Swissrail

Another Scottish Parliament reminicence. During a committee meeting I once heard the Savile Row suited owner of a venture capitalist company that owned a string of "care homes" in Edinburgh describe them as "profit centres" which would be "liquidated" if they failed to turn a profit above a particular threshold. The fact that they contained vulnerable human beings was of no concern to this man. I truly hope that there is a cold and dark corner of hell waiting for that black-souled creature for whom money was the only consideration in life.

I very much doubt it. The 14th edition from 1968 is available for a great deal less: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155339265581?hash=item242af1162d:g:jmcAAOSw2cBjsxLw&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsNxDABZShv%2BpaJXC6%2B%2FfcffyFXwPOtw3SR33OWjQ21gYy2ZfAR%2FNbLOooHyLkrB8ccwXEBWdVMY0TTewqPytfLlaw%2FS64hwhQs9SM9apBodNbjkVfYNISTchzOatTx5dzWJU6Ixt2hVnMbaFLodyT5LRlsNotCum2Wb0%2FV%2FyUtLz6h347i7hRgEU7g%2BD5km3wafYDWdlJp3aoVVHdDuO8pusQZMslm%2BxgCRuIh343zwE|tkp%3ABk9SR_yVspjGYQ

Indeed. If it's not pointless verbiage, it's equally pointless and intrusive music. Anything but silence, because in the silences, people might actually think, and we can't have that!

I sometimes wonder why everyone these days feels the need to have this kind of trite and meaningless twaddle attached to their name. Then I remember that in the days when Councils and organisations actually did what they were paid to do they didn't need any of these ridiculous sayings, they just got on with it. Now that they are cut to the bone and can't do anything either properly or even at all, they try to kid us on that they're "fully focused" on fulfilling their obligations by stating what they're doing, rather than actually doing it. I worked at the Scottish Parliament for ten years and I saw first hand that politicians really do believe that talking about problems is the same as solving them, particularly if you can come up with a snazzy policy title to fool people into thinking there's any substance to all the hot air they've been expelling.

Lumped in with that kind of euphemistic nonsense is the corporate mission statement or company slogan. Stuff like the Police's "Keeping People Safe". That should be self-evident so if they feel the need to overtly state it, it's probably not true. And then there's the crass and meaningless jargonistic policy title like this one, again from the Police: The term "Vision Zero" being a classic example of the genre. It's another illustration of something that wouldn't need to be stated if it was actually being done. You can just see and hear the focus group coming up with that sh!t and then congratulating themselves for their ingenuity and relevant thinking.

That's just WRONG! It's a function of there being a complete lack of original thinking in the TV and movie industries. There was a proposal a few years ago to remake Casablanca. That's more than wrong, it's blasphemous! Perfection cannot be improved upon and presumably no one wanted to be the man whose name would live in infamy for trying so it never came to anything.

Exactly! People nowadays feel the word 'secondhand' sounds a bit tawdry because it's beneath most of us (we're all snobs these days) to admit we bought something that wasn't new.

As the journalist Ruth Wishart once pointed out, " euphemisms and jargon are fundamentally the language of deceit".

Our local signalman let me and my pal pull levers at Stewarton station in Ayrshire. My claim to fame is having cleared the line for the up Thames-Clyde Express one day in the summer of 1969. I remember it was a green Peak and the train had one or two maroon coaches in it together with a Stove R at the end. Marvellous!

The lettering on the coach says 'Southern' and yet the desription gives the livery as LNER. It looks as though someone had a couple of spare transfers and didn't want to waste them.

Good God man, you're joking! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373096182408?hash=item56de43f288:g:vgMAAOSwClhe91PH

Not railway related but good luck selling this, a) at that insane price and b) in today's politically correct climate. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363860142619?hash=item54b7c12a1b:g:muAAAOSwlL5imMpf They could also stand next to these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363919065174?hash=item54bb444056:g:dDwAAOSwzg5i25DD

Although it would be even safer if you cut the wires inside the casing just to be sure no one tried to plug it in somewhere.

WOW! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333336561274?hash=item4d9c68467a:g:1xUAAOSwY8ZdhiVc I know Gauge 1 stuff is pricey but £6,500 for five imperfect second hand coaches? I note the description includes the following: "Due to value, I would ask you to pay for this item by Bank transfer or if buying internationally by IBAN transfer. " I think you'll find that value and price are two different things. Then there's this potential death trap going for stupid money: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363741934301?hash=item54b0b572dd:g:MEEAAOSwbEFiFLYC £175 for something that is essentialy useless aside possibly from its curiosity value to someone with more money than sense.

Here's another Triang freelance electric for sale by Go$tude for an even higher price: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374096075264?epid=1673592247&hash=item5719dd1a00:g:c7wAAOSwbSZijmDS Strange thing is that this listing and the previous one selling for £280 are both using photos of the same loco...the one with the broken pantograph!

Trying to sell something in that condition is pure avarice and is based on the idea that if someone's "mug enough" to buy it then they'll happily take the cash. It may be "good business" but it's very dodgy ethics. If that Blue Pullman is worth anything, it's a fiver at a swapmeet, if that.

Also what is it with Go$tude's obsession with calling things "kit-built" if they have so much as been within a foot of a paintbrush at some point in their existence? He specialises in oxymorons such as: Bachmann kit built, Hornby kit built, etc., etc. and I actually messaged him recently on Ebay to ask what was kit built about a Wrenn Pullman car that had had its roof repainted. He didn't respond. I've also noticed that quite a few of his items are listed more than once...sometimes a lot more than once which tends to suggest he's not got much of an idea of what he has and that implies he's had a good deal of it for a very long time. Not surprising really when you see the state and the prices of some of it.

How much?! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334696652576?epid=1673592247&hash=item4ded799f20:g:iyMAAOSwrcpju9FZ 280 quid for something that is freelance and... BOXED VERY GOOD USED This locomotive has not had a lot of use. There are some light marks. One pantograph is broken and one headlamp is a little intermittent in operation, so needs to be re set with the pins. This version dates from around 1961 production with the Triang Railways spaced far apart on the sides and working headlamps. So that's alright then. It's old, has working headlamps and is therefore worth a king's ransom.

Now who in their right mind is going to want buy these...at any price? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363496163171?hash=item54a20f4763:g:rncAAOSwqT1hDQTo or these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333731137666?hash=item4db3ed0882:g:rgoAAOSwyR5fazGT

A few years ago I got a Lima SBB Gottardo six car electric multiple unit on Ebay for less than half that. Sounds a lot until you realise it was one of the sets that had been completely rebuilt by Hui Modellbau in Switzerland with a brand new machined brass power car chassis powered by a coreless motor driving all six axles, skirts over the bogies added but with the bogies' top edges cut down so that they would still swivel, fully painted and lit interiors, window blinds, new flexible corridor connections, full repaint, passengers and new pantographs. It's a beauty and rivals the Lematec brass one in terms of how it looks and for about £3,000 less.

That review had me rolling around the floor in such paroxysms of hysterical laughter my wife thought I was having a seizure!

More church jumble sale items which are clearly worth a fortune because they were "made in the late 1950's or early 1960's" https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373825974074?hash=item5709c3af3a:g:wTsAAOSwNgJht271 Where's he picking up all this guff? Then there's this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364123657865?hash=item54c7761689:g:NB4AAOSwcExj0m58 Retailed for about £275 but now that it's discontinued, Go$tude will sell you this one for a mere £799.50. Bargain! I must stop now. I'm obsessing and the wife has just opened a bottle of red. Night all!

Get a load of this!! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363513002889?hash=item54a3103b89:g:f2UAAOSwliphH5Jd and this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334102722255?hash=item4dca12f6cf:g:UuwAAOSwSBFhDAPQ What is that man smoking?? An entire thread could be devoted to Go$tude's tat emporium!

Go$tude really is a first class chancer... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363614114037?hash=item54a91710f5:g:d0kAAOSwVfNhiPsF The description says "It could use a light clean to remove any excess dust" To judge by the picture what it could really use is a visit to the local dump. Then there's this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362909776385?hash=item547f1bba01:g:3AEAAOSw4pJeQAk9 That's not "flexi-track" boyo, that's just rail and for the price you're asking it had better be gold plated! And look at this pile of junk for £99.50! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362909776384?hash=item547f1bba00:g:LmAAAOSws-xeP~lP

And the correct response if they do is, "get a life!"