I spent today at the Nene Valley Railway, helping lift a steam loco boiler with our 40-ton steam crane. When I arrived, another volunteer came across and warned me to cover up or remove my windscreen wipers as a crow has been taking wiper rubbers, presumably to make its nest. He said that most of the team had had their wipers damaged this way over the past few days.
I went straight back to the car and wrapped some paper around the wipers to discourage the crow. When I returned to the car tonight to come home, I was pleased to see that they were still intact.
Then, when driving off, I switched on the *rear* tailgate wiper and washer to clear some bird mess and wondered why this just produced an awful smear. I stopped to investigate - and found the wiper rubber gone! OK, I know, nothing to crow about!
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Reminds me of the time my dad took us to Longleat, and drove thro the monkey enclosure. The monkeys proceeded to rip the wipers off his car, and then one of them carped on the windscreen, smearing it all over. Who taught them to do it that order?
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Forgot to mention, been on the Nene Valley. Good little railway, well run and very well maintained. Some nice big European Locos. Keep up the good work lads.
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Stick to the serious things in life, which boiler was being lifted?
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Stick to the serious things in life, which boiler was being lifted?
You want serious trains? Hows this. My Father was a train driver, depot Stratford. As a child he lifted me onto the footplate of the train he was driving that day out of Liverpool Street station. BR Brittania Class Loco, no 70013, "Hereward the Wake". He then took me to Norwich and back, feeding me tea from his chipped enamel billy, and bacon and eggs done on the firemans shovel in the firebox.
Poor old Hereward was broken up in Glasgow.
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Hi
another Railway that is as good or better is the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire railway based in Toddington in Gloucestershire
Iam a volunteer on that railway and i reccomend it
Regards
J Stephenson
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Trains ? Not really ever-so motoring oriented.
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Trains ? Not really ever-so motoring oriented.
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I drove there!
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I work there and drive there so it is motoring oriented
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Trains ? Not really ever-so motoring oriented.
Except when its the Classic Car & Bike day on the Severn Valley Railway October 12 this year.
www.svr.co.uk/specialevents.html
Cracking day every year, ride up and down all day, loads of classic vehicles at every stop.
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Talking of Stanley Steamer Cars, there is a chap in Camerton, near Bath who makes a living overhauling these magnificent machines. Last time we spoke, he was in the throes of repairing a pair of Sentinel Tar spraying lorries. The main thing is they are lead free and do not need Cats.
Of Brittanias, they were never as good as a V2.
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"Of Brittanias, they were never as good as a V2."
Maybe but the old LNER drivers and fireman loved em and got the best from them, undeserved reputation!
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When they arrived in ?1952 they were never as good as a Castle at starting out of Paddington either. Probably just the drivers trying to get used to them I suppose .. ..
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The main thing is they are lead free and do not need Cats.
Particulates are a bit of a beggar though!
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Stick to the serious things in life, which boiler was being lifted?
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I think this posting will get 'lifted' - but before it does I've just got time to say that the boiler was from 73050, BR Standard class 5MT (City of Peterborough) which is in the final stages of a 14-year rebuild.
Just to keep a 'motoring' content, I'll mention that a Stanley Steamer was brought to the railway by its owner for an event last July. First time I'd seen one and I had the pleasure of a 'guided tour' of the car and a demonstration as to the complications of starting it, but alas no demonstration ride!
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Another example of wildlife attacking a car...in country Australia you will often see cars parked with plastic bags over the door mounted rear view mirrors.
Fairy Wrens (bright electric blue birds about the size and weight of a 10p piece) can get very territorial and on seeing another bird in the mirror attack it without mercy and get even more aggravated as it keeps coming back for more. Often damaging the plastic around the mirror and leaving white residues all down the doors.
Obvious when you see it happening!
cheers
Ian L.
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Stone the Crows...
...and he suicidal pheasants. Bombing down a country lane to work minding your own biz when one of those brainless things gets airbourne to bonnet height, sides up it and smacks your wiper off.
You stop and where is your next meal? they survive anything.
Motors exist for wildlife enertainment, I mean hedgehogs, birds, foxes thats how they get their buzz playing chicken.
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Dizzy
Not long before I bought my previous 3 series, the owner (a friend of mine) had a new boot spoiler fitted. Despite all the horror stories, he'd made the mistake of visiting a wildlife park and a monkey took a bite out of the spoiler which was made of very dense plastic foam. Always a bit of a talking point! Now, how the heck did the monkeys learn that this particular item was 'edible'?
Regards
John S
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Monkeys at Woburn had the rear wash jet from my BX, older colleague tells of those at Longleat opening the radiator drain tap on a Vauxhall Viva!
How long will it take for UK indigenous wildlife to evolve adaptations for the motor car. Rabbits closely pursued jink side to side, probably wrong foots a fox, but they would be safe as houses going straight to he verge. Pheasant and Wood Pigeon need to trade speed for rate/angle of climb. Hedgehogs have it coming unless they loose the delusion that slugs on the other side are both tastier and more numerous.
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Simon. Interesting what you say but I believe this has already occurred with birds.
For many years travelling along the same 6 mile journey to work I used to be quite upset at the large number of small dead birds on the road. Then the numbers began diminishing until on the same road it is rare to see one. The only exception to this are Pheasants and Kestrels for some reason.
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"but I believe this has already occurred with birds."
Sadly badgers have a lot to learn round our way then. I know where there is quite a population and always knock the speed right down at night when going along in that vicinity. Wish everyone did the same though. It seems as though I see more and more victims these days. At least one every couple of weeks.
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Never stop in a monkey enclosure. Its like driving through a prison and then stopping to watch all the inmates. In both cases there going to rip your car to shreds !!
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