State/Province: Baden-Württemberg

Agency: SSB - Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG

Model: Mercedes-Benz 628.446 Citaro C2 GL CapaCity

Year: 2017

File Name: 2525

Recently Rebuilt

100 Tons capacity

Edwards Coaches EOI4364 a Bova Magiq C70FT at Cadbury world today . Photo taken 29/04/22

Nilipat sa Baguio...

.

Bus No: 8533

Year released: 1997

Capacity: 53; 2x2 seating configuration

Route: Manila/Avenida-Baguio via Tarlac/DauSCTEX/Carmen/Urdaneta/Paniqui

Body: Del Monte Motors Corp.(rebodied)

Engine: Nissan Diesel PE6T

Fare: Airconditioned

Aircon System: Evacon overhead A/C

Transmission System: M/T

Plate No.: CVY-131

Previous Body: 1997 SR-Flxtar AC Series

Taken On: January 29, 2009

Location: PRBL Tarlac Central Terminal, Brgy. Sto. Cristo, Tarlac City, Tarlac

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Gotha 146 was a fast reconnaissance aircraft that was used throughout WWII by the German Luftwaffe, and one of the results of a mutual technology exchange program with Japan. The Go 146 was actually a license-built, but modified variant of the excellent Mitsubishi Ki-46. The latter type's career started in late 1937, when the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force issued a specification to Mitsubishi for a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft to replace the Mitsubishi Ki-15. The specification demanded an endurance of six hours and sufficient speed to evade interception by any fighter in existence or development at that time, but otherwise did not constrain the design by a team led by Tomio Kubo.

There were, however, other uses: in 1944 the Go 146 was enlisted as a fast liaison aircraft for the RLM (Ministry of Aviation) in Berlin. Stripped off of any armament and cameras and outfitted with two passenger seats in the rear cabin, at least one Go 146 B (with the confirmed registration “ST+ZA”, others in similar configuration may have existed, too) was operated by the RLM’s Zentralabteilung (central command) from Tempelhof airfield for top brass officials between Luftwaffe locations on German terrain. ST+ZA’s fate after January 1945 is uncertain, though.

Specifications:

Crew: two (pilot and observer)

Length: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)

Wingspan: 14.70 m (48 ft 2¾ in)

Height: 3.88 m (12 ft 8¾ in)

Wing area: 32.0 m² (344 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,830 kg (8,436 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,661 kg (12,480 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 6,500 kg (14,317 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Daimler-Benz DB 603A V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, rated at:

- 1,290 kW (1,750 hp) each for take-off

- 1,360 kW (1,850 PS) at 2,100 m (6,890 ft)

- 1,195 kW (1,625 PS) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)

- 1,162 kW (1580 PS) combat power at 2500 rpm at sea level

Performance:

Maximum speed: 695 km/h (377 knots, 430 mph) at 5,800 m (19,000 ft)

Cruise speed: 450 km/h (245 knots, 280 mph)

Range: 2,800 km (1,522 nmi, 1,740 mi) with internal fuel

Service ceiling: 11,250 m (36,850 ft)

Wing loading: 157.8 kg/m² (32.3 lb/ft²)

Climb rate: 14.7 m/sec (2,900 feet per minute)

Climb to 8,000 m (26,250 ft): 15 min 20 sec

Armament:

2× 13 mm (0.51 in) defensive MG 131 machine guns with 500 RPG,

each firing rearward from FDSL 131/1B remote-operated turret, one per side

2× underwing hardpoints under the inner wings for 250 kg (550 lb) each,

typically occupied by 300 l drop tanks

The kit and its assembly:

This is a déjà vu build: I already did a “Germanized” Ki-46 in 2015, it was an Airfix Ki-46-II outfitted with DB 601s from a Bf 110 as a pre-series Gotha Go 146 A-0, an aircraft that (naturally) never existed but appeared plausible, since German military hardware including aircraft had been evaluated by Japanese forces. And why should this exchange not have worked the other way around, too? However, as I built this modified Dinah for the first time, I already thought that the basic idea had more potential than just one model, and the streamlined Ki-46-III just lent itself for an updated, later version.

This B-2 variant of the Go 146 was based on the LS Models/ARII Ki-46-III. Like the Airfix kit (its molds are from 1965, and that’s just what the kit feels, looks and builds like…), it’s a rather vintage offering, but it is in many aspects markedly ahead, with fine surfaces, recessed details, 3D engines and clear parts that actually fit into their intended places. The LS Models kit’s 10 years less of age are recognizable, and there are three boxings around with different versions of the aircraft (a Ki-46-II, a -III and a trainer with a raised tutor cockpit), differing in small extra sprues for the respective fuselage parts, but they all share a common sprue with the clear parts for all three versions.

The Ki-46-III kit was taken OOB, with just some minor mods. The most obvious change concerns the engines: they were transplanted from a Bilek Me 210, together with the underwing radiators outside of the nacelles. The Me 210, even though it’s from 1997, is a rather mediocre model with some dubious solutions, therefore earmarked for a conversion and ready to donor some body parts… The engine switch was insofar easy because the Ki-46 kit comes with completely separate parts for the engines and their fairings which also contain the main landing gear wells.

Because of this “clean” basis I decided to cut the nacelles out from the Me 210 and attach them to the Ki-46 wings, so that the DB 603 engines would have perfect attachment points. While this was a bigger overall surgery stunt than on the earlier Airfix Dinah, this was easier than expected and resulted in a cleaner solution that also underlines the Ki-46’s clean and slender shape. The modified nacelles were much smaller than the Dinah’s, though. The main wheels were replaced with slightly smaller and narrower ones from the scrap box.

Inside of the cockpit, I implanted a dashboard. In the rear cabin the seat was reversed and moved further forward. In the cabin’s rear a scratched targeting scope/weapon control column for the FDSL 131 installation was added. Since I left the single-part canopies (which are quite thick but very clear) closed I outfitted the model with a crew. The Ki-46 III kit comes with a pair of figures, but they are very small (H0 scale, at best!) and look goofy, so that I exchanged them with Matchbox WWII pilots, which had their legs bent and their bottoms cut away to make them fit into the tight fuselage and under the canopies.

Unfortunately, the Me 210 kit had already donated its machine gun barbettes (they had gone onto an upgraded Heinkel He 115 floatplane), so that I scratched them for the Go 146. WWII bombs became the fairings, some leftover landing gear struts were used as gun barrels, and round styrene bases were used as mounts that also lift the fairings slightly off the hull. The barbettes as such look a little superficial on the slender Dinah, but they are a nice, typically German detail, über-complicated for this type of fast aircraft that probably would have more benefited from leaving them away altogether to save weight and drag.

The (typically German) 300 l drop tanks come from Hobby Boss Bf 109s and each received four short attachment struts, made from styrene profile material, so that they could be stuck under the inner wings.

Painting and markings:

This was more complicated than expected. I wanted to apply a plausible, late German WWII livery with typical colors, but finding something that would be suited for high-altitude operations and not copy anything I had already done turned out to be challenging.

The paint scheme would be very light, with only low-contrast camouflage added on top. Therefore, the basis became an overall coat with RLM 76 (I used Tamiya XF-23, Light Blue, which is an excellent option). Inspired by He 177 bombers I found in literature, large blotches of a rather obscure and uncommon tone, RLM 77 “Hellgrau” were added to the flanks of fuselage, fin and engine nacelles. RLM 77 is/was a very light grey, and it was primarily used for markings like code letters on night fighters and not for camouflage. AFAIK it would later become the RAL 7035 (Lichtgrau) tone that still exists today. Humbrol 196 would have been an authentic option, but to keep the contrast to the underlying RLM 76 low I rather used XF-19 (Sky Grey) and extended the blotches under the fuselage and the nacelles, for a semi-wraparound scheme.

Then came the upper surfaces, everything was painted with brushes and without masks, with an intentional uneven finish. The wings and stabilizers were to receive a slightly darker camouflage in the form of RLM 02 and 75 splotches (with Tamiya XF-22 and XF-XX as proxies) over the uniform RLM 76 base, so that the aircraft’s outlines would be broken up from above. However, after first tests I found this did not look convincing, the RLM 76 was very prominent and bluish, so that I rather gave the upper wings and the spine a semi-translucent but continuous coat of paint, with the underlying RLM 76 just showing through here and there – much better. At this stage I added the decals (see below), but now found the upper surfaces to look too uniform and somewhat dark, so that, as a final measure, I added a meander pattern with RLM 77 (again XF-19) to the wings. This not only looked good and very “German”, it lightened the cammo and also helped to break the aircraft’s lines up. Some light panel shading to the uniform undersides, black ink and grinded graphite were used for weathering, but the effects are very soft.

Interior surfaces (cockpit and landing gear wells) became late-war style RAL 7021 Schwarzgrau (Humbrol 67), the landing gear struts were painted in RLM 02, this time Revell 45 was used. The propeller blades were painted in a very dark mix of green and black, the spinners became black with simple white spirals – the only detail with a high contrast on this aircraft.

The markings of this aircraft are minimal. Balkenkreuz markings only consisting of outlines were used, another typical late-war practice and for a low-visibility look/effect. They were taken from an Academy Fw 190 D. On the fuselage, the gun barbettes caused some headaches, because they take up a lot of space and made the application of a standard Luftwaffe code almost impossible. Consequently, the fuselage Balkenkreuze were placed ahead of the barbettes, partly disrupted by the observer’s lower side windows, while the tactical code became separated by the guns. At starboard the code even had to be reversed - not correct, but a pragmatic solution.

The model/aircraft belongs to a fictional unit, its code “P3” in front of the fuselage Balkenkreuz has no real-world reference and was executed in small letters, a typical late WWII measure. This part of the code was done with small, black 2 mm letters. A fictional unit badge, depicting a running greyhound, was added under the cockpit. It actually belongs to a German tank unit.

The “KN” part of the code, including the Ks on the nose, came from an Airfix Ju 87 B sheet. As an aircraft belonging to the 5th squadron within the unit’s 2nd group, the 4th letter in the code became “N”, while the 3rd letter “K” denotes the individual aircraft. The color code associated with a 5th squadron was red, incorporated on the aircraft as a thin red outline around the individual aircraft letter (another late-war low-contrast measure). To provide a little visual excitement, small red Ks were added to the nose, too, to make thew aircraft easy to identify when parked at the flight line.

Since this aircraft would operate over the Western front from German home ground, no further ID/theatre markings like fuselage or wing bands or wingtips in yellow or white, etc. were added. This, together with the lack of visible red as squadron code, results in a rather dry look, but that’s intentional.

After some exhaust and oil stains with graphite and Tamiya “Smoke”, a coat of acrylic matt varnish finally sealed the model and a wire antenna, made from heated sprue material, was added.

Well, an exotic what-if idea, but I really like how this conversion turned out, even though the livery evolved in a different way from what I had initially in mind. The Ki-46 was already an elegant aircraft, especially the Ki-46-III with its teardrop-shaped nose section. But, with the smaller, streamlined inline engines instead of the radials, this iteration looks even better and faster. It reminds a little of the D.H. Hornet? The gun barbettes are a nice “German” detail, and the makeshift high-altitude paint scheme adds to the obscure impression of the model. A really nice sister ship for the Go 146 A-0 build from 2015.

Production years: 1967-1969

With storage capacity for 48 models

via Instagram ift.tt/2aiGlHV

Total capacity: 560ml (240ml rice jar and two 160ml side dish containers). The rice jar is insulated like a food jar to keep the rice warm and soft for lunch. The two side dish containers aren't insulated, but go inside the insulated carry bag that you could drop a cool gel pack into for maximum food safety. Photo of a lunch packed inside is here. The side dishes can go in the microwave, but not their lids. Picked this up at Ichiban Kan in San Francisco's Japantown for US$20 (they had rose color as well -- Bay Area bento shopping guide here).

Built in 1910, the 40,000 gallon capacity Kenaston water tower is the oldest remaining tower in Saskatchewan. At the time of it's restoration in 2009 this tower was one of only five original towers still standing, and one of three towers that remain on the original building site.

In addition, of the 400 towers constructed in the province, the Kenaston tower is the only remaining "tapered" tower. The octagonal wood-frame structure once used to provide water for steam locomotive operation and were situated every 30-50 kilometres along early railway tracks in western Canada .

Today, only 13 towers remain standing on the prairies, from Manitoba to British Columbia, of which 6 are in Saskatchewan.

Early home trip....

Bus No: 1608

Year released: 2010

Capacity: 45; 2x2 seating configuration

Route: Cubao/Aurora-San Carlos via Dau/SCTEX-Concepcion/Capas/Tarlac/Sta. Ignacia/Camiling/Bayambang/Malasiqui

Body: Yutong Bus Co. Ltd.

Model: 2010 Yutong ZK6107H Series

Engine: Yuchai

Fare: Airconditioned

Transmission System: M/T

Taken on: October 21, 2013

Location: Romulo Highway, Brgy. Malacampa, Camiling, Tarlac

Note:

To avoid any conflicts and for privacy concerns, the licence plate number (even temporary plate) and vehicle tag of the bus is blurred.

Original Caption: Tony Murphy Has His Lung Capacity Tested While Walking on a Treadmill at the Black Lung Laboratory at the Appalachian Regional Hospital in Beckley, West Virginia. The Hospital Uses Other Known Testing Methods Such as Heartbeat Monitoring and a Blood Sample Oxygen Check. A Miner with a Family of Ten Children, Murphy Works for the Island Creek Coal Company in Logan County 06/1974

U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: 412-DA-14122

Photographer: Corn, Jack, 1929-

Subjects:

Beckley (Raleigh county, West Virginia, United States) inhabited place

Environmental Protection Agency

Project DOCUMERICA

Persistent URL: catalog.archives.gov/id/556574

Repository: Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001.

For information about ordering reproductions of photographs held by the Still Picture Unit, visit: www.archives.gov/research/order/still-pictures.html

Reproductions may be ordered via an independent vendor. NARA maintains a list of vendors at www.archives.gov/research/order/vendors-photos-maps-dc.html

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted

Use Restrictions: Unrestricted

Another round with those snarky chipmunks finally produced the shot I was looking for. Not perfect, but I liked it. Of course, they rarely take direction from us photographers so this pose, although slightly turned was what I wanted. They are so irresistible, and quite tolerant, I just had to keep trying.

A new book, and you can guess who has some text in it.

Connexxion 9360

The existing 21,175 capacity Al-Gharafa stadium will be expanded to 44,740 seats using modular elements forming an upper tier. The facade will be made up of ribbons representing the nations that qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will symbolize football and the mutual friendship, tolerance and respect that the tournament represents. The stadium will be downscaled to its existing capacity after the tournament ends.

Got a couple of these Amend2 mags which are just amazing now that I see them in hand. Not sure if I'm gonna' use "em. Well maybe one😉👊

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.

The Great Theatre, capable of holding 25,000 spectators, was used initially for drama, but during later Roman times gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage.

Ephesus, Turkey (Wednesday 22 October 2014)

The vehicle type on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford is a 850 gallon AVTUR Refueller fitted with twin booms to allow 'overwing' refuelling of Aircraft. Using both booms an Aircraft could be refueled at a rate of 65 gallons per minute. The pumping equipment was powered by a small petrol engine which mounted in a compartment at the rear of the vehicle. Half a dozen Bedford QL Bowser units were produced for the RAF with varying tank capacities and different fuel loads.

The Bedford QL was the most numerous of 4x4 3 ton Trucks in service with the British Armed Forces during World War Two, over 52,000 were produced between February 1941 and May 1945. As a standard vehicle it was used as a platform on which to mount a wide variety of specialist bodies. At the outbreak of World War Two the British War Office contacted Bedford to produce a 3 ton 4x4 General Purpose Truck, a prototype was built in 1940 and production started in March 1941. The Bedford QL was in production from 1941 to 1945, and made this Bedford's first vehicle series for the Military.

Variants:-

▪︎QL1 Prototype

▪︎QLB Bofors Gun Tractor, approximately 5,500 QLB's were built, several QLB's were fitted with shortened GS Bodies and Recovery Cranes to be used as Wreckers by the Danish Army, in use until late 1960's.

▪︎QLC Fire Engine / Signals Vehicle / Fuel Bowser

▪︎QLD General Service Cargo Truck and was the most numerous version in the series

Machinery / Kitchen / Battery Storage

▪︎QLR Signals Vehicle, originally mounted on the QLC chassis/cab, special QLR chassis were soon put into production, which differed from the standard type in having special Electrical Equipment, Radio Suppression, fitment of a 660w Auxiliary Generator driven by the transfer case power-take-off and, like the QLT, two 16 gallon petrol tanks instead of one behind the cab. The Interior Furniture, Partitioning and Radio Equipment varied from the different functions. On vehicles installed for the Wireless Role, a tent could be erected at the rear. Between cab and man body were lockers for Aerial Masts and other equipment. Beneath the body were further lockers and racks for Cable Drums, Batteries, Tyre Chains, 20 gallon Drinking Water Tank, Rectifier Box, Tools, Fuel Tank for the Auxiliary Engine, Jerrycans and other items. The basic body shells were produced by Duple, Lagonda, Mulliner, Tickford and others. A revised body was introduced during 1944 for the Command High and Low Power and Wireless High Power roles. This body had an improved 'L-Shaped' Tent which could be erected alongside the left-hand side and rear of the body.

▪︎QLT Troop Carrier, from August 1941 and until the end of World War Two more than 3,300 QLT's were produced.

▪︎QLW Air Portable Tipper.

▪︎Lorry, 3 ton, GS Bedford Half-Track (Bedford-Bren - prototype only)

Following the fall of Singapore rubber was scarce and so at the request of the Ministry of Supply a Bedford QL was adapted using a ''Carden Lloyd'' suspension taken from a Bren Gun Carrier. While the Bedford-Bren was capable of impressive feats of tractive power (which could have been easily produced in its own right as a Prime Mover) British authorities, unlike the Americans and Germans, did not favour the Half-Track. The shortage of rubber was not as severe as anticipated and official interest in the project waned. Not only did this British parallel to the German 'Maultier' (Sd.Kfz) is the name given to series of Half-Track Trucks used by Germany during World War Two, they were based on Opel, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa-Romeo or Ford trucks. They did not go into production, the single prototype was converted back into an All-Wheel Drive Vehicle.

▪︎Lorry, 3 ton, 4 x 4, Bedford, experimental (Bedford Giraffe - prototype only)

An attempt to make a Motor Vehicle capable of ''Deep Wading'' for river crossings and Amphibious Landing, the Bedford 'Giraffe' was developed as insurance against the Shallow Wading Kits under development not proving effective in deeper water. As a 'plan B' Vauxhall adapted a Bedford GL by mounting its Engine, Cab and Gearbox on an elevated girder frame some seven feet high, with a chain drive transmitting power to the propshaft. The ungainly but effective vehicle demonstrated it was a viable solution should hastily extemporised waterproofing kits fail but they proved effective and so no specialised type was required.

▪︎Place of Origin: United Kingdom

▪︎Used By: British Armed Forces

▪︎Wars: Second World War

▪︎Manufacturer: Bedford (General Motors)

▪︎Produced: 1941 to 1945

▪︎Number Built: 52,2479

▪︎Variants: QL1 / QLB / QLC / QLD / QLR / QLT / QLW

▪︎Mass: 7,225lb (empty) / 15,400lb (loaded)

▪︎Length: 19ft 8in

▪︎Width: 7ft 5in

▪︎Height: 10ft

▪︎Crew: 1 Driver up to 11 Passengers (depending on variant)

▪︎Powerplant: Bedford 6-cylinder 3,519cc petrol 2hp

▪︎Payload Capacity: 3 ton

▪︎Suspension: Wheel 4x4

▪︎Operational Range: 156 miles.

Unit: 150UID

Location: Frodsham

Train: 1D36 11:37 Manchester Airport - Llandudno

Capacity: 0.5-2.0mm

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_...

www.intersectionconsulting.comIt’s not necessarily the responsibility of consultants to convince ill-prepared organizations (not ready, lacking social capacity, etc.) to implement social media programs.

Our role, for those organizations that have “the mindset, if not the framework”, is to help build a social business model that aligns tools/technology with business objectives by acting as a: Strategic Adviser; Facilitator; Teacher; Coach; Mentor and Social Business Change Agent.

Vehicle make

MERCEDES

Date of first registration

01 August 1990

Year of manufacture

1990

Cylinder capacity (cc)

1797cc

HCMT Set 23

The High Capacity Metro Train (HCMT) is the new metropolitan train in Melbourne. At last, Melbourne has caught up to the rest of the world by abandoning the joining of two 3 car sets of previous generations. The rolling stock of these trains are 7 car sets manufactured in China with the components being assembled at Newport. Set 23 is seen here at Flinders Street Station, awaiting departure to Pakenham.

An ADL Trident/East Lancs Myllenium high-capacity 'decker on service 1 that parallels the tram route along the promenade for much of its route mileage.

08 - 298

11/2002 - new as PN52 XKF.

??/???? - re-registered BCB 340.

??/???? - reverted to PN52 XKF.

03/2017 - passed to North West Bus Sales; Bolton (Q)

03/2017 - passed to Mortons Travel Little London (HA).

07/2023 - passed to Weardale; Stanhope (DM).

Third High-Level Capacity Development Dialogue on “Navigating the Economic Obstacle Course while Addressing Long-Term Challenges: The Role of IMF Capacity Development", chaired by IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath, at the International Monetary Fund.

IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts

28 April 2022

Washington, DC, United States

Photo ref: _JR13141.jpg

Edda Ferd, PSV – Hybrid Platform Supply Vessel

The Edda Ferd is a platform supply vessel used to support oil rig operations in the North Sea.

A new build, the Østensjø Edda Ferd has been designed with a focus on quality, safety and efficiency. This is the first integration of a Corvus Energy ESS and Siemens’ BlueDrive PlusC propulsion system.

Name: Edda Ferd

Type: 92.6 m Platform Supply Vessel (PSV)

Duty: North Sea Offshore Drilling Platform Service & Support

Pack: 40 x 6.5kWh

Capacity: 260kWh

Bus Voltage : 888VDC

Partners: Østensjø Rederi, Siemens, Corvus Energy

Edda Ferd, PSV is based in Haugesund, Norway operating in the North Sea.

General

Operator:Østensjø Rederi AS

Built:2013

Builder:Astilleros Gondan. Spain

Yard no.:444

Call sign:LAZO7

Flag:NIS

Port of Registry:Haugesund

IMO no.:9625504

MMSI No.:259161000

Classification:DnV +1A1, SF, E0, OFFSHORE SERVICE VESSEL+, SUPPLY, DK(+), DYNPOS-AUTR, HL(2.8), LFL*, CLEAN DESIGN, NAUT-OSV(A), COMF-V3-C2, OIL REC, DEICE

Safety regulations:NMA, Trade Worldwide within GMDSS A3, Solas 1974/1978, International Convention on Load Lines, Pollution Prevention - MARPOL 1973/1978, INLS Certificate

Dimensions

Length o.a.:92,6 m

Length b.p.:82,2 m

Breadth mld.:20,6 m

Depth mld.:9,0 m

Draft max.:7,2 m

Air draft:32,46m

Tonnage - Deadweight

Deadweight:5122 t

Gross tonnage:4870 GT

Net tonnage:1462 NT

Deck loading capacities

Cargo deck:1038 m2

Deck equipment

Anchor chain:2 x 11 shacles.

Anchor Windlass / Mooring Winch:15,5 tons.

Mooring winch:Forward: 2 x 16 tons Aft: 2 x 10 tons

Deck cranes:Port: 1 x MacGregor SWL1,5 t@ 8m / Starboard: 1 x MacGregor SWL 3,0 t @ 10m

Tugger winches:2 x 15 tons.

Propulsion

General:Battery Hybrid Power Station and 2 x VSP each 2700 kW. 2 x AC asynchronous water-cooled motors each 2700 kW.

Main engines:2 x MAK 6M25C a` 2000kW - 2 x MAK 9M25C a`3000 kW

Fuel type:MDO /MGO

Auxiliaries / Electrical power

Generators:2 x Simens generator 2222 kW / 2 x Simens generator 3333 kW

Emergency generator:Caterpillar Emergency generator 158 kW

Speed / Consumption

Max speed / Consumption:abt. 16,0 knots

Main propellers

Maker:Voith Schneider propellers

Type:2 x 2700 KW

Thrusters

Bow thrusters:2 x 1400 kW FP , electric driven low noise tunnel thrusters. Plus 1 x 800 kW RIM tunnel thruster

Bridge / Manoeuvering

Bridge controls:5 control stands. (forward, 2 x aft, starboard, port)

Loading / Discharging:Simens IAS. Remote monitoring of all tanks including loading/discharging operations and start/stop of all pumps.

Dynamic positioning system

Type:Kongsberg K-Pos.

Approval / Class:DNV DYNPOS-AUTR. IMO Class 2

Reference systems:DPS 112, DPS 132, CyScan, Mini-Radascan

Sensors:3 x Gyro, 3 x Motion Reference Unit, 2 x Wind sensor

ERN number:99,99,99,99

Liquid tank capacities

Marine Gas Oil:1100 m3 included 2 chemical and 4 special prod. tanks connected to fuel system.

POT water:1000 m3

Drill Water/Ballast:2280 m3

Mud:Mud/Brine system 513 m3. Special product system 370 m3. Total 883 m3.

Brine:Brine/mud system 513 m3. Special product system 702 m3. Total 1215 m3

Base oil:Total 702 m3. When using combined tanks.

Methanol:Total 440 m3. When using combined tanks.

Special products LFL/LFL*:720 m3

Drill Cuttings:720 m3

Liquid discharge

Fuel Oil pumps:2 x 150 m3/h- 9 bar

Brine pumps:2 x 100 m3/h – 22.5 bar.

Liquid Mud pumps:2 x 100 m3/h – 24 bar.

Specal products pumps:2 x 100 m3/h – 9 bar.

Drill water pumps:1 x 250 m3/h – 9 bar.

Drill cutting pumps:4 x 40 m3/h – 9 bar.

Fresh water pumps:1 x 250 m3/h – 9 bar.

Methanol pumps:2 x 75 m3/h – 9 bar .

Slop system:1 x 20 m3/h

Tank washing system:1 x 30 m3/h

Discharge piping:5"

Bulk tank capasities

Bulk Cement Tanks:4 tanks. Total capacity: 260 m3

Bulk Discharge:2 x 100 t/hr

Navigation equipment

Radar:1 x Furuno FCR-2827 S /ARPA - 1 x Furuno FAR-2837 S / ARPA

Electronic Chart System:2 x TECDIS

Compass:3 x Simrad Gyro GC 80

Autopilot:Simrad AP-70

Echo Sounder:Furuno FE-700

Navtex:Furuno NX-700A

DGPS:Furuno GP-150

AIS:Furuno FA-150

Voyage data recorder:Furuno VR-3000

LRIT:Sailor 6130 LRIT

Log:Furuno DS-80

Communication equipment

General:GMDSS installation in accordance with IMO regulations for vessels operating within Sea Area A3

GMDSS Radio MF/HF Transceivers & DSC:1 x Furuno FS-1575

VHF:2 x GMDSS Furuno FM-8900 / 3 x GMDSS Jotron TR-20 portable / 3 x Sailor 6248

GMDSS EPIRB:1 x Jotron 40 S Mk2 - 1 x Jotron 45 S Mk2

GMDSS SART:2 x Kannad SARTII

UHF:6 x Motorola GM-360 - 6 x Motorola GP-340 ATEX

Sattelite system:1 x Inmarsat / 1 x Iridium

Accommodation

Total no. berths:38 x Beds

Total no. of cabins:27 x Cabins

Single cabins:16 x Single cabins

Double cabins:11 x Double cabins

Office:2 x Offices

Hospital:1 x Hospital

Ventilation/A-C for accommodation:High pressure single-pipe fully redundant ventilation system. Full heating/AC throughout the accommodation

Other:Messroom, Dayrooms, Conferenceroom, Gymnasium,Galley,Dry Provitions,Freezing room, Wardrobes.

Lifesaving / rescue

Approved lifesaving appliances for:40 persons

Liferafts:6 x 25 persons

Rescue/MOB boat:Alusafe 770 Mk2 - Twin installation.

Fire-fighting/foam:Water/Foam pump/ monitors covering cargo deck area

Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda, Michael Atingi-Ego, Deputy Division Chief, IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department, Veronica Bacalu, Governor, National Bank of Georgia, Koba Gvenetadze, and Deputy Division Chief, IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department Sipho Makamba present Capacity Development Talk on Supporting Financial Sector Resilience Through Disruption and Change: the IMF's 2022-2025 Monetary and Capital Markets Capacity Development during the 2022 Annual Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.

IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts

12 October 2022

Washington, DC, United States

Photo ref: _JR34260.ARW

An old Southern Pacific box car shaded under a sycamore tree.

Taken in Fillmore, California, USA.

Credit: MTA/Megan Armas

Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion (US$5.7 billion), including cost of the prime land.

With the casino complete, the resort features a 2,560-room hotel, a 120,000 sq.m. convention-exhibition center, The Shoppes mall, an Art & Science museum, two Sands Theatres, six "celebrity chef" restaurants, two floating pavilions, a casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex is topped by a 340m-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150m infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 67m. The 20-hectare resort was designed by Moshe Safdie Architects. The local architect of record was Aedas Singapore, and engineering was provided by Arup and Parsons Brinkerhoff (MEP).

Originally set to open in 2009, Las Vegas Sands faced delays caused by escalating costs of material and labour shortages from the onset. The severe global financial crisis also pressured the company to delay its projects elsewhere to complete the integrated resort. Although Marina Bay Sands has been compared on scale and development costs to MGM's CityCenter, the latter is a mixed-use development, with condominium properties - comprising three of the seven main structures, being sold off.

The resort was officially opened with a two-day celebration on 23 June 2010 at 3.18 pm, after a partial opening earlier in April. It was, however, not finished at the time of the April opening, which was marked by numerous service failures. The museum, theatres and floating pavilions are still being built and are expected to be fully completed by December 2010.

Background

Part of the parcel of land for Marina Bay Sands in the foreground prior to development. The parcel overlooks Singapore's financial district in the background.

Marina Bay Sands is one of two winning proposals for Singapore's first Integrated Resorts, the other being the Resorts World Sentosa, which incorporates a family-friendly Universal Studios Theme Park. The two large-scale resorts were conceived to meet Singapore's economic and tourism objectives for the next decade and they will have 30-year casino licenses, exclusive for the first ten years.

Bidders were assessed based on four criteria:

* tourism appeal and contribution

* architectural concept and design

* development investment

* strength of the consortium and partners

On 27 May 2006, Las Vegas Sands (LVS) was declared winner of the Marina Bay site in the prime new business district of Marina South with its business-oriented resort. LVS highlighted its forte in Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE), of which its founder, Sheldon Adelson, is a pioneer in Las Vegas and the key to his early business success. In the Design Evaluation portion of the tender, a panel of local and international architects commended Sands' design as superior to other bids in terms of pedestrian circulation and layout, and it also fit in with the Marina Bay landscape best. They liked that the hotel towers was set back from the waterfront to open up expansive views of the city and the entire Marina Bay, making the skyline for Singapore's downtown more attractive and distinctive.[10]

Singapore Tourism Board highlighted Sands' line-up of six celebrity chefs, such as Australia's Tetsuya Wakuda and Thomas Keller (Napa Valley, California, USA) and Charlie Trotter (Chicago, USA).

LVS submitted its winning bid on its own. Its original partner City Developments Limited (CDL), with a proposed 15 per cent equity stake, pulled out of the partnership in the second phase of the tender process. CDL's CEO, Kwek Leng Beng said his company's pullout was a combination of factors - such as difficulties in getting numerous companies he owns to comply in time, as well as reluctance of some parties to disclose certain private information in probity checks required by the Singapore government. However, Kwek was retained as an advisor for Sands' bid.

[edit] Investment

Inside the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Las Vegas Sands initially committed to invest S$3.85 billion (about US$2.85 billion) in the project, not including the fixed S$1.2 billion (about US$888 million) cost of the 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2) site itself. With the escalating costs of materials, such as sand and steel, and labour shortages owing to other major infrastructure and property development in the country, Sheldon Adelson place the total cost of the development at S$8.0 billion (about US$5.9 billion) as of July 2009.

Las Vegas Sands declared the undertaking as "one of the world's most challenging construction projects and certainly the most expensive stand-alone integrated resort property ever built".[14] It expects the casino to generate at least $1 billion in annual profit.[6] Two months after the initial phased opening, the casino attracts around 25,000 visitors daily, about a third being Singaporeans and permanent residents who pay a $100 daily entry levy or $2,000 for annual unlimited access. Half a million gamblers passed through the casino in June 2010.

For the economy, Marina Bay Sands is projected to stimulate an addition of $2.7 billion or 0.8 per cent to Singapore's Gross Domestic Product by 2015, employing 10,000 people directly and 20,000 jobs being created in other industries.

The resort is designed by Moshe Safdie, who says it was initially inspired by card decks. In addition to the casino, other key components of the plan are three hotel towers with 2,500 rooms and suites, a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) Art-Science museum and a convention centre with 1,200,000 square feet (111,000 m2) of space, capable of accommodating up to 45,000 people. The resort's architecture and major design changes along the way were also approved by a number of consultant feng shui masters.[citation needed]

[edit] Opening

During the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics opening ceremony

Marina Bay Sands was originally planned to be completed in a single phase in 2009,[13] but rising construction costs and the financial crisis forced the company to open it in phases. The first phase's preview opening was further delayed until 27 April 2010, and the grand opening was pushed back to 23 June 2010. The rest of the complex remain under construction and will not be completed before 2011.

On 27 April 2010, Marina Bay Sands had the first of a planned 3 to 4 phase openings. The casino, parts of the conference hall, a segment of the Shoppes, 963 hotel rooms and the event plaza were opened at the auspicious time of 3:18 p.m as part of the "preview opening".

The Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) held the first conference at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on 2–5 May 2010, but the event was marred by uncompleted facilities and a power failure during a speech. IPBA withheld payment of S$300,000 and was consequently sued by Marina Bay Sands. In June IPBA counter-sued, describing the venue as a "complete disaster" and that its earlier payments had been imposed by "duress, fear and force".[18] An "amitable settlement" with undisclosed terms was announced in August.

On 23 June 2010, the resort had its official opening with a "2-day celebration"; this includes the Sands SkyPark, the Event Plaza along Marina Bay, more shops, additional dining options and nightlife offerings, and the rest of the hotel rooms. First day events included - a "World Championship Climb" on the glass facade of the building to the SkyPark, with 7 teams of 21 top rock climbers from around the world competing, and an evening concert for 4,000 invited guests and customers, featuring Diana Ross, Kelly Rowland, JJ Lin among others. The SkyPark was opened on the second day at 2 pm, with about 2,000 adult tickets costing S$20 each sold.

* In December 2010, the Art-Science Museum, two Sands Theatres and two floating Crystal Pavilions will be completed.

* In March 2011, Disney's The Lion King musical production will debut at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre.

Attractions

View of the CBD skyline, City Hall, and Esplanade from the SkyPark

View of Singapore Flyer from the SkyPark

Marina Bay Sands features three 55-storey hotel towers which were topped out in July 2009. The three towers are connected by a 1 hectare sky terrace on the roof, named Sands SkyPark.

In front of the three towers include a Theatre Block, a Convention and Exhibition Facilities Block, as well as the Casino Block, which have up to 1000 gaming tables and 1400 slot machines. The Art-Science Museum is constructed next to the three blocks and has the shape of a lotus. Its roof will be retractable, providing a waterfall through the roof of collected rainwater when closed in the day and with laser shows when opened at night. The Art-Science Museum opens in December 2010.

The SkyPark is home to the world's longest elevated swimming pool, with a 478-foot (146-meter) vanishing edge, perched 191 meters above the ground. The pools are made up of 422,000 pounds of stainless steel and can hold 376,500 gallons (1424 cubic metres) of water. The SkyPark also boasts rooftop restaurants, nightclubs, gardens hundreds of trees and plants and a public observatory with 360-degree views of the Singapore skyline.

There are four movement joints beneath the main pools, designed to help them withstand the natural motion of the towers, and each joint has a unique range of motion. The total range of motion is 19.68 inches (500 millimetres). In addition to wind, the hotel towers are also subject to settlement in the earth over time, so engineers built and installed custom jack legs to allow for future adjustment at more than 500 points beneath the pool system. This jacking system is important primarily to ensure the infinity edge of the pool continues to function properly.

Moshe Safdie designed an Art Path within the resort, incorporating seven installations by five artists including Sol Lewitt, Antony Gormley and Zheng Chongbin. The pieces are meant to play on environmental influences including light, water and wind, integrating art with architecture.

If these have recently blossomed, then it might be a good idea to return to Echo Park soon to get them when they have blossomed to capacity.

Capacity 200

Famous for Sea Food from Coast to Coast

"The Most Talked Restaurant in Jackson"

Guests Invited to Visit our Glassed in, Stainless Steel Kitchen

Ample Parking

740 East Silas Brown Street

Jackson, Mississippi

Business Aids

Dexter Press

59212-B

CAPA-

I put this in my blog today: dennissylvesterhurd.blogspot.ca/2015/12/a-few-of-todays-i...

Registration CEC340D

Make HILLMAN

Model IMP SUPER

Date of first registration 18 January 1966

Cylinder capacity 875cc - PETROL

Vehicle status Not taxed - Tax due 01 September 1982

Vehicle colour GREEN

Or Dover Marine.

Or even Dover Admiralty Pier station.

It has been all of them. But is now Dover Cruise Terminal.

We got news from a friend, Paul, that the station was open on Good Friday, so we went down just after it opened. There were massive queues leading to the Western Docks, and all along Townwall Street leading to the port, was blacked with stationary traffic. A little bit of heading through Market Square, and hoping that the police had kept the roundabout open at the end of York Street, they had, so we were clear to head to the old station.

Although the tracks have been filled in with concrete, the rest of the station is pretty complete and in good order, especially after a major refurbishment last year.

-------------------------------------------------------

This was a large, spacious, and impressive station, located within a maze of lines upon a tight triangular junction between the routes from Folkestone and Dover Priory. The origins of the terminus and general railway expansion in the Dover area derive from a need to cope with ever-increasing traffic, both local and boat services. Indeed, many capacity issues upon both SER and LC&DR networks were properly addressed after the formation of the SE&CR. The SER had initially commenced through running to Dover on 7th February 1844, after an eastward extension from Folkestone, which involved taking the railway along the dramatic coastline of Folkestone Warren. This had witnessed the blowing up of sections of chalk cliff with gunpowder, and boring three tunnels:

Martello Tunnel: 532-yards

Abbotscliff Tunnel: 1,942-yards

Shakespeare Tunnel: 1,387-yards

The SER ran into what later became known as ‘’Dover Town’’ station, and between here and Shakespeare Tunnel, the double-track line was elevated upon a wooden framework. The SER’s Town station was a large affair, comprising five tracks entering the terminus from the west, all of which were protected by a large twin-span overall roof. Substantial three-storey-high railway offices backed onto the rear of the platform lines, these being constituted of the customary yellow brick, lined at the edges with stone. Extension beyond the terminus took place in 1860, by means of a single track exiting the rear (east) of the layout, veering southwards onto a stone-built pier head. The latter, known as the ‘’Admiralty Pier’’, carried a double-track and allowed trains to come directly alongside steamer boat services to France. In July of the following year, the LC&DR commenced through running between Victoria and Dover Priory. Also in 1861, after the boring of a 684-yard-long tunnel southwards through the Kentish chalk, from Priory station, the ‘’Chatham’’ line was brought closer to the earlier SER station. The LC&DR opened ‘’Dover Harbour’’ on 1st November 1861, which was a terminus affair comprising two platform faces, separated by three tracks, all of which were protected by a single-span triangular-shaped trainshed. Just like the SER’s Town station, Dover Harbour ceased to be a terminus proper when a single-track was taken beyond the original buffer stops, down to the Admiralty Pier. LC&DR services commenced to the pier on 30th August 1864, where separate platforms were provide for both ‘’Chatham’’ and SER companies. The platforms were arranged in an end-to-end fashion along the same section of track, rather than serving their own separate lines upon the pier. The LC&DR’s southward extension from Dover Harbour formed the second side of what would later become a triangular junction – the SER had created the first southern side of the arrangement, as a result of its initial 1860 opening of the short section of line between Dover Town and Admiralty Pier.

On 15th June 1881, the SER and LC&DR opened the ''Dover & Deal Joint Line'' – a rare example of the frenetic rivals cooperating. To allow the SER direct access to this line from its trunk route via Folkestone, a double-track spur (the ‘’Hawkesbury Street Curve’’) between Dover Harbour station and the Dover Town approaches came into use on the same day – the triangular junction was now complete. The SER was granted running powers over LC&DR metals through Priory station, and a number of local services now bypassed Dover Town. However, to compensate for this, additional platform surfaces were brought into use upon the connecting spur. The area in-between the two sites was already heavily built up, but early maps suggest that demolition in the locale, to accommodate the spur, was surprisingly modest. At the ‘’Chatham’’ end of the spur, signalling was installed by contractors Stevens & Sons.

The formation of the SE&CR Joint Managing Committee on New Years Day 1899 marked the beginning of a new era of railway expansion and improvements on the erstwhile independent networks of the SER and LC&DR. Of prominence during this company’s tenure was the St Johns to Orpington quadrupling works, between 1900 and 1905, which involved physically connecting both Tonbridge Cut-Off and ‘’Chatham’’ main lines in the vicinity of Chislehurst. In the Dover area, alterations began with the closure of the platforms upon the connecting spur between SER and LC&DR lines, in 1903. Subsequently, in 1912, major works began alongside the Admiralty Pier, to create an artificial platform within the water, on which a whole new terminus station was to be built. The latter was to be a spacious affair, dedicated to boat traffic only, and would permit the closure of existing station sites. Creating the platform involved dumping large quantities of chalk into the water immediately east of the Admiralty Pier. As it later transpired, the Admiralty Pier was not demolished, but rather, was absorbed into the new works to become the western side of the sea platform. Construction of the terminus commenced in 1913, and by the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, the majority of the building work had been completed. A splendid vaulted train shed roof, comprising seven spans of varying widths, had been erected. The station measured 170-feet in width, and at its longest point stretched to 800-feet. The well-covered terminus comprised four 693-foot-long platform faces, arranged in the form of two spacious islands of concrete construction.

Wartime economies saw the closure of the ex-SER Dover Town station in 1914, which was never to reopen, but the retention of the ex-LC&DR Harbour and Priory stations, to which all services were now diverted to. The demise of the Town station was coupled with the closure of the three-road engine shed adjacent to the Hawkesbury Street Curve, and the concentration of the area’s locomotive allocation on the depot at Priory. The withdrawal of boat services on the outbreak of war saw that the semi-complete SE&CR terminus had no passenger traffic to serve. Despite its unfinished state, the station was quickly brought into use on 2nd January 1915 for military traffic, initially in the form of ambulance trains. Although the trainshed was virtually complete by this time, a significant feature still lacking was the marvellous stone façade which now graces the structure’s landward elevation. Completion of building works came after the cessation of war in November 1918, and the first passenger boat trains commenced to the terminus on 18th January 1919, the station being christened ‘’Dover Marine’’.

Attractive single-storey red brick offices, complete with war memorial, were built upon the platform surfaces, and both platform islands and the exit were linked by a lattice footbridge at the northern end of the terminus, located within the trainshed. The incorporation of the SE&CR’s main war memorial here was unusual, for the other large railway companies erected these at their main termini in London. The layout upon the sea platform had grown to an extensive arrangement of tracks, numerous sidings having been brought into use to handle substantial levels of freight traffic during the war period. Dover Marine was controlled by an SE&CR-designed 120-lever signal box positioned to the west of the station, immediately adjacent to the tracks from Priory. The signal box comprised a substantial brick base and was in fact a much larger version of the signal cabin which still exists at Folkestone Harbour, demonstrating traits of those early Saxby & Farmer products. A 455-foot long enclosed glazed footbridge was suspended above the double-track of the former Admiralty Pier, and this took passengers over the complex approaches from the Folkestone direction. A physical connection was also made between this footbridge and the Lord Warden Hotel. The latter was a four-storey colossus, the main section of which was built upon a floor plan of 130-foot by 120-foot. Originally opened in 1851, the hotel was built on a site immediately behind the SER’s Dover Town station.

Locomotive facilities at the site initially comprised just a turntable and cylindrical water tank, located behind the signal box. As previously mentioned, on the closure of Dover Town, the locomotive allocation was concentrated on the existing depot at Priory. However, the inadequacy of the Priory site was emphasised after completion of the SE&CR’s Dover area enlargement works, and a new improvement scheme was soon set in motion after the formation of the Southern Railway. The SR devised a modernisation programme for the Dover area, which included a comprehensive rebuilding of Priory station, the closure of Harbour station, and the building of a new motive power depot. The proposals got underway in 1924, with the confirmation of a 280-foot-long five-road locomotive shed, to be built to the west of Dover Marine, alongside the running lines from Folkestone. As per the construction of the twelve-acre platform for the Marine station, large quantities of chalk were dumped into the sea, beside the former site of the ex-SER’s Dover Town, to reclaim enough land for a spacious complex. The depot came into use during 1928, comprising four eastward-facing dead-end tracks, a single through track, and a sixth line which terminated within an adjacent repair shed. The provision of a 65-foot turntable at the site resulted in the removal of that which resided behind the signal box at Dover Marine, and the water tank there also disappeared. The commissioning of the engine shed, which at 2007 prices cost approximately £7,767,500 to build, allowed the closure of the shed at Priory station, allowing the site there to become part of an enlarged goods yard. Dover Harbour station was subject to closure on 10th July 1927, all local traffic being concentrated at Priory and boat services being served exclusively at Marine station. Other improvements in the Dover area during the SR’s tenure included the rebuilding of the elevated track bed east of Shakespeare Tunnel from wood to concrete, and the laying of coal sidings at the Eastern Docks. Eight freight sidings also came into use alongside the Hawkesbury Street Curve, at Bulwark Street, partially upon the former site of the SER’s Dover Town engine shed. A dock basin for the train ferry, fed by a double-track emanating from the Dover Priory route, came into use during 1936, to the north of the Marine terminus.

Before continuing, it is worth examining one of the out-of-the-ordinary boat trains that served Dover Marine. Initially, the French inaugurated the ‘’Flèche d’Or’’ on 11th September 1926, a prestigious boat train running between Calais and Paris. The ‘’Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits’’ (International Sleeping Car Company) ordered twenty British Pullman vehicles to operate the service: fifteen kitchen cars (Nos. 4001 to 4015) were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and fifteen parlour cars (Nos. 4016 to 4030) were constructed by the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon & Finance Company. The luxury vehicles were delivered new in the now renowned Umber and Crème ‘’New Standard’’ Pullman colours of the British fleet, and were operated as pairs, rather than individual carriages. With reference to the latter, this meant that a kitchen car and a parlour car would be semi-permanently coupled into a pair known as a ‘’Couplage’’, or, if you like, ‘’Linkage’’. Initially, the Flèche d’Or service was operated by two trains, each ten vehicles in length. From 1932 onwards, Pullman vehicles were repainted into the standard colours worn by the rest of the Wagon-Lits fleet: a lighter shade of crème appeared in place of the British colour, and the umber lower half became dark blue.

The French’s efforts were matched on the other side of the Channel by an all-Pullman service run by the Southern Railway from Victoria. Colloquially, this was referred to as the ‘’White Pullman’’, because the other Pullman cars on the Eastern Section at that time still wore the crimson lake livery of the SE&CR. Officially, however, the service was called the ‘’Continental Express’’, but it was nevertheless referred to by passengers as the ‘’Golden Arrow’’, the English translation of the French title. This was a sign of things to come, for on 15th May 1929, the SR’s all-Pullman boat train service was re-launched as the ‘’Golden Arrow’’. Significant engineering works occurred on the ex-SER trunk line between Petts Wood Junction and Dover, which involved strengthening bridges to accommodate the heavier engines planned to haul this prestigious service. Maunsell ‘’Lord Nelson’’ 4-6-0 locomotives were selected as the prime motive power, with Urie 4-6-0 ‘’King Arthur’’ engines (later modified by Maunsell) supplementing the fleet.

Much of the time, the outward ‘’Golden Arrow’’ from Victoria was booked to arrive at Folkestone Harbour, but the return portion instead started at Dover Marine, which gave rise to some interesting shunting movements. As mentioned elsewhere on the website, the Folkestone Harbour branch has never had a direct connection with the main line, and access to it can only be made by means of a headshunt manoeuvre. This arrangement was implemented as a safety measure from the outset, since the branch descends at a steep gradient of 1 in 30 to the harbour. Thus, the Pullman service would arrive at Folkestone Junction, and initially terminate in the reception sidings positioned to the east of the station there, where the connection with the Harbour Branch was made. An ex-SE&CR R1 Class 0-6-0 Tank would then attach itself to the rear of the train, whilst the ‘’main line’’ engine was detached, and take the Golden Arrow stock down to Folkestone Harbour. This released the ‘’main line’’ locomotive from the headshunt, and consequently, it ran light along Folkestone Warren, to Dover Marine. At the latter, the engine would be rotated, more often than not by means of the triangular junction between the converging lines from Folkestone, Priory, and Marine stations, rather than on the turntable at Dover shed. After rotation, the locomotive would then head back to Folkestone Junction to collect the empty Pullman stock for the return working, which had previously been banked up the steep Harbour Branch incline by as many as four R1 Tanks. The tank engines would usually bring the train out onto the running lines at the Junction station, allowing the express locomotive to immediately couple to the stock. The Pullman vehicles would then be hauled empty to Dover Marine to form the return working to Victoria. This involved some indignity for the engine because for this empty stock movement, it had to run tender-first.

The declaration of war on Germany on 3rd September 1939 signalled the beginning of harsh times for the Port of Dover, as it became a prime target for bombing raids. Boat trains and steamer services were suspended immediately, and passenger services to the Marine station ceased. The Marine site was again dedicated to military traffic, just as it had been during World War I, and as a consequence, services along the ex-SER route went no further than Folkestone. Indeed, consistent shelling over the Channel, from France, had made the site unsafe to handle any form of passenger traffic, and even the 1928-opened engine shed had to close during the conflict, all engines being stationed at Ashford for the duration. The attractive Marine station suffered damage to the trainshed roof, but thankfully, this was modest enough to deem it practical and worthwhile to repair, normal service at the station resuming after the conflict. Since the advent of World War II, the prominent Lord Warden Hotel had been used as offices; the Marine Department occupied the building from 1952 onwards, by which time it was known as ‘’Southern House’’.

Initially, the British Railways era did not necessarily mean rationalisation for this extensive site, as it did at so many other stations nationwide. Rather, the emphasis was on modernising facilities, to cater for new rail freight boat traffic which, in these pre-Chunnel days, was still important and by no means in decline. Modernisation of the site began in 1953, with the renewal of the five quayside cranes which ran alongside the northern wall of the terminus. This was followed in February 1956 by the approval of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme. Published within an ‘’Extension of Electrification’’ report of 1957 were the alterations proposed for the Marine station. In early 1959, the station was closed to passengers temporarily to allow modifications to be carried out. These involved the extension of both island platforms westward by 114-feet, beyond the extent of the trainshed, and the installation of canopies above the exposed surfaces. The platform extensions were constituted of prefabricated concrete components, manufactured at Exmouth Junction concrete works; the platform canopies were W-shaped and lacked any form of valance. The latter were virtually enlarged versions of the equally clinical canopies which emerged at the rebuilt Folkestone Central and St Mary Cray stations, and these additions somewhat marred the attractive stone façade of the SE&CR station. Third rail was installed on all platform lines during 1959, as part of the ‘’Chatham’’ line electrification of the scheme’s ‘’Phase 1’’, and these were subsequently energised for the commencement of the full electric timetable via this route on 15th June of that year. An enclosed riveted steel footbridge was also erected across the approach tracks from Dover Priory, linking the main entrance beside the Lord Warden Hotel with the Customs Hall, on the northern perimeter of the Western Docks. Naturally, steam continued to visit the station by means of the ex-SER trunk line from the Folkestone direction until the implementation of a full electric timetable on this route on 18th June 1962. The Golden Arrow had been hauled by E5000 series electric locomotives since 12th June 1961. Colour lights installed at the Marine station during the electrification scheme were of the three-aspect type. Before electrification, the empty stock of arrived services would be shunted out the seaward end of the trainshed, and up along the extent of the old Admiralty Pier, to clear the platform lines. Locomotives would also be required to run-a-round using the Admiralty Pier tracks.

The commencement of electric haulage on the Golden Arrow in the June of 1961 coincided with the demise of Dover engine shed. Hitherto, the depot had the responsibility of servicing the Stewarts Lane-allocated steam locomotives which brought the luxurious train down from Victoria. Closure of the sub-shed at nearby Folkestone Junction also occurred, but the site of Dover MPD was put to new railway use, becoming host to a plethora of goods sidings. Closure of goods sidings at Bulwark Street occurred on 15th August 1966, but Archcliffe Junction – at the Folkestone end of the Hawkesbury Street Curve – remained in existence. In the following decade, major works were planned around the Marine station’s peripheral: in 1973, proposals were put forward for the construction of a roll-on-roll-off vehicle shed, and in 1974, planning of a new hoverport at the Western Docks began. After a consultation period spanning 1975 to 1976 inclusive, the hoverport was formally commissioned for operation on 5th July 1978, and replaced a smaller affair situated in the Eastern Docks. Track rationalisation had also occurred beyond the rear of the trainshed, and the ‘’Golden Arrow’’ had ceased between Victoria and the Channel Ports after a final run on 30th September 1972. Since 1969, the number of Pullman cars in the train had been whittled down to five, and the rest of the formation consisted of Second Class BR Mk 1 vehicles.

On 14th May 1979, Dover Marine station was renamed ‘’Dover Western Docks’’, and on 31st October of the following year, the ‘’Night Ferry’’ London to Paris train made its final run. This had first operated on the evening of 14th October 1936, between London Victoria and Paris Gare du Nord, via Dover Marine and Dunkirk. The service was unique among the boat trains, because the carriage stock travelled across the Channel with the passengers and ran on both British and French railway networks. Indeed, the vehicles were smaller than standard Continental carriage stock, having been specially built to meet the restrictive loading gauge of the British system. The service had been suspended during the war years, the last train running through to Paris over the night of 3rd/4th September 1939. After the cessation of the conflict, the ‘’Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits’’ (CIWL: International Sleeping Car Co.) found itself engaged in a search and rescue mission over the whole of Europe, to find several missing carriages. Stock of both the ‘’Night Ferry’’ and ‘’Orient Express’’ services had been taken over by the Germans, camouflaged and armoured, and subsequently used as army vehicles. The ‘’Night Ferry’’ service was resumed on 14th December 1947, and this was followed ten years later by the addition of a through sleeping car to Brussels. A sleeping car for Basle, Switzerland, was added to the service in 1967, but this lasted just two years.

Over the five years which followed the renaming of the station to ‘’Dover Western Docks’’, truncations of the lines within the trainshed, at their seaward ends, saw a ground level walkway come into use for passengers, behind the new buffer stops (a headshunt did, however, still remain for locomotive-hauled services). The SNCF train ferry continued to handle an abundance of ferry vans, shunted by Class 33/2 locomotives – the latter had been under the auspices of Railfreight Distribution (RfD) since that Business Sector’s formation on 10th October 1988. The ferry itself accommodated a double-track, and to maintain balance on the vessel, wagons on both lines would be loaded and unloaded simultaneously. During 1993, the train ferry shunting duty passed to Class 09 diesels.

Channel Tunnel boring began on 1st December 1987, and in light of this, the British Rail Board produced the dreaded report in 1989: the ‘’Proposed closure of Dover Western Docks Station and Folkestone Harbour branch’’. Passenger boat traffic was now seen as a thing of the past, as the advent of the proposed ‘’Eurostar’’ services through the Chunnel would now cater for this, providing a much faster and efficient service. Some of the freight carried upon the ferries could be transferred for haulage through the Chunnel; certain traffic, however, such as chemicals and inflammables, were not permitted through the tunnel, as they were safety hazards. Handling of these goods would therefore transfer to the Eastern Docks, involving the use of road transport, due to the lack of a rail connection there. During 1992, the headshunt facility at Western Docks station was taken out of use, meaning that locomotive-hauled services had to be shunt released – the latter duty was generally undertaken by a RfD Class 33/2. The fateful day was on Saturday 24th September 1994, when 4 CEP No. 1604 departed with the last advertised public departure to Victoria, scheduled for 21:44. The following day, the closure of the station was marked by the visit of ex-BR Pacific No. 70000 ‘’Britannia’’, with ‘’The Continental Farewell’’ rail tour from London Victoria. This had travelled via Balham, Beckenham Junction, and Tonbridge. The locomotive was masquerading as No. 70014 ‘’Iron Duke’’, which was one of two ‘’Britannias’’ formerly associated with the haulage of the famous ‘’Golden Arrow’’ on the South Eastern Division, between the years of 1952 and 1958 inclusive. At Western Docks, the tour met another ex-Golden Arrow locomotive, but of a more modern era: Type ‘’HA’’ E5000 series No. E5001. This locomotive fronted two tours on the same day, taking the excursion stock from Western Docks to Ashford and back, via Folkestone and Canterbury West.

It was not the total end of Dover Western Docks – yet. Until 19th November 1994, empty stock movements to and from the station continued to be available to passengers, albeit not advertised in the official timetable. Thereafter, the trainshed became a useful facility for stabling electric units for cleaning, until complete closure came with the decommissioning of the SE&CR signal box on 5th July of the following year. The bulldozers finally moved in at the beginning of 1996, but thankfully, since the main building was protected by Listed Status, demolitions only encompassed those additions made in 1959, as part of the Kent Coast Electrification Scheme. Naturally, the tightly curving track, with its famous crossovers, was also lifted, and as part of the works to convert the trainshed into a cruise liner terminal, the gap in-between the island platforms was in-filled, to provide a continuous floor at the same level. All red brick offices upon the platforms were retained, as was the elongated footbridge towards the Lord Warden Hotel. Even the substantial SE&CR signal box remained on site as office accommodation, but unlike the main station structure, this was not a Listed building. Tragically, the signal box met its end in 2000. The train ferry dock basin of 1936 was in-filled, and today its site is host to a sand operation.

The British Rail Board’s original report of 1989 outlined the closure of the Folkestone Harbour branch, but in the midst of the redevelopment at the Western Docks, the renowned steeply graded line continued to enjoy services. Unlike at Dover, where the passenger ferries at Eastern Docks were detached from the railway, Sea Cat sailings continued to operate from the railway pier at Folkestone, even after the opening of the Chunnel. These justified the retention of rail services to the Harbour station, which continued until the transference of the Sea Cat to Ramsgate in 2001.

kentrail.org.uk/dover_marine.htm

Deputy Director of the IMF Institute for Capacity Development Roger Nord and Acting Assistant Administrator of USAID Peter Natiello participate in a signing ceremony welcoming USAID as a partner of the IMF’s Caribbean Regional Capacity Development Centre during the 2021 Annual Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.

IMF Photo/Allison Shelley

18 October 2021

Washington, DC, United States

Photo ref: AS211018014.ARW

DISCLAIMER

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

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Some background:

The mighty Suchoj SuCh-1 started its life in early March 1943, when the Sukhoi OKB finished work on the design of a high-speed fighter with a unique powerplant arrangement. The aircraft was an all-metal low-wing mono­plane with conventional tail surfaces. The three-section wings had constant dihedral and basically trapezoidal planform; the sta­bilizers had zero dihedral.

All in all only 120 of these powerful machines were built until the end of hostilities, as the feared mass attacks of German long range bombers did not materialize. as the Su-7 was complicated to operate and jet engines promised a far more efficient way of propulsion for high speeds, the type was already retired in 1947 and replaced by 1st generation jet fighters like the Yak-15 and MiG-9, which carried a similar armament, attained a better performance (except for the range) but weighed only half of the large and heavy SuCh-1.

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General characteristics

Crew: One

Length: 11.75 m (38 ft 5 3/4 in)

Wingspan: 13.85 m (45 ft 3 1/4 in)

Height: 5.30 m (17 ft 4 in)

Empty weight: 5.250 kg (11.565 lb)

Max. take-off weight: 8.100 kg (17.840 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Klimov VK-107A liquid-cooled V12 engines with an output of 1.650 hp (1.210 kW) each at sea level and 900 hp (650 kW) at 8.300m (27.220 ft)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 720 km/h (447 mph) at height, clean configuration

Range: 750 km (465 mi)

Service ceiling: 11.700 m (38.400 ft)

Rate of climb: 876 m/mim (2.850 ft/min)

Armament:

1× Nudelman-Richter NR-37 37mm cannon with 60 RPG, firing through the propeller hub

2× Nudelman N-23 23mm cannons with 120 RPG in the wings

Many different cannon and machine gun arrangements coulod be found, though.

*Information about the conceptual Suchoj I-2M107 was primarily gathered from the book 'OKB Suchoj', written by Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov; Hersham (UK), 2010.

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The kit and its assembly (a long story!):

This abomination of an aircraft is/was real, even though the I-2M107 was never built – the fictional name Suchoj-Chizhevskiy SuCh-1 was actually chosen because I could not find any plausible Su-X code for a WWII fighter. Vladimir A. Chizhevskiy actually joined the Suchoj OKB in mid WWII, so I deemed this alternative to be plausible.

I had this on the agenda for a long time, but the horrors of kitbashing kept me from building it - until now. The current Anthony P memorial Group Build (for the deceased fellow member at whatifmodelers.com, RIP) was a good motivation to tackle this brute thing. Fortunately, I already had some major ingredients in store, so work could start asap.

From that, anything else was improvised from the scrap box, and with only a three side view of the I-2M107 as guidance. It became a true Frankenstein creation with...

● Fuselage and inner wings from the (horrible) NOVO Attacker

● Wings from an Italeri Fw 190 D-9 attached to them

● Nose is a resin Griffon from an Avro Lincoln conversion set from OzMods

● Tail cone is a radar nose from an F-4J Phantom II

● Tail fin is a horizontal stabilizer from a Matchbox SB2C Helldiver

● Vertical stabilizers come from a Matchbox Me 410

● Oil coolers are modified front landing gear wells from two Revell G.91 kits

● Cockpit hood comes from a Revell P-39 Airacobra

● Landing gear comes from an Italeri Fw 190 D-9, covers were modified/improvised

● Main wheels belong to a MPM Ryan Dark Shark

● Tail wheel belongs to a Matchbox Harrier

● The propeller was scratched, IIRC from a Grumman Hellcat drop tank front and blades from an Airfix A-1 Skyraider. Inside, a metal axis was mounted.

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Work started with the fuselage and the wings as separate segments.

The Attacker fuselage lost its fin and the cockpit and air intakes were simply cut away, just as the tail pipe. The resin Griffon was slightly shortened at the front, but more or less directly attached to the fuselage, after I had cut out openings for the four rows of exhaust nozzles.

Then, the new tail cone was glued onto the end and the original fairings for the Attacker's stabilizer cut away and sanded even - anything had to be made new.

The wings were a bit tricky. I had hoped to use the Attacker's OOB wings, but these were not only much too small and did not have the proper shape, they also lacked landing gear wells!

Finding a solution was not easy, and I had to improvise. After some trials I decided to cut the Attacker wing span at about the width where the guns are located, and then add Fw 190 wings.

The depth would be fine, even though the Fw 190 wings were a bit thicker, and they offered a leading edge kink which was good for the original and characteristic I-2M107's wing root extensions. The latter were sculpted from a 6mm thick core or styrene sheet, added to the Attacker parts' leading edge, and the rest, as well as the lacking Attacker wing's thickness, sculpted with 2C and later NC putty.

Furthermore I cut out and sculpted landing gear wells, another challenging, since these had to cover the Attacker/Fw 190 parts' intersection! LOTS of putty work, sanding and shaving, but as a benefit I was able to use the Attacker kit's original wing/fuselage joints. Effectively, my placement turned out to be a bit far outside, so the track appears too wide - the price to pay when you work on single parts. Anyway, I left it was it turned out, as a major correction at a late working stage would mean to tear anything apart again...

Back to the nose: adding the propeller and the cockpit into the massive nose was the next working station. The propeller had to be huge, and also needed a rather big spinner. A contraprop was ruled out, even though it would have looked great here. But eventually I settled for a scratch-built thing, made from a teardrop-shaped drop tank front onto which the four blades from a A-1 Skyraider were glued. Probably the biggest prop I have ever put onto a 1:72 scale model! Since the resin nose was massive, drilling a hole and adding a metal axis to the propeller was enough.

With that in place I started carving out a cockpit opening - it worked better and easier than expected with a mini drill and a coarse shaving head! The opening is still rather small, a seat and a pilot hardly fit, but it works - I found a rather smallish pilot figure, and added a seat and some other small details from the scrap box, just to have something inside.

For a canopy I found a very old (30 years, I guess...) clear part from a Revell P-39 Airacobra in the scrap box, which was almost perfect in shape and width. It was a bit blind and stained with ancient enamel paint, but some wet sanding and serious polishing almost got it back to translucent status. Since I would not open the cockpit, this was a sufficient solution.

The asymmetrical cockpit opening was, in an initial step, faired with styrene strips, for a rough outline, and then sculpted with 2C and later NC putty, blending it into the rest of the fuselage.

For the tail surfaces, the SB2C stabilizer was cut away at its base - it is not a bad donation piece, its shape and rudder come pretty close to the I-2M107's original design!

The stabilizers I used on my kitbash come from a Me 410, and their leading edge was a cut away so that the sweep angle would be a bit larger. They lack depth, compared to the I-2M107's original design, but since the wings have become more slender, too, I think it's a good compromise, and the best what I had at hand in the spares stash.

Finally, and before detail work could start, the wings were attached to the fuselage. I eventually set them back by ~6mm, so that the new, extended leading edge would match the respective fairing on the fuselage. The resulting gap at the trailing edge was, again, filled with 2C and NC putty.

A personal change was a different oil cooler arrangement. The original location was to be in the wings' leading edge, just in front of the landing gear wells - but that appeared a bit doubtful, as I could not find a plausible solution where the exit for the air would be? Consequently, and in order to avoid even more messy putty sculpting on the wings, I decided to re-locate the oil coolers completely, into shallow, tunnel-like fairings under the wing roots, not unlike the radiator arrangement on a Spitfire or Bf 109.

In order to check the surface quality I decided to add a coat of grey primer, once the fuselage/wing segments had been connected. This showed only minor flaws, but made another turn with NC putty and wet sanding necessary.

Now it was time for finishing touches, e .g. mounting the landing gear, completing the cockpit and adding exhaust stubs - cut individually from HO scale model railroad roof tiles and inserted into the four fuselage fairings.

The canopy was fixed into place with white glue, which also helped closing some small gaps.

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Painting and markings:

While the I-2M107 looks odd, to say the least, I wanted to keep the paint scheme rather simple and quasi-authentic. I went for a pale grey/green camouflage, used e. g. on late war Yakovlev Yak-3 fighters.

Basic colors are Humbrol 31 (Slate Grey, it has a very greenish, even teal, hue), ModelMaster 1740 (Dark Gull Grey, FS 36231) and Humbrol 167 (Barley Grey) for the lower sides with a wavy waterline. Since only marginal surface details were left over, I decided to fake panels and panel lines with paint.

Panels were simulated with lighter shades of the basic tones (RLM 62 from ModelMaster, Humbrol 140 and 127 below), panel lines were painted with highly thinned grey acrylic paint and a special brush - in German it's called a 'Schlepppinsel', it's got very long hairs and is also used to paint scallops on car models, and similar things are used for real car tuning/custom paintwork, too.

Sure, the painted panel lines are a bit rough, but I did not want to risk any damage through manual engraving on the rather delicate mixed-media surface of the kitbashed model. For an overall look or first impression it's very good, though.

As 'highlights' I added a white spinner and half of the fin was painted white, too.

The decals were puzzled together. The flashes and the tactical code number come from a Hobby Boss La-7, the Red Stars, IIRC, belong to a vintage MiG-21F from Hasegawa. The "Rodinu" slogan actually belongs to a 1:35 Soviet Tank decals set.

Finally, after some additional dry painting with light grey, some oil stains around the engines and coolers and soot stains at the exhaust stubs and guns (painted, plus some grinded graphite, as it yields a nice, metallic shimmer that looks like oil or burnt metal), everything was sealed under a coat of matt acrylic varnish.

If it had been built, the Suchoj I-2M107 must have been an impressive aircraft - it was bigger than a P-47 Thunderbolt or an A-1 Skyraider, and one can only wonder how its field performance would have been?

Similar concepts had been underway in UK, too, e. g. for a heavy naval attack aircraft, but the I-2M107 with its asymmetrical cockpit and engine arrangement were unique. A worthy whif, even if some details like the landing gear or the borrowed nose section are not 100% 'correct'.

Capacity Europe 2013

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