Scriv

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Everything posted by Scriv

  1. Check the refrigerator! !hungr!
  2. Don't keep dogs, they wouldn't get a look in while this one's around...... ..... proud owner of the only guaranteed mouse-free stable in West Wales!
  3. Small world this internet thingy in't it?
  4. Eyup Ron, sorry this is off-topic but do you by chance inhabit the R2OK board as well?
  5. Bit of an improvement really; it was one in one when they started off!
  6. Bazzer, one of the locomotives from that little railway has been preserved; on the Welsh Highland Railway at Porthmadog. As you can see it's been restored to its Hoveringham livery. My old man worked for Hoveringham as a fitter all his life, and it's quite possible that he'd have laid some of that track.
  7. I'm rather surprised that no-one's mentioned the "other" pub on that route, Craig, the Elm Tree hotel. Now an old folks home but it was a very popular night-spot up till the mid80's, had my stag night there back in 1984. If the Southwell lot and the Lowdham lot were both in there a scrap was guaranteed, a prime reason for its demise. Further up the river, the Star and Garter at Hazelford Ferry has suffered the same fate as the Elm Tree, another "God's Waiting Room". That was a popular bikers' venue for a short while.
  8. There's a few in and around Nottingham of course. Best one that springs to mind is a company in Basford (still trading) called Flashing Sevices, which is run by a gentleman called Mr. Balls. Many years ago Mr. Balls (a very nice bloke) was a regular customer at GT Cars on Ilkeston Road, where I was working in the parts deparment. I still remember the look of consternation on my rather straight-laced manager's face when he breezed in to the shop and cheerily announced himself as "Balls, Flashing Services"! There was also a scaffolding company, in Newark I think, called "Spook Erections"; thei
  9. I was only pulling yer leg mate, Tornado'll look good in any colour but I always liked that Royal Blue which adorns the model of "Claud Hamilton", such a pity that beautiful locomotive was never preserved. Think it's got to be blue or green really; we've all seen the horrendous modern colour schemes plastered over 37's and the like by the new companies, somehow (with the honourable exception of E.W.S.) they just don't look right do they?
  10. To bring this topic back towards "Tornado", I can't help but wonder whether the enthusiasts who are quite rightly delighted at the appearance of the loco in apple green with BR insignia (being a new build of course then strictly speaking it never ran under those colours when BR was extant) are the same ones who complain about the correctness of the Royal Scot's handsome plumage!
  11. It's a classic way of irritating the "rivet counters", and not just with locomotives. I subscribe to a vintage commercial magazine, and also post on a website for classic Harley-Davidsons. Both media are inevitably full of people whinging because some restoration, or part thereof, is not "correct"; if you want to see REAL nit-picking the best, or worst example according to your views, is the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. Their bikes are judged on a "100 point" system, whereby you start with 100 and get a quarter, half or full point deducted for every bit which is not, according to the m
  12. On a lighter note, another bit of info for those who know nowt about "trains".... The Guard is a man Who sits in a van And rides at the end of the train. The Driver (up front) Thinks the Guard is a **** And the Guard thinks the Driver's the same. Boom Boom!
  13. They were "just trains" to me, too, because I was never subjected to the "Thomas" stories as a kid. That's not to say that I've anything against them, although I've always thought that Revd. Awdry would have done us a greater service if he'd managed to educate kids into understanding that trains are anything but cuddly, they're dangerous and they kill stupid kids who play on railway lines. Sadly of course they are, today, just trains, without character or individual identity. I confes that it one of my regrets in life that if I ever did see a steam locomotive in active service on British Rail
  14. So what? There are any number of preserved steam locos running around that aren't "quite right"; for instance, most of them are highly polished and in virtually "ex-works" condition, when realistically they lasted about a week in that kind of nick. If we stuck with your thesis (and I do sympathise with your opinion even if I don't agree with it) then virtually every preserved steam locomotive would be painted in the last livery it was in before it was withdrawn from service; since the vast majority were withdrawn in BR days the whole scene would be a sea of unlined black and various dark gre
  15. There are a lot of "urban myths" doing the rounds about the Aermacchi-HD connection. It is assumed by some people that any AMF-era H-D will still be unreliable and badly made, even though the chances are that it has been rebuilt. The general consensus now is that if AMF had not purchased H-D, then Harleys would be as much past history today as Indian are. I take the view that many of the problems (poor build quality and reliability coupled with a lack of R&D and an ageing model line-up) were a symptom of the times, parallel to those in the American and British motor industries of that er
  16. They still do. There are two Walls of Death in the UK, one of which was owned and operated until fairly recently by a chap from Skeggy called Graham Cripsey; long-time snooker fans may remember the name and yes it is the same bloke. The other one's run by Ken Fox, here's a pic of my missus (Indian fanatic) on one of his Scouts at Carmarthen a couple of years ago; There are at least two Chiefs up and running around Notts to my knowledge. Ashley, you're right about the Brave; 250 side-valve single, one of many failed attempts to get the Indian name up and running again. Still one or two a
  17. The only "old iron" I dealt with in Loughborough was at GCR; volunteer there for a few years. No sacrilege mate, it was the days of "Easy Rider" wasn't it, everyone wanted to be Dennis Hopper or Peter Fonda. Plenty of 45's around now still suffering from that sort of "re-modelling", though why anyone would pay the inflated prices on flea-bay for a bike that won't pass 70 mph is beyond me. Incidentally I know Fred Warr personally; not in the best of health these days but his mind's still sharp, his sons run the shop now. Fred didn't care much for the chopper brigade, my guess is he told y
  18. Educated guess, Bazzer, would more likely have been a Benelli Six; Agrati, the UK importer for Benelli and Garelli, had their premises on St. Mark's Street off Huntingdon Street. Puch also had their British HQ not far down the road, in what is now Machine Mart. BTW did you deal with Andy Bone for your Itom? Old Des used to have one hidden away down the back of the shop years ago. My list of bikes; 1976 - Puch VS50D STV90H, wrote it off going round a bend in Claypole en route to Fulbeck. 1976/7 - Garelli Rekord GJU21L spent more time broken down than being ridden! 1977 - Honda C110, pushro
  19. Ashley, you mentioned Mick Marriott in a post above; just wondered if it might be the same guy I knew in the early 80's, long hair, played guitar in local bands, lived in Hyson Green flats? Mick used to be pally with a guy called Eric, long blond hair more a rock type than a biker; think he was a guitarist as well. Ring any bells with you?
  20. Abiding memory from my Army days; if the RSM had been giving you grief, you could nip into a little room, sit down, have a smoke, read the paper, and then.... .... wipe your arse on GOVERNMENT PROPERTY .... every sheet was printed thus!
  21. A remarkable set of coincidences. I wasn't at Wrights and Dobsons very long but it was fun. Do you remember Bert, the diehard Elvis fan, and Horace, the classic "miserable old sod" who was the butt of many jokes? I worked in the flock print department, and one of the jobs involved going into the big ovens when the fabric got caught up, to untangle it. I was hot as hell in there, can't imagine for a minute they'd let you do it today! When the fabric came out of the ovens it was put into big wheeled tubs; since it was absolutely buzzing with static this could be tricky if you didn't want to ge
  22. You're right about the accident Mick but it was 1981 I think, 'cos I was working at GT cars at the time.
  23. First job I ever had was as a butcher's boy for Len Steele in Southwell, about 1973. About a year later I started doing a few hours at the Red Lion, Thurgarton, washing up in the kitchen; handy 'cos we only lived across the road! My mum worked there as head waitress and the old man did the glass collecting Saturday nights, so it was very much a family affair. First "proper" job I had, in between leaving Digby College and joining the Army in 1977, was at Wright's and Dobsons' on Carlton Road, as a machine minder. Quite a steep learning curve for a naive 16-year-old grammar school boy; I got th
  24. Very nice, thank you. I always thought that the "Nottingham Standard" was one of the more enduring designs, it does not look dated even today. The mid-60's NCT livery particularly suited it, as did the South Notts in later years; the buses had a dignity about them which was IMO a good advert for the city.