View allAll Photos Tagged Accelerated
An SR-71 accelerating in afterburner. An aircraft that cruises at mach 3.15 and has purportedly reached mach 3.5 at over 80,000 feet altitude.
The Pratt & Whitney J58 (company designation JT11D-20) is an American jet engine that powered the Lockheed A-12, and subsequently the YF-12 and the SR-71 aircraft. It was an afterburning turbojet engine with a unique compressor bleed to the afterburner that gave increased thrust at high speeds. Because of the wide speed range of the aircraft, the engine needed two modes of operation to take it from stationary on the ground to 2,000 mph (3,200 km/h) at altitude. It was a conventional afterburning turbojet for take-off and acceleration to Mach 2 and then used permanent compressor bleed[1] to the afterburner above Mach 2. The way the engine worked at cruise led it to be described as "acting like a turboramjet". It produced 34.000pounds of thrust using 9 stage afterburners
Two starting methods were used during the life of the A-12, YF-12 and SR-71 aircraft: an AG330 starter cart with two Buick V8 engines driving a common output shaft, or compressed air driving a small starter adapter. The air-start method superseded the cumbersome "Buicks" when better compressed air supplies became available
The J58 is the only known aircraft engine designed to operate continuously at maximum afterburning at high Mach number cruise.
Note the Shock diamonds (also known as Mach diamonds or thrust diamonds, and less commonly Mach disks) in the exhaust stream. These are a formation of standing wave patterns that appear in the supersonic exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system, such as a supersonic jet engine, rocket, ramjet, or scramjet, when it is operated in an atmosphere. The "diamonds" are actually a complex flow field made visible by abrupt changes in local density and pressure as the exhaust passes through a series of standing shock waves and expansion fans. The physicist Ernst Mach was the first to describe a strong shock normal to the direction of fluid flow, the presence of which causes the diamond pattern.
To see hundreds more photographs from the 1980’s, through to today, please go to my main website:
table158photography.weebly.com/
Into a new year and before you know it we'll be enjoying another excellent Swanage Railway diesel gala. Looking back at the 2024 event and incoming railtour titled 'The Jurassic Crompton' running as 1Z34 10:56 Waterloo - Swanage heads south away from Holme Lane on 9 May 2024 with Swanage Railways main line registered Class 33 No.33012 'Lt Jenny Lewis RN' in charge, GB Railfreight's 69002 'Bob Tiller CM&EE' is tucked inside, the Crompton looking and sounding great as it accelerates up the 1-in-78 gradient to Furzebrook. The tour is formed of the London Transport 4TC set, whilst to the rear is GB Railfreight's 73109 'Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary', although this locomotive would not be operating during the gala weekend.
NOTE: Taken with the aid of the camera on a pole.
16:9 aspect ratio crop.
60055 accelerates away from Derby & passes through Wilmorton hauling 6L92 11:08 Chaddesden Sdgs - Kings Lynn empty sand on the 16th May 2025 (pole)
Small sparrow can be either gray or buffy overall, but always note small pink bill, plain face, and thin white eyering. Inhabits overgrown fields and other brushy areas. Song is a series of bell-like notes, accelerating like a dropped ping-pong ball. Often joins flocks of sparrows in winter. Can visit feeders, but less frequently than Chipping or American Tree Sparrows.
Large logo 37401 'Mary Queen of Scots' accelerates through York after being slowed by a signal check while leading 3J51, the 10.00 water cannons trip from York Thrall Europa via Scarborough, Bridlington and Hull.
Noisy!!!
66714 Cromer Lifeboat accelerates away from Ely North Jn. and approaches Queen Adelaide (Lynn) level crossing, working 4H98 08.17 March Up Yard - Middleton Towers empty sand hoppers. [Pole, 5/6 sections (~6.8m)]
After nailing the shot of a two-car DMU crossing the River Great Ouse at Ely (at the first attempt!), I rushed away because I knew this was sitting on the West Curve, waiting to follow an EMU to King's Lynn. Having driven past a few days earlier, I thought there was wider shot of a train coming round the curve, but when I actually stopped to look, it looked like reeds (or similar) at the lineside might be too high, even with the pole, unless you walked closer to the line and stood in the field (which contained a crop right to the edge). I did look, after taking this shot, and think that it would have been just OK, especially with the pole extended fully or almost fully - but I didn't have time to check before the train came, so looked at the more head-on shot closer to the crossing. I needed to raise the pole to this height to see over the various things in the foreground, and I used a telephoto lens for the same reason.
To see my non-transport pictures, visit www.flickr.com/photos/137275498@N03/.
“Gulf War veterans are showing accelerated aging patterns resulting in more and earlier chronic medical conditions than the general population of civilians,” says study senior author Kimberly Sullivan, research assistant professor of environmental health.
About 200,000 veterans of the 1991 Gulf War continue to suffer from Gulf War Illness (GWI), a set of symptoms including chronic pain, fatigue, and memory impairment caused by sarin chemical warfare agent, pesticides, and pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills meant to protect soldiers from nerve gas during deployment.
Decades later, these exposures may also be causing higher rates and earlier onset of chronic medical conditions in Gulf War veterans than their non-veteran peers, according to a study coauthored by School of Public Health and School of Medicine researchers.
The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health as the current issue’s cover story, found Gulf War veterans reported high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, chronic bronchitis, and other chronic conditions at rates normally associated with people about a decade older than them. Veterans who reported being exposed to chemical warfare agents and taking PB pills had especially high rates of heart attack and diabetes.
A recent Freedom of Information request revealed that 1,300 Gulf War veterans currently claim a War Pension for conditions connected to their Service in the Gulf. Yet research suggests that as many as 33,000 UK Gulf War veterans could be living with Gulf War illnesses.
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Candid street shot, Teignmouth, Devon UK.
Poznan, Poland
Foggy morning from the later part of the winter/spring.
Join me on Erik Witsoe Photography
Almost every Sunday, the residents owning vintage cars and bikes assemble at a designated place (Horniman circle) here in Mumbai. I really dont know what they do after that, but we enthusiasts get a good close-up view of these mean machines. Then they accelerate down the Marine drive promenade (almost like a parade) and thats a spectacular visual display (with high decibel audio).
Clicked on one such occasion... the Merc.
© All rights reserved, don´t use this image without my permission. Contact me at debmalya86@gmail.com
Inter City liveried 47527 'Kettering' is the traction for the final leg to Blackpool North after taking over from a 86 or 87 spark at Preston. Captured here on the down slow accelerating away from Kirkham & Wesham station, September 15th 1990.
BR large logo 47593 accelerates away from the village Postwick towards Norwich on Saturday 16th April 2022. The 'Duff' leads the 'Norfolk Coast Express' railtour from Great Yarmouth to Norwich, allowing the stock and D213 to be turned before the journey north west to Manchester. Having grabbed a shot of the 37's on the GEML, this shot was my next aim but timings between the two locations was very tight. Thankfully for once, the slightly early running 37's, combined with the speed restriction still in place in the background of this shot meant the 1Z76 passed here just a couple of minutes after I arrived. (Photo taken with pole)
A dramatic Chandra image from 2008 of the nearby galaxy Centaurus A provides one of the best views to date of the effects of an active supermassive black hole. Opposing jets of high-energy particles can be seen extending to the outer reaches of the galaxy, and numerous smaller black holes in binary star systems are also visible.
The image was made from an ultra-deep look at the galaxy Centaurus A, equivalent to more than seven days of continuous observations. Centaurus A is the nearest galaxy to Earth that contains a supermassive black hole actively powering a jet.
A prominent X-ray jet extending for 13,000 light years points to the upper left in the image, with a shorter "counterjet" aimed in the opposite direction. Astronomers think that such jets are important vehicles for transporting energy from the black hole to the much larger dimensions of a galaxy, and affecting the rate at which stars form there.
High-energy electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines produce the X-ray emission from the jet and counterjet. This emission quickly saps the energy from the electrons, so they must be continually reaccelerated or the X-rays will fade out. Knot-like features in the jets detected in the Chandra image show where the acceleration of particles to high energies is currently occurring, and provides important clues to understanding the process that accelerates the electrons to near-light speeds.
This year, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory celebrates its 20th year in space exploring the extreme universe.
Credit: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al
D-ABYI, a Boeing 747-830, climbing out from runway 23 at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario.
"Potsdam" was departing as DLH9871 (Deutsche Lufthansa AG) to Frankfurt, Germany. It was heading home empty, having arrived the night before as DLH402 on a diversion from Newark, New Jersey.
The rumble of EMD 645 prime movers permeates the air as ACWR train 100 labors westbound through the small community of Allen, passing the Dublin's Grove Christian Church.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bournemouth
Bournemouth Listeni/ˈbɔərnməθ/ is a large coastal resort town on the south coast of England directly to the east of the Jurassic Coast, a 96-mile (155 km) World Heritage Site.[1] According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 183,491 making it the largest settlement in Dorset. With Poole to the west and Christchurch in the east, Bournemouth forms the South East Dorset conurbation, which has a total population of over 465,000.
Before it was founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, the area was a deserted heathland occasionally visited by fishermen and smugglers. Initially marketed as a health resort, the town received a boost when it appeared in Dr Granville's book, The Spas of England. Bournemouth's growth really accelerated with the arrival of the railway and it became a recognised town in 1870. Historically part of Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974. Since 1997, the town has been administered by a unitary authority, giving it autonomy from Dorset County Council although it remains part of the ceremonial county. The local council is Bournemouth Borough Council.
The town centre has notable Victorian architecture and the 202-foot (62 m) spire of St Peter's Church, one of three Grade I listed churches in the borough, is a local landmark. Bournemouth's location has made it a popular destination for tourists, attracting over five million visitors annually with its beaches and popular nightlife. The town is also a regional centre of business, home of the Bournemouth International Centre or BIC, and a financial sector that is worth more than £1,000 million in Gross Value Added.
Toponymy
The first mention of Bournemouth comes in the Christchurch cartulary of 1406, where a monk describes how a large fish ("uni magno piscis"), 18 ft. long, was washed up at "La Bournemowthe" in October of that year and taken to the Manor of Wick; six days later, a portion of the fish was collected by a canon from Christchurch Priory and taken away as tithe.[2] "La Bournemowthe", however, was purely a geographic reference to the uninhabited area around the mouth of the small river which, in turn, drained the heathland between the towns of Poole and Christchurch.[3][4][5] The word bourne, meaning a small stream, is a derivative of burna, old English for a brook.[4][6] From the latter half of the 16th century "Bourne Mouth" seems to be preferred, being recorded as such in surveys and reports of the period, but this appears to have been shortened to "Bourne" after the area had started to develop.[4][5] A travel guide published in 1831 calls the place "Bourne Cliffe" or "Tregonwell's Bourne" after its founder.[7] The Spas of England, published ten years later, calls it simply "Bourne"[8] as does an 1838 edition of the Hampshire Advertiser.[9] In the late 19th century "Bournemouth" became predominant, although its two-word form appears to have remained in use up until at least the early 20th century, turning up on a 1909 ordnance map.[
History
In the 12th century the region around the mouth of the River Bourne was part of the Hundred of Holdenhurst. The hundred later became the Liberty of Westover when it was also extended to include the settlements of North Ashley, Muscliff, Muccleshill, Throop, Iford, Pokesdown, Tuckton and Wick, and incorporated into the Manor of Christchurch.[11] Although the Dorset and Hampshire region surrounding it had been the site of human settlement for thousands of years, Westover was largely a remote and barren heathland before 1800.[12] In 1574 the Earl of Southampton noted that the area was "Devoid of all habitation", and as late as 1795 the Duke of Rutland recorded that "... on this barren and uncultivated heath there was not a human to direct us".[4][13]
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the Borough of Bournemouth would grow to encompass a number of ancient settlements along the River Stour, including Longham where a skull thought to be 5,500 years old was found in 1932. Bronze Age burials near Moordown, and the discovery of Iron Age pottery on the East Cliff in 1969, suggest there may have been settlements there during that period. Hengistbury Head, added to the borough in 1932, was the site of a much older Palaeolithic encampment.[14][15][16] During the latter half of the 16th century James Blount, 6th Baron Mountjoy, began mining for alum in the area, and at one time part of the heath was used for hunting, although by the late 18th century little evidence of either event remained.[17][18] No-one lived at the mouth of the Bourne river and the only regular visitors to the area before the 19th century were a few fishermen, turf cutters and gangs of smugglers.[19]
Prior to the Christchurch Inclosures Act 1802, more than 70% of the Westover area was common land. The act, together with the Inclosure Commissioners' Award of 1805, transferred five thousand acres into the hands of five private owners, including James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury, and Sir George Ivison Tapps.[20][21] In 1809 the Tapps Arms public house appeared on the heath. A few years later, in 1812, the first official residents, retired army officer Lewis Tregonwell and his wife, moved into their new home built on land purchased from Tapps. The area was well known to Tregonwell who, during the Napoleonic wars, spent much of his time searching the heath and coastline for French invaders and smugglers.[22]
Anticipating that people would come to the area to indulge in the newly fashionable pastime of sea-bathing, an activity with perceived health benefits, Tregonwell built a series of villas on his land between 1816 and 1822, which he hoped to let out.[23][24] The common belief that pine-scented air was good for lung conditions, and in particular tuberculosis, prompted Tregonwell and Tapps to plant hundreds of pine trees. These early attempts to promote the town as a health resort meant that by the time Tregonwell had died in 1832, Bournemouth had grown into a small community with a scattering of houses, villas and cottages.[23][25] The town would ultimately grow up around the scattered pines and tree-lined walk to the beach, later to become known as the Invalids' Walk.[26][27]
After the death of Tapps in 1835, his son Sir George William Tapps-Gervis inherited his father's estate. He hired the young local architect Benjamin Ferrey to develop the coastal area on the east side of the stream.[28] Bournemouth's first hotel, later to become part of the Royal Bath Hotel, opened in 1838 and is one of the few buildings designed by Ferrey still standing.[25][28] Bournemouth started to grow at a faster rate as Tapps-Gervis began developing the area similarly to the south coast resorts of Weymouth and Brighton. Despite enormous investment, the town's share of the market remained modest.[26] In 1841 Tapps-Gervis invited the physician and writer Augustus Granville to stay. Granville was the author of The Spas of England, which described health resorts around the country, and as a result of his visit he included a chapter on Bournemouth in the second edition of his book. The publication of the book, and the increase in visitors seeking the medicinal use of seawater and the pine-scented air, helped the town to grow and establish itself as an early tourist destination.[29][30]
In the 1840s Benjamin Ferrey was replaced by Decimus Burton, whose plans for Bournemouth included the construction of a garden alongside the Bourne stream, an idea first mooted by Granville. The fields south of the road crossing (later Bournemouth Square) were drained and laid out with shrubberies and walks. Many of these paths, including the Invalids' Walk, remain in the town today.[30][31] A second suggestion of Granville's, a sanatorium, was completed in 1855 and greatly raised Bournemouth's profile as a place for recuperation.[32]
At a time when the most convenient way to arrive in the town was by sea, a pier was considered to be a necessity. Holdenhurst Parish Council were reluctant to find the money, and an attempt to raise the money privately in 1847 had only succeeded in financing a small 100 feet (30 m) jetty.[33] The Bournemouth Improvement Act of 1856 granted greater financial autonomy to the town and a pier was approved that year. A number of wooden structures were built before an 838 feet (255 m) cast iron design by Eugenius Birch was completed in 1880.[33][34] Under the Act, a board of 13 Commissioners was established to build and organise the expanding infrastructure of the town, such as paving, sewers, drainage, street lighting and street cleaning.[35]
The arrival of the railways in 1870 precipitated a massive growth in seaside and summer visitors to the town, especially from the Midlands and London. In 1880 the town had a population of 17,000, but by 1900, when railway connections to Bournemouth were at their most developed, the town's population had risen to 60,000 and it had become a favourite location for visiting artists and writers.[23] The town was improved greatly during this period through the efforts of Sir Merton Russell-Cotes, the town's mayor and a local philanthropist, who helped to establish the town's first library and museum. The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum was housed in his mansion, and after his death it was given to the town.[36] Bournemouth became a municipal borough in 1890 and a county borough in 1900.[35]
As Bournemouth's growth increased in the early 20th century, the town centre spawned theatres, cafés, two art deco cinemas and more hotels. Other new buildings included the war memorial in 1921 and the Bournemouth Pavilion, the town's concert hall and grand theatre, finished in 1925.
The town escaped heavy bombing during the Second World War, but the sea front incurred great damage when it was fortified against invasion.[37] The cast iron lamposts and benches along the front were removed and melted down for munitions, as was much of the superstructure from both Bournemouth and Boscombe piers before they were breached to prevent their use by enemy ships.[37] The large amounts of barbed wire and anti-tank obstacles along the beach, and the mines at the foot of the chines, took two years to remove when peace was finally achieved.[38]
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution stationed an inshore lifeboat at Bournemouth between 1965 and 1972. Coverage for the area has otherwise been provided from Poole Lifeboat Station.[39] The Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), a large conference and exhibition centre, was constructed near the seafront in 1984,[40] and in the following year Bournemouth became the first town in the United Kingdom to introduce and use CCTV cameras for public street-based surveillance.[25]
The Waterfront complex, which was intended to hold an IMAX cinema, was constructed on the seafront in 1998.[41] The 19 m (62 ft)-high concrete and smoked glass building featured a wavy roof design, but was despised by residents and visitors alike because it blocked views of the bay and the Isle of Purbeck.[41][42] In 2005 it was voted the most hated building in England in a 10,000-people poll conducted by the Channel 4 programme 'Demolition', and was pulled down in Spring 2013.[41][43] The site is to be used as an outdoor event arena. The council still plan a larger redevelopment of the site and adjoining council land in the long term.
In 2012 Bournemouth was unsuccessful in its bid for city status, losing out to Chelmsford in competition with 26 other towns to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.[
Governance
Historically Bournemouth was part of Hampshire, with neighbouring Poole, just to the west of the border, in Dorset. At the time of the 1974 local government re-organisation, it was considered desirable that the whole of the Poole/Bournemouth urban area should be part of the same county. Bournemouth therefore became part of the non-metropolitan county of Dorset on 1 April 1974.[35] On 1 April 1997, Bournemouth became a unitary authority, independent from Dorset County Council.[45] For the purposes of the Lieutenancy it remains part of the ceremonial county of Dorset.
For local elections the district is divided into 18 wards,[46] and the Bournemouth Borough Council is elected every four years.[47] In the 2011 local elections the Conservatives held overall control, winning 45 of the available 51 seats.[48] The Council elects a Mayor and Deputy Mayor annually.[49] For 2014–15 the mayor is Chris Mayne.[50]
Bournemouth is represented by two parliamentary constituencies in the House of Commons; Bournemouth East and Bournemouth West.[51] In the 2010 general election, the former was held for the Conservatives by Tobias Elwood with 48.4% of the vote, while the latter was also held for the Conservatives by Connor Burns with 45.1%.[52][53]
Geography
Bournemouth is about 94 miles (151 km) southwest of London at 50°43′12″N 1°52′48″WCoordinates: 50°43′12″N 1°52′48″W.[54] The borough borders the neighbouring boroughs of Poole and Christchurch to the west and east respectively and the East Dorset District to the north. Poole Bay lies to the South.[55][56] The River Stour forms a natural boundary to the north and east, terminating at Christchurch Harbour;[56][57] while the River Bourne rises in Poole and flows through the middle of Bournemouth town centre, into the English Channel.[58] The towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch form the South East Dorset conurbation with a combined population of over 400,000. Bournemouth is both a retail and commercial centre.[59] Areas within Bournemouth include: Boscombe, Kinson, Southbourne, Springbourne, Throop, Westbourne and Winton.[60]
The area's geology has little variety, comprising almost entirely of Eocene clays which, prior to urbanisation, supported a heathland environment.[61][62] Patches of the original heath still remain, notably Turbary Common, a 36-hectare (89-acre) site, much of which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[63] This heathland habitat is home to all six species of native reptile, the Dartford Warbler and some important flora such as Sundew and Bog Asphodel. Small populations of Exmoor pony and Shetland cattle help to maintain the area.[64] Bournemouth is directly north of Old Harry Rocks, the easternmost end of the Jurassic Coast, 96 miles (155 km) of coastline designated a World Heritage Site in 2001.[65] Bournemouth's own coastline stretches from Sandbanks to Christchurch Harbour and comprises mainly sandy beaches backed by gravel and sandy clay cliffs. These cliffs are cut by a number of chines which provide natural access to the shore.[66] At the easternmost point lies Hengistbury Head, a narrow peninsula that forms the southern shore of Christchurch Harbour. It is a local nature reserve and the site of a Bronze Age settlement.
Climate
Due to its location on the south coast, Bournemouth has a temperate climate with moderate variation in annual and daily temperatures. From 1981 to 2010 the annual mean temperature was 10 to 11 °C (50 to 52 °F).[69] The warmest months are July and August, which have an average temperature range of 12 to 22 °C (54 to 72 °F), while the coolest months are January and February, which have an average temperature range of 1 to 8 °C (34 to 46 °F).[70] Average rainfall in Bournemouth is around 800 mm (31 in) annually, well below the national average of 1,126 millimetres.[71] Since 1960, temperature extremes as measured at Bournemouth Hurn Airport have ranged from 34.1 °C (93.4 °F) in August 1990,[72] down to −13.4 °C (7.9 °F) in January 1963.[73] The lowest temperature recorded in recent years was −10.4 °C (13.3 °F) in December 2010.[
Demography
Religious demography
Christian 57.1
Buddhist 0.7
Hindu 0.7
Jewish 0.7
Muslim 1.8
Sikh 0.1
Other religion 0.7
No religion 30.5
Not stated 7.8
The 2011 census records the population of Bournemouth as 183,491, comprising 91,386 males and 92,105 females, which equates to 49.8% and 50.2% of the population respectively.[77][78] The mean average age of all persons is 40 years.[79] With 4,000 residents per square kilometre, Bournemouth has the highest population density of any authority in the South-West region, and is the eighth most populated.[80]
Much of the population, 83.8%, describe their ethnicity as 'white British' while other white groups account for a further 8.1%. Asian groups; Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and other Asian, make up 3.9%. Black British, black African, black Caribbean and other black groups form 1.0% of the population, Those of a mixed race make up 2.3% of the population, and 0.9% are from other ethnic groups.[81]
Christians made up 57.1% of the population but 30% of residents said they had no religion and 7.8% refused to say whether they were religious or not. Muslims were 1.8%, Budhists, Hindus and Jews each had a 0.7% share, Sikhs were 0.1%. and other religions made up 0.7%.[76]
Of all Bournemouth residents aged 16 or over, 19.1% had no qualifications at all, although 35% said they had between one and four O-levels, CSEs, GCSEs or equivalent, and 36.5% have more than five O-level equivalents (grade C and above), an A-level or two to three AS-levels. Those with an NVQ level 1 comprise 8.0% of the population while 15.2% have a level 2 NVQ, a City and Guilds craft certificate, BTEC or general diploma. Just over 20% of residents had two or more A-levels, four or more AS-Levels or an advanced diploma while 15.8% possessed a degree, such as a BA or BSc or a higher degree such as an MA or PhD. An NVQ level 4 or 5, HNC, HND, higher BTEC or higher diploma, is held by 4.2% and a professional qualification is held by 13.9% of residents. An apprenticeship has been completed by 6.3% of the population while 16.9% have some other work related or vocational qualification and 8.3% hold a foreign qualification.[82]
Historical population of Bournemouth
Year
Population
1801 726
1821 877
1841 1,605
1851 2,029
1871 13,160
1891 34,098
1941 128,099
1961 149,106
1981 140,216
1991 158,711
2001 163,441
Historical population figures are for an area that equates to the modern Unitary Authority of Bournemouth[83]
Source: GIS / University of Portsmouth, A Vision of Britain through Time.[84]
Historically Bournemouth has suffered from negative rates of natural increase and has relied on immigration to maintain population growth. In 2007 however, births exceeded deaths for the first time, and this trend has continued through to 2011. This, coupled with a substantial increase in people moving into the area, has led to a sharp rise in the resident population since 2001.[80][85] Of the total population, 3.3% are 85 or over, compared to 2.2% nationally; however the largest group of people moving into the area are students in the 16-24-year age group, and 9% of the current population are between 20 and 24. In England this age group accounts for only 7%.[85]
Economy
Similarly to the rest of Dorset, Bournemouth's economy is primarily in the service sector, which employed 95% of the workforce in 2010.[86] This was 10% higher than the average employment in the service sector for Great Britain and 11% higher than the South West.[86] Of particular importance are the financial and public service sectors which through 2011 continued to show sustained growth. Compared to the rest of the country, Bournemouth performed well in these two areas but under performed in transport and communications.[87]
The smallest geographical region for which Gross Value Added information is available is the NUTS3 area, Bournemouth and Poole. The latest figures, as of 2012, are for the year 2009 which showed that the Bournemouth and Poole area enjoyed the strongest annualised growth in the South-West region.[88][89] In 2009 the South West Regional Accounts showed that the Financial Services sector in Bournemouth was worth £1,031.8 million in Gross Value Added. Important employers in this sector include: JPMorgan, Nationwide Building Society, and the Liverpool Victoria, Unisys, and RIAS insurance companies.[89] The manufacturing sector is predominantly based in neighbouring Poole, but still employed 2% of the workforce in 2010 and 2.6% in 2011.[86][90][Note 2]
Tourism is also important to the local economy. In 2011, domestic and overseas visitors made more than 5.6 million trips to the town and spent over £460 million between them. The equivalent of 8,531 full-time jobs exist as a result which accounts for 15% of all employment in the town.[91] Bournemouth seafront is one of the UK's biggest attractions with 4.5 million visitors in 2011.[92]
With a third of all town centre businesses in the leisure industry, Bournemouth has a booming nightlife economy and is a popular destination for stag and hen parties.[93][94] These party-goers contribute £125 million a year to the economy and support 4,000 jobs. In 2010 the town was awarded a Purple Flag for providing a wide variety of night-time activities while maintaining the safety of both residents and visitors.[94] An independent report published in 2012 indicates there has been a rise in antisocial behaviour which it attributes to the increase in nightlife.[93]
Those of working age make up approximately 65% of Bournemouth's population and of these, 74.6% are economically active although not necessarily employed within the Bournemouth area.[89] Industry in Bournemouth employed more than 76,400 people in 2011 but not all of these were Bournemouth residents.[90] Of those employed in Bournemouth based industries, 29.32% were employed in the public administration, education and health sector. This compares favourably with Dorset, the South-West region, and the country as a whole, as do the other large sectors; distribution, hotels & restaurants (29.06%), and banking, finance and insurance (24.48%). 37.2% of Bournemouth's resident population are employed full-time while 13.3% are employed part-time. An additional 7.1% full-time workers are self-employed, 3.1% are self-employed part-time. Full-time students with jobs account for 5.3% and 3.8% are unemployed.[95]
The shopping streets are mostly pedestrianised with modern shopping malls, Victorian arcades and a large selection of bars, clubs and cafés. North of the centre there is an out-of-town shopping complex called Castlepoint. The 41 acre site has 40 units and was the largest shopping centre in the UK when it opened it 2003.[96] Other major shopping areas are situated in the districts of Westbourne and Boscombe.
Culture
Bournemouth is a tourist and regional centre for leisure, entertainment, culture and recreation. Local author and former mayor, Keith Rawlings, suggests that Bournemouth has a thriving youth culture due to its large university population and many language school students.[97][98] In recent years, Bournemouth has become a popular nightlife destination with UK visitors and many clubs, bars and restaurants are located within the town centre.[98][99] In a 2007 survey by First Direct, Bournemouth was found to be the happiest place in the UK, with 82% of people questioned saying they were happy with their lives.[100]
Major venues for concerts include BIC, Pavilion Theatre and O2 Academy.[101] Built in 1984, the BIC is also a popular place for party political conferences and has been used by all three major political parties.[102] Its four auditoria make it the largest venue on the south coast.[103] The O2 and Pavilion are older and are both Grade II listed buildings. The O2, which opened in 1895 as The Grand Pavilion Theatre, was initially used as a circus and later for music hall theatre. The Pavilion opened in 1929 as concert hall and tea room while also providing a venue for the municipal orchestra. It continues to provide traditional entertainment today, presenting West End stage shows, ballet and operas.[104][105][106] Bournemouth has more than 200 listed buildings, mainly from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, including three grade I churches; St Peter's, St Clement's and St Stephen's.[106]
The Russell-Cotes Museum is a Grade II* listed, villa completed in 1901. It houses artefacts and paintings collected by the Victorian philanthropist Merton Russell-Cotes and his wife during their extensive travels around the world.[107] The four art galleries display paintings by William Powell Frith, Edwin Landseer, Edwin Long, William Orchardson, Arthur Hughes, Albert Moore, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.[108] It was Russell-Cotes who successfully campaigned to have a promenade built; it runs continuously along the Bournemouth and Poole shoreline.[109]
The Lower, Central and Upper Gardens are Grade II* public parks, leading for several miles down the valley of the River Bourne through the centre of the town to the sea.[110] Bournemouth has a further 425 acres (172 ha) of parkland. Initially serving to compensate for the loss of common rights after common land was enclosed in 1802, it was held in trust until 1889 when ownership passed to Bournemouth Corporation and the land became five public parks: King's Park, Queen's Park, Meyrick Park, Seafield Gardens and Redhill Common.[7][111]
The detailed Land Use Survey by the Office for National Statistics in 2005 noted that the local authority area of Bournemouth had the third highest proportion of land taken up by domestic gardens, 34.6%, of the 326 districts in England; narrowly less than the London Boroughs of Harrow and Sutton at the time with 34.7% and 35.1%.[112]
One of Bournemouth's most noted cultural institutions is the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra which was formed in 1893 under Dan Godfrey.[113][114] It became the first municipal orchestra in the country when in 1896, Bournemouth Borough Council took control and Godfrey was appointed musical director and head of the town's entertainments.[113][115] Originally playing three concerts a day during the summer season, in the great glass palm house known as the Winter Gardens;[114][116] the orchestra is now based in Poole and performs around 130 concerts a year across Southern England.[117]
Bournemouth is currently host to a number of festivals. The Bournemouth Food and Drink Festival is a ten-day event which combines a market with live cookery demonstrations.[118] The Arts by the Sea Festival is a mix of dance, film, theatre, literature, and music[119] which was launched in 2012 by the local university, The Arts University Bournemouth, and is set to become an annual event.[120] The Bourne Free carnival is held in the town each year during the summer. Initially a gay pride festival, it has become a celebration of diversity and inclusion.[121] Since 2008, Bournemouth has held its own air festival over four days in August.[122] This has featured displays from the Red Arrows as well as appearances from the Yakovlevs, Blades, Team Guinot Wing-Walkers, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight including Lancaster, Hurricane, Spitfire and also the last flying Vulcan. The festival has also seen appearances from modern aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon.[123] The air festival attracts up to a million people over the four-day event.
The town was especially rich in literary associations during the late 19th century and earlier years of the 20th century. P. C. Wren author of Beau Geste, Frederick E. Smith, writer of the 633 Squadron books, and Beatrice Webb, later Potter, all lived in the town.[126] Paul Verlaine taught at Bournemouth a preparatory school[127][128] and the writer J. R. R. Tolkien, spent 30 years taking holidays in Bournemouth, staying in the same room at the Hotel Miramar. He eventually retired to the area in the 1960s with his wife Edith, where they lived close to Branksome Chine. Tolkien died in September 1973 at his home in Bournemouth but was buried in Oxfordshire. The house was demolished in 2008.[129]
Percy Florence Shelley lived at Boscombe Manor; a house he had built for his mother, Mary Shelley, the writer and author of the gothic horror novel, Frankenstein. Mary died before the house was completed but she was buried in Bournemouth, in accordance with her wishes. The family plot in St Peter's churchyard also contains her parents William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, and the heart of her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.[130] Robert Louis Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and most of his novel Kidnapped from his house "Skerryvore" on the west cliff, Westbourne.[131] Vladimir Chertkov established a Tolstoyan publishing house with other Russian exiles in Iford Waterworks at Southbourne, and under the 'Free Age Press' imprint, published the first edition of several works by Leo Tolstoy.[126] Author Bill Bryson worked for a time with the Bournemouth Echo newspaper and wrote about the town in his 1995 work Notes from a Small Island.[132]
Landmarks
Bournemouth has three Grade I listed churches, St Peter's and St Stephen's in the town centre and St Clemment's in Boscombe.[106] St Peter's was the town's first church, completed in 1879 and designed by George Edmund Street.[133] In his book, England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins describes the chancel as "one of the richest Gothic Revival interiors in England", while the 202 feet (62 m) spire dominates the surrounding skyline.[134][135] When the architect, John Loughborough Pearson, designed St Stephen's his aim was to,"bring people to their knees". It has a high stone groined roof, twin aisles and a triforium gallery, although the tower lacks a spire.[136][137]
The borough has two piers: Bournemouth Pier, close to the town centre, and the shorter but architecturally more important Boscombe Pier. Designed by the architect Archibald Smith, Boscombe Pier opened in 1889 as a 600 feet (180 m) structure which was extended to 750 feet (230 m) in 1927 when a new head was constructed.[138] Added in 1958, the boomerang-shaped entrance kiosk and overhanging concrete roof is now a Grade II listed building. In 1961 a theatre was added but this was demolished in 2008 when the rest of the pier was renovated.[138][139] In 2009, fashion designer Wayne Hemingway described Boscombe Pier as "Britain's coolest pier". It was also voted Pier of the Year 2010 by the National Piers Society.[140]
In 1856, Bournemouth Pier was a simple, wooden jetty. This was replaced by a longer, wooden pier five years later, and a cast iron structure in 1880.[34] Two extensions to the pier in 1894 and 1905, brought the total length to 305 metres (1000 feet). After World War II, the structure was strengthened to allow for the addition of a Pier Theatre, finally constructed in 1960. Between 1979 and 1981, a £1.7 million redevelopment programme, saw a great deal of reconstruction work, and the addition of a large two-storey, octagonal-shaped entrance building.[34]
Built as the Mont Dore Hotel in 1881, Bournemouth Town Hall was designated a Grade II listed building in 2001. Designed by Alfred Bedborough in the French, Italian and neo-classical styles, the foundation stone was laid by King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway and the hotel opened in 1885.[141][142][143] The buff brick exterior features Bath stone dressings and terracotta friezes. The main entrance is sited within a projected façade that reaches to the eaves and is topped with a pediment, while above sits a belvedere with turrets and a pavilion roof.[142] During the First World War the hotel was used as a hospital for British and Indian soldiers and after as a convalescent home. It never opened as a hotel again and was purchased by Bournemouth Borough Council in 1919.[144]
Built in the Art Deco style in 1929, situated close to the seafront, the Pavilion Theatre was at the time considered to be the greatest ever municipal enterprise for the benefit of entertainment.[145] Built from brick and stone, the frontage features square Corinthian columns.[141] Still a popular venue, it is today a Grade II listed building.[145]
The Bournemouth Eye is a helium-filled balloon attached to a steel cable in the town's lower gardens. The spherical balloon is 69 m (226 ft) in circumference and carries an enclosed, steel gondola. Rising to a height of 150 m (492 ft), it provides a panoramic view of the surrounding area for up to 28 passengers.[
Sport
The town has a professional football club, AFC Bournemouth, known as the Cherries, who were promoted to the Championship in 2013 and Premier League in 2015,[148] AFC Bournemouth play at Dean Court near Boscombe in Kings' Park, 2 miles (3 km) east of the town centre.[149]
Bournemouth Rugby Club, which competes in the National League Division Two South, has its home at the Bournemouth Sports Club, next to Bournemouth Airport, where it hosts an annual Rugby sevens tournament and festival.[150][151][152] Bournemouth Cricket Club also plays at Bournemouth Sports Club and is reported to be one of the biggest cricket clubs in the country. Its first team plays in the Southern Premier League.[153] Dean Park is a former county cricket ground, once home to Hampshire County Cricket Club and later Dorset County Cricket Club. Today it is a venue for university cricket.[154]
The BIC has become a venue for a round of the Premier League Darts Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation.[155]
The Westover and Bournemouth Rowing Club, is the town's coastal rowing club. Established in 1865, it is reported to be the oldest sporting association in the county. The club regularly competes in regattas organised by the Hants and Dorset Amateur Rowing Association which take place on the South Coast of England between May and September.[156]
Other watersports popular in Poole Bay include sailing and surfing, and there are a number of local schools for the beginner to learn either sport.[157] Bournemouth has the third largest community of surfers in the UK and in 2009 an artificial surf reef, one of only four in the world, was constructed there.[158] The reef failed to deliver the promised grade 5 wave, suffered a series of delays and ran over budget, finally costing £3.2 million.
Transport
Road
The principal route to the town centre is the A338 spur road, a dual carriageway that connects to the A31 close to the Hampshire border. The A31 joins the M27 at Southampton and from there the M3 to London and the A34 to the Midlands and the North can be accessed.[161] The main road west is the A35 to Honiton in Devon which runs through the South East Dorset Conurbation and continues east as far as Southampton, albeit as a non-primary route.[162][163] The A350 in the neighbouring borough of Poole provides the only northern route out of the conurbation.[164] National Express coaches serve Bournemouth Travel Interchange & Bournemouth University. There are frequent departures to London Victoria Coach Station and Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airports.[165][166] Local buses are provided mainly by two companies, More Bus, the former National Bus Company subsidiary and now owned by the Go-Ahead group, and Yellow Buses, the former Bournemouth Council-owned company and successors to Bournemouth Corporation Transport, which began operating trams in 1902.[166][167] Other operators serving the town include Damory Coaches and the Shaftesbury & District bus company.[166]
Rail
There are two stations in the town, Bournemouth railway station and Pokesdown railway station to the east.[168] Parts of western Bournemouth can also be reached from Branksome station. All three stations lie on the South Western Main Line from Weymouth to London Waterloo.[169] South West Trains operates a comprehensive service along this line, which also serves Southampton Central, Winchester and Basingstoke to the east, and Poole, Wareham, and Dorchester South to the west.[169][170] Before its closure in 1966, Bournemouth was also served by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway which provided direct access to Somerset and the Midlands.[171]
Air
Originally an RAF airfield, Bournemouth Airport was transferred to the Civil Aviation Authority in 1944 and was the UK's only international airport before the opening of Heathrow in 1946.[172] Acquired by the Manchester Airports Group in 2001, the airport underwent a £45 million phased expansion programme between 2007 and 2011.[173][174] Situated in the village of Hurn on the periphery of Bournemouth, the airport is 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the town centre and serves around 600,000 passengers annually.[175] There are direct flights to more than 35 international destinations in 19 countries including: Croatia, Egypt, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States.[175]
Education
The Bournemouth local education authority was first set up in 1903 and remained in existence until local government was reorganised in 1974 when Bournemouth lost its County Borough status and became part of the county of Dorset. Under the later reforms of 1997, Bournemouth became a unitary authority and the Bournemouth local education authority was re-established.[176][177]
The local council operates a two-tier comprehensive system whereby pupils attend one of the 26 primary schools in the borough before completing their education at secondary school.[178] Bournemouth is one of the minority of local authorities in England still to maintain selective education, with two grammar schools (one for boys, one for girls) and ten secondary modern/comprehensive schools.[179] There are also a small number of independent schools in the town, and a further education college.[180] Bournemouth has two universities: Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth, both of which are located across the boundary in neighbouring Poole.[181]
In 2012, 60.7% of the borough's school leavers gained 5 GCSEs of grade C or above. This was slightly better than the national average of 59.4% and above the average for the rest of Dorset, with 58.8% of pupils from the local authority of Poole, and 54.1% from the remainder of the county, managing to do likewise.[182]
After working Hamilton, 421 shifts gears accelerating out of Hamilton bound for Port Robinson. This crew would later encounter a frozen switch at Nelles (at one end of the single track section of the Grimsby sub) that stopped the for a while and there was also report of issues with the de-rails guarding the Seaway bridge. Winter railroading is fun.
Cardiff allocated 47105 accelerates away from Water Orton at the head of 1E84, 07:27 Swansea - Leeds, 27th May 1978.
Locomotive History
47105 was originally D1693 and was from a batch of twenty eight locomotives built at Brush, Loughborough. It was fitted with a Brush TG-160-60 Mk4 main generator, Brush TM64-68 Mk1a traction motors connected in a series parallel arrangement, a Spanner Swirlyflow MkIIIB steam heating boiler and was vacuum braked. It was dual braked in November 1969, renumbered 47105 in January 1974 and had its steam heating boiler isolated in April 1984, reinstated in July 1984 and isolated again in April 1986. 47105 was severely damaged by fire on the 14th August 1976 and arrived at Crewe Works two weeks later where it was quickly given a Heavy General classified repair and return to traffic in November 1976.
47105 entered traffic in December 1963, allocated to Bristol Bath Road MPD. After spells at Crewe (1966, 1986), Bescot (1968), Immingham (1973), Cardiff (1975), Tinsley (1985, 1989), Stratford (1986) and Old Oak Common (1991) it was withdrawn in January 1994. 47105 was purchased from British Rail in January 1994 by the Brush Type 4 Fund and moved to Toddington on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway in April 1994 where it can currently (April 2021) be found. 47105 has been in frequent use since 1994 and has again an operational steam heating boiler.
Praktica LTL, Ektachrome 200
METX 143 "The Village of Glen Ellyn" working Metra train 56 eastbound into Chicago, smokes it up as it accelerates away from the station stop at Wheaton on track two. Moving westbound on track one is a Union Pacific tamper, that has been working with a tie replacement gang putting in new ties.
A short inside the Aros Art Museum in Aarhus. Architecture and exhibitions on global challenges and daily routines.
[po polsku niżej]
SP42-067 with one passenger wagon of 120A type, as the regional passenger train no. 2240 to Chojnice is leaving Kościerzyna, accelerating since passing the last turnout on the station's head. August 14, 2006.
Photo by Jarek / Chester
SP42-067 z pociągiem osobowym nr 2240 do Chojnic, opuścił Kościerzynę i już jedzie szlakiem do Lipusza. 14 sierpnia 2006 roku. Skład pociągu to jeden wagon 120A (Bh), tzw. bonanza.
Fot. Jarek / Chester
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name.Name[›] It has become an iconic symbol of London.
The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the land-ward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. Its present colour dates from 1977 when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Originally it was painted a chocolate brown colour.[1]
Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream.[2] A popular urban legend is that in 1968, Robert McCulloch, the purchaser of the old London Bridge that was later shipped to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, believed that he was in fact buying Tower Bridge. This was denied by McCulloch himself and has been debunked by Ivan Luckin, the seller of the bridge.[3]
The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill on the Circle and District Lines.
The nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Tower Gateway.
In the second half of the 19th century, increased commercial development in the East End of London led to a requirement for a new river crossing downstream of London Bridge. A traditional fixed bridge could not be built because it would cut off access to the port facilities in the Pool of London, between London Bridge and the Tower of London.
A Special Bridge or Subway Committee was formed in 1876, chaired by Sir Albert Joseph Altman, to find a solution to the river crossing problem. It opened the design of the crossing to public competition. Over 50 designs were submitted, including one from civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette. The evaluation of the designs was surrounded by controversy, and it was not until 1884 that a design submitted by Horace Jones, the City Architect (who was also one of the judges),[4] was approved.
Jones' engineer, Sir John Wolfe Barry, devised the idea of a bascule bridge with two towers built on piers. The central span was split into two equal bascules or leaves, which could be raised to allow river traffic to pass. The two side-spans were suspension bridges, with the suspension rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained within the bridge's upper walkways.
Construction started in 1886 and took eight years with five major contractors – Sir John Jackson (foundations), Baron Armstrong (hydraulics), William Webster, Sir H.H. Bartlett, and Sir William Arrol & Co.[5] – and employed 432 construction workers. E W Crutwell was the resident engineer for the construction.[6]
Two massive piers, containing over 70,000 tons of concrete,[4] were sunk into the riverbed to support the construction. Over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the towers and walkways.[4] This was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, both to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the bridge a pleasing appearance.
Jones died in 1887 and George D. Stevenson took over the project.[4] Stevenson replaced Jones' original brick facade with the more ornate Victorian Gothic style, which makes the bridge a distinctive landmark, and was intended to harmonise the bridge with the nearby Tower of London.[6] The total cost of construction was £1,184,000.[6]
The bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), and his wife, The Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark).[7]
The bridge connected Iron Gate, on the north bank of the river, with Horsleydown Lane, on the south – now known as Tower Bridge Approach and Tower Bridge Road, respectively.[6] Until the bridge was opened, the Tower Subway – 400 m to the west – was the shortest way to cross the river from Tower Hill to Tooley Street in Southwark. Opened in 1870, Tower Subway was the world's first underground ('tube') railway, but closed after just three months and was re-opened as a pedestrian foot tunnel. Once Tower Bridge was open, the majority of foot traffic transferred to using the bridge, there being no toll to pay to use it. Having lost most of its income, the tunnel was closed in 1898.[8]
Tower Bridge is one of five London bridges now owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. It is the only one of the Trust's bridges not to connect the City of London to the Southwark bank, the northern landfall is in Tower Hamlets.
The bridge is 800 feet (244 m) in length with two towers each 213 feet (65 m) high, built on piers. The central span of 200 feet (61 m) between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The bascules, weighing over 1,000 tons each, are counterbalanced to minimize the force required and allow raising in five minutes.
The two side-spans are suspension bridges, each 270 feet (82 m) long, with the suspension rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained within the bridge's upper walkways. The pedestrian walkways are 143 feet (44 m) above the river at high tide.[6]
The original raising mechanism was powered by pressurised water stored in several hydraulic accumulators.Hydraulics[›][clarification needed]
The system was designed and installed by Sir W. G. Armstrong Mitchell & Company of Newcastle upon Tyne. Water, at a pressure of 750 psi, was pumped into the accumulators by two 360 hp stationary steam engines, each driving a force pump from its piston tail rod. The accumulators each comprise a 20-inch ram on which sits a very heavy weight to maintain the desired pressure.
In 1974, the original operating mechanism was largely replaced by a new electro-hydraulic drive system, designed by BHA Cromwell House. The only components of the original system still in use are the final pinions, which engage with the racks fitted to the bascules. These are driven by modern hydraulic motors and gearing, using oil rather than water as the hydraulic fluid.[9]
Some of the original hydraulic machinery has been retained, although it is no longer in use. It is open to the public and forms the basis for the bridge's museum, which resides in the old engine rooms on the south side of the bridge. The museum includes the steam engines, two of the accumulators and one of the hydraulic engines that moved the bascules, along with other related artefacts.
During World War II, as a precaution against the existing engines being damaged by enemy action, a third engine was installed in 1942:[10] a 150 hp horizontal cross-compound engine, built by Vickers Armstrong Ltd. at their Elswick works in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was fitted with a flywheel having a 9-foot diameter and weighing 9 tons, and was governed to a speed of 30 rpm.
The engine became redundant when the rest of the system was modernised in 1974, and was donated to the Forncett Industrial Steam Museum by the Corporation of the City of London.
To control the passage of river traffic through the bridge, a number of different rules and signals were employed. Daytime control was provided by red semaphore signals, mounted on small control cabins on either end of both bridge piers. At night, coloured lights were used, in either direction, on both piers: two red lights to show that the bridge was closed, and two green to show that it was open. In foggy weather, a gong was sounded as well.[6]
Vessels passing through the bridge had to display signals too: by day, a black ball at least 2 feet (0.61 m) in diameter was to be mounted high up where it could be seen; by night, two red lights in the same position. Foggy weather required repeated blasts from the ship's steam whistle.[6]
If a black ball was suspended from the middle of each walkway (or a red light at night) this indicated that the bridge could not be opened. These signals were repeated about 1,000 yards (910 m) downstream, at Cherry Garden Pier, where boats needing to pass through the bridge had to hoist their signals/lights and sound their horn, as appropriate, to alert the Bridge Master.[6]
Some of the control mechanism for the signalling equipment has been preserved and may be seen working in the bridge's museum.
Although the bridge is an undoubted landmark, professional commentators in the early 20th century were critical of its aesthetics. "It represents the vice of tawdriness and pretentiousness, and of falsification of the actual facts of the structure", wrote H. H. Statham,[11] while Frank Brangwyn stated that "A more absurd structure than the Tower Bridge was never thrown across a strategic river".[12]
Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank selected the bridge as one of his four choices for the 2002 BBC television documentary series Britain's Best Buildings.[13]
Tower Bridge is still a busy and vital crossing of the Thames: it is crossed by over 40,000 people (motorists and pedestrians) every day.[14] The bridge is on the London Inner Ring Road, and is on the eastern boundary of the London congestion charge zone. (Drivers do not incur a charge by crossing the bridge.)
In order to maintain the integrity of the historic structure, the City of London Corporation have imposed a 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) speed restriction, and an 18-tonne weight limit on vehicles using the bridge. A sophisticated camera system measures the speed of traffic crossing the bridge, utilising a number plate recognition system to send fixed penalty charges to speeding drivers.[citation needed]
A second system monitors other vehicle parameters. Induction loops and piezoelectric detectors are used to measure the weight, the height of the chassis above ground level, and the number of axles for each vehicle.[citation needed]
River traffic
The bascules are raised around 1000 times a year.[15] River traffic is now much reduced, but it still takes priority over road traffic. Today, 24 hours' notice is required before opening the bridge. In 2008, a local web developer created a Twitter feed to post live updates of the bridge's opening and closing activities.[16]
A computer system was installed in 2000 to control the raising and lowering of the bascules remotely. Unfortunately it proved less reliable than desired, resulting in the bridge being stuck in the open or closed positions on several occasions during 2005, until its sensors were replaced.[14]
The high-level walkways between the towers gained an unpleasant reputation as a haunt for prostitutes and pickpockets and were closed in 1910. In 1982 they were reopened as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition, an exhibition now housed in the bridge's twin towers, the high-level walkways and the Victorian engine rooms. The walkways boast stunning views of the River Thames and many famous London sites, serving as viewing galleries for over 380,000 tourists[citation needed] who visit each year. The exhibition also uses films, photos and interactives to explain why and how Tower Bridge was built. Visitors can access the original steam engines that once powered the bridge bascules, housed in a building close to the south end of the bridge.
In April 2008 it was announced that the bridge will undergo a 'facelift' costing £4m, and taking four years to complete. The work entails stripping off the existing paint and repainting in blue and white. Each section will be enshrouded in scaffolding to prevent the old paint from falling into the Thames and causing pollution. Starting in mid-2008, contractors will work on a quarter of the bridge at a time to minimise disruption, but some road closures are inevitable. The bridge will remain open until the end of 2010, but is then expected to be closed for several months. It is hoped that the completed work will stand for 25 years.[17]
The walkway section of the renovation was completed in mid 2009. Within the walkways a versatile new lighting system has been installed, designed by Eleni Shiarlis, for when the walkways are in use for exhibitions or functions. The new system provides for both feature and atmospheric lighting, the latter using bespoke RGB LED luminares, designed to be concealed within the bridge superstructure and fixed without the need for drilling (these requirements as a result of the bridge's Grade I status).[18]
In December 1952, the bridge opened while a number 78 double-decker bus (stock number RT 793) was on it. At that time, the gateman would ring a warning bell and close the gates when the bridge was clear before the watchman ordered the lift. The process failed while a relief watchman was on duty. The bus was near the edge of the south bascule when it started to rise; driver Albert Gunter made a split-second decision to accelerate the bus, clearing a three-foot drop on to the north bascule, which had not started to rise. There were no serious injuries.[19]
Main article: Hawker Hunter Tower Bridge incident
On 5 April 1968 a Hawker Hunter FGA.9 jet fighter from No.1 Squadron RAF, flown by Flt Lt Alan Pollock, flew under Tower Bridge. Unimpressed that senior staff were not going to celebrate the RAF's 50th birthday with a fly-past, Pollock decided to do something himself. Without authorisation, Pollock flew the Hunter at low level down the Thames, past the Houses of Parliament, and continued on to Tower Bridge. He flew the Hunter beneath the bridge's walkway, remarking afterwards it was an afterthought when he saw the bridge looming ahead of him. Pollock was placed under arrest upon landing, and discharged from the RAF on medical grounds without the chance to defend himself at a court martial.[20][21]
In May 1997,[22] the motorcade of United States President Bill Clinton was divided by the opening of the bridge. Thames sailing barge Gladys, on her way to a gathering at St Katharine Docks, arrived on schedule and the bridge was duly opened for her. Returning from a Thames-side lunch at Le Pont de la Tour restaurant, with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Clinton was less punctual, and arrived just as the bridge was rising. The bridge opening split the motorcade in two, much to the consternation of security staff. A spokesman for Tower Bridge is quoted as saying, "We tried to contact the American Embassy, but they wouldn't answer the 'phone."[23]
On 19 August 1999, Jef Smith, a Freeman of the City of London, drove a "herd" of two sheep across the bridge. He was exercising an ancient permission, granted as a right to Freemen, to make a point about the powers of older citizens and the way in which their rights were being eroded.[24] However, this was a hollow gesture as the so-called right is to drive sheep across London Bridge into the City of London, and Tower Bridge does not have its northern landfall in the City.[citation needed]
Before dawn on 31 October 2003, David Crick, a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner, climbed a 120 ft (37 m) tower crane near Tower Bridge at the start of a six-day protest dressed as Spider-Man.[25] Fearing for his safety, and that of motorists should he fall, police cordoned off the area, closing the bridge and surrounding roads and causing widespread traffic congestion across the City and east London. The Metropolitan Police were later criticised for maintaining the closure for five days when this was not strictly necessary in the eyes of some citizens.[26][27]
On May 11, 2009, six persons were trapped and injured after a lift fell 10 ft inside the north tower.[28][29]
XP2004 guides ST24 away from its origin of Albury, bound for Goulburn.
Due to trackwork either sides of the XPTs journey, 2 sets were allocated to run "shuttle" services between Albury and Goulburn, rather than running buses for the entire journey.
Sunday 14th May 2017
[HF03ODT] These are some of Bournemouth's older buses along with the Gemini 1s, but these older Vykings stand out alot more than them. Sadly it was a hoover but it accelerated like mad and they are otherwise quite healthy
Accelerating after a water stop at Whittington and running over an hour late apparently due to yet more trespass incidents 'Flying Scotsman' makes for an impressive sight as it powers past Slitting Mill Farm, north of Chesterfield, en route to York with the 'Yorkshireman' from London Victoria.
Sunbeam Sixteen (1929-33) Engine 2035cc S6 OHV
Registration Number BF 6089
SUNBEAM SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623847032276...
Initially introduced as a replacement for the 16.40, which was continued by Talbot firstly as the 18-55, later the 20-60. A heavy car (30 cwt plus), the Sixteen was redesigned and lightened for the later 1920s
Following the standard Sunbeam practice it was powered by a push rod overhead valve engine with coil ignition and a four speed crash gearbox. Complete with all round semi-elliptics.
Centralized lubrication and hydraulic brakes from 1931. With Sycromesh, mechanical fuel feed and rear directional signals for 1933.
A 1929 model had plenty of torque and could accelerate in top gear from 5mph. Cost of a rolling chassis in 1930 was £ 425 (2024 eqv.£27,472.66)
Diolch am 88,8513585 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.
Thanks for 88,851,358 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.
Shot 10.10.2021 at Bicester Scramble, Bicester, Oxon. Ref. 122-361