meaning of gunzel
railfr
reading your messages I found an unknown word "Gunzel"
I suspect that it has the meaning of "wandering around sites" or something
like that
Could you explain as my dictionnary is not able to give an answer
Thanks
Mark Bau
h.cat...@nospamonline.fr wrote on 7/6/01 12:32 AM:
It describes a train nut that doesn't have a clue. A gunzel is usually
unwashed, unshaved, doesn't like girls, gets way too excited about
inconsequential details regarding trains, has trouble in normal social
situations, thinks about trains 99% of the time, would rather photograph a
train than go out on a date... need I go on?
Mark
Mylorace
>train than go out on a date... need I go on?
A very apt discription Mark, afik the term came from the US, and after a bit of
research I think came into use around the late 70's
( hope that dosn't make me one)
Mylo.
Ted Gay
"Mylorace" <mylo...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010706033909...@ng-ms1.aol.com...
The term in dinki-di Aussie, not US or Pommie as once claimed. The term
originated at Sydney Tramway Museum.
Ted
David McLoughlin
Certainly. Below is the definition from the mtut FAQ. I am staggered
that Gunzel has not yet made it into a dictionary.
GUNZEL - a transit, especially train fanatic. GUNZEL. According to Bob
Merchant, editor of the Australian enthusiasts' journal "Trolley Wire,"
the term was first used by Sydney Tramway Museum members in the early
1960s to describe certain enthusiasts in the state of Victoria
(Australia) who took their hobby a bit too seriously. The term comes
from the film "The Maltese Falcon" in which Elisha Cook Jnr, played
Wilmer, Sydney Greenstreet's twisted gun-slinger (gunsel in American
gangster slang). The film has been described as one in which there
wasn't one decent person in the whole film. The gunsel in the film was
what we would describe today as a "Gunzel", a bit thick to say the
least. Before Puffing Billy (a heritage steam train in the ranges
outside Melbourne) issued their "Gunzel Pass" a few years back, their
president, Phil Avard, checked with the STM as to the meaning of the
word and its origin. Phil, being a bit of a film buff, understood
immediately and the pass was issued. Originally, one did not call a
person a Gunzel to their face as it was a bit derogatory. The term
Gunzel in the Australian sense was first used by Dick Jones, Don
Campbell and Bill Parkinson, all of whom are still members of the STM.
The term has since been picked up by New Zealand, UK and some US
railfans. See also ANORAK.
David McLoughlin
> afik the term came from the US, and after a bit of
> research I think came into use around the late 70's
> ( hope that dosn't make me one)
See my FAQ posting. It came from Australia!
However since the FAQ entry was written about three years ago, I believe
the term is no longer perjorative but just describes a normal train fan.
I know many train fans who like the opposite sex (or the same sex or
just sex) and who dress well and are in every way normal and who also
just like trains and things but are not obsessed by them.
Eddie Oliver
Can we just refer the original inquirer to the archives at
www.railpage.org.au/ausrail (or at google or whatever it is that has
replaced dejanews), and thus avoid going over the same ground a thousand
times?
David McLoughlin
But why? What harm is there in replying to a new inquirer? It is not
like the old days of six years ago where every line was a bandwidth
problem and sigs of more than two lines were banned because it took 10
minutes to download a 20-line post.
It's hardly as if such a genuine question is a flame that goes on for
hundreds of posts like some threads here do.
Some of us old-timers like helping the newbies out with our
institutional memories.
David Bromage
> GUNZEL - a transit, especially train fanatic. GUNZEL. According to Bob
> Merchant, editor of the Australian enthusiasts' journal "Trolley Wire,"
> the term was first used by Sydney Tramway Museum members in the early
> 1960s to describe certain enthusiasts in the state of Victoria
> (Australia) who took their hobby a bit too seriously. The term comes
> from the film "The Maltese Falcon" in which Elisha Cook Jnr, played
> Wilmer, Sydney Greenstreet's twisted gun-slinger (gunsel in American
> gangster slang). The film has been described as one in which there
> wasn't one decent person in the whole film. The gunsel in the film was
> what we would describe today as a "Gunzel", a bit thick to say the
> least. Before Puffing Billy (a heritage steam train in the ranges
> outside Melbourne) issued their "Gunzel Pass" a few years back, their
> president, Phil Avard, checked with the STM as to the meaning of the
> word and its origin. Phil, being a bit of a film buff, understood
> immediately and the pass was issued. Originally, one did not call a
> person a Gunzel to their face as it was a bit derogatory. The term
> Gunzel in the Australian sense was first used by Dick Jones, Don
> Campbell and Bill Parkinson, all of whom are still members of the STM.
> The term has since been picked up by New Zealand, UK and some US
> railfans. See also ANORAK.
Foamer would be the closest overseas term, i.e. foaming at the mouth at
the sight of a train. Anorak and gricer have slightly different
meanings.
While gunzel was originally derogatory, these days it can be a term of
pride, or even a term of endearment (c.f. "You old bastard" is not
necessarily an insult in Australia).
Related terms:
Gunzelling - train watching, motorcading, etc.
Gunzelgram - email or newsgroup posting with details of
interesting/unusual workings
Self-administered Gunzel Quotient (GQ) test v2.0
Where there is a reference to a specific location/locomotive, replace
with something appropriate to your experience.
1) Publications
a) I have purchased at least one book/magazine about railways
b) I have a small collection of books and magazines
c) I have a large collection of books and magazines
d) Anybody know where I can buy some more shelves?
2) Organisations
a) I was once a member of a railway enthusiast society
b) I am currently a member of a a railway enthusiast society
c) I am a member of several railway enthusiast societies
d) I actively take part in the running of one or more railway enthusiast
societies
3) Photographs
a) I once took a photo of a train
b) I have several albums of train photos
c) I never travel anywhere without a camera in case I see a train
d) Kodak would go out of business without me
4) Travel
a) I enjoy travelling by train to commute or when on holidays
b) I have travelled to several destinations by train
c) I have travelled to several unusual locations by special train
d) I have been to Dirranbandi more than once
5) Watching
a) I once sat on a platform for a bit longer than I usually do
b) I occasionally watch trains
c) I regularly watch trains
d) I never go anywhere without my notebook
6) Motorcading
a) I once followed a train by car
b) I I sometimes follow trains by car on weekends
c) I am a regular motorcader
d) I once destroyed a car while motorcading
7) Steam
a) I know what a smokebox is
b) I can describe how a superheater works
c) I can sustain an argument over which valve gear is better
d) I know how many rivets R711 had replaced during overhaul in May 1958
8) Diesel
a) I can tell the difference between a diesel and electric locomotive
b) I can tell you what engine a particular locomotive has without
looking it up
c) I can identify different locomotive classes by sound alone
d) I get into heated arguments over whether EMD/GE/ALCO/EE/etc is best.
9) Electric
a) I know what a pantograph is
b) I can tell the difference between a Tait, Comeng, Tulloch, etc.
c) I have travelled on many electrified lines
d) My hair stands on end
10) Internet
a) I once visited a railway-related web site
b) I have visited seveeral railway web sites
c) I regularly visit several railway web sites
d) I run my own railway web site and regularly visit several others
Scoring:
a) Score 1 point
b) Score 2 points
c) Score 3 points
d) Score 4 points
10-15: Non-gunzel railfan
16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
21-25: Gunzel in training
26-30: Gunzel
31-35: Super Gunzel
36-40: Master Gunzel
(For the record, my score is 27)
Cheers
David
WBrueckman
>the sight of a train.
Here in the U.S. the term 'foamer' is more closely used to describe a rabid
railfan who is really clueless. This would be the sort of person who comes
onto the property with at least one camera, multiple patches and buttons on cap
and jacket, and attempts to go anywhere on railroad property that they please.
I've seen them standing with their feet in the middle of power switches, and
I've seen them try to get pictures by climbing onto boxcars so that they are
only inches from a live overhead catenary wire. I believe that the term
originated to describe a railfan attempting to guess the reason for a
mechanical issue with a steam locomotive was due to water foaming. By the way,
i would also say that most railfans do not qualify as 'foamers', that term
being reserved for the terminally clueless and unsafe.
I have to also agree with a previous poster that the gunzel term did not
originate in the U.S. I had never heard of it until my trip to Australia last
year and was puzzled as to it's meaning.
Bill Brueckmann
Robin
the Main East West Line, cocking an eye out the kitchen window every
time I hear that old whistle blow, and the popping out the back gate
to Shoot a few Loco's with my trusty old Kodak.
Lying in bed at night feeling the old stone walls shudder as a Heavy
Ore Train Crashes past the back door, be a Gunzel !!!
Why Not ??
--
Yours in The Steam
Robin
-------------------------------------------
Main Page :http://www.trainweb.org/mystation/(Note New Address)
http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/dirtcircuitracing/home.html
http://mystation.rrdepot.com/steamtown.htm
Railways Photos
http://communities.ninemsn.com.au/RailwayPhotosAustralia
My Page2 : http://www.ozemail.com.au/~stationmaster/Gallery.html
Email: statio...@ozemail.com.au
Photos: http://www.railpage.org.au/pix/Peterborough/
Online Shop: http://www.dirtcircuitvideos.bigstep.com/
Only Just: http://www.expage.com/dirtcircuit/
Sign in auslife: http://members5.clubphoto.com/robin334854/
Paul Jones
news:B76ABC08.B204%mar...@earthlink.net...
> in article hYc17.5349$cP7.7...@nnrp1.proxad.net, railfr at
> h.cat...@nospamonline.fr wrote on 7/6/01 12:32 AM:
>
>
> unwashed, unshaved, doesn't like girls, gets way too excited about
> inconsequential details regarding trains, has trouble in normal social
> situations, thinks about trains 99% of the time, would rather photograph a
> train than go out on a date... need I go on?
Ok, I'm never calling myself a gunzel again!
--
Paul Jones
http://users.tpg.com.au/zifnab
James C.
> d) Anybody know where I can buy some more shelves?
> 2) Organisations
> d) I actively take part in the running of one or more railway enthusiast
> societies
> 3) Photographs
> d) Kodak would go out of business without me
(Actually Konica)
> 4) Travel
> c) I have travelled to several unusual locations by special train
> 5) Watching
> d) I never go anywhere without my notebook
> 6) Motorcading
> b) I I sometimes follow trains by car on weekends
> 7) Steam
>C
> 8) Diesel
> d) I get into heated arguments over whether EMD/GE/ALCO/EE/etc is best.
(EMD RULE!!!!!!!!!!)
> 9) Electric
> d) My hair stands on end
(what if you feed with 3rd rail??)
> 10) Internet
> c) I regularly visit several railway web sites
=35
Cheers
James
M>rPC
Get a grip would you?? Only luzers and people with 300 bps modems would
care in this day and age about a few extra kb of text.
By the way, why does Melbourne have a Tangara running around the eastern
suburbs? :p
Seriously though - if we want justification to flame people that post
lame questions, then aus.rail needs a FAQ, and it needs to be posted to
the group itself no less than once a week.
Does the group even have an official FAQ?
M>rPC
Mark Bau
eol...@efs.mq.edu.au wrote on 7/6/01 3:24 AM:
We go over every other subject 1,000 times, why not this one?
Mark
Mark Bau
davemcl*PISSOFFSPAMMERS*@iprolink.co.nzzzzz wrote on 7/6/01 3:12 AM:
You have just described someone who is not a gunzel.
Just because you are a railfan you are not automatically a gunzel, being a
gunzel requires other qualities :-)
I still go with the age old definition, not the one that a few posters here
have recently concocted.
Mark
Erk
* quiz snipped *
>
> Scoring:
> a) Score 1 point
> b) Score 2 points
> c) Score 3 points
> d) Score 4 points
>
> 10-15: Non-gunzel railfan
> 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
> 21-25: Gunzel in training
> 26-30: Gunzel
> 31-35: Super Gunzel
> 36-40: Master Gunzel
>
There were some stupid alternatives - especially in the electric section. I
have travelled on many lines. So?
My score was 25.
Erk
David McLoughlin
>
> Could I possibly be called a Gunzel, buying an old home backing onto
> the Main East West Line, cocking an eye out the kitchen window every
> time I hear that old whistle blow, and the popping out the back gate
> to Shoot a few Loco's with my trusty old Kodak.
If you're reading and posting in this group, you're a Gunzel!
Ted Gay
"David Bromage" <dbro...@fang.omni.com.au> wrote in message
news:3B45936F...@fang.omni.com.au...
>
In the 'test' change train to tram and I would score highly. From being
actively involved in operations at Sydney Tramway Museum (was out there last
Sunday and will be there tomorrow too and only get one weekend off in every
four), I turned hobby into job, driving at [Sydney] Metro Light Rail. :-)
Ted
Michael
<3B45C647...@abbreviate.i.h.u.g.com.au>:
>Does the group even have an official FAQ?
Because I said quite a while ago I'd do it, and I procrastinate.
M.
--
(To email me just remove ".spam" off my email address).
Whip me, Beat me, just don't Windows ME
Michael
<90D77C31C...@203.50.2.80>:
>>Does the group even have an official FAQ?
>
>Because I said quite a while ago I'd do it, and I procrastinate.
And I don't read properly either.. the answer to the above question is "NO"
David McLoughlin
>
> >Foamer would be the closest overseas term, i.e. foaming at the mouth at
> >the sight of a train.
>
> Here in the U.S. the term 'foamer' is more closely used to describe a rabid
> railfan who is really clueless.
In the UK, such people are called Anoraks, on account of the tatty
raincoats they tend to wear.
I disagree though that Gunzel only applies to rabid train fanatics. I
have a considerable interest in (mainly) urban transit -- trams, trains,
trolley buses especially -- and have travelled all over the world
checking out my interest, but I also have a significant other life... a
wife and three young children, a good job, lots of non-transit
interests. Yet I am still happy to be called a Gunzel.
Foamer to me is a very perjorative term. I have met foamers. Sad people
in tatty raincoats, unwashed hair, facial cuts from shaving, waving
cameras at anything on rails, no other interests in life. But everyone
to their own.
There are many gunzels who post regularly in this newsgroup who are
clearly not foamers, and they are not all males either.
Graeme Grime
> I still go with the age old definition, not the one that a few posters
here
> have recently concocted.
>
> Mark
>
They must also have extreme B.O. and when taking shoes off they are able to
clear a carriage.
When holding a monologue with your face,they will spit flecks of
pie,coke,and chips in your direction as they inform you that "that's the 12
noon Bendigo..."blah blah blah.
In my words:Pests.
Bob Merchant
referring to anybody with a camera pointed at a train as a gunzel. Many
(most, in fact) rail photographers are not gunzels in the original sense.
The original meaning referred to rail enthusiasts who took their hobby a bit
too seriously.
Bob Merchant
"Paul Jones" <zifnab...@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:3b45...@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
Eddie Oliver
> But why? What harm is there in replying to a new inquirer? It is not
> like the old days of six years ago where every line was a bandwidth
> problem and sigs of more than two lines were banned because it took 10
> minutes to download a 20-line post.
>
> It's hardly as if such a genuine question is a flame that goes on for
> hundreds of posts like some threads here do.
>
> Some of us old-timers like helping the newbies out with our
> institutional memories.
But that's the very point. The 15th incarnation of a topic rarely
contains the full information of the earlier ones, and often diverges
onto completely different matters which don't answer the new inquirer's
question. It is typically much more helpful to the new inquirer to know
that there is a vast available body of previous knowledge, rather than
just to depend on the fragments which emerge this time around.
Paul Jones
--
Paul Jones
http://users.tpg.com.au/zifnab
"Bob Merchant" <bob.me...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:IBz17.23902$e5.6...@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
Paul Nicholson
can devote their lives to trains in the belief that they are put on earth
for "one thing and one thing only"! What other hobbies can claim such
devotion?
The gunzel stereotype was portrayed very well in the film "Malcolm". He was
a tram lover rather than a rail enthusiast. Most scenes portrayed him in a
"standard" railfan attire of a plain V neck jumper and an open neck shirt.
These discussions tend to focus on the lower (gunzel) end of the railfan
movement rather than the "elite" or high flyers; why?
Paul in Melbourne
Chris Brownbill
David Bromage wrote:
> Self-administered Gunzel Quotient (GQ) test v2.0
>
> Scoring:
> a) Score 1 point
> b) Score 2 points
> c) Score 3 points
> d) Score 4 points
>
> 10-15: Non-gunzel railfan
> 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
> 21-25: Gunzel in training
> 26-30: Gunzel
> 31-35: Super Gunzel
> 36-40: Master Gunzel
>
I score 26 ==> Marginal Gunzel.
Must work harder to ensure I stay in the first grade!
Michael
> 10-15: Non-gunzel railfan
> 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
> 21-25: Gunzel in training
> 26-30: Gunzel
> 31-35: Super Gunzel
> 36-40: Master Gunzel
I score 27.
M.
Mark Bau
grime...@hotmail.NOSPAMcom wrote on 7/6/01 11:40 PM:
I'd forgotten about their eating habits! Their clothes usually had traces of
tomato sauce on them. One classic gunzel with the initials of F. E. (in
Victoria) had horrendous eating habits. He also butted in on conversations
usually to state the obvious "X43 is on the 1.40 Bendigo pass" as X43
drifted under the inner roadway at Spencer Street. The true gunzel also had
speech problems with most of their sentences resembling a string of grunts.
They were also terrible photographers, I remember looking at 30 or so prints
from FE taken from the inner roadway bridge at "Spenna" Half of the print
was taken up with the light pole and the train was so small you could hardly
tell what class of loco was on it.
Alas, the true gunzel seems to be a dying breed replaced by people with
little understanding of the true meaning of the word!
Mark
Dean Stalker
"Graeme Grime" <grime...@hotmail.NOSPAMcom> wrote in message
news:ihx17.3087$4B5....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Damn, that describes somebody I don't want to know up here in Qld.
--
Dean Stalker
List Owner - QRIG (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qrig)
Webmaster - Unofficial QR History and Info Site
(http://welcome.to/qrhistory)
General Email: dsta...@myrealbox.com
Railway related Email: qrhi...@myrealbox.com
Anita Lukaszyk
> 1) Publications
> b) I have a small collection of books and magazines
> 2) Organisations
> a) I was once a member of a railway enthusiast society
I once volunteered for ARHS ACT on their Broken Hill tour. And helped
HET paint a red rattler.
> 3) Photographs
> b) I have several albums of train photos
> 4) Travel
> b) I have travelled to several destinations by train
In Australia and Germany.
> 5) Watching
> c) I regularly watch trains
I work with trains - how can I NOT watch them? :-)
> 6) Motorcading
> a) I once followed a train by car
> 8) Diesel
> a) I can tell the difference between a diesel and electric locomotive
> 9) Electric
> a) I know what a pantograph is
> b) I can tell the difference between a Tait, Comeng, Tulloch, etc.
> c) I have travelled on many electrified lines
> 10) Internet
> d) I run my own railway web site and regularly visit several others
> 21-25: Gunzel in training
I scored 22.
--
Anita Lukaszyk
ne...@iprimus.com.au
http://www.railpage.org.au/neety
Paul Jones
news:3B45936F...@fang.omni.com.au...
> Self-administered Gunzel Quotient (GQ) test v2.0
>
> Where there is a reference to a specific location/locomotive, replace
> with something appropriate to your experience.
>
> 1) Publications
> 2) Organisations
nope
> 3) Photographs
Kodak would go out of business without me
last count I had about 126 or so.
> 4) Travel
I enjoy travelling by train to commute or when on holidays
> 5) Watching
I once sat on a platform for a bit longer than I usually do
I occasionally watch trains
> 6) Motorcading
I sometimes follow trains by car on weekends
> 7) Steam
... is hot water...is coal powered train...
> 8) Diesel
a) I can tell the difference between a diesel and electric locomotive
> 9) Electric
I know what a pantograph is
I can tell the difference between a Tait, Comeng, Tulloch, etc.
I have travelled on many electrified lines
My hair stands on end (Caused by my hobby of electronics mainly)
> 10) Internet
I run my own railway web site and regularly visit several others
> Scoring:
19
16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
(Phew....)
Dean Stalker
>
> Where there is a reference to a specific location/locomotive, replace
> with something appropriate to your experience.
>
> 1) Publications
>
> b) I am currently a member of a a railway enthusiast society
>
> c) I never travel anywhere without a camera in case I see a train
>
> a) I enjoy travelling by train to commute or when on holidays
>
> c) I regularly watch trains
>
> c) I am a regular motorcader
>
> a) I know what a smokebox is
>
> d) I get into heated arguments over whether EMD/GE/ALCO/EE/etc is best.
>
> 9) Electric
>
> d) I run my own railway web site and regularly visit several others
> 21-25: Gunzel in training
Erk
"Anita Lukaszyk" <ne...@iprimus.com.au> wrote in message
news:3B47E36F...@iprimus.com.au...
I didn't know that you are able to use more than one answer for a question?
Erk
Puti Unggoy
> a) I have purchased at least one book/magazine about railways
---------------> b) I have a small collection of books and magazines
> c) I have a large collection of books and magazines
> d) Anybody know where I can buy some more shelves?
>
> 2) Organisations
> b) I am currently a member of a a railway enthusiast society
> d) I actively take part in the running of one or more railway enthusiast
> societies
>
> 3) Photographs
--------------> b) I have several albums of train photos
> c) I never travel anywhere without a camera in case I see a train
>
> 4) Travel
> a) I enjoy travelling by train to commute or when on holidays
train
> d) I have been to Dirranbandi more than once
>
> 5) Watching
> a) I once sat on a platform for a bit longer than I usually do
----------------> b) I occasionally watch trains
> c) I regularly watch trains
>
> 6) Motorcading
> b) I I sometimes follow trains by car on weekends
> c) I am a regular motorcader
>
> 7) Steam
> a) I know what a smokebox is
----------------> b) I can describe how a superheater works
> c) I can sustain an argument over which valve gear is better
> d) I know how many rivets R711 had replaced during overhaul in May 1958
>
> 8) Diesel
----------------> a) I can tell the difference between a diesel and electric
locomotive
> b) I can tell you what engine a particular locomotive has without
> looking it up
> c) I can identify different locomotive classes by sound alone
> d) I get into heated arguments over whether EMD/GE/ALCO/EE/etc is best.
>
> a) I know what a pantograph is
Tulloch, etc.
> c) I have travelled on many electrified lines
>
> 10) Internet
> a) I once visited a railway-related web site
> b) I have visited seveeral railway web sites
> c) I regularly visit several railway web sites
several others
>
Looks like 20 to me, so the test calibrates fair!
> Scoring:
> a) Score 1 point
> b) Score 2 points
> c) Score 3 points
> d) Score 4 points
>
> 10-15: Non-gunzel railfan
> 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
Jonathan Boles
>
> Where there is a reference to a specific location/locomotive, replace
> with something appropriate to your experience.
>
> a) I have purchased at least one book/magazine about railways
----------> b) I have a small collection of books and magazines
> c) I have a large collection of books and magazines
> d) Anybody know where I can buy some more shelves?
>
> 2) Organisations
> c) I am a member of several railway enthusiast societies
> d) I actively take part in the running of one or more railway enthusiast
> societies
>
> 3) Photographs
> a) I once took a photo of a train
-------------> b) I have several albums of train photos
> c) I never travel anywhere without a camera in case I see a train
> d) Kodak would go out of business without me
>
> 4) Travel
> a) I enjoy travelling by train to commute or when on holidays
> b) I have travelled to several destinations by train
--------------> c) I have travelled to several unusual locations by special
train
> d) I have been to Dirranbandi more than once
>
> 5) Watching
> a) I once sat on a platform for a bit longer than I usually do
> d) I never go anywhere without my notebook
>
> a) I once followed a train by car
> b) I I sometimes follow trains by car on weekends
> c) I am a regular motorcader
> d) I once destroyed a car while motorcading
>
> 7) Steam
> a) I know what a smokebox is
---------> b) I can describe how a superheater works
> c) I can sustain an argument over which valve gear is better
> d) I know how many rivets R711 had replaced during overhaul in May 1958
>
> 8) Diesel
without
> looking it up
> c) I can identify different locomotive classes by sound alone
> d) I get into heated arguments over whether EMD/GE/ALCO/EE/etc is best.
>
> 9) Electric
> a) I know what a pantograph is
> d) My hair stands on end
>
> 10) Internet
> a) I once visited a railway-related web site
> b) I have visited seveeral railway web sites
> c) I regularly visit several railway web sites
----------> d) I run my own railway web site and regularly visit several
>
> Scoring:
> a) Score 1 point
> b) Score 2 points
> c) Score 3 points
> d) Score 4 points
>
> 10-15: Non-gunzel railfan
> 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
> 21-25: Gunzel in training
> 26-30: Gunzel
> 31-35: Super Gunzel
> 36-40: Master Gunzel
23!!!
Now i have to include all this extra text at the bottom because my
newsserver rejected the message with the excuse "more included text than new
text"
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
ok i'll try again now.
BLOODY NEWS SERVER!!
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
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blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
blah
--
--
Rgds
J. Boles
Sydney, Australia
--------------------------------------------------
jaboles AT crosswinds DOT net
decoy....@spam.trasher.com
--------------------------------------------------
Earn money for surfing the net!!!
http://www.desktopdollars.com/default.asp?id=jaboles
--------------------------------------------------
David Johnson
<dbro...@fang.omni.com.au> wrote:
>Self-administered Gunzel Quotient (GQ) test v2.0
>
>Where there is a reference to a specific location/locomotive, replace
>with something appropriate to your experience.
>
>1) Publications
>d) Anybody know where I can buy some more shelves?
>
>2) Organisations
>d) I actively take part in the running of one or more railway enthusiast
>societies
>
>3) Photographs
>d) Fuji would go out of business without me
>
>4) Travel
>d) I have been to Forsayth more than once
>
>5) Watching
>c) I regularly watch trains
>
>6) Motorcading
>c) I am a regular motorcader
>
>7) Steam
>a) I know what a smokebox is
>
>8) Diesel
>c) I can identify different locomotive classes by sound alone
>
>9) Electric
>d) My hair stands on end
>
>10) Internet
>d) I run my own railway web site and regularly visit several others
>
>Scoring:
>31-35: Super Gunzel
34.
David Johnson
trai...@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/
------------------------------------
These comments are made in a private
capacity and do not represent the
official view of State Rail.
C.O.W.S. Page 11.
Al
>
> Where there is a reference to a specific location/locomotive, replace
> with something appropriate to your experience.
>
> 1) Publications
A 10 year old collection of AMRM and a few other railway mags and books I
picked up as a kid.
>
> 2) Organisations
e) None of the above.
> 3) Photographs
b) I have several albums of train photos
Can I include those that I've taken with my brother and father?
> 4) Travel
c) I have travelled to several unusual locations by special train
To Allora in about 86 or 87 behind a BB18 1/4.
> 5) Watching
c) I regularly watch trains
And look for trains when driving, look out for old train lines when out
cruising the countryside, eg Holbrook branch, and Bombala line within the last
fortnight.
> 6) Motorcading
> a) I once followed a train by car
God the sleepers were bumpy.
> 7) Steam
> b) I can describe how a superheater works
Bloody Thermodynamics in engineering at uni - can't argue with that.
> c) I can sustain an argument over which valve gear is better
Although I don't know the difference between valve gears.
> 8) Diesel
> a) I can tell the difference between a diesel and electric locomotive
Here in the bush, we don't get many electric locos.
> 9) Electric
> c) I have travelled on many electrified lines
But only because I've lived in Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne and Brisbane.
> 10) Internet
> c) I regularly visit several railway web sites
It's interesting to see what's around.
> Scoring:
> a) Score 1 point
> b) Score 2 points
> c) Score 3 points
> d) Score 4 points
> 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
17 - I think I like it there.
Al
David Bromage
> > c) I can sustain an argument over which valve gear is better
>
> Although I don't know the difference between valve gears.
Including Baker, Crampton, Hackworth, Joy, Marshall, Southern, Young,
Corliss, Caprotti, Franklin, Woolf, Gooch and Allan? :)
Cheers
David
Al
I'll be a mechanical engineer in 6 months, so then I'll have the time to look
it all up.
Al
Peter Homann
>
> I'll be a mechanical engineer in 6 months, so then I'll have the time to look
> it all up.
>
> Al
Sicks munce ago I coodn't spell engunear, now I are wun!
:P
--
============================
Peter Homann
============================
The light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off
until economic conditions improve. Management.
David Bromage
>
> Al wrote:
> >
> > I'll be a mechanical engineer in 6 months, so then I'll have the time to look
> > it all up.
>
Some regulars on here will know that I studied science at Monash. I did
science because I didn't drink enough to get into engineering.
Cheers
David
Al
The engineering frat at Newcastle Uni has a Bachelor of Inebriation. 15
middies in 105 minutes while doing a pub crawl through Newcastle. I've never
been brave (or stupid) enough to try.
Al
Michael A Walker
"Michael" <usene...@gunzel.net> wrote in message
news:90D77C31C...@203.50.2.80...
> M>rPC <mr...@abbreviate.i.h.u.g.com.au> wrote in article
> <3B45C647...@abbreviate.i.h.u.g.com.au>:
>
> >Does the group even have an official FAQ?
>
> Because I said quite a while ago I'd do it, and I procrastinate.
Don't worry, you're not the only one. I believe Erk had a go at one stage
and put something on his web site, and I still have the responses saved
somewhere from when I asked people what they would like to see in a FAQ.
Paul Jones
--
Paul Jones
http://users.tpg.com.au/zifnab
"David Bromage" <dbro...@fang.omni.com.au> wrote in message
news:3B4AA638...@fang.omni.com.au...
Matt Dunn
message news:3B4580...@iprolink.co.nzzzzz...
> railfr wrote:
>
> > reading your messages I found an unknown word "Gunzel"
> > I suspect that it has the meaning of "wandering around sites" or
something
> > like that
> > Could you explain as my dictionnary is not able to give an answer
>
>
> Certainly. Below is the definition from the mtut FAQ. I am staggered
> that Gunzel has not yet made it into a dictionary.
>
> GUNZEL - a transit, especially train fanatic. GUNZEL. According to Bob
> Merchant, editor of the Australian enthusiasts' journal "Trolley Wire,"
> the term was first used by Sydney Tramway Museum members in the early
> 1960s to describe certain enthusiasts in the state of Victoria
> (Australia) who took their hobby a bit too seriously. The term comes
> from the film "The Maltese Falcon" in which Elisha Cook Jnr, played
> Wilmer, Sydney Greenstreet's twisted gun-slinger (gunsel in American
> gangster slang). The film has been described as one in which there
> wasn't one decent person in the whole film. The gunsel in the film was
> what we would describe today as a "Gunzel", a bit thick to say the
> least. Before Puffing Billy (a heritage steam train in the ranges
> outside Melbourne) issued their "Gunzel Pass" a few years back, their
> president, Phil Avard, checked with the STM as to the meaning of the
> word and its origin. Phil, being a bit of a film buff, understood
> immediately and the pass was issued. Originally, one did not call a
> person a Gunzel to their face as it was a bit derogatory. The term
> Gunzel in the Australian sense was first used by Dick Jones, Don
> Campbell and Bill Parkinson, all of whom are still members of the STM.
> The term has since been picked up by New Zealand, UK and some US
> railfans. See also ANORAK.
from my own experiences i believe the term anorak is also commonly used to
describe spotty, nerdy, geeky science-fiction lovers, especially of the
no-life male variety and particularly in the uk and, to a lesser degree,
here in australia. (no, i'm not one).
matt 8^)
Matt Dunn
news:3b45b718$0$20940$7f31...@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
> > 1) Publications
> > d) Anybody know where I can buy some more shelves?
>
> > 2) Organisations
> > d) I actively take part in the running of one or more railway enthusiast
> > societies
>
> > 3) Photographs
> (Actually Konica)
>
> > 4) Travel
> > c) I have travelled to several unusual locations by special train
>
> > d) I never go anywhere without my notebook
>
> > 6) Motorcading
>
> >C
>
>
> > 8) Diesel
> > d) I get into heated arguments over whether EMD/GE/ALCO/EE/etc is best.
>
> > 9) Electric
> > d) My hair stands on end
>
> > 10) Internet
> > c) I regularly visit several railway web sites
>
>
>
> Cheers
> James
>
>
did i miss the original of this??? where did it come from? i'd love to see
how i go in it too. can someone please direct me or repost it?
matt 8^)
Matt Dunn
> > Scoring:
> > a) Score 1 point
> > b) Score 2 points
> > c) Score 3 points
> > d) Score 4 points
>
> > 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
>
> 17 - I think I like it there.
>
> Al
i only scored 11 which means i'm a non-gunzel railfan ... should i feel good
or bad about that?
matt
8^)
James C.
Cheers
James
Chris Brownbill
This morning at local station waiting for train on my way to work -
about a dozen other people also on the platform including one strangely
dressed individual with a Hawthorn football scarf wrapped around his
head like a turban. A Seikh footy-fan maybe? All was answered when a
down spark approaches the opposite platform and aforesaid individual
yells at the incoming train "COE-MENG, NOT HITACHI, COE-MENG". The
looks of total incomprehension (and fear) on the faces of the 'normal'
people really summed up the essence of what a gunzel is. A couple of
them relocated closer to me (being dressed in a suit I suppose they
thought I offered some degree of security for the strange being), little
did they know that I scored 27 on the Gunzel test and I could understand
what he was saying!
James C.
> drink! (strange, I know).
I barely drink for the last 4 years, I'm about to finish my degree as
well.(Mech eng also).
Actually I barely get any time to drink due to work load from uni and I
spent all the spare time gunzelling :)
Cheers
James
Al
And you plan on calling yourselves engineers!! :-)
Al
Colin Weaver
> "David McLoughlin" <davemcl*PISSOFFSPAMMERS*@iprolink.co.nzzzzz> wrote in
> message news:3B4580...@iprolink.co.nzzzzz...
> >
> >
> > The term has since been picked up by New Zealand, UK and some US
> > railfans. See also ANORAK.
>
> from my own experiences i believe the term anorak is also commonly used to
> describe spotty, nerdy, geeky science-fiction lovers, especially of the
> no-life male variety and particularly in the uk and, to a lesser degree,
> here in australia. (no, i'm not one).
An English railfan I was talking to (while travelling to Forsayth on
the mixed in 1993) told me they commonly use the term GANGLY:
Green Anorak No GirLs Yet
I've only been to Dirranbandi once - does two trips to Quilpie in a 1
month period count? (Once on the Westlander/Flying Flea, once on an
ARHS steam tour).
--Colin
Al
news:3b4a7f33$0$20908$7f31...@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
PS, you forgot to put anything in about videos. I've still got (well, my
parents do, but I'm the only one who watches them) the whole original series
of Great Railway Journeys of the World on video, from when they were first
broadcast in about 81 or 82 (not sure exactly, I was still in nappies). To
prove it, they're on Beta, with The Good Old Days before it, and ads for
Peach's Australia afterwards, including one about the Sandy Hollow-Maryvale
rail line, with him standing at a tunnel mouth. And 3801: A Legend in Steam
in Beta as well.
Al
(Who's not sure if he's proud of the above or not).
Bob Merchant
shouts the type of train, too, and counts the carriages. Probably harmless
enough, but one does tend to move away....
Bob Merchant
"Chris Brownbill" <cbrn...@enternet.com.au> wrote in message
news:3B4C362F...@enternet.com.au...
Bob Merchant
Bob Merchant
"Al" <alp...@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:3b4d0533$0$20924$7f31...@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
Jonathan Boles
> parents do, but I'm the only one who watches them) the whole original
series
> of Great Railway Journeys of the World on video, from when they were first
> broadcast in about 81 or 82 (not sure exactly, I was still in nappies).
To
> prove it, they're on Beta, with The Good Old Days before it, and ads for
> Peach's Australia afterwards, including one about the Sandy
Hollow-Maryvale
> rail line, with him standing at a tunnel mouth. And 3801: A Legend in
Steam
> in Beta as well.
On Beta. hahahahaha
Michael
news:9imf0r$s6i$3...@bugstomper.ihug.com.au:
Better than VHS will ever be...
Jonathan Boles
>
> Better than VHS will ever be...
Is/Was Beta digital?
BTW can you still buy Beta players?
James Brook
>
> Self-administered Gunzel Quotient (GQ) test v2.0
>
> Where there is a reference to a specific location/locomotive, replace
> with something appropriate to your experience.
>
>
> Scoring:
> a) Score 1 point
> b) Score 2 points
> c) Score 3 points
> d) Score 4 points
>
> 16-20: Railfan, bordering on gunzel
> 26-30: Gunzel
> 31-35: Super Gunzel
> 36-40: Master Gunzel
>
>
I scored 34. :-(
(BTW, I run two railway web sites, not just one!)
--
- James Brook -
----------------------------------------------------------------
e-mail:
mailto:ajmb...@ozemail.com.au
Victorian Railfan Web Site:
http://www.railpage.org.au/vr/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Downs
understood must be dangerous; better keep clear. No attempt at empathy or
risk assessment. Another one of those rational reasons why some people resist
using public transport.
Chris
"Bob Merchant" <bob.me...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:cax37.324$a04....@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
Al
news:9imu4t$3gr$2...@bugstomper.ihug.com.au...
My parents bought a new Beta VCR about 5 years ago. You just have to know
where to look.
Al
Bob Merchant
spittle.
Station staff generally ignore him, as do train guards. Little old ladies
are the only ones who would consider him dangerous. He obviously enjoys
trains so he can't be all bad. :-)
"Chris Downs" <cvd...@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
news:pBO37.91511$Rr4.2...@ozemail.com.au...
Jonathan Boles
Your parents bought a beta VCR. :-) hahahaha, no offence intended.
David Johnson
<bob.me...@bigpond.com> wrote:
>There is a similar bod in Sydney, around the Sutherland-Cronulla area. He
>shouts the type of train, too, and counts the carriages. Probably harmless
>enough, but one does tend to move away....
I think his name is Steve. He occasionally loses his temper and
storms through the train slamming all the doors on the way.
Generally, he just counts the carriages (sometimes miscounts) and
shouts the length of the train to all who are listening.
David Johnson
trai...@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/
------------------------------------
These comments are made in a private
capacity and do not represent the
official view of State Rail.
C.O.W.S. Page 11.
Michael
>> > > > On Beta. hahahahaha
>> > >
>> > > Better than VHS will ever be...
>> >
>> > Is/Was Beta digital?
>> >
>> > BTW can you still buy Beta players?
>> >
>>
>>
>> My parents bought a new Beta VCR about 5 years ago. You just have to
>> know where to look.
>
> Your parents bought a beta VCR. :-) hahahaha, no offence intended.
You show me a VHS that can outperform a BETA...
M.
David McLoughlin
Someone posted in here a couple of years back about Billy Connelly
visiting Melbourne. IIRC he was shown on the TV news getting onto a tram
and using the word gunzel.
Michael A Walker
even
> > > drink! (strange, I know).
> >
> > I barely drink for the last 4 years, I'm about to finish my degree as
> > well.(Mech eng also).
> > Actually I barely get any time to drink due to work load from uni and I
> > spent all the spare time gunzelling :)
> >
> > Cheers
> > James
>
> And you plan on calling yourselves engineers!! :-)
>
> Al
Shame, shame, it was never the same on beer and bbq days at Swinburne if the
mechanical engineers didn't come to afternoon classes drunk and carrying the
Herald Sun under one arm...
David Johnson
wrote:
My S-VHS JVC machine would...
BTW, every Beta machine I have ever come across has been prone to
numerous failures. This is possibly due to their age, but I don't
have anywhere near as much trouble with VHS machines.
Al
Yeah, it was easier than trying to copy the 100+ tapes they had on Beta.
Besides, they've had 3 VHS players as well (on their 3rd now), and the Beta's
have easily outlasted them. Even my VHS, which is only 2 years old, has died
twice.
Al
Al
news:zAf47.1924$a04....@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
I only made it through Fluids II because it was held right after Bar Trivia.
In one hour, I'd knock off about 4-5 schooners, liquid lunch only, and there
was about 12 of us doing the same thing.
The best meal deal I've seen at my uni was a couple of years ago - we joined
the surveying society which was having a BBQ. $4 for 2 sausage sangers and 2
beers. Finished the lot in under 10 minutes.
Last year, after my final exam (granular materials, so I had to have a drink
or 9 IIRC afterwards), I walked barefoot from the Tanner bar to Warabrook
station (about 2km, at a guess). It was about 35 degrees, and the track was
partly gravel, partly concrete aggregate and partly bitumen. It took 3 months
for the blister on my foot to heal, not that I noticed it at the time.
And after one particularly wild night out, a mate couldn't be bothered waiting
for a train (IIRC about 35 minutes). So he walked home, from Newcastle to
East Maitland.
That's engineers for you. Can I build you a bridge??? Hic.. hic.. hic..
Al
I'm not as think as you drunk I am.
signal engineer
dozen bars for nothing. And we even had a lift down to them direct from our
floor. Many signalling problem and their solutions were discussed on a
Friday
night at the Sundowner Bar. Problem was, nobody could remember the answers
the
next day. BTW, who's idea was it to put two 4 car V-sets on the same
platform
at Sydney, one going to Wollongong and one going to Newcastle. It wasn't
easy
getting on the right train on a Friday night. :-)
>===== Original Message From "Al" <alp...@optusnet.com.au> =====
------------------------------------------------------------
Get your FREE web-based e-mail and newsgroup access at:
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Marcus
fathful service (serviced by myself, bit of lube on the carriage, head
clean, not by cleaner tape but by hand with a swab, some belt kits replaced
and general care), and a beta video camera which i also record all of my
rail and home footage on , have given me many years of QUALITY footage,
which i believe is better than vhs resolution.
ive had 4 vhs vcrs die in this timeframe, but the old beta keep on going on,
bring on recordable dvd players, so i can save my footage.
have you noticed that most news crews still use beta cameras????
the only reason they went is that vhs has less moving parts,ie cheaper to
produce etc.
thanks group
anyone out there still use beta, its still kicks vhs ass
replies ????
mrnews:3b5189a5$0$20962$7f31...@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...