Tiffy

 

 

Ready-to-run models of industrial locomotives are currently trending and modellers are looking toward modelling industrial environments so this ook is exteremely timely giving the guidance and inspiration to place these models in their natural, industrial environment.

 

Pratchett's librarian uncovered - it was Andy Y all the time!!

 

Possibly Paignton - although I can find photos of HSTs at Paignton, and pictures of the gates before the barriers were installed-  but not both together. YMMV.

Good luck . . .

A plane is flying form Japan to the US of A, carrying parts for Japanese cars, particularly gearbox components, when it explodes in mid-air, showering the countryside with its cargo.

A while later, a farmer walks into his farm-house looking the worse for wear - covered in cuts and bruises, and his wife says to him, "Whatever caused that?

He responds - "It's the damn weather - it seems to be raining Datsun Cogs!"

Altogether - GGGRROOOAAANNN!

 

 

 I occasionally used to listen to ATC (which somehow I could pick up on a regular, not airband, radio). It was...interesting...hearing how short the time between getting permission to land and the plane hitting the runway could be.

 

 

You don't need specialist equipment, or even a radio - whilst living in the Outer Hebrides, we would pick up the landing Hercules aircraft on the baby alarm - which was quite scary for my baby daughter.

It took a while for the first response - to the extent that I was beginning to think - Yes - it is me!

Arthur - Radio 4 is where I hear it most - so much for the BBC being a source of good English.

The temptation is to take out a needle and thread whenever anyone uses this conjunction - as if taking it as an instruction.

In the same way as back in my Army days, if anyone used the phrase "I turned round and said to him . . .. ", we would all get up and turn around - remarkable how soon the user stopped using the phrase.

Have I missed something up to now - or is this a relatively new phenomenon?

Every question asked by an interviewer on the radio seems to elicit a response which begins - "So...." in absolute disregard of what is to follow.

Surely it is poor grammatical practice to commence a sentence with a conjunction? I know we all have our pet foible (I keep mine under the sink in the kitchen and only take it out in the night when no-one is about!), but now that I have spotted it, it is driving me mad.

 I will apologise in advance if this brings to anyone's attention an annoying practice, which they might well have been unaware of - but now I have raised it - I bet you will spot it all the time.

I really must find more to occupy my time . . . . .  Maybe I could take up railway modelling!

Any other new foibles about?

How well I remember those peaceful periods of instruction and information on the drill square - especially pace stick drills

"If you don't sort yourself out, I shall stick my pace stick up your nose and twirl you round my head like a bloody football rattle!"

Hyperbole with a capital H for humour - but God help you if you were caught sniggering after hearing it!

This is my current ride - bought last year after a 15 year lay-off. I thought I 'd better have a final go before my body prevents me. I retire this year at 65, and am intending to spend a lot more time on it. My wife refers to it as the Flying Armchair, as it is so comfortable, but God help me if I drop it - takes a crane to stand it up again! Still gives a thrill despite my (reasonably) sedate riding style - i.e. never over 100mph when anyone is looking!

I miss those OU programmes when Men With Beards explained how a vector has direction and magnitude with a piece of string on a board, or rambled through conic sections with added algebra...

 

On the other hand, it wasn't to do with railways, but last night the BBC rebroadcast a programme about the 50th anniversary of the building of the first Severn road bridge in the Timeshift series, which I bumped into through exasperation with the "Election Debate", the tedium of Britain Has "Talent" and various other unmemorable stuff.  It celebrated engineering, it interviewed engineers and workers who were there, it showed how it was made, it had human interest by the Olympic Swimming Pool, it was gripping, informative television.  But because it didn't have thrills and teasing dramatic suspension, I'm sure it would be seen as dull and uninteresting.

 

I think the problem is that everything is now recorded in colour.  If everything was filmed in grainy black and white, it would all seem so much more authentic and authoritative.  I won't even comment on the mimsy narrators they employ nowadays.....

It was quite spooky in the early nineties to go to Open University summer school - and actually meet some of those weird beards from the seventies and eighties TV programmes - professional scholars who had never really worked outside of academia. Very clever - but somewhat cloistered.

Or back in the early eighties (1982?) - whilst doing an HTEC in Vehicle Engineering - we wanted to watch the Mary Rose being brought to the surface live. Our instructor, a dedicated scholarly ex-matelot officer, would only let us - if - we calculated all of the forces in the cradle being use to raise it. He had made some disparaging remarks about the design, and nearly wet himself with glee when part way through the lift, there was a lurch, and everything dropped slightly,

Scholars eh!

Tiffy out.

Can't work out how this will help me dry my hands.......

Maybe they expect you to wring it out, instead of wiping it off!!

A road labourer was working away in a hole in the road when a brand new Rolls Royce drew up alongside, stopped by traffic. He stood up in his hole  and, looking at the Roller, drew a long breath of admiration and addressed the driver.

 

'That's a lovely car you've got there, however did you manage to afford it?'

The driver. looked down his nose at the man in the hole, and announced loftily, with plenty of public school nasal twang: 'I work for Cunard you know!'

Mick shook his head, and with indignation retorted, 'I work f*kkin' 'ard an' all, but I'll still never be able to afford a car like that!''

With which the guy in the Rolls drove away.

As he got ready to drive away, a golf tee fell from the car - Mick picked it up and shouted out "Oi, what's this for?"

The driver replied, "It's what you rest your balls on when you drive off"

Mick responded, " 'Kin'ell, Rolls Royce think of everything don't they?"

Two old Indian Army officers relaxing in the mess one night over a chota peg or two.

"I say, did you hear about Tubby Jenkins?"

"You mean old Tubby Jenkins, late of the Kings Third?"

"Yes that's him. Apparently he was caught having sex with a goat"

"Male of female"

"Oh female of course - nothing strange about old Tubby!"

I am writing this form hospital - I was a bit daft yesterday, and accidentally ate a daffodil bulb, mistaking it for an onion.

I have to stay in hospital for a while, but the doctor said I should be out in the spring!

I don't really think so much of the current NFL overtime rules, because one team can lose without ever having a chance to possess the ball. There's still too much riding on the coin toss.

I would abolish OT in the regular season and accept that there would be a few more ties, and only go to sudden death in the playoffs once both teams have had a possession.

Long time Packers fan

For OT, I would like to see the coin toss abolished, as too much rests on it, and the team with the least fouls get automatic first try. Whilst no team would play to be the least foul!, it would at least reward cleaner and fairer play.

YMMV

Regards,

Tiffy

Not sure if this is of use, and apologies to any female grandparents being expected to slurp ovums (ova!) - in most of the MS packages, if you highlight the text concerned and then press Shift and F3 repeatedly, the highlighted text will toggle through - All upper case - All lower case - Sentence case - which may speed up your retyping.

I personally am grateful for spell checking, but it does not solve all of my sausage-fingers typing problems, which is why I often wish my colleagues Kind Retards when closing an e-mail, and have been known to work for Hampsh1te County Council on occasions!

Just been working through the various posts, and was amazed to see that there is a new major flow through Banbury - or at least that is what I assumed when I caught a reference to a 60 hauling tea tankers! Tetley must be on the up, or possibly its Yorkshire tea!

Now, if I can just find where the cider express or the pasty excursion trains are running, it'll be the Great Train Robbery all over again.

Isao Tomita (mentioned a few posts back)also did a version

 

I have all three variations.

Classical -Berlin Phil/Karajan

Electronic - Tomita

Rock - ELP

 

Keith

I have all of these plus a fourth variation by a German rock group named Mekong Delta.

With all of these differing styles, but of the same pieces of music, I wonder what Mussorgsky would have made of it, and which style he might have adopted - if he had the opportunities that musicians have today in electronic / computer / modern materials and instruments.

I think I prefer Tomita's version of Claire de Lune, to any other that I have heard, and often wonder whether Debussy would have done it like that if he had the opportunity.

Finally finished the inclined track into Platform 1. This is Mk3. The first one was too steep and the second was so shallow it was hardly noticeable! Platform 1 will sit just under a scale 4ft higher than everything else. Why? Because I like it, I just can't think of a single prototypical excuse.

 

What about Gospel Oak - adjacent separate platform for the Barking line, and a walk up the slope between the platforms for the North London  line and the Barking platform.

One of my few claims to fame is that one of my 1st year Physics courses was delivered by Professor "Rocky" Runcorn who was, I am led to believe, one of the main drivers of plate tectonics .

I'll bet he eats three Shredded Wheat for breakfast.

A young curate was apprenticed to an experienced vicar but finally it was time to progress beyond just helping, and fetching and carrying - it was time for his first solo Sermon. As Sunday approached the young curate became progressively more nervous and tongue tied at his rehearsals - even in an empty church - until he finally couldn't get a single word out.  But the old vicar had a solution - he told the young curate that just before his first sermon he took a few sips of whisky and it calmed his nerves. The young curate took this too much to heart and had a few glasses of whisky. The sermon went well, the congregation were hanging on his every word, and he didn't stop or even falter once. After the service the young curate asked the vicar how he had done - and the vicar had to admit his sermon was riveting. But just as the young curate was about to congratulate himself the vicar said "There was just one tiny technical error in your text - the Bible actually says that David slew Goliath - he didn't actually  smash his f****** head in".

The older Vicar also pointed out that David  slew 40 000 Phillistines with the jaw-bone of an ass; and not 40 000 silly swines with the ass-bone of a Jew.

In addition it is more common in the blessing to say "In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost" - and not "With big thanks to Big G, the late JC and Spooky"