Dave Hunt

I did know a chap called Scruff Oliver but he was a Lightning and F4 pilot in the 70s so unless he changed over to rotary wing later on it can't be the same bloke. When was the one you knew at Brawdy?

The Scruff Oliver I knew was famous for the time he was flying a Lightning and working with one of the radar stations that Q kept operational. The controller was a female and when she said, "Be advised Firebird two you are entering my dark area, " replied, "Don't worry dear, I'll be gentle."

Dave   

Like Q most of the RAF stations I've spent time at are no more:

South Cerney - basic training - now I think an army camp.

Leeming - basic flying training - closed

Valley - advanced flying training and later air to air missile test unit - still open.

Chivenor - Hunter Operational Conversion Unit - now Royal Marines I think.

Tengah (Singapore) - now Singaporean Air Force.

Coningsby - lots of times on Phantom OCU, Squadron, Tornado F3 units various - still open

Coltishall - Lightning OCU - closed

Bruggen (Germany) strike attack Phantoms - closed

Wildenrath (Germany) air defence Phantoms - now a mixture of national park and Siemens test track

Brawdy - Hawk tactical weapons unit - closed

Akrotiri (Cyprus) - armament practice camps - still open

That's not including RAF stations I've been to on detachments such as Kinloss, Lossiemouth, Leuchars, Wittering, Cottesmore, St. Mawgan etc. , most of which are also now closed.

Other places I've worked at with the Americans and Italians and/or been to on detachmentius in all sorts of countries were not RAF stations so don't count.

A bit depressing really when I come to think of it.

Dave

Ah, TT week. When I was a nipper Mum, Dad, Mum's parents and I would go to Fraggle Rock every TT week and every GP week, staying in Douglas at the same hotel as the Dunlop and Ferodo race support teams so we could get into the pits with them during practice sessions. My Grandad knew the owner of the Creg-ny-Baa hotel so we could often get seats on the balcony there to watch the races and it was from there that I saw Bob McIntyre during his record breaking first 100 mph lap in 1957. He'd started behind John Surtees but after a couple of laps had caught him up and as they approached Creg-ny- Baa was right behind him. Surtees obviously realised that Mac was on the way to the record and just before the bend pulled over and waved him through; a sportsmanlike gesture that got him a standing ovation from the spectators.

Dave

Back in 1986/7 the Air Experience Flight at RAF Newton was short of pilots so several,of us from operational stations (I was stationed at Coningsby) would go on the odd weekend to help out flying the Chipmunks. When I went there, Jill would often drop me off then go shopping in Nottingham for a few hours before picking me up and we'd go to the Muston Gap for something to eat and drink on the way home. I know the bend referred to by Mike and John and can vouch for the fact that it is a trap for the unwary, particularly in the rain, and although I never got caught out there were more than a few who did.

Dave

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Not so very excessive since we know a Smith-Johnson compound can get into the nineties. Though yours, I think, is one of the second batch that already had the combined reverser, so possibly not. 

Even a real Smith-Johnson Compound would not survive going off the edge of a 120 foot high cliff at 120 mph though....

Dave

PS - yes mine is 2633 with the combined reverser

6 hours ago, Barry O said:

My late BiL was a Chief Tech (Engines) on....... He managed to work on Pemmies and a Devon at Wildenrath...

In that case I've flown in aircraft that he may have worked on - 60 Sqn Pembrokes and the Devon based at Wildenrath when I was on F4s at both Bruggen and Wildenrath 1970 - 74 and 1977 - 1980. Among other things they provided comms flight service and we used to be ferried around in them quite a bit.

Dave

4 hours ago, BR60103 said:

On the weekend I was dashing along the layout to get to the controller and was almost being outpaced by the train. I started to wonder how fast it was going.

Can I walk 4 mph? Take that and multiply by 40* and it's 160 mph.

Multiply by 76 and it becomes 304 smph.

Am I on the right track?

* close enough to O scale for mental math 

Seems right to me. I was once part of the team that exhibited Bob Essery's Dewsbury S7 layout and we did some timings of distance travelled to establish scale speeds. It was notable how slow most trains seemed to be when run at scale goods or ordinary passenger workings speeds and even expresses were only a fairly easy walking pace. Unsurprising I suppose as 2mph translates to 87 mph at 1:43.5. 

I had a heart stopping moment once when we were setting up and someone drove my newly built Compound pulling Ken Cottle's rake of clerestories at full tilt (which was well over 120 mph scale speed) out of the north fiddle yard before the south fiddle yard had been connected up and there was a yawning gap between it and the layout. I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life and just managed to push the two together before the train hurtled on to what had just been a short cut to the floor. Words were had!

Dave

Posted in error

6 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Be careful Dave. My sister (ex Air Traffic Control at Wittering) lives in Cottesmore.. she only liked Victors not Phantoms....

 

Baz

If she lives in Cottesmore though, Baz, she'll have been used to Tornados (even though they were GRs) so I could be OK.

I guess I ought to confess to Douglas that I'll be visiting Little Bytham as well and you can't get more Eastern Region than that.

Dave

Douglas,

I'll be in Oakham a week on Friday and will be doing some travelling along Rutland Water to Stamford so I'll keep a lookout for any Eastern Region branches I may have missed previously. The Midland evidence is much easier to find

Dave 

Thanks Stubby. They really are fantastic little bits of model engineering. I'd love to see them in action again.

Dave

It has been said that Ms Bernhardt was a great fan of the Midland and would insist on travelling on its trains wherever possible. What a sensible lady!

Dave

Ah,  yes, my forgettery has now got into gear and I can recall that the little locomotives were indeed meths fired. I was captivated by them. It would be nice to see them again. Does anyone know of any photographs that could be posted?

Dave

Well, there goes our outing to London for the reunion lunch we were going to a week on Friday. It was, of course, dependent on the restrictions being lifted. No complaints, though, as getting on top of the virus obviously overrides any social arrangements.

Talk of Fraggle Rock and it's railways reminds me that some years ago I saw at a couple of exhibitions a layout depicting the IoM steam railway that had small (4mm scale?) live steam models. I think that the steam was generated by electric current via the track but can't be sure. Does any other TNMer remember the layout? It was beautifully done as I recall.

Dave

57 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

When you are doing 'things', they also come to you. Our neighbour just asked if I would look at his extension cable as it wasn't working properly:

Are you sure it isn't his brain that isn't working properly Richard?

Dave

Ah just seen that Q beat me to it on that issue.

My bucket list has grown beyond the point where it is feasible that I can ever tick it all off. Hence the time has come for making a list of those things on the bucket list that can still be achieved without living to be the oldest man on earth. I call it the tin can list.

Another week begins with one of the lists I really hate - the list of niffnaff and trivia that I need to deal with before the important things of life, such as railway modelling can be attended to. 

Dave

We travelled on No. 6 two years ago as part of one of the great days out we had. Once the situation improves I hope that we will do it again. I think that the Rock's got it all - scenery, seaside, steam railway, vintage electric tramway. A beautiful place.

Dave

Neil,

The words lucky and sod come to mind. 

Wish I was there.

Dave

3 hours ago, Adam88 said:

 

That confused me twice over.  I was expecting to read horology but read homology, then I was expecting a mathematical reference so was confused by the biological context.  In fact one well-known fount of sometimes reliable information provides several other options for homology.

I thought that homology means a characteristic common to separate species, such as opposable thumbs in apes and humans or a liking for dark green things in GWR enthusiasts and hippos.

Dave

53 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

What I find as interesting is the companies in which it had an overt or covert financial interest, from the Forth Bridge Company to the M&SWJR and Hull & Barnsley, or an interestingly close working relationship - the two Scottish companies of course, but also the LC&DR and Brighton. And the whole web of relationships at the locomotive department level.

I am firmly convinced, as is David Pearson who has made a detailed study of the Midland's activities in Ireland, that the Company from the 1860s to the turn of the century had its sights set on becoming the London, Midland, Scottish and Irish Railway. It's courting of the G&SWR, efforts at the Irish Sea traffic, arrangements with the NBR all speak of trying to become the main player in Scotland. It is my opinion that its encouragement of the G&SWR to get into bed with the NBR was carefully designed so that were it successful in amalgamating with (or effectively taking over as far as the Derby board was concerned) the G&SWR it would then be in a very strong position north of the border. Its huge investment in the Forth Bridge I think can only be appreciated if it was part of that plan but unfortunately the reluctance of the Sou' West shareholders (who could probably see the makings of an English attempt at domination of Scottish lines) were reluctant to play ball and when Matthew Thompson died so did the grandiose plans.

The above is only a very sketchy description of what David and I surmise but without turning TNM into a long dissertation I think it gives a reasonable summary. Doubtless others will have different ideas.

Dave

PS - is it just me or do others get p!ssed off with the predictive text thingy often apostrophising words such as its and were ?

25 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

The town (now city) of Swansea had the GWR, MR, LNWR, R&SB and the Mumbles Railway all terminating within less than mile of each other. At the time the railways were built, Swansea was a relatively small town and to be served by so many companies was incredible.

I quite agree HH, Swansea must have been a great place for pre-grouping spotters (if there were such beings). Another place that would have been great to see in the 'old' days was Carlisle Citadel with no fewer than 250 (IIRC) trains from the Midland, G&SWR, L&NWR, Caledonian, NBR, NER and M&CR each weekday - colourful or what?

If I've missed any out I'm sure someone will soon put me right 

Dave