Monday, October 05, 2015

Poetry in motion

Monday morning 9.30 am.

Blimey it's gloomy here at Norton junction this morning. I sit here awaiting Kath's arrival at lunchtime and my mind turns to the prospect of the afternoon's entertainment as we resume our journey in the general direction of Antarctica, or more precisely, Slough. A little poem forms in my mind as I only just stop myself from putting a spoonful of instant coffee into the kettle. Must concentrate.

Going down Buckby locks in the rain

Going down Buckby locks in the rain

It's a pain

It does my brain

in

When it's rain

-ing

Going down Buckby locks in the rain

My own brilliance humbles me.

 

Adam, who has good form in solving my riddles, correctly deduced that the Tachomatic Revostat is indeed a device to stop Herbie's morse control lever from slipping back. Halfie got it too, but as it was his second attempt and he was three minutes behind, Adam takes the biscuit.

Sadly, the beautifully crafted stainless steel that Rick used to make the TR seems insufficiently robust to exert the pressure required to apply the necessary friction between the lever and it's mount. I have reinstalled it for a second trial, but I fear that we may have to revert to the previous solution, suggested ages ago by Oakie, of installing a rubber O ring. That is not perfect, but is fairly effective. Better anyway than my previous effort, which was to hand a weight ( a mooring chain actually) from the lever knob.

 

3 comments:

Oakie said...

Aah. So I was right after all. I had forgotten that we had discussed this earlier. I still have the original O ring in place, so it has done well for quite a time now. Someone suggested earlier that you hang a bottle of beer on the throttle lever and if going too fast, drink some beer. If going too slow, drink what is left of the beer and hang another bottle on, ad infinitum until you are so pissed you don't care how fast or slow you are going anyway.

Halfie said...

I would have been quicker had I not had to decide which of the images displayed showed a street sign. This wasn't easy as most of the photos were indistinct and American.

Vallypee said...

Well, I like the poem, Neil. Not being a techie type, I'll leave the tachie thing to your cronies. I hope the weather improves for you in any event!