Sunday 31 March 2019

The latest loco in the fleet

Here's the latest member of my miniature locomotive fleet (for now!). It's a 5" gauge model of a 'Large Penrhyn' Quarry Hunslet, and has replaced the Fowler locomotive 'The Wildfowler'.


This model is of the 'Large Penrhyn' type of Quarry Hunslet, and was built in 2009 by Alan Green, a master model engineer and fellow member of Urmston model engineer club, where we run the locos. It is named 'Samuel' after Alan's grandson, but I intend to rename it, probably to 'Penrhyn' as I am not particularly attracted to the names of any of the 'full size' locos of this type (they are far less numerous than the smaller 'Alice' class quarry Hunslets, or the similar sized 'Port' class)..

The loco is just over four feet long and weighs about 250 pounds!






The locomotive is a tribute to Alan's engineering skill (he is an ex-Metro Vickers professional engineer; their top apprentice in 1952). It is an absolute work of art and it's a privilege to own it).








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Sunday 10 March 2019

This is just delightful....

In my experience this rings true.

The best non-pilot 'pilots' I took flying were young girls like this. They have no pre-conceived ideas, and they don't treat it like driving a car (it isn't!). 

And the scene in the video where she runs her hand along the leading edge of the wing..... you know she's thinking 'wings are very very special'. And of course, they are. 

Understand the wing, and you understand flight.





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