Sunday 3 May 2020

Castles In The Air (3)

Alf (a k a Lord Tennyson) ...
... often strode gloomily over the downs that now bear his name.
Up there, for example, he battled with a little known drinks problem and thus doubtless struggled with words and rhyme for his celebrated work, "Crossing The Bar". What is less well documented is his passion for railways, then in their infancy.

He would often stroll across the fields with his friend and pioneer photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.
After taking tea at her home, Dimbola ...
... they would hie themselves to Freshwater Station; notably to observe and photograph the arrival of the first passenger train on 9th September 1888**.
What is less well documented is that Alf began construction of one of the first model railways ("O" gauge, coarse scale) on the Isle of Wight. Details are scanty but the layout probably included Freshwater station (obviously) and the halt at Carisbrooke with the famous castle as backdrop.
In support of this long-lost modelling project a draft of a poem, written in the author's scrawly hand, and telling of the frustrations of model making has recently been unearthed at Farringford, Alf's Island home.
The poem was never published, because Tennyson felt that his audience was not yet ready for verses about "toy trains"; but he did use the first line and the most of structure of the early version for a more well known ditty.

Here are the unpublished archive stanzas.

The splendour falls on castle walls
And ev'ry model tells a story:
The left hand shakes, creates mistakes,
Yet won'drous buildings leap in glory.
Glue, glue and glue, makes stubby fingers sticky,
Paint, paint and paint, very tricky, tricky, tricky.

O hark, O hear! design is clear,
With finer, clearer, detail showing!
Get colours right, so new and bright
The doors and stairways clearly showing!
Glue, glue and glue, makes stubby fingers sticky,
Paint, paint and paint, very tricky, tricky, tricky.

It looks quite good in card and wood,
The growth of hill or field or river:
As mod'ller toils, frustration boils,
And finished ever? likely never!
Glue, glue and glue, makes stubby fingers sticky,
Paint, paint and paint, very tricky, tricky, tricky.

In essence, the poem above adequately describes something of the standard and frustrations of fbb's own minimalist model railway.

But the Noch ruined castle, delivered last week, has stimulated fbb's modelling skills efforts in a substantial and enjoyable manner.

After Sir Peregrine Hardulph donated the worked - out quarry and a substantial sum of cash to the people of Peterville, he became so pleased with the success of the villager's railway project that he decided to upgrade Peterville Castle and open it to the public on Summer weekends and Bank Holidays. 

Significant work was needed to make the ruin safe for visitors.
Fortuitously, the recently completed kit for the terraced houses contained a number of bits which fbb chose not to use. The garden gates blocked off some dangerous gaps in the stonework ...
...  some railings were added to the barbican ...
... and the tower ...
The two internal staircases from the terrace were joined together and made excellent access for visitors via the castle's "front door".
Also from the kit came bits of garden fence to complete the entrance landing.

By now, fbb was on a roll and your enthusiastic castle creator was ready to get out paint and brushes to complete the job. But wait ...

** 1888 - in fact Julia Margaret Cameron did nine years before the railway reached Freshwater; but, in the spirit of true journalism, why let historic accuracy get in the way of a pleasant narrative?

P.S. The different colours of castle stonework are not due to an fbb repaint but a combination of using artificial light combined with an over-enthusiastic automatic exposure on a mobile phone camera.

Signs Of  The Times
Northampton correspondent Alan ventured into town on Thursday, last, to augment the variety of comestibles available at his local corner co-op. Here is the Drapery (part of thee "extended" bus station) at about 1500.
One solitary person  (pink umbrella, centre right) was the only potential customer for Mr Stagecoach's Sunday frequency.

Alan also sent a selection of information posted at this local stop. As it was stuck to the shelter glazing using a variety of adhesives, one does wonder how long it will be before either weather or the occasional non-compliant teenager removes them! But a good housepoint for Stagecoach for doing their best.

On offer; an accurate and up-to-date timetable ...
... complete with ruled line identifying the stop; a general but helpful notice about the service provided ...
... and the usual health warnings.
How is you local operator doing as far a bus stop info is concerned?

Another Collapse?
Also from Alan is this :-

Local operator Diamond Coaches of Rushden withdrew all his commercial services on 25th April. The company also ran school contracts. 

Diamond Coaches have advised the Council that they will be withdrawing all of their bus services after operation on Saturday 25th April.

Diamond Coaches currently operate the following commercial bus services:

203 Irchester – Peterborough 1st Saturday of the month
223 Bozeat – Rushden Lakes Wednesdays
232 Rushden – Leicester 2nd Saturday of the month
250 Kettering – Brambleside Mondays to Saturdays
266 Raunds – Kettering Mondays to Saturdays
287 Ringstead – Rushden Lakes Wednesdays
297 Raunds – Milton Keynes 3rd Saturday of the month

The Diamond website is currently  down

Although there is no statement that suggests complete collapse; the web site was still down yesterday afternoon at 1700.

Alan continues:-

N.C.C has found some funds down the back of the sofa for the Brambleside - Kettering town centre - Thrapston - Raunds services to the delight of Stagecoach.who have renumbered them  to 16 to confuse the few remaining potential passengers.

These services were run by Centrebus until they pulled out of all Northamptonshire operations.

Stagecoach writes:-

We are delighted to announce that in partnership with Northamptonshire County Council, Stagecoach will be running the 16 services service between Raunds, Thrapston, Kettering & Brambleside from the 27th April.
We hope to bring you a slightly more enhanced 16 services once the current Coronovirus pandemic calms.

Diamond Coaches are particularly well known in the East Midlands for their very smart ex Southern Vectis open-topped "Olly", a regular performer at rallies, running days and charitable events.

Blue Star And The NHS
Bluestar is a GoAhead company operating in Southampton and nearby Eastleigh.
This bus was scheduled to service route 17, a Southampton City service.

Hornby And The NHS

 More Castles And Other Stuff : Monday 4th May 

1 comment:

  1. Andrew Kleissner3 May 2020 at 15:02

    I'm not entirely convinced by Lord Tennyson and his model railway ... but in the same poem which you "quote" come these lines:
    "Round the lake
    A little clock-work steamer paddling plied
    And shook the lilies: perched about the knolls
    A dozen angry models jetted steam:
    A petty railway ran: a fire-balloon
    Rose gem-like up before the dusky groves
    And dropt a fairy parachute and past:
    And there through twenty posts of telegraph
    They flashed a saucy message to and fro
    Between the mimic stations; so that sport
    Went hand in hand with Science".

    Sounds like a rather good layout, but I can't stand his poetry!

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