APOLLO

Anyway, THIS is the fuel of the future !!!! Brit15

Spare a thought for poor ole Michael O’Leary, Chief Executive of Ryanair. After arriving in a hotel in Manchester, he went to the bar and asked for a pint of Guinness. The barman nodded and said, "That will be £1 please, Mr. O’Leary." Somewhat taken aback, O'Leary replied, "That's very cheap," and handed over his money. "Well, we do try to stay ahead of the competition", said the barman. "And we are serving free pints every Wednesday from 6 pm until 8 pm. We have the cheapest beer in England". "That is remarkable value", Michael comments. "I see you don't seem to have a glass, so you'll probably need one of ours. That will be £3 please." O'Leary scowled, but paid up. He took his drink and walked towards a seat. "Ah, you want to sit down?" said the barman. "That'll be an extra £2. You could have pre-booked the seat, and it would have only cost you £1." "I think you may be too big for the seat sir, can I ask you to sit in this frame please". Michael attempts to sit down but the frame is too small and when he can't squeeze in, he complains "Nobody would fit in that little frame". "I'm afraid if you can't fit in the frame you'll have to pay an extra surcharge of £4 for your seat sir". O'Leary swore to himself, but paid up. "I see that you have brought your laptop with you" added the barman. "And since that wasn't pre-booked either, that will be another £3." O'Leary was so incensed that he walked back to the bar, slammed his drink on the counter, and yelled, "This is ridiculous, I want to speak to the manager". "I see you want to use the counter," says the barman, "that will be £2 please." O'Leary's face was red with rage. "Do you know who I am?" "Of course I do Mr. O'Leary." "I've had enough! What sort of a Hotel is this? I come in for a quiet drink and you treat me like this. I insist on speaking to a manager!" "Here is his e-mail address, or if you wish, you can contact him between 9.00 am and 9.01am every morning, Monday to Tuesday at this free phone number. Calls are free, until they are answered, then there is a talking charge of only £1 per second, or part thereof". "I will never use this bar again". "OK sir, but do remember, we are the only hotel in England selling pints for £1. !!!!!" Brit15

Brit15

When I was young the Southport - Manchester "club" train was a Jubilee hauled express !!. The dusty bin train no longer operates to Appley Bridge but a new "binliner" sercice has just recently started from Kirkby to Teeside, running through Wallgate. The bay platform at Wallgate is still used. Across the road at Wigan North western there are two bays (platforms 2 & 3) in the big Island platform (platforms 1 & 4) there, little used now but they are to be extended a bit and used to turn back Manchester bound electric trains when / if the Lostock Jcn to Wigan line via Hindley is electrified. Brit15

Rubbish. We invented railways in the UK and have been building stations since around 1830. you would have thought we would know what we are doing by now. The track is new, the platform is new, the build was wrong. Not got the legal easement for the land ? - then don't build till you have. Quite simple. Network Rail is the principal overseer of all new works. Whoever fouled up the final responsibility lies with Network rail - full stop. True though that skills are lacking, from the humble labourer right to the very top, contractors included, and perhaps the legal "eagles" also. A total disgrace is the above fiasco. edited to add - The Liverpool & Manchester Railway, of which both Huyton & Roby stations are located was the UK's first public passenger carrying railway, opened in 1830. Ironic isn't it !! Brit15

The shorter the charge time the greater the current needs to be. A house fuse is rated at 100A.. A cooker is around 45A (full on), Shower around 40A. Add your lights, kettle, fridge, washing machine etc etc THEN add 40 - 60A for a car rapid charger. Main fuse - POP !!! (Yes diversity comes into play, but not always - people being people will plug the car in when they get home - mostly at peak load time - 5pm - 8pm) That's just your house. Think about the street supply cables, local transformers, local HV distribution network, sub stations, grid, power stations - ALL will need substantial upgrading in the coming years. Who will pay ? Those without an electric car SHOULD NOT. Bring in "smart" car charging - off peak - fine for most - but what about that non planned journey we all make - just pop into the car as we do now - uh oh, car not charged, have to wait for the peak load to end, "smart charge" computer says midnight until charging is allowed to begin !!!!! Ain't going to work. Back to the drawing board. Brit15

I'm here, but I'm not all there !!! brit15

God help Derbyites if Network Rail do a repeat of Huyton & Roby rebuilds. New platform built couple of years ago for the 4 tracking & electrification, track laid but not yet connected, then they find out the new platform is 15mm to close to the new line - so demolish it & rebuild it. Same just up the line at Roby. Talk about wasting money !! Brit15

Perhaps we need some sickly green "class 800's on 4 wheels", electric on the motorway with a little diesel engine for the far flung bits of the journey.!!! Owzabowt one of these - perfect for the aspiring "Bellend" - Segway on steroids !!!!!!!!! Anyway, read this the other day - doubt this happening at all. (Don't tell Ryanair - O'Leary will have you bringing your own batteries !!!!). EasyJet says it could be flying electric planes within a decade https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/27/easyjet-electric-planes-wright-electric-flightsIt gets dafter and dafter. Brit15

Not "really" the North East (but BR North Eastern Region), I visited Leeds, Normanton & Wakefield sheds on 7 October 1967, first trip on my own, aged 15 !!! Gawd - Half a century ago !!! Album here https://www.flickr.com/photos/136789710@N03/albums/72157681062553696 Most locos ready for the scrapper, a couple in steam visiting from Lancashire - but not for much longer !!. Brit15

Saturday is an event day (Football) so a charge of £5 on the DW carparks, according to this site. Free on Sunday but check that the exhibition is not classed as an event https://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/carpark/dw_stadium/wn5/wigan/?arriving=201709271800&leaving=201709272000 Beware the ones marked free - they aren't. I live in Wigan and am thoroughly sick of our money grabbing council AND the parking companies that police these car parks. . The car park outside the exhibition used to be free, now pay & display £4 all day. My daughters go to karate there and we have a free pass - only during Karate lessons though. I'll walk. Brit15

Disappearing as it bounces through the grass !!! A Ryanair plane lost one of its nose wheels and had to perform an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport. http://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/ryanair-plane-makes-emergency-landing-481625 Brit15

Coming home from work one day in the mid 80's from Warrington, a cold dark November evening just after 5pm. The A49 Winwiick Road up to the M6 was (as usual) busy, but very slow this particular evening. Then I saw the reason - some twerp in a Sinclair C5, pedalling furiously, hardly any lights and a big artic behind him. Everyone slowing to look & laugh. - "Mincemeat by Winwick Island" I thought !!!!!!!!!!!! As to Dyson cleaners - we have one - its OK but wouldn't buy another as it was overpriced & a "British" product now made abroad. He can stick his electric cars also if they are to be made in China. I'm not overly impressed with electric cars. Neighbour has just bought a BMW one - nice but over 30 Grand !! - far, far too expensive (for me), Add to that range questionability, etc.etc. I will wait & see, though doubt I ever will buy one. My son has just bought a one year old Hyundai i30 diesel. Affordable insurance grouping, free road tax, 50mpg, 4 years left on warranty, tons of kit, change from 10 grand- Far more sensible. Brit15

Not mucky enough - you can read the number plate !!!!!! Brit15

Some superb 9F models there. (We called them nine-two'ers). On the 11 June 1967, we saw Evening star in Crewe works where she had been just repainted. She looked superb. Here was their lair back on 1st July 1967, Birkenhead shed, where they were used on the heavy iron ore trains from Birkenhead to Shotton. 9F's are my next favourite loco after the Britannia's. Can't say I ever saw a clean one (except for Evening Star above). Brit15

In Wigan we had Tin Batholiths !! Friday neet was bath neet - last one in't queue got cold mucky water !!! Brit15

Geography & Chemistry were my favourite subjects at Wigan Grammar School. Our Geography teacher was a cruel so & so though !!. In History we studied the U.K. Industrial Revolution 1700 to 1900, (Social, Political & Economic History), so none of the King & Queen milarkey - I found that very interesting too - especially the railways bit !! First two years (which I hated) we did everything, In the third year I gave up Music (!!!), Woodwork, Metalwork (handy at making fishing rod rests and angle plates !!) French and the dreaded Latin. What a completely useless and boring subject that was - mind you when I watch Monty Pythons "Life of Brian" it comes back to memory with a smile !! I completed my O levels and departed ASAP, ceremoniously burning cap and tie on the last day !! - The North Western Gas Board followed, ONC & HNC engineering, City & Guilds Gas Fitting, etc etc - all damn useful stuff and a life at last !!!! Brit15

Coming soon - arrghhh MARK TWO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/plastic-degrading-fungus-pakistan-rubbish-dump-islamabad-dr-sehroon-khan-a7962046.html Brit15

I used to annoy people at work by saying "Well, this time on Saturday I'll be on the plane" "Where are you going you lucky so and so" ? was the reply, to which I answered "Nowhere - I'll be on the plane taking 1/8" off the front door" !!! Ah well - better then Ryanair (of which I've never been on nor ever intend to). Brit15

It certainly is an interesting photo. there seem to be 5 identical locos on Lower Ince (GC) shed to the bottom right. I think they are LNER J10's, several were sheded there. The turntable is interesting, across the line from the shed and the other side of the L&Y bridge. The turntable pit is still there today, though overgrown, the GC line being a "linear park" now. Regarding the GC bridge over the canal there are some fascinating photos here which go well with the above aerial photo, scroll down a bit. https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8220&hilit=interesting+bridges+wigan+gc Note the pointwork on the bridges, and the trailing connections to both the turntable and sidings. All these photos show what is difficult for me to describe, and even more difficult to model - that magic word "Atmosphere". Brit15

I mentioned in an earlier post the family holiday in Ilfracombe in 1963, that's when my real interest in railways started. spam cans were a revelation to me, what wonderful names they carried. I still have fond memories of them storming out of Ilfracombe with 3 coaches on !!. Earlier holidays were in Towyn near Barmouth and I still remember Cambrian steam around 1960, Later holidays were around Hereford / South West Wales and Forest of Dean so I remember the very end of steam (only just) on the Western region. Beeching was getting a grip at this time also, a hard time for the railways. I could never get too interested in GW steam (though I loved the Hydraulics !!), and never saw LNER steam in it's prime, just a few visits to Yorkshire in the mid to late 60's, tatty old B1's etc.. Steam was dying quickly there also. Steam ended in NW England and I was there in the thick of it, August 1968, there are lots of photos on my Flikr site below. Yes it was a sad time, but I was young back then, and daft !!. - Lord - next year is the 50th anniversary of the end of BR steam - Time marches on. Just one last point. For such a small country as the UK we have / had a very wide diversity of railways, . Many towns benefited from having two or more pre grouping railways and their locomotive types / operating procedures / signalling / railway architecture etc. In Wigan we had the dominant LNWR and the L&Y (which both became LMS) and the GC which became LNER. This grotty branch line to Wigan Central from the back of beyond is one of the main reasons for my LNER interest. You can see all three below. I'm modelling the GC line on the right where it crosses the canal to Wigan (GC) Goods on this very interesting photo. The railway crossing diagonally is the L&Y to Bolton & Manchester, The LNWR West Coast main line is entering Wigan North Western to the top left. GC line to the right. This scene is around 1925 or so. Lovingly lined locos and polished carriages I very much doubt !! Brit15

I loved the grot of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Born and bred in south Wigan just behind the right hand "coolie" in this photo urban grot was absolutely everywhere. It was part and parcel of life. Everything back then was powered by coal & steam, the railways, said gas and electricity works, the countless cotton mills, iron works, again countless engineering works, coal mines etc, even my primary school was heated by a huge coke fired boiler. Yes we had pea soup thick smog in winter, no central heating, ice on the inside of windows etc. Along with the rapidly vanishing steam locomotives I also liked the new diesels back then because they were clean and new. Little did I know my world of grot was rapidly disappearing. It took time to "get clean" and the clean air act helped. Starting work in 1969 at "The Gas Board" I saw the end of coal gas production at Wigan, the introduction of clean natural gas and in my apprenticeship helped to fit countless gas fires, replacing coal fires. Happy years. Would I like to return to that era - Hell No ! - but I fondly remember - and try to model it. Difficult to model is such "atmosphere" Cough, cough, Brit15

Allan have you seen these sites re the interesting area you write about (interesting for me as a "regular" Finsbury Park 34G visitor in the late 60's early 70's. A rough area but full of railway interest back then - Deltics and semaphore signals !!. http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/Northern_Heights_1.html Wibbles fantastic "Hornsey broadway" layout http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/7989-hornsey-broadway/ The EM site featuring the above http://www.emgauge70s.co.uk/layout_hornsey.html There are some links at the bottom of the above site that may be of interest. Brit15

deleted as inappropriate Brit15

Alan does this help ?. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiy6kiLyE-k Brit15