Odd places to sleep
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- macinblack
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Re: Odd places to sleep
Crown Farm and Blidworth Reg.
Can't remember exactly where the earthmover was now but it was more accurately a loader for those massive quarry trucks that can carry a small housing estate in the back.
Can't remember exactly where the earthmover was now but it was more accurately a loader for those massive quarry trucks that can carry a small housing estate in the back.
Last edited by macinblack on Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
- RIP
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Re: Odd places to sleep

"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
Re: Odd places to sleep
Well the Dark Ages hill fort at Mote of Mark in Galloway has fused stone. Archaeologists have failed to re-create it - doubt they tried petrol infused backpack
- Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Odd places to sleep
I recall a couple of folk on a WRT many years ago sleeping inside a fallen over wind turbine. 

May the bridges you burn light your way
Re: Odd places to sleep
You slept through a Sven Vath set, wowIn Reverse wrote: ↑Tue Nov 23, 2021 11:23 pm Fell asleep with my head in a bassbin in Amnesia in Ibiza. Sven Vath was DJing.
I managed to do the same at Love Parade once, the Leeds version not Berlin
Re: Odd places to sleep
RIP wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 11:25 pmWhich pit(s) did you work at? Apologies if you've already mentioned.
Excellent! Four in a bucket, must've been a biggieOne of the oddest for me personally was four of us in a massive earthmover bucket when I was on an outward bound course.. Corby's giant R&R draglines come to mind. Incredible machines. Very nearly kipped inside one (the famous 'Sundew') at Shotley Quarry but bottled it. Or if coal, 'Ace of Spades' at Stobswood mebbes? Intrigued
.
We went over to look at the walking dragline at Corby before it got cut up, would of been '84 or '85. I was around fourteen at the time. You could have parked a car in the bucket, I was also fascinated by the diameter of the power cable coming out of the back of it.
- thenorthwind
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- RIP
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Re: Odd places to sleep
Noooo, not another dragline fanRob S wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:13 am We went over to look at the walking dragline at Corby before it got cut up, would of been '84 or '85. I was around fourteen at the time. You could have parked a car in the bucket, I was also fascinated by the diameter of the power cable coming out of the back of it.

Built in 1957, 1675t, 282ft boom, 27t capacity bucket. Five eventually entered service in Corby's ironstone quarries.
At least one cab and the bucket have been preserved at the Rocks By Rail Museum in Rutland - so if four Boners want to try kipping in the bucket it's still possible






"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
Re: Odd places to sleep
Great photos! 

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Re: Odd places to sleep
I don't want to overexcite anyone, but I worked on a couple of Bucyrus 680 W modular draglines in Jordan back in the 90s. I even have some candid photos of the filthy beasts.
“I want to see the wild country again before I die, and the Mountains..."
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Re: Odd places to sleep
Post 'em!The Cumbrian wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 2:03 pm I don't want to overexcite anyone, but I worked on a couple of Bucyrus 680 W modular draglines in Jordan back in the 90s. I even have some candid photos of the filthy beasts.
Re: Odd places to sleep
Nice MiniRIP wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 1:05 pmNoooo, not another dragline fanRob S wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:13 am We went over to look at the walking dragline at Corby before it got cut up, would of been '84 or '85. I was around fourteen at the time. You could have parked a car in the bucket, I was also fascinated by the diameter of the power cable coming out of the back of it.. Now you've gone and done it, I've had to dig out my old B&W photos of her and scan them in. "Sundew" at Shotley was of course the one that was "walked" from Exton Park - quicker and cheaper to do that than dismantle and move. They had to string the 6000v(?) cable out behind her for several miles on the walk. A real shame she wasn't preserved but it would have cost a fortune in upkeep of course.
Built in 1957, 1675t, 282ft boom, 27t capacity bucket. Five eventually entered service in Corby's ironstone quarries.
At least one cab and the bucket have been preserved at the Rocks By Rail Museum in Rutland - so if four Boners want to try kipping in the bucket it's still possible. A few pics, featuring Reg's Mini 1275GT for scale..... standing under the massive boom felt like standing under the Forth Bridge...
![]()
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Re: Odd places to sleep
Ah, just a smidgeon too late methinks

Last edited by RIP on Thu Nov 25, 2021 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
Re: Odd places to sleep
Going even further off topic, anyone for engine porn?
Admittedly smaller scale than the dragline above, here are two MAN engines, on the left an in-line 7 cylinder compression ignition engine. This runs on a 90/10 methane/diesel split.
On the right is a V20 spark ignition engine, this is 100% methane. Both are coupled to 6.5MW generators.
I look after the electrical/control/instrumentation side of things.
Admittedly smaller scale than the dragline above, here are two MAN engines, on the left an in-line 7 cylinder compression ignition engine. This runs on a 90/10 methane/diesel split.
On the right is a V20 spark ignition engine, this is 100% methane. Both are coupled to 6.5MW generators.
I look after the electrical/control/instrumentation side of things.
Last edited by Rob S on Thu Nov 25, 2021 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- RIP
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Re: Odd places to sleep

"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
- ledburner
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Re: Odd places to sleep
I just tryiing to get the Image out of my head, of Reg calling the RuPaul Drag- Line.

RuPaul:"Tell me a little about yourself..."
Reg: "my interest started in Corby when I was around 14.... cos' I still was wearing my little shorts.
When looked round the back and was filthy but fascinating! "


I hope you think you know, what I might of exactly meant.
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..
- RIP
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Re: Odd places to sleep
I'd just like to point out for the record that I have no interest in trouser presses (*).led wrote: my interest started in Corby
(*) Obviously apart from the Bonzo Dogs' classic "Trouser Press": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoWs8ER6PJo
"Do you like soul music?". "No". "Well do the Trouser Press baby!".
Give it all you can, it's much better than, the Prefabricated Concrete Coal Bunker!
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - WW
- ledburner
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Re: Odd places to sleep
RIP wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:10 pmI'd just like to point out for the record that I have no interest in trouser presses (*).led wrote: my interest started in Corby
(*) Obviously apart from the Bonzo Dogs' classic "Trouser Press": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoWs8ER6PJo
"Do you like soul music?". "No". "Well do the Trouser Press baby!".
Give it all you can, it's much better than, the Prefabricated Concrete Coal Bunker!
but someone might, possibly with a career in the sales (or sails) dept.?
I hope you think you know, what I might of exactly meant.
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..
- ledburner
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Re: Odd places to sleep
fancy the apprentice doing a spark plug service & getting the HT leads mixed up....Rob S wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 4:51 pm Going even further off topic, anyone for engine porn?
Admittedly smaller scale than the dragline above, here are two MAN engines, on the left an in-line 7 cylinder compression ignition engine. This runs on a 90/10 methane/diesel split.
On the right is a V20 spark ignition engine, this is 100% methane. Both are coupled to 6.5MW generators.
I look after the electrical/control/instrumentation side of things.![]()


I hope you think you know, what I might of exactly meant.
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..
Re: Odd places to sleep
Lol! Fortunately each cylinder has it's own coil mounted next to the spark plug.
Re: Odd places to sleep
Yes, that was me and Markenduro from Burton-on-Trent after a mass WRT rider imbibing session in the pub in Llanbrymair. Some just slept in the pub, some slept in the pissing rain in a nearby field, we, however, cycled on a little bit further and came across the recumbent turbine towers. Slept pretty dam well in our seperate bedrooms.I recall a couple of folk on a WRT many years ago sleeping inside a fallen over wind turbine. :-


Probably the oddest place I've slept is in the trailer of a moving lorry between stacks of wobbling boxes of melons on a journey from Eilat to Tel Aviv - I had to go and buy new 26" bike tyre* so I could continue my year long bike ride around the Near East. - I didn't sleep that well as my fellow trailer companion (the driver's Alsatian) pissed all over my sleeping bag!
*(the only component I had to replace in a year of cycling was the rear tyre - I took a spare set of XT brake blocks for my Saracen Trekker U-brakes out with me but brought them back unused).
Re: Odd places to sleep
I've slept in a concrete hut at the side of a disused railway line, now a cycle route. No door or window, the remains of an old tent on the floor, I guess a real tramp had been there before me.

The out of focus picture makes it looks nicer than it was
But it was dry and out of the wind.

The out of focus picture makes it looks nicer than it was

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Re: Odd places to sleep
This wharf on the K&A canal.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0RxA5pI ... _Allington
I was really wanting to sleep in one of the WW2 pill boxes that are on the canal but one wasn’t available in the right spot.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0RxA5pI ... _Allington
I was really wanting to sleep in one of the WW2 pill boxes that are on the canal but one wasn’t available in the right spot.
If you are going through hell, keep going.
WSC
WSC
- ledburner
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Re: Odd places to sleep
well done for staying dry...lune ranger wrote: ↑Sat Nov 27, 2021 12:11 am This wharf on the K&A canal. I was really wanting to sleep in one of the WW2 pill boxes that are on the canal but one wasn’t available in the right spot.

I'd have had to move down a bit (risking a bollard in the bollocks), otherwise i'd wake up swimming.

I hope you think you know, what I might of exactly meant.
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..
Warning - may contain value odded typos & ither mythspellings..