StephenFord

Re #2311 - Yes, Tony - you could sometimes find a coin or two in the turn ups (rarely half a crown though!)

Re #5 "But the French probably cheat" - or surrender !

Didn't know snakes ever had belts ! (nor crocodiles shoes !)

Not sure about the turntable - it was my impression, somewhat confirmed by the pictures above, that they didn't make too much effort to turn them. The Garratts were used forwards or backwards indiscriminately, without regarding "chimney-first" good and "bunker-first" bad. Visibility must have been indifferent to appalling whichever way you went, with all that gubbins ahead of the cab, and after all it was still a 2-6-0+0-6-2 either way round.

Correct Bubblewrap. 7 were withdrawn in 1955, 13 in 1956, 12 in 1957, and the last one (47994) was withdrawn from Hasland on 14 March 1958. The LNER's solitary U1 2-8-0+0-8-2 (69999) was withdrawn in 1955.

NG31 doesn't count !

Women wearing headscarves done up like a turban. Any pictures?

Well, I think we can count the eighth one out can't we? And on the whole, in my own view, we got a pretty good bargain with his replacement.

Benjamin - gag from Meccano Magazine (mid 1950s). PC : "Sorry sir, you can't park your car here," Man : "But officer, this is a cul-de-sac!" PC : "I don't care if its a Rolls Royce - you still can't park it here."

Nah - if that's what she meant Carni would have called the thread "Twitchells" !

Bubblewrap - if you stood on your head to type that, did you have footprints on your forehead? Now, as for me, I'm neither amphibious nor ambiguous - and I can only write with my right hand (which is better than righting with my wrong hand).

Michael - #5 - sorry, this is inconclusive - I was born at 6.10 on a foggy frosty morning in January, and I too have a lifelong craving for the beach and ice cream ! O, and by the way, happy birthday Benjamin !

Well, it's gratifying to know that we've got up the UAE's nose intit ? (speaking metaphorically, of course!)

From conversations I have involuntarily overheard, they are not worth listening to. Indeed they are not worth the participants wasting breath on. How can people spend half their day talking inconsequential drivel to one another? It's the same with facebook - 90% of postings are complete tosh. Silence is golden!

Indeed it doesn't. Is that Hook of Holland Haven? We travelled out to Brussels via the Hook night boat about 4 years ago. Very nice journey, but the quayside station is now a sad sight. In the old days there would be three international expresses drawn up waiting for the night boat - I think it was (1) a 3-coach portion of the supplementary fare TEE "Rheingold" which headed down to Chur in Switzerland; (2) the much longer "Lorelei" which also went to Basel and other Swiss destinations, and possibly a portion for Munich, all with first and second class for ordinary folks! and (3) the Harz expre

Bilbraborn - I too had continental free and reduced rate travel when I was at work - and used it. My kids used to love it, although even then I always arranged it myself. I regarded that as part of the fun! However I was with the workshops (British Rail Engineering) and after privatisation it was only maintained because the owning company - ABB, later Daimler-Chrysler, and eventually Bombardier - actually bought full fare tickets for those already entitled. (There weren't many who used it). This was all part of the privatisation agreement with the unions. Anyway, it ceased when I retired, so n

It brings to mind a line from the Goon Show - I think it was the one where Neddy was talked into buying the Eiffel Tower - but was then required to insure it. Quote : "Insurance - the white man's burden!"

Catfan - as far as cheap fares are concerned it is exactly the same system as low cost airlines. They have a "standard" - very expensive - fare, which everyone tries to avoid like the plague, and small allocations of tickets at a variety of price levels, with the lowest ridiculously cheap. Once the cheapest are sold out, the price moves up to the next level, and so on. For days (or specific services) where demand is high, the lowest fare ranges may be cancelled altogether. It makes sense (of a sort!) from the point of view of encouraging people to use very early morning, late evening, and "b

Just booked our tickets to go to the Black Forest at the end of May. Didn't want to fly, and I'm not keen on driving on the wrong side of the road (i.e. the right side of the road!) Preliminary research showed that German Railways do through tickets from London via Brussels to any station in Germany as cheap as €59 each second class or €109 first class - limited availability. I watched the site like a hawk for days, and all was well. Waited until midnight (German time) on Monday - first day tickets came on-stream for the day we are travelling - entered our requirements and the "cheapest" price

If these appearances really are paranormal, maybe it isn't so surprising if they are not susceptible to proof/disproof through technological means, which really are limited to physical phenomena. Perhaps the explanation lies in the idea that the brain is only a processor of what I will simply call "concepts" that still exist even when they are not being recognised or thought about. I guess its an area where an open mind and not too much dogmatism for or against is best.

Banjo - trust you put the lady right on the rules of the road - in the most cultured language, of course !

Hmmm - putting #8 and #14 together, there used to be some cars on which brakes were also optional extras !

#113 - The route was straight up Huntingdon Street, Mansfield Road, Sherwood Rise, Valley Road, Church Street Basford, Alpine Street, Percy Street, Stockhill Lane, Nuthall Road. Then the A1 was main road to Ripley - i.e. Kimberley, Eastwood, Heanor, Codnor; F2 was Kimberley, a steep diversion up Hardy Street to High Spania, then down Maws Lane, straight across the main road, and on the Awsworth and Ilkeston. The F4 turned right at Nuthall along Larkfield Road, then Watnall Corner and on to Hucknall - but it didn't go into Hucknall town centre, turning along Derbyshire Lane, Sandy Lane, Wood La

Re #101 - the A1 route from Broad Marsh was boringly ordinary - Canal Street, Lower Parliament Street and Huntingdon Street. It didn't go into the bus station, but picked up at a stop opposite on Huntingdon Street itself. The same applied to the F2 and F4.

Do I detect just a whiff of cynicism sneeking in?