Tuesday, November 22, 2005

100 years ago

For the hauling of the heaviest and fastest-timed trains on the East Coast route, between York and Edinburgh, there was in the course of erection at the North-Eastern Railway Company's Works at Gateshead, two huge locomotives of the four-cylinder compound "Atlantic" type, which was of interest not only because they were the first locomotives of this design to be introduced on any British railway, but also because, on completion, they would rank as the largest and most powerful railway machines ever built for any English railway. The locomotives, which were being built from the designs of the chief mechanical engineer of the NER, would have high pressure cylinders 14 inch in diameter, and low pressure cylinders 22 inch in diameter. The firebox was of the well-known Belpaire type whilst the boiler would be of the maximum British dimensions.

50 years ago

The second of the talks in the York Allotments Society's winter programme was publicised. Admission was free and all were welcome to go along to the Hunt Room, in the Public Library. Those whose experience with the glorious but fickle chrysanthemum had so far contained more hope than success would be well advised to hear what Mr H R Clark, who had an allotment near the Rugby ground, had to say. There was also something of interest to women, for a York florist, Miss Molly Coates, would give a talk and demonstration on arranging flowers in the home.

25 years ago

It was enough to make fleet-footed disco star John Travolta reach for the corn plasters. Seventy-two hours non-stop dancing... That was the aim of six dancers taking part in a sponsored disco at RAF Linton-on-Ouse over the weekend. And for the three disc jockeys involved it meant a mind-spinning task of playing more than 1,200 records. The marathon - in aid of Jimmy Saville's Stoke Mandeville Hospital Appeal - began at nine o'clock on the Friday evening and was due to end after the weekend on Monday evening. One of the record spinners at the station's Pennyfarthing Club, SAC John Mathers said: "The DJs work six hours on, 12 hours off, while our dancers go on the floor for three hours, and off for six hours." The fund-raising target was about £500 and the organisers hoped to present Jimmy Saville with the cheque personally. Even after three days the drowsy dancers would still be nearly 500 hours short of the world non-stop dancing record.

Updated: 15:05 Monday, November 21, 2005