Old and new bashing trips by Cowley

[Blindtraveler]

Given the age of the van perhaps you should sell it quickly and buy a new one? Lower fuel bills, more up to date facilities and the next poor owning bugger gets a ticket for speeding?

 

[Cowley]

Given the age of the van perhaps you should sell it quickly and buy a new one? Lower fuel bills, more up to date facilities and the next poor owning bugger gets a ticket for speeding?

I did consider it.
It would make a perfect mobile disco van and it even has facing seats in the back with a table and sliding bits in the windows like a Mk 1.
Cheap to you...

 

[GusB]

I did consider it.
It would make a perfect mobile disco van and it even has facing seats in the back with a table and sliding bits in the windows like a Mk 1.
Cheap to you...

I'll give you a fiver for it

 

[Cowley]

I'll give you a fiver for it

Well that's way above the reserve Gus. Are you sure?

 

[fowler9]

Loved your trip report there Cowley. As you know I am going to Croatia in a couple of weeks. I have also spent some time around Lake Garda which as you know is stunning. A mate of mine is the vocalist in a Death Metal band called Carcass and his girlfriend is from Austria. I made the mistake of telling her in the pub that my favourite motorway in the world is in Austria, it is the Brenner Pass, she looked at me like I was mad, how can you have a favourite motorway? Ha ha. I love Lake Garda, especially the way the north end is so different from the south.

 

[Cowley]

Loved your trip report there Cowley. As you know I am going to Croatia in a couple of weeks. I have also spent some time around Lake Garda which as you know is stunning. A mate of mine is the vocalist in a Death Metal band called Carcass and his girlfriend is from Austria. I made the mistake of telling her in the pub that my favourite motorway in the world is in Austria, it is the Brenner Pass, she looked at me like I was mad, how can you have a favourite motorway? Ha ha. I love Lake Garda, especially the way the north end is so different from the south.

Couldn't agree more Fowler9. I had done the Brenner Pass before and it's stunning. My other half drove that bit this time so I was sitting in the middle seat doing time lapse videos. Most excellent enjoy your trip sir. Up the metal.

 

[Oerlikon]

If I may be allowed a few more reminiscences?.... A recent visit to the National Railway Museum in York has allowed me to find and photograph the Oerlikon which is my Forum name. Why Oerlikon? Well, it all dates back to school days when a group of us as young lads used to share the costs of riding the North London Line from Broad Street round to Willesden Junction and Richmond. School seemed to take up the whole week; we even had to go to school on Saturdays! So we only had Sundays left to play. Living handy to the Chingford Line in Essex we would hot foot it up to Liverpool Street Station in London and then climb the steps to Broad Street Station which was next door

Broad Street Station was huge, and on Sundays, totally deserted. It had a vast and lofty overall roof with lots of glass missing because of bomb damage in World War 2. Over in the distance at one of the many platforms was an ancient electric train. The Oerlikon! All the other platforms were empty although on other days they hosted ghostly steam trains which somehow gained access to the Great Northern main line and places like Hatfield and Potters Bar. Anyway, we leapt on board the Oerlikon and without any kind of preamble it rumbled out of the station and up onto the rooftops of London on the first stage of a journey which would take us over all the main lines going north out of the City. Through the dim recesses of bomb damaged Dalston Junction with connecting lines disappearing in all directions to who knew where, over the smoke-filled Copenhagen Tunnels just outside Kings Cross, and then immediately over the Camden Road Tunnels just outside St Pancras, mingling with the lines out of Euston, separating at Willesden Junction in the midst of an impossible tangle of railway lines which, by rights, should have allowed access to any part of the known world. Instead, prosaically, we went to Acton after a brief dash across the main lines out of Paddington, then by Kew Bridge over the Thames, past Kew Gardens ending triumphantly at the wonderful riverside town of Richmond.

The Oerlikon in the National Railway Museum is in an elegant crimson livery with gold lining as operated by the LMS Railway and built circa 1914 with electrical equipment supplied by the Oerlikon company. In their heyday, these units penetrated all parts of North London, but when I came to know them they had acquired a standard BR multiple-unit green livery with the lion and wheel emblem and were confined to the Richmond route from Broad Street with occasional forays to Watford. Their huge attraction for us was the four large passenger-operated sliding doors which we could open en-route and enjoy healthy outdoors travel in those far-off summer days. Can you imagine that these days? If it rained and we couldn't enjoy the summer breezes of North London, we would open the doors wide so they slammed to with an enormous crash as the train braked sharply at each station. As I said, there were not many other passengers but those who did inadvertently share the carriage with us would occasionally threaten to throw us out on to the lineside if the doors slammed again. Discretion suggested holding back until they got off!

Can't do any of this now, of course, and quite right too! Health and Safety has moved on since we did those all those crazy things and anyway, there are no steam train numbers to catch as we did hanging precariously out of the doors on the viaducts outside Kings Cross and St Pancras. Even the carriage numbers seemed worthwhile collecting in those days. And in the evenings when it got dark you could blow your mind totally by leaning out and watching the flashes from the conductor shoes as they rode the pointwork with the roll and pitch of the carriages and the slamming of the doors

You can still capture a little of this today. Although Broad Street is long gone, sacrificed to the London property boom, the Overground has been reinstated on the long viaduct leading to Dalston Junction and still crosses high above all the lines northwards out of London, over the Thames at Kew and down to Richmond. It's still a wonderful trip but not quite the same as the full-on body-bashing, mind-bending experience of the open doors of the Oerlikon!

 

[Ash Bridge]

If I may be allowed a few more reminiscences?.... A recent visit to the National Railway Museum in York has allowed me to find and photograph the Oerlikon which is my Forum name. Why Oerlikon? Well, it all dates back to school days when a group of us as young lads used to share the costs of riding the North London Line from Broad Street round to Willesden Junction and Richmond. School seemed to take up the whole week; we even had to go to school on Saturdays! So we only had Sundays left to play. Living handy to the Chingford Line in Essex we would hot foot it up to Liverpool Street Station in London and then climb the steps to Broad Street Station which was next door

Broad Street Station was huge, and on Sundays, totally deserted. It had a vast and lofty overall roof with lots of glass missing because of bomb damage in World War 2. Over in the distance at one of the many platforms was an ancient electric train. The Oerlikon! All the other platforms were empty although on other days they hosted ghostly steam trains which somehow gained access to the Great Northern main line and places like Hatfield and Potters Bar. Anyway, we leapt on board the Oerlikon and without any kind of preamble it rumbled out of the station and up onto the rooftops of London on the first stage of a journey which would take us over all the main lines going north out of the City. Through the dim recesses of bomb damaged Dalston Junction with connecting lines disappearing in all directions to who knew where, over the smoke-filled Copenhagen Tunnels just outside Kings Cross, and then immediately over the Camden Road Tunnels just outside St Pancras, mingling with the lines out of Euston, separating at Willesden Junction in the midst of an impossible tangle of railway lines which, by rights, should have allowed access to any part of the known world. Instead, prosaically, we went to Acton after a brief dash across the main lines out of Paddington, then by Kew Bridge over the Thames, past Kew Gardens ending triumphantly at the wonderful riverside town of Richmond.

The Oerlikon in the National Railway Museum is in an elegant crimson livery with gold lining as operated by the LMS Railway and built circa 1914 with electrical equipment supplied by the Oerlikon company. In their heyday, these units penetrated all parts of North London, but when I came to know them they had acquired a standard BR multiple-unit green livery with the lion and wheel emblem and were confined to the Richmond route from Broad Street with occasional forays to Watford. Their huge attraction for us was the four large passenger-operated sliding doors which we could open en-route and enjoy healthy outdoors travel in those far-off summer days. Can you imagine that these days? If it rained and we couldn't enjoy the summer breezes of North London, we would open the doors wide so they slammed to with an enormous crash as the train braked sharply at each station. As I said, there were not many other passengers but those who did inadvertently share the carriage with us would occasionally threaten to throw us out on to the lineside if the doors slammed again. Discretion suggested holding back until they got off!

Can't do any of this now, of course, and quite right too! Health and Safety has moved on since we did those all those crazy things and anyway, there are no steam train numbers to catch as we did hanging precariously out of the doors on the viaducts outside Kings Cross and St Pancras. Even the carriage numbers seemed worthwhile collecting in those days. And in the evenings when it got dark you could blow your mind totally by leaning out and watching the flashes from the conductor shoes as they rode the pointwork with the roll and pitch of the carriages and the slamming of the doors

You can still capture a little of this today. Although Broad Street is long gone, sacrificed to the London property boom, the Overground has been reinstated on the long viaduct leading to Dalston Junction and still crosses high above all the lines northwards out of London, over the Thames at Kew and down to Richmond. It's still a wonderful trip but not quite the same as the full-on body-bashing, mind-bending experience of the open doors of the Oerlikon!

Excellent stuff! Many thanks for posting this and please keep them coming, it's quite obvious where 'young' Mr Cowley gets his writing skills from

 

[Cowley]

I hadn't heard this story before and I must say what an atmospheric picture it conjures up in the mind. The thought of children being able to open a door on a moving train, the mind boggles!
It must have been fascinating to see the city as it was back then, even since I've been going there, originally to visit Granny Cowley, mother of Oerlikon (he was much more scared of her than I was) it's changed so much. Places like St Pancras and Marylebone were dirty and neglected, a stark contrast compared to today.
I loved reading this, hope there's more.

 

[Cowley]

Excellent stuff! Many thanks for posting this and please keep them coming, it's quite obvious where 'young' Mr Cowley gets his writing skills from

When I grow I might be like that.

 

[Oerlikon]

I hadn't heard this story before and I must say what an atmospheric picture it conjures up in the mind. The thought of children being able to open a door on a moving train, the mind boggles!
It must have been fascinating to see the city as it was back then, even since I've been going there, originally to visit Granny Cowley, mother of Oerlikon (he was much more scared of her than I was) it's changed so much. Places like St Pancras and Marylebone were dirty and neglected, a stark contrast compared to today.
I loved reading this, hope there's more.

I wasn't more scared of her that you were! At least I didn't get caught with bits of old railway carriage and a huge half eaten bar of chocolate hidden under the bed!

 

[47403]

I wasn't more scared of her that you were! At least I didn't get caught with bits of old railway carriage and a huge half eaten bar of chocolate hidden under the bed!

The bits of Railway carriage and half eaten chocolate bar, was probably just last week Mr Oerlikon.:roll:

As my Dad says, don't push it son, your never too old to get a clip.

 

[Cowley]

The bits of Railway carriage and half eaten chocolate bar, was probably just last week Mr Oerlikon.:roll:

As my Dad says, don't push it son, your never too old to get a clip.

Yeah well we've been over this, they were just stored there until BR needed them back and that mirror was really loose already.

 

[AJM580]

A little like the discarded signal arm that I liberated from Trowse station and carted back to the office. I got a lift home and some odd looks were cast in my direction by the folks. Mind you I've still got it along with a few bits and bobs as well.

 

[Cowley]

Northern Ireland trip 8/9/17 - 10/9/17

I'm going to post this as it involves a bit of public transportation.

My other half is from Bangor in Northern Ireland and we try and go over a couple of times each year to catch up with family and friends. We had a text from my brother in law a few weeks ago to say that they'd bought us plane tickets to go over and see a gig with them.
Sometimes we fly from Exeter to Belfast City (George Best) airport although this time it was from Bristol airport to Belfast International and because of various factors we'd have to make our own way to Bangor and this bit of information was good news from my point of view.

After a crawl up the M5 to the airport due to a lorry fire just north of Taunton we dumped the car in the cheapest car park and caught the shuttle bus (a smart bendy Merc) to the terminal whereupon I was told not to worry if I didn't want to take my shoes off going through security. Great I thought, this is all very relaxed. Wrong! I set off the bleeper and a man intimately searched me including running his hands around the inside of my trouser waist. "I'm just going to run my hands up your legs" he then said, I think I uttered a slightly rude word at that point but luckily he didn't hear me and I had to let him get on with it as I watched my shoes being returned to the conveyor belt for a proper scanning.
"If I see that guy who said I could keep my shoes on the way back I'll..." I muttered under my breath.
"What's that!?" Said the searchy guy pointing to something in my pocket.
"It's a napkin" I said,
"Take it out and show me",
I showed him and he said "OK, well don't you go charging through the plane armed to the teeth with a Wetherspoons napkin". Actually he didn't say that last bit but I think he wanted to.
I honestly don't think I look like someone with a malicious plan in mind when I turn up to get a plane, yet this kind of thing does happen to me quite often at airports.

Anyway, it was an A320 Easyjet with a name - 'Piotr Zimmerman' (I think he invented the full body cavity search) on the way out, it was a smooth take off and landing and I sat behind Mrs C, next to my stepson as my stepdaughter took photos of me while I power-napped and tried not to dribble or snore.

Upon arrival at Belfast International (which is a bit of distance from Belfast itself) we headed out to the bus stops to get the 300 Airport Express to Belfast Great Victoria Street (bus/railway station which is a handy interchange for the train to Bangor.
On the way we passed the main NIR depot at Yorks Road which was next to the M2 and got a good view of the various types of rolling stock there including some old 80 class thumpers which have been converted to departmental use and also a NIR version of the CIE 071 (NIR 111 class) of which there are (I think) three left in the north (very smart it looked too).

At Great Victoria Street we just made a train to Bangor (although it's a fairly frequent service anyway) and got a table of four on the side of the train that looks out over Belfast Loch, it also runs past a very well known landmark - the massive cranes (known as Samson and Goliath) in the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Every train service in Northern Ireland apart from the Enterprise service from Belfast to Dublin is operated by CAF built DMUs nowadays and I wished I'd had a chance of a ride on a Thumper while they were still going, Mrs C remembers travelling on them all the time back in the day.
I do quite like the CAF units though, they're clean, quiet and do the job pretty well from what I've experienced.
I've not had much chance to travel on the railways in Northern Ireland due to us having a limited amount of time when we visit and having to pack a lot of family stuff into that time. A couple of years ago though we took the train from Belfast Central to Portrush for a visit to the Giants Causeway, but so far that's been it so this was nearly all new track for me.
The station at Bangor is quite modern and smart and slightly unusual in having a centre road ending with the other two at the buffer stops.
When we got off the train a lady came up and asked me what I was taking a photo of (the fronts of our unit 3021 and another one in the other platform), I showed her and she started telling me about a chap she'd met on a train a few days before who was from Cornwall and had been telling her that the trains they had were 40 years old which made me chuckle. She said that the trains in Northern Ireland were Spanish, come to think of it she was pretty genned up actually.

So that was the journey. On the way back we got a lift to the airport (I managed to get a few more photos of the depot too) and this time we all got searched, so that wiped the smirks off their faces.
Oh yeah and the gig? Well I'm not telling anyone because you'll laugh at me. It was free, outside and it did involve tartan...

Photos:

1 Plane type thing.
2 The guys driving this armoured Land Rover nearly ran a couple over, they'd just got out to apologise.
3 Smart airport bus, very slow on the motorway though.
4 Great Victoria Street station, hurrying for the train.
5 The obligatory Belfast photo.
6 Nice view from the train across Belfast Loch.
7 CAF unit line up, Bangor.
8 and 9 On the way back to the airport I managed to grab a couple of photos of the main depot including the 80 class and the 111. If you zoom in on the 80 class you can see that it has some BR blue and grey doors fitted!

 

[Blindtraveler]

With promises not to laugh do tell us please?

Thanks for an interesting report.

 

[47403]

Bay City Rollers by any chance or was it Rod Stewart.

Giggled at the inventor of the cavity search. Very good.

Sounds like a canny trip away, although the George Best Airport conjures up images of planes going on mazey dribbles before dinking into the air.
Hope you had a good time.

 

[Cowley]

Haha thanks guys. Erm, Rod Stewart may be slightly cooler. Look they made me go ok?
I did score the inside of this portaloo. Only 2017 to get now.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Haha thanks guys. Erm, Rod Stewart may be slightly cooler. Look they made me go ok!

Oh come on Mr Cowley just come clean and admit it

Btw I had you down as more of an Adge Cutler & The Wurzels nut bearing in mind your geographical location

 

[Cowley]

Oh come on Mr Cowley just come clean and admit it

Btw I had you down as more of an Adge Cutler & The Wurzels nut bearing in mind your geographical location

I don't know what you'd get if you crossed The Wurzels with The Bay City Rollers? Probably a torn space time continuum or something similar...

 

[Cowley]

Oh come on Mr Cowley just come clean and admit it

Shang-a-lang.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Shang-a-lang.

ha ha very catchy, where's the next gig....One Direction?

 

[Cowley]

ha ha very catchy, where's the next gig....One Direction?

Ooh that hurts (although I do have one of their mugs somewhere).

 

[Blindtraveler]

Nout wrong with the rollers, nout at all. Quite like the wurzles too.

 

[47403]

Could've been worse Cowley, could've been Shakey or Showaddywaddy

 

[D841 Roebuck]

I don't know what you'd get if you crossed The Wurzels with The Bay City Rollers? Probably a torn space time continuum or something similar...

I am a Buckfast Drinker
Sixteen bottles a day
I am a Buckfast Drinker
Sends my synapses agley
Oo aar oo arr ay
Or p'raps Scots wa hae

 

[Blindtraveler]

Could've been worse Cowley, could've been Shakey or Showaddywaddy

Oy! Nout wrong with them iether.

 

[Cowley]

None of this is helping my image as a rock god...

 

[Blindtraveler]

I bet your ringtone is Bony M's Painter Man!

 

[Cowley]

I bet your ringtone is Bony M's Painter Man!

I think it might be BT once I've downloaded it tomorrow