Week 4

Week 4

We are into week four, it seems like a dream. We are all in touch with each other, enjoying electronic 'days at work' and enjoying 'doughnuts', although they are admittedly not as satisfying as the real thing.

The railway's appeal reached £151.000 as at 12th April, so we are now beyond the half way stage, but still with some way to go (£99.000 to be exact, but hey, it's less than £100.000 now).

If you haven't helped yet please consider doing so. This page describes what you need to do:

https://www.gwsr.com/Emergency_Embankment_Appeal.html

Otherwise our railway is very quiet indeed. Probably a case of no news is good news, that is to say, there are no bad news, so we will just have to sit this out. Luckily we have a relatively modest wage bill.

Reading in the paper yesterday a senior scientist who advises the government says that the coronavirus does not pose a major threat through outdoor transmission. Another consulted by the paper 'could find no positive evidence that this virus has ever been transmitted outdoors (but abundant evidence of indoor transmission). That is not to say that outdoor transmission cannot occur, as it surely can if an infectious person is in close contact with a susceptible person. But if social distancing is maintained, and people with symptoms do not venture out, then the risk of transmission in outdoor settings looks to be very low indeed'.

So perhaps we might be allowed back to work outdoors, as part of a gradual relaxation of the lockdown. If the government allows it of course.


Last week's quiz answers:

Got your answer papers ready?This is what you should have put:

Western Region

What’s the name of the King when each of the following events happened?

6000 Outbreak of the First World War                                                                                   George V

6019Battle of Agincourt                                                                                                           Henry V

6023 Battle of Bannockburn                                                                                                 Edward II

6004 Battle of Waterloo                                                                                                       George III

6026 Signing of the Magna Carta                                                                                                John

Southern Region

Where are the following Merchant Navies stored or running? (NB This was in 2014)

35005 Canadian Pacific                                                                                   Watercress/Mid-Hants

35006 Peninsular & Oriental S.N. Co                                                                                     GWSR

35010 Blue Star                                                                                                             Colne Valley

35028 Clan Line                                                                                           Stewarts Lane/main line

35029 Ellerman Lines                                                                                    Nat Rly Museum, York

Midland Region

What’s the number of the following locos (all between 46220 and 46257)?

Coronation                                                                                                                                46220

Duchess of Sutherland                                                                                                              46233

Sir William A Stanier FRS                                                                                                        46256

Duchess of Hamilton                                                                                                                 46229

City of Birmingham                                                                                                                  46235

Eastern Region

What are the names of the 6 preserved A4s?

60007                                                                                                                       Sir Nigel Gresley

60008                                                                                                               Dwight D Eisenhower

60009                                                                                                               Union of South Africa

60010                                                                                                                 Dominion of Canada

60019                                                                                                                                       Bittern

60022                                                                                                                                      Mallard

Standard Classes

Facts about the Britannia class:

How many of the Britannia class were built?                                                                                 55

What's the name of 70004 displayed at the festival of Britain in 1951?           William Shakespeare

What’s the number of the only Brit that was never named?                                                    70047

What was the name of 70008, also held by 92203 when on the GWR?                        Black Prince

What’s the name of 70020, the planet nearest the sun?                                                       Mercury

Early Diesels

It’s all about the peaks.   

Name:

D1, England’s highest mountain?                                                                                    Scafell Pike

D2, the 3120ft high mountain accessed by Striding Edge?                                                Helvellyn

D5, England’s highest mountain outside the Lake District?                                               Cross Fell

The fittingly called preserved railway where D8 Penyghent lives?                                    Peak Rail

The top of this mountain, D9, is accessible by steam loco?                                                Snowdon

News hot off the press:

The second edition of The Toddington Standard is out: Read all about progress with our own Pocket Rocket, now in the hands of the professionals at LMS in Loughborough:

Yes, we know that isn't really 76077 on the cover, it's a bit of Jack Boskett's handiwork (he's the editor of The Cornishman and a renowned photographer). If you want to know more, and indeed help us, sign up via the locomotive's own website here:

https://standard76077.com/support-76077

You can buy shares outright, and, to continue helping, why not make a regular donation for the price of a meal?  It's a virtually painless way of building up a really helpful contribution.



This week's quiz comes from the PWay....

CHRISTMAS QUIZ 2016

1.       Which region of British Railways did not have water troughs?                    ……….

2.      What was the width between the rails on Brunel’s broad gauge?                 ……….

3.      Which of our locos runs with an 81A, Old Oak Common, shed plate?          ……….

4.      Who, during 2016, was offered training on how to use a shovel?                  ……….

(In joke, but you could have a guess)                 

5.      The Pritchard Patent Product Company is better known as what?                 ……….

6.      What’s the locomotive number used by Flying Scotsman during 2016?       ……….

7.      Where was Dinmore Manor this last summer?   (NB We are in 2016)           ……….

       8.       How wide, in inches, is a standard wooden sleeper?                                    ………..

9.      What type of dogs travel for free on the GWR?                                              ………..

10.   Where is the shed coded 14E?                                                                         ..............

11.   According to a volunteer's’ profound analytic mind, what is the main

difference between the Swanage Railway’s Derby built lightweight

Class 108 DMUs and their Pressed Steel Company built Class 117

DMUs?    (In joke, have a go)                                                                          ………..

                                                                                                 

        12.  Where is the shed coded 14E?                                                                        .………

                                                                

13.   At 22.75 miles, which is the longest standard gauge heritage railway

        in the UK?                                                                                                               ………
                                                                                                          

14.   What, demolished in December 1961, will be reinstated by HS2?                        ……….

15.   What’s the BR TOPS class number for our loco 5343?                                         ……….

16.    If you need to slow a train to 5mph though PWay work, what colour flag is the first to be

 displayed?                                                                                                                       ……….

17.     How is the flag held?                                                                                             ……….

You'll notice 3 questions missing. Sadly they were very rude, it just goes to show what a bunch of degenerates we are. We have spared your sensitive feelings.

John Lees' PWay pictures

We are still on the job of scanning in, repairing and in due course posting on the Early GWSR Flickr site a huge box of slides John lent us.

Progress to date is that we have scanned 400 of the slides, and repaired 300 of them, so we are well on the way to the point where we can publish this next batch. With 1300 photographs posted to date, John has had over 10.000 views. Amazing! Providing we have finished the repair work, we should be able to post a link to the next batch in the following blog post.

One amusing one that we can share straight away is this one:

       

The Laverton python, with offspring Slippery Sid.

John took this picture in the summer of 2010 when the gang had just started on the trackwork that would become Laverton loop.
A strangely shaped tree stump was painted up to look like a Python by one of the volunteers (thought to be Keith), accompanied by a little baby one in a nest, fully equipped with baby's dummy.

Click on the picture to enlarge and read the text.

See you next week!