2750Papyrus

When I was in the Senior Scouts, patrols were named after British heroes, presumably to inspire us.  My patrol was named after Sir Francis Drake.  Our shoulder patches were red and gold (for blood and treasure) and we kept our possessions in a locked box with a fretwork representation of the Golden Hind on the lid. Our rivals were named after Reginald Mitchell. 

Though Drake had many faults and there may be current doubts regarding his suitability as a role model, I still find his exploits such as the circumnavigation and Cadiz to be remarkable.

So for me it has to be Franky. 

19 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

It really isn't like that and in general I'd say do be sceptical but don't be cynical. The people who want you to believe that everthing in the mass media is a lie are the very people who want to lie to you and not be called out for lying. 

There are media outlets- in Britain certain newspapers mostly- that set out to support a particular political standpoint. Elsewhere Fox News disgusts me and is about as unbiased as a North Korean state news agency but most of the mass media is staffed by people who want to get at the truth. There's no grand conspiracy in the mainstream media to keep the public ignorant. If there was, there would be umpteen programmes and well researched articles exposing it.

 

I made factual programmes for the BBC for twenty years and also worked in newsrooms. There was no pressure to tell a story a certain way to give a particular impression but there was pressure to get to the truth. What does tend to happen, particularly in news where time is always too short, is that once an expert has been found who is willing to appear, doesn't appear to have an axe to grind and doesn't fall apart on camera,  they tend to get a bit overused.

Do we not live in a post-truth society, where news is a mixture of facts, factoids and emotion?

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Some interesting books for me to review in BRM this month...................

 

 

 

Sadly, Vic Mitchell has recently died.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My credit card is relieved that there is nothing LNER related!

4 hours ago, great northern said:

Was there ever a locomotive called Incorrigible?  If so, did they have you in mind?

How about a poll for names which could have been carried by a genuine locomotive class?  (There was something like this for Westerns some time ago.)  Incorrigible could have been a Jubilee or Warship.

In my head there lurks a Southern layout.  Obviously, the Southern would have built more large express locos so my top link would be Lord Hornblower, Sir Richard Bolitho, Lord Ramage, Aubrey-Maturin and (mixing genres), Sir Hubert Guest.

There has been a continual shortage of flu vaccine in our area.  I'm over 70 and attended a walk-in session in October.  Over 60's were supposed to be eligible from 1st December but there is none available and no information as to any future supply.   

2 hours ago, jcm@gwr said:

 

There are a couple of things that I can think of, that are better when pert!

Oops, you caught me thinking about the girl from Cheltenham......

At one time, I was employed as a PERT Engineer.  Formally, the acronym stood for Project Evaluation and Review Technique, and was reputedly pioneered on the USN Polaris programme.  Informally, its critics claimed it stood for Persistent Evasion of the Real Truth.

More than 50 years ago, I went out and corresponded with a girl who attended a prestigious ladies college. 

So for me, Cheltenham brings back fond memories. 

I have always thought Excalibur somehow captured the romance and excitement of the Arthurian legend.

I have always thought Excalibur somehow captured the romance and excitement of the Arthurian legend.

My LNER 4 wheel brake coach from Derails cleared house quarantine this morning and looks good.  An excellent rendition of teak; the lining is neat and the fact that it does not follow the panelling in not too obvious from normal viewing distance.  I have assembled kits of several GN coaches from 3D, Mousa etc and an ECJS clerestory dining car.  They are good models of authentic prototypes, but take me a long time to build and my painting and lining is clumsy and tar-brush compared with Hornby.  

I have watched several videos of the 6 wheelers but none have really tested their running and track-holding ability on complex trackwork.  Has anybody experience of this yet?

City of Salford, where I gained my degree in a converted Brylcreem factory.

I will choose Illustrious also.

A famous warship name, I wonder why it was given to a Patriot when other warship names were bestowed on Jubilees?  Was it a former Claughton name?

I have to confess to owning a model of Leander, but primarily because Mrs 2750 was fed up with looking at green and black engines.

Though not a Jubilee fan, I am interested in naval history and the class does commemorate some famous warships and admirals.  My vote goes for Shovell (Sir Cloudesley), perhaps less well celebrated than those who fought in the Elizabethan or Napoleonic wars and now possibly best known for his loss in the Association shipwreck in the Scilly Isles.

Not a great fan of the Jubilees but will vote for Udaipur as I doubt anyone else will!

I think we have now run out of LNER names

How about the Sentinel steam railcars?  A good eclectic mix, maybe requiring a little research for some?

I suspect that, in the light of favourable comment regarding the A2s, Hornby decided on an updated A1/3 ready for the upcoming centenary but have yet to finalise the specification.

No problem with being whimsical today.  Tempted by Wandering Willie (I have a dear old friend to whom this might apply) but I think Jingling Geordie has to take it.

8 minutes ago, chris p bacon said:

 

Judean peoples front ? 

And the occasional anarchist!

The Scott names are whimsical, but I have to vote for Somme, in remembrance of all who suffered and died there.  May we never see the like again.

I suspect many are uncomfortable with this naming theme.  Personally, I understand that certain animals are pests and have to be controlled, but I would prefer that to be by the most humane means possible.  On Saturday I had to remove a dead mouse from a trap and felt full of remorse, though for some time it had at night been scratching in the loft immediately above our bed.

Irrespective of any such qualms, the naming of these locomotives is a historical fact and the use of similar names for warships also goes back many years.  My choice of favourite name is The Pytchley, 62750, after my Trix Twin 4-4-0 of that name. With pocket money of 6d per week, it took many weeks of saving plus birthday and Christmas money to amass the necessary £5-17-6d.  

 Aged maybe 8 or 9, I knew that BR had added 60,000 to LNER numbers and somehow dreamed it was the loco featured in 2750 Legend of a Locomotive, which I had borrowed from the library.

Stoke was an excellent layout for travelling back in time and just "watching the trains go by".  In doing so, it provided almost continuous movement for children and the casual visitor, and also a good mix of train types and locomotives.   There are many branch line layouts which are beautifully modelled but where the daily train service could be counted on one's fingers.  I can enjoy watching the fill-in shunting movements on such layouts but only if the movement is prototypical and not just moving wagons up and down for the sake of it (and the illusion is spoiled by the arrival of the great hand from the sky to poke stalled locos and to fish for 3 link couplings!). 

I think what I like is a combination of both, which probably means a station on a continuous main line.  This provides both (hopefully interesting) passing trains and also purposeful shunting and light engine movements.  These are probably the layouts I enjoy most at exhibitions and try to emulate at home.  A mix of nostalgia, relaxation and stimulation?

I find the comments of use of coaches interesting.  There are many sources of information on the design, construction and operation of locomotives and an increasing number on goods vehicles.  There are some good books on coach design but very little on the "why" and "how" of passenger train and vehicle operation (Steve Banks excluded).  The operation of Carlisle will be interesting!

In the first lockdown, you could walk down the middle of the main road into the village it was so quiet.  This time, there is no discernible reduction in traffic from normal.  Additionally, there is no obvious age-group predominating: there are as many or more middle aged lady drivers and passengers as young men. 

I am afraid that many of the population are fed up with lockdown or believe we should let the virus run its course.  

Another for Bedfordshire

3 hours ago, adrianmc said:

I see that the next London Festival of Railway Modelling at Alexandra Palace is now publicised to be held in March 2022 -  the19th & 20th to be exact.

 

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/information/the-london-festival-of-railway-modelling

 

 

Let's hope we can all attend it safely.