I was thinking of Auntie Nellie this Morning. as you sometimes do, when a blackbird flies over, with that kack kack kack - leading you back to your yokel origins in country life.
Born around 1910 - so that`s a hundred years ago - but known to me as a child in the 1950`s when they had that little Morris and later the much worshipped Anglia, with the `space ship` rear window.
Well.. you would have thought they had aquired something that had popped out of another dimension, the way they went on about it - with it`s triangular pennant plastic stickers, advertising that the Anglia had made it to Bridlington without getting lost in the asteroid belt. (or being hit by a banana for that matter - by locals in Pocklington who used to sit on roadside streets green with envy)
Cos, really, it was still the horse age in parts of Yorkshire, in the 50`s and yet.. the trips to the Moon were just over the horizon for Nasa.
Born into poverty in a back to back with a shared (long row of seats over a tank) get to know your neighbors, intimately, common privy. Auntie Nellie and Uncle John, must have been truly amazed that they had been able to buy their own car as 50yr olds.
Horse - to car - space - trips to the Moon in the next few years by Nasa. `Long row` shared privy to modern toilet and bathroom...
It makes you think doesn`t it?
Perhaps there was not much to snigger at - as I did as a ten year old - seeing them react to the Anglia as though it was 800kg gold bar - there at the roadside with it`s `space ship` rear window and `this will do for you peasants` engine.
Nothing lasts - yet memories linger. They are tucked away in a crypt now, these many years. Yet somehow you can just catch a hint of their motoring joy, if you try hard and don`t look out of the window.
oilrag
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>> ............ when a blackbird
>> flies over, with that kack kack kack ...........
With that song description, don't you mean magpie?
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Now you mention it, L`esc... Yes ;-)
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I was a lucky chap as I had an auntie Nellie in the 50’s (or aunt Nell as she preferred to be known) and an Anglia in the 60’s.
Nell was a nursing sister who never married, was extremely bossy in a caring sort of way, and was just as reliable as my good old Anglia.
Fond memories.
Nice to see you again, oilrag.
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Welcome Oilrag, we have missed you! :-)
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Thank you both for your kindness. ;-)
Incidentally, Clk. The gardening quiz has no time limit - but you are in the lead - I think. Though I still have to look up the `nipple plant` by Silk.
;-)
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Nice one Oilrag, brought back memories, I passed my UK car test in one of your "space ships".
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 20 Jun 10 at 12:27
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Hi there ON ;-)
They really did bang on about that inward sloping rear window!
I used to be able to `trigger` them off talking about it. Until one day I burst into uncontrollable laughter. (aged 10, of course)
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>> Nice one Oilrag, brought back memories, I passed my UK car test in one of
>> your "space ships".
To add to your pleasure, Oily...and knowing your interest in the great steam machine.
Did you know that the British Rail Standard Class 9 heavy goods locos, and you probably saw plenty in your area, were nicknamed ' Space Ships ' by their crews ?
Regards to an old chum..............not sure how old though !
Ted
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>> `space ship` rear window and `this will do for you peasants` engine.
By spaceship, oilrag, do you mean large and backward raked, in the same way as a short-lived Consul model and a near-contemporary Lincoln Continental?
If so, I must take issue with you on the 'this will do for you peasants' engine. The Anglia side-valve vanished at last with that model, which had a short-stroke pushrod unit, zippy and revvy. Its gearbox too was a great leap forward with Porsche synchro and four whole forward speeds.
Fair's fair after all. But if you mean the new-shape side-valve three-speed Anglia - E93 was it? - then you are right of course. Although I remember people used to row those along surprisingly briskly. Their suspension at least was a great improvement on the upright Fords which really did come from the horse and cart era...
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Like one of these, Armel
www.kotiposti.net/jarirantala/tapahtumat/vehoniemiajot_2004/110_1048.JPG
I was thinking it had a three main bearing crankshaft (hence the comment) but may be wrong about that.
They were building the motorways of course around then.
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>> I was thinking it had a three main bearing crankshaft
Perhaps - only too likely in fact - but I wasn't thinking of the crankshaft. Now you mention it though, it was hollow and cast iron, another Ford production breakthrough...
Ah yes, the motorways... brought out the worst in many an under-serviced jalopy, just as they still do. Motorways were fabulous at first: no speed limit, no traffic, yeee-HAH! Not sure yr Aunt Nellie would have taken that attitude though.
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It wasnt a space ship, if you watch the Jetsons, you will see it was their car/space transporter thing.
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Hi Ted, 61.
Can you tell me more about those Loco`s? Were they the things we called Ausies? The dirty worn out old Austerity class engines - that locally ran on the LMS line at around 20mph, pulling long trains of trucks full of Yorkshire coal.
You heard a hollow - big end (ish) sound, clonking miles away . Ten minutes later it hove into view hissing and clonking - drivers covered in grime - while the Streaks cleanly slid over the 99 arches viaduct (passing over LMS line) kings of all they surveyed.
Unless it was Wild Swan (again) and we gave the driver the thumbs down. That sometimes provoked a real hissy fit from the cab window...
I think i`ve written this before......somewhere -)
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I'll speak to you later, We're off to a barbie at my son's where , no doubt, i will be lavished with Dad's Day pesents !
My best present will arrive later in the week, from my youngest daughter.
Did you know that part of the standard equipment on Streaks were glass stink bombs ?
Ted
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Thanks Zero, I enjoyed that.
Stink bombs? Really Ted? I know we were equipped with them at times, at school, but there was always the fear of one breaking in your pocket...
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At last, OR, you are back. Thankfully. This forum needs a dose of measured insanity. Is your doppelganger off to France again this summer? The garage trade needs stirring up...
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>>Stink bombs? Really Ted?
As a youngster I used to wonder why some of my friends would buy stink bombs, when you could get a five pack of woodbines for the same price.
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...get a five pack of woodbines for the same price...
Did Woodies or one of them come in threes as well?
There was a shop near me as a child which 'unofficially' sold cigarettes one at a time.
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>> There was a shop near me as a child which 'unofficially' sold cigarettes one at a time.
It's not unusual in the third world to find cigarettes sold in ones and twos, but it's illegal here.
I know this because the other day I saw the lady in the Indian shop up the road giving an adult male punter a couple of snouts. When he had gone I said I hadn't seen cigarettes often being sold like that in this country. The lady said Oh no, that's illegal. They were the customer's own cigarettes, but she and her husband were helping him to give up smoking by rationing him, at his request of course.
Rather sweet I thought. Even Kensal Rise has its touching humane side.
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"this forum needs a dose of measured insanity. Is your doppelganger off to France again this summer? The garage trade needs stirring up..."
I heard Pierre was waiting to serice ze rotted Angle belly of untie Nellie - tho ze garage cannot be found..... or the Proprietors name remembered.. err..... what was it?
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Listen very carefully. I vill say zis only vunce.
Gasper at Enteratu Moteurs.
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Bon Chance my leetle eengleesh tomatotates.
Ve haz ze moteur of Auntie Nelli - Pierre he remove ze seezed in pluggises from ze rotted engless underbelly.
Pleese send ze la Belle Anti Nellie - for ze colllet - shun.
I snigger at ze English football - ha ha
Gasper
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>> Hi Ted, 61.
>>
>> Can you tell me more about those Loco`s?
Back now, Oily. The Ausies were the ' Austerities ' Produced for war work and later transferred to British Railways.
The ' Space Ships ' were the standard heavy haul loco after nationization.
The last one was the last steam engine made by the national carrier in 1962 and named Evening Star. thankfully, still with us.
Here's one on an up van freight at Low Gill on the WCML in 1964..
tinyurl.com/386ymeu
They were very free-running locos and had been known to top 90mph on passenger trains.
The stink bombs ? Glass stink bombs were fitted to express passenger engines. They were on the big end and axle bearings and gave an indication of a ' hot box ', bursting if the bearing got too hot and giving the footplate crew a good whiff of Hydrogen Sulphide.......like bad eggs.
Not a lot of people know that !
Ted
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Thanks for that, Ted.
I think we knew them as `windies` - running on the LNER line. I remember going to Doncaster with a couple of 10yr old mates - `pulled` by one - as we used to say.
I can remember entering `cabbed` and `pulled` in that train spotting book. There was a paper back type followed by the more expensive glossy hardback, I seem to remember.
But that really is pushing it with memory - lost them decades back.
We saw our first Deltic around then - it looked like a shunter to us. looking over the bridge at Doncaster station. we all said " That won`t catch on" ;-)
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Were they the things we called Ausies?
>> The dirty worn out old Austerity class engines - that locally ran on the LMS
>> line at around 20mph, pulling long trains of trucks full of Yorkshire coal.
The 9F was a development of the Austerity 2-10-0, designed by R.A Riddles. I was personally involved in the restoration of 92212, currently based on the Mid-Hants. Actually sold my shares in the loco for a profit, something of a rarity in railway preservation!
Remarkable engines, scrapped far too soon ; or built too late, depending on your point of view. Had it not been for the mad rush towards dieselisation, it's likely that they would have survived well beyond the turn of the century.
Ted, the reference to "windies" may stem from their job of hauling the "Windcutter" fast coal trains; the GCR at Loughborough has a rake of wagons dedicated to re-creating these.
Oh, and BTW, Evening Star was built in 1960 not 1962.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Mon 21 Jun 10 at 23:03
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Just a typo....I knew that.
There is some controversy over the Evening Star. As you know, it was turned out in Great Western livery...the only one. It suffered an accident late in it's short working life and was taken into Crewe works for repair, where it spent some time.
It's thought that another loco was painted green and sent out in it's place.
The Evening Star was eventually repaired and painted black as 92203, now owned by Pete Waterman ( I think ). When restoration work was being done on 92203, green paint was found under the black on several bits of the engine.
Interesting, this has been aired in the Railway Magazine recently with letters from Crewe engineers of the time both confirming and denying the change.
Most of the ones I saw were hauling the trains from Long Meg to ICI Northwich. They would come through Stockport and onto the line through Baguley and Skelton junction past Lymm. Now a walkers/cyclists trail. The Stockport to Skelton junction section is still open for freight and passenger services have been re-introduced since Metrolink took over the Manchester South junction and Altrincham railway.
Ted
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now owned by Pete
>> Waterman ( I think ).
Owned by the wildlife artist, David Shepherd, since withdrawal in 1967; currently based at the Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway.
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Pocklington? My Dad took my wife and I there for a day out not long before he died. There's a famous lily pond place and a house full of stuff from Africa. Can't remember the names. Nice part of the country.
JH
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>>Did Woodies or one of them come in threes as well?
Not that I recall, but you could get a 4 pack of Domino's.
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Tooslow its a lovely place to visit,last time i was there last year we had picked a wonderful day to sit by the manmade pond and lap up the sanctity of the place
i spent an hour in the museum and would have loved to see the staircase in the house now turned into carncil hoffices
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Things don`t ring true about Pocklington. I`ve looked it up now on Google Maps and it was North Cave.
There`s a double right angle bend in the village and situated on the straight bit of road between the bends was a roadside bench.
it must have been a great show to sit there (and certainly would have amused me) to see the cars of the day chugging through with suitcases strapped to the roof and radiators steaming.
Much of the West Yorkshire to East Coast holiday traffic filtered through this village - with it`s dead stop T junction on Church St.
There was always the Driffield option though, (pre bypass of course) and we tended to vary the route. Garrowby hill, outside York, was the longer but more challenging route, cars boiling like kettles on the steep climb.
There was a mature beech forest on the left, going up. then I went again, years later and it had all been slashed down.
I always thought that was a shame - and it broke the association, in memory of picnic`s under the trees - waiting for engines too cool.
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Reflecting on Auntie Nellie`s `space ship` - L'escargot
