Heart Beat TV series

[hereward]

BW have all the semaphore signals gone now?
I had never heard of him John – Don’t know how I miss these things. Not sure I am altogether happy about naming or un-naming locos. Never saw much point in David Shepherd naming that Standard “The Green Knight,” celebrating a person is maybe acceptable. I had a brief glimpse of 44806, when passing Carnforth, painted green and named “Magpie” that had me baffled for years.

[TRP]

Originally Posted by hereward

BW have all the semaphore signals gone now?
I had never heard of him John – Don’t know how I miss these things. Not sure I am altogether happy about naming or un-naming locos. Never saw much point in David Shepherd naming that Standard “The Green Knight,” celebrating a person is maybe acceptable. I had a brief glimpse of 44806, when passing Carnforth, painted green and named “Magpie” that had me baffled for years.

Hi Hereward,

Some semaphores still survive on the main line network on the secondary & more rural lines - the main lines with the highest volumes of traffic are almost certainly semaphore-free these days. Down here in Hastings we still have a handful of semaphores covering the entry & exit at the east end of Hastings station, although the main lines from Hastings to Tonbridge and Brighton have now lost all their semaphores.

Bishop Eric Treacey was the Bishop of Wakefield and was also a railway enthusiast. He sadly died on Appleby station on 13th May 1978 whilst waiting to photograph a steam special over the Settle & Carlisle line, hauled by BR 9F No.92220 'Evening Star'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Treacy

As for No.44806 being named 'Magpie', this was in connection with a children's TV programme called Magpie - it was ITV's answer to Blue Peter. As the BBC had a connection with a steam locomotive named 'Blue Peter' (LNER-designed A2 No.(60)532), ITV wanted to do the same. Of course, there was no locomotive in existence named Magpie so No.44806 received the name, although I'm not sure how No.44806 came to be chosen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magpie_(TV_series)

I'm with you that I'm not a big fan of previously un-named locos being named in preservation, but of course it's not my decision!

Tony

[aussiesteve]

G'day,
Yes, I am back again to waffle on about another Heart Beat episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU-8sDcpHHs
This time, the episode that I grabbed from You Tuber by accident.
Dubbed; Playing with Trains.
Having perused the episode in full, I did enjoy it.
An infusion of The Great Train Robbery, Train Spotting, and Time Team.
The soot belcher this time is an 0-6-0 numbered 65894.
And, it appears to be slipping, so I assume climbing a hill approaching the signal.
Hereward, take a gander at how and where the villains cut the signal cable.
HMMMM.
Yeh, I am nit picking again.
HA!
But, the principle displays how a lower quad returns to Stop when interfered with or fails.
The counter balance arm having pivoted down returning the signal arm to stop.
One assuming the stick is actually returned to stop from the signal frame in this instance.
Naturally, the Yorkshire producers would not wanna pay to repair a damaged signal cable.
And, as BW states, signal cables can expand and contract due to temperature and age.
Most signal frames have a cable tensioning dingus to compensate for any sag.
And, when the villain climbs into the cab, where is the fireman ?
OK, a train crew stopped out of course at a signal must attempt to contact the pointcop.
So, I can accept that the fireman has gone hoofing to find a circuit phone.
Poor Greengrass doing all the effort digging up a Roman coin horde only to loose it to the property owner.
Kids out train spotting, something that you rarely see these days.
They would need to be night owls here.
Nothing much rattles through here during daylight, except the Rocket to Dubbo and return.
Ah, bring back them good ole days.
I am mainly thumping this to ask another question.
This time, not about the soot belcher.
The song heard after the opening, Good Day Sunshine, is that the Beatles or Tremeloes version ?
I have a sneaking suspicion that it might be The Tremeloes.
One of the reasons that I do enjoy Heart Beat, the background music.
GO the 60s when you could understand all the lyrics of a song, and tap yer feet to the beat.
Steve.

[hereward]

It’s definitely not the Beatles Steve, Paul McCartney is unmistakable. Listening to the Tremeloes and that one I’m not sure, but then I am not much good at that, I didn’t realise “A Whiter Shade of Pale” was J.S. Bach until told. McCartney owns the rights to Buddy Holly’s songs he must have made a fortune from Heartbeat, the show is played 15 times a week on one of the ITV channels, but they are the later ones, not so good without Greengrass. Sixties music has stood the test of time, even my kids reckon it is the best. I reckon it’s the music the cars the nostalgia, the fact that three stories are going on at the same time make the show universally popular.

[hereward]

Thanks Tony, this must be the most informative forum on the net.

[TRP]

Originally Posted by hereward

Thanks Tony, this must be the most informative forum on the net.

And all this has spiralled from a single question about which steam loco appears in a TV programme!

Looking into the surviving semaphores in my part of the world, I think these 3 brackets & the handful of shunting signals are the only semaphores on Network Rail in East Sussex, and quite possibly Kent as well. The rest of the Marshlink line between Hastings & Ashford is all coloured light signals, the Hastings-Tonbridge line (including the Western end of Hastings station) switched to coloured light signals when the line was electrified in 1986, and the East Coastway line from Hastings to Brighton via Eastbourne lost it's remaining semaphores in 2014 - the last of these had been around Bexhill, Pevensey & Westham, Willingdon Junction (near Eastbourne), Polegate and Berwick.

Sorry, can't help with the song question though Steve - I know the Beatles original version but I don't think I've heard any of the others.

Tony

[aussiesteve]

Yes it is a shame when the original cast of a good tv series vanish.
But, nothing endures for ever.
Just like semaphore signals.
Other than semaphores utilized by hysterical mobs here, I doubt that many remain on the dinkum network.
Colour light type, especially LEDs, are much cheaper to employ and maintain.
Plus are generally much more visible to train crew.
I would like to find Rod Taylors time machine to take a trip back to the 1960s - 1970s.
At my age now, I would not need to worry about winning that lottery like I did when concluding school in 1972.
Thankfully I was able to cast my first political vote for Gough.
And, he kyboshed the draft.
Consequently No khaki or 303 for me.
But, being able to attend that 1964 Beatles tour of Oz would be bonzer.
Especially when they lobbed into Adelaide in Croweater country.
A guestimated half of the city population turning out roadside to greet them.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Originally Posted by aussiesteve

......I would like to find Rod Taylors time machine to take a trip back to the 1960s - 1970s.

Well Steve, it still exists, so you can. One like it featured in an episode of the The Big Bang Theory where the proponents bought it accidently on Ebay. The show's production wanted to use the real thing, but its owner Bob Burns wouldn't hire it out to them.

I was very impressed by that film when I first saw it as a teenager, and always watch it again when it comes round.

It has a great storyline if you're into SciFi, but perhaps as a youngster I might have been slightly swayed by Yvette Mimieux ? (Whom I have just discovered from Google, was the first woman to show her naval on American television). Go girl!

Cheers, BW

[aussiesteve]

G'day BW,
I don't watch the Big Bang Theory.
But, the original Time Machine was bonzer.
I didn't think much of the stupid remake though.
Bob Burns probably wouldn't loan the real McCoy because of the diamond tipped throttle dingus.
A bare naval, hmmmm, might hafta dig out the DVD to view later.
Trouble with going back to 1964 to see the Beatles down-under tour, where the heck am I gunna find Pounds and Shillings.
I doubt the promoters would accept our modern day stupid one and two dollar coins.
And, I also doubt that I could get through the barrier gates at smog hollow Central station with me Opal card.
Steve.

[hereward]

Back in the day I had a few dates with Julie Andrews (no not that one) she said a youth club in her town had wanted to engage the Beatles, but they wanted £30 plus their clothes cleaned, the club couldn’t afford it. I usually put a zero on the back of these figures for a better idea of what the figures would be today. Still not the telephone number fees they would command a few months later. Later in the 60’s I recall Mick Jagger saying: “We don’t do one night stands anymore, after all the expense is taken away you are left with about £200, not worth the bother!”
I went to a dance in the Channel Islands in 1964, the Hollies were playing. I reckon the booking was made before they had become well known. I took this girl home and when walking back passed the ballroom Allan Clarke came out with two guitarists, I was treated to a free session when following them down to St Hellier.
One of those Heartbeat episodes is about a hillclimb car race, some farmers objected to the noise; one chopped a tree down across the road and poured pig slurry for the cars to skid out of control. Can’t help but chuckle thinking this could be Aussiesteve, he isn’t keen on the Bathurst races. Well the forum is quiet.