APOLLO

Tax Tax Tax - straight to the Government to give / fritter away (or pay their pensions).

Time sort the plastic problem out once and for all.

1 BAN the use of all plastic in throw away type packaging of all types, especially food / drinks etc.. (such things as our Hornby /. Bachmann trains OK as the plastic packaging is used to store the product (in the main). Tax that if you must - or indeed source environmentally friendly alternatives (cardboard).

2 BAN micro plastics from cosmetics etc (that get into the sea via sewage etc).

3. Sugar - Either force reductions in foods & drinks, or tax it or both.The tax earned here should go straight to the NHS and we (the public) need to see some accountability.

Plastic is a valuable product made from oil - which won't last for ever.

Brit15

Some good canal info here

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/peak/index.htm

Brit15

I guess these would drown out any sermon !!

Clinchfield Railroad (now CSX) Dante, Virginia USA (would make a nice model !!)

Will the congregation Stop Look & Listen when leaving the Church !!!!!

Brit15

Teachers, policemen and bankers - I'm surrounded by them !! - Nice folks as they are, sometimes conversation is difficult re "technical matters" of any description - I'm amazed how thick some "proffesional" folk are.

As to engineer, my highest qualification is equal to HNC level , a 2 year block release course at Stretford Tech Manchester (after my ONC) endorsed by the Institute of Gas Engineers (which I'm not a member - they changed the qualification level before I finished my apprenticeship). I've always had the term engineer in my few job titles, and very little if any snobbery was evident in the Gas industry regarding use of the term engineer. We all were what we were, did what we did and knew / respected each other's roles, right up to the very top.

That's how it was / should be. God knows what goes on these days.

Brit15

Thinking and looking round my hometown, Wigan (which was built on engineering, mining & cotton) things certainly have changed, but we (Wigan) have certainly not lost all our engineering. True the mining has gone (the last pit in Wigan closed in the mid 60's), Cotton spinning went at roughly the same time, but there are still quite a lot of medium / small engineering firms around. Most are highly specialised and technical these days, and tend to be in modern industrial units. I drive past a few of these small industrial areas often - there are not many empty units.

It's like most other things these days, constant change / adapting to new technology and customer demands. What happened 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago has little relevance today, and today's norm will not be the norm in the future also. This year on year change span is also decreasing quickly - i.e. change is getting exponential, especially in the engineering industry.

Adapt or die. I don't like it (because I'm an old git & it's a bit alien to me) - but our young seem to be up to it (at least technology wise). Good luck to them, they (we) need good political management.

One last thought - We (as a nation) should never be completely dependent on foreign manufacture of certain basic necessities, steel being one. If the furnace fires ever go out in the very last British steel works then God help us.

Brit15

Thanks Edwardian, indeed it is.  I thought (naturally) a proposed but never built railway !!!

Brit15

In another recent post, I'm exhorted to 'get a life'. I wonder whether that's because I study such minutiae of detail when building my locos? I'm actually rather happy with the life I've got. This was proved to me this morning when Gordon Gravett and I operated the full sequence (and more) on Little Bytham. We had a great time, with just two 'mistakes' in over two hours' running. A front step had been pressed against a bogie wheel, causing friction, and I changed a point under a train! Not a bad life really, when two dear friends can spend a morning running trains. Gordon, many, many thanks. 

Indeed a wonderful life you have Tony.

To each there own is what I prescribe. My modelling etc is exactly what I like to do (or not do !!). But I like to see / learn from others. Things like crew I'm not too fussed with, but a correctly lamped loco is quite a visible thing and easy to do. Some (but not all) of my locos are lamped, but there is a dilemma when locos change duties, or go to the shed. Lamps should be changed to suit duties (but aren't on my OO layout). Bit like the passengers in carriages in carriage sidings thing mentioned above.

As to Pullman colours, it has been mentioned before that Bachmann cream is a little too deep, Hornbys a little to light - but this is quite subjective. Since my OO layout is set around 1966, I have a mixed Pullman rake, Five Bachmann umber & cream with a couple of grey/blue reversed Pullmans and a Blue /Grey Mk1 full brake. Looks a right mess but this is how things were back then - (Hattons were selling the grey/blue Pullmans off cheaply a while ago - probably couldn't get rid of them !!). I have got used to it !!

Brit15

What is the viaduct being constructed lower left for ?

Brit15

I've had a few who have been nasty after I swore at them, phoning me back and threatening me - so beware. Much better to "take the pi*s out of them" - and no one takes the pi*s better than us Brits !!!.

One day I'll be lucky and a delicious curry will be delivered !!

Blimmin nuisance they are all the same.

Brit15

If these callers (and some do) leave their numbers you can check / report them on this useful site (but if any action is taken I don't know).

https://who-called.co.uk/

Beside my phone I have a cheap child's toy that plays awful screechy music when you press a button - great for putting them on hold while I "get the householder"  !!!!

Brit15

ello ello am I speaking to Mr ******* ?

Yes, by gum you're quick, I've only just emailed the Golden River Vindaloo sorebum restaurant only a couple of minutes ago.

I'll order a Chicken Rogan Josh with Nan and pillock rice, two twice hot vindaloo's with chips, 26 papadoms with a bucket of brown sticky chutney and four (repeat FOUR) extra strong toilet rolls, you know the ones a golden labrador wipes it's **** on.

Beware - The sods never deliver.

Brit15

If the ECML don't want them send them to Wigan, we'll use them on the Blackpool - Liverpool run (first at front or rear - we don't care) !!.

Brit15

Tinfoil hat ?

Try Tesco - Large stores are open 24hrs - but be careful at the checkout !!

Brit15

And it all started with "Press button B to get your money back " !!!

Brit15

I once over lubricated a motor with electrolube, it got on the brushes and softened the carbon. Hell of a job to remove them, dry them out clean the resulting goo off the commutator etc. It eventually "dried out" and now runs OK.

I use an electrolube pen (sadly no longer available) to lubricate (very sparingly) gears and bearings,

Brit15

Perhaps their main problem is supply (over in China). Take the Pecket (which I missed first time around). A lovely model, but in serious short supply. They could sell lots more (at RRP) IF they were actually availiable. There are countless livery variations etc for this particularly popular model also.

As to quality, perhaps I'm lucky but I've never had a faulty Hornby (steam) loco, and the Railroad Range was just right for me when I wanted a couple of 9F's and Black Fives a few years ago (again lovely models). I've no Hornby diesels, other than a Railroad 31. so can't comment re these.

I wish Hornby well.

Brit15

Computers have revolutionised so many aspects of life, and engineering especially so. 

 

Engineering can provide a terrific career and a world of opportunities but I think part of the deal is you need to accept a requirement for on-going learning and retraining and that you will need to adapt to change throughout your career.

I witnessed and was involved in this mostly all of my career. first computer I ever saw was in 1969 at the North Western Gas Board HQ in Altrincham. A huge thing with the obligatory flashing lights and reel to reel tapes !!. It processed the regions gas bills.

The North West Gas region was always at the forefront of introducing new technology. We were involved over the years in implementing many new pipe laying / pipe replacement techniques, nearly all of which saved money / manpower - but they never completely replaced the guy on the spade, not even today. !!

It (for us) was a matter of just learning it and using it, providing feedback etc. Not everything was a success though, what didn't work was binned despite what the boffins told us, but mostly it was made to work. I never forget first seeing a fully automatic PE (plastic) pipe automatic but welding machine. Just clamp the pipes in the machine, set the diameter & pipe spec and press a button. The machine then cut the faces square, inserted a heater plate, applied the correct pressure for the correct time, removed the heater plate and made the join at the correct pressure and time, it then allowed the correct cooling time before a little bell rang and "joint complete" flashed up. Just enough time for a brew between joints !!!

No un-inventing this stuff !!!!

Brit15

Marine engineering - I did my ONC Mechanical Engineering at Riversdale Tech Liverpool (now long gone). It was primarily a merchant navy engineering college, the lecturers were mostly en MN, and boy they were strict (and also knew their stuff).

When Riversdale closed some courses and lecturers moved up the road to Liverpool John Moore University - Marine engineering is still taught at Liverpool.

Brit15

I've known good and bad managers, but mostly good, and in the Gas industry at least they were ALL qualified engineers (on the distribution / transmission side), even well past privatisation in 1986. The rot started with the "takeover" by National Grid in 2002, though this was after the BG split (BG was the exploration & production section, Shell bought that a couple of years ago- they wanted that back in 1986 - they've been waiting since then to pounce !!).

Though I was never classed a manager my duties were many and varied. Planning, running & semi supervision of large pipe renewal projects together with standby gas escape / incident duties. As Jjb1970 rightly states, you look after your men. I've worked with many excellent teams (both Irish contractors and local direct labour) in difficult and demanding jobs many times in foul weather at all hours of the day - we all got stuck in and got the job done, bosses and all, occasionally including senior board members when the severity of an incident warranted it. I've few if any bad words to say about gas industry management over my career. (up to National Grid).

Little tale. 1982, before privatisation  there was a very big reorganisation in the Gas Industry (ROR _ regional operating review). The outcome for us was a brand spanking new office at Warrington. We moved in alongside other departments - all open plan. Soon after a computer appeared in our department- just one. Green eyed monster it was known (or was that the girl who operated it) - used to record jobsheets etc. We were all having a look and a fiddle (with the computer !!) when the district engineer said - you'll ALL have one of these on your desk in a couple of years - this building was designed for it. Rubbish we all said - what the hell do we engineers need a computer for !!!!

Well, the rest is history.

As others have said - no going back. (by the way Warrington office was demolished quite a few years ago and is now the Royal Mail rail depot).

Brit15

This reads a bit more promising - finance agreed.

Troubled toy-maker Hornby has started talks with lenders on a new deal in a bid to shore itself up in the face of slow sales.

Fresh finance is expected to be in place by June and follows the company’s announcement in late 2017 that it would raise £12 million through a new equity placing.

Barclays has agreed to waive a financial covenant on Hornby's debt in the meantime, which would have been breached after its profits were hit by delivery problems and a decision to stop discounting products.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-5573295/Toy-maker-Hornby-talks-lenders-12million-new-finance.html

Brit15

Agree with the curious names. I always have a laugh at this, and wonder how it got it's name. (interesting colliery railways off to the right).

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/index.cfm#zoom=18&lat=53.5367&lon=-2.4157&layers=168&b=1

Back to garden railways, I spent an hour this sunny (now cloudy) afternoon cleaning the track with WD40 and an abrasive pad. 2 LGB 0-4-0's coupled together been running for an hour. I find if I run once a week the track will stay electrically clean till now till Autumn. I don't do what you do in the scenery department though Bob, my garden loop is purely a garden ornament, nice on those balmy evenings to have a BBQ, few beers and run a train or two. I often thought about live steam - but I think I'll stay electric. I built it for the lad back around 1996, he's now working away so I have to do all the labouring now - but the girls bring me a cuppa occasionally.

I keep looking at your wonderful weathering, buildings etc - Hmmmmmmm !!!

Brit15

The trouble is many (most ?) who question such things, join political parties or political organisations, strive to attain managerial and leadership positions etc etc see the advantages and perks of "the dark side", and move over to it, adopting the I'm alright jack attitude. Of course not all are like that, but too many are, I've witnessed it a few times. Again a trait of the good old British "class" system.

There is an apt song "The working class can kiss my ****, I've got the foreman's job at last" !!

Brit15

Yes grovelling and crawling at ground level gets a bit hard as you get on a bit. As for Leigh I know it fairly well, part of my standby district (gas emergencies) in the 90's. We went out as far as Wogden & Chow Bent & Bongs !! (Walkden Westhoughton, Atherton & Tyldesley).

Chow Bent & Chequerbent, always got a bit confused with these !! Both had stations, Chow bent was renamed Howe Bridge on the Wigan-Tyldesley - Manchester Line

Chequerbent was on the old Kenyon - Leigh - Bolton line. Both were interesting lines (I have the superb Sweeney books).

Brit15