Picture(s) of the day....

[CitroJim]

Luton is a dump of the highest possible order....

It is an absolutely horrid place... To be avoided at all costs...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Luton is a dump of the highest possible order....

It is an absolutely horrid place... To be avoided at all costs...

So in summary no underlying clamour to follow up "Milton Keynes Day", and "Power generation plant day" with "Luton Day".....

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Luton is a dump of the highest possible order....

It is an absolutely horrid place... To be avoided at all costs...

So in summary no underlying clamour to follow up "Milton Keynes Day", and "Power generation plant day" with "Luton Day".....

Regards Neil

Nope, definitely not Neil

Truly, the very best thing about Luton is the road out of the place - just as long as you don't head for Dunstable; a town almost as dire...



And then there's Leighton Buzzard I once had the misfortune to live there for a while...

Luckily, you soon reach Milton Keynes and all is then well again Back into civilisation

[Stickyfinger]

Hey, I used to live in LUTON !

...umm, yes it is a crap hole, the road to Dunstable (now AS bad) is known as the Khyber Pass locally

It is a VERY interesting mix of White Brits, White Irish, 2 Muslim/Asian groups and a large West Indian population.....it makes for a comfortable lifestyle and some interesting street "discussions".

[CitroJim]

Hey, I used to live in LUTON !

You truly escaped to the country

A wise move too!

[Stickyfinger]

Luton ...> Bodium (east sussex) ...> Bath > Gillingham...> On the Hill

That habit started some time ago Jim

(small hiccups with Bath (with a mad cow) and with Gillingham, also a s**t hole)

[CitroJim]

But you got there in the end Alasdair I still say your place is about as idyllic as they come...

[NewcastleFalcon]

..... Gillingham, also a s**t hole)

Stopping short of creating "Picture of the Day...s**t hole day" for fear of causing an exodus from the FCF of the good folk of Luton....Gillingham..etc I went looking for what came up on Geograph for Gillingham.

First up of interest.......the "Spam-Can" Tangmere steaming away from Gillingham...

The Cathedrals Express to Sherborne 20th Dec.2007
This Locomotive is 34067 Bulleid "Battle of Britain" TANGMERE, en-route to Sherborne, Dorset for a Carol Concert at the Abbey. The Loco and stock will then travel on to Yeovil Junction for servicing, before returning to London via Westbury & Salisbury. The photo was taken on Fuji Finepix S5700 on Auto setting. Weather dry and very cold. Time 13.50. At Gillingham Station as the train was leaving the passing loop (or Down Line) to regain the Main Line.

from Geograph by Clive Warneford
usual creative commons licence

[CitroJim]

Ahh, at last, a decent picture of the day

Much better than talking about toilets...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Its fantastic that we can still enjoy some of those magnificent locomotives today. Genuine excitement from me, and also naturally fascinating to a new generation of youngsters.

What keeps them going.....enthusiasm, lots of freely given voluntary time, but also businesses built up around the specials, excursions and holidays.

The "Cathedral Express" is a case in point. Loads of superb images in their offering..I especially like the blue liveried locos and the one with Conwy castle in the background is lovely..and reminds me of our little North Wales holiday last year.

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=593F9098

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

What keeps them going.....enthusiasm, lots of freely given voluntary time, but also businesses built up around the specials, excursions and holidays.

As a subscriber to 'Steam Railway' magazine (it comes free as a 'perk' of the back account I have!) I can confirm all of the above plus an eyewateringly huge amount of money... Much comes from the Heritage Lottery Fund but the big majority comes from voluntary donations...

Keeping a steam locomotive on the 'road' is an expensive and time-consuming business both in overhaul and servicing costs... Coal is expensive and a locomotive gets through a lot... A day of steaming on the West Somerset for a 'Manor' consumes around £1,000-worth of coal... And that cannot be any old coal either - it must be Welsh Steam Cola - the stuff the locomotive was originally designed to burn...

Oddly now, it's becoming cheaper (term used advisedly) to build new than refurbish old. Several new builds are in progress and although based on original designs they have been tweaked somewhat to incorporate modern-day technology and to overcome deficiencies in the original designs...

The future is secure and helped enormously by Network Rail's attitude... Such initiatives as running scheduled steam on the Settle and Carlisle recently are very welcome and may point to much more in the future...

Generations to come will be able to enjoy these wonderful machines

[CitroJim]

I should add that one threat to vintage steam comes from the emissions lobby... Much lilly-livered liberal hand-wringing has been wrung concerting the terrible emissions from these old dinosaurs...

Luckily, common sense prevails and the treat remains just that although drivers do have to try to avoid emitting lots of 'clag' - dense black smoke - if possible through careful firing... But then we all love to see a locomotive lost in its own clouds don't we? And that lovely smell of coal smoke is just magical

Most of the 'smoke' from a sweetly running locomotive is not smoke at all but exhaust steam... Not that the environmental nannies seem to understand this

[bobins]

Ahh, at last, a decent picture of the day

Much better than talking about toilets...

You mean I've wasted my time collating my photos of Soviet military toilets and it's not worth posting them up Back to the drawing board then

[NewcastleFalcon]

...this nicely old fashioned looking website gives a calendar of steam tours, should any picturesofthedayers be out and about with their boxbrownies

http://www.uksteam.info/index.htm

Having mentioned the gorgeous blue liveries (British Rail Express blue?) I see that the "Tornado" had a year in blue and looked absolutely stunning. Its back to green now though still gorgeous but a couple of notches down from the blue in my opinion).

There is a you tube video of the "Year in Blue" mostly with Tornado hauling various Cathedrals Express specials



Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Ahh, at last, a decent picture of the day

Much better than talking about toilets...

You mean I've wasted my time collating my photos of Soviet military toilets and it's not worth posting them up Back to the drawing board then

Having started this thread, I have the power to edit my first post and launch any "special" day under the Sun..(subject to moderators compliance of course!). Should there be a clamour for "Military Toilet Day" you have to give the public what they want!

Regards Neil