The Chill Out Zone

[RPWC]

Originally Posted by stevenicks

What a wimp, surely they should be able to carry out the job in any conditions .

I have seen their vans, they have a large pull out awning fitted to the sides, so they can still fit them in the wet.

[stevestrat]

Just spent a brilliant fifteen minutes watching an episode of "Weir's Way" from 1983, Tom Weir was an old guy, walking boots and bobble hat, who made a number of programs about Scotland. He was talking about the railway between Crianlarach to Oban. Back then trains on the West Highland line were still hauled by Class 37s, coaches steam heated, signal boxes with semaphore signals and token working. Now its all anonymous diesel units and "signalling" remotely controlled by radio from one location.

[coolcat]

Originally Posted by Gate Keeper

That went quick Jeff, congratulations I had a black Hyundai Elantra brand new. Lovely car with all the toys, fully loaded and had the long warranty. It had smoked windows and looked like a drug dealer's car. I was always getting stopped. My pet name for it was "The Black Shadow". After the warranty finished, parts and repairs were pricey, so I traded it in. Hyundai and Kia are popular in Africa

The worst car I ever bought was a used Daewoo Leganza. I had the engine sent off for a recon. Waste of money. 3 months later, I drove it the scrappy. It barely made it there, with the white smoke bellowing out. That was a financial loss and only got £50 from the scrap merchant, tin and rubber.....be lucky!

Originally Posted by RPWC

I almost bought a Hyundai Lantra, it had all the toys , being the top of the range at the time, instead I bought a Citroen BX, and that was nothing but trouble, the hydrogen suspension was anyway. The Leganza unlike most Daewoos didn't have Vauxhall running gear, it had Holden, which is surprising that it blew up on you, as Holden produce the v8 race engines for the Australian Holden racing cars.

Well guys......

Ros and I went to the Hyundai garage and test drove the Tuscon and i40 Tourer and whilst both were entirely competent and well put together cars neither set our hearts on fire.

On our way back to Clacton we somehow found ourselves in the Colchester Audi dealer (have no idea how that happened ) and took a look at the Audi Q3 which culminated in a test drive.........we were sold and fingers crossed will be picking up our new carriage next week

[coolcat]

This is Jamie and Elena, the lovely couple who bought our ZT-T today.

IMG_6407 by Jeff Cranwell, on Flickr

It looks lovely on their drive along with their other ZT-T

IMG_6408 by Jeff Cranwell, on Flickr

I'm so glad it has gone to enthusiasts who will I'm sure enjoy it for many years to come

[stevestrat]

Originally Posted by coolcat

I'm so glad it has gone to enthusiasts who will I'm sure enjoy it for many years to come

Good that its gone to someone who knows what they are doing with them.

[Lancpudn]

Originally Posted by stevenicks

What a wimp, surely they should be able to carry out the job in any conditions .

She had to make another appointment with them & next Friday is the only time she can arrange it .

Sophisticated night in tonight, I'm watching Thunderbirds & quaffing a few Golden Crown bottles of Bitter with a bag o peanuts Doesn't get any better than that unless there was meat & potato pies too

[Lancpudn]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

Just spent a brilliant fifteen minutes watching an episode of "Weir's Way" from 1983, Tom Weir was an old guy, walking boots and bobble hat, who made a number of programs about Scotland. He was talking about the railway between Crianlarach to Oban. Back then trains on the West Highland line were still hauled by Class 37s, coaches steam heated, signal boxes with semaphore signals and token working. Now its all anonymous diesel units and "signalling" remotely controlled by radio from one location.

I was watching a program the other week on youtube about the line between Fort William & Mallaig and an old train driver who ran the line switching between the diesel units & a K1 Peppercorn class steam train, Must be the most scenic route in the UK.

[stevestrat]

The West Highland line was never part of my territory although when I was a Driver Inspector I was trained on the radio signalling system used there . . . . never worked out why

The steam heating brought back memories, operating the steam boiler was the secondman's responsibility. Some boilers were straightforward to operate, some were a real PITA. Always remember once a driver and myself had to take a loco to the other depot in Edinburgh but test the boiler first. I tried three times but could only get it to fire on a low flame, a high pressure diesel flame heated water within coils to produce the copious amounts of steam required to heat a train. The driver asked how I was doing, said I had problems and would try it one more time. Didn't dawn on me that by now the boiler must have been swimming with unburnt diesel, fired it up again, fired on a high flame this time, along with all the unburnt diesel! BOOM, smoke came out of all the joints in the boiler housing, I dived out of the boiler compartment into the cab and hit the boiler emergency shutdown switch. The driver was on the ground next to the steps, he looked at me, "WTF happened there? A 12 foot high jet of flame came out of the exhaust!" I replied that I was having nothing more to do with that ******* thing!

[trikey]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

Morning, just seen the news. Now looking online for a nuclear fallout suit, mask and tin hat!

Get down to Lincolnshire, we have plenty of cold war shelters down here.

[RPWC]

Originally Posted by coolcat

Well guys......

Ros and I went to the Hyundai garage and test drove the Tuscon and i40 Tourer and whilst both were entirely competent and well put together cars neither set our hearts on fire.

On our way back to Clacton we somehow found ourselves in the Colchester Audi dealer (have no idea how that happened ) and took a look at the Audi Q3 which culminated in a test drive.........we were sold and fingers crossed will be picking up our new carriage next week

I think the Q3 is the most aesthetically pleasing of the Q range, I don't like the Q5 much, and the 7 is hideous, are you getting rid of the A3 too then Jeff?