On Wednesday, 7 March 2018 12:29:52 UTC, mechanic wrote:
Hence the pix of chinook helecopters air lifting supppies.

I read that as "puppies" and thought awwwwww.

Owain

bert wrote:
In article , mechanic
writes
On Tue, 06 Mar 2018 21:05:43 GMT, pamela wrote:

Stories about disasters and diseases sell newspapers, so we can
understand the press would talk up bad weather. But the BBC? As
a public service broadcaster it shouldn't be exaggerating the
impact of cold weather, even if it does improve audience numbers.

I suppose it depends where you live. In Alston where the roads have
been blocked by snow for five days or so things got pretty serious.
Hence the pix of chinook helecopters air lifting supppies.
I know the Alston/Nenthead area. Funny how it never used to be blocked
for more than a couple of days back in the 50s/60s Even Killhope would
be open.

The branch line to Alston was kept open longer than many others after the
Beeching report because the roads of the time were considered to be blocked
by snow frequently enough that the railway was considered an important
lifeline.
Road improvements to alter this situation were eventually undertaken and
the line closed in 1976.
Somebody must have thought that keeping the line as an €œinsurance€� was
worthwhile as most similar loss making branches had gone by 1970.

GH

In article , Marland
writes
bert wrote:
In article , mechanic
writes
On Tue, 06 Mar 2018 21:05:43 GMT, pamela wrote:

Stories about disasters and diseases sell newspapers, so we can
understand the press would talk up bad weather. But the BBC? As
a public service broadcaster it shouldn't be exaggerating the
impact of cold weather, even if it does improve audience numbers.

I suppose it depends where you live. In Alston where the roads have
been blocked by snow for five days or so things got pretty serious.
Hence the pix of chinook helecopters air lifting supppies.
I know the Alston/Nenthead area. Funny how it never used to be blocked
for more than a couple of days back in the 50s/60s Even Killhope would
be open.

The branch line to Alston was kept open longer than many others after the
Beeching report because the roads of the time were considered to be blocked
by snow frequently enough that the railway was considered an important
lifeline.
Road improvements to alter this situation were eventually undertaken and
the line closed in 1976.
Somebody must have thought that keeping the line as an €œinsurance€� was
worthwhile as most similar loss making branches had gone by 1970.

GH
Durham CC had a huge American truck, 6 wheel drive Mack with snow chains
and a massive snowplough on the front which they used to keep the route
open over to Nenthead as this road was used commercially to carry
fluorspar output from Cambo Keels mine to the processing plant.
--
bert

In article ,
writes
On Wednesday, 7 March 2018 12:29:52 UTC, mechanic wrote:
Hence the pix of chinook helecopters air lifting supppies.

I read that as "puppies" and thought awwwwww.

Owain

That would be one hell of a lot of puppies.
--
bert

On Sun, 11 Mar 2018 21:04:33 +0000, bert wrote:

Stories about disasters and diseases sell newspapers, so we can
understand the press would talk up bad weather. But the BBC? As
a public service broadcaster it shouldn't be exaggerating the
impact of cold weather, even if it does improve audience numbers.

I suppose it depends where you live. In Alston where the roads
have
been blocked by snow for five days or so things got pretty
serious.
Hence the pix of chinook helecopters air lifting supppies.

I know the Alston/Nenthead area. Funny how it never used to be blocked
for more than a couple of days back in the 50s/60s Even Killhope would
be open.

I think there might be a hint of rose tint in there somewhere. B-)
And back then people would would far more prepared in terms of fuel
and food supplies. On the air drops and moutain rescue deliveries
before, great but they dropped the stuff to be taken to the village
halls for "distrubution". By the time of the air drops the villages
were not cut off, but lots of individual places around still were and
therefore couldn't, by definition, get to the village hall... They
should have dropped, literally, stuff at or near those places that
showed occupancy. Not many people would (could!) ignore a chinnock
hovering at 25' over a field next to their house. When it landed at
Garrigill, a mile and half away I heard the distinctive whop whop
whop indoors.

The big problem was that we got a heck of a lot of snow in one dollop
from the 28th Feb to 2nd of March. There was more lying snow in
either 2009/10 or 2010/11 but that arrived in much more manageble
foot or so at a time, that Land Rovers can cope with. Land Rovers get
stopped at around 18" to 2' lying snow, that's what most of the roads
where covered by early on the 1st with drifts of 4' to 5' and it got
worse from there on.

The Brampton Road, the lowest and the one they try to keep open and
open first for emergency access became 4WD only, maybe passable with
care on the afternooon of the second. Hexham Road was snow covered,
PWC, single track with passing places between the two Ninebanks
turnings late afternoon on the 3rd, Killhope that day as well I think
but Killhope didn't really cop it. Hartside was the problem that took
a good four or five days it did open briefly but got closed again
when a drift collapsed back across. The Nenthead back road was a
couple of days after Hartside.

Spent a fair bit of Sunday (11th) helping to clear a couple of
neighbours tracks, one had 50 yd long 5' deep drift and several other
drifts up to a couple of feet deep and similar length. We've had a
thaw and rain since the 1st/2nd so what we were tackling was only
about 50% of the orginal...

https://www.facebook.com/dave.liquor...7892575329033/

That tractor had just freed itself from being stuck and visibilty had
improved.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Wed, 07 Mar 2018 14:51:09 GMT, pamela wrote:

The winters of 2010 and 2011 were far worse than this.

Depends how you define "worse". They were certainly colder for
longer but *accumulated* snow depth less and because it didn't all
arrive in one massive dollop was far easier to manage. Foot of
snow, one pass of plough spreading salt and a hour later you have
black tram tracks, 2 hours just a a wet road.

As far as disruption is concerned the last week has been far far
worse than either 2009/10 or 2010/11. By comparsion those two
winters where just winters, shovelling snow became a chore and a
PITA when the space you were shoveling to ran out of space. But
the ploughs would clear the roads and you could get about every
day.

I have to disagree. In those winters the snow remained for weeks
and weeks.

So it gets shifted out of the way within a hour or two and life
carrys on. Ah I forget, "they" are supposed to treat and clear *all*
the roads. There's little or no proper "community" on many streets or
estates these days. People live in their individual little boxes
hardly knowing their neighbours name. Perish the thought of knocking
on a few doors getting a few people together to clear at least a set
of tram tracks so they can all get in or out with relative ease. Oh
no, they'll just stay inside and whine on Facebok or twitter that
"they" haven't cleared the road of an inch of slush and so are stuck
at home unable to drive to the shops a 20 minute walk away.

We can adapt to a few days bad weather like recently but after a couple
of weeks, with no end in sight, it's a very different story.

Meh, it's winter, it snows in winter. Which always seems to catch
many people out. I don't under stand how a bit of sleet let alone
snow can cause such chaos in a lot of the country.

There is no way one can "adapt" to roads under 2' of snow and higher
drifts, unless you just happen to have tracked quad bike in the
garage. You just have to sit it out until the ploughs and blowers
have cut a single track through it. Or get your collective shovel out
and help yourselves.

--
Cheers
Dave.

There is no way one can "adapt" to roads under 2' of snow and higher
drifts, unless you just happen to have tracked quad bike in the
garage. You just have to sit it out until the ploughs and blowers
have cut a single track through it. Or get your collective shovel out
and help yourselves.

The crunch point for Dad and the neighbouring farmers used to be when they
ran out of tobacco,
Food and fuel there was enough for a few weeks snow or no snow but unable
to do as many of the usual jobs the the rate of tobacco consumption went
up, partly because outside a roll up or pipe spent most of its time going
out whereas inside a shed while doing something useful such as sharpening
blades they burnt as intended.
A collective expedition to get through to the village 3miles away was then
organised.

GH

In article l.net,
Dave Liquorice writes
On Sun, 11 Mar 2018 21:04:33 +0000, bert wrote:

Stories about disasters and diseases sell newspapers, so we can
understand the press would talk up bad weather. But the BBC? As
a public service broadcaster it shouldn't be exaggerating the
impact of cold weather, even if it does improve audience numbers.

I suppose it depends where you live. In Alston where the roads
have
been blocked by snow for five days or so things got pretty
serious.
Hence the pix of chinook helecopters air lifting supppies.

I know the Alston/Nenthead area. Funny how it never used to be blocked
for more than a couple of days back in the 50s/60s Even Killhope would
be open.

I think there might be a hint of rose tint in there somewhere. B-)
And back then people would would far more prepared in terms of fuel
and food supplies. On the air drops and moutain rescue deliveries
before, great but they dropped the stuff to be taken to the village
halls for "distrubution". By the time of the air drops the villages
were not cut off, but lots of individual places around still were and
therefore couldn't, by definition, get to the village hall... They
should have dropped, literally, stuff at or near those places that
showed occupancy. Not many people would (could!) ignore a chinnock
hovering at 25' over a field next to their house. When it landed at
Garrigill, a mile and half away I heard the distinctive whop whop
whop indoors.

The big problem was that we got a heck of a lot of snow in one dollop
from the 28th Feb to 2nd of March. There was more lying snow in
either 2009/10 or 2010/11 but that arrived in much more manageble
foot or so at a time, that Land Rovers can cope with. Land Rovers get
stopped at around 18" to 2' lying snow, that's what most of the roads
where covered by early on the 1st with drifts of 4' to 5' and it got
worse from there on.

The Brampton Road, the lowest and the one they try to keep open and
open first for emergency access became 4WD only, maybe passable with
care on the afternooon of the second. Hexham Road was snow covered,
PWC, single track with passing places between the two Ninebanks
turnings late afternoon on the 3rd, Killhope that day as well I think
but Killhope didn't really cop it. Hartside was the problem that took
a good four or five days it did open briefly but got closed again
when a drift collapsed back across. The Nenthead back road was a
couple of days after Hartside.

Spent a fair bit of Sunday (11th) helping to clear a couple of
neighbours tracks, one had 50 yd long 5' deep drift and several other
drifts up to a couple of feet deep and similar length. We've had a
thaw and rain since the 1st/2nd so what we were tackling was only
about 50% of the orginal...

https://www.facebook.com/dave.liquor...7892575329033/

That tractor had just freed itself from being stuck and visibilty had
improved.

Just hover a Chinook over it, that should shift it.:-)
--
bert

On Tue, 13 Mar 2018 12:40:18 +0000, Tim Streater wrote:

Meh, it's winter, it snows in winter. Which always seems to catch
many people out. I don't under stand how a bit of sleet let alone
snow can cause such chaos in a lot of the country.

We'd be a lot better off from that PoV if the temp went down to -20C
and stayed there. Then we'd have clothing, vehicles, and houses adapted
to that happening on a regular basis. Snow would also behave more like
sand from the PoV of walking/driving on it.

Maximum of -3 to -4 C is enough to stop the freeze/thaw/freeze which
is what really makes things treacherous. If the forecast is for those
sort of max temps around here they don't treat some of the roads just
clear 'em down to about 4 or 5" and let the traffic pack it down. As
it's all dry it stays as packed snow and doesn't turn to ice. It
stays soft so won't take high loads from braking or cornering so you
still have to limit you speed and anticipate corners but it's a lot
beter to drive on than refrozen slush or snow.

--
Cheers
Dave.