I don't recall seeing this news mentioned here. It's 6 years away, so there's plenty of time to save up for it.
http://www.nmrabr.org.uk/latest-nmra-news/330-breaking-news-convention-2022-in-uk
The Brits are really good at putting on spectacular events of this nature. This one should be no exception.
Andre
I'd go in a minute except in 2022, I might be a bit old, but if I can physically make I will. What a pleasure it would be to see somethng different than the usual plastic RTR everythings. England is wonderful, except the Brits talk funny.
HZ
Howard Zane I'd go in a minute except in 2022, I might be a bit old, but if I can physically make I will. What a pleasure it would be to see somethng different than the usual plastic RTR everythings. England is wonderful, except the Brits talk funny. HZ
Yeah, and they spell funny, too. "Kerb", "tyre", "labour", what's with that?
They also drive on the wrong side of the road. I know as I've done it (in self-defense, naturally).
They've got weird foods with funny names. Would you eat "toad in the hole" http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5822/toad-in-the-hole-in-4-easy-steps or "bangers and mash". http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/bangersandmash.htm ? Ever had "Yorkshire Pudding", which bears about as much resemblance to what we know as pudding as canned spinach does to pineapple upside down cake? Who in their right mind would even occupy the same room with something called "spotted dick" http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2686661/spotted-dick let alone eat the stuff?
It will be good to see something completely different, and there's lots to see and do both rail and non rail related within a 3 hour journey from Birmingham. For example, the Severn Valley Railway southern terminus at Kidderminster is only about 20 miles from the Birmingham city center and is rail accessible. http://www.svr.co.uk/ . Then again, the SVR will probably be a sponsored tour anyway.
P.S. Check out stargazey pie, shown in a pic here: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/03/the-brit-list-ten-extremely-misunderstood-british-foods
I think I might go, if I can get the CFO to go with me. As for food, you can get all the "American" food you can devour. We had great meals in England, from Italian, Mexican, French, Seafood, and of course, all the McDonalds, Burger King and Subway you want! What's more important would be the safety in the country. That's my main concern.
Cheers!
Neal
Wow, that went over like a lead balloon. I can hear the crickets chirping even with the sound muted.
Not a bad location for that event. Porthmadog is within a reasonable distance, so a ride on the Ffestiniog Rlwy. to Blaneau Ffestiniog as well as a trib to Canaerfon on the Welsh Highland Rlwy. can be included in the tour.
Safety should not be a concern - after all Birmingham is not London. My only concern would be food. I have spent quite a long time in the UK and hat to eat some pretty grisly things.
The finest restaurant in the world is the first dump you eat at after leaving the UK. I agree about the food. I spent almost a year at Univ. of London and returned to states 30 pounds lighter, also with brown teeth from the tea.
I'm amazed that there is not more discussion on this topic. This is a major happening. Due to the costs involved, how many manufacterers from the US will attend....never mnd attendees? As mentioned, I'd go in a minute, but I'll be 84 in 2022. Knowing and being the cantankerous SOB that I am now, a good chance exists that I'll be tossed into jail or be branded a terrorist after dealing with the TSA idiots.
Howard Zane The finest restaurant in the world is the first dump you eat at after leaving the UK. I agree about the food. I spent almost a year at Univ. of London and returned to states 30 pounds lighter, also with brown teeth from the tea. I'm amazed that there is not more discussion on this topic. This is a major happening. Due to the costs involved, how many manufacterers from the US will attend....never mnd attendees? As mentioned, I'd go in a minute, but I'll be 84 in 2022. Knowing and being the cantankerous SOB that I am now, a good chance exists that I'll be tossed into jail or be branded a terrorist after dealing with the TSA idiots. HZ
Which UK did you and Ulrich go to? The one I went to had wonderful Tandoori restaurants, pretty good pub grub (especially scampi and chips), decent sandwich shops (especially Greggs), and some pretty good carveries. The Toby Carvery chain is both good and reasonably priced.
The one place I learned quickly to avoid early on was The Happy Eater, which was taken over in 1997 by the outfit that runs Little Chef, another chain I recommend avoiding.
BTW, British beer is quite good.
Andre,
while you won´t encounter any problems finding decent food in bigger cities, it can turn into a challenge out in the countryside. Some of the, let´s say, creations are rather strange for the continental European tongue, like lasagne and chips, spaghetti and chips, cucumber sandwiches, Marmite spread on toast, baked beans. Some of the places were quite shabby and would not have survived a closer inspection by the authorities. McD in Aberystwyth was so bad I had to leave the place immediately.
I had no problem in London, nice steak places, pizza places and of course the ubiquitous fish n´ chip shops. After spending some time in India, I avoided the Tandoori establishments with their rather grim imitation of Indian food.
Don´t ask a German what he thinks about the lukewarm dishwater they call beer in the UK ...
No to me traveling to England for a train show even if it is the NMRA. I usually never go to the NMRA show unless it is near me and I mean very near me Like within 25 miles.
Have fun for those that go.
Ulrich, I've been visiting the UK on and off since 1988 and this includes rural areas. Other than the aforementioned Happy Eater and Little Chef, I didn't have any problem finding decent food in places that weren't dingy holes in the wall even in rural areas.
Had Marmite once, but not in UK. Immediately removed it from bucket list.
You don't like baked beans? They're actually reasonably popular over here in the US as a side dish with hamburgers, hot dogs and some other dishes, although not served for breakfast wih eggs. As for cucumbers, I wouldn't eat cucumber in a sandwich by itself, but quite like it in a ham sandwich (which, by the way, I was introduced to in the UK) as well as in a tuna fish sandwich along with chopped celery.
Don't like ales, do you? I actually prefer ales, stouts and porters to lagers. Most Americans prefer their beer ice cold, but I don' recall being served a beer in Germany that was particularly cold, so the complaint about lukewarm surprises me and I, myself, would refrain from using the word "dishwater" except in reference to Coors and Budweiser. Unfortunately, Budweiser seems to have established a strong foothold in the UK although I've never heard a satisfactory answer as to why.
Pasta with chips is just starch on starch. Might as well just pile more pasta on.
Actually, come to think of it, the last time we were in the UK, my youngest granddaughter had spaghetti and chips, but she likes starch with a side of starch.
I'm seriously considering going to this.Unlike US Conventions, where my wife prefers to stay home, I suspect that she would come along, since she has a number of acquaintances in the Midlands who would be happy to show her around while I'm at the Convention.Plus, it would be nice to go to a Convention where I wouldn't be working all week at the 'Road Show layout...
Just gotta find a good curry shoppe and kebab joint near the venue, and I'll be set for food.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
Howard Zane England is wonderful, except the Brits talk funny. HZ
England is wonderful, except the Brits talk funny.
Depends on your point of view; imagine plenty of Brit's think Americans talk funny. My wifes brother and kids were visiting here in northern Virginia from England the past two weeks and Ben, the 15 year old kept making fun of American country twang quoting Larry the Cable Guy saying "why isn't he drinking sarsaparilla out of his cowboy hat?"
andrechapelonYeah, and they spell funny, too. "Kerb", "tyre", "labour", what's with that? They also drive on the wrong side of the road. I know as I've done it (in self-defense, naturally). They've got weird foods with funny names. Would you eat "toad in the hole" "bangers and mash". Ever had "Yorkshire Pudding", which bears about as much resemblance to what we know as pudding as canned spinach does to pineapple upside down cake? Who in their right mind would even occupy the same room with something called "spotted dick" Andre
They've got weird foods with funny names. Would you eat "toad in the hole" "bangers and mash".
Ever had "Yorkshire Pudding", which bears about as much resemblance to what we know as pudding as canned spinach does to pineapple upside down cake? Who in their right mind would even occupy the same room with something called "spotted dick"
Careful now. Might be some Brits who read the forums, or husbands of a Brit, me.
My wife often makes Yorkshire puddings which are very similar to a poppover and they go nice with chicken or turkey with gravey. Spotted Dick is just a sponge cake with black currants - a desert eaten hot.
My wife actually never learned how to drive when she was growing up and living in her home country of England; she arrived here and married me in her 40's and I taught her how to drive on the right side of the road. She always complains why are there stop signs everywhere; in England intersections don't have stop signs, you only stop if you need to when other cars approach.
Along with bangers and mash, she eats things like chip buddies too.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I'll use any excuse to go just about anywhere. Could be a plan. The wife loves going over there for dog events, maybe there will be something for her at the same time.
Not enough veggies served in pubs for my taste. I always find myself craving them when I visit. As far as funny accents go, just remember the Queen is the one that speaks right proper don't ya know. It's us in the colonial outpost that have messed things up.
nealknowsWhat's more important would be the safety in the country. That's my main concern.
You can breathe deeply and relax knowing you are in a much safer place.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Crime/Violent-crime/Murder-rate-per-million-people
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
No we don't....you do!
They say the Brits and the Americans are two people seperated by a common language.
Joe Staten Island West
So they say. I do know it's a good thing around here in the greater metropolitan Washington DC area (northern Virginia). My wife talks and people stop her and say, are you British? She says, why yes, I am. And they giggle like it's all very cool!
Americans do have a very romanticized view of England my wife says. I have been reading the BBC online news for the last several years and see a different side; there are a lot of not so nice things we read about which are "epidemic" which I shall not get into but do show a different side to the UK. We recently watched the UK's version of Adam Sandler, Sasha Baron Cohen, in his latest movie - Brothers Grimsby, and which offers a "humorous" glimpse of life of many typical poor, on the dole "northerners" - and gives you a sense of the underbelly part of the lower class life in there. Keep in mind, Englands welfare system is sort of like what we had in the US prior to the early 1990's, before it was reformed here.
I know i grew up with Monty Python and Benny Hill and the old school British stuff but it's changed over the years. Reading the BBC regularly has been a real eye opener. But I digress.
It would be fun to try to attend the NMRA in the uK in 2022. My wife's brother lives north of London about a 45 minute train trip from Kings Cross station, so we would have a place to stay assuming he is still living there in 2022. While he was visiting with us past couple weeks, we could see he was very shaken up by the Brexit - thankfully he exchanged his money before the vote and was able to get a good US currency exchange. It was 1.5 pounds to the dollar before and dropped quickly to 1.3 pounds to the dollar after the vote and even lower since. Interesting times ahead.
riogrande5761It was 1.5 pounds to the dollar before and dropped quickly to 1.3 pounds to the dollar after the vote and even lower since.
I think you meant the other way around.
"Careful now. Might be some Brits who read the forums, or husbands of a Brit, me."
Apparently, the tongue-in- cheek nature of my post was not obvious. I've had Yorkshire pudding, spotted dick and bangers and mash, although I think I'll continue to give stargazey pie a pass. Have also driven in the UK often enough to be ambidextrous in that regard.
Let me pass on a piece of advice from a lesson learned the hard way. Never, ever, get on the M25 ring road around London on a bank holiday. It makes the I-405 during rush hour in LA look like the Indianapolis Speedway by comparison.
Oh yeah, most British and Continental rental cars come with manual transmissions. If you can't drive a stick shift you'll have to request an automatic. They're more expensive. And be aware of the type of fuel your rental car uses. Diesel cars are very common and the diesel hose at petrol stations is black.
Sir Madog riogrande5761 It was 1.5 pounds to the dollar before and dropped quickly to 1.3 pounds to the dollar after the vote and even lower since. I think you meant the other way around.
riogrande5761 It was 1.5 pounds to the dollar before and dropped quickly to 1.3 pounds to the dollar after the vote and even lower since.
Yep. That Sir Mad dog was a "brainfart"!!! =P Whats the old saying, take me for what I mean, not what I say? hah hah.
andrechapelon Apparently, the tongue-in- cheek nature of my post was not obvious. Andre
Apparently, the tongue-in- cheek nature of my post was not obvious.
If a poster doesn't want readers to misconstrue a post, it's always a good idea to help the reader by using emoticons or other things to avoid flashback. Just sayin ...
Gratz for being able to go on both sides. I would have rented a car if it made sense but being on a tight budget it was much more expedient to take trains, Metro, busses while over there with my wife, a native of the UK. She was born and raised in the UK didn't need to drive where she lived; When she immigrated in 2011, I taught her here in northern Virginia and she level up her skills from 0 to very good in just over 3 months and very quickly was commuting to work on one of the busier highways here. Many in the UK likewise don't drive due to it being unnecessary in many parts - unlike the US where most places you MUST have a car. My wifes brother who was visiting from Welwyn Garden City and works in London, doesn't bother with the traffic and takes the train to work. Gas is about 3 x the cost as here in the US so it's a bigger expense. He takes the train and mostly does his driving when traveling north to Boston or Newcastle etc. While visiting, Sean didn't like the fact that you had to drive everywhere - I simply told him its a big country and everything is spread out and we all are used to it. There are some city centers where you can walk to stores and live more like England.
Yes, many cars are manual transmission. I had no problems with that in my four long stay's in Germany and Austria since both of my first cars (71 Pinto and 78 Rabbit) were both stick shift.
Oh, as far as traffic, Toronto is also pretty insane; through the main part, there were 16 lanes I counted 4 inner east, 4 outer east, 4 inner west and 4 outer west. It seemed to rival Washington DC thats for sure. Anyway, bragging about traffic to me is bragging about a bad thing - ug! When I visited a family in Germany (a guy who used to go to my church while he was a professor at IU) they drove a Passat Diesel car which IIRC, diesel was lower cost than gasoline. Like the UK, Germany's gas was approx 3 x the cost per gallon as the US.
Well, gas is expensive and one of the most expensive countries is Germany for that matter.
I found driving in the UK to be challenging. It was not driving on the "wrong side" of the street or entering a roundabout to the left, but changing gears with my left hand and having to look left when looking into the rear view mirror. If you plan to rent a car, do yourself a favour and spend the extra $$ on a car with automatic transmission. It´ll help you to keep cool when a semi is approaching you on the wrong side of the street on one of those narrow country roads, lined with stone or slate walls ...
Sir Madog Well, gas is expensive and one of the most expensive countries is Germany for that matter. I found driving in the UK to be challenging. It was not driving on the "wrong side" of the street or entering a roundabout to the left, but changing gears with my left hand and having to look left when looking into the rear view mirror. If you plan to rent a car, do yourself a favour and spend the extra $$ on a car with automatic transmission. It´ll help you to keep cool when a semi is approaching you on the wrong side of the street on one of those narrow country roads, lined with stone or slate walls ...
Actually, I've found it's a cheaper to opt for the manual transmission and wear an adult diaper in that case. Do I need an emoticon or is everyone on the same page on this one?
I will stipulate to one thing and that is that it's easier to miss a shift since you're shifting with an unfamiliar hand.