Sunday Variety

Write Out Correction 50x!

At school it was common for teach to add the dreaded code SP50 to a marked essay. This meant that Sir expected a neat part page of e.g. the word "necessary" on his deck at the start of the next lesson.

It's SchaRfenberg - named after one Karl of that ilk, who invented his automatic joiner of trains in 1905! His invention was certainly not "digital" and it was a good while before the automatic UNcoupler came along.

Until then you had to yank on a gurt big lever to get them apart.

Then fbb, overcome with aghastness, realised that he had no idea how they worked. Obviously the pointy bit pokes into the "cup" of the attaching vehicle, but what happened then was a closed book for fbb. Or maybe even a closed coupling.

But it is "all on line"!

In each "half" of the coupling "hook" is a bar with a pin at the end. That's the dark grey bit that sticks out pointing left.

The other notable component is a circular disc with a bite taken out of it. That shiny metal lever is part of the UNcoupling mechanism.

So the two couplers approach, gently, and the magic happens.

See the bar from the left hand coupling is about to click into the bite in the opposite disc. Likewise the other way.

And, abracadabra sim salabin ...

... they come together sweetly and strongly!

In modern systems there are pneumatic, hydraulic or servo driven gubbins to do the UNcoupling and once the trains are joined in holy matrimony, other gubbinses join the electrics etc.

If you are captivated by the technology of SchaRfenberg couplers there is oodles of excitement  awaiting you on the interwebnet.

Government Transport Policy?

So, fix what things?

Isn't that exactly the same as the last lot promised? And with 14 years of expertise, how well did it go?

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!

Some news snippets of varying content.

Better For Bedford

Wuxams? It is currently on the A6 south of Bedford ...

... but the development is due to spread west to the Midland Main line, hence the desire for a station.

The huge warehouse, top left on the above, is a B & M distribution centre. The Google Earth view shows where development is in progress!

Bad for Brum?

Yet again, it's all about the money!

Saving The Planet?

Hmmm?

It's Big; It Steams and It Costs!

People like Henry Greenly and Wenman Basset Lowke cut their teeth on miniature railways.

Thebsmaller scales ran from "5" downwards for what Henry would have called a model. Eventually the arithmetic led to "O" gauge and in the late 1930s, as they had run out of numbers, to "OO".

But there are still those who are wealthy enough to run trains in the larger "model" scales.

But if you do have the money and a large garden, this is the sort of 5" gauge model you might like.

Such a beauty will only cost you £15,000.

Grand Prix, Great Prize or Great Price?

We have just had the British GP at Silverstone, not too far from Northampton Alan's residence. On a weeknd excursion by rail, Alan was intrigued to spot some different styles of sign for the bus link from Northampton.

London North Western Railway had not spent a great deal on disseminating information about the special buses.

Young Bill had done a splendid job with his felt tip pens; we note especially the chequered flag motif!

The station's official sign was of superb quality.

But if you found you way to "the top of the hill" ...

... actually the top of the bridge across the line.

, Stagecoach had hired something big and obvious.

It didn't tell you too much.

But, as Alan reported, there were no times or fares on the Stagecoach web site.

But fbb is made of sterner stiff and he looked more widely on-line and, lo and behold, the Silverstone race site had the necessary.

This, for example, shows departures from Northampton on the Saturday.

and the Northampton fare?

These arrangements would tend to be used for passengers from the north. If you were coming from London your connection would be from Milton Keynes ...

... but at a higher price.

Maybe take the chopper next year?

 Next 1X blog : Monday 15th July