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Iconic, robust, practical. This is my 3rd version of the iconic ship that has graced the screens, tv shows and in print. I took a step back from my first version and reworked the entire model.
Red 5, Luke's main ship. Stickers from the UCS model and custom ones were used. I may add more later, but that may be for the Gray model version.
Many other x-wing designs have come since my 2016 model as well as new LEGO parts that helped shape this ship.
Like my original design this model features a durable internal structure and frame that allows you to hold the ship in front of the cockpit.
I also included internal components like my previous model to help define the various parts shown in the X-Wing cross sections. Life support, compressors, coils, power converters, power generator, flight computer, repulsorlift, hydraulic lines, communications antenna, sensor computer, primary sensor array, and a functional cargo bay.
The Landing gear was another story. Since my model is a display one I wanted to not have a working rear landing gear until LEGO develops more curved slopes that would help shape the engines. Instead, I used a similar design from my previous model to swap out for landing mode or flight mode. The front landing gear fits snug into the ship.
I am particularly proud that my cockpit design from version 1 found its way back into my latest model with slight modifications to allow the side panels to properly stay together.
Custom parts are used here. I Cut a few curved windows to make the Laser magnetic flashback suppressors. I also cut a ribbed flexible hose to fit inside the cockpit. I took a flat 2x2 tile and drilled a hole inside it to slide the technoic axle through. LEGO currently has a 2x2 round tile with a hole, but I needed a square one.
Brickarms has great monoclips and u-clips that work great for smaller ideas, such as my joystick or holding parts inside the cylinders.
The stand design is great, but I think it would work better if I swap out some parts and have several technique axles run through it and into the x-wing.
This Siemens AG 170 kW (hydroelectric) generator has been built and installed 1912 (according to Wikipedia) and up until today powers the former hunting lodge of bulgarian tsar Ferdinand and his son Boris III. The lodge consist of multiple buildings in various european architectural styles, a chapel, all located in a beautiful park near the little town of Borovets in Bulgaria.
Having had no tripod with me i needed to shoot the 3 exposures for this HDR by putting the camera on the windowsill of the building.
Iconic, robust, practical. This is my 3rd version of the iconic ship that has graced the screens, tv shows and in print. I took a step back from my first version and reworked the entire model.
Red 5, Luke's main ship. Stickers from the UCS model and custom ones were used. I may add more later, but that may be for the Gray model version.
Many other x-wing designs have come since my 2016 model as well as new LEGO parts that helped shape this ship.
Like my original design this model features a durable internal structure and frame that allows you to hold the ship in front of the cockpit.
I also included internal components like my previous model to help define the various parts shown in the X-Wing cross sections. Life support, compressors, coils, power converters, power generator, flight computer, repulsorlift, hydraulic lines, communications antenna, sensor computer, primary sensor array, and a functional cargo bay.
The Landing gear was another story. Since my model is a display one I wanted to not have a working rear landing gear until LEGO develops more curved slopes that would help shape the engines. Instead, I used a similar design from my previous model to swap out for landing mode or flight mode. The front landing gear fits snug into the ship.
I am particularly proud that my cockpit design from version 1 found its way back into my latest model with slight modifications to allow the side panels to properly stay together.
Custom parts are used here. I Cut a few curved windows to make the Laser magnetic flashback suppressors. I also cut a ribbed flexible hose to fit inside the cockpit. I took a flat 2x2 tile and drilled a hole inside it to slide the technoic axle through. LEGO currently has a 2x2 round tile with a hole, but I needed a square one.
Brickarms has great monoclips and u-clips that work great for smaller ideas, such as my joystick or holding parts inside the cylinders.
The stand design is great, but I think it would work better if I swap out some parts and have several technique axles run through it and into the x-wing.
Getting the warehouse ready for a large sale on Saturday.
This old Warehouse building is not connected to the power grid, the lights are powered by my Uncle's gasoline-powered generator.
My Uncle wanted to have the building hooked up to the electrical power grid but the electric utility company, Entergy of Mississippi refused to connect the building.
Iconic, robust, practical. This is my 3rd version of the iconic ship that has graced the screens, tv shows and in print. I took a step back from my first version and reworked the entire model.
Red 5, Luke's main ship. Stickers from the UCS model and custom ones were used. I may add more later, but that may be for the Gray model version.
Many other x-wing designs have come since my 2016 model as well as new LEGO parts that helped shape this ship.
Like my original design this model features a durable internal structure and frame that allows you to hold the ship in front of the cockpit.
I also included internal components like my previous model to help define the various parts shown in the X-Wing cross sections. Life support, compressors, coils, power converters, power generator, flight computer, repulsorlift, hydraulic lines, communications antenna, sensor computer, primary sensor array, and a functional cargo bay.
The Landing gear was another story. Since my model is a display one I wanted to not have a working rear landing gear until LEGO develops more curved slopes that would help shape the engines. Instead, I used a similar design from my previous model to swap out for landing mode or flight mode. The front landing gear fits snug into the ship.
I am particularly proud that my cockpit design from version 1 found its way back into my latest model with slight modifications to allow the side panels to properly stay together.
Custom parts are used here. I Cut a few curved windows to make the Laser magnetic flashback suppressors. I also cut a ribbed flexible hose to fit inside the cockpit. I took a flat 2x2 tile and drilled a hole inside it to slide the technoic axle through. LEGO currently has a 2x2 round tile with a hole, but I needed a square one.
Brickarms has great monoclips and u-clips that work great for smaller ideas, such as my joystick or holding parts inside the cylinders.
The stand design is great, but I think it would work better if I swap out some parts and have several technique axles run through it and into the x-wing.
Microscale NCS base, complete with anti-meteorite defence laser turret, landing strip with warehousing, elevated monorail, power generator and all sorts of goodies.
The tan baseplates are supposed to recall the sand-coloured terrain always shown on the original CS sets' box art, and also because I don't have baseplates in light bluish grey.
I enjoyed a few hours down at the habour this evening , I met up with a few fellow photographers who had come down to capture the activity of vessels either arriving or leaving for the North Sea.
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
Ford F-350 Superduty XLT DeWalt Edition.
Ford always shows cars that are modified and designed to someone's specs (there was a F-350 fire truck, too). This one was pretty cool looking, but HUGE. But hey, it's OK when you have a built-in power generator in the back.
Blackpool Corporation Transport Car No.40. Built 1926. 78seats This was the last open balcony tram to operate in Great Britain. Returned to service June 2008.
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. At the end of 2007, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 94.1 gigawatts.Although wind produces about 1% of world-wide electricity use, it accounts for approximately 19% of electricity production in Denmark, 9% in Spain and Portugal, and 6% in Germany and the Republic of Ireland (2007 data). Globally, wind power generation increased more than fivefold between 2000 and 2007.
The Ferrari 348 is a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive V8-powered 2-seat sports car by Ferrari S.p.A., replacing the 328 in 1989 and continuing until 1995.
The 348, badged 348 tb for the coupé (Trasversale Berlinetta) and 348 ts (Spider) for the targa versions, features a naturally aspirated 3.4-litre version of the quad-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder V8 engine which was originally found in the 288 GTO sports car. As with its predecessors, the model number was derived from this configuration, with the first two digits being the displacement and the third being the number of cylinders. The engine, which produced 300 hp (224 kW), was mounted longitudinally and coupled to a transverse manual gearbox, like the Mondial t with which the 348 shared many components. This was a significant change for Ferrari, with most previous small Ferraris using a transverse engine with longitudinal transmission. The "T" in the model name 348 tb and ts refers to the transverse position of the gearbox. Overall, 2,895 examples of the 348 tb and 4,230 of the 348 ts were produced.
The 348's styling differed from previous models with straked side air intakes and rectangular taillights resembling the Testarossa. The F355 that replaced it returned to the styling cues of the 328 with round tail lights and rounded side air scoops. Fifty-seven "Challenge" models were built for owners who wanted a more "track-ready" car.
The 348 was fitted with dual-computer engine management utilizing twin Bosch 2.5 Motronic ECUs, double-redundant anti-lock brakes, and self-diagnosing air conditioning and heating systems. Late versions (1993 and beyond) have Japanese-made starter motors and Nippondenso power generators to improve reliability, as well as the battery located within the front left fender for better weight distribution.
U.S. spec 348's have OBD-I engine management systems, though European variants do not come with the self-test push button installed, which is needed to activate this troubleshooting feature.
Similar to the Testarossa but departing from the BB 512 and 308/328, the oil and coolant radiators were relocated from the nose to the sides, widening the waist of the car substantially, but making the cabin much easier to cool since hoses routing warm water no longer ran underneath the cabin as in the older front-radiator cars. This also had the side effect of making the doors very wide.
The 348 was equipped with a dry-sump oil system to prevent oil starvation at high speeds and during hard cornering. The oil level can only be accurately checked on the dipstick when the motor is running due to this setup. The 348 was fitted with adjustable ride-height suspension and a removable rear sub-frame to speed up the removal of the engine for maintenance.
Baby Sivok - The oldest DHR train
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The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 610 mm narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The headquarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia.
HISTORY
A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year.
Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway. The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Several engineering adjustments were made later in order to ease the gradient of the rails. Despite natural calamities, such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899, the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines being built in response to growing passenger and freight traffic. However, the DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating over the Hill Cart Road, offering a shorter journey time. During World War II, the DHR played a vital role transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.
After the independence of India, the DHR was absorbed into Indian Railways and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 6 km to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there. DHR remained closed for 18 months during the hostile period of Gorkhaland Movement in 1988-89.
The line closed in 2011 due to a 6.8 Magnitude earthquake. The line is currently loss-making and in 2015, Rajah Banerjee, a local tea estate owner, has called for privatisation to encourage investment, which was fiercely resisted by unions.
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines. The site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The DHR is justified by the following criteria:
Criterion II - The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.
Criterion IV - The development of railways in the 19th century had a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGRITY
Since 1881, the original route has been retained in a remarkable condition. Only minimal interventions of an evolutionary nature, such as the reduction of loops, have been carried out. Most of the original steam locomotives are still in use. Like Tea and the Ghurka culture, the DHR has become not only an essential feature of the landscape but also an enduring part of the identity of Darjeeling.
MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL STATUS
The DHR and all its movable and immovable assets, including the authentic railway stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the Government of India entrusted to the Ministry of Railways. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented all the elements of the DHR in a comprehensive register. Apart from that, it handles the day-to-day maintenance and management. But moreover, several programs, divisions and departments of the Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. This includes technical as well as non-technical work. In principle, the only two legal protection mechanisms that apply to the conservation of the DHR are the provisions of the 1989 Railway Act and that it is a public property which is state-owned and therefore protected.
THE ROUTE
The railway line basically follows the Hill Cart Road which is partially the same as National Highway 55. Usually, the track is simply on the road side. In case of landslides both track and road might be affected. As long parts of the road are flanked with buildings, the railway line often rather resembles urban tramway tracks than an overland line.
To warn residents and car drivers about the approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud horns that even drown horns of Indian trucks and buses. Trains honk almost without pause.
Loops and Z-Reverses (or "zig-zag"s)
One of the main difficulties faced by the DHR was the steepness of the climb. Features called loops and Z-Reverses were designed as an integral part of the system at different points along the route to achieve a comfortable gradient for the stretches in between them. When the train moves forwards, reverses and then moves forward again, climbing a slope each time while doing so, it gains height along the side of the hill.
STATIONS
NEW JALPAIGURI JUNCTION (NJP)
New Jalpaiguri is the railway station which was extended to the south in 1964 to meet the new broad gauge to Assam. Where the two met, New Jalpaiguri was created.
SILIGURI TOWN STATION
Siliguri Town was original southern terminus of the line.
SIIGURI JUNCTION
Siliguri Junction became a major station only when a new metre-gauge line was built to Assam in the early 1950s
SUKNA STATION
This station marks the change in the landscape from the flat plains to the wooded lower slopes of the mountains. The gradient of the railway changes dramatically.
LOOP 1 (now removed)
Loop No.1 was in the woods above Sukna. It was removed after flood damage in 1991. The site is now lost in the forest.
RANGTONG STATION
A short distance above Rangtong there is a water tank. This was a better position for the tank than in the station, both in terms of water supply and distance between other water tanks.
LOOP 2 (now removed)
When Loop 2 was removed in 1942, again following flood damage, a new reverse, No.1, was added, creating the longest reverse run.
REVERSE 1
LOOP 3
Loop No.3 is at Chunbatti. This is now the lowest loop.
REVERSE 2 & 3
Reverses No.2 & 3 are between Chunbatti and Tindharia.
TINDHARIA STATION
This is a major station on the line as below the station is the workshops. There is also an office for the engineers and a large locomotive shed, all on a separate site.
Immediately above the station are three sidings; these were used to inspect the carriage while the locomotive was changed, before the train continued towards Darjeeling.
LOOP 4
Agony Point is the name given to loop No.4. It comes from the shape of the loop which comes to an apex which is the tightest curve on the line.
GAYABARI
REVERSE 6
Reverse No.6 is the last reverse on the climb.
MAHANADI STATION
KURSEONG STATION
There is a shed here and a few sidings adjacent to the main line, but the station proper is a dead end. Up trains must reverse out of the station (across a busy road junction) before they can continue on their climb. It is said that the station was built this way so that the train could enter a secure yard and stay there while the passengers left the train for refreshments.
Above Kurseong station, the railway runs through the bazaar. Trains skirt the front of shops and market stalls on this busy stretch of road.
SONADA STATION
Sonada is a small station which serves town of sonada on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. It is on Siliguri - Darjeeling national highway (NH 55).
JOREBUNGALOW STATION
This is a small location near Darjeeling and a railway station on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. Jorebungalow was store point for tea to Calcutta. This is a strategical place to connect Darjeeling to rest of the country.
GHUM STATION
Ghum, summit of the line and highest station in India. Now includes a museum on the first floor of the station building with larger exhibits in the old goods yard. Once this was the railway station at highest altitude overall and is the highest altitude station for narrow gauge railway.
BATASIA LOOP
The loop is 5 kilometres from Darjeeling, below Ghum. There is also a memorial to the Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Army who sacrificed their lives after the Indian Independence in 1947. From the Batasia Loop one can get a panoramic view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga and other snowy mountains in the back-drop.
DARJEELING STATION
The farthest reach of the line was to Darjeeling Bazaar, a goods-only line and now lost under the road surface and small buildings.
LOCOMOTIVES
CURRENT
STEAM
All the steam locomotives currently in use on the railway are of the "B" Class, a design built by Sharp, Stewart and Company and later the North British Locomotive Company, between 1889 and 1925. A total of 34 were built, but by 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair).
In 2002, No. 787 was rebuilt with oil firing. This was originally installed to work on the same principle as that used on Nilgiri Mountain Railway No.37395. A diesel-powered generator was fitted to operate the oil burner and an electrically-driven feed pump, and a diesel-powered compressor was fitted to power the braking system. Additionally, the locomotive was fitted with a feedwater heater. The overall result was a dramatic change in the appearance of the locomotive. However, the trials of the locomotive were disappointing and it never entered regular service. In early 2011, it was in Tindharia Works awaiting reconversion to coal-firing.
In March 2001, No.794 was transferred to the Matheran Hill Railway to allow a "Joy Train" (steam-hauled tourist train) to be operated on that railway. It did not, however, enter service there until May 2002.
DIESEL
Four diesel locomotives are in use: Nos. 601-2, 604 and 605 of the NDM6 class transferred from the Matheran Hill Railway.
PAST
In 1910 the railway purchased the third Garratt locomotive built, a D Class 0-4-0+0-4-0.
Only one DHR steam locomotive has been taken out of India, No.778 (originally No.19). After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Railway, it was sold to an enthusiast in the UK and restored to working order. It is now based on a private railway (The Beeches Light Railway) in Oxfordshire but has run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has long been viewed with affection and enthusiasm by travellers to the region and the Earl of Ronaldshay gave the following description of a journey in the early 1920s:
"Siliguri is palpably a place of meeting . . The discovery that here the metre gauge system ends and the two foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what all these things hint at... One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput. With a noisy fuss out of all proportion to its size the engine gives a jerk - and starts... No special mechanical device such as a rack is employed - unless, indeed, one can so describe the squat and stolid hill-man who sits perched over the forward buffers of the engine and scatters sand on the rails when the wheels of the engine lose their grip of the metals and race, with the noise of a giant spring running down when the control has been removed.
Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb at a steady gradient - so steady that if one embarks in a trolley at Ghum, the highest point on the line, the initial push supplies all the energy necessary to carry one to the bottom."
The trip up to Darjeeling on railway has changed little since that time, and continues to delight travellers and rail enthusiasts, so much so that it has its own preservation and support group, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society.
Several films have portrayed the railway. Especially popular was the song Mere sapno ki rani from the film Aradhana where the protagonist Rajesh Khanna tries to woo heroine Sharmila Tagore who was riding in the train. Other notable films include Barfi!, Parineeta and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. The Darjeeling Limited, a film directed by Wes Anderson, features a trip by three brothers on a fictional long-distance train based very loosely on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
TELEVISION
The BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, shown in February 2010. The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, the second the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010. Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited also showcases three brothers riding the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
WIKIPEDIA
Well its usually the Chinese that are blamed for taking over everything but "Uncle Sam" has a lot to answer for in the UK on several fronts. Here we have a General Motors built loco hauling Thrall Car Manufacturing Co. built wagons loaded with American coal.
In the global economy I guess there is no room for sentiment but for UK enthusiasts the GM "shed" invasion killed off many popular British built loco classes. Thrall CMC took over York wagon works to build wagons for the European market but folded the business and retreated to the States leaving dereliction in their wake. However the biggest threat to UK coal mining since Margaret Thatcher has in the last few months wrought havoc in the Scottish mining industry, namely the import of American coal. The US coal market has gone into free fall on price due to the US power generators switching to shale gas from fracking so the US producers are selling coal cheaper than it can be mined in the UK and have flooded the UK energy market. This market is dominated by multinationals with no loyalty to UK producers. ATH Resources Ltd who operate several mines in South Ayrshire with loading facilities at New Cumnock were the first to go into receivership. ATH is being run in administration to for fill contracts but the future is uncertain. The "Big Hitter" Scottish Coal Ltd has now been caught out by the same problem. It was announced on Friday 8th March that 6 out of 8 of their opencast mines are to cease production with job losses running to 450. This announcement will in turn impact very badly on Freightliner Heavy Haul who are the sole provider to Scottish Coal, so interesting times ahead !
DB Schenker stepped back from the coal market three years ago as haulage prices were being driven too low to remain sustainable by Freightliner and GBRF so they are now better placed to ride the wind of change. DBS don't move coal for Scottish Coal Ltd and instead have contracts with ATH Resources and Keir Mining but recently landed a large contract with Clydeports Authority and EDF Energy to move American coal from Hunterston to West Burton and Cottam power stations. The "Green Tide" might soon be turning more Red again over the S&C with services like this one:
66 040 is seen at Milepost 256 south of Garsdale station high up on the fellside above the Garsdale valley with freight 6M77 00.40 Hunterston High Level Coal Terminal to West Burton Power Station. The headcode is somewhat at odds with the destination and should really be an "E" rather than an "M" but coal flows are known for varying destination and this was a Ratcliffe working for E-On Energy for a while so correct in using the "M".
General
Operator:Østensjø Rederi
Built:2009
Builder:Astilleros Gondan
Yard no.:443
Call sign:LCOB
Flag:Norwegian
Port of Registry:Haugesund
IMO no.:9409730
Classification:DNV, 1A1 , Supply Vessel, SF, E0, ICE C, DYNPOS- AUTR, CLEAN, Comfort-C(3)-V(3), LFL* Registered notations: DK(+) and HL(2.8), PMS, ISM, NAUT-OSV(A) OILREC.
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.:85,8 m
Length b.p.:77,4 m
Breadth mld.:19,2 m
Depth mld.:8,0 m
Draft max.:6,7 m
Air draft:30 m
Tonnage - Deadweight
Gross tonnage:3693 GT
Net tonnage:1108 NT
Deadweight max:4012 MT
Lightweight:2973 MT
Displacement:6985 MT
Deck loading capacities
Deck measurements:57,4 m x 16,2 m . 4 pipe lengths a’ 12,2 m
Outside deck area:910 m2
Deck cargo capacity:2900T, 10T/m2
Deck equipment
Anchor chain:7 shackles PS, 8 shackles SB. Type: 44 mm DNV K3 Stud Link
Anchor Windlass / Mooring Winch:2 x anchor windlass/mooring winches forward. Type: PINTCH BAMAG SFB 63/80
Mooring winch:2 x anchor windlass/mooring winches forward. 2 x mooring winches aft
Deck cranes:SB: 4 T at 10 m. Type: Hydramarine 1077L. PS: 1,5 T at 8 m. Type: Hydramarine 886 LK
Tugger winches:2 x 10 T
Propulsion
General:Diesel electric propulsion plant. 2 x Voith propellers, each 2800 kW. 2 x AC asynchronous water-cooled motors each 2500 kW (Bhp 3400)
Main engines:4 x Caterpillar 3516-CTA
Fuel type:MDO / MGO
Auxiliaries / Electrical power
Generators:4 x Alconza, each 2188 kW
Harbour generator:1 x Caterpillar, 465 kW. Type: C-18
Emergency generator:1 x Perkins, 106 kW
Speed / Consumption
Max speed / Consumption:15 knots
Service speed / Consumption:12 knots, 11,7 tonnes/day
Economy speed / Consumption:10 knots, About 9,6m3/day
DP-operations (weather dependent):5,2 tonnes/day
Stand by offshore:3,5 tonnes/day (Weather dependent)
In port:0,86 tonnes/day
Main propellers
Maker:2 x Voith
Type:VSP 32R5
Thrusters
Bow thrusters:2 x Brunvoll Tunnel thrusters, each 1400 kW (Bhp 1904) Type: Super silent. 1 x Brunvoll Tunnel thruster, 800 kW (Bhp 1088) Type: RDT. Total Bhp 11696
Bridge / Manoeuvering
Bridge controls:Bosch Rexroth, Brunvoll. 5 complete bridge control stands (forward, 2 x aft, starboard, port)
Loading / Discharging:Wartsila IAS. Remote monitoring of all tanks including loading/discharging operations and start/stop of all pumps
Dynamic positioning system
Type:Kongsberg K-Pos DP 21 and cJoy
Approval / Class:DNV DYNPOS-AUTR. IMO Class 2
Reference systems:DPS 116, DPS 232, Fanbeam, Radascan
Sensors:3 x Gyro, 2 x Motion Reference Unit, 2 x Wind sensor
ERN number:99
Liquid tank capacities
Marine Gas Oil:Total 1120 m3 Cargo tanks Max 600 m3, Cargo tanks + Base Oil tanks Max 805 m3
POT water:668 m3
Drill Water/Ballast:1080 m3
Slop tanks:73 m3
Mud:723 m3
Brine:723 m3
Base oil:229 m3
Methanol:166 m3
Special products LFL/LFL*:429 m3 1 tank (56m3) 84SB ready for Drill Cutting/ORO/SpecProd./ 7 Tanks ready with piping and lack pumps./// These 8 Tanks is equipped with piping system and pumps for Special products and ready for use.
Urea:79 m3
Oil recovery:49 m3
Liquid discharge
Fuel Oil pumps:1 x 250 m3/h at 9 bar
Brine pumps:2 x 150 m3/h at 24 bar. 2 systems
Liquid Mud pumps:2 x 100 m3/h at 24 bar. 2 systems
Specal products pumps:2 x 100 m3/h
Drill water pumps:1 x 250 m3/h at 9 bar
Fresh water pumps:1 x 250 m3/h at 9 bar
Methanol pumps:2 x 75 m3/h at 7,2 bars, 90 mWG
Slop system:1 x 37 m3/h
Tank washing system:1 x 30 m3/h
Discharge piping:5"
Bulk tank capasities
Bulk Cement Tanks:5 tanks, each 66,4 m3. Total 332 m3
Bulk Discharge:2 Compressors, each 50 m3/h at 5,6 bar (W.P.)
Navigation equipment
Radar:1 x Furuno FAR-2117 3 cm ARPA. 1 x Furuno FAR-2137S 10 cm ARPA
Electronic Chart System:2 x Telchart ECDIS
Compass:3 x Simrad Gyro GC 80
Autopilot:1 x Simrad CD 109
Echo Sounder:1 x Furuno FE 700
Navtex:1 x Furuno NX 700B
DGPS:2 x Furuno GP 150
AIS:1 x Furuno FA 150
Voyage data recorder:1 x Furuno 3000 Vr 3016
LRIT:1 x Furuno 4FE088DB1
Log:1 x Furuno DS 80 with remote displays
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 1570
GMDSS VHF with DSC:2 x Furuno DSC FM8800
GMDSS VHF portable:3 x Jotron TR-20
VHF:3 x Sailor RT2048
GMDSS EPIRB:1 x Jotron 40S Mk 2. 1 x Jotron 45 SX
GMDSS SART:2 x Jotron Tron
GMDSS Inmarsat C:2 x Furuno
UHF:6 x portable Motorola GP 340 Ex (16 channels with 4 head sets)
Sattelitte sytem:1 x Sevsat. 1 x Iridium
Sat TV system:SeaTel
Accommodation
Total no. berths:23 x Beds
Total no. of cabins:18 x Cabins
Single cabins:14 x Single cabins
Double cabins:3 x Double cabins. 1 x Tripple cabin
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:2 x Dayroom, Messroom, Gymnasium, Sauna, Laundry, Wardrobe
Lifesaving / rescue
Approved lifesaving appliances for:LSA approved for 23 persons
Liferafts:4 x 25 persons. Type: Viking
Rescue/MOB boat:Maritim Partner WEEDO 600 FRB
Fire-fighting/foam:Water/Foam pump/monitor covering cargo deck area
Other
Anti roll system:Passive roll reduction tanks. Active roll reduction with Voit Schneider system
Deck power supply:20 Outlets 240/110 V
Pulling into Cardiff Queen Street for the 12:57 2P49 Ystrad Mynach to Penarth service. This is one of nine 4 car Class 319 electric units for TFW converted to bi-modal by Brush Traction, fitted with MAN diesel engines powering generators. The first entered service in November 2020 and one of the 9 (769426) has never been used; they are so unreliable they are likely to be scrapped as soon as replacements can be found.
We heard of Bob Collard when we drove along the then Gunbarrel Highway in our new VW Kombi, in July 1968. He led what are now commonly known as tag-along tours, from Perth to Alice Springs. Most of the vehicles he led were two wheel drive; 4WDs were a bit rare then.
We accompanied John Arnold, who was taking passengers in his Land Cruiser up the Warburton Road to Giles, Ayers Rock and the Alice.
In order to travel through this area, you were required to have access to a Traeger radio. If you didn't own a radio, you would travel in an organised convoy, or with somebody that did.
Bob Collard was stuck on the northern side of the Blackstone ranges (see shot below), with a number of cars in convoy, playing cricket and waiting for the rains to clear and the mud to harden.
We left Perth when we heard he was able to move on.
We were several days behind him, and the ground was still drying out. We finally got seriously bogged a few miles beyond the Giles Creek crossing, within a sigh of relief of the NT border and the Olgas. We retraced our track 800 miles back to Coolgardie, and crossed the Nullarbor on our way to Canberra.
see below!
Mapped approx by sat. image, the road is in the wrong place!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Traeger
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Traeger’s Pedal Radio
A chance meeting with a young electrician was to solve one of John Flynn's greatest problems in creating the Flying Doctor Service. Flynn had raised enough money to start the service, he knew he could find suitable doctors and aircraft, but he could not overcome the problem of communication. What was the use of a Flying Doctor if the sick and injured of the outback could not contact him in a hurry? The answer was radio, but radio technology in the 1920's was still very primitive. Flynn needed something that had not yet been invented; a simple sturdy radio transmitter-receiver with an in-built power supply. A device anyone could operate under all conditions.
John Flynn was able to enlist the services of radio enthusiast, George Towns, who helped assemble a bulky and complex outfit to be fitted to the back of a new Dodge buckboard (utility). While in Adelaide preparing for a test trip to the outback, Flynn and one of his experts, Harry Kauper, discovered that the two generators supplied with the radio were totally unsatisfactory. The radio-telephone was to be powered by a generator run from Flynn's car engine, but the generators were unsuitable. Kauper remembered that a young electrician, Alf Traeger, might have a suitable replacement. Flynn hurried to Hannan Brother’s workshop, found Traeger and purchased a 600-volt generator.
The radio worked, and Flynn's trip proved that mobile communication was possible. However, Flynn realised that a complicated radio powered by a car engine and a huge generator would be unsuitable for emergency service. Kauper persuaded him to settle for a less complicated radio using Morse code for communication and much less power to run. But even this type of equipment was not available, and Flynn returned to Traeger for help.
Alfred Hermann Traeger was born in the family home at Glenlee, about 25 kilometres from Nhill in the Wimmera district of Western Victoria. Alf, together with his two older sisters and younger brother, were brought up in the traditional German-based Lutheran manner which probably included a German-speaking teacher at the local school. When aged 12, Alf’s family moved back to the old Traeger farm at Balaclava in South Australia. Alf enrolled at the Adelaide School of Mines where he studied engineering. He eventually became an electrical engineer, winding generators at Hannan’s Garage in Wakefield Street in Adelaide. It was here that he first met John Flynn.
John Flynn was an ideas man. He was a tireless worker with an immense vision of the needs of Outback Australia. He knew people died regularly and needlessly in the outback due to lack of access to doctors. John Flynn had a vision of doctors flying quickly to all isolated parts of Australia to provide what he called a ‘Mantle of Safety’ over the bush. Flynn also knew that any idea of connecting isolated station properties by telephone were totally impractical. The cost of building and maintaining telephone lines could not be justified. John Flynn believed radio was the answer and he sensed that Alf Traeger had the ability, the quiet religious zeal and the youthful enthusiasm to help Flynn develop a suitable radio.
During the next two years Traeger helped Flynn with his experiments. One important step was to develop a radio powered from a 32-volt electric lighting plant. These units were becoming popular with farmers requiring power and many thousands were installed in Australia between 1930 and 1950. The first base station was installed at Alice Springs and smaller outpost radios set up at Hermannsburg and Arltunga. After some minor problems, these sets worked satisfactorily for some years. However, the cumbersome radios with their heavy banks of batteries were only suited to stationary situations and Flynn badly wanted a simple portable radio.
Traeger continued to work on the problem and eventually invented a foot-powered generator, pedalled like a bicycle. Radio historian, Mervyn Eunson, claimed that ‘it was Traeger’s inventive genius, his down-to-earth engineering skills, and his experience in winding electrical armatures which set him apart in Australian history as the solitary individual mastermind behind the creation of the unique pedal wireless generator’. Traeger’s mobile pedal radio was ready to go into production.
Within six months Alf Traeger had arranged for an Adelaide engineer to do the difficult job of machining the pedal generator gears. Alf had also worked tirelessly to build ten ‘baby’ radio sets and the 5CL radio station in Adelaide built a base station to serve what was to be the first of John Flynn’s cluster of outpost radios. By mid-1929 Traeger’s pedal radios were being installed in outlying areas around the much larger mother set or base station installed in the church vestry in Cloncurry.
Traeger spent five months installing ten pedal radios and teaching people to operate the Morse-code system. Learning Morse-code was a time-consuming task and in most cases left to the women of the station. One radio was installed in the Birdsville Hospital and operated by the two nurses in attendance. Birdsville was one of the most isolated towns in the outback but the hospital was usually busy due to the number of drovers using the Birdsville Track and the reliance placed on Birdsville by station people. Unfortunately, the hospital radio failed at a critical time when Sister Maude Gilbert developed peritonitis and eventually died.
Alf Traeger was constantly on the move either installing new radios in the bush or working on new modifications in his Adelaide workshop. He soon found that the sets needed to be built in a metal cabinet because white ants quickly ate the wooden ones. Improvements in radio technology also meant that radios constantly needed modification but one of his most difficult problems was to overcome the difficulty station people had with the use of Morse code.
Morse-code was required because the broadcasting of sound took too much power resulting in the need for a very large power supply and radio unit. Traeger also found that he didn’t have time to teach each individual operator but the use of the correct number of dots and dashes was imperative to understanding messages. Traeger puzzled on this problem for some time before conceiving the idea of building a machine to send the code. His machine was ingeniously simple; use a keyboard similar to a typewriter and link each arm to a device which would send the appropriate signal. This new Morse keyboard was successfully used until sound technology became viable in 1935.
Improvements to radio technology brought sound reception and transmission to outpost radios in 1935. Sound also brought about the ‘Galah’ session which started each morning at 7 o’clock, about the time the galahs started waking from their night’s sleep and started screeching in the gum trees. Each morning Sister Amy Bishop, from the Birdsville Hospital, called women from Clifton Hills, Pandi Pandi, The Bluff, Beetoota, Bedourie and Monkira. Each had the opportunity to discuss the common things of life, a pleasure before denied to them. This simple act of communication broke the isolation and loneliness suffered by people in the bush. The Galah session became an institution throughout Australia; a feature of the outback now replaced by, but not improved upon, by the telephone.
When Australia came into World War 2 families operating Traeger transceivers suddenly found that they could pass on vital information, especially when Japanese planes started bombing Darwin and Broome. Isolated homesteads around the northern coast were able to alert army intelligence about waves of bombers flying overhead. Special radio operators were recruited by Major Basil Hall to undertake secret intelligence work along the northern coast and the islands of the Timor Sea. Many of these men carried with them portable Traeger radios. Both men and radios were required to work in appalling conditions.
The Traeger factory continued to develop and refine radios for the outback. Even when most radios were now battery operated improved pedal radios were built especially for drovers and travellers. Twenty specially modified pedal radios were built for use in Nigeria and Traeger’s first portable hand-held two-way radio was built in.
The Flying Doctor flew on his first mission on 17th May 1928, and soon after so many outback folk were demanding the pedal radio that Traeger could not keep up with the demand. Flynn rejoiced, "At last the dumb Inland speaks", even though it was in the stuttering accents of Morse code keyed by amateur hands, including John Flynn himself.
Fifty years later the Flying Doctor's "Mantle of Safety" woven from radio, aviation and medical care, had covered the remotest parts of the outback. The radios have become compact little units that are used as simply as a telephone but they are the direct descendants from Alf Traeger's
wood gas tractor
Wood gas vehicles were used during World War II, as a consequence of the rationing of fossil fuels. In Germany alone, around 500,000 "producer gas" vehicles were in use at the end of the war. Trucks, buses, tractors, motorcycles, ships and trains were equipped with a wood gasification unit. In 1942 (when wood gas had not yet reached the height of its popularity), there were about 73,000 wood gas vehicles in Sweden,[2] 65,000 in France, 10,000 in Denmark, and almost 8,000 in Switzerland. In 1944, Finland had 43,000 "woodmobiles", of which 30,000 were buses and trucks, 7,000 private vehicles, 4,000 tractors and 600 boats.[3] Although charcoal was preferred for cars in China during the oil shortages.
Wood gasifiers are still manufactured in China and Russia for automobiles and as power generators for industrial applications. Trucks retrofitted with wood gasifiers are used in North Korea[4] in rural areas, particularly on the roads of the east coast. WIKIPEDIA
The Jet d'Eau, or water-jet, is a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland, and is one of the city's most famous landmarks
It is also one of the largest fountains in the world. Situated at the point where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhone River, it is visible throughout the city and from the air, even when flying over Geneva at an altitude of 10 km (33,000 ft).
Five-hundred litres (132 gallons) of water per second are jetted to an altitude of 140 metres (459 feet) by two 500kW pumps, operating at 2,400V, consuming over one megawatt of electricity. The water leaves the nozzle at a speed of 200 km/h (124 mph). When it is in operation, at any given moment there are about 7,000 litres (1849 gallons) of water in the air. Unsuspecting visitors to the fountain may be surprised to find themselves drenched after a slight change in wind direction.
The first Jet d'Eau was installed in 1886 a little bit further downstream from its present location. It was used as a safety valve for a hydro power generator and could reach a height of about 30 metres (98 feet).
The present Jet d'Eau was installed in 1951 in a partially submerged pumping station to pump lake water instead of city water.
Explore Jul 24, 2008 #387
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 610 mm narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The headquarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia.
HISTORY
A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year.
Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway. The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Several engineering adjustments were made later in order to ease the gradient of the rails. Despite natural calamities, such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899, the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines being built in response to growing passenger and freight traffic. However, the DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating over the Hill Cart Road, offering a shorter journey time. During World War II, the DHR played a vital role transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.
After the independence of India, the DHR was absorbed into Indian Railways and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 6 km to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there. DHR remained closed for 18 months during the hostile period of Gorkhaland Movement in 1988-89.
The line closed in 2011 due to a 6.8 Magnitude earthquake. The line is currently loss-making and in 2015, Rajah Banerjee, a local tea estate owner, has called for privatisation to encourage investment, which was fiercely resisted by unions.
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines. The site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The DHR is justified by the following criteria:
Criterion II - The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.
Criterion IV - The development of railways in the 19th century had a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGRITY
Since 1881, the original route has been retained in a remarkable condition. Only minimal interventions of an evolutionary nature, such as the reduction of loops, have been carried out. Most of the original steam locomotives are still in use. Like Tea and the Ghurka culture, the DHR has become not only an essential feature of the landscape but also an enduring part of the identity of Darjeeling.
MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL STATUS
The DHR and all its movable and immovable assets, including the authentic railway stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the Government of India entrusted to the Ministry of Railways. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented all the elements of the DHR in a comprehensive register. Apart from that, it handles the day-to-day maintenance and management. But moreover, several programs, divisions and departments of the Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. This includes technical as well as non-technical work. In principle, the only two legal protection mechanisms that apply to the conservation of the DHR are the provisions of the 1989 Railway Act and that it is a public property which is state-owned and therefore protected.
THE ROUTE
The railway line basically follows the Hill Cart Road which is partially the same as National Highway 55. Usually, the track is simply on the road side. In case of landslides both track and road might be affected. As long parts of the road are flanked with buildings, the railway line often rather resembles urban tramway tracks than an overland line.
To warn residents and car drivers about the approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud horns that even drown horns of Indian trucks and buses. Trains honk almost without pause.
Loops and Z-Reverses (or "zig-zag"s)
One of the main difficulties faced by the DHR was the steepness of the climb. Features called loops and Z-Reverses were designed as an integral part of the system at different points along the route to achieve a comfortable gradient for the stretches in between them. When the train moves forwards, reverses and then moves forward again, climbing a slope each time while doing so, it gains height along the side of the hill.
STATIONS
NEW JALPAIGURI JUNCTION (NJP)
New Jalpaiguri is the railway station which was extended to the south in 1964 to meet the new broad gauge to Assam. Where the two met, New Jalpaiguri was created.
SILIGURI TOWN STATION
Siliguri Town was original southern terminus of the line.
SIIGURI JUNCTION
Siliguri Junction became a major station only when a new metre-gauge line was built to Assam in the early 1950s
SUKNA STATION
This station marks the change in the landscape from the flat plains to the wooded lower slopes of the mountains. The gradient of the railway changes dramatically.
LOOP 1 (now removed)
Loop No.1 was in the woods above Sukna. It was removed after flood damage in 1991. The site is now lost in the forest.
RANGTONG STATION
A short distance above Rangtong there is a water tank. This was a better position for the tank than in the station, both in terms of water supply and distance between other water tanks.
LOOP 2 (now removed)
When Loop 2 was removed in 1942, again following flood damage, a new reverse, No.1, was added, creating the longest reverse run.
REVERSE 1
LOOP 3
Loop No.3 is at Chunbatti. This is now the lowest loop.
REVERSE 2 & 3
Reverses No.2 & 3 are between Chunbatti and Tindharia.
TINDHARIA STATION
This is a major station on the line as below the station is the workshops. There is also an office for the engineers and a large locomotive shed, all on a separate site.
Immediately above the station are three sidings; these were used to inspect the carriage while the locomotive was changed, before the train continued towards Darjeeling.
LOOP 4
Agony Point is the name given to loop No.4. It comes from the shape of the loop which comes to an apex which is the tightest curve on the line.
GAYABARI
REVERSE 6
Reverse No.6 is the last reverse on the climb.
MAHANADI STATION
KURSEONG STATION
There is a shed here and a few sidings adjacent to the main line, but the station proper is a dead end. Up trains must reverse out of the station (across a busy road junction) before they can continue on their climb. It is said that the station was built this way so that the train could enter a secure yard and stay there while the passengers left the train for refreshments.
Above Kurseong station, the railway runs through the bazaar. Trains skirt the front of shops and market stalls on this busy stretch of road.
SONADA STATION
Sonada is a small station which serves town of sonada on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. It is on Siliguri - Darjeeling national highway (NH 55).
JOREBUNGALOW STATION
This is a small location near Darjeeling and a railway station on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. Jorebungalow was store point for tea to Calcutta. This is a strategical place to connect Darjeeling to rest of the country.
GHUM STATION
Ghum, summit of the line and highest station in India. Now includes a museum on the first floor of the station building with larger exhibits in the old goods yard. Once this was the railway station at highest altitude overall and is the highest altitude station for narrow gauge railway.
BATASIA LOOP
The loop is 5 kilometres from Darjeeling, below Ghum. There is also a memorial to the Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Army who sacrificed their lives after the Indian Independence in 1947. From the Batasia Loop one can get a panoramic view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga and other snowy mountains in the back-drop.
DARJEELING STATION
The farthest reach of the line was to Darjeeling Bazaar, a goods-only line and now lost under the road surface and small buildings.
LOCOMOTIVES
CURRENT
STEAM
All the steam locomotives currently in use on the railway are of the "B" Class, a design built by Sharp, Stewart and Company and later the North British Locomotive Company, between 1889 and 1925. A total of 34 were built, but by 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair).
In 2002, No. 787 was rebuilt with oil firing. This was originally installed to work on the same principle as that used on Nilgiri Mountain Railway No.37395. A diesel-powered generator was fitted to operate the oil burner and an electrically-driven feed pump, and a diesel-powered compressor was fitted to power the braking system. Additionally, the locomotive was fitted with a feedwater heater. The overall result was a dramatic change in the appearance of the locomotive. However, the trials of the locomotive were disappointing and it never entered regular service. In early 2011, it was in Tindharia Works awaiting reconversion to coal-firing.
In March 2001, No.794 was transferred to the Matheran Hill Railway to allow a "Joy Train" (steam-hauled tourist train) to be operated on that railway. It did not, however, enter service there until May 2002.
DIESEL
Four diesel locomotives are in use: Nos. 601-2, 604 and 605 of the NDM6 class transferred from the Matheran Hill Railway.
PAST
In 1910 the railway purchased the third Garratt locomotive built, a D Class 0-4-0+0-4-0.
Only one DHR steam locomotive has been taken out of India, No.778 (originally No.19). After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Railway, it was sold to an enthusiast in the UK and restored to working order. It is now based on a private railway (The Beeches Light Railway) in Oxfordshire but has run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has long been viewed with affection and enthusiasm by travellers to the region and the Earl of Ronaldshay gave the following description of a journey in the early 1920s:
"Siliguri is palpably a place of meeting . . The discovery that here the metre gauge system ends and the two foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what all these things hint at... One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput. With a noisy fuss out of all proportion to its size the engine gives a jerk - and starts... No special mechanical device such as a rack is employed - unless, indeed, one can so describe the squat and stolid hill-man who sits perched over the forward buffers of the engine and scatters sand on the rails when the wheels of the engine lose their grip of the metals and race, with the noise of a giant spring running down when the control has been removed.
Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb at a steady gradient - so steady that if one embarks in a trolley at Ghum, the highest point on the line, the initial push supplies all the energy necessary to carry one to the bottom."
The trip up to Darjeeling on railway has changed little since that time, and continues to delight travellers and rail enthusiasts, so much so that it has its own preservation and support group, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society.
Several films have portrayed the railway. Especially popular was the song Mere sapno ki rani from the film Aradhana where the protagonist Rajesh Khanna tries to woo heroine Sharmila Tagore who was riding in the train. Other notable films include Barfi!, Parineeta and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. The Darjeeling Limited, a film directed by Wes Anderson, features a trip by three brothers on a fictional long-distance train based very loosely on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
TELEVISION
The BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, shown in February 2010. The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, the second the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010. Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited also showcases three brothers riding the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
WIKIPEDIA
Somewhere in Limburg, BELGIUM
Last Saturday my cousin got married and I had the honor to photograph this fantastic day. They choose to have a winter wedding and boy did they get what they wanted. Because of the unexpected snow we almost didn't get there.
Between church and reception I asked them to jump in the car and give me 15 minutes to make some pics in the snow before the sun would set. I saw this vineyard, pulled over and took some pictures.
We exposed for the spectacular sunset and lit the couple with a Hensel Porty Lithium 12 battery powered generator (like you can see in this setup shot). To soften the light we attached the fantastic Hensel beautydish to the Porty Head. This was close to full power.
Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog
or our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com
TINIAN, Northern Mariana Islands (Nov. 1, 2018) Sailors assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 place an emergency power generator at a de-energized location during recovery operations following Typhoon Yutu. Service members from Joint Region Marianas and Indo-Pacific Command are providing Department of Defense support to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' civil and local officials as part of the FEMA-supported Typhoon Yutu recovery efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Matthew R. White /released)
Baby Sivok - The oldest DHR train
__________________________
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 610 mm narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The headquarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia.
HISTORY
A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year.
Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway. The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Several engineering adjustments were made later in order to ease the gradient of the rails. Despite natural calamities, such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899, the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines being built in response to growing passenger and freight traffic. However, the DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating over the Hill Cart Road, offering a shorter journey time. During World War II, the DHR played a vital role transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.
After the independence of India, the DHR was absorbed into Indian Railways and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 6 km to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there. DHR remained closed for 18 months during the hostile period of Gorkhaland Movement in 1988-89.
The line closed in 2011 due to a 6.8 Magnitude earthquake. The line is currently loss-making and in 2015, Rajah Banerjee, a local tea estate owner, has called for privatisation to encourage investment, which was fiercely resisted by unions.
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines. The site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The DHR is justified by the following criteria:
Criterion II - The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.
Criterion IV - The development of railways in the 19th century had a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGRITY
Since 1881, the original route has been retained in a remarkable condition. Only minimal interventions of an evolutionary nature, such as the reduction of loops, have been carried out. Most of the original steam locomotives are still in use. Like Tea and the Ghurka culture, the DHR has become not only an essential feature of the landscape but also an enduring part of the identity of Darjeeling.
MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL STATUS
The DHR and all its movable and immovable assets, including the authentic railway stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the Government of India entrusted to the Ministry of Railways. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented all the elements of the DHR in a comprehensive register. Apart from that, it handles the day-to-day maintenance and management. But moreover, several programs, divisions and departments of the Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. This includes technical as well as non-technical work. In principle, the only two legal protection mechanisms that apply to the conservation of the DHR are the provisions of the 1989 Railway Act and that it is a public property which is state-owned and therefore protected.
THE ROUTE
The railway line basically follows the Hill Cart Road which is partially the same as National Highway 55. Usually, the track is simply on the road side. In case of landslides both track and road might be affected. As long parts of the road are flanked with buildings, the railway line often rather resembles urban tramway tracks than an overland line.
To warn residents and car drivers about the approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud horns that even drown horns of Indian trucks and buses. Trains honk almost without pause.
Loops and Z-Reverses (or "zig-zag"s)
One of the main difficulties faced by the DHR was the steepness of the climb. Features called loops and Z-Reverses were designed as an integral part of the system at different points along the route to achieve a comfortable gradient for the stretches in between them. When the train moves forwards, reverses and then moves forward again, climbing a slope each time while doing so, it gains height along the side of the hill.
STATIONS
NEW JALPAIGURI JUNCTION (NJP)
New Jalpaiguri is the railway station which was extended to the south in 1964 to meet the new broad gauge to Assam. Where the two met, New Jalpaiguri was created.
SILIGURI TOWN STATION
Siliguri Town was original southern terminus of the line.
SIIGURI JUNCTION
Siliguri Junction became a major station only when a new metre-gauge line was built to Assam in the early 1950s
SUKNA STATION
This station marks the change in the landscape from the flat plains to the wooded lower slopes of the mountains. The gradient of the railway changes dramatically.
LOOP 1 (now removed)
Loop No.1 was in the woods above Sukna. It was removed after flood damage in 1991. The site is now lost in the forest.
RANGTONG STATION
A short distance above Rangtong there is a water tank. This was a better position for the tank than in the station, both in terms of water supply and distance between other water tanks.
LOOP 2 (now removed)
When Loop 2 was removed in 1942, again following flood damage, a new reverse, No.1, was added, creating the longest reverse run.
REVERSE 1
LOOP 3
Loop No.3 is at Chunbatti. This is now the lowest loop.
REVERSE 2 & 3
Reverses No.2 & 3 are between Chunbatti and Tindharia.
TINDHARIA STATION
This is a major station on the line as below the station is the workshops. There is also an office for the engineers and a large locomotive shed, all on a separate site.
Immediately above the station are three sidings; these were used to inspect the carriage while the locomotive was changed, before the train continued towards Darjeeling.
LOOP 4
Agony Point is the name given to loop No.4. It comes from the shape of the loop which comes to an apex which is the tightest curve on the line.
GAYABARI
REVERSE 6
Reverse No.6 is the last reverse on the climb.
MAHANADI STATION
KURSEONG STATION
There is a shed here and a few sidings adjacent to the main line, but the station proper is a dead end. Up trains must reverse out of the station (across a busy road junction) before they can continue on their climb. It is said that the station was built this way so that the train could enter a secure yard and stay there while the passengers left the train for refreshments.
Above Kurseong station, the railway runs through the bazaar. Trains skirt the front of shops and market stalls on this busy stretch of road.
SONADA STATION
Sonada is a small station which serves town of sonada on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. It is on Siliguri - Darjeeling national highway (NH 55).
JOREBUNGALOW STATION
This is a small location near Darjeeling and a railway station on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. Jorebungalow was store point for tea to Calcutta. This is a strategical place to connect Darjeeling to rest of the country.
GHUM STATION
Ghum, summit of the line and highest station in India. Now includes a museum on the first floor of the station building with larger exhibits in the old goods yard. Once this was the railway station at highest altitude overall and is the highest altitude station for narrow gauge railway.
BATASIA LOOP
The loop is 5 kilometres from Darjeeling, below Ghum. There is also a memorial to the Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Army who sacrificed their lives after the Indian Independence in 1947. From the Batasia Loop one can get a panoramic view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga and other snowy mountains in the back-drop.
DARJEELING STATION
The farthest reach of the line was to Darjeeling Bazaar, a goods-only line and now lost under the road surface and small buildings.
LOCOMOTIVES
CURRENT
STEAM
All the steam locomotives currently in use on the railway are of the "B" Class, a design built by Sharp, Stewart and Company and later the North British Locomotive Company, between 1889 and 1925. A total of 34 were built, but by 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair).
In 2002, No. 787 was rebuilt with oil firing. This was originally installed to work on the same principle as that used on Nilgiri Mountain Railway No.37395. A diesel-powered generator was fitted to operate the oil burner and an electrically-driven feed pump, and a diesel-powered compressor was fitted to power the braking system. Additionally, the locomotive was fitted with a feedwater heater. The overall result was a dramatic change in the appearance of the locomotive. However, the trials of the locomotive were disappointing and it never entered regular service. In early 2011, it was in Tindharia Works awaiting reconversion to coal-firing.
In March 2001, No.794 was transferred to the Matheran Hill Railway to allow a "Joy Train" (steam-hauled tourist train) to be operated on that railway. It did not, however, enter service there until May 2002.
DIESEL
Four diesel locomotives are in use: Nos. 601-2, 604 and 605 of the NDM6 class transferred from the Matheran Hill Railway.
PAST
In 1910 the railway purchased the third Garratt locomotive built, a D Class 0-4-0+0-4-0.
Only one DHR steam locomotive has been taken out of India, No.778 (originally No.19). After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Railway, it was sold to an enthusiast in the UK and restored to working order. It is now based on a private railway (The Beeches Light Railway) in Oxfordshire but has run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has long been viewed with affection and enthusiasm by travellers to the region and the Earl of Ronaldshay gave the following description of a journey in the early 1920s:
"Siliguri is palpably a place of meeting . . The discovery that here the metre gauge system ends and the two foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what all these things hint at... One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput. With a noisy fuss out of all proportion to its size the engine gives a jerk - and starts... No special mechanical device such as a rack is employed - unless, indeed, one can so describe the squat and stolid hill-man who sits perched over the forward buffers of the engine and scatters sand on the rails when the wheels of the engine lose their grip of the metals and race, with the noise of a giant spring running down when the control has been removed.
Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb at a steady gradient - so steady that if one embarks in a trolley at Ghum, the highest point on the line, the initial push supplies all the energy necessary to carry one to the bottom."
The trip up to Darjeeling on railway has changed little since that time, and continues to delight travellers and rail enthusiasts, so much so that it has its own preservation and support group, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society.
Several films have portrayed the railway. Especially popular was the song Mere sapno ki rani from the film Aradhana where the protagonist Rajesh Khanna tries to woo heroine Sharmila Tagore who was riding in the train. Other notable films include Barfi!, Parineeta and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. The Darjeeling Limited, a film directed by Wes Anderson, features a trip by three brothers on a fictional long-distance train based very loosely on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
TELEVISION
The BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, shown in February 2010. The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, the second the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010. Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited also showcases three brothers riding the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
WIKIPEDIA
Some background:
The MBR-04 series were the first combat-ready Destroids and the most successful land-combat weapon Destroids that were built with OverTechnology of Macross. The abbreviation MBR (Main Battle Robot) indicates the model was developed as a walking humanoid weapon emphasizing the heavy armor firepower of an artillery combat vehicle, designed to replace mainline battle tanks. The Type 04 series was developed jointly by Viggers and Chrauler. Unlike the variable fighters, which had to be designed to accommodate transformation mechanisms, the MBR series featured a structure with a large capacity that allowed plenty of room for machinery and armor.
The initial development line, the "Tomahawk" multipurpose battle robot and comparable in its intended role with former main battle tanks, had inferior anti-aircraft abilities, even though it boasted firepower like no other biped vehicle from the Destroid series. Originally, the Tomahawk was just called "MBR Mk. I", but once its systems and structural elements became the basis for other models, its designation changed into the "Type 04" Destroid. The main frame from the waist down, a module which consolidated the thermonuclear reactor and ambulatory OverTechnology system of the Destroids, was common to all of the Type 04 series of biped battle robots. Production line integration using this module was a key goal of Destroid development, and the quick development of further variants.
The ADR-04-Mk. X Defender Destroid was one of these family members, a walking weapon developed using OverTechnology for deployment by the United Nations Military. During development of the MBR-04-Mk I, a version of the Destroid ambulatory system with the anti-aircraft Contraves system (for use during the early stages of battle) was simultaneously being developed in a joint effort by Viggers-Chrauler under direction from the United Nations. This initial support Destroid, tentatively designated ADR-04-Mk. II, which still shared many components and even hull sections with the Tomahawk, did not progress beyond prototype stage - primarily because of a focus on the Tomahawk as UN's primary ground weapon. It nevertheless provided vital input for the ADR-04-Mk. X Defender, which became an important defensive asset to protect ground troops and vital locations, as well as for operations in space on board of the SDF-1.
Designed for the purpose of super-long-range firing in atmosphere and space, the Defender was rolled out in March 2009 and immediately put into action against the Zentraedi military. Unfortunately, the cost of the unit was high and posed significant difficulties for manufacturing, especially installing the high-definition targeting system, which lead to a bottleneck during mass production.
The ADR-04-Mk. X Defender's only weapons were two stub arms, each featuring a pair of large-caliber, specialized interception capability guns instead of manipulators, similar to the eventual mass-produced MBR-04-Mk. VI Tomahawk. The anti-aircraft engagement model (anti-tank class) wide-bore guns each fired 500 rounds per minute and all four barrels firing in combination were able to unleash continuous 2,000 rounds per minute, even though only short bursts of four rounds or just single shots were typically fired to save ammunition. The 78 mm rounds were aimed via an Erlikon Contraves fire control system and fired at an impressive muzzle velocity of 3,300 meters per second. A wide range of ammunition types could be fired, including HE, AP, APDS high speed, massive kinetic impact rounds, EMP grenades and rounds with chaff/flare/thermal mist charges. The internal belt magazines made it was possible to load up to three different types per twin gun and deliberately switch between them. The overall supply was, however, rather limited.
The rotating mechanism structure of the upper body allowed the unit to respond quickly to enemies approaching even from the rear, for a full 360° coverage of the whole hemisphere above the Destroid. Due to the independent arms, the Defender could even engage two targets separately and split its firepower among them. Additionally, the targeting system was capable of long-range firing in space and could perform extremely precise shooting at long distances in a vacuum/zero-G environment. Hence, the Defender Destroid was more a next generation anti-aircraft tank and in service frequently moonlighted as a movable defensive turret. However, despite featuring a common Destroid ambulatory system, the Defender's mobility was rather limited in direct comparison with a variable fighter Battroid, and it lacked any significant close-combat capability, so that it remained a dedicated support vehicle for other combat units.
180 ADR-04-Mk. X Defenders were ordered, built and operated by UN ground and space forces, about half of them were deployed on board of SDF-1. During the First Space War, around sixty more Defenders were converted from revamped MBR-04 series chassis, mostly from battle-damaged Tomahawks, but some later Phalanx' units were modified, too.
During its career the Defender was gradually upgraded with better sensors and radar systems, and its armament was augmented, too. A common upgrade were enlarged ammunition bays on the shoulders that could hold 50 more rounds per gun, even though this stressed the ambulatory system since the Defender's center of gravity was raised. Therefore, this modification was almost exclusively executed among stationary "gun turret" units. Another late upgrade was the addition of launch rails for AMM-1 anti-aircraft missiles on the gun pods and/or the torso. Again, this was almost exclusively implemented on stationary Defenders.
A short-range sub-variant, under the project handle "Cheyenne", was developed in 2010, too, but it was only produced in small number for evaluation purposes. It was based on the Defender's structure, but it carried a different armament, consisting of a pair of 37 mm six-barrel gatling guns plus AMM-1 missiles, and a more clutter-resistant radar system against fast and low-flying targets. The Cheyenne was intended as a complementary aerial defense unit, but the results from field tests were not convincing, so that the project was mothballed. However, in 2012 the concept was developed further into the ADR-04-Mk.XI "Manticore", which was fully tailored to the short-range defense role.
General characteristics:
Equipment Type: aerial defense robot, series 04
Government: U.N. Spacy
Manufacturer: Viggers/Chrauler
Introduction: March 2009
Accommodation: 1 pilot
Dimensions:
Height 11.37 meters (overall)
10.73 meters (w/o surveillance radar antenna)
Length 4.48 meters (hull only)
7.85 meters (guns forward)
Width 8.6 meters
Mass: 27.1 metric tons
Power Plant:
Kranss-Maffai MT828 thermonuclear reactor, output rated at 2800 shp;
plus an auxiliary GE EM10T fuel power generator, output rated at 510 kW
Propulsion:
2x thrust nozzles mounted in the lower back region, allowing the capability to perform jumps,
plus several vernier nozzles around the hull for Zero-G manoeuvers
Performance:
Max. walking speed: 72 kph when fully loaded
Design features:
- Detachable weapons bay (attaches to the main body via two main locks);
- Type 966 PFG Contraves radar and fire control set (a.k.a. Contraves II)
with respective heat exchanger on the upper back
- Rotating surveillance antenna for full 360° air space coverage
- Optical sensor unit equipped with four camera eyes, moving along a vertical slit,
protected by a polarized light shield;
- Capable of performing Zero-G manoeuvers via 16 x thrust nozzles (mounted around the hull);
- Reactor radiator with exhaust ports in the rear;
- Cockpit can be separated from the body in an emergency (only the cockpit block is recovered);
- Option pack featuring missiles or enlarged ammunition bays;
Armament:
2x Erlikon 78mm liquid-cooled high-speed 2-barrel automatic cannon with 200 rounds each,
mounted as arms
The kit and its assembly:
A kind of nostalgia trip, because my first ever mecha kit I bought and built in the Eighties was this 1:100 Destroid Defender! It still exists, even though only as a re-built model, and I thought that it was about time to build another, “better” one, to complete my collection of canonical Macross Destroids.
With this objective, the vintage kit was built basically OOB, just with some detail enhancements. The biggest structural change is a new hip joint arrangement, made from steel wire. It allows a more or less flexible 3D posture of the legs, for a more dynamic “walking” pose, and the resulting gaps were filled with paper tissue drenched in white glue and acrylic paint.
A more cosmetic change concerns the Defender’s optical sensor array on its “head”. OOB it just consists of a wide “slit” with a square window – very basic, but that’s how the defender is depicted in the TV series. However, I have a Macross artbook with original design sketches from Studio Nue, which reveal more details of this arrangement, and these include a kind of louvre that covers the mobile sensor array’s guide rails, and the sensor array itself consists of several smaller optical units – the relatively new 1:72 Defender from WAVE features these details, too, but the old 1:72 Defender from Arii (and later Bandai) also only has a red box, even though under a clear cover, which is IMHO dubious, though. The louvres were created from hemispherical styrene profile bits, the sensor array was scratched with a front wheel from an 1:100 VF-1 and more styrene bits.
The guns/arms were taken OOB, but I reduced the opening at the shoulder (and with it the angle the arms can be swiveled) with styrene profile material, which also hides the foo fit of the shoulder halves that hold the guns and a reinforcement styrene plate inside of them.
While I could have enlarged the ammunition boxes on the Defender’s shoulders (they are extended backwards), I left them in the original and OOB configuration. Another hull mod I eventually did not carry out were clear replacements for the molded searchlights. Having some visible depth and true clear covers would have been nice, but then I doubted the benefits vs. the mess their integration into the body would mean, so that I went for a simple paint solution (see below).
A final cosmetic modification tried to improve the look of the shanks – but it did not help much. On the Defender, there are two continuous ridges that run across the lower legs. This is a molding simplification and wrong because the Defender (and all other 04-Series chassis’) only features the ends of the ridges.
I tried to sand the inner sections away, but upon gluing the parts finally together I realized that the fit of these parts is abysmal, and PSRing on the resulting concave surface between the leftover humps was a nightmare. Did not work well, and it looks poor.
With this in mind, a general word about the Arii 1:100 Destroids with the Series 04 chassis: there are three kits (Defender, Tomahawk and Phalanx), and you’d expect that these used the same lower body just with different torsos. But that’s not the case – they are all different, and the Defender is certainly the worst version, with its odd “toe” construction, the continuous ridges and the horrible fit of the lower leg halves as well as the shoulders that hold the stub arms. The Tomahawk is better, but also challenging, and IMHO, when you are only looking for the lower body section, the Phalanx is the best kit or the trio.
Painting and markings:
This Defender was supposed to remain canonical and close to the OOB finish, so this became a simple affair.
All Macross Destroids tend to carry a uniform livery, and esp. the Tomahawk/Defender/Phalanx family is kept in murky/dull tones of green, brown and ochre: unpretentious "mud movers".
The Defender appears to carry an overall olive drab livery, and I settled on RAL 7008 (Khakigrau), which is - according to the RAL color list - supposed to be a shade of grey, but it comes out as a dull, yellowish green-brown.
This tone was applied overall from a rattle can, and the few contrast sections like the ammunition boxes or the dust guards of the knee joints were painted with NATO olive green (RAL 6014, Gelboliv, Revell 46). The hull was later treated with Modelmaster Olive Drab (FS 34087), which adds a more greenish hue to the basic paint.
The kit received a thorough black ink washing, then some dry-brushing with Humbrol 72 (Khaki Drill) was applied. The decals came next, taken from the OOB sheet, plus four decals for those vernier thrusters that had not been molded into the kit’s surface. The only change is a different piece of “nose art” on the left leg, replacing the original, rather small decal. It actually belongs to a Czech AF MiG-21MF (one of the two famous Fishbeds from Pardubice in 1989, aircraft “1114”) and filled the bumpy area over the lower leg’s seam (see above) well – a kind of visual distraction from the PSR mess underneath...
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, its major sub-assemblies put together. The optical sensors received lenses with clear paint over a silver base. The large searchlights were painted, too, with a silver base plus white and clear blue reflections on top, covered with a generous coat of Humbrol’s Clearfix to mimic a clear, glossy cover.
After final assembly, some mineral pigments were dusted onto the model’s lower areas with a soft, big brush.
I knew that the Defender was trouble, but esp. the legs turned out to be horrible to build. However, the small cosmetic changes really improve the model’s look, and I am quite happy with the result.
These are two electricity generators located in LaSalle county Illinois. The wind generator is the obvious on but the one in the background is a nuclear power generator. I thought it was neat to be able to get the two types in one capture.
IMAGE INFO
- Viewpoint is looking north-west towards the two local power generators & ancillary buildings, from near the centre of the dam wall.
*************************
PROCESS INFO
- Adjusted the levels & sharpness using Adobe Photoshop CS Windows.
The one and only RD20 sits at the ILSX shop in Bethel MN.
Quoted from Page 42, June 1993 Railfan and Railroad
"The RD20 In mid-March 1993, Republic Locomotive announced it had successfully field tested its new RD20 model locomotive. Developed in conjuction with Detroit Diesel Corporation, the four-axeled RD20 prototype features a 2000-hp Detroit Diesel 16V-149TI DDEC engine, an 8000 amp a.c. alternator and d.c. traction motors. Republic says "the RD20 is the first diesel locomotive produced in North America to utilize a totally solid state Silicon Controlled Rectifier control system" which "eliminates all electromechanical switchgear, contactors and relays while permitting individual axel control for improved wheel slip control." The RD20 can be operated with a cruise control-style feature which automatically maintains a set speed regardless of changes in track curvature and gradient. A cellular communications package transmits locomotive diagnostic information which can be monitored remotely by maintenance personnel at any location with access to a computer, modem and phone line. Republic's RD20 design can be modified for any horsepower rating up to 2500 h.p. and is available in four- and six-axel configurations in most track gauges. An optional Head End Power generator is also available."
Rambler Marlin
The actual Rambler Marlin (later AMC Marlin) is often a two-door fastback automobile generated in the usa by U . s . Power generators Firm from 1965 in order to 1967. The halo design for that corporation, it absolutely was publicized to be a personal luxurious car.
Within...
i2.wp.com/www.autocars.asia/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Ra...
Star Wars AT-AT
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Walt Disney World, Fla.
"I’ve reached the main power generators. The shield will be down in moments. You may start your landing."
*pew pew pew*
----------
Watch your head’n’step…and welcome home.
Dutch Barge 22M 1912
Extra Details
LyingSouth Devon
Fuel capacity:200.0 Ltr (44.0 G) Total - 1 Tanks
Water capacity:800.0 Ltr (176.0 G) Total - 1 Tanks
Mechanical
Engine1 X Diesel 355hp
Engine make and modelDoosan L126TI 11.1 Liter (2006)
Engine HoursNot Recorded
Engine Cooled: Indirect
Steering: Wheel
Drive: Shaft
Prop(s): 3 Blade Bronze
Fuel consumption (approx): Not Recorded
Cruising speed (approx): 8 Knots
Max speed (approx): 12 Knots
Dimensions
LOA: 22.00m
Beam: 4.26m
Draft Max: 1.78m
Displacement: 110,000kg (242,550.0lbs)
Storage: On Mooring
Electrical Systems
12 volt battery, 2 batteries charged by: engine, solar panels, shore power, generator
Construction
Construction: Steel
Underwater profile: Other
Finish: 2 Pack Finish
Flat Bottomed hull with concrete ballast and double plated in 6mm steel plate
Water Blasted Hull and 2 Pack Primer and Antifouled Jan 2016
New Anodes Jan 2016
Holding Tank not plumbed
Currently 1 Day tank for fuel
Accommodation
Total # of berths: 5
No. of double berths: 2
No. of single berths: 1
Cabin(s): 3
Handbasin: 1
Heads: 1 Heads (Electric)
Dutch Barge 22M 1912
Extra Details
LyingSouth Devon
Fuel capacity:200.0 Ltr (44.0 G) Total - 1 Tanks
Water capacity:800.0 Ltr (176.0 G) Total - 1 Tanks
Mechanical
Engine1 X Diesel 355hp
Engine make and modelDoosan L126TI 11.1 Liter (2006)
Engine HoursNot Recorded
Engine Cooled: Indirect
Steering: Wheel
Drive: Shaft
Prop(s): 3 Blade Bronze
Fuel consumption (approx): Not Recorded
Cruising speed (approx): 8 Knots
Max speed (approx): 12 Knots
Dimensions
LOA: 22.00m
Beam: 4.26m
Draft Max: 1.78m
Displacement: 110,000kg (242,550.0lbs)
Storage: On Mooring
Electrical Systems
12 volt battery, 2 batteries charged by: engine, solar panels, shore power, generator
Construction
Construction: Steel
Underwater profile: Other
Finish: 2 Pack Finish
Flat Bottomed hull with concrete ballast and double plated in 6mm steel plate
Water Blasted Hull and 2 Pack Primer and Antifouled Jan 2016
New Anodes Jan 2016
Holding Tank not plumbed
Currently 1 Day tank for fuel
Accommodation
Total # of berths: 5
No. of double berths: 2
No. of single berths: 1
Cabin(s): 3
Handbasin: 1
Heads: 1 Heads (Electric)
The rebel scum were getting bolder. Several undercover rebels had been exposed in what looked like a purposeful leak through an intermediary to the ISB. Some of the rebels had successfully infiltrated the Second Sun Battle Station as Imperial Officers. None the less the scum had to be dealt with.
Some time later...
Agent Commander Amus had watched the officer the entire morning. Same routine as every other day. The only exception being around 900 hours. The officer had started taking seemingly random detours throughout the Battle Station, before resuming his duties at 918 hours.
These detours were not random. Amus knew - but he would not wait around to find out what the rebel had planned.
Today, the detour led the officer to the tractor beam power-generator trench 3. Amus was waiting for him. The officer opened the blast doors to trench 3, and stared down the barrel of the Agent Commander’s blaster.
“Step forward, and shut the door, Lieutenant!” Commanded Amus.
The officer followed the order. Amus shook his blaster at the officer, signalling him to move further out onto the walkway.
“The rebels have ratted you out!” said Amus. The officer’s expression slowly changed from perplexed to angry. Amus lowered his blaster, while he whispered; “Your friends have abandoned you!”
He turned his head away and gave the officer one hard push. “Your mission is over!”
///
This flashback displays a younger Amus - before the incident that turns his skin pale white - to his time as an ISB Agent Commander. I hope you like it. As always, see more on swfactions.net
Thanks for watching!
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 610 mm narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The headquarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia.
HISTORY
A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year.
Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway. The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Several engineering adjustments were made later in order to ease the gradient of the rails. Despite natural calamities, such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899, the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines being built in response to growing passenger and freight traffic. However, the DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating over the Hill Cart Road, offering a shorter journey time. During World War II, the DHR played a vital role transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.
After the independence of India, the DHR was absorbed into Indian Railways and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 6 km to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there. DHR remained closed for 18 months during the hostile period of Gorkhaland Movement in 1988-89.
The line closed in 2011 due to a 6.8 Magnitude earthquake. The line is currently loss-making and in 2015, Rajah Banerjee, a local tea estate owner, has called for privatisation to encourage investment, which was fiercely resisted by unions.
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines. The site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The DHR is justified by the following criteria:
Criterion II - The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.
Criterion IV - The development of railways in the 19th century had a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGRITY
Since 1881, the original route has been retained in a remarkable condition. Only minimal interventions of an evolutionary nature, such as the reduction of loops, have been carried out. Most of the original steam locomotives are still in use. Like Tea and the Ghurka culture, the DHR has become not only an essential feature of the landscape but also an enduring part of the identity of Darjeeling.
MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL STATUS
The DHR and all its movable and immovable assets, including the authentic railway stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the Government of India entrusted to the Ministry of Railways. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented all the elements of the DHR in a comprehensive register. Apart from that, it handles the day-to-day maintenance and management. But moreover, several programs, divisions and departments of the Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. This includes technical as well as non-technical work. In principle, the only two legal protection mechanisms that apply to the conservation of the DHR are the provisions of the 1989 Railway Act and that it is a public property which is state-owned and therefore protected.
THE ROUTE
The railway line basically follows the Hill Cart Road which is partially the same as National Highway 55. Usually, the track is simply on the road side. In case of landslides both track and road might be affected. As long parts of the road are flanked with buildings, the railway line often rather resembles urban tramway tracks than an overland line.
To warn residents and car drivers about the approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud horns that even drown horns of Indian trucks and buses. Trains honk almost without pause.
Loops and Z-Reverses (or "zig-zag"s)
One of the main difficulties faced by the DHR was the steepness of the climb. Features called loops and Z-Reverses were designed as an integral part of the system at different points along the route to achieve a comfortable gradient for the stretches in between them. When the train moves forwards, reverses and then moves forward again, climbing a slope each time while doing so, it gains height along the side of the hill.
STATIONS
NEW JALPAIGURI JUNCTION (NJP)
New Jalpaiguri is the railway station which was extended to the south in 1964 to meet the new broad gauge to Assam. Where the two met, New Jalpaiguri was created.
SILIGURI TOWN STATION
Siliguri Town was original southern terminus of the line.
SIIGURI JUNCTION
Siliguri Junction became a major station only when a new metre-gauge line was built to Assam in the early 1950s
SUKNA STATION
This station marks the change in the landscape from the flat plains to the wooded lower slopes of the mountains. The gradient of the railway changes dramatically.
LOOP 1 (now removed)
Loop No.1 was in the woods above Sukna. It was removed after flood damage in 1991. The site is now lost in the forest.
RANGTONG STATION
A short distance above Rangtong there is a water tank. This was a better position for the tank than in the station, both in terms of water supply and distance between other water tanks.
LOOP 2 (now removed)
When Loop 2 was removed in 1942, again following flood damage, a new reverse, No.1, was added, creating the longest reverse run.
REVERSE 1
LOOP 3
Loop No.3 is at Chunbatti. This is now the lowest loop.
REVERSE 2 & 3
Reverses No.2 & 3 are between Chunbatti and Tindharia.
TINDHARIA STATION
This is a major station on the line as below the station is the workshops. There is also an office for the engineers and a large locomotive shed, all on a separate site.
Immediately above the station are three sidings; these were used to inspect the carriage while the locomotive was changed, before the train continued towards Darjeeling.
LOOP 4
Agony Point is the name given to loop No.4. It comes from the shape of the loop which comes to an apex which is the tightest curve on the line.
GAYABARI
REVERSE 6
Reverse No.6 is the last reverse on the climb.
MAHANADI STATION
KURSEONG STATION
There is a shed here and a few sidings adjacent to the main line, but the station proper is a dead end. Up trains must reverse out of the station (across a busy road junction) before they can continue on their climb. It is said that the station was built this way so that the train could enter a secure yard and stay there while the passengers left the train for refreshments.
Above Kurseong station, the railway runs through the bazaar. Trains skirt the front of shops and market stalls on this busy stretch of road.
SONADA STATION
Sonada is a small station which serves town of sonada on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. It is on Siliguri - Darjeeling national highway (NH 55).
JOREBUNGALOW STATION
This is a small location near Darjeeling and a railway station on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. Jorebungalow was store point for tea to Calcutta. This is a strategical place to connect Darjeeling to rest of the country.
GHUM STATION
Ghum, summit of the line and highest station in India. Now includes a museum on the first floor of the station building with larger exhibits in the old goods yard. Once this was the railway station at highest altitude overall and is the highest altitude station for narrow gauge railway.
BATASIA LOOP
The loop is 5 kilometres from Darjeeling, below Ghum. There is also a memorial to the Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Army who sacrificed their lives after the Indian Independence in 1947. From the Batasia Loop one can get a panoramic view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga and other snowy mountains in the back-drop.
DARJEELING STATION
The farthest reach of the line was to Darjeeling Bazaar, a goods-only line and now lost under the road surface and small buildings.
LOCOMOTIVES
CURRENT
STEAM
All the steam locomotives currently in use on the railway are of the "B" Class, a design built by Sharp, Stewart and Company and later the North British Locomotive Company, between 1889 and 1925. A total of 34 were built, but by 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair).
In 2002, No. 787 was rebuilt with oil firing. This was originally installed to work on the same principle as that used on Nilgiri Mountain Railway No.37395. A diesel-powered generator was fitted to operate the oil burner and an electrically-driven feed pump, and a diesel-powered compressor was fitted to power the braking system. Additionally, the locomotive was fitted with a feedwater heater. The overall result was a dramatic change in the appearance of the locomotive. However, the trials of the locomotive were disappointing and it never entered regular service. In early 2011, it was in Tindharia Works awaiting reconversion to coal-firing.
In March 2001, No.794 was transferred to the Matheran Hill Railway to allow a "Joy Train" (steam-hauled tourist train) to be operated on that railway. It did not, however, enter service there until May 2002.
DIESEL
Four diesel locomotives are in use: Nos. 601-2, 604 and 605 of the NDM6 class transferred from the Matheran Hill Railway.
PAST
In 1910 the railway purchased the third Garratt locomotive built, a D Class 0-4-0+0-4-0.
Only one DHR steam locomotive has been taken out of India, No.778 (originally No.19). After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Railway, it was sold to an enthusiast in the UK and restored to working order. It is now based on a private railway (The Beeches Light Railway) in Oxfordshire but has run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has long been viewed with affection and enthusiasm by travellers to the region and the Earl of Ronaldshay gave the following description of a journey in the early 1920s:
"Siliguri is palpably a place of meeting . . The discovery that here the metre gauge system ends and the two foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what all these things hint at... One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput. With a noisy fuss out of all proportion to its size the engine gives a jerk - and starts... No special mechanical device such as a rack is employed - unless, indeed, one can so describe the squat and stolid hill-man who sits perched over the forward buffers of the engine and scatters sand on the rails when the wheels of the engine lose their grip of the metals and race, with the noise of a giant spring running down when the control has been removed.
Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb at a steady gradient - so steady that if one embarks in a trolley at Ghum, the highest point on the line, the initial push supplies all the energy necessary to carry one to the bottom."
The trip up to Darjeeling on railway has changed little since that time, and continues to delight travellers and rail enthusiasts, so much so that it has its own preservation and support group, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society.
Several films have portrayed the railway. Especially popular was the song Mere sapno ki rani from the film Aradhana where the protagonist Rajesh Khanna tries to woo heroine Sharmila Tagore who was riding in the train. Other notable films include Barfi!, Parineeta and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. The Darjeeling Limited, a film directed by Wes Anderson, features a trip by three brothers on a fictional long-distance train based very loosely on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
TELEVISION
The BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, shown in February 2010. The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, the second the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010. Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited also showcases three brothers riding the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
WIKIPEDIA
London Passenger Transport Board, Car No.1622. Built 1912. 73 seats. Represents the "rehabilitated" E1 London trams of the 1930s. Returned to service June 2008.
Heading east along the Calder Valley on 4 March 2017 is GBRf Class 66 No. 66713 'Forest City'. The train is a Liverpool-Drax biomass train. Much of the biomass is imported from the United States so these trains will be a feature of the rail scene for many years to come. Drax, near Selby, is the second largest power generator in Europe.
The old Commercial Road Power Station in October 1977, just a few weeks before the Cooling tower was demolished using expolosives. The day it was demolished was a bit of an anti-climax for the crowds that had gathered to witness its demise, as fog shrouded the scene making it impossible to see the full effect of it collapsing.
Although now long disused, part of the red brick building still stands to this day.
Baby Sivok - The oldest DHR train
__________________________
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 610 mm narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The headquarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia.
HISTORY
A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year.
Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway. The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Several engineering adjustments were made later in order to ease the gradient of the rails. Despite natural calamities, such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899, the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines being built in response to growing passenger and freight traffic. However, the DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating over the Hill Cart Road, offering a shorter journey time. During World War II, the DHR played a vital role transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.
After the independence of India, the DHR was absorbed into Indian Railways and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 6 km to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there. DHR remained closed for 18 months during the hostile period of Gorkhaland Movement in 1988-89.
The line closed in 2011 due to a 6.8 Magnitude earthquake. The line is currently loss-making and in 2015, Rajah Banerjee, a local tea estate owner, has called for privatisation to encourage investment, which was fiercely resisted by unions.
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines. The site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The DHR is justified by the following criteria:
Criterion II - The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.
Criterion IV - The development of railways in the 19th century had a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGRITY
Since 1881, the original route has been retained in a remarkable condition. Only minimal interventions of an evolutionary nature, such as the reduction of loops, have been carried out. Most of the original steam locomotives are still in use. Like Tea and the Ghurka culture, the DHR has become not only an essential feature of the landscape but also an enduring part of the identity of Darjeeling.
MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL STATUS
The DHR and all its movable and immovable assets, including the authentic railway stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the Government of India entrusted to the Ministry of Railways. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented all the elements of the DHR in a comprehensive register. Apart from that, it handles the day-to-day maintenance and management. But moreover, several programs, divisions and departments of the Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. This includes technical as well as non-technical work. In principle, the only two legal protection mechanisms that apply to the conservation of the DHR are the provisions of the 1989 Railway Act and that it is a public property which is state-owned and therefore protected.
THE ROUTE
The railway line basically follows the Hill Cart Road which is partially the same as National Highway 55. Usually, the track is simply on the road side. In case of landslides both track and road might be affected. As long parts of the road are flanked with buildings, the railway line often rather resembles urban tramway tracks than an overland line.
To warn residents and car drivers about the approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud horns that even drown horns of Indian trucks and buses. Trains honk almost without pause.
Loops and Z-Reverses (or "zig-zag"s)
One of the main difficulties faced by the DHR was the steepness of the climb. Features called loops and Z-Reverses were designed as an integral part of the system at different points along the route to achieve a comfortable gradient for the stretches in between them. When the train moves forwards, reverses and then moves forward again, climbing a slope each time while doing so, it gains height along the side of the hill.
STATIONS
NEW JALPAIGURI JUNCTION (NJP)
New Jalpaiguri is the railway station which was extended to the south in 1964 to meet the new broad gauge to Assam. Where the two met, New Jalpaiguri was created.
SILIGURI TOWN STATION
Siliguri Town was original southern terminus of the line.
SIIGURI JUNCTION
Siliguri Junction became a major station only when a new metre-gauge line was built to Assam in the early 1950s
SUKNA STATION
This station marks the change in the landscape from the flat plains to the wooded lower slopes of the mountains. The gradient of the railway changes dramatically.
LOOP 1 (now removed)
Loop No.1 was in the woods above Sukna. It was removed after flood damage in 1991. The site is now lost in the forest.
RANGTONG STATION
A short distance above Rangtong there is a water tank. This was a better position for the tank than in the station, both in terms of water supply and distance between other water tanks.
LOOP 2 (now removed)
When Loop 2 was removed in 1942, again following flood damage, a new reverse, No.1, was added, creating the longest reverse run.
REVERSE 1
LOOP 3
Loop No.3 is at Chunbatti. This is now the lowest loop.
REVERSE 2 & 3
Reverses No.2 & 3 are between Chunbatti and Tindharia.
TINDHARIA STATION
This is a major station on the line as below the station is the workshops. There is also an office for the engineers and a large locomotive shed, all on a separate site.
Immediately above the station are three sidings; these were used to inspect the carriage while the locomotive was changed, before the train continued towards Darjeeling.
LOOP 4
Agony Point is the name given to loop No.4. It comes from the shape of the loop which comes to an apex which is the tightest curve on the line.
GAYABARI
REVERSE 6
Reverse No.6 is the last reverse on the climb.
MAHANADI STATION
KURSEONG STATION
There is a shed here and a few sidings adjacent to the main line, but the station proper is a dead end. Up trains must reverse out of the station (across a busy road junction) before they can continue on their climb. It is said that the station was built this way so that the train could enter a secure yard and stay there while the passengers left the train for refreshments.
Above Kurseong station, the railway runs through the bazaar. Trains skirt the front of shops and market stalls on this busy stretch of road.
SONADA STATION
Sonada is a small station which serves town of sonada on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. It is on Siliguri - Darjeeling national highway (NH 55).
JOREBUNGALOW STATION
This is a small location near Darjeeling and a railway station on Darjeeling Himalayan railway. Jorebungalow was store point for tea to Calcutta. This is a strategical place to connect Darjeeling to rest of the country.
GHUM STATION
Ghum, summit of the line and highest station in India. Now includes a museum on the first floor of the station building with larger exhibits in the old goods yard. Once this was the railway station at highest altitude overall and is the highest altitude station for narrow gauge railway.
BATASIA LOOP
The loop is 5 kilometres from Darjeeling, below Ghum. There is also a memorial to the Gorkha soldiers of the Indian Army who sacrificed their lives after the Indian Independence in 1947. From the Batasia Loop one can get a panoramic view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga and other snowy mountains in the back-drop.
DARJEELING STATION
The farthest reach of the line was to Darjeeling Bazaar, a goods-only line and now lost under the road surface and small buildings.
LOCOMOTIVES
CURRENT
STEAM
All the steam locomotives currently in use on the railway are of the "B" Class, a design built by Sharp, Stewart and Company and later the North British Locomotive Company, between 1889 and 1925. A total of 34 were built, but by 2005 only 12 remained on the railway and in use (or under repair).
In 2002, No. 787 was rebuilt with oil firing. This was originally installed to work on the same principle as that used on Nilgiri Mountain Railway No.37395. A diesel-powered generator was fitted to operate the oil burner and an electrically-driven feed pump, and a diesel-powered compressor was fitted to power the braking system. Additionally, the locomotive was fitted with a feedwater heater. The overall result was a dramatic change in the appearance of the locomotive. However, the trials of the locomotive were disappointing and it never entered regular service. In early 2011, it was in Tindharia Works awaiting reconversion to coal-firing.
In March 2001, No.794 was transferred to the Matheran Hill Railway to allow a "Joy Train" (steam-hauled tourist train) to be operated on that railway. It did not, however, enter service there until May 2002.
DIESEL
Four diesel locomotives are in use: Nos. 601-2, 604 and 605 of the NDM6 class transferred from the Matheran Hill Railway.
PAST
In 1910 the railway purchased the third Garratt locomotive built, a D Class 0-4-0+0-4-0.
Only one DHR steam locomotive has been taken out of India, No.778 (originally No.19). After many years out of use at the Hesston Steam Railway, it was sold to an enthusiast in the UK and restored to working order. It is now based on a private railway (The Beeches Light Railway) in Oxfordshire but has run on the Ffestiniog Railway, the Launceston Steam Railway and the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has long been viewed with affection and enthusiasm by travellers to the region and the Earl of Ronaldshay gave the following description of a journey in the early 1920s:
"Siliguri is palpably a place of meeting . . The discovery that here the metre gauge system ends and the two foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what all these things hint at... One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput. With a noisy fuss out of all proportion to its size the engine gives a jerk - and starts... No special mechanical device such as a rack is employed - unless, indeed, one can so describe the squat and stolid hill-man who sits perched over the forward buffers of the engine and scatters sand on the rails when the wheels of the engine lose their grip of the metals and race, with the noise of a giant spring running down when the control has been removed.
Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb at a steady gradient - so steady that if one embarks in a trolley at Ghum, the highest point on the line, the initial push supplies all the energy necessary to carry one to the bottom."
The trip up to Darjeeling on railway has changed little since that time, and continues to delight travellers and rail enthusiasts, so much so that it has its own preservation and support group, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society.
Several films have portrayed the railway. Especially popular was the song Mere sapno ki rani from the film Aradhana where the protagonist Rajesh Khanna tries to woo heroine Sharmila Tagore who was riding in the train. Other notable films include Barfi!, Parineeta and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. The Darjeeling Limited, a film directed by Wes Anderson, features a trip by three brothers on a fictional long-distance train based very loosely on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
TELEVISION
The BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, shown in February 2010. The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway, the second the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010. Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited also showcases three brothers riding the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
WIKIPEDIA
From the FC AV Circus-Bender 5/4 at the White House. Shot on a Canon a1 on some cinestil 800t push processed to 3200. Mostly used the radioactive Canon 35mm fd. A few shots were the 50mm 1.8. One or two with a 4.5 tete. There was a blackout in the area and band/venue rented a power generator and went for it. The lighting was a fun challenge.
Up on a farm in the northeast of England is this inline-6-cylinder Diesel “Simms” engine which originally came from a circa 1950s/1960s Thames Trader lorry (built by Ford Of England). The engine (still wearing its original paint), complete with radiator has been attached to steel frame rails, and is combined with an auxiliary generator device, including a retrofit control panel off a more modern industrial unit. This device is still in very sound running condition and is used as an external on-site agricultural power generator on this farm.
It is fascinating to find 60+ year-old machines such as this engine still working in this day-and-age. No doubt this piece will continue to earn its keep for several years still to come.
Warrant Officer (WO1) Adaliz Pagan, with the Puerto Rico Army National Guard Aviation, performs a pre-flight inspection on the UH-60 helicopter before to departing to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Aug. 27, 2021. So far the PRNG Guardsmen have completed 26 humanitarian missions which amount to more than 116 flying hours. Additionally, the crews have transported approximately 11,550 pounds of cargo (food, water, power generators, medical equipment, etc.), 62 passengers, and 9 civilians that required emergency-medical evacuation. (Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Agustin Montanez)
When I served with the U. S. Army in Vietnam in 1967, my first duty station was here at the 37th Signal Battalion compound near the big Danang Airbase. I was with USAStratcom Long Lines Battalion North. We operated a very sophisticated (for the times) long lines communication system with radio links to several other bases in South Vietnam. The system was designed by Page Communications Engineers of Alexandria, Virginia, whose technicians actually did more to operate and maintain the system than we army guys did.
All of the electronics were in this building called the EE Building. There was also a supply warehouse and a powerhouse with huge electrical power generators. A system like this took a lot of energy.
Our loss of the war wasn't for a lack of technology.
“The façade of Sydney’s Customs House at Circular Quay plays host to the fantastical wonders of ‘Sydney’s Hidden Stories’, where a blue-tongue lizard leads visitors through haunting landscapes of warty witches and wizards, gnomes and cocky cockatoos.
“The lizard is an adventurous protagonist and participants journey with him to marvel at tree-people and fairies, along the way dodging sneaky snakes and battling the cockatoos to finally discover a secret time-travel doorway back to a gnome’s hidden garden.
“At the end of the journey the lizard invites participants to his elaborately detailed and invitingly obscure self-sustainable home. He has a green roof, complete with veggie garden, wind turbine and solar panels; a pedal-powered generator; and a garage with ready-and-waiting snail transportation. There are many other intriguing rooms that fit nicely into the façade of the Customs House, trailing down into roots that show the underground insects that lie below.
“So many wonders, so many hidden stories, to entertain and delight all those who visit. And remember, Customs House actually is the home to the City of Sydney’s main public library….
“Step onto the New Reality Viewing Platform and use Huawei’s latest smartphones and tablets for an amazing augmented reality experience at Customs House.
“Projection Technology and Mapping Design By TDC.”
At the end of March, the sandstorms in the Sahara desert blew tons of dust into the air. The finest particles, floating as aerosols in the air, reached deep into Europa and Germany. In the city, between the buildings, or in the forest or the park, surrounded buy trees, the dust was imperceptible. But when you went high over the ground, like I did in Beelitz, Brandburg, you could see the white haze, hiding the battery of wing power generators on the horizon. To get this wonderful view, over the forest near Berlin, you have to go up on the 40-meter observing tower, in the park called “Baumkronenpfad "Baum & Zeit".
This picture is part of the ongoing story Visits to Beelitz Heilstätten