I have memories of a 78rpm record that was popular before the war which referred to a man for whom trains went “giddeley-der” or, less frequently, “hynemenoosh”. Can anyone fill in the blanks?

The record is called Trains, recorded by Reginald Gardiner and released on Decca. It was my favourite record as a small child in the 1950s and one that I still play occasionally. Reginald Gardiner begins by describing engines as “livid, furious beasts” and then gives an amazing rendition of all the sounds associated with steam trains, using just his voice. The effect is hilarious. The train starts off, gets faster, goes over points, through wayside stations, under bridges and then the thing that it hates more than anything, meets a train coming from the opposite direction. He describes shunting as “trucks taking umbrage”. He also goes to France and meets French engines. His description of what happens in the tunnel going into Snow Hill Station, Birmingham, is wonderfully potty.

Lesley Nicholls, Cheltenham, Glos

This wonderful record is Trains Part 1 & 2 by Reginald Gardiner. It is available on a CD entitled Children’s Favourites: 23 Original Hit Recordings from the Classic Radio Show, which has many other essential tracks from the period.

David Jackson, High Wycombe, Bucks

There may be difficulty in finding the original record, but there is a fine copy to be heard online at http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/sound/track1.mp3.

Alas for today’s travellers, welded track has virtually destroyed further exploration of the theory.

Walter Sargaison, Berkhamsted, Herts

Why does the French fortnight (quinzaine) apparently have a day more than ours?

The French fortnight is longer than the English because, like us Welsh, they count the nights at both ends of the period. The Welsh for fortnight is pythefnos, which is a form of pymtheg (15) and nos (night). For the sake of consistency, the Welsh for week is wythnos (wyth = 8 and nos = night). But why we do so is another matter. Presumably because it makes us feel better as we are under the illusion that we are getting more than we actually are.

Keith Davies, Cardiff

When and how did marmalade become a stock part of the British breakfast?