(19 May 2013, 11:54)NorthernRaider Wrote: oooh stationary engines, rope hauled railways and wagon ways, funiculars are a hobby of mine 
Ooooooh. Then you're my man. My next novel focusses on the 'Grand Central Crimean Railway' that could be fairly said to have won the Crimean war. The brainchild of James Morton Peto, it was built by navvies who came specially from England - and who got the thing running within six weeks of landing. Mostly horse-drawn, of course, but they had a stationery engine at Kadikoi (which Highlander will tell you was where the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders made the stand that's gone down in history as 'The Thin Red Line') which hauled the carriages of shells straight up the Balaklava gorge to feed the guns. It's an unparalleled achievement in railway history - they built seven miles in seven weeks, and also formed the world's first hospital train.
But I've never seen one. I have whole scenes revolving round it, but I can't describe it properly until I've seen one actually work. If you know about these things, would it be totally out of order for me to PM you for a little brain-picking when the time comes?
But I'm already out of order for derailing the thread.
Many apologies, everyone, and I'm backing discreetly away....
Louise
PS £10 isn't much, but it's the £122 on top of it that bothers me!
Search
Calendar
Help
