to improve driver safety, maybe the sort of VR gear that makes drones feasible would be a better option. Indeed, AIUI, driverless train technology is already able to achieve exactly this. 

2 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Foiled!

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-19/sa-church-of-the-flying-spaghetti-monster-proposal-rejected/100228038

Reading some of the reasons for rejection has bent the needle on my irony meter.