Good Morning and happy July! Where did half a year go?
hon30critterI was just about to start writing the first post and you beat me to it!
Sorry if there was any confusion, Dave. I had offered to host the diner back on Thursday then there wasn't much discussion after that other than one post between you and Ulrich.
This is a good look at 1959 track laying. They lay panel track then take up the pre-installed rails and then apply the 600 foot welded rail? Seems a bit unproductive don't you think?
I could do without the Blackpool pipe organ score {{}} (I love theater pipe organ music but it simply doesn't seem fitting here?)
Now how about that big British Fry-Up?
Lyme_Regis by Edmund, on Flickr
I certainly wouldn't want to share a confined space, say hammering staybolts in a boiler, after me or me mate gulped down a plate of this!
I'll settle for some crumpets or an English muffin, thank you.
Cheers, Ed
Some key dates in British railroading:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jan/15/transport.uk
The formation of the British Railways company:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-Railways
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Here is a little bit about Stephenson:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Stockton-and-Darlington-Railway
So you thought Stephenson was an early railroader! Check this out:
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Steam-trains-railways/
Hi Ed,
Thanks for moving the Diner!! I was just about to start writing the first post and you beat me to it!
Yes, thanks for the smooth flight over Ed.
I see the diner has arrived, let me go supervise its unloading. HMMM...All of a sudden I am out of retirement, oh well at least I won't let them drop it.
Thanks for the Canada Day acknowledgement Ed. I am not sure how much celebrating will be going on though, in B.C. today we had 12 new cases with a total of 18 in hospital including 3 in the ICU. Were getting there.
I sure hit a wall of exhaustion yesterday, I have too much going on and I still think I am eighteen. Oh well I took it easy today and worked on the worlds longest bathroom remodel. Got the wedi board up. That took ten minutes and then the phone rang with another vulture wanting a piece of the Estate I am looking after. They will not be phoning back.
It is good to be back in jolly old England again, my wife has to sometimes remind me places I have been. I once told someone I had not been to a certain small town in South America and my wife promptly got a photo off the wall of the two of us standing in the town square. So if you ask me if I have been somewere, I now answer, ya maybe. I do tend to remember scuba diving, sailing and river rafting and backpacking trips as I really loved those, but being a tourist wandering around the usual tourist trap locals, well they tend to all run together. I have seen a lot of castles in England but to much time has passed to tell you off hand which ones they were. I do hope for more train trips while the diner is in GB. I am lacking in my British Rail experience.
Time to hit the sack, Hope Meryl is asleep I am really tired and she can be so demanding.
Out of the Provincial Archives, it says last working steam loco out of Vancouver.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I have a feeble minded Internet connection today, which is quitre annoying!
There are a number of interesting videos made by British Transport Films available on Youtube, showing British trains in the 1950s and 1960s, and even later. BTF was closed when BR was dismantled in the 1980s. Up until today, a cornucopia of information for the aficionado.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Great to see you here, Ulrich! I wish you well at your checkup. I'm actually scheduled for a CT scan later today to look for a few kidney stones that I believe I passed just last night Old age is sure a challenge!
Let's take a look around the loco sheds and see what's going on. There's a new chap starting out:
"Better get on the chimney, young Harry" Right "Outside and inside, mind"
Happy Canada Day to our friends in the Provinces and Territories!
CN_Toronto by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
Good Morning!
Thanks, Ed, for the smooth flight over the Big Pond, the soft landing and the welcome on the British Isles! What a treasure trough for a train buff to visit. Britain was not only the cradle of railroading, but has a preservation scene unmatched elsewhere! Aside from quirky little narrow gauge lines running on 15" track, like the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Rlwy. or the Ravenglass & Eskdale Rlwy, there are a number of "real" NG lines to visit, including a rack line up Britain´s highest mountain - and no, it´s not the Mt. Everest . When Dr. Beeching took the axe to Britain´s branchlines, a number of preservation groups sprang up, resulting in a larger number of preservation lines in some of Britain´s most beautiful areas. I bet we will visit some of them this month!
I´ll be off to my eye doctor in an hour, just to have a check up on the outcome of the recent surgery. I still see those gnats dancing before my eye, but that is supposed to be normal. We will see !
For July 2020 we find the Diner in the United Kingdom.
We will be visiting the environs around London and the rest of England proper along with visiting nearby Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
For those new to this place, Jeffrey´s Trackside Diner is the place for you to go to relax and talk off topic about most anything - as long as you stay within the forum rules, which means certain hot button topics are excluded. Please refer to Steven Otte´s post on Forum Policies. Everybody is welcome to participate in the Diner !
The staff - that´s Zoe, Chloe, Flo, Janie, and Brunhilda — is very friendly and will serve up plenty of virtual diner fare with a smile. Just don´t forget to leave a generous tip! Now and then, our host Steven Otte chips in and brings along some goodies for us to try - which is always heartily welcomed!
Come in and sit for a while, ALL are welcome.
As always, in rememberance of our fallen but not forgotten comrades, here is the RIP Track:
At the beginning of each month, it is the time to pay our respect to friends no longer with us.
Barry Arnold aka BlownoutCylinder
Alan B
Jerry Cox aka Cox47
Wolfgang Dudler aka Westport Terminal
Bob Hartle aka cmrproducts
Tom Mills
Harold Minkwitz aka hminky
Ed Murphy
Michael L. Myles aka Inch
Bill North
James W. Rohde aka CapeJim
Stein Rypern, Jr. aka Steinjr
Andy Sperandeo
Jeffrey "Running Bear" Wimberley
Gone BUT Not Forgotten
British contributions to railway advancement were significant and to a great extent are still prevalent today.
From the BBC:
Like the steamship, the railway predates the Victorian era. The start of the modern railway age is usually marked by the opening in 1825 of the Stockton & Darlington line. Other, mostly local, lines followed, the most important of which was the Liverpool and Manchester of 1830, famous for Robert Stephenson's Rocket locomotive. With its multitube boiler, blast pipe exhaust, pistons connected directly to the driving wheels and its ability to haul its train at over 30 miles per hour, this machine set the standard for locomotive design. The first long distance lines were opened in the first years of Queen Victoria's reign, the London and Birmingham in 1838, part of Brunel's London to Bristol route the same year and the London and Southampton in 1840. A railway boom and mania followed during the 1840s, with promoters and speculators planning lines all over Britain.
Expansion of the rail network was rapid and continuous. Between 1861 and 1888 the mileage grew by 81 percent and the traffic carried by 180 percent. By 1900, 18,680 miles were in use and over 1100 million passengers were being carried, along with huge quantities of freight. From 1852 the carriage of freight provided the railway companies with the bulk of their income. Safety standards, at first almost non-existent, gradually improved with advances in signalling and vehicle technology. By the end of the century trains ran regularly, and with complete safety, at speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour. Comfort also improved. The first lavatories appeared in family saloons in the 1860s, the first proper sleeping cars were introduced in 1873 and dining cars came into use from 1879.
I look forward to hosting our visit to the UK and welcome any additions, photos or anecdotes from our knowledgeable crew here in the Diner