unclebobkt

Ah so - just like the GWR. has been doing for all of these years - as well as keeping the valve-gear tucked away neatly 'tween. the frames..

During my life-time I have been involve in several presentations both to the paying and to the non-paying publics. Surely it's LESS a matter of 'Luck.' and MORE a matter of thorough and professional preparation.

Further to the general conversations about 'Weathering.', quite by chance - as one writes - I was reading the Airfix Model World. issue for September 2017, #82., ((price GBP.04.50.), and espied a short article concerning weathering, with an introductory few words abut how accurate weathering was becoming more important in many modelers' minds, and referred us to the following, (Spanish.), website: >> www.migjimenez.com << Usual disclaimer, of course.

I remember a comment attributed to Sir Felix Pole - last chairman of the GWR. - who said that he was thankful that he was going blind and thus he would be spared the sight of a 'King.' class painted in BR's blue livery.

Quite clearly I remember seeing a photo. of a broad gauge & GWR. loco. backing-down into Paddington train-shed with some half-a-dozen or so urchins perched on it all ready to give it a final polish before it hauled its train on its journey westwards I think that the steam-dome was covered in sacking so as to preserve its shine until the very last moment.

I write availing of a very amnesic memory as we are going back to the fairly early days of WW2.. Our prep. school was evacuated from Bognor Regis, (Sx.), to near Truro, in Cornwall. Back then the pre-war editions of GWR. themed books for 'Boys of all ages.', issued by the GWR. Publicity Dept., were still available from the WH. Smith's bookstall at Exeter. In one of those books - probably the one dealing with the '10.30. Limited.' - were drawings of the slip-coach couplings together with how the slip-coach's Guard operated the mechanisms and brought the coach to a stop just where it needed to be. Memory suggests that for 'Slipping.' the optimum speed of the main part of the train was 60MPH., (?), and based on that figure there were line-side boards to shew the Guards when to operate the slipping mechanism. Maybe these books, or their later re-prints, are available from 2nd, hand book shops etc. etc.? E&OE..

During WW2. the school was evacuated from BOGNOR REGIS, (Sx.), to CORNWALL - in fact near TRURO. We used to play a variant of the above called 'Hot Rice.', (I don't know why that name.),. The batsman used a cricket-stump to defend the single wicket & himself from a cricket-ball that could be bowled, chucked. hurled, thrown etc. etc. from any position from where the ball happened to be fielded. Getting 'OUT.' was either because the single stump was hit or one was caught full toss. Ah - those were the days.

Reminds me of a story that I read about Prince Henry, Duke of Glos., ( a younger son of KGV. & of QM.),. One fine day, at equitation, HRH. had the misfortune to fall-off his horse. Whereupon the Riding Master bawled-out: 'Mr. Prince Henry, Sir - who gave you permission to dismount?'.

Agreed - very good. But one small point, if I may, shouldn't there be a check-rail on the inner radius of that curve?

As an interesting aside - well, to some of us - many of the navigational stars have Arabic names, thanks to the Arabic/Moorish interests in Astrology, Astronomy and naval navigation..

Reportedly Cradock said that he wished to die on either the hunting field or on the battlefield. His wish was granted at Coronel on 01 Nov. '14.. May he and all of his sailors rest in peace.

Before typing the word 'Pathetic.' I was careful to verify its meaning in my Hamlyn's Family Encyclopedia. A suicidal mission, which Esmonde recognised that it would be.

Quite correct. II availed of search-engine Google! for confirmation, and this is what I found: HMS. Invincible, 8x12". main armament - sunk by SMS. Lutzow & Derfflinger, 8x12". main armament; HMS. Indefatigable, same as Invincible - sunk by SMS. Von der Tann, 8x11". main armament. HMS. Queen Mary, 8x13.5". main armament - sunk by SMS. Derfflinger. Little wonder that after the action Adml. Beatty,, Adml. 5BCS., reportedly said: "There seems to be something wrong with our bl**dy ships today."., before lapsing into an exhausted sleep. The three chief British faults were - Faulty AP. fuzes - the Germans' were much better - so much so that after the battle the British Admiralty were compelled to copy them with greatly improved results; Sacrificing safety in the magazines and in the hoists for a supposed INCREASE in the speed of firing; Fitting and using the 'Dreyer.' prediction system instead of the more expensive but much better 'Pollen.' predictor & plotting table. After the war the Admiralty relented, fitted the 'Pollen.' system and gave the inventor a fairly generous payment for copyright errors. Not often that Their Lordships were so generous.

That joke amongst the crews of the obsolescent Fairy Swordfish torpedo-bombers, which, fully laden could just about stagger along at 100kts. under ideal flying conditions, was that to hit them the Boche had to aim astern! Just how often were flying conditions ideal?. Torpedo-bombers were sitting ducks when it came time to launch their torpedoes, having to fly on a constant course, at a constant speed and at a constant height, (the anti aircraft 'Balance of time.'), to allow their torpedoes to be launched under their most favourable conditions to ensure that they stood a reasonable chance of hitting their targets. Read about the 'Channel dash.' and the pathetic effort made by Cdr. Esmonde RN. and his three Swordfish to sink either the KM. Gnaisenau or the Scharnhorst in Feb. '42.. Alas a far cry from the Swordfish's success at Taranto in Nov. '40..

Surely the main point to remember, which Beatty forgot at Jutland, is that the so-called Battlecruisers were NOT Battleships and were not designed to enter the line of Battleships and to take-on enemy Battleships - they were highly specialised cruisers designed for scouting and for reporting back to the main battle-fleet the enemy's courses & speeds. True they had large calibre guns and high speeds, but both were incorporated to get them OUT of trouble as fast as possible, should that be necessary.

Possibly a couple of years ago now - more or less - Stationmaster answered my question about this model's location by stating that it had been moved north to York. If I remember aright, and when on display in Paddington Station, one could put a shilling in the slot provided and an electric motor would rotate the coupled wheels and the inside motion would function. Wasn't that model built by a South African admirer of KGV.? .

Hroth, From your list of fixtures & fittings you have omitted the Smith's 'Jackall.' system, and also the three forward gears' 'box.. Agree with you - that's 100%. for sure - about those wipers.

If I remember aright on the GWR. on the driver's, or RIGHT hand, side if the coupling rods were to be at 12 o'clock then on the fireman' s, or LEFT hand side, the coupling rods would be at 3 o'clock - the opposite way to the other three. major railways' systems . Or, to put it another way, on the GWR. it was the RIGHT hand side that was the leading side, whereas elsewhere the leading side was on the LEFT when moving ahead. Typical GWR. idiosyncrasy!

I believe that the SR. tried out a Berkeley stoker in one of Mr. O. Bulleid's 'Spam cans.'. That stoker, too, used to suffer from jams. The answer, as far as the SR. was concerned, was found to be in the size of the lumps of coal loaded into the tender - smaller sized lumps didn't jam, but it was labour-intensive to sort the smaller lumps from the larger. Could it be that the British railways were more constrained for space than the American railroads, and thus the former's curves were of a tighter radius which might have affected the stoker's ability to keep the flow of coal moving?

Alas - I had only my Vest-Pocket Kodak camera - my first camera with three time-stops and maybe four or five aperture settings, taking B&W. photos.. No photocell to set the best combination of speed & shutter, just a cardboard device with a couple of discs for types of sky & types of scene - the answers appeared in a couple of windows. Yes - a heavy-handed driver with either a 'Castle.' or a 'King.' could wind it and run-out of steam, a decided weakness of both classes. Fortunately most of the GWR. drivers were more careful of their charges.

How prototypical! In the real world of 12ins.:1ft. it's v. unlikely that one would see a surer-footed 'Castle.' misbehaving like that.

Oh dear! Only parcels are 'tied up.' - ships are moored. Being ultra-pedantic, if I may, the only 'boats.' of which I'm aware are 'Flying boats.', Life-boats, rowing boats, ships' boats in a general sense, (Admiral's 'barges..', launches and suchlike.), & submarines.

If II remember aright didn't the Prioress speak 'after the scole of Stratford atte Bow; for Frensshe of Parys was to her unknowe.'. I' sure that there might well be those here who know where Stratford atte Bow is?

But don't modern grammarians consider that the a/m. book might be a touch out-of-date by today's standards of correct grammar? I fear lest that might be so.