View allAll Photos Tagged Capacity
Approaching Platform 5 at Clapham Junction with a London Waterloo - London Waterloo via Hounslow train is South West Trains ex High Capacity Desiro 450070.
Copyright © John G. Lidstone, all rights reserved.
It is an offence under law if you remove my copyright marking, or post this image anywhere else without my express written permission.
Subtitle: Utility owned solar panels good… Customer owned solar panels bad…
FPL, Florida’s largest utility company, has announced good progress on efforts to bring online 225 megawatts of solar capacity before the end of 2016, more than tripling its current portfolio of solar...
floridasolardesigngroup.com/fpl-announces-progress-on-new...
LD-Tiegel
Dieser Tiegel Nr.1 mit 30t Kapazität lieferte am 21.01.1953 die erste Charge Stahl.
Technical Museum Vienna
LD crucible
This crucible No.1 with 30 t capacity supplied the first charge steel on 21 January1953.
4417 - 2024 IC CE, 71 passenger capacity, equipped with hydraulic brakes, replaced 3802, a 2018 Thomas C2. Owned & operated by H&L Bloom Inc.
With the S18 schedule due to come to a close, airlines have since made their preparations for the upcoming W18 schedule with additional changes due to be made for next summer's S19 schedule.
For the upcoming winter schedule due to commence on 29th October 2018, Delta have made some minor changes to their flights into London Heathrow... All flights from Atlanta, Detroit and New York-JFK continues to operate with Airbus A330s. Flights to Atlanta operates thrice daily (DL28/29 reinstated) whilst one flight each from New York-JFK will see a mixture of Airbus A330-200s and the larger Airbus A330-300. DL1/401 and DL2/402 will be renumbered DL1/2 and DL3/4.
For the S19 schedule commencing on 1st April 2018, Atlanta and New York-JFK will both revert to their original twice daily flights. As per Airline Route, the airline will make major changes to their flights from Detroit and Portland.
Starting with Detroit commencing on 13th May 2019; DL16/17 operates daily with Boeing 767-300ERs replacing previous Airbus A330 operation. DL18/19 will increase from 4 times a week operation to daily with Boeing 767-300ERs remaining on the flight. Portland will operate daily from 9th May 2019, increasing from 4 times a week operation with Boeing 767-300ERs remaining on the route.
Currently, Delta operates 42 Airbus A330s, which includes 10 Airbus A330-200s and 31 Airbus A330-300s. Delta have 25 Airbus A330-900neos.
November Eight Two Three November Whiskey is one of 31 Airbus A330-300s in service with Delta, delivered new to the carrier on 25th August 2015 and she is powered by 2 General Electric CF6-80E1A4 engines.
Airbus A330-302 N823NW on final approach into Runway 27R at London Heathrow (LHR) on DL30 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL), Georgia.
A capacity crowd fills the National Mall awaiting the "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" show as seen from the top of the Smithsonian Castle. (Smithsonian Photo by Eric Long)
This photo is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use: si.edu/termsofuse.
IMAGE INFO
- Viewpoint is looking north-north-east on a cloudy, hazy morning.
- This is the highest level that the water has been for quite some years.
*************************
PROCESS INFO
- Adjusted levels & sharpness using Adobe Photoshop CS Windows.
Constructed between 1953 and 1958, Tinaroo Falls Dam on the Atherton Tablelands is a water storage used primarily for irrigation. Despite being located in the Wet Tropics region of North Queensland, spilling events like this are not all that common. The dam is seen here at 102.8% capacity, or 0.35m above the spillway crest.
Thank you for viewing my images.
You can also follow me on:
Facebook www.facebook.com/RobHarrisPhotography/
Instagram www.instagram.com/harristotle_65
Participants in the national Regional Training Institute Gathering, Oct. 27–30 in Wilmette, Illinois, attend to comments by Counselor Sonlla Heern. Photo by Richard Doering
See this train in the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0vv1KGBt80
Seen racing through Ashford International with Train 9O20 from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord is Belgian based Eurostar Class 373, 373108.
Today's primary mode of international train travel between Britain and the rest of Europe (and by rest of Europe just Paris and Brussels), the Class 373 Trans-Manche Super Train (TMST) sets, better known to you and I as the Eurostar.
When plans were forwarded for the construction of the Tunnel, it was intended that a specific set of trains would be built to work services between Continental Europe and Britain, and thus the Class 373 Eurostar sets and the Class 9 Le Shuttle car carrying trains were put into development. The idea was for a high capacity version of France's iconic and incredibly reliable TGV Sud-Est set, together with a set of shorter units to work the proposed Regional Eurostar services within the United Kingdom. However, this was not without various problems.
When planning the Channel Tunnel, intentions were to build a High Speed Line on this side of the Channel in a similar fashion to what France was doing with the LGV Nord from Paris to Calais. Originally the route was intended to go to London Victoria, but was later changed to possibly going to London St Pancras with the hopes of having connections to routes to the north, what we now call High Speed Two. However, all these plans were sunk with the passing of the 1987 High Speed Railways Act, which prohibited the construction of any High Speed Lines this side of the Tunnel. This was also combined by the construction of a beautiful, yet completely pointless international station at Waterloo. As such, the Eurostar would have to be built to a lower British loading gauge in order to work the regular commuter routes into London, which also meant that these sets would only ever attain a top speed of about 90mph on British tracks, and would be constantly fighting for priority against regular Network SouthEast passenger trains.
Additionally, legislation regarding what trains can use the Channel Tunnel meant the train's length had to be very specific. Spacing of fire exits inside the Tunnel are at 375m intervals, and the Tunnel legislation required trains to be this length so that at least one part of the train would be near an exit. As such, the Class 373 sets were built to be this long, consisting of 18-cars, which made them phenomenally long and pretty much useless at any other station. The legislation has since meant that the rolling stock of other operators, be they French TGV's or German ICE trains, are not allowed to use the tunnel. Legislation also required that the trains be half-sets, so that if the train happens to catch fire or something, half the set can be detached and run out of the tunnel to safety, even though chances are in a fire the power will have gone off!
With the class now designed, construction was left up to French builder GEC-Alstom at their Belfort factory, and the first sets were released into testing in 1992. Designated PS1 (Pre-set 1), several units were tested in the Strasbourg area, while a small number were sent over to Britain for testing on the 3rd Rail network. In all, 42 half-sets were built, which combined to make 21 full 18-car sets, the ownership of which was split between the triparty shareholders of Eurostar. 22 sets were delivered to British Rail, 8 to the Belgian railway operator SNCB, and 32 to the French railway operator SNCF, who also retained a fleet of three sets for use on their own Regional services between Paris and Lille.
The Channel Tunnel opened in May 1994, and Eurostar began operations between London Waterloo, Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi on November 14th 1994. At the same time, plans were in motion for the 'Regional Eurostar' services that would work from London Waterloo to destinations in the north of England and Scotland, including Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Birmingham. Initially in 1995, sets of Class 43 HST's were employed working out of Waterloo, and running along the West London Line to Willesden, where they joined the West Coast Mainline and continued north to their respective destination. However, the reason why 'Regional Eurostar' was simply dead on arrival was due to the fact that there was no regional High Speed Line to allow for any reduced journey times. If anything, running trains out of Waterloo and then through the suburbs of West London was much longer than just catching an Underground train to King's Cross or Euston and proceeding via regular InterCity trains. Because of this, the trailblazer Regional Eurostar HST sets were more often than not running empty, not making any of their money back.
But British Rail continued to push the whole idea forward, and developed a fleet of seven 14-car Class 373 sets to work the service. Testing of these units took place between London and Manchester, although Eurostar sets did find their way to Glasgow at some point. This was also added to by the construction of a mulit-million Pound Eurostar depot at Longsight in Manchester, built to accommodate the 14-car trains. However, lack of demand due to the ineffective nature of the services meant that the Regional Eurostar idea simply died the death, and by 1998 all testing had ceased and the trains were put in storage, with the huge Longsight Depot only ever seeing one Eurostar set before closing completely, having never reopened since.
However, East Coast Mainline operator GNER saw potential in these units, and thus took them under their wing to work a new service known as the 'White Rose' between London, York and Leeds from May 2000 onwards. Painted into a very attractive dark blue with orange waistband, the 'White Rose' sets were indeed popular, although their sheer size was something of a constraint, being restricted to only 110mph and not being allowed on certain sections of the route due to the huge amounts of power they drew. The 'White Rose' services lasted until 2005 when GNER's lease on the sets ran out and the trains were put back into storage, but have since been sent to France to work Regional services there, although these sets are now destined for the scrapyard.
As for the Cross-Channel sets, the construction of High Speed One in 2007 did finally allow these trains to travel at the speeds they were built for, now running at an almost uninterrupted 186mph from London to Paris and Brussels with the exception of the 100mph speed limit inside the Tunnel itself. Today all sets are in use and are proposed for a second refurbishment to see them in operation until 2020, being complimented by the new Class 374 e320 sets being built by Siemens of Germany.
At the moment only a handful of powercars have been refurbished with updated equipment and traction motors, whilst the passenger cars are still in their mid-life configuration that was updated in 2004. Although the intention is to get round to this eventually, there is talk that Eurostar isn't going to bother refurbishing the passenger cars due to the introduction of the Class 374's, which can be understood seeing as if they're going to be taken out of service there's no point giving them a refresh, but they're not going to be replaced for a good few years yet!
Overall, I'm sad to say that the Class 373's, as good and reliable as they are, have been prime examples of how not to run a railway. Trains with so much potential to give Britain and Europe greater connections both economically and socially have been so bafflingly underutilised that you find yourself wondering why they even bothered to begin with! The Regional Eurostar concept is a classic example of how to get an internal high speed railway concept completely and 100% wrong, with these £5 million trains being so heavily underused that again you have to question why anyone ever built them. In fact, one of the seven Regional sets has never actually worked a day in its entire life, and now, only 20 years later, is going to the scrap heap having carried pretty much nobody!
Undine vehicles carrier moored up in Southampton.
And the sun goes in :(
Capacity Car (RT43): 7,200
Capacity Car/trucks: 3,700/600
Capacity Deck Area: 63,124 m2
Number of Car Decks: 13 - 3 hoistable
Stern Ramp: Width: 7m; height: 5m with a capacity of 125t
Basic Complement: 15; Crew: 20
IMO: 9240160
Vessel Type - Generic: Cargo
Vessel Type - Detailed: Vehicles Carrier - PCTC - Pure Car and Truck Carrier
MMSI: 265884000
Call Sign: SHJC
Flag: Sweden
Gross Tonnage: 67378
Summer DWT: 28388 t
Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 227.9 x 32.33 m - Elongated in 2006 by 28.00 m
Year Built: 10 Jan 2003
Ship manager/Commercial manager & ISM: WALLENIUS MARINE AB
Registered owner: WALL RO/RO AB
Shipyard: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineers, Okpo, South Korea
Hull Number: 4431
Keel laying date: 20 Jun 2002
Main Engine: x1 KHIC MAN B&W 8S60MC 2 stroke 8 cyl @ 102RPM
Engine Power kW & bhp: 14,700kW & 20,000bhp
x1 fixed pitch propeller
x2 bow thruster @ 1,500kW
Gwynfor Coaches LK04NMX is seen parked up in Llanberis whilst resting between duties on a Snowdon Sherpa S2 Service
Spartan Stadium (formerly College Field, Macklin Field and Macklin Stadium) opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans. After the addition of luxury boxes and club seating in 2004–2005, the capacity of the stadium grew from 72,027 to 75,005—though it has held more than 80,000 fans—making it the Big Ten's sixth largest stadium.
In the early 1920s, school officials decided to construct a new stadium to replace Old College Field. The resulting stadium—the lower half of the current stadium—was ready in the fall of 1923 with a capacity of 14,000. Over the years, the stadium grew. In 1935, the seating capacity increased to 26,000 and the facility was dedicated as Macklin Field. John Macklin, football coach from 1911 to 1915, put Michigan State football on the map with a 29–5 record over five seasons with victories over big name programs such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. After admittance into the Big Ten in 1948, Michigan State increased stadium capacity to 51,000 and the field was renamed Macklin Stadium. With Spartan football attracting national attention under Clarence "Biggie" Munn and Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty, 9,000 seats were added in 1956. The following season upper decks were added to the east and west sides boosting the capacity to 76,000. That same season Michigan State dropped the name Macklin Stadium in favor of Spartan Stadium.
In 1969, TartanTurf replaced the natural grass field and a modern scoreboard was added in 1973. Later in the 1970s, AstroTurf replaced the TartanTurf. A new modern video scoreboard was added before the 1991 season. Renovations improving sight lines, field security, handicap access, and club seats in 1994 reduced Spartan Stadium's capacity to 72,027. New turf was also installed in the summer of 1994. In 1998, Spartan Stadium's sound system was upgraded, adding a 21' x 27' Mitsubishi Diamond Vision video board to the south end and a message board to the north end. Home to one of the top turfgrass research programs in the nation, Michigan State installed a natural grass field in 2002. The most recent expansion was completed in August 2005. A new press box, 24 luxury suites, and 862 club seats were constructed on the west side of Spartan Stadium. This addition made Spartan Stadium the tallest building in East Lansing.
Through the 2012 season until their game against Notre Dame, the Spartans had won 15 straight games in Spartan Stadium—the program's longest home streak since winning 19 straight from 1950-53. Michigan State went undefeated at home in back-to-back seasons (2010 and 2011) including marquee wins over Wisconsin, Michigan, and Notre Dame, marking the first consecutive perfect home seasons since 1955-56.
For almost 9 years, the stadium held the world record for the largest ice hockey crowd in history. On October 6, 2001, a rink was constructed at the center of the stadium for Michigan State's season-opening game against archrival Michigan.
Dubbed "The Cold War", 74,554 watched No. 1 nationally ranked Michigan State and No. 4 nationally ranked Michigan to a 3–3 tie. Country artist Shannon Brown sang during the second intermission. The game set off a wave of outdoor ice hockey games in large stadiums. The record for the highest-attended outdoor hockey game is now held by the University of Michigan where 104,173 came to Michigan Stadium to watch Michigan beat Michigan State 5-0 in The Big Chill at the Big House.
Game days at Spartan Stadium provide opportunity for tailgating. Popular locations include the tennis courts, "the rock", and around the MSU library area on north campus. Open alcohol is permitted on campus during tailgating hours, with the exception of Munn field.
On the morning of each home game, the team completes a 10-minute walk from their hotel at the Kellogg Center, crossing the Red Cedar River, passing the Spartan Statue and finally into the stadium. The sidewalks are lined with fans applauding and cheering "Go Green, Go White."
"It's a beautiful day for football!" – Just before kickoff, the PA announcer gives the weather forecast and, with the help of the fans, declares that "it's a beautiful day for football!" This tradition takes place even during games played in poor weather.
Introduced in 2007, clips from the movie 300 were added to the "Thunderstruck" introduction sequence. A clip of Spartan King Leonidas shouting, "Spartans! What is your profession?" is played whenever the opponent is in a third down situation. The crowd responds with an emphatic "Ha-Ooh! Ha-Ooh! Ha-Ooh!" while thrusting their fists in the air as if they were carrying spears like in the movie. This is very popular with the football team. On October 16, 2010, 300 star Gerard Butler attended the Spartans' homecoming game. At the beginning of the game Butler walked onto the field repeating the familiar call to fans.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartan_Stadium_(East_Lansing%2C_Michigan)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
I took this photo at a BBW cookoff in Houston. It was rocking at the time, so I was lucky to get an unblurred shot.
MTA reached a major L Project milestone in November 2019 with the opening of a new station entrance at 1 Av as part of L Project-related capacity improvements. The 1 Av station will ultimately get two new elevators, four new street entrances, two new turnstile areas adding 600 square feet of public space, new wall tiles, energy-efficient lighting, new turnstiles, and reconstructed infrastructure of the original First Avenue entrances.
Additionally, sidewalk restoration related to the L Project on 14th Street also reached a milestone, with an early construction timeline expected in January, months ahead of schedule. With the restoration of the 14th Street sidewalk, the L Project work on 14th Street will move underground.
Photo: MTA / Trent Reeves
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
History
United States
Name:USS Vesuvius (AE-15)
Namesake:Mount Vesuvius
Launched:26 May 1944
Commissioned:16 January 1945
Decommissioned:20 April 1946
Recommissioned:15 November 1951
Decommissioned:14 August 1973
Struck:14 August 1973
Honors and
awards:
2 battle stars (World War II)
2 battle stars (Korea)
10 battle stars (Vietnam)
Fate:scrapped, 1974
Badge:USS Vesuvius (AE-15) insignia, circa in the 1960s (NH 71935-KN).png
General characteristics
Length:459 ft 2 in (140 m)
Beam:63 ft (19.2 m)
Draft:28 ft 3 in (8.6 m)
Propulsion:
Geared turbine
1 × shaft
6,000 shp (4.5 MW)
Speed:16 knots (30 km/h)
Capacity:7,700 long tons (7,800 t) deadweight
Complement:267 officers and enlisted
Armament:4 × 3"/50 caliber guns
The fourth USS Vesuvius (AE-15) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1381) by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, N.C.; launched on 26 May 1944; acquired by the United States Navy on 4 July 1944; and commissioned on 16 January 1945, Comdr. Flavius J. George in command.
Service history
World War II, 1945–1946
The ship underwent builder's trials out of Brooklyn, New York, and then began shakedown out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, in Chesapeake Bay. On 17 February, she sailed to Earle, New Jersey, to load ammunition. She then headed for the island of Ulithi, via the Panama Canal, on 5 March. She reached her destination on 5 April and promptly unloaded and took on more cargo. Vesuvius departed for Okinawa on 10 April where she became part of Service Squadron 6. In this role, she replenished ammunition to the Fleet in the waters around Okinawa. In July 1945, Vesuvius joined a rearming group off Honshū, Japan, to support raids on Japan by the 3rd Fleet. She detached on 2 August and set sail for Leyte Gulf, Philippines. While there, word of the Japanese capitulation was received on 15 August 1945. The ship remained in the Philippines until 28 October, when she left for the United States.
After transiting the Panama Canal, Vesuvius joined the Service Force, Atlantic Fleet. The ship arrived at Yorktown, Virginia, on 14 December 1945. Vesuvius departed Yorktown on 10 January 1946, bound for Leonardo, N.J., to discharge her cargo and ship's ammunition to the Naval Ammunition Depot. On 7 February, she headed for Orange, Texas, arriving there on 13 February to commence her pre-inactivation overhaul. Vesuvius was placed out of commission, in reserve, at Orange on 20 August 1946.
Korean War, 1951–1952
In response to the needs imposed by the Korean War, Vesuvius was recommissioned on 15 November 1951. She remained at Orange and Beaumont, Texas, for outfitting and readying for sea until 7 January 1952, when she departed for San Diego. Having arrived on 14 February, the ship conducted exercises and loaded ammunition at Port Chicago, California, before sailing on 22 March for Sasebo, Japan. She arrived at Sasebo on 3 May 1952 and, after voyage repairs, began supplying ammunition to the ships of Task Force (TF) 77 on patrol off the east coast of Korea. On 1 December, Vesuvius headed for the United States, arriving at San Francisco on 18 December for overhaul.
Pacific Fleet, 1953–1967
Over the next decade, Vesuvius was to make 11 more extended deployments to the western Pacific where she serviced units of the 7th Fleet. These operations were interspersed with port visits to Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. Periods on the west coast of the United States were spent in overhaul and in the conduct of underway training.
On 24 June 1963, Vesuvius commenced her 13th post-World War II deployment to the western Pacific, making stops at Pearl Harbor and at Guam for repairs and arriving at Yokosuka on 4 August. She serviced the 7th Fleet throughout August. In October, she visited Sasebo and Kagoshima, Japan; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Buckner Bay, Okinawa. In November, she visited Hong Kong and spent the entire month of December 1963 in and out of Yokosuka, Japan. She also visited Beppu, and Komatsushima, Japan. (1st American Navy ship to visit since end of World War II).
Vesuvius began 1964 in Yokosuka making final preparations for her homeward passage. On 7 January, she got underway for San Francisco via the great circle route. She arrived on 31 January and spent February and March moored to the pier at Port Chicago. A brief trip to San Diego and participation in an exercise with other units of the 1st Fleet occupied April, and Vesuvius spent May in an upkeep status at Concord, California. On 6 July, she was underway for coastal operations. August and September saw the ship in and out of port, training and providing services to the Fleet Training Group. In October, she participated in operations with members of the 1st Fleet. On 20 November 1964, Vesuvius returned to Concord for upkeep and a holiday leave period. She got underway on 18 December for the Mare Island Annex, where she spent the holiday season.
Vietnam, 1965–1972
The ship made a brief trip to San Diego beginning on 4 January 1965 before returning to Concord on 13 January. She began reloading cargo in preparation for deployment and got underway for the Far East on 1 February. Vesuvius reached Subic Bay, via Pearl Harbor and Guam, on 28 February. She then began operations in the South China Sea interrupted by brief returns for the onload of cargo in Subic Bay. In July 1965, she received a respite from her duties in Hong Kong. After a week there, she resumed operations. Having made 182 underway replenishments during the deployment, Vesuvius returned to Concord, California, on 28 November.
Vesuvius began the year 1966 by steaming on 3 January to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington, to undergo repairs for six weeks. After leaving Bremerton, the ship headed south to Concord to onload ammunition. On 5 March, she sailed for San Diego for refresher training. Shortly after arrival, a 26-inch crack in one of her hull plates was discovered. She promptly began transferring her load of ammunition to other ships. By 26 March, the ammunition had been successfully offloaded; and, on 28 April 1966, Vesuvius proceeded to the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in San Francisco. On 14 May, Vesuvius deployed for the western Pacific. From 13 June through 27 November 1966, Vesuvius conducted replenishment operations between the Philippines and the South China Sea. In December, she stopped at Pearl Harbor on her way home, where an unusual cargo was embarked — $9,700,000 was brought on board for a special currency lift back to the United States. Shortly before Christmas, Vesuvius reached Concord.
The year 1967 found the ship berthed at Mare Island preparing to undergo her first major overhaul since 1962. Following completion of overhaul at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and underway training, Vesuvius departed for the western Pacific on 15 July 1967, bound for Subic Bay. Except for brief periods in Hong Kong, Vesuvius came off the line in the South China Sea only long enough to fill her hold with more ammunition.
Near the end of January 1968, Vesuvius sailed to Yokosuka on her return trip to the United States, only to be recalled to the seas off Vietnam following the Pueblo Incident to support Operation Formation Star. Vesuvius finally returned to the San Francisco Bay area on 17 March 1968, offloaded, proceeded to the Naval Shipyard at Mare Island and, on 4 April, entered the Triple A Shipyard in San Francisco for extensive repairs and upkeep. Repairs were completed on 10 May, and the ship began refresher training in June. Following inspections and loadout, Vesuvius deployed again on 31 July 1968. She reached Subic Bay on 20 August for receipt of ammunition, then began operations in the Vietnam area. She remained on line through 3 December, when she left for a period of rest and recreation in Hong Kong. She departed there on 10 December to return to Vietnam.
Vesuvius remained on line through January and February 1969. In late February, she sailed into Bangkok, Thailand. From Bangkok, the ship went to Subic Bay to commence her final loadout before heading home. After a brief stop in Hawaii, Vesuvius arrived in Concord on 1 April 1969. In late April, the ship underwent six weeks of restricted availability at a commercial yard in San Francisco. Late in June, she steamed for San Diego and refresher training and exercises. By 23 July, she had returned to San Francisco and began three weeks of loadout for yet another deployment. Vesuvius departed for the western Pacific on 17 September 1969. After stopovers in Pearl Harbor and Yokosuka, she touched at Subic Bay for a few days before starting her line period off Vietnam.
During this deployment, Vesuvius conducted seven line runs in the South China Sea and the Tonkin Gulf in support of 7th Fleet operations. On 25 April, she left for home with stops at Kobe, Japan, and Pearl Harbor. She arrived at Concord on 23 May 1970. The ship entered a three-month upkeep in San Francisco from July to October followed by a pre-deployment inspection. On 9 November, Vesuvius departed the San Francisco area for intensive training in San Diego and, on 6 December, steamed back to Port Chicago for a holiday leave period.
Vesuvius again departed for the western Pacific on 4 January 1971. She arrived at Subic Bay on 25 January, and, one week later, was underway for her first line run of the deployment. On 20 February, she pulled into Singapore and then proceeded shortly thereafter to the Philippines for a 15-day upkeep period. Vesuvius then resumed her assignment of providing ammunition logistics support to the 7th Fleet and Royal Australian Navy units off the coast of Vietnam. On 2 August 1971, Vesuvius left Subic Bay for San Francisco, arriving on 1 September. After offloading ammunition at Concord, the ship moved to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for a month of stand-down. On 4 October, she entered a six-week upkeep. Upon completion, she returned to Concord on 19 November. Vesuvius departed Concord on 29 November for refresher training off San Diego, returning to Mare Island on 4 December.
Vesuvius got underway on 3 January 1972 and, on 5 January, commenced refresher training in San Diego. She returned to Concord on 29 January. Preparations for deployment began immediately, and the ship left California on 14 February. Upon arrival at Subic Bay, Vesuvius again supported combat operations for the 7th Fleet. On 29 June, she began upkeep and returned to action on 18 July. Her duties were interrupted for short trips to Hong Kong and Bangkok in August and October. In December, she entered drydock at Subic Bay to replace her propeller, but she promptly returned to Vietnam and ended the year in the combat zone.
Decommissioning, 1973
The ship returned to Concord on 3 March 1973. After offloading ammunition, the ship moved to Mare Island. The ship was scheduled for upkeep from April to July. However, a message was received from the Chief of Naval Operations in July to prepare the ship for decommissioning. On 14 August 1973, Vesuvius was decommissioned and transferred to the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Mare Island for further disposition and was struck from the Navy List. Vesuvius was reported to have been used for target practice, shortly after decommissioning.
Awards
Vesuvius received two battle stars for World War II, two battle stars for the Korean War, and 10 battle stars for her service in Vietnam.
90-tonne capacity Network Rail IEA-A Bogie Box Wagon 31.70.5892.019-8 passing through Bescot Stadium station on the 29th July 2014. 40 of these wagons were built in Poland in 2009 and are used by Network Rail for infrastructure duties. These vehicles are all registered in the RIV system and have no 'traditional' UK-style numbering applied.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
During the 1950s Douglas Aircraft studied a short- to medium-range airliner to complement their higher capacity, long range DC-8 (DC stands for “Douglas Commercial”). A medium-range four-engine Model 2067 was studied, but it did not receive enough interest from airlines and was subsequently abandoned. The idea was not dead, though, and, in 1960, Douglas signed a two-year contract with Sud Aviation for technical cooperation. Douglas would market and support the Sud Aviation Caravelle and produce a licensed version if airlines ordered large numbers. None were ordered and Douglas returned to its own design studies after the cooperation deal expired.
Towards late 1961, several design studies were already underway and various layouts considered. Initial plans envisioned a compact aircraft, powered by two engines, a gross weight of 69,000 lb (31,300 kg) and a capacity of 60-80 passengers. The aircraft was to be considerably smaller than Boeing’s 727, which was under development at that time, too, so that it would fill a different market niche. However, Douglas did not want to be late again, just as with the DC-8 versus the 707, so the development of the “small airliner” was soon pushed into two directions.
One of the development lines exploited the recent experience gathered through the cooperation with Sud Aviation, and the resulting aircraft shared the Caravelle’s general layout with a pair of the new and more economical Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines mounted to the rear fuselage and high-set horizontal stabilizers. Unlike the competing but larger Boeing 727 trijet, which used as many 707 components as possible, this aircraft, which should become the highly successful DC-9, was an all-new design with a potentially long development time.
This was a major business risk, and in order to avoid the market gap and loss of market shares to Boeing, a second design was driven forward, too. It copied Boeing’s approach for the 727: take a proven design and re-use as many proven and existing components as possible to create a new airliner. This aircraft became the DC-8/2, better known as the “Dash Two” or just “Dasher”. This aircraft heavily relied on DC-8 components – primarily the fuselage and the complete tail section, as well as structures and elements of the quad-airliner’s wings, landing gear and propulsion system. Even the engines, a pair of JT3D turbofans in underwing nacelles, were taken over from the DC-8-50 which currently came from Douglas’ production line.
The DC-8’s fuselage was relatively wide for such a compact airliner, and its inside width of 138.25 in (351.2 cm) allowed a six-abreast seating, making the passenger cabin relatively comfortable (the DC-9 developed in parallel had a narrower fuselage and offered only five-abreast seating). In fact, the Dash Two’s cabin layout initially copied many DC-8 elements like a spacious 1st class section with 12 seats, eight of them with wide benches facing each other in a kind of lounge space instead of single seats. The standard coach section comprised 66 seats with a luxurious 38” pitch. This together with the relatively large windows from the DC-8, created a roomy atmosphere.
Douglas decided to tailor the Dash Two primarily to the domestic market: in late 1962, market research had revealed that the original 60-80 seat design was too small to be attractive for North American airlines. In consequence, the Dash Two’s cabin layout was redesigned into a more conventional layout with 12 single 1st class seat in the first three rows (four abreast) plus 84 2nd class seats in fifteen rows (the last row with only four seats), so that the Dash Two’s standard passenger capacity grew to 100 seats in this standard layout and a maximum of 148 seats in a tight, pure economy seating. The needs of airlines from around the world, esp. from smaller airlines, were expected to be covered by the more sophisticated and economical DC-9.
Douglas gave approval to produce the DC-8 Dash Two in January 1963, followed by the decision to work seriously on the DC-9 in April of the same year. While this was a double burden, the Dash Two was regarded as a low risk project and somewhat as a stopgap solution until the new DC-9 would be ready. Until 1964, when the first prototype made its maiden flight, Douglas expected orders for as many as 250 aircraft from American and Canadian airlines. Launch customers included Delta Airlines and Braniff International (10 each with options for 20 and 6 more, respectively) and Bonanza Air Lines (4). Despite this limited number, production was started, since no completely new production line had to be built up – most of the Dash Two’s assembly took place in the DC-8 plant and with the same jigs and tools.
Two versions of the DC-8/2 were offered from the start. Both were powered by JT3D-1 engines, but differed in details. The basic version without water injection was designated DC-8/2-10 (or “Dash Two-Ten”). A second version featured the same engines with water injection for additional thrust and a slightly (3 ft/91 cm) extended wing span. This was offered in parallel as the -20 for operations in “hot and high” environments and for a slightly higher starting weight. Unlike the DC-8, no freight version was offered.
However, even though the Dash Two was designed for short to medium routes, its origins from a big, international airliner resulted in some weak points. For instance, the aircraft did not feature useful details like built-in airstairs or an APU that allowed operations from smaller airports with less ground infrastructure than the major airports. In fact, the Dash Two was operationally more or less confined to routes between major airports, also because it relied heavily on DC-8 maintenance infrastructure and ground crews.
Even though the Dash Two had a good timing upon market entry, many smaller airlines from the American continent remained hesitant, so that further sales quickly stalled. Things got even worse when the smaller, lighter and brand-new DC-9 entered the short-haul market and almost completely cannibalized Douglas’ Dash Two sales. Boeing’s new 737 was another direct competitor, and foreign players like the British BAC One-Eleven had entered the American market, too, despite political influence to support domestic products.
Even though the Dash Two was quite popular among its passengers and crews (it was, for its class, comfortable and handled well), the Dash Two turned out to be relatively expensive to operate, despite the many similarities with the DC-8. By 1970, only 62 aircraft had been sold. In an attempt to modernize the Dash Two’s design and make it more attractive, an upgraded version was presented in May 1971. It featured a slightly stretched fuselage for a passenger capacity of 124 (vs. 100 in the standard layout, total maximum of 162) and was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney JT8D-11 turbofan engines, capable of generating up to 6800 kg of thrust. This version was designated -30, but it did not find any takers in the crowded mid-range market. The DC-8/2 was already outdated.
Therefore, a half-hearted plan to replace the Dash Two -10 and -20’s JT3D engines as -40 series with more fuel-efficient 22,000 lb (98.5 kN) CFM56-2 high-bypass turbofans, together with new nacelles and pylons built by Grumman Aerospace as well as new fairings of the air intakes below the nose, never left the drawing board, despite a similar update for the DC-8 was developed and offered. Douglas had given up on the DC-8/2 and now concentrated on the DC-9 family.
Another blow against the aircraft came in the early 1970s: legislation for aircraft noise standards was being introduced in many countries. This seriously affected the Dash Two with its relatively loud JT3D engines, too, and several airlines approached Douglas (by then merged with McDonnell into McDonnell Douglas) for noise reduction modifications, but nothing was done. Third parties had developed aftermarket hushkits for the Dash Two, actually adapted from DC-8 upgrades, but beyond this measure there was no real move to keep the relatively small DC-8/2 fleet in service. In consequence, Dash Two production was stopped in 1974, with 77 aircraft having been ordered, but only 66 were ever delivered (most open orders were switched to DC-9s). By 1984 all machines had been retired.
General characteristics:
Crew: 3 (+ 3 flight attendants)
Length: 125 ft (38.16 m)
Wingspan: 105 ft 5 in (32.18 m)
Height: 42 ft 4 in (12.92 m)
Wing area: 1,970 sq ft (183 m2), 30° sweep
Empty weight: 96,562 lb (43,800 kg)
Gross weight: 172,181 lb (78,100 kg)
Fuel capacity: 46,297 lb (21,000 kg) normal; 58,422 lb (26,500 kg) maximum
Cabin width: 138.25 in (351.2 cm)
Two-class seats: 100 (12F@38" + 88Y@34")
Single-class seats: 128@34", maximum of 148 in pure economy setup
Powerplant:
2× Pratt & Whitney JT3D-1 turbofan engines, delivering 17,000 lb (76.1 kN) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 590 mph (950 km/h; 510 kn)
Cruising speed: 470–530 mph (750–850 km/h; 400–460 kn) at 32,808–39,370 ft (10,000–12,000 m)
Range: 1,320 mi (2,120 km; 1,140 nmi) with 26,455 lb (12,000 kg) payload
and 12,456 lb (5,650 kg) fuel reserve
1,709 mi (2,750 km) with 17,968 lb (8,150 kg) payload
and 12,456 lb (5,650 kg) fuel reserve
Service ceiling: 39,000 ft (12,000 m)
Rate of climb: 2,000 ft/min (10 m/s)
Take-off run at MTOW: 7,218 ft (2,200 m)
Landing run at normal landing weight: 4,757–6,070 ft (1,450–1,850 m)
The kit and its assembly:
This model was originally intended to be my final contribution to the “More or less engines” group build at whatifmodelers.com in October 2019, but procurement problems and general lack of time towards the GB’s deadline made me postpone the build, so that I could take more time for a proper build and paintjob.
The idea behind it was simple: since the original DC-8 was stretched (considerably) in order to expand its passenger capacity from 177 to 289(!) passengers, why not go the other way around and reduce its dimensions for a short/medium range airliner with just two engines, as a kind of alternative to the Boeing 737?
The basis is the Minicraft 1:144 DC-8 kit, in this case the late release which comes only in a bag without a box or any decals and which depicts a late -60/70 series aircraft with the maximum fuselage length. Inside of the fuselage halves, markings show where these parts should be cut in order to take the plugs out for shorter, earlier variants. However, my plan would be more radical!
Shortening the fuselage sound simple, but several indirect aspects have to be taken into account. For instance, wingspan has to be reduced accordingly and the aircraft’s overall proportions as well as its potential center of gravity have to be plausible, too. Furthermore, landing gear and engines will have to be modified, too.
Several measures were taken in order to find good points where the fuselage could be cut for a maximum length reduction - after all, a LOT of material had to disappear for the twin-engine variant!
First, the fuselage was completed for a solid cutting base. I decided to take out a total of three plugs, with the plan to achieve a length somewhere near a late Boeing 737, even though this turned out to be more complicated and challenging than expected. All in all, the fuselage length was reduced from ~39cm to ~26.5cm. Less than I hoped for, but anything more would have ended in a total reconstruction of the wing root sections.
Two plugs are logical, the third one in the middle, only 1.5cm long, is less obvious. But since the wing span would be reduced, too, the wings' depth at the (new) roots was also reduced, so that the original DC-8 wing roots/fuselage intersections would not match anymore. The wings themselves were, also based on late Boeing 737 and Dassault Mercure measures, were cut at a position slightly inside of the inner engine pylon positions.
Re-construction started with the rear fuselage; I initially worked separately on the cockpit section, because I filled it with as much lead as possible, and it was connected with the rest of the hull when its three segments were already completed.
The Minicraft DC-8 is basically nice and has good fit, but I found a weak spot: the fin's leading edge. Like on Minicarft’s 727's wings, which I recently built, it's virtually flat. It just looks weird if not awful, so I sculpted a more rounded edge with putty. Since the small air intakes under the radome are open, I added an internal visual block in the form of black foamed styrene.
The JT3D nacelles were taken OOB from the Minicraft kit, I used the inner pair because of the shorter pylons. They were attached under the wings in a new position, slightly outside of the original inner engine pair and of the main landing gear. The latter was modified, too: instead of the DC-8’s four-wheel bogies I used a pair of Boeing 727 struts and twin wheels, left over from the recent build. These were attached to 1.5 mm high consoles, so that the stance on the ground became level and mounted into newly cut well openings in the inner wings. The front wheel was taken OOB from the DC-8. I was a little skeptical concerning the main landing gear’s relative position (due to the wing sweep, it might have ended up too far forward), but IMHO the new arrangement looks quite fine, esp. with the engines in place, which visually shift the model’s center of gravity forward. I just had to shorten the engine pylons by maybe 2mm, because the lack of dihedral on the DC-8’s outer wing sections considerably reduce ground clearance for the engines, despite the added consoles to the landing gear. However, all in all the arrangement looks acceptable.
For the model’s in-flight pics, and also for the application of the final varnish coat, I added a ventral, vertical styrene tube in the model’s center of gravity as a display holder/adapter. Due to the massive lead weight in the nose, the adapter’s position ended up in front of the wing roots!
Painting and markings:
I usually do not build civil airliners, so I took the occasion to represent a design icon: the “flying Colors” livery of Braniff International Airlines from the early Seventies. Braniff featured several bright liveries, but my personal favorite is the simple one with uniform fuselages in varying bold colors, mated with simple, white fins, engine nacelles and wing areas.
This choice was also influenced by the fact that 26decals offers a 1:144 sheet for Braniff DC-8s of this era (remember: the bagged Minicraft kit comes without any decal sheet at all). Choosing a color was a long process. Bright red or orange were initial favorites, but the recent 727 already had orange markings, so I rather favored blue, green or even purple. I eventually settled on a light lime green, which has a high shock value and also offers a good contrast to the Braniff markings and the windows. A tone called “Lime Green” was actually an official Braniff tone (check this great overview: web.archive.org/web/20050711080200/http://www.geocities.c..., a great source provided by 26decals in the context oft he decal sheet I used, see below). But my intention was not to authentically replicate it – I rather just wanted a bright color for the model, and I like green.
The basic color I used is simple Humbrol 38 (Lime), which was applied with a brush after the wing areas had been painted in white (Humbrol 22) and aluminum (various shades, including Humbrol 11 and Revell 99). The characteristic black area around the cockpit glazing was created with mix of decals and paint, the silver ventral areas were painted with Humbrol’s Polished Aluminum Metallizer. The fin’s and the stabilizers’ leading edges were created with silver decal sheet material (TL Modellbau), grey and silver bits of similar material were used for some small details on the wings.
As already mentioned, the decals, including all windows, come from a 26decals sheet. Due to the reduced length, the windows’ and doors’ position and numbers had to be improvised. But thanks to the relatively simple livery design without cheatlines or other decorative elements, this was an easy task. Finally, the model received an overall coat of gloss acrylic varnish from the rattle can.
Just like my recent Boeing 727 with four engines, this conversion appears simple at first sight, but the execution caused some headaches. The biggest problem was the reduced depth of the shortened wings and how to mount then to the fuselage – but the attempt to take an additional fuselage plug away was an effective move that also helped to reduce overall length.
I am astonished how modern and plausible this shortened DC-8 looks. While building, the aircraft constantly reminded me of the Tupolev Tu-104 airliner, until the engines were added and it now resembled an Airbus A320!
State/Province: Wien
Agency: Wiener Linien GmbH & Co KG
Model: Mercedes-Benz 628.446 Citaro C2 GL CapaCity
Year: 2019
File Name: 3745
Kineil coaches hired in to provide extra capacity to allow passengers (approx. 5000) from the Queen Anne and Nieuw Statendam to tour the Orkney Mainland visitor attractions because there is not enough coaches to cater for the demand from 2 large cruise ships.
Capacity : high. Revenue collection : low. Traffic congestion: high. A failed experiment, an example of bombast completely disconnected from a study of the human psyche. Oddly, the some sections of the bus industry fall over themselves at the mention of bendy buses for moving people: obviously not the sections which have to balance the books.
L-R: BX55 FVA - MA 101, BX05 UWW - MA 78 and BX55 FVH - MA 107
BX55FVA - MA101, BX05UWW - MA78 (which became BUS705 in Malta) and BX55FVH - MA107 (subsequently BUS225 in Malta)
MA101 seemed to have made it to Malta but was scrapped before being re-registered, despite a repaint
maltabuses.piwigo.com/picture?/11152/category/178-arriva_...
www.maltashipphotos.com/b/bx55fva%20+%20bx55fwq%20mercede...
maltabuses.piwigo.com/picture?/11152/category/178-arriva_...
Legoland Windsor Resort, styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand. The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainments. The park's attractions consist of a mixture of Lego-themed rides, models, and building workshops targeted at children between three and twelve.
In 2019, the park had 2.43 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. However, in 2020 the park had a very limited operating season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited capacity. As a result of this Legoland Windsor had a huge drop in attendance and was the fourth-most visited park in the UK in 2020. Overall, attendance has steadily risen since 2005. Legoland Windsor regularly draws more attendees than the original Legoland Billund Resort in Denmark; in 2011, it became the tenth-most popular theme park in Europe, a position it has held every year since. Legoland Windsor typically opens from March to January, with closures on some days.
History
In 1989, The Lego Group began research for the development of a second Legoland park after Legoland Billund with over 1000 sites considered. In January 1992, Windsor Safari Park went into receivership and the 150-acre (0.61 km2) site was chosen for the second development. Between 1992 and 1994, planning, design, site preparation and the design and construction of models began. New accommodations were created for the safari animals and services, foundations and infrastructures were installed at the park. In 1995, a scale replica of Big Ben was installed in Miniland whilst other buildings and attractions were becoming established. In September, advance bookings were opened for entrance tickets. Final installations were completed by the beginning of 1996 and at this point, the Legoland Windsor staff-base was recruited. Legoland Windsor opened on 17 March 1996. During its first season, the park attracted over 1.4 million visitors.
In April 2005, The Lego Group decided to sell Legoland parks following losses across the company. On 13 July 2005, Legoland was acquired by the Blackstone Group and control of the parks passed to Merlin Entertainments.
During the 2020 season, the resort closed on 20 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened on 4 July 2020 following a lockdown in the UK. The resort remained open until 5 November when due to government guidance it was forced to close. It reopened for a shortened period over the Christmas period on 4 December 2020 however was again forced to close when the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, where the resort is located, was placed in Tier 4 restrictions on 19 December 2020 under which theme parks could not open.
The resort announced in January 2021 that the resort would not hold its "Brick Week" event in February due to the continuing lockdown in England. It then was announced in February 2021 the resort would open on 12 April 2021 when lockdown restrictions in England allowed theme parks to open. However, it announced its indoor rides and attractions would open later in the year due to government guidelines.
In May 2021, the resort opened a new land titled Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures which includes the United Kingdom's first flying theater ride, called Flight of the Sky Lion. Mythica is the first time a Legoland resort has launched a Lego intellectual property not first released as a Lego set. Also included in the land is a drop tower ride called Fire and Ice Freefall and the rebranded Hydra's Challenge previously known as S.Q.U.I.D Surfer. This land saw the Adventure Land name discontinued for this area of the resort.
In September 2022, the resort opened a new event titled Brick or Treat's Halloween Party. It included a 4D movie, The Great Monster Chase!, and ran until the end of the 2022 Halloween season.
On the 25th September 2023, the Viking River Splash river rapids ride permanently closed after 16 years of operation.
Areas
The park is split into 11 themed lands, incorporating various attractions, restaurants and shops: The Beginning, Duplo Valley, Knight's Kingdom, Lego City, Miniland, Lego Ninjago World, Pirate Shores, Heartlake City, Kingdom of the Pharaohs, Bricktopia, and Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures.
The Beginning
The Beginning is the entrance area to the park. It is composed of a plaza area containing entrance turnstiles, ticket sales, and toilets and stretches to contain a small part of the resort at the bottom of the funicular railway. It has a view of the area surrounding the resort including the nearby town of Windsor, Heathrow Airport, and parts of London.
The main resort shop, The BIG Shop, is located at The Beginning and is the largest Lego store in the UK. Picsolve operates the Photo Shop, which sells photographs of visitors aboard rides and attractions in the resort.
Food and beverage outlets located at The Beginning include the Hill Top Cafe, a coffee outlet, and the Sweet Stop.
The only ride located in The Beginning is the Hill Train, a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge funicular railway down a curved slope. It is the only ride or attraction to be retained from Windsor Safari Park, being refurbished when the park opened with stained glass windows made from translucent Lego bricks by local school children. It travels 300 metres (980 ft) between two stations, with a height difference between the top and bottom stations of approximately 27 metres (89 ft).
The Creation Centre opened at The Beginning in 2000. The building has housed a number of attractions since it has opened; the first main attraction it contained was Lego Racers in which customers created virtual Lego vehicles and raced them against others. The attraction suffered from reliability issues and closed at the end of 2004. It was revived in 2009 by members of the original team under the new name of Rocket Racers. Reliability issues remained and it closed at the end of the weekend of 8–9 October 2011. In 2012 the attraction space was repurposed for Star Wars Miniland which was based on the Star Wars franchise. Unlike Lego Racers and Rocket Racers, it was classed as a walkthrough attraction with no queue. In 2016, a large model of the Death Star was installed as the centrepiece of the attraction. Following the end of a licensing deal between Lucasfilm and Merlin Entertainments, the attraction closed on 31 December 2019.
The Creation Centre is also home to Legoland Windsor's model makers who display busts of famous figures as well as a view of their studio in a space on the second floor of the centre. On the ground floor of the centre is Apocalypseburg which was part of the Lego Movie 2 set.
Duplo Valley
Duplo Valley is a land aimed at smaller children based on the Duplo toy bricks, with the majority of rides being family rides. Since the resort's opening the land has rotated through a number of different names including Explore Land, Duplo Gardens, and Duplo Land.
At the beginning of the 2020 season, Duplo Valley was reopened following a refurbishment and the construction of a new ride, the Duplo Dino Coaster. The ride, originally planned to be called the Duplo Dream Coaster, became the resort's third rollercoaster after The Dragon and the Dragon's Apprentice. Aimed to be a "my first coaster" it saw a soft opening before the park's temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was designed by Mack Rides and manufactured by ART Engineering GmbH. Alongside the opening of the new ride was the re-theming of three rides and attractions: Duplo Express (previously Duplo Train), Duplo Airport (previously Duplo Valley Airport, Chopper Squadron, and Whirly Birds) and Duplo Playtown (previously Brickville). Also located in Duplo Valley is Fairy Tale Brook, a boat ride which takes visitors on a course containing models of fairy tale characters.
Duplo Valley is home to the resort's water park which consists of two separate rides and attractions: Drench Towers and Splash Safari. Drench Towers is a water splash area with multiple slides which was placed on land previously occupied by Mole-in-One Mini Golf. Splash Safari is a smaller splash area for toddlers which consists of water features made of Duplo models and is located below Drench Towers.
The Duplo Valley Theatre, a puppet theatre showing classic fairy tales, is located in the valley adjacent to Fairy Tale Brook. A family restaurant, Farmer's Joe Chicken Company, is located opposite the theatre.
Knights' Kingdom
Knight's' Kingdom (originally Castleland and previously NEXO Knight's Kingdom) features The Dragon roller coaster, which starts inside the castle themed station, passing Lego tableaux, before travelling outside reaching a speed of around 30 mph (48 km/h). Other rides in the land are the flat carousel ride Merlin's Challenge (previously known as Knight's Quest) and Dragon's Apprentice, a smaller rollercoaster acting as an alternative for shorter visitors not permitted to ride The Dragon.
In previous years, the land has assumed a role as Christmas Kingdom when open in the winter months and houses a grotto in the ride area of The Dragon.
Lego City
Lego City (formerly known as Traffic), is themed around transport. It features the Balloon School (a simulated hot air balloon ride), Coastguard HQ (a boat school ride for children), Fire Academy, L-Drivers (driving school for children aged 3–5) and City Driving School (driving school for children over 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in). In 2019, a Vekoma "mad-house" attraction called Haunted House Monster Party was added to the area and in 2020, Atlantis Submarine Voyage by Sea Life (which features "submarine" vehicles used to travel through the tank) was rethemed to become Lego City Deep Sea Adventure.
Miniland
Miniland is a miniature park in Lego form, depicting towns and cities from around the world, using nearly 40 million Lego bricks. The area features a number of animated models interacting with each other. Motor vehicles use cables under the paths emitting radio wave signals to steer and allow charging when required. The train system runs on tracks, slowing for stations using slow-down bars, and the boats use underwater motor-driven rubber loops as well as sensors to operate bridges and locks. The system, with lights and sounds, is run by 14 computers using 300 kilometres (190 mi) of underground cabling.
The land is divided into different areas as they are depicted, including the UK and mainland Europe. In 2018, Miniland saw an expansion called "Explore the World" which added more Lego models of global sites including the Sydney Opera House, Forbidden Palace, and Saint Basil's Cathedral. The same year various site from the USA were added.
Lego Ninjago World
Lego Ninjago World opened in May 2017 based upon the Ninjago TV series. The centrepiece attraction is a 4D interactive ride, Ninjago: The Ride manufactured by Triotech. The zone features the relocated and rebranded ride Destiny's Bounty, a Rockin' Tug ride based on the ship in the TV series. The ride was previously known as Longboat Invader, and opened in 2008.
Pirate Shores
Pirate Shores features a log flume, Pirate Falls, a play area, a pirate ship ride named the Jolly Rocker and the Spinning Spider (a teacups-style ride where visitors ride in log-style gondolas as an animatronic Lego spider gnashes its jaws and breathes smoke on a web above).. From 1996 to 2010, this area was known as Wild Woods.
Heartlake City
Heartlake City (formerly Lego City until redecoration in 2015), based on the Lego Friends product range, includes two rides: The Legoland Express (a railway ride around Kingdom of the Pharaohs), and a Disk'O coaster called Mia's Riding Adventure. Return to Skeleton Bay (a pirate stunt show) and Lego Friends to the Rescue (a live music concert) take place around the harbour performed by the Lego Friends.
The Kingdom of the Pharaohs
The Kingdom of the Pharaohs contains Laser Raiders, an interactive dark ride through an Egyptian tomb where visitors shoot targets to gain points. Also in this area are Scarab Bouncers, Aero Nomad, Desert Chase, and Thunder Blazer. The latter three rides are fairground based attractions such as a carousel, a Ferris wheel and a chair-o-planes rides.
Bricktopia
Bricktopia (previously called Imagination and Imagination Centre) is an area themed around education through Lego. The centre piece is the Legoland Learning Academy (previously Lego Education Centre) which offers National Curriculum workshops. In 2019 the academy was awarded Best Venue for STEM Learning.
The only ride in Bricktopia is Sky Rider, which is an elevated track ride opened in March 1996 and refurbished between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.[50] The ride gives visitors views of Miniland.
Bricktopia includes Lego Studios 4D (previously known as the Imagination Theatre) which shows Lego-themed films. In the 2020 season, these were Lego City 4D – Officer in Pursuit, Lego Ninjago – Master of the 4th Dimension, and Lego Dreamzzz 4D - Z-Blob Rescue Rush.
In 2023, the Lego Reef was replaced with LEGO Ferrari Build and Race.
Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures
Opening in 2021, Mythica is a land based where Adventure Land was previously located. The centrepiece is Flight of the Sky Lion, a flying theatre ride. Also in the land are two drop towers and the re-themed S.Q.U.I.D. Surfer ride known as Hydra's Challenge.
Annual attendance at Legoland Windsor
YearAttendanceRef
20051,400,000
20061,480,000
20071,650,000
20081,815,000
20091,900,000
20101,900,000
2011 1,900,000
20122,000,000
20132,050,000
20142,200,000
20152,250,000
20162,183,000
20172,200,000
20182,315,000
20192,430,000
Resort hotels
Legoland Windsor Resort currently has two hotels.
Legoland Hotel
The Legoland Hotel opened in March 2012. it is located at the back of the park, in the Adventure land section, on the old site of the Jungle Coaster. Visitors enter the hotel on the ground floor but enter the park on the second floor. The hotel is home to the Bricks Restaurant (a buffet) and the Skyline Bar, both on the second floor. The resort has featured various Lego themed rooms. Customers of the hotels have access to the pirate-themed indoor pool and fitness facility (located at the Legoland Hotel), a treasure hunt in each room, and access to select park attractions before the general public enters the park. The second floor includes a loft where Lego video games can be played on PlayStation 4 consoles. The ground floor features a Lego store and bins of bricks for building.
Castle Hotel
The Legoland Castle Hotel opened on 1 July 2017. The hotel was opened by competition winner James Waine who designed a model that was built by professional model makers and put outside the hotel. The hotel offers wizard- and knight-themed rooms. The hotel is only accessible from the park; visitors must check-in at the Legoland Hotel and travel through the hotel and the park to reach the Castle Hotel. The Castle Hotel is located next to the Legoland Hotel, and includes the Tournament Tavern restaurant.
Woodland Village
In Legoland Windsor's ten-year plan, the park expressed interest in building a holiday village of 450 lodges ranging from barrel-style glamping to large family lodges. This idea culminated in the Woodland Village. Opening on the 24th May 2024, will be "a haven to retreat to after a busy day at the Park". According to the official website, it will feature 150 lodges (much less than the planned 450), a Clubhouse with a restaurant, bar and live entertainment and the chance to become a LEGOLAND ranger. What the latter will involve is unknown at time of writing.
As day breaks, an empty unit coal train heads west near Trafford on the Pittsburgh Line, toward the Monongahela coal fields of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Also, my first posted image created with my new D90. My D70 finally gave up the ghost after serving me faithfully for five years.
The lack of capacity through the centre of Manchester (via Castlefield), and the root cause of the May 2018 timetable catastrophe is plain for all to see at Manchester Oxford Road; trying to run a mixed-traffic service like a metro simply doesn't work.
Working 2F31, the 0916 all-stations service from Crewe to Liverpool Lime Street, Northern no. 323237 warbles out of Oxford Road P2, heading towards Deansgate (visible in the distance), while 150133 & 150131 wait to leave Deansgate to stop in Oxford Road P4 (working 2K84, the 0950 service from Wigan North Western to Alderley Edge).
A Boeing 777, capacity 100 tonnes, has flown from Dubai to Cebu carrying 8,000 shelter kits. The shelter kits consist of plastic sheeting, rope and rope tensioners, and each one will keep a family of five sheltered from the elements.
The flight landed at roughly 6.30pm UK time. The shelter kits will now be delivered to World Vision for distribution in the worst-affected areas of the Philippines.
This is the first of several UK-funded humanitarian flights scheduled to fly from both Dubai and the UK in the coming days as part of the UK’s response to Typhoon Haiyan. The total UK response to the typhoon stands at up to £15m, following today’s announcement that the Government will match-fund up to £5m of the DEC appeal. The UK has also deployed HMS Daring to support aid efforts.
Get the latest on UK aid for Typhoon Haiyan: www.gov.uk/government/news/typhoon-haiyan-latest-updates-...
Picture: Simon Davis/DFID