wagonman

The exchange of the Read & Son wagon may well have been at Bristol as that would maximise MR mileage!

18 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That looks to be the answer!

 

 

I'm afraid I had already looked there - it discusses the ex-Midland carriages which, as I said, are well-documented, although I confess I had missed the mention of "almost identical 3rds bought new in 1896–8"; one of these electrically-lit thirds might be the carriage to the left of the brake compo as its roof seems to be devoid of the gas-lamp fittings one would expect to see on a Midland D490 at this date.

 

I have to confess that a bit more googling on my part has thrown some light on the brake compo. I found that Geoff Haynes had made a rather splendid model of it:

 

and also of an identical L&SWR carriage:

 

 

 

MSWJR no.26 was a one-off – the first of the 'modern' designs built (from memory) by Birmingham RC&W in 1896 presumably copying the LSWR design. Buying gas-lit stock from the MR was a retrograde move for an all-electric line!

17 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

As a Midlander, I do think the Heptarchy still has a lot going for it, so long as the overall suzerainty of Mercia is acknowledged.

I seem to remember it was Wessex that united England – apart from those bits where the Danes were squatting – and that speaking as a Londoner.

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

As in so many cases, there's a small claque trying to foment "culture wars" by getting publicity for their eccentric minority viewpoint - trying to create doubt about the mainstream, evidence-based consensus. Ideally, the best thing to do would to to deprive them of the oxygen of publicity by ignoring them - to entering into dialogue is fall straight into their trap. 

My immediate concern is to try to prevent their election to the NT Council next month. They can spout their reactionary nonsense as much as they like, but I don't want their feet under the table.

12 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

As for the rather concerning spat in the NT between the progressives and the rest of the trust, its possible to ignore it in most cases.

 

I hope you're not trying to paint the Restore Trust mob as progressives? Regressives more like… right wing culture warriors who I, for one. am desperate to keep off the NT Council at the forthcoming elections.

When I was a High School Governor, about 15 years ago, our budgets were sufficient to be able to keep the structure in repair ('60s built so rather naff), employ almost enough Classroom Assistants, and even start a Breakfast Club. Heady days.

3 hours ago, simonmcp said:

If the person I know who went to Eton was telling the truth - everyone who goes there is taught that they are superior to the rest of humanity and that, as an Etonian, they can exploit the rest of humanity for their own gain. Of course the man I met could have been lying.

I think something similar applies to all Public Schools though to a lesser degree than at Eton. Even at my own school, suitably venerable though otherwise very much of the second or third rank, we were informed in all seriousness that we were in the top 7% educationally. If so then God help the rest.

Floreat Etonas!

17 minutes ago, rocor said:

 

Membership of political parties is very much a minority activity in the UK, with no party reaching the half million mark in membership numbers.

While agreeing that membership of political parties is very much a minority thing – even in the heyday the Tories and Labour only had membership in the low million mark, not a patch on the National Trust – it's worth pointing out that the Labour Party had over 500,000 members when it was led by ... Jeremy Corbyn!

19 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

One has to continue to believe that reason and sanity will prevail. 

 

But perhaps that just marks me out as being as deluded, in my own way, as the Trump Base.

Reason and sanity were banished from our political discourse in 2016. I fear it will be a long time before it returns.

Rivet press?

5 hours ago, martinT said:

... failing that how about Larry? He's had more experience of working in No.10 than most of the shower we've suffered & as far as I know has never put a paw wrong.

 

Martin

Campaign merchandise ready to roll...

2 hours ago, rocor said:

 

Sophy Ridge

Victoria Derbyshire

James Naughtie

James Webb

Nicky Cambell

Andrew Marr

 

These presenters have all made what was possibly a Freudian slip, regarding the new Chancellors name, while broadcasting on air.

I usually just refer to him as *unt. It is an indication of just how low this country has sunk when *unt is regarded as the only adult in the (cabinet) room and thus our saviour...

5 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

A handful certainly were taken into that M ( for Miscellaneous ? ) 360000 series - together with a number of other oddballs that became available at that time ..... but I doubt if they were the only P.O. roadstone wagons running at the time.

The 'M' obviously stood for 'Midland' as it always did. The numbers taken into BR stock were more than a handful – though obviously a fraction of those originally built some 20-30 years previously. I do not know how BR proposed to handle tarred roadstone traffic in the early '50s as it is well outside my period of research, but given the nature of the cargo it would need a dedicated fleet of wagons if carried by rail, which is why they were non-pool in the first place. I am not aware of any such wagons continuing in service in private ownership, but as I said outside my are of research.

Ask David Larkin!

On 03/10/2022 at 15:16, Cwmtwrch said:

Various specialist wagons, such as tarmac opens and doorless tipplers owned by steel companies were also never owned by BR.

Not entirely true as the roadstone wagons were taken into BR stock in 1950-1 and numbered in the M36xxxx series.

On 02/10/2022 at 17:38, CKPR said:

I still can't get over the fact one of her daughters is called Liberty

Clearly Faith, Hope, and Charity were no longer options...

PS: notice the use of an Oxford comma, just to annoy Coffey. 

According to the 1912 Kelly's Directory the only coal merchant in Lavenham was Gayford & Kendall who, so far as I know, didn't't have any wagons. Likely suppliers, given the location, were J O Vinter of Cambridge or William Booth of Ipswich, plus of course Moy who had a base in Colchester as well as at Peterborough. Alas I don't think POWsides do either Vinter or Booth.

Here is an A G Thomas sketch:

In some towns early closing was on Wednesday. In much of rural Germany, shops still close early on Saturdays – and all day Sundays. On the Norfolk coast most shops are open 7 days a week!

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

with a view to taking up looking after rescue cats - a noble occupation of which I know at least some readers will fully approve.

My friend George would definitely approve...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Archer are going out of business...

https://www.archertransfers.com

On 27/08/2022 at 14:40, Edwardian said:

 

I remain of the view that neither are ideal; leading to a futile tug of war that has done nothing but harm to this country.

 

It is precisely their respective links that make the two main parties part of the problem. Stating one interest group is not so bad as, or more to your taste than, the other is no answer. 

Class War is an enduring reality, like it or not, and at the moment the 'wrong' class is winning, and has been since 1979.

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

 

So, a time when there was Labour influence and not Conservative. Not sure how that makes things better from the impartiality standpoint.

 

 

I'm sure she'd be delighted to learn that.

 

My error. Ms Grey is actually a recent appointment – to represent Scotland (I was under the impression she had been appointed during the Cameron regime...)

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

 

Not sure Len McCluskey got that memo

Len who? Sharon Graham is Gen Sec of Unite.

10 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Which is why the Labour Party can never be a truly national progressive party; it's the political wing of the Trades Union movement. Only by trying to deny that or weaken that by turns have leaders on its right come close to making it electable.

Clearly it no longer is the political wing of the TU movement – that ended with the abolition of the Block Vote, and the disaffiliation of most of the unions.

I do worry about the concept of 'electable'. It usually means 'acceptable to the Establishment and unlikely to rock the boat' – Tory Party B Team.

That unimpeachably Conservative commentator Peter Oborne has frequently defended Corbyn as a decent man vilely traduced by ... just about everybody. His 'electability' was demonstrated in 2017.

10 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

And for balance, as David Dimbleby pointed out this morning in reference to Maitliss's reference to Robbie Gibb, Muriel Grey, an avowed Labour supporter, is also on the BBC Board.  

 

 

The appointment of James Purnell, an exLabour MP, to the BBC Board was recently blocked by the non-execs fearful of the reaction of Johnson's so-called government. Grey has been there since before the present regime so is not strictly relevant.

12 hours ago, drmditch said:

 

Is anyone aware of a suitable alternative title for the 'Mail'?

 

Another name for the Mail is/was "The Forgers' Gazette" – harking back to Zinoviev and Red Robbo among others, though they left the Hitler Diaries to the Sunday Times.

12 hours ago, Schooner said:

I'm about to say something incredibly stupid...

 

...but...

 

...what happened to voting for the candidate we think best able to represent us in Parliament?

It got screwed by First Past The Post, as did the rest of the so-called democratic process.