View allAll Photos Tagged Operational
Today the yard was operational for the last time. Reason; I am going to move the layout from the current room to a much larger hobbyroom. In terms of surface area, I'm not going to win that much. The gain is more in the accessibility of the layout. Only one short side will be positioned against a wall, all other sides are freely accessible. Most important; I have everything for the modelrailwayhobby in 1 room; the layout, all storage needed and my workbench for all scenery work. An enormous progress. For now I have enough work with the dismantling and new build-up!
In 2009 this was an operational Gulf filling station which had closed down by 2012 and the canopy branding removed, this revealed some rather strange looking Esso branding.
By 2015 the pumps had gone and the site was operating as a hand car wash as it is in the present day.
I just made it to this one as it was starting to get dark.
Google street view 2009
www.google.com/maps/place/Hooton+Hand+Car+Wash+%26+Valeti...
Chris Barker photographed this one back in June 2024, a couple of months before me.
His photo is in the comments below.
9H-MIP HI FLY MALTA AIRBUS A380-800 msn 006 painted in "Save the Coral Reefs" special colours Jul 2018
re-configured "Cargo (Covid-19)" Jun 2020 ferried from Beja to Toulouse before repainted in white on Dec 17 2020
last operational flight for Hi Fly Malta
The railway operational centre of the South Leicestershire coalfield was at Mantle Lane, Coalville. This was were the train crew depot could be found along with the marshalling yard and was where locomotives were stabled between duties. On a murky 12th December 1979 stabled at Mantle Lane is 56036.
Locomotive History
In September 1974 British Rail ordered sixty new heavy freight locomotives designated class 56. The order was split with thirty locomotives to be built by Brush and thirty locomotives to be built by Doncaster works. The body design was derived from the Brush class 47 and was of the load bearing monocoque type. The engine (GEC 16RK3CT) was of English Electric heritage and an uprated version to that fitted to the class 50. Although the engine was rated at 3520bhp in the class 56 it was derated to 3250bhp. The electrical equipment was derived from the Brush prototype locomotive HS4000 Kestrel and consisted of a Brush BA1101A 3-phase ac alternator driving six TM73-62 series wound, axle hung nose suspended traction motors. The bogies (designated CP2) were a Swiss design. Although order in September 1974 the first of the Doncaster works batch did not start physical construction until July 1976 when the fabricated bodyshells of the first two (56031/32) started to appear. Progress was slow due to shortage of labour and late delivery of components and 56031 eventually entered traffic on the 13th May 1977. 56036 entered traffic in January 1978, nominally allocated to Toton but in reality it could be found at the Railway Technical Centre undergoing a series of tests. In August 1978 56036 entered Stratford works and reappeared in a new livery of corporate blue with large double arrow logo’s, numbers and yellow painted cabs. This livery was applied at the behest of the Railway Design Panel and would eventually become standard for the class. On release from Stratford works 56036 entered general traffic. After twenty two years service 56036 was withdrawn in January 2000 and initially dumped at Toton before being towed to Chester Wagon Repair Depot and stored inside the depot along with 56043/64/77, 56107/09. When Chester WRD was sold it moved to Wigan CRDC in December 2001. Four years later it made its final journey to CF Booth, Rotherham where it was broken up in March 2006.
Re-scanned and re-edited 25th April 2016
Praktica LTL, Ektachrome 200
Suffolk Fire And Rescue Service Volvo FL Operational Support Unit. Seen here positioned on the front of Ipswich East Fire station during an organised vist to the area with thanks to the Fire Fighters for thier time.
610 belongs to a first series of single axle driver machines for the RhB.
Only three are left operational, one will become historical.
Operational Support Unit, Stratford, AE07 HXO [F21A] (CSU 4), seen parked up on blues in the London Borough of Enfield.
view the response and on scene video: youtu.be/LH08XaR5lV4
Getting operational information on the Black Mesa & Lake Powell was nearly an impossible task. Not very many people venture out to this remote corner of the world to photograph it, so information is sparse...if you can come by any information at all (and due to the vagaries of any railroad operation, it can all change without warning).
But luckily, we ran into another railfan during one of our Apache chases who had just been out to the BM&LP about a week before. He told us the current operating pattern was to run an empty out of the Navajo Generating Station around 3:00 PM. Yuck. Not the best for lighting (going east in the afternoon), but out here on this elusive railroad, I'll take whatever I can get.
So a quick runby past the power plant in the morning showed the train sitting there -- cool, I can go get my laundry done! :-) Around mid-day, Jason & I scouted out the line and settled on this spot where the tracks turn a little more north-south before swinging northeast to parallel US 160 (and where you can bag it several times -- prior to this point, the railroad goes more "cross-country" and it's much more difficult to chase).
So here we were, sitting out in my car in 94 degree heat with the air conditioner blasting away, not 100% sure when this railroad even ran. Headlights zipping around the corner got us out of the car & into a dead sprint for our arranged photo spot. Hi-rail. Well, that's at least a sign of life out here...
An hour later, almost to the minute, headlights again...except this time, the headlight is attached to four GE E60C-2 locomotives in matching N de M paint (Nacionales de Mexico -- their previous owner). Jackpot!!!!
It's moments like this that make the hobby incredibly rewarding!
My last chance to see an operational RAF Puma was at the Northolt XXXII Nightshoot in March. Here XW224 stands under the lights.
Helicopter: Royal Air Force Westland Puma HC.2 XW224.
Location: RAF Northolt (NHT/EGWU), London, UK.
Warwickshire & West Mercia Police | Force Operational Tasking | Kawasaki ZG 1400 CDF | VX64 LCK performing a traffic stop in Worcester, UK
To see a video of this performing a traffic stop, click here.
To see a playlist of videos featuring police vehicles from across the UK, such as Metropolitan, British Transport, West Midlands, West Mercia & Warwickshire Police, responding, click here.
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Thankyou to all emergency services!!!
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Shemshak is a village located north-east of Tehran, in the Alborz mountain range, just under 60 km from the capital, wherefrom it can be reached in about 90 minutes by car.
The village is renowned for its ski resort which is the third largest ski area in Iran, after Dizin and Darbansar, and became operational in the late fifties.
Full size view is recommended.
West Mercia & Warwickshire Police | Force Operational Tasking | Kawasaki ZG 1400 CDF | VX64 LCJ out in Herefordshire, UK
To see a playlist of videos featuring police vehicles from across the UK, such as Metropolitan, British Transport, West Midlands, West Mercia & Warwickshire Police, responding, click here.
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Thankyou to all emergency services!!!
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Operational; was main locomotive, but has mechanical issues at the present time.
Mount Washington Cog Railway Steam locomotive.
Operational career[edit]
The locomotive was built at GWR's Swindon Works, out-shopped in June 1930. For most of its working life it was allocated to Newton Abbott and Laira (Plymouth), working express passenger trains to and from Devon to London Paddington. Withdrawn from Cardiff in June 1962, it was sent to Swindon for breaking up.[1] However, in light of the installation of a new bridge west of Bristol towards South Wales, it was coupled to its twin, 6024 King Edward I, and towed to the bridge for weight testing purposes. With both locomotives now closer to South Wales than Swindon, the decision was made to sell them to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry Island.
Preservation[edit]
King Edward II at Woodhams' Scrapyard, in 1982
Whilst King Edward I was saved in 1974, King Edward II remained at the scrapyard due to the rear driving wheels being flame-cut following a derailment at Woodham's. However, as part of the 150th anniversary of GWR's formation in 1985, the hulk was acquired by Harvey's of Bristol, and was moved to a bay platform at Bristol Temple Meads railway station called the Fish Dock.
Restoration[edit]
The Brunel Engineering Centre Trust, under a Manpower Services Commission (MS) scheme, completely dismantled 6023 and restoration began. Work continued until the autumn of 1988, when the MS scheme funding was withdrawn and the future of 6023 was cast into doubt.
6023 was then bought by the Great Western Society (GWS) and moved to Didcot in March 1990 for its restoration to continue. The restoration has included the casting of new rear driving wheels in 1994, followed by re-wheeling the chassis in 1995. The casting is notable since it is thought to be the first wheels to be created for a standard gauge locomotive in preservation. The damaged wheels were also acquired by the GWS at Didcot and can today be seen on display there. Unlike the other preserved "King" class locomotives, the GWS decided to restore 6023 to its as-built single-chimney configuration. All "Kings" had been converted to double chimneys under British Railways ownership, which improved performance and efficiency but changed the original appearance.
On 12 April 2010, King Edward II's boiler passed its steam test, and on 20 January 2011 it moved for the first time under its own power since 1962.[2] It was due to re-enter service on 2 April 2011.[3]
Initially, King Edward II has been painted in the early BR express passenger blue livery, rather than the later standard BR Brunswick Green livery currently carried by 6000 King George V and 6024 King Edward I.
Operational since 1982 the Thames Barrier was built to prevent the majority of Greater London from being flooded by exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the North Sea. When needed massive steel gates rotate from their river bed resting place to an upright (closed) position. In all there are 9 piers strung across the river, the majority of which are 60m apart.
The concept of the rotating gates was devised by Charles Draper in the 1950s. The novel rotating cylinders were based on a small household appliance, a brass gas tap which could be found in most post-war houses in the UK. The barrier was designed by Rendel, Palmer and Tritton for the old Greater London Council. The site at New Charlton was chosen due to the relative straightness of the banks and because the underlying river chalk was strong enough to support the barrier. It was officially opened on 8 May 1984 by Queen Elizabeth II. The authorities think it should last until at least 2070.
There’s a huge visitors center adjacent to the barrier but late on a Sunday evening I had the river bank walk all to myself. As the light slowly drained from the sky the barrier lights fired up illuminating the piers with a lovely orange glow. The place was eerily quiet! In the background sits the O2 Arena (formerly known as the Millennium Dome) and beyond that London's new financial heart Canary Wharf.
7 exp, tripod mounted, hdr with pp in acr, photomatix, photoshop and topaz clarity/de-noise. Nikon D700 and 24-70 at 70mm. ISO 200, 1/6 to 10 sec, f20.
Operational preserved 801 shunts a string of former Overland Passenger cars together at the National Railway Museum at Port Adelaide on 27-4-13
The Junkers Ju 88 was a German World War II Luftwaffe twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Designed by Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke (JFM) in the mid-1930s to be a so-called Schnellbomber ("fast bomber") which would be too fast for any of the fighters of its era to intercept, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early operational roles, but became one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the war. Affectionately known as the "Maid of All (Work)" (Mädchen für Alles),[citation needed] the Ju 88 proved to be suited to almost any role. Like a number of other Luftwaffe bombers, it was used successfully as a bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, heavy fighter and even, during the closing stages of the conflict in Europe, as a flying bomb.
Despite its protracted development, the aircraft became one of the Luftwaffe's most important assets. The assembly line ran constantly from 1936 to 1945, and more than 16,000 Ju 88s were built in dozens of variants, more than any other twin-engine German aircraft of the period. Throughout the production, the basic structure of the aircraft remained unchanged.
-Ju 88 A-5, Werk Nr. 0886146 with Stammkennzeichen of CV+VP
This aircraft is held at the Deutsches Technikmuseum near Berlin. It was delivered to the Luftwaffe in June 1940 and assigned to the bomber unit Kampfgeschwader 54, who flew it in the Battle of Britain and during the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
By June 1942, it was serving with a training unit, Kampffliegerschule 3 based on the German Baltic coast. On the night of the 29 June, it was stolen by two German personnel who intended to fly to Britain and defect to the Allied side. The attempt failed and the aircraft came down in Kilsfjord, a fjord near Kragerø, Norway. One man drowned but the other, Willi Voss, was rescued by Norwegian civilians. However, he was subsequently captured, returned to Germany and executed in January 1943, even though some accounts claim Voss was forced by the other man to fly at gunpoint. The aircraft flew was recovered in August 2000. Restoration work was carried out in Norway between 2000 and 2004; it was moved to Germany in August 2006.
Construction site around North Greenwich. The sky was fab that day, shot through a fence on tripod. HDR with 7 exposures taken, from -3 EV to +3 EV with 1 stop in between.
Kong Industries presents: Operational Police Rifle.
One of the first of its kind; a bullpup with a unique backwards ejecting firing system. Each casing is accurately ejected under the rifle, behind the magazine leaving the operator's hands safe and face clear away. Made from strong polymers, the rifle consists of 3 major parts: upper receiver, lower receiver and internals. The durable trigger guard is enlarged to act as a comfortable grip when attached with the 40mm grenade launcher. Note that the charging handle is quickly switched from right to left-hand in seconds, and is simply tightened by a bolt above the hinge. Sight measurements are adjustable and optics can be attached when a side-mount rail system is combined.
Police forces all around the world are buying them by the bulk, as it takes minimal training to fire and do maintenance. Future versions will come with designated marksmen and heavy support operators in mind. Furthermore, it's cheap, reliable, sturdy, accurate and packs-a-punch!
Credits: Keeb for MPO and logo!
The Eastern State Penitentiary, also known as ESP, is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located at 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration first pioneered at the Walnut Street Jail which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment.
Notorious criminals such as Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton were held inside its innovative wagon wheel design. James Bruno (Big Joe) and several male relatives were incarcerated here between 1936-1948 for the alleged murders in the Kelayres Massacre of 1934, before they were pardoned. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide
The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public as a museum for tours seven days a week, twelve months a year, 10 am to 5 pm.
The above information comes from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_State_Penitentiary
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.
Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird:
No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71, the world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.
This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight's conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.
Transferred from the United States Air Force.
Manufacturer:
Designer:
Date:
1964
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 55ft 7in. x 107ft 5in., 169998.5lb. (5.638m x 16.942m x 32.741m, 77110.8kg)
Other: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 107ft 5in. x 55ft 7in. (5.638m x 32.741m x 16.942m)
Materials:
Titanium
Physical Description:
Twin-engine, two-seat, supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft; airframe constructed largley of titanium and its alloys; vertical tail fins are constructed of a composite (laminated plastic-type material) to reduce radar cross-section; Pratt and Whitney J58 (JT11D-20B) turbojet engines feature large inlet shock cones.
Long Description:
No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71 Blackbird. It is the fastest aircraft propelled by air-breathing engines. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War. The airplane was conceived when tensions with communist Eastern Europe reached levels approaching a full-blown crisis in the mid-1950s. U.S. military commanders desperately needed accurate assessments of Soviet worldwide military deployments, particularly near the Iron Curtain. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's subsonic U-2 (see NASM collection) reconnaissance aircraft was an able platform but the U. S. Air Force recognized that this relatively slow aircraft was already vulnerable to Soviet interceptors. They also understood that the rapid development of surface-to-air missile systems could put U-2 pilots at grave risk. The danger proved reality when a U-2 was shot down by a surface to air missile over the Soviet Union in 1960.
Lockheed's first proposal for a new high speed, high altitude, reconnaissance aircraft, to be capable of avoiding interceptors and missiles, centered on a design propelled by liquid hydrogen. This proved to be impracticable because of considerable fuel consumption. Lockheed then reconfigured the design for conventional fuels. This was feasible and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), already flying the Lockheed U-2, issued a production contract for an aircraft designated the A-12. Lockheed's clandestine 'Skunk Works' division (headed by the gifted design engineer Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson) designed the A-12 to cruise at Mach 3.2 and fly well above 18,288 m (60,000 feet). To meet these challenging requirements, Lockheed engineers overcame many daunting technical challenges. Flying more than three times the speed of sound generates 316° C (600° F) temperatures on external aircraft surfaces, which are enough to melt conventional aluminum airframes. The design team chose to make the jet's external skin of titanium alloy to which shielded the internal aluminum airframe. Two conventional, but very powerful, afterburning turbine engines propelled this remarkable aircraft. These power plants had to operate across a huge speed envelope in flight, from a takeoff speed of 334 kph (207 mph) to more than 3,540 kph (2,200 mph). To prevent supersonic shock waves from moving inside the engine intake causing flameouts, Johnson's team had to design a complex air intake and bypass system for the engines.
Skunk Works engineers also optimized the A-12 cross-section design to exhibit a low radar profile. Lockheed hoped to achieve this by carefully shaping the airframe to reflect as little transmitted radar energy (radio waves) as possible, and by application of special paint designed to absorb, rather than reflect, those waves. This treatment became one of the first applications of stealth technology, but it never completely met the design goals.
Test pilot Lou Schalk flew the single-seat A-12 on April 24, 1962, after he became airborne accidentally during high-speed taxi trials. The airplane showed great promise but it needed considerable technical refinement before the CIA could fly the first operational sortie on May 31, 1967 - a surveillance flight over North Vietnam. A-12s, flown by CIA pilots, operated as part of the Air Force's 1129th Special Activities Squadron under the "Oxcart" program. While Lockheed continued to refine the A-12, the U. S. Air Force ordered an interceptor version of the aircraft designated the YF-12A. The Skunk Works, however, proposed a "specific mission" version configured to conduct post-nuclear strike reconnaissance. This system evolved into the USAF's familiar SR-71.
Lockheed built fifteen A-12s, including a special two-seat trainer version. Two A-12s were modified to carry a special reconnaissance drone, designated D-21. The modified A-12s were redesignated M-21s. These were designed to take off with the D-21 drone, powered by a Marquart ramjet engine mounted on a pylon between the rudders. The M-21 then hauled the drone aloft and launched it at speeds high enough to ignite the drone's ramjet motor. Lockheed also built three YF-12As but this type never went into production. Two of the YF-12As crashed during testing. Only one survives and is on display at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The aft section of one of the "written off" YF-12As which was later used along with an SR-71A static test airframe to manufacture the sole SR-71C trainer. One SR-71 was lent to NASA and designated YF-12C. Including the SR-71C and two SR-71B pilot trainers, Lockheed constructed thirty-two Blackbirds. The first SR-71 flew on December 22, 1964. Because of extreme operational costs, military strategists decided that the more capable USAF SR-71s should replace the CIA's A-12s. These were retired in 1968 after only one year of operational missions, mostly over southeast Asia. The Air Force's 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (part of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) took over the missions, flying the SR-71 beginning in the spring of 1968.
After the Air Force began to operate the SR-71, it acquired the official name Blackbird-- for the special black paint that covered the airplane. This paint was formulated to absorb radar signals, to radiate some of the tremendous airframe heat generated by air friction, and to camouflage the aircraft against the dark sky at high altitudes.
Experience gained from the A-12 program convinced the Air Force that flying the SR-71 safely required two crew members, a pilot and a Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO). The RSO operated with the wide array of monitoring and defensive systems installed on the airplane. This equipment included a sophisticated Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) system that could jam most acquisition and targeting radar. In addition to an array of advanced, high-resolution cameras, the aircraft could also carry equipment designed to record the strength, frequency, and wavelength of signals emitted by communications and sensor devices such as radar. The SR-71 was designed to fly deep into hostile territory, avoiding interception with its tremendous speed and high altitude. It could operate safely at a maximum speed of Mach 3.3 at an altitude more than sixteen miles, or 25,908 m (85,000 ft), above the earth. The crew had to wear pressure suits similar to those worn by astronauts. These suits were required to protect the crew in the event of sudden cabin pressure loss while at operating altitudes.
To climb and cruise at supersonic speeds, the Blackbird's Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines were designed to operate continuously in afterburner. While this would appear to dictate high fuel flows, the Blackbird actually achieved its best "gas mileage," in terms of air nautical miles per pound of fuel burned, during the Mach 3+ cruise. A typical Blackbird reconnaissance flight might require several aerial refueling operations from an airborne tanker. Each time the SR-71 refueled, the crew had to descend to the tanker's altitude, usually about 6,000 m to 9,000 m (20,000 to 30,000 ft), and slow the airplane to subsonic speeds. As velocity decreased, so did frictional heat. This cooling effect caused the aircraft's skin panels to shrink considerably, and those covering the fuel tanks contracted so much that fuel leaked, forming a distinctive vapor trail as the tanker topped off the Blackbird. As soon as the tanks were filled, the jet's crew disconnected from the tanker, relit the afterburners, and again climbed to high altitude.
Air Force pilots flew the SR-71 from Kadena AB, Japan, throughout its operational career but other bases hosted Blackbird operations, too. The 9th SRW occasionally deployed from Beale AFB, California, to other locations to carryout operational missions. Cuban missions were flown directly from Beale. The SR-71 did not begin to operate in Europe until 1974, and then only temporarily. In 1982, when the U.S. Air Force based two aircraft at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall to fly monitoring mission in Eastern Europe.
When the SR-71 became operational, orbiting reconnaissance satellites had already replaced manned aircraft to gather intelligence from sites deep within Soviet territory. Satellites could not cover every geopolitical hotspot so the Blackbird remained a vital tool for global intelligence gathering. On many occasions, pilots and RSOs flying the SR-71 provided information that proved vital in formulating successful U. S. foreign policy. Blackbird crews provided important intelligence about the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and its aftermath, and pre- and post-strike imagery of the 1986 raid conducted by American air forces on Libya. In 1987, Kadena-based SR-71 crews flew a number of missions over the Persian Gulf, revealing Iranian Silkworm missile batteries that threatened commercial shipping and American escort vessels.
As the performance of space-based surveillance systems grew, along with the effectiveness of ground-based air defense networks, the Air Force started to lose enthusiasm for the expensive program and the 9th SRW ceased SR-71 operations in January 1990. Despite protests by military leaders, Congress revived the program in 1995. Continued wrangling over operating budgets, however, soon led to final termination. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration retained two SR-71As and the one SR-71B for high-speed research projects and flew these airplanes until 1999.
On March 6, 1990, the service career of one Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird ended with a record-setting flight. This special airplane bore Air Force serial number 64-17972. Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and his RSO, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Vida, flew this aircraft from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging a speed of 3,418 kph (2,124 mph). At the conclusion of the flight, '972 landed at Dulles International Airport and taxied into the custody of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. At that time, Lt. Col. Vida had logged 1,392.7 hours of flight time in Blackbirds, more than that of any other crewman.
This particular SR-71 was also flown by Tom Alison, a former National Air and Space Museum's Chief of Collections Management. Flying with Detachment 1 at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Alison logged more than a dozen '972 operational sorties. The aircraft spent twenty-four years in active Air Force service and accrued a total of 2,801.1 hours of flight time.
Wingspan: 55'7"
Length: 107'5"
Height: 18'6"
Weight: 170,000 Lbs
Reference and Further Reading:
Crickmore, Paul F. Lockheed SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1996.
Francillon, Rene J. Lockheed Aircraft Since 1913. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1987.
Johnson, Clarence L. Kelly: More Than My Share of It All. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985.
Miller, Jay. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. Leicester, U.K.: Midland Counties Publishing Ltd., 1995.
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird curatorial file, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum.
DAD, 11-11-01
Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992.
(2001: A Space Odissey)
This week in 2007, the Oxygen Generation System, aboard the International Space Station became operational. Part of the Environmental Control and Life Support System, the OGS produces breathable air for the station’s crew as well as replaces oxygen lost as a result of experiment use, module leakage, carbon dioxide venting and airlock depressurization. Here, the three-module ECLSS is pictured at the Internal Thermal Control System Test Facility at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Marshall is responsible for the design, construction and testing of regenerative life support hardware for the space station and Marshall's Payload Operations Integration Center serves as "science central" for the station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory's scientific experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA's history, visit the Marshall History Program's webpage. (NASA)
Image credit: NASA
West Mercia And Warwickshire Police | Force Operational Tasking | Volvo V70 & BMW 330d | VU60 BSZ & BX62 FGP on standby for parade duty at Copenhagen St Worcester Fire Station's last operational day.
There was a convoy of all the fire appliances, including a spare, escorted by police on blue lights through the city from the old site to the new site, to see the video click here.
To see a playlist of videos featuring police vehicles from across the UK, such as Metropolitan, British Transport, West Midlands, West Mercia & Warwickshire Police, responding, click here.
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Thankyou to all emergency services!!!
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The Air Force Museum of New Zealand, formerly called The Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum, is located at Wigram, the RNZAF's first operational base, in Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. It opened on 1 April 1987 as part of the celebrations for the RNZAF's 50th anniversary, and is primarily a museum of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, its predecessor, the New Zealand Permanent Air Force and New Zealand squadrons of the Royal Air Force.
The Air Force Museum of New Zealand's mission is to preserve and present the history of New Zealand military aviation for commemoration, learning, inspiration and enjoyment.
The Museum holds the national collection of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The collection includes objects covering the early days of New Zealand military aviation both prior to World War I and during this major conflict, the interwar years which saw the formation of the RNZAF in 1937, New Zealanders who fought in the RAF and in other Allied air forces during World War II, the RNZAF’s campaign in the Pacific, and the post-war period to the present day. The collection also includes objects from former enemy forces, aircraft, aircraft components, aircraft engines, large objects, textiles, art and memorabilia as well as an extensive paper and photographic archive.
The Museum is free admission. Visitors can take a half-hour guided tour through 'behind the scenes' areas of the Museum, which includes the Reserve Collection hangar. The Museum's most recent restoration project, an Airspeed Oxford, is now on public display since February 2016. The Museum also has a Mosquito Flight Simulator, which features a mission based on the Allied bombing of German battleships in the Norwegian fiords.
West Mercia & Warwickshire Police | Force Operational Tasking | Kawasaki ZG 1400 CDF | VX64 LCJ
To see a playlist of videos featuring police vehicles from across the UK, such as Metropolitan, British Transport, West Midlands, West Mercia & Warwickshire Police, responding, click here.
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Thankyou to all emergency services!!!
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Erste österreichische Straßenbahn- und Eisenbahnklub (1.öSEK): this association manages the great railway museum of Strasshof, located 25 km northeast of Wien, called "Das Heizhaus". It occupies the premises of an old depot and workshop of the Austrian railways ÖBB, which closed in 1978. The museum was opened in 1984. Between the large workshop building and the numerous external tracks, the museum houses more than 200 heritage vehicles.
Inside the workshops, the 2-4-2T steam railcar DT1 07. It was part of a series of 20 vehicles built by Lokomotivfabrik Floridsdorf between 1935 and 1938 for BBÖ, as light steam van railcar, later rebuilt as steam locomotive. As of 1953 they formed the series 3071 of ÖBB. The DT1 07 (3081/1935) is the only preserved vehicle of the series, and is in operational status.
Five Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II aircraft landed on the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Friday, October 28. America will embark a total of seven F-35Bs during this testing period -- two are scheduled to begin the third shipboard phase of developmental test (DT-III) and five are scheduled to conduct operational testing. Learn more: lmt.co/2fuWK0N
West Mercia And Warwickshire Police | Force Operational Tasking | BMW 330d | BX62 FGP on standby for parade duty at Copenhagen St Worcester Fire Station's last operational day.
There was a convoy of all the fire appliances, including a spare, escorted by police on blue lights through the city from the old site to the new site, to see the video click here.
To see a playlist of videos featuring police vehicles from across the UK, such as Metropolitan, British Transport, West Midlands, West Mercia & Warwickshire Police, responding, click here.
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Thankyou to all emergency services!!!
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Two operational pubs, which couldn't be more different architecturally, at least currently in Mt. Morgan, Queensland.
Upper shot, the Grand Hotel - Grand Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 39 Central Street, Mount Morgan, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built c. 1901. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. There was a surge of building in Mount Morgan around the turn of the century and a number of new hotels were built. The Grand Hotel was probably constructed for Shaw and in late 1900 or early 1901 it was being run by Ernest Bale, a hotelier from Rockhampton. Shaw may have had financial problems, because the Queensland National Bank took out a caveat on the mortgage in 1901 and by July the Grand Hotel was being advertised in the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin under the proprietorship of W.D. Eaton. It was claimed to feature "every convenience of a First Class Hotel for families, visitors, tourists and commercial Gentlemen". The coffee and dining rooms were lighted by gas, a service newly available in Mount Morgan, and a telephone line was installed. This was no doubt of value to the commercial travellers who used the sample rooms, as was its central position with regard to the railway station, post office, court house and central business district. A two-storey building across the lane from the hotel on Central Street was constructed as a guest house to take the overflow of guests from the Grand, probably its long term boarders. Eaton did not retain his interest in the hotel, however, and in 1902 it was taken over by Joseph Moulds, an experienced local publican who had previously run the Mountain View Hotel, his lease being formalised in October 1903.
In 1906 the property was formally acquired by the Queensland National Bank as Shaw was declared insolvent in 1904. Moulds died in 1907 and in early 1908 the property, now described as subdivision 1 on section 6 of resubdivision 11 of subdivision B, and measuring about 24 perches (610 m2), was acquired by Lucy Moulds, his widow. The property was purchased in 1917 by Francis Chardon, a butcher, who presumably purchased it as an investment. May Maykin purchased the license from 1920 to 1922.In 1923 a major fire occurred in the block along Morgan Street and the School of Arts was destroyed, probably also removing the series of small shops shown abutting the Grand Hotel in a 1913 photograph. In 1929 the hotel passed to James Hayes, a hotelier. Hayes ran the hotel until his death in an aircraft accident in 1937,[2] but Mrs Hayes and then Charlotte Hayes continued to operate it. The Hayes family acquired the block next to the hotel and in 1949 this and the original subdivision 1 were sold to Richard and Violet McLean, who had been at the Grand since about 1945. In 1989 the hotel passed to anotherowner.
Changes occurring to the hotel over time have been relatively minor and include the painting of the bricks, which were originally a rich ochre red with contrasting cement render detail. The verandah facing Morgan Street on the upper level has been built in and some alterations to ground floor walls and the furnishing and decoration of the bars has occurred.
The bat wing doors that were originally on the corner entrance of the hotel survive as exhibits in the local museum.
Lower - The Golden Nugget Hotel, heavily and unsympathetically modified! A difficult pub to get much information about, apparently built in the 1890's (looking quite different to this shot) and known as the Central Hotel, it was renamed the Golden Nugget in 1965. Here is a press story from 2018 when new owners seem to have taken over.
www.pressreader.com/australia/the-morning-bulletin/201806...
Forty six years after rolling out of the Pullman Standard shops as EL #1532 is one of the handful of Comet I cab cars still operational in the United States in service on Septa. Septa Comet I #606 was purchased by NJDOT for service in the Erie Lackawanna commuter district in 1973.
From there the cab car went to NJ Transit until it was retired in May of 2008 and sold to Septa later that year for use on their commuter lines. Septa purchased two trainsets that lasted in revenue service until 2012/2013.
Since then, the two cab cars have been demoted to non-revenue service and are found on Septa's Gel Train in the autumn months that combats leaf residue left on the rails.
Pictured is Septa #606 leading WASH-2 westbound through Miquon on the Manayunk/Norristown Line (ex-Reading Norristown Branch). Currently, the 606 is one of four operational Comet I cab cars left in the United States. Septa owns two, while one is restored at the Orange Empire Rail Museum in Perris, CA and the other at the Whippany Railway Museum in Whippany NJ.
The morning of 17th February 1981 revealed heavy snow had fallen. In this picture at Kings Norton a Tyseley class 116 DMU is struggling towards Longbridge, wrong line, I am guessing the direction of travel by the tail light!. The Camp Hill lines (left) remain buried under snow and clearly have yet to see a train.
Peter Shoesmith
Copyright Geoff Dowling & John Whitehouse
Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 22 (VMX-22) "Argonauts"
www.ottosenphotography.com | © Matt Ottosen
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
Operator: USAF, 388th and 419the Fighter Wings, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
Type: F-35A Lightening II (AF 15-5196)
Location: Moron Spanish Air Force Base, Andalucia, Spain.
Comment: Flying as "Trend 41" lining up at the end of Runway 20 to depart on its final leg of the USAF's F-35s first overseas operational deployment to Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE.
Engine: Cummins six cylinder diesel
Transmission: Eaton-Fuller 10 speed
Photo courtesy of Auctions International.
Operational career[edit]
The locomotive was built at GWR's Swindon Works, out-shopped in June 1930. For most of its working life it was allocated to Newton Abbott and Laira (Plymouth), working express passenger trains to and from Devon to London Paddington. Withdrawn from Cardiff in June 1962, it was sent to Swindon for breaking up.[1] However, in light of the installation of a new bridge west of Bristol towards South Wales, it was coupled to its twin, 6024 King Edward I, and towed to the bridge for weight testing purposes. With both locomotives now closer to South Wales than Swindon, the decision was made to sell them to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry Island.
Preservation[edit]
King Edward II at Woodhams' Scrapyard, in 1982
Whilst King Edward I was saved in 1974, King Edward II remained at the scrapyard due to the rear driving wheels being flame-cut following a derailment at Woodham's. However, as part of the 150th anniversary of GWR's formation in 1985, the hulk was acquired by Harvey's of Bristol, and was moved to a bay platform at Bristol Temple Meads railway station called the Fish Dock.
Restoration[edit]
The Brunel Engineering Centre Trust, under a Manpower Services Commission (MS) scheme, completely dismantled 6023 and restoration began. Work continued until the autumn of 1988, when the MS scheme funding was withdrawn and the future of 6023 was cast into doubt.
6023 was then bought by the Great Western Society (GWS) and moved to Didcot in March 1990 for its restoration to continue. The restoration has included the casting of new rear driving wheels in 1994, followed by re-wheeling the chassis in 1995. The casting is notable since it is thought to be the first wheels to be created for a standard gauge locomotive in preservation. The damaged wheels were also acquired by the GWS at Didcot and can today be seen on display there. Unlike the other preserved "King" class locomotives, the GWS decided to restore 6023 to its as-built single-chimney configuration. All "Kings" had been converted to double chimneys under British Railways ownership, which improved performance and efficiency but changed the original appearance.
On 12 April 2010, King Edward II's boiler passed its steam test, and on 20 January 2011 it moved for the first time under its own power since 1962.[2] It was due to re-enter service on 2 April 2011.[3]
Initially, King Edward II has been painted in the early BR express passenger blue livery, rather than the later standard BR Brunswick Green livery currently carried by 6000 King George V and 6024 King Edward I.