James May in a wood shop

[Eric The Viking]

Not thread stealing but...

... there was a prog on "History Channel" about the St. Gothard Base Tunnel last night. Been very interested for a long time as it's a staggering achievement. Terrible programme - I was expecting it to be out of date, but the assumption was that the audience were total morons. And it was obvious from the commentary that the author clearly didn't understand some of the really big issues they were purporting to explain, either, especially about surveying, explosives. tunnelling shields, etc.

We were in Italy in 2011 and missed the chance to visit one of the excavation sites (you could even go underground then as the tunnel wasn't in service). I really, really wish I'd tried harder to get there.

 

[novocaine]

proof positive that you can't please all the people all of the time (or any of them at times)

 

[johnny]

I rather enjoyed it, chill out TV for after a hard day. not everything on the silly person box needs to be fast paced, shiny shiny with a undercurrent of suspense.
Norway has a whole channel devoted to relaxation, they play shows like train journey, which is a front facing camera on a train across the country. fire light, which is a fire. it's great.

here you go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7VYVjR_nwE

excellent thanks for posting that link. I have always found train journeys relaxing and absorbing. Scenery and wildlife , small businesses , scrap yards , back gardens things that you'd never normally see

 

[Graham Orm]

I rather enjoyed it, chill out TV for after a hard day. not everything on the silly person box needs to be fast paced, shiny shiny with a undercurrent of suspense.
Norway has a whole channel devoted to relaxation, they play shows like train journey, which is a front facing camera on a train across the country. fire light, which is a fire. it's great.

here you go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7VYVjR_nwE

excellent thanks for posting that link. I have always found train journeys relaxing and absorbing. Scenery and wildlife , small businesses , scrap yards , back gardens things that you'd never normally see

Just had a look...it's 7 hours long!!!! Most of the first hour is in a 7Km. tunnel with a completely black screen. I remember this and the log fire being available on a Sky channel after midnight in the early days. There was also a channel called 'Spacenight' which was just continuous footage from the shuttle without commentary. That really was fascinating to sit and watch. These days however it's pretty old hat I imagine.

 

[novocaine]

great isn't it lol.
It's one of the most popular channels in Norway. they call it slow TV.

 

[AES]

OK EtV, if we're going off topic.

Just to make you jealous, a few years ago my wife bought me a train ticket for Christmas. A rather special ticket - ride in the cab with the driver while running through the (present) Gotthard Tunnel. Marvellous. As I said to the driver, you can just imagine some wildly enthusiastic surveyor/civil engineer sitting on horseback at the Gotthard Pass with his instruments in his saddle bag about 150 years ago saying to his helpers "OK folks, we're going to run a railway line through this little lot". And his helpers replying "Are you nuts?" or words to that effect.

The breakthrough of the new Gotthard tunnel was live on TV here a few years back and I watched it with great interest - all the big wigs were there, lots of speeches, etc, and a lot of gabble from the commentator until he was, thankfully, drowned out by an ever-increasing grinding & graunching noise as the end of the tunnel face slowly fell down exposing the cutters of the tunnel boring machine coming towards us. Great moment.

AES

 

[AES]

OK EtV, if we're going off topic.

Just to make you jealous, a few years ago my wife bought me a train ticket for Christmas. A rather special ticket - ride in the cab with the driver while running through the (present) Gotthard Tunnel. Marvellous. As I said to the driver, you can just imagine some wildly enthusiastic surveyor/civil engineer sitting on horseback at the Gotthard Pass with his instruments in his saddle bag about 150 years ago saying to his helpers "OK folks, we're going to run a railway line through this little lot". And his helpers replying "Are you nuts?" or words to that effect.

The breakthrough of the new Gotthard tunnel was live on TV here a few years back and I watched it with great interest - all the big wigs were there, lots of speeches, etc, and a lot of gabble from the commentator until he was, thankfully, drowned out by an ever-increasing grinding & graunching noise as the end of the tunnel face slowly fell down exposing the cutters of the tunnel boring machine coming towards us. Great moment.

AES

 

[blackrodd]

I enjoyed it because I have a love of engines, but wonder if he actually did put it together from that exploded diagram?? Maybe he did if it was him who disassembled it in the first place. Why would he have to hammer the gudgeon pin???!!! I enjoyed the story about his passion when he was a kid and losing sleep in excitement over being allowed to use the petrol mower!

From working with a friend that mends and sells Mowers, strimmers and chainsaws, If the gudgeon pin was "fully floating", moving in the piston too, it would just push in, but most are a snug and interference fit in the piston, so either gudgeon pin in the freezer for a few hours and fitted to a warmed up piston or a tool similar to a long bolt and pulled in place, then fit gudgeon pin circlips, then rings, then the barrel, as I recall, I suppose careful tapping with a hammer is permitted!
Rodders

 

[NazNomad]

I want him to completely disassemble and reassemble a 1940's Lister D next.

 

[bugbear]

I want him to completely disassemble and reassemble a 1940's Lister D next.

The latent stationary engine nerd in me says that Lister D's are common and boring!

BugBear

 

[NazNomad]

... Lister D's are common and boring!

... and a complete bar-steward to get apart, that's why I want to see him do it. It'll take him a month just to get the damn flywheel off.
:lol:

 

[dickm]

Maybe JM could sort out the "safety interlocks" on my Atco 1236 ride-on? Have tried almost every possible combination of the micro-switches, and even tried to read the wiring diagram but no success. Maybe that's the real safety feature - you're not meant to start the d**n thing, so no danger.
But on the subject of Flymos, my Mother's neighbour removed most of his big toe with one.................

 

[blackrodd]

I want him to completely disassemble and reassemble a 1940's Lister D next.

The Lister D is fitted to the earlier Start o matic generator we had so many of here in Sunny Devon,
We worked on mine many years ago when the Electric company wanted £14,000, for the mains "hook up"
total cost for the re built generator and "D" engine was around £700, and £150. to buy, Diesel and servicing was a bit cheaper than the mains, over the year.
Rodders

 

[blackrodd]

Maybe JM could sort out the "safety interlocks" on my Atco 1236 ride-on? Have tried almost every possible combination of the micro-switches, and even tried to read the wiring diagram but no success. Maybe that's the real safety feature - you're not meant to start the d**n thing, so no danger.
But on the subject of Flymos, my Mother's neighbour removed most of his big toe with one.................

The Micro switch just puts the ignition current to earth, just disconnect each one 'til you have a spark, then replace it.
The deck drive, brake and under seat are the frequent culprits,
Perhaps this diagram would be easier to read.
Rodders
http://www.mtmc.co.uk/Atco-TRACTOR-12/3 ... 82217.aspx

 

[n0legs]

James May's a good bloke, went to the same school as me 8)
Don't understand why a boy from Bristol went to a school in Caerleon, more research needed me thinks :-s

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Maybe JM could sort out the "safety interlocks" on my Atco 1236 ride-on? Have tried almost every possible combination of the micro-switches, and even tried to read the wiring diagram but no success. Maybe that's the real safety feature - you're not meant to start the d**n thing, so no danger.
But on the subject of Flymos, my Mother's neighbour removed most of his big toe with one.................

I know three people who lopped their toes with a Flymo.

 

[NazNomad]

I know three people who lopped their toes with a Flymo.

I'm guessing it was faulty ... or was it a different Flymo each time? :lol:

 

[Racers]

Flymo, a device used to cut grass and shorten mains leads.

Pete

And trim toe nails by the sounds of it.

 

[bugbear]

Flymo, a device used to cut grass and shorten mains leads.

Pete

I use one of these (Ransomes Marquis 18", BSA "sloper" Engine)

I like well made old tools, and this certainly qualifies.

BugBear

 

[Racers]

Nice drive by in the elbow.

:wink:

Pete