Broithe

And a whisp of the residual cotton for the smoke.....

In my previous life, cable terminations were one of the many banes of my existence, all the way back to Ross Courtney solder tags - http://www.mecint.co.uk/Catalogue/70 - the best of both worlds, but just too time consuming. We also used to use numbered rubber sleeves in the old days to identify the wires - they were fitted by stretching them over the termination by means of a sleeve fitting tool. These were colloquially known as honeymoon pliers, a term which our rather prim and proper typist refused to type, leaving us to hand-write it in to any tool lists that were issued....

The Rathdowney Review is published annually, with both current and historical features in it. An edition from a few years back claimed that there had once been plans for a tramway the four miles to Ballybrophy, though I've never found any corroboration for this. It is plausible, as Rathdowney had a substantial mart in the old days, and Perry's Brewery could have provided a bit of traffic, too - apart from any passenger movements.

Soldering will always be better, Scotchloks are designed for a very tight range of wire sizes, blue being the most common one seen, intended for the size of wiring that is common in automotive situations, but there are red and yellow ones about for larger and smaller wires. There are three basic problems. If used on the wrong size wire, the connection can either 'grip' the wire too gently, if at all, or it can 'bite' into the wire and reduce the area of the through-wire, creating a hot joint and a bit of volt-drop. You can also, subsequently, develop a bad joint as a result of corrosion of the exposed metal contact point. The weight of the connector can also cause internal failures in the wires, due to fatigue from flapping about, should it be used in a mobile situation. ..and it is difficult, though not impossible, to undo a joint..

Let's hope not....

Parallel pliers are handy, if you're going to use a lot of them. ..and, if you do use them on a car, then make sure the clip is properly latched and give it all a tiny squirt of oily stuff when it's assembled. And consider the weight, if it's going to get bounced around.

Scotchloks - http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/ElectricalMkts/ElectricalSupplies/products/scotchlok-wire-connectors/ - but still worth searching for "scotchblock", as that's what many people call them.

I'm almost sorry I posted it now...

Mmm, looks like it's due to leave at 2200 UTC which is now-ish. It going to Chateauroux - so probably fairly directly East - shame it's gone all cloudy...

Back at Shannon again - http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0412/693592-worlds-largest-aircraft-shannon/ - due to leave around 10pm.

Somebody could just move the apostrophes....

Sir Peter Blake's Mersey ferry, Snowdrop, is in service now - http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/razzle-dazzle-ferry-crashes-liverpool-9009228 - but seems to have had a small accident, causing some minor injuries.

BBC Radio 4 programme about the Vorticism movement in early 20th century art, with John Cooper Clarke - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05pl64f - with a discussion of dazzle camouflage at around 20 to 25 minutes in..

Be fair! They've used "whomsoever" twice - isn't that enough? And a "thereon".

If this works - - it gives the general gist of the arrangements.

It's worth keeping an eye on https://www.facebook.com/stradballywoodlandrailway?fref=ts , too, as well as the website above. If you speak nicely* to the lads, you might get an extra look around - I got a run on the footplate.... * not too nicely or they'll go soft..

They have a few diesels, as well - two working.. The others could progress faster now that the new 'cathedral' has been consecrated.. They'll have more capacity than they have in the old 'chapel'. Apart from the Steam Rally in August, a ticket will generally get you unlimited travel on the day. There can, at times, be a musical accompaniment from this barrel organ.

I finally got around to going here last Monday - well worth a look. http://stradballyrailway.webs.com/ - steaming again on the Sunday Monday for the May Bank Holiday - 3rd & 4th. Ex-Bord na Mona steam loco - in lovely condition.

A new sign (of the times) at Ballybrophy. A new ticket machine, too. And an old sign...

I recall some crash reports in the '70s from Wales - one involved some Jordanian Hunter pilots being trained on ground strikes. The general idea was to fly at a 'gun-pit' containing a cine-camera and some observers, pulling up as late as possible, so that their own (camera)gun-fire suppressed the pretend gunfire from the pit. The first pilots were roundly criticised for pulling up too early (Jordan not being very hilly for the most part). Successive flights got steadily better and the final pilot decided that he would be the best of them all. He was a little too late in pulling up and took the top two rows of sandbags off, burying the camera and the observers. The report contained an eye-witness account along the lines of "I determined that the aircraft was at risk of a collision, but I failed to observe the actual strike as I was lying face down on the bottom of the emplacement when the impact occurred."

I'm surprised you're allowed back in...

Always possible that it's one of 'us' - or somebody we know - spread the word.

I grew up seeing the Arrows, back in the Gnat days, five days a week - you got a bit blasé about it all, but I still got off my bike when one buzzed me as a cycled across a football pitch once - went home reeking of paraffin. Could have been the man himself.

Just one Spitfire, but a little bit lower.... Ray Hanna flying it - a real pilot.