[modeleng] Re: Barely on-topic as it is quiet

On the same thread, the 12" to the foot stuff comments are very similar, a 
couple of pearlers from the SVR!

Whilst using the slacking pipe to slack the coal before a tender first 
working, "Why is the man spraying water on the coal?"
Ans 1. To stop it making black smoke!

Ans 2. the best for me.... That's the way they make steam, the coal burns in 
the boiler and makes the water into steam!!

Over the years we have had so many but have to try and be polite without 
wetting ourselves.

Dave.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "alan stepney" <alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 10:18 AM
Subject: [modeleng] Barely on-topic as it is quiet


As the list is quiet right now, those of you who are around may be amused by
the following.

On one of the Traction engine boards, there is a thread about "stupid
questions and comments by members of the public."
These mainly relate to full size engines, but I am sure that many members
here will have heard similar comments when running in public.

I guess that it shows how "strange" our models / engines are to the
unitiated, and how much the public needs to be educated. After all, it isnt
many years since steam locomotives were the main motive power and yet that
knowledge has already been lost by the majority.
Alan

1.One of my favourite  idiotic comments was when a commentator , after being
carefully briefed about our activities,proudly announced, live on air that
he was SITTING ON THE BOILER of the world's last working steam tar sprayer

2.parading around a ring one year in a 6" red foden, i heard the commentator
annouce it as a 4", i pointed out it was a 6", to which he replied "are you
sure", a bit taken back i said yes,
he looked around, and up the line up line which included a 6" blue foden, he
then turned to me and said "ah i see now, your right it is a 6", its the
colour that confused me, the red looks smaller than the blue

3.  was once asked "Why do all railway engines have a clock on the front?"
Not the first line of a joke, he meant the smokebox door handles!!!!

4. was out with my model, heard a little boy ask his mum if they still run
on coal, she replied "no love, they are all electric these days,"

5. A couple of years ago I overheard a man explaining to his son (who was
about 5 years old) how the steam engine worked. He explained quite well how
the fire made steam and how the boiler held the pressure so I thought he
knew a bit about tracton engines. When he got onto the motion he explained
that the steam pushed the piston one way and then to move it back the
momentum of the flywheel pushed the steam back into the boiler.

6.

I have more than once heard children asking what the black rocks are in an
engine's tender........

.... an also an explanation from Dad that a showman's engine (generating)
was driven by a belt from 'that electric motor on the front'.

7. I was at a rally last year with my 4 1/2" burrell, someone came up and
asked where do I put the batteries.....

8. ...'where does the petrol go'.






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