200 years of railways 1825-2025 27 Sept '25- 18 Jan '26

[Enzo the Magnificent]

Did we ever come up with a consensus on the start date for this GB?

 

 

[Paul821]

As this GB arose from a comment I made and @Mjwomack took on, I'd better offer my services as a co-host.

 

As the S&D anniversary is at the end of September, that is something to bear in mind. However Easter - September  tends to be a busy period for those involved in operating preserved railways. I would prefer a late slot, but will fit in as required,

[Mjwomack]

Err no! I prefer the idea of early so I can roll into kuta! And there is also the argument of having the trains ready for the 'opening'

[Mjwomack]

1 minute ago, Paul821 said:

As this GB arose from a comment I made and @Mjwomack took on, I'd better offer my services as a co-host.

 

As the S&D anniversary is at the end of September, that is something to bear in mind. However Easter - September  tends to be a busy period for those involved in operating preserved railways. I would prefer a late slot, but will fit in as required,

And there's the counter argument, I see to remember that your lordship (Enzo as if it was ever in doubt) was concerned about it rolling into 2026 but I don't see that as a problem tbh

 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

If we choose a start date of 25 September, that is 200 years exactly from the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.   It will run into 2026 but only by 18 days, which I think is acceptable.

[Bobby No Mac]

I could never do Enzo's job because the temptation to cancel this GB at the last minute and replace it with a bus themed one instead would be too overwhelming 

 

 

[psdavidson]

1 hour ago, Bobby No Mac said:

cancel this GB at the last minute and replace it with a bus themed one

If it's due to start in September, it will be delayed due to leaves on the line

[Mjwomack]

20 hours ago, Bobby No Mac said:

I could never do Enzo's job

..leave it at that- I certainly couldn't!

 

20 hours ago, Bobby No Mac said:

cancel this GB at the last minute and replace it with a bus themed one i

 

19 hours ago, psdavidson said:

If it's due to start in September, it will be delayed due to leaves on the line

...Is it too early to ask for an extension due to 'operating difficulties'?

[Bobby No Mac]

3 hours ago, Mjwomack said:

.Is it too early to ask for an extension due to

 

..."wrong kind of deadline"?

[Mjwomack]

Just now, Bobby No Mac said:

 

..."wrong kind of deadline"?

My boss wrote the original 'wrong kind of snow' email-  ironically the Fleet Engineer told him that kind of snow never happened in Britain- and then had to use the line himself. Don't think my boss ever got an apology for pointing out the risk. All to do with mesh size on filters if you're really interested.

[Enzo the Magnificent]

7 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

My boss wrote the original 'wrong kind of snow' email-  ironically the Fleet Engineer told him that kind of snow never happened in Britain- and then had to use the line himself. Don't think my boss ever got an apology for pointing out the risk. All to do with mesh size on filters if you're really interested.

 

Wikipedia has an interesting article on it.  It all seems perfectly reasonable to me.  Just another case of the media wilfully misrepresenting things to suit their own agenda.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_wrong_type_of_snow

 

The "leaves on the line" comment is another that gets misrepresented.  This is all about the leaves affecting a signal in the rails which can make it look like a block is empty when it in fact contains a train, which is a serious safety hazard.  The possible consequences of allowing two trains into the same block at the same time are too horrible to contemplate.

[Mjwomack]

12 hours ago, Enzo the Magnificent said:

The "leaves on the line"

The unintended consequence of progress!

 

In ye olden dayes steam engine provided their own vegetation clearance by belching smoke and keeps ngthe cuttings clear. Also rim brakes scraped any mulch off.

Nowadays, no steam engines and disc  brakes allow the leaf mulch to build up.

 

Now back to the models....

[Paul821]

14 hours ago, Mjwomack said:

My boss wrote the original 'wrong kind of snow' email-  ironically the Fleet Engineer told him that kind of snow never happened in Britain- and then had to use the line himself. Don't think my boss ever got an apology for pointing out the risk. All to do with mesh size on filters if you're really interested.

Interesting as I was told the source of the quote was as follows. The new EMIU's on the Bedford - St Pancras line were failing and in an interview the the BR spokesman said some along the lines that @Mjwomack said. The journalist then said "so you are saying it was the wrong type of snow?" and the response was in the positive. Thus the phrase came into being.

 

Having written the above the full story, including names has its own page on Wikipedia.

 

 

Perhaps for the GB I should get one of these:

 

https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/101-leaf-punches?srsltid=AfmBOoonMdRKDD16tV81Z-Eavn5HMmGNJ-CT4Pv8yQ0eMWQwhHWQK2nl

 

 

[Mjwomack]

1 hour ago, Paul821 said:

Interesting as I was told the source of the quote was as follows. The new EMIU's on the Bedford - St Pancras line were failing and in an interview the the BR spokesman said some along the lines that @Mjwomack said. The journalist then said "so you are saying it was the wrong type of snow?" and the response was in the positive. Thus the phrase came into being.

 

Having written the above the full story, including names has its own page on Wikipedia.

 

 

Perhaps for the GB I should get one of these:

 

https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/101-leaf-punches?srsltid=AfmBOoonMdRKDD16tV81Z-Eavn5HMmGNJ-CT4Pv8yQ0eMWQwhHWQK2nl

 

 

If only it was me but it was my boss the late lamented Mike Pipes, who's other claim to fame was being rebuked on a train by Sophie Haworth because he was too noisy - 6 degrees of separation and all that! My most noticeable brush with fame was spring out a sleeper reservation for Sid Weighel early in my railway career!

[Enzo the Magnificent]

It's amazing how comments like this, which are perfectly reasonable, get misrepresented.   Another one is Michael Fish's comment "Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!"

 

A few hours later, the Great Storm of 1987 hit the UK.   Now, Michael Fish is notorious as the weatherman who got it wrong.

 

The problem is that Fish was perfectly correct.  He had been referring to Hurricane Floyd which was ongong in the Caribbean.  There is no way that could have got to the UK because as soon as hurricanes leave the tropics the water temperature of the sea is no longer high enough to maintain the cyclone effect and they lose steam.  The Great Storm was not a hurricane. It was an extratropical cyclone which does not have nearly as much wind strength or staying power as a hurricane.

 

So, technically, Michael Fish was correct.  There was no hurricane, just a powerful storm, which he had already predicted earlier in the bulletin.  But once again, the media never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

[Graham Boak]

Sorry, but this is just semantics.  Whatever the exact words, Fish was telling people not to worry about strong winds.  He was wrong.

[Mjwomack]

On 8/6/2024 at 11:33 AM, Bullbasket said:

I would love to see that. One of my favourite locos. I've been on enough trains as a kid, between Euston and Glasgow hauled by various members of the class.  Streamlined casing or not?

 

John.

Despite my LNER (well Great Eastern) leanings, I came across an article earlier in the week saying that there's plenty to suggest that they could have been faster than A4 Mallard etc- had the power for one thing. But party the LMS weren't speed freaks and there lines were too sinuous (think APT, Pendolinos etc.) for a record attempt.

 

There I've said it now, respect to Stanier!

[Bullbasket]

12 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

There I've said it now, respect to Stanier!

I'm a big fan of the late Sir William's designs. The Coronations not only looked handsome, they looked powerful, and they were. They could certainly get up Beattock Summit without a banker. His other design which I was always fond of was the 4MT. Many's the time I've been on a train out of Fenchurch Street, pulled by one. Sometimes a Fairburn or a Fowler or even the BR Standard 4MT. Happy days.

 

John.

[FalkeEins]

On 10/1/2024 at 8:17 PM, Enzo the Magnificent said:

 

Wikipedia has an interesting article on it.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_wrong_type_of_snow

 

 

the problem with (any) snow is that it melts ..and refreezes .....a lump of ice (icicle) hanging from the overheads can smash a windscreen even at low speed.  Plus it accumulates on the roof of the locos, so that when it melts it floods the traction motors...

 

[heloman1]

I'll throw my hat in the circle. I have some old Ratio carriage kits that I'm sure will fit the bill.

 

Colin

[Mjwomack]

1 hour ago, heloman1 said:

I'll throw my hat in the circle. I have some old Ratio carriage kits that I'm sure will fit the bill.

 

Colin

And also a good candidate for the Lesser Known Classic Gb - why not build 2? Or how about....'All of 'em!'

[Mjwomack]

4 hours ago, heloman1 said:

I'll throw my hat in the circle. I have some old Ratio carriage kits that I'm sure will fit the bill.

 

Colin

Just remembered that they did a lot of LNWR carriages; you'll make @Enzo the Magnificent very happy, but you might knacker your eyesight with the lining🫣