wagonman

On the other hand...

Apropos the bagpipes, one definition of a Gentleman is 'someone who can play the bagpipes, but refrains from doing so'.

The wagon would appear to be on hire from the Birmingham wagon co and presumably built by them c1880 ±3 years. The Stafford Record Office has some records from that period – pity they're in lock down!

Ah, I see the Two Cultures are alive and well...

I do object to Smogg’s use of elaborate politeness to mask some seriously reactionary views. BTW there is more information on the family’s rise from the yeomanry to the minor gentry in Down and Warrington’s History of the Somerset Coalfield.

There was a comment on Twitter from the US observing that while the East Coast was in 2021, the West Coast was in 2020 – and the Mid-West was in the 1950s... HNY

I thought the GPO Telephone service was like Henry Ford: you could have any colour you liked as long as it was black.

Ah, the dear old Minstrel, often to be seen at Blakeney quay...

You know the way to a wagonman's heart!

David was a smashing bloke who I had the good fortune to know for over 40 years. Before the battle with cancer he had spent several years caring for his lovely wife Kay as she slowly and tragically succumbed to Alzheimers. In happier times, on one of my visits to Marden, I was treated to a ride in his drop head Austin 7 Pearl – rather more sedate than his usual style of Sweeney inspired driving! He was a stalwart member of the HMRS and the GWSG, and the possessor of an amazing collection of photos and GWR related material. He will be much missed.

Fake News. The Chinese did not offer to build HS2. We will just have to carry on watching the army of consultants and general hangers-on gold plating every specification as usual.

I remember seeing the DC3s parked at Rhoose – occasionally I'd see one bouncing along the grass – as I passed by on the train. Back in 1963-ish the airport terminal was little more than a collection of huts as I recall, but then so was the original Heathrow. On the subject of north-south connections in Wales, some people are talking of reopening the old M&M line from Carmarthen to Aberystwysth and the Afon Wen -Bangor line too. I can't see it being much quicker than the bus, frankly.

In essence anything that wasn't 16' 6" OH with 9' WB didn't adhere to the RCH 1923 specification.

I always associated the idea of "temporary gentleman" with WW1 infantry – they had by that stage more or less run out of the "real" thing. (my grandfather was one, receiving a field commission in 1917)

Don't lose any sleep over the Coopercraft kit, Mike, as it is inaccurate: it depicts a wagon 16' OH (to match their 4 plank wagon) but the 3 plankers were only 15' 6" OH. I suppose you could salvage the solebars if you chop a bit off the ends...

Mmm. Nice frock.

As the alternative would be dragging it out with a tractor and trailer – taking about ten times as long – it was a good idea...until some idiot cut the pier in half.

Nearer to home (Castle Aching that is) Cromer pier also had an altercation with a vessel with a chunk being taken out of the middle. This was doubly unfortunate as the lifeboat house was located at the seaward end of the pier.

So far as I have been able to discover, Marlborough College bought just four wagons, numbered 62-65, between 1905 and 1913. In 1948 they were paid £220.10s compensation by the BTC on the nationalisation of four wagons – it's tempting to assume the same four wagons but it would be an assumption. Other peculiar wagon numbering systems include a coal merchant in Weston super Mare whose only wagon was numbered 40, his age in the year he bought it. Several multiple wagon owners used numbering systems that progressed in increments of 3, 5 or even in one case (Phipps of Devizes) of 111.

It was a strange feeling walking into our local bank wearing a mask. The clerk was new as well...

To be fair, the Grauniad has improved on that score since they fired all the compositors...

Not any more. Now they're called Mail, Sun, Express, Borisgraph...

I still maintain that your view of Socialism – as opposed to Communism – is based on histories written by Capitalism. But as you say, we are disagreeing over nomenclature rather than substance. Anarchism? I was much taken with it during my school days – which didn't sit too well with the conservative/Anglican/public school ethos – but as Nearholmer says of Socialism, Anarchism "would work wonderfully, if it wasn’t for people."

You have a very narrow, almost Bolshevik, view of what constitutes Socialism. I would regard the Attlee government as very much a Socialist one. Imperfect no doubt but near enough. It created a new consensus, a new Social Contract if you like, that lasted until the 1970s – and is overdue a come-back.

I suspect that applies to a lot of things. Democracy for one...