Derek R.

Yes, King George V stayed thereabouts convalescing and the town took the title 'of the King' - Regis. Bit of a dull place. http://www.bognor-regis.org/History/history_home.htm

Don't think they'd invented the thirty day free trial back then. A lift out container. Well, it was twenty years ago since we used the Bristol, (busting now) and I seem to recall that having lifted the lid as seen on Laurence's, there was the seat, and lifting that you took out a circular inner which generally had a separate lid to prevent unfortunate displays and migrations from within. The galvy jobbie (pun?) was I think never intended to be within another element as the handle for carrying would have fouled (another one) an outer shell. I hope you're all appreciating these vital details. I've never taken to these fancy porta-potty things that try and imitate a real household flush bog, and folk who disdain the 'open network' must have problems facing reality. So there. Mind you, having to clean and maintain various flaps levers valves and seals is one step of reality I'm happy to do without. ('Do', does that qualify as another pun?) PS: Elsan still do the Bristol and the Oxford, the latter appears to be a little less refined in appearance. The former galvy item TYCHO had was CLASS. Mahogany methinks. And if it wasn't it's still top hole. (Hole?) I'm full of it. Might have missed a couple of letters there.

The wooden seat and cover had a thick wire on which both hinged [correction: the lid hinged on side plates attached to the seat, the seat had the wire], bent down at each end to engage in two slots at the back of the bucket. Straightforward cylindrical bucket, no vents. Early or late, I don't know. I'm sure such a simple bucket would have been in production before any 1930's fanciness came upon the scene with tubes and the like (Elsan began production in 1924). Which makes me think that any such vented bucket would have been discarded along with any engine'ole tubing to be replaced by an older model? Or one still in production? Did a bit of searching. Early advertisements show many had vent pipes: http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Elsan_Manufacturing_Co It seems the name Elsan might have been a combination of the original makers initials Ephraim Lewis, and sanitation. You might also consider: Elementary sanitation. We are not alone: http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?5525-Elsan-aircraft-toilets As fitted to Bomber Command: http://www.raf-lichfield.co.uk/Lincoln%20Corbett%20Elsan.htm In a Wellington - look at the back, and you may see a vent hole. This looks to be plastic to me. http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn31/amrit68/WellingtonN29802.jpg

I'll second that - especially on mushroom vents!

I'll look forward to the day I see that lit and working. Loved that piece of iron.

I've no idea. It was on TYCHO in '99, and probably still there. I hope so. Did see another identical at Stockton in 2002, parked up at the end of the dock. Nice piece of wood, got four coats of varnish on that one.

A 'Rhapsody in Brown'. Pass the erm . . . .

Off topic maybe, but then with the thread title as it is . . . Reference Sarah's signature - knowledge: Tim Minchin's 'Storm' poem to animation. - and this may seem familiar to parents: 'Lullaby'. Derek

Bluebell: My Nan must have had a tin around her house somewhere and that would have been pretty old in the fifties. Proper Zebo as well. That Hot Spot is rubbish at blacking a range. Got the cheek to copy the old packaging too! But Liberon do a good black leading paste - 'Iron paste' they call it. I've got a tin I bought in France all of twenty years ago, they call it Creme Chaumont over there and eisenpaste in Germany. I'm sure it's the same stuff - it's good. THIS LOT do it, it's near the bottom. 250ml £6.99. The content of Brasso will settle leaving a lot of liquid medium above the 'good stuff'. You need to put a couple of nuts in the tin and give a long persistent shake to stir it all up. You'll see what I mean after the nuts or whatever you put in, have been resting for a few days. Pick up the tin and shake - No sound - until they become dislodged from the settlement at the bottom, then you'll get the paste distributed throughout the tin-full of liquid medium. PEEK is good stuff, but expensive and I get the feeling it don't bring up a fine polish like Brasso. Shifts the oxidation well though. 'Shiny-Sinks' is good for that too - contains Oxylic acid, get it in Wilkinson's (Wilko's). Some folk mix a little PEEK or Solvol Autosol with Brasso, that works well too. Barkeeps Friend is another that can be used damp - lot of wastage with powder though, I think the container could be better designed. But then like Colman's Mustard - they made their fortune on what got wasted! Laurence, scumbled plastic Elsan Bristol lid? You need help.

More fool them if the weather ruins a holiday, this is England after all, and variable weather has been the norm for centuries. One of the reasons for the Costa del Sol boom - 'olidays in the Sun etc. Despite getting rained off when on holiday in Thorpe Bay as a kid, the experience of living in a little caravan and cooking on Calor gas (wonderful smell!) was enough to make the 'different' experience worth even the rainy days. And I still managed to get smothered in Calomine lotion to stop getting burnt - work that one out! Sure, we all like nice weather, but that brings out the crowds, and if there's one thing I dislike most, it's crowds. Toilets - none worse than public ones. The bucket is King. Along with Bluebell it was one of the boatman's favourite beverages.

I dropped my cheque book into an Elsan once. Fished it out, but the cheques were crap.

In a bed'ole six foot by three - it's not difficult.

Oooh - can we see?

Not come across that one other than as a type of ship. But searching revealed an interesting page or three: http://www.hemyockcastle.co.uk/measure.htm Derek

The British Library has its own website of course, and though I haven't logged onto it, it does appear possible to gain access without physically visiting: http://tinyurl.com/72xv83b If the 'tiny url' doesn't work, and I suspect it will not - try THIS LINK> Derek

And as with the pride of presentation brought through the centuries of equine management, I'm sure all brasses and tack would be polished to a 'T'. Boatmen's display would not have stopped at the boat, though there were always the exceptions. If the Company themselves might not have cosidered such showmanship essential for pride, I feel certain the individual given charge of their steeds would have - if only to show his fellows a little one-upmanship. Having said that, we have seen recent images posted of shabby looking craft not long after their commission, however, paintwork takes time and a dock, whereas brass polishing and the like can be carried out whilst underway, or waiting to load/unload. I fancy that when the railway companies were at their most productive and competetive, their image was everything. Perhaps this would have extended to their water craft, but as they themselves were in some ways the usurpers of such form of goods carriage, perhaps not? In 'Colours of the Cut' No. 32, Edward Paget Tomlinson depicts CHEOPS of the L.M.S. in grey panels, white surround and red dividing line. HOCKLEY of the G.W.R. was more basic: brown backgound with plain black letterin and surround. Whereas the locomotives and rolling stock of such companies in their hayday were painted, polished, lined and splendid in all respects. But again, we are left with the research of others and their written words. How much is 'copycat' research of value? The only way to know for sure is to access the records of the companies involved, and if it no longer exists there - conjecture and hearsay is all that is left. Always open to challenge.

I've been trying to see if any of the streets at Boothen are left by comparing Google Maps with the frozen frame at 2m 40secs. There are some, but the changes are enormous. Where the bottle kilns stood on the farthest side of the cut, all is now the dual carriageway - 'Queensway'. On the nearest side from the canal is all new industial estate, though that itself could be 30-40yrs old. Streets I suspect as being shown in the B&W clip are from right to left: Woodhouse; an unknown now gone; Stanmer; Cornwallis; and Selwyn. The road they all link to and which runs parallel to the canal is Maclagan. The Aerofilms shot must have been taken from somewhere above the railway and what is now Hyde Park Trading Estate. Superb clarity. Photography by glass plate for sure. Edited to add: There is a 'Home' page with search facility HERE. Punch in a place name or co-ordinates and enjoy.

Some fascinating shots of housing development, but a cracker of Stoke-on-Trent and the bottle kilns at 2m 34s. Further on what looks like RCD, though I may be wrong: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18542080

I dunno, but hauling it off to a stationary engine rally might ruffle a few feathers. Could always cruise past the moorings at Bulls Bridge around 3am - sans silencers of course . . .

£3,919 for a Baby Blake - Stone me! Do you get a boat to go with it? Think of the pocket money left over if you'd bought a galvy bucket with a nice mahogany seat instead . . . Bet Wyvern must have had a job lot from surplus. Many and wonderful were the 'things' available from Gov. surplus - ask Pop Larkin. Ploughing engines for £25 a pair . . . TYCHO's original RN was changed for another at some time - 3269 to 3217 according to BW's card indexes, but Pete has 3280 to 3217* from *ENCELADUS in 1956. The Petter 0331 (current) is recorded as being fitted Saltley 1958 as per cardex. Wonder what THEOPHILUS is like below water line. Something hard to replace is this: Think Submarine! One of Speedwheel's images. Hope you don't mind Mark!

With regard to any original engine, it would almost certainly have been the same as fitted to other Middle Northwich boats, a Russell Newbery 2DM. My mate read and looked at that advert and said "You are joking! Where do you sit?" I reckon £85K woud get it back into acceptable condition. I'd giv'em fifty quid for it. But then without £85K, the problems would start. No, there's only one Middle Northwich I'd want back - I didn't say that did I.

CHERTSEY's Petter sounded nice, and well done that novice(?) steerer. Try and keep your hands off the brass, it's the wooden peg that's meant for the hands!! Next round of brass polishing is yours!! Looks like a great day all round. Edited to add: Though I wasn't there, I did spot a nice Tilley Gaurdsman in CHERTSEY's engine'ole. Definitely one of the better ones.

Gobsmacking amount of work Chris. Have only ever built Balsa aeroplanes from KielKraft. Curious about Kevin's horizontal bandsaw - doesn't appear to have runners, nor does the piece. I can only conclude the timber is being run through the saw though, but how? ah! It's the saw. Seems to be at the end of it's track. Did a little helping out on a Scottish sawmill - no guard and vertical blade - they don't half fly about when they break! Luckily no-one got touched. Hope this isn't diverting the topic, but there's some interesting stills HERE and footage of the same steam powered saw-mill HERE. Video's amateur, but gives an insight to hand signals and the noise. Little 'Pond Donkey' is much like a small Bantam pusher.

I could have understood that more if it had been a painting.

Too much of an opportunity for graffiti 'artists', such as done with King Orry when on dock and approaching launch with much to do . . .