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not a single one loco or train in view...........

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by steamdream, Jul 28, 2012.

  1. steamdream

    steamdream Member

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    ....at that great Olympics show! it's a shame in regards of the history of the Industrial Revolution nice factories chimneys but not a small engine one in view!
    regards
    Noel
     
  2. TonyMay

    TonyMay Member

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    well they wouldn't want it to steal the show would they?
     
  3. paulhitch

    paulhitch Guest

    Yes, it would show up the whole huge boring circus for what it is.
     
  4. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

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    you had IKB, what more do you need/ Its was an excellent shiow, seemingly flawless
     
  5. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Yes, I should imagine the GWR boys were delighted by IKB's inclusion.
     
  6. ADB968008

    ADB968008 Guest

    No London bus either, remember ths was done on a budget to save money... Even if that budget was nearly 8 figures!
     
  7. Miff

    Miff Part of the furniture Friend

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    There was a London bus, horse drawn, in LGOC green showing route no. 25 destination boards, a nice local touch. Brunel (played by Kenneth Branagh) arrived in it. And steam engines did appear in the industrial revolution segment, just not the rail borne kind.
     
  8. The Decapod

    The Decapod New Member

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    Sorry - duplicate - look below.
    .
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  9. The Decapod

    The Decapod New Member

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    I thought it was an excellent ceremony. Brunel at Stratford was a touch ironic though!
     
  10. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    But he did built the Great Eastern ship.
     
  11. MarkinDurham

    MarkinDurham Well-Known Member

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    And built it just across the Thames from Stratford
     
  12. ZBmer

    ZBmer New Member

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    ...and helped his dad Marc engineer the first Thames tunnel crossing.
     
  13. ADB968008

    ADB968008 Guest

    He did in deed and if you ever visit the isle of dogs at Burrells wharf, just 5 minutes from canary wharf at masthouse terrace pier, you can still see the gigantic railway sleeper techology he used to push it into the Thames after it got stuck, together with recovered chains on display for all to see.
    At low tide you can also see the sleepers in the riverbed.

    If you do, look me up I'd be glad to point out some other parts of isle of dogs heritage.
     
  14. oddsocks

    oddsocks Well-Known Member

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  15. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    David Hockney (noted pro-smoking person) made an entertaining point that the chimneys of the dark satanic mills were belching smoke, but that Brunel's cigar was resolutely not!

    With regards the comment about Brunel being commemorated in Stratford, apart from the issues already raised: My understanding was that the opening ceremony was a celebration of Britain, not just Stratford. So I didn't feel that it jarred at all. There is no doubt in my mind that Brunel is the iconic engineer of that era, in the true sense of the word iconic - i.e. having a recognisable visual image. Stephenson may be more famous as a name, but I doubt there is any image of an engineer more famous than the one of Brunel standing in front of the chains, smoking a cigar, when launching one of his ships.

    And finally for light relief: as the great Humphrey Lyttleton once put it: "From his stovepipe hat to his drainpipe trousers, he was a credit to his ironmonger".

    Tom
     
  16. black5

    black5 Well-Known Member

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    There was an London Underground train representation in the Thanks Tim sequence.
     
  17. david1984

    david1984 Resident of Nat Pres

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    You can't really blame them for not including Trains/Railways in the opening ceremony, if they included everything Britain has invented throughout the years the opening ceremony would of needed a second day and the budget would of bankrupted a country the size of Wales.

    If would have been criminal not to include IKB frankly, we all know him for the GWR/Royal Albert bridge etc but remember he did so much more than Railways, Shipping and Civil Engineering to name two, woulden't be unfair to call him the greatest ever Briton thus far (in peacetime anyway).
     
  18. ovbulleid

    ovbulleid Member

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    There is a steam engine on site. When I went to the Stratford Westfield for its grand opening I saw a steam locomotive sat by the bus stops on the south side of the big footbridge. I think it was a bagnall or some other 0-6-0 ST OC(?). I can't find it on google earth, but there's definately something there. On another railway note, it will be visible from Great Eastern Road. Both I imagine are tributes to the site's former use by the road's namesake.
     
  19. david1984

    david1984 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Marooned | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
     
  20. DJH

    DJH Member

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    Robert is the engine and owned by Newham Council.
     

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