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Bird lovers, listen up! There is finally a way to soundproof a bird cage safely and effectively, without jeopardizing the happiness of your pet. Audimute Sound Absorption Sheets can be used to cover 2 sides of a bird cage, as well as a couple walls and even the doorway. They're portable and easy to hang and remove. By absorbing the mid and high frequencies, Sound Absorption Sheets make the screaming of birds tolerable, which in turn allows you to train them that there are other ways of getting your attention.
Visit audimutesoundproofing.com or quietparrothappyowner.com to learn more. If you want to discuss your own application, give us a call at 866-505-MUTE!
Workers use straps to bring the cables down to place on the hooks so that the absorption tower can be unloaded off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
It never occurred to me that it might not be, so I've already tried it out and shot some sunspots with it. But then I started reading all the terrible warnings about not using a real solar filter, risking melting my camera sensor, and so on, because ordinary photographic ND filters didn't necessarily stop IR, just visible light. I also discovered that those few ordinary photographic ND filter makers who bother to specify IR transmision specify it being blocked as well as the visible light. Plus a few knowledgeable optical lab people who said that at least most ordinary ND filters were also IR safe. So I googled for tales of people melting their cameras etc. by ignorantly using an ordinary ND filter to photograph the sun. All I could find were stories of people who had caused damage by obvious stupidity, such as not using any filter at all, or mounting the filter at the end of the optical path instead of the beginning.
I'm starting to suspect all these dire warnings about ordinary photographic filters may be no more then urban rumours propagated by people who don't know and have no confidence in their own native ability to find out.
To get an initial feel for the IR blocking capabilities of my XCSource big stoppers I measured the temperature of a small portable gas soldering iron bit using a remote temperature sensor. It measured 241 degrees C. I then put the big stopper in between the tip and the sensor. The temperature measured the ambient room temperature, not even a tenth of a degree above.
So far so encouraging! But not conclusive. More experiments later.
Original: DSC09935X
A welder cuts some material inside of the ship during the unloading of an absorption tower off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
AirDrain Agronomic Natural Grass Drainage at the Chesapeake Energy Roof Top Sports Field
74,000 sqft. Natural Grass Field
Benefits of AirDrain in a green roofing system include:
AirDrain creates and helps maintain a constant Gmax for artificial turf (See below)
Thickness and resin consistency of AirDrain provides uniform shock absorbency
Shock absorption reduces the strain on joints and ligaments
AirDrain is only limited by the drainage capacity of the profile above it
Installation time measured in days instead of weeks
AirDrain can be reused when the artificial turf must be replaced
Water harvesting reclamation and reuse
Helps qualify for LEED and other green building credits
A smaller carbon and development footprint with reduced site disturbance
100% vertical drainage under the entire field surface
Minimizes water related injuries / Less infill migration due to superior drainage
AirDrain is a 100% recycled product
Less infill migration due to superior drainage
GMAX Information Existing Conditions for Testing
Turf - 2 1/2” Slit Film, in filled with 50% Green Rubber Infill and 50% Silica Sand.
The drainage/shock pad and turf underlying substrate consists of a concrete deck/rooftop, coated with a waterproof membrane and 10 ounce 100% recycled polyester geo-textile filter fabric.
The Standard Test Method for Shock-Absorbing Properties of Playing Surface Systems and Materials (ASTM F1936-98 American Football Field) testing locations and procedure were preformed. The tests were performed using a Triax 2000 A-1 Missile, tripod mounted Gmax registration unit(www.triax2000.com). This report presents background information on the test procedures, existing conditions, test results and observations in football, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey artificial sports fields.
The environmental impact of a green roof is undenyable, and adds significantly to the LEED Point system designed by the USGC in all five major areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Green roofing replaces the green space displaced by a building, prevents excess storm water drainage, reduces the temperature of a building and the urban heat island effect, protects and extends the useful life of a roof, and reduce energy demands.
What's more, a green roof incorporating AirDrain means your design includes renewable, recycled, and locally obtained materials. We know you have a choice in designing a green roof, and we hope you consider the many benefits of AirDrain.
A typical AirDrain green roof
AirDrain Agronomic Natural Grass Drainage at the Chesapeake Energy Roof Top Sports Field
74,000 sqft. Natural Grass Field
Benefits of AirDrain in a green roofing system include:
AirDrain creates and helps maintain a constant Gmax for artificial turf (See below)
Thickness and resin consistency of AirDrain provides uniform shock absorbency
Shock absorption reduces the strain on joints and ligaments
AirDrain is only limited by the drainage capacity of the profile above it
Installation time measured in days instead of weeks
AirDrain can be reused when the artificial turf must be replaced
Water harvesting reclamation and reuse
Helps qualify for LEED and other green building credits
A smaller carbon and development footprint with reduced site disturbance
100% vertical drainage under the entire field surface
Minimizes water related injuries / Less infill migration due to superior drainage
AirDrain is a 100% recycled product
Less infill migration due to superior drainage
GMAX Information Existing Conditions for Testing
Turf - 2 1/2” Slit Film, in filled with 50% Green Rubber Infill and 50% Silica Sand.
The drainage/shock pad and turf underlying substrate consists of a concrete deck/rooftop, coated with a waterproof membrane and 10 ounce 100% recycled polyester geo-textile filter fabric.
The Standard Test Method for Shock-Absorbing Properties of Playing Surface Systems and Materials (ASTM F1936-98 American Football Field) testing locations and procedure were preformed. The tests were performed using a Triax 2000 A-1 Missile, tripod mounted Gmax registration unit(www.triax2000.com). This report presents background information on the test procedures, existing conditions, test results and observations in football, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey artificial sports fields.
The environmental impact of a green roof is undenyable, and adds significantly to the LEED Point system designed by the USGC in all five major areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Green roofing replaces the green space displaced by a building, prevents excess storm water drainage, reduces the temperature of a building and the urban heat island effect, protects and extends the useful life of a roof, and reduce energy demands.
What's more, a green roof incorporating AirDrain means your design includes renewable, recycled, and locally obtained materials. We know you have a choice in designing a green roof, and we hope you consider the many benefits of AirDrain.
A typical AirDrain green roof
A Fomapan Action 400 black-and-white film to test the effect a the special Foca filter "Dyma" produced in France in the 50's.
The filter is called "Dyma" due to the presence of neodymium in the glass giving an unusual absorption by bands in the visible spectrum. In particulier blue and yellow color ans more absorbed than the rest of the spectrum. The filter existed in two different versions with the coefficient x2.5 or 3.5. Here the 42mm push-on Foca Dyma filter used is a x 3.5.
As a consequence, I exposed the Foma 400 for 80 ISO using a Minolta Autometer III with a 10° finder for selective measurements privileging the shadow areas. I used my FOCA camera PF2B year 1956 and its normal Oplar lens1:2.8 f=5cm equipped for all the views with the Dyma filter and a Genaco metal shade hood.
Typical settings during the session : 1/100s f/8 to f/11.
Rue des Fantasques, May 29, 2023
69001 Lyon
France
After exposure, the film was processed using Adox Adonal (Agfa Rodinal) developer at dilution 1+25, 20°C for 6 min.
The film was then digitalized using a Sony A7 body adapted to a Minolta Auto Bellows III and a Minolta Slide Duplicator using a lens Minolta Bellow Macro Rokkor 50mm f/3.5 at a reproduction ratio of 1:1. The reproduced RAW files obtained were processed in LR prior the the final JPEG editions.
All views of the film are presented in the dedicated album either in the printed framed versions and unframed full-size jpeg.
About the camera and the lens:
The Foca type PF2B (PF for "Petit Format") was constructed in France by the company "Optique & Precision de Levallois" (OPL) starting from 1947. It was manufactured in the Chateaudun OPL factory, route de Jallans, France, in 1956 among a late series of the PF2B. The factory, constructed in 1938, is still at the same place under the name of SAFRAN now producing precision devices for aerospace appliances.
The camera is equipped with the collapsible OPLAR lens (a Tessar formula) 1:2.8 f=5cm. The focal shutter of the PF2B has timing of 1/1000, 1/500, 1/200, 1/100, 1/50 and 1/25s plus the B pose. A slow exposure device below 1/25s could be installed by the aftermarket service and was installed basically for the FOCA PF3 and Foca Universel.
A giant crane attached to a barge is on standby during the unloading of an absorption tower off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
AirDrain Agronomic Natural Grass Drainage at the Chesapeake Energy Roof Top Sports Field
74,000 sqft. Natural Grass Field
Benefits of AirDrain in a green roofing system include:
AirDrain creates and helps maintain a constant Gmax for artificial turf (See below)
Thickness and resin consistency of AirDrain provides uniform shock absorbency
Shock absorption reduces the strain on joints and ligaments
AirDrain is only limited by the drainage capacity of the profile above it
Installation time measured in days instead of weeks
AirDrain can be reused when the artificial turf must be replaced
Water harvesting reclamation and reuse
Helps qualify for LEED and other green building credits
A smaller carbon and development footprint with reduced site disturbance
100% vertical drainage under the entire field surface
Minimizes water related injuries / Less infill migration due to superior drainage
AirDrain is a 100% recycled product
Less infill migration due to superior drainage
GMAX Information Existing Conditions for Testing
Turf - 2 1/2” Slit Film, in filled with 50% Green Rubber Infill and 50% Silica Sand.
The drainage/shock pad and turf underlying substrate consists of a concrete deck/rooftop, coated with a waterproof membrane and 10 ounce 100% recycled polyester geo-textile filter fabric.
The Standard Test Method for Shock-Absorbing Properties of Playing Surface Systems and Materials (ASTM F1936-98 American Football Field) testing locations and procedure were preformed. The tests were performed using a Triax 2000 A-1 Missile, tripod mounted Gmax registration unit(www.triax2000.com). This report presents background information on the test procedures, existing conditions, test results and observations in football, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey artificial sports fields.
The environmental impact of a green roof is undenyable, and adds significantly to the LEED Point system designed by the USGC in all five major areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Green roofing replaces the green space displaced by a building, prevents excess storm water drainage, reduces the temperature of a building and the urban heat island effect, protects and extends the useful life of a roof, and reduce energy demands.
What's more, a green roof incorporating AirDrain means your design includes renewable, recycled, and locally obtained materials. We know you have a choice in designing a green roof, and we hope you consider the many benefits of AirDrain.
A typical AirDrain green roof
Workers place a cable on to the hook during the unloading of an absorption tower off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
A worker un-hooks a cable from a steel plate weighing between 15 and 20 tons during the unloading of an absorption tower off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
The transmission spectrum of a piece of moldavite from the meteorite impact, some 15 million years ago, in southern Germany (Nördlingen-Ries). Most of the moldavites are found in southern Bohemia where they landed after the impact of an approximately 1.5km diameter asteroid moving at about 70,000 km/h. The crater has a diameter of some 12km and the impact released an energy of about a quarter of a million Hiroshima bombs. The crater has been used as a training ground for the crews of the Apollo missions 14 and 17 to the Moon.
A worker unscrews a bolt attached to a hook during the unloading of an absorption tower off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
AirDrain Agronomic Natural Grass Drainage at the Chesapeake Energy Roof Top Sports Field
74,000 sqft. Natural Grass Field
Benefits of AirDrain in a green roofing system include:
AirDrain creates and helps maintain a constant Gmax for artificial turf (See below)
Thickness and resin consistency of AirDrain provides uniform shock absorbency
Shock absorption reduces the strain on joints and ligaments
AirDrain is only limited by the drainage capacity of the profile above it
Installation time measured in days instead of weeks
AirDrain can be reused when the artificial turf must be replaced
Water harvesting reclamation and reuse
Helps qualify for LEED and other green building credits
A smaller carbon and development footprint with reduced site disturbance
100% vertical drainage under the entire field surface
Minimizes water related injuries / Less infill migration due to superior drainage
AirDrain is a 100% recycled product
Less infill migration due to superior drainage
GMAX Information Existing Conditions for Testing
Turf - 2 1/2” Slit Film, in filled with 50% Green Rubber Infill and 50% Silica Sand.
The drainage/shock pad and turf underlying substrate consists of a concrete deck/rooftop, coated with a waterproof membrane and 10 ounce 100% recycled polyester geo-textile filter fabric.
The Standard Test Method for Shock-Absorbing Properties of Playing Surface Systems and Materials (ASTM F1936-98 American Football Field) testing locations and procedure were preformed. The tests were performed using a Triax 2000 A-1 Missile, tripod mounted Gmax registration unit(www.triax2000.com). This report presents background information on the test procedures, existing conditions, test results and observations in football, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey artificial sports fields.
The environmental impact of a green roof is undenyable, and adds significantly to the LEED Point system designed by the USGC in all five major areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Green roofing replaces the green space displaced by a building, prevents excess storm water drainage, reduces the temperature of a building and the urban heat island effect, protects and extends the useful life of a roof, and reduce energy demands.
What's more, a green roof incorporating AirDrain means your design includes renewable, recycled, and locally obtained materials. We know you have a choice in designing a green roof, and we hope you consider the many benefits of AirDrain.
A typical AirDrain green roof
A Fomapan Action 400 black-and-white film to test the effect a the special Foca filter "Dyma" produced in France in the 50's.
The filter is called "Dyma" due to the presence of neodymium in the glass giving an unusual absorption by bands in the visible spectrum. In particulier blue and yellow color ans more absorbed than the rest of the spectrum. The filter existed in two different versions with the coefficient x2.5 or 3.5. Here the 42mm push-on Foca Dyma filter used is a x 3.5.
As a consequence, I exposed the Foma 400 for 80 ISO using a Minolta Autometer III with a 10° finder for selective measurements privileging the shadow areas. I used my FOCA camera PF2B year 1956 and its normal Oplar lens1:2.8 f=5cm equipped for all the views with the Dyma filter and a Genaco metal shade hood.
Typical settings during the session : 1/100s f/8 to f/11.
Rue des Tables Claudiennes, May 29, 2023
69001 Lyon
France
After exposure, the film was processed using Adox Adonal (Agfa Rodinal) developer at dilution 1+25, 20°C for 6 min.
The film was then digitalized using a Sony A7 body adapted to a Minolta Auto Bellows III and a Minolta Slide Duplicator using a lens Minolta Bellow Macro Rokkor 50mm f/3.5 at a reproduction ratio of 1:1. The reproduced RAW files obtained were processed in LR prior the the final JPEG editions.
All views of the film are presented in the dedicated album either in the printed framed versions and unframed full-size jpeg.
About the camera and the lens:
The Foca type PF2B (PF for "Petit Format") was constructed in France by the company "Optique & Precision de Levallois" (OPL) starting from 1947. It was manufactured in the Chateaudun OPL factory, route de Jallans, France, in 1956 among a late series of the PF2B. The factory, constructed in 1938, is still at the same place under the name of SAFRAN now producing precision devices for aerospace appliances.
The camera is equipped with the collapsible OPLAR lens (a Tessar formula) 1:2.8 f=5cm. The focal shutter of the PF2B has timing of 1/1000, 1/500, 1/200, 1/100, 1/50 and 1/25s plus the B pose. A slow exposure device below 1/25s could be installed by the aftermarket service and was installed basically for the FOCA PF3 and Foca Universel.
This paper toy is Hanako Noroino, a Absorption-attributed Rank A Yo-kai of the Eerie tribe, from the role-playing video game Yo-Kai Watch, the papercraft is created by Vayashi.
Hanako Noroino is the evolved form of Hanako-san, formed when Hanako-san is combined with the Cursed Diary. In this...
www.papercraftsquare.com/yo-kai-watch-hanako-noroino-free...
Sonata Vario Absorption panels in 'White' installed within the school hall at All Saints Primary School, Kirkby Overblow, North Yorkshire. Installation of the panels to the walls and ceiling was carried out by Floorscan Acoustics Ltd. Reverberation within the hall was considerably reduced using this treatment.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Sonata Vario Absorption panels in 'White' installed within the school hall at All Saints Primary School, Kirkby Overblow, North Yorkshire. Installation of the panels to the walls and ceiling was carried out by Floorscan Acoustics Ltd. Reverberation within the hall was considerably reduced using this treatment.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Sonata Vario Absorption panels installed in 'white' and Sonata Memo Acoustic noticeboards within the dining room at Tudhoe Moor Primary School in Spennymoor. Installation of the panels was carried out by Floorscan Acoustics Ltd. The acoustics within the hall during dining were greatly improved by the installation Sonata Acoustic Absorbers.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Just like a bodybuilder, Buzzwole is often seen striking poses that show off its massive, abnormally swollen muscles. The creature’s body covered in red blood-like filled sacs with veins that are said to be as hard as steel. Buzzwole’s crushing power and unbridled rage give way to fearsome physical damage, and worst of all, a stabbing attack from its silver proboscis which can drain and steal opponents’ energy! This giant extra-dimensional anthropomorphic mosquito packs quite a pulverizing punch!
Built for the Ultra Beasts Collab! Find the other powerful Ultra Beasts from these talented builders!
@_ezreel_ as Nihilego
@anderson_builder as Buzzwole
@dv_mocs as Pheromosa
@carecreations_ as Xurkitree
@aidan_jh as Celesteela
@rons_oc as Kartana
@petersheikah as Guzzlord
@space_glove as Nekrozma
@panuvara as Naganadel
@danielbrickson as Stakataka
@brick_diamonds as Blacephalon
Sonata Vario Absorption panels in 'White' installed within the school hall at All Saints Primary School, Kirkby Overblow, North Yorkshire. Installation of the panels to the walls and ceiling was carried out by Floorscan Acoustics Ltd. Reverberation within the hall was considerably reduced using this treatment.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
SRS Sonata Memo acoustic noticeboards installed on the walls within the offices of Ford Retail in Barnsley. Sonata Vario can also be seen suspended below the suspended ceiling. The Sonata absorbers were installed to reduce noise created when a number of people are on the phone at the same time.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
A true parasite (or holoparasite), the plant Rafflesia arnoldii has no stems, leaves or true roots. Instead, it spreads absorptive organ (the haustorium) inside the tissue of vines. The only part of the plant that is visible outside the host vine is the flower. The flowers smell like rotting flesh, hence it is also called a corpse flower - not to be confused with the equally odorous Titan Arum. While the Titan Arum has the largest unbranched inflorescence (cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of one branch) in the world, Rafflesia arnoldii has the largest single flower of any flowering plant (in terms of weight).
Jeera Rice (cumin rice)
A tasty variation on plain boiled rice, this can be made two ways - by total absorption of water by the rice or by draining the water from it. The latter gets rid of all the starch and is therefore preferred for obvious reasons.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup Basmati rice (a long grain Indian rice)
• 3 cups water
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsps vegtable, sunflower or canola oil/ghee
• 1 large onion chopped fine
• 2 tsps cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup water
• Coriander leaves to garnish
Preparation:
1. Wash the Basmati rice well in running water.
2. Add the 3 cups of water and salt to taste to the rice and set it up to boil.
3. Once the rice is almost cooked (test a few grains often to check - they will feel soft on the outside but very slightly hard on the inside), remove from fire and drain the water by straining the rice through a sieve or colander.
4. Set aside.
5. In another pan, heat the oil/ghee till hot and add onions.
6. Fry till light brown and then add the cumin seeds. The seeds will splutter and sizzle to show they are done.
7. Now add the rice and stir well.
8. Add 1/2 a cup of water to the rice and cover.
9. Simmer till all the water dries up.
10. Allow the rice to stand for another 2-3 minutes and then serve garnished with coriander leaves.
A cable is attached to one end an absorption tower during its unloading off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
Here are steps for how to use strong absorption newborn baby & Infant Diapers. Read the instructions carefully and follow the steps for easy use of diapers.
Three of six cut zircons from my collection. These show the weakest uranium absorption lines and the colours (blue and gold) result from very broad absorption bands.
The luminescence spectra consist of groups of narrow emission lines with an underlying continuum in the yellow/green. The three stones exhibit very similar line spectra with the clear (white) stone having somewhat weaker lines. The line identifications are mostly with dysprosium and samarium (Dy^3+ and Sm^3+).
Jojoba Oil Similar structure with human’s sebum, excellent absorption, moisturizing, soften skin without stickiness *Sweet Almond Oil Ease itching, specially for dry skin, recovers tired skin to soften Lip balm and tint combined lip brush container. Delivers moist lips anytime. Menthol ingredient gives cool feelings and plumping effect.
More natural and vivid color as time goes on!
Más info en Español: cosmeticacoreana.blogspot.com.es/2012/03/tony-moly-backst...
There has been, and continues to be, much discussion about what British intentions really were towards Tibet. Given their absorption of nearly the entire Indian sub-continent into the 'Empire', it is not unreasonable to suspect that full colonisation was the secret plan, however this would appear not to be the actual case.
The stated intention of the 1903 / 1904 British expedition to Tibet, was "to establish diplomatic relations and trade between the British Raj and Tibet." Having established a presence in Tibet, the British no doubt intended to keep an eye on Russian activity there. Personally, I have no doubt whatsoever that if the Tibetans had agreed to Britain's trade and diplomatic proposals when they first arrived at the border, Younghusband and his escort would have turned around and gone home.
There would also appear to be little doubt that Younghusband himself and many of the officers that accompanied him, wanted to go all the way to Lhasa. Younghusband's role was not a military one, his job was diplomatic, and I think that at times he was less diplomatic than he might have been, because it suited his private ambition of being 'the first white man in Lhasa'!
AirDrain Agronomic Natural Grass Drainage at the Chesapeake Energy Roof Top Sports Field
74,000 sqft. Natural Grass Field
Benefits of AirDrain in a green roofing system include:
AirDrain creates and helps maintain a constant Gmax for artificial turf (See below)
Thickness and resin consistency of AirDrain provides uniform shock absorbency
Shock absorption reduces the strain on joints and ligaments
AirDrain is only limited by the drainage capacity of the profile above it
Installation time measured in days instead of weeks
AirDrain can be reused when the artificial turf must be replaced
Water harvesting reclamation and reuse
Helps qualify for LEED and other green building credits
A smaller carbon and development footprint with reduced site disturbance
100% vertical drainage under the entire field surface
Minimizes water related injuries / Less infill migration due to superior drainage
AirDrain is a 100% recycled product
Less infill migration due to superior drainage
GMAX Information Existing Conditions for Testing
Turf - 2 1/2” Slit Film, in filled with 50% Green Rubber Infill and 50% Silica Sand.
The drainage/shock pad and turf underlying substrate consists of a concrete deck/rooftop, coated with a waterproof membrane and 10 ounce 100% recycled polyester geo-textile filter fabric.
The Standard Test Method for Shock-Absorbing Properties of Playing Surface Systems and Materials (ASTM F1936-98 American Football Field) testing locations and procedure were preformed. The tests were performed using a Triax 2000 A-1 Missile, tripod mounted Gmax registration unit(www.triax2000.com). This report presents background information on the test procedures, existing conditions, test results and observations in football, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey artificial sports fields.
The environmental impact of a green roof is undenyable, and adds significantly to the LEED Point system designed by the USGC in all five major areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Green roofing replaces the green space displaced by a building, prevents excess storm water drainage, reduces the temperature of a building and the urban heat island effect, protects and extends the useful life of a roof, and reduce energy demands.
What's more, a green roof incorporating AirDrain means your design includes renewable, recycled, and locally obtained materials. We know you have a choice in designing a green roof, and we hope you consider the many benefits of AirDrain.
A typical AirDrain green roof
My photowalk with my Semflex Standard 3.5, a French TLR camera year 1959, Lyon, France June 18, 2024.
The camera was equipped with a Semflex yellow filter x2 and the Semflex metal shade hood. An Ilford PanF+ 120 film was loaded and exposed for 32 ISO (Instead of 50 ISO to compensate in part the filter absorption) using a Minolta Autometer III equipped with a 10° finder for selective measures privileging the shadow areas.
Typically I used the 1/100s (one at 1/50s) with aperture ranging from f/8 to f/4.5.
Place Rouville, June 18, 2024
69001 Lyon
France
After the view #12 exposed, the film was fully rolled to the taking spool and was developed in a Paterson tank with a spiral adapted to the 70mm large film. 500 mL of Adox Adonal (Agfa Rodinal) developer were prepared at the dilution 1+25 and the film processed for 6min at 20°C.
Digitizing was made using a Sony A7 camera (ILCE-7, 24MP) held on a Minolta vertical macro stative device and adapted to a Minolta MD Macro lens 1:3.5 f=50mm. The light source was a LED panel (approx. 4x5') CineStill Cine-lite fitted with film holder "Lobster" to maintain flat the 70mm films.
The RAW files obtained were inverted within LR and edited to the final jpeg pictures without intermediate file. They are presented either as printed files with frame or the full size JPEG.
About the camera and lenses :
New in my camera collection this French Semflex TLR year 1959-1960 equipped with f=75mm SOM Berthiot lenses.
The SEM company ("Société des Etablissements Modernes de Mécanique") was founded in France by Paul Royet in 1946, in the small city of Aurec near Saint-Etienne (Loire). The SEM camera's was known essentially for the TLR Semflex that were a great commercial success in France until the 70's. The camera's are constructed around an injected aluminum alloy chassis, very resistant and rigid permitting precise optical alignments. The focusing mechanism is made of a cam system like the Rolleiflex giving an accurate and smooth focusing. SEM constructed their own shutters called Orec with 5 leaves capable of the 1/400s to 1s with B.
Semflex received in majority French optics Berthiot with 3 or 4 lenses (Tessar type). Some camera's were also mounted with Angénieux lenses.
Semflex were trusted TLR camera's used by amateurs and for professional purposes. From 1949 to 1976, 171.000 Semflex were produced in many different types and versions.
My Semflex in a middle grade version Standard 3.5 type-10 (1959-1960). It was the last version mounted with the 3-lens SOM Berthiot 1:3.5 f=75mm. I got the camera with set of accessories and several documents including the user manual of the Semflex Standard 4.5 versions. The accessories include a leather SEM ever-ready bag, a Semflex push-on shade hood, a Semflex push-on yellow filter x2 in its original box, and close-focusing lenses. The 1D one is constructed with a prism for the finder lens that compensates the parallax in the zone 1m to 0.5m.
The decorative ring around each lenses can also receive push-on accessories in 36mm diameter as the FOCA or Leitz 36mm filter series. I adapted two protective lens caps from Kodak film canister snapped covers.
Mistletoe seed stuck to ponderosa pine needle showing swelling of mucilaginous coating due to absorption of moisture.
Photo by: Unknown
Date: October 1969
Credit: USDA Forest Service, Region 6, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection.
Source: Division of Timber Management, Insect and Disease Control Branch Collection; Regional Office, Portland, Oregon.
Image: ID-940
Image provided by USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection: www.fs.usda.gov/main/r6/forest-grasslandhealth
Sonata Vario Absorption panels in 'Stone' installed within the school hall at St Bernadettes School. Installation of the panels to the ceiling was carried out by Floorscan Acoustics Ltd. Reverberation within the hall was considerably reduced using this treatment.
www.soundreduction.co.uk/Products/Sound-Absorption-Soluti...
Diagram shows the different absorption patterns of blue, green, red and near-infrared light characteristic of a healthy leaf, a dead leaf and a yellowed or stressed leaf.
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Note: During most of the period of operation of the BP&GVR the anglicised spellings of Welsh place names were in use, and for consistency are used in this article. The Company's registered name included the incorrect spelling Gwendreath due to an error by parliamentary draftsmen.
The Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway (BP&GVR) was a mineral railway company that constructed a railway line in Carmarthenshire, Wales, by conversion of a canal, to connect collieries and limestone pits to the sea at Kidwelly. It extended its network to include Burry Port, Trimsaran and a brickworks at Pwll, later extending to Sandy near Llanelli. For a time, the company worked the separate Gwendraeth Valleys Railway. The BP&GVR was notable because of the very low height of some overbridges, a legacy of the canal conversion.
It was completely dependent on the economy of the mineral industries it served, and due to the depression it was for many years in administration. In the final years of the nineteenth century, those industries developed considerably, and the fortunes of the BP&GVR improved as well, paying 10% dividends for several years, before absorption by the Great Western Railway in 1922.
For some time the line carried miners to their place of work, and their families to market, and from 1913 the Company carried the general public in passenger trains.
After 1945 mineral extraction in the area declined steeply; passenger operation ceased in 1953, and in the 1960s most of the network closed progressively as pits closed. The final short section at Kidwelly closed in 1998.
The BP&GVR system
Coal had been extracted in the area above Llanelly for centuries, but transport of the heavy mineral to market was difficult. Coastal shipping was essential to the process, although there were limited harbour facilities before the nineteenth century. Getting the coal from the hills to the coast was the problem.
About 1768, Thomas Kymer had built a canal to Pwll-y-Llygod, and a waggonway was constructed from the head of the canal there to pits at Carway a mile or so distant. The rails were of timber and the wagon wheels were flanged; it was probably opened in 1769.
In 1796 John Curr developed a plateway system, in which flat plates with an upstand for guidance could carry wagons with plain wheels.
The Stradey Estate near Llanelly had long been active in mining, and had constructed plateways; horse traction was used. The most important waggonway on the estate brought coal from a pit at Cille to Llanelly where small ships were beached for loading, as there was no proper wharfage at the time.
In 1804, the Carmarthenshire Railway was opened; it was an important plateway connecting coal pits near Cross Hands and ironworks to the harbour (which it developed itself) at Llanelly.
In 1812, the Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal and Tramroad Company was authorised by Parliament. As well as the main line of the canal, there were to be waggonways as feeders to the canal. Two waggonway branches, probably of 4 ft 2in gauge in connection with the Burry Port harbour, were completed in 1832. The waggonways were horse-operated; one ran north to Cwmcapel and the other east to Sandy, near Llanelly. At this point, it connected with the Cille Colliery waggonway on the Stradey Estate. Completion of the project was much delayed, taking until 1837, by which time railway technology was clearly overtaking canals as the dominant transport medium.
A powerful storm breached the main line near Sandy in 1846, and the low traffic volume was not considered to justify the expenditure of reinstatement. From then onwards, the line from Burry Port ended at a colliery and brickworks at Pwll. The company also had two short branch canals, which were extended by tramroads to the collieries at Trimsaran and Carway. The tramroads were owned by the respective collieries.
The main line of the canal up the Gwendraeth Fawr Valley reached Cwm Mawr at a considerable altitude, and the upper level had three inclined planes, with gradients of 1 in 13, 1 in 7 1⁄2 and 1 in 10 1⁄4. By 1865, the top portion of the canal above this last incline had become disused, and a tramroad was laid along the towpath.
Broad gauge railways
In 1844, the Great Western Railway (GWR) sponsored the South Wales Railway to build a broad gauge railway connecting Gloucester and the GWR network, with Fishguard, originally with the intention of forming a rail and ferry connection to Dublin. The line from Landore (Swansea) to Carmarthen opened on 11 October 1852. The GWR worked the line, and although the relationship was not always smooth, amalgamation followed on 1 August 1863. When the South Wales Railway line was opened, it crossed the tramroads to Pwll and Cwm Capel on the level.
There had been proposals for railways from Kidwelly into the Gwendraeth Fach Valley, but the powers lapsed without any construction taking place. But in 1864, a Bill was presented by the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway to build two broad or mixed gauge branches from the GWR at Kidwelly. The Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway was a broad-gauge line friendly to the Great Western Railway. One of the proposed branches, known as the "Lime Line", was to be routed via Mynydd-y-Garreg to Velindre in the Gwendraeth Fach Valley; the other, known as the "Coal Line", was to cross the canal and the river Gwendraeth Fawr in an eastward direction and then curve north-eastwards via the Carway Colliery up the Gwendraeth Fawr Valley to Coalbrook. The Coal Line was thrown out in Parliament, but the Lime Line was authorised by the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway Act of 28 April 1864. A second attempt at the Coal Line was made in the following session of Parliament, and this time it was authorised by the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway (Kidwelly Extension) Act of 29 June 1865. However, the C&CR found itself unable to raise the capital authorised, and it never reached Cardigan, nor built the branch.
As part of the financial solution, the two Kidwelly branches were transferred to a new company: the Gwendraeth Valleys Railway (GVR), authorised by Act of 30 July 1866. This new concern duly completed a short length of the Lime Line to Mynydd-y-Garreg, and this opened to broad gauge traffic in 1868. A short section of the earthworks for the Coal Line was completed, but then this line was abandoned.
Converting the canal
At this time, there were also movements to revive the old Carmarthenshire Railway; this had been built as a plateway in 1804, bringing down minerals from Cross Hands to a harbour at Llanelly. The Llanelly Railway and Dock Company had opened a line from Llanelly to serve pits in the Cwmamman area, also reaching Cross Hands and extending to Llandeilo. In 1861, the LR&D obtained Parliamentary authority to extend from Llandeilo to Carmarthen, and the line opened to goods trains in 1864.
Coupled with the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway, these schemes represented a definite competitive threat to the Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal and Tramroad Company, and it submitted a Parliamentary Bill to convert the obsolescent canal system to a railway. The Bill received the Royal Assent on 5 July 1865; the Canal Company was to change its name to The Kidwelly and Burry Port Railway Company (K&BPR). It was to absorb Kymer's canal and build 18 1⁄2 miles of new railways: from Burry Port to a junction with the Mountain Branch of the Llanelly Railway and Dock company at Llanarthney, and a second main line to Cross Hands Colliery. The authorised capital for the project was £120,000, of which £72,400 represented the purchase price of the canal system; as out-dated technology threatened by viable competitors, this was a huge over-valuation.
The new railway system was closely connected with the Burry Port Harbour Company, with which it shared many directors, and the decision was taken to combine the two companies. This was done by a further Act of 30 April 1866, vesting the Burry Port Harbour in the K&BPR and changing the name of the combined undertaking to the Burry Port and Gwendreath Valley Railway. The harbour company's share and loan capital of £85,000 was added to that of the K&BPR. The Company's Parliamentary legal advisors included the misspelling of Gwendreath in the deposited documents, and it was under that name that the Company was authorised. The Company seems not to have noticed the error for two years, but the opportunity to correct the matter was not taken in an Act obtained in 1868, nor in six later Acts.
A contractor, Frederick Furness, was appointed on 9 July 1868, and he was prepared to take part of the payment for his services in preference shares. The canal was closed and the line was laid as far as possible on the towpath. Under certain bridges, the line was laid at a lower level than the towpath, necessitating short downgrades to pass under; nonetheless, the headroom at overbridges was very restricted, leading to problems later. At the locks quite steep gradients were employed to accommodate the change of level. The track was laid with flat bottom rails weighing 50 to 60 lbs per yard, spiked directly to the sleepers.
With the canal closed it was obviously essential to make the conversion and open the railway quickly, and the line was officially opened as far as Pontyberem on 23 June 1869.[note 3] It had cost £33,841 to build, excluding the cost of acquisition of the canal. The short Carway branch opened about the end of 1870 and that to the Star Colliery at Trimsaran followed in June 1872. The opening of the main line and these branches encouraged the revitalisation of several pits in the area, by reducing the cost of transport of the mineral to market; however, this effect was accompanied by some closures as well. The main line was completed to the foot of the Hirwaen Isaf incline, a mile short of Cwm Mawr in 1870.
Mason and Elkington Ltd owned a copper works at Burry Port, and acquired the Pool (or Pwll) colliery in 1865. They started converting an old canal tramroad from Burry Port to Pool into a railway; the work took at least until 1867. The same company converted the old Cwm Capel waggonway to a railway in 1876. It was not directly connected to the BP&GVR, but was accessed through the docks and the GWR line.
Early operation[edit]
The BP&GVR was simply a mineral railway (general merchandise was carried too) and operated without signalling.
In December 1869, the BP&GVR tried out a double Fairlie locomotive, named Pioneer, which had been constructed for a Swedish railway but not delivered to them. The trial was very successful and the company purchased the locomotive for £1,822, renaming it Mountaineer. A second double Fairlie was acquired soon after.
The BP&GVR obtained a further Act of Parliament on 18 July 1872 authorising the raising of additional capital and the construction of a branch to Kymer's Quay at Kidwelly. The extra capital was to be £97,000, though only £2,200 was actually taken up; borrowing was permitted and this was activated. The 2 1⁄4 mile section to Kidwelly Quay was opened in June 1873. However, serious silting of the harbour meant that little use was made of it by shipping, and the railway activity was correspondingly limited.
The neighbouring Gwendraeth Valleys Railway had reopened in 1872 as a standard gauge line from the GWR at Kidwelly to Mynydd-y-Garreg. Relations between the GVR and the BP&GVR became strained for a time over the supposedly inadequate working by the BP&GVR of GVR traffic to the Quay, but matters later improved. The GVR was worked by the BP&GVR by agreement of 30 November 1876; the GVR only had one locomotive, and this was taken into BP&GVR stock.
On 17 July 1880, the West of England Bank failed, and the financial aftermath resulted in the Pontyberem Colliery also failing. This loss of the major customer of the line resulted in the BP&GVR not making enough income to pay debenture interest, and it was referred to the Court of Chancery; on 29 July 1881, the company was in receivership.
From at the latest June, 1883 passenger excursions were run from time to time, in most cases from the collieries to the seaside. This was not a regular passenger service and the passenger vehicles were probably ordinary coal wagons. No fares were charged, the trip being free for the miners and their families. Excursion trains are known to have run to Pontnewydd dating back to the 1870s in connection with the eisteddfods held in the grounds of Glyn Abbey.
However, a workmen's service was started before the end of 1898, from Burry Port and calling at Trimsaran Road bridge at Morfa to pick up miners who had walked there from Kidwelly. When the Kidwelly branch was relaid with stronger track as far as Tycoch Junction where the Gwendraeth Valley line connected, a workmen’s' trains ran from Tycoch Bridge, about half a mile from the centre of Kidwelly.
As well as the miners' train every weekday, a Thursday market train was run to Llanelly, chiefly for the wives and families. The miners paid for their travel by deduction from their wages rather than by ticket, and the families visiting the market paid a charge per parcel brought home. No doubt this was considered to overcome Board of Trade rules about commercial passenger operation and the payment of passenger duty.
Extensions, but in receivership
The mainline was finally completed to Cwm Mawr in June 1886 (although Miller mentions several other dates put forward by other sources). The heritage of the canal inclined planes meant that the ruling gradient on the extension to Cwm Mawr was 1 in 14.
There was a gap of only 1 1⁄2 miles between the BP&GV at Pwll and the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway at Sandy, and a connection, enabling BP&GVR traffic to reach Llanelly harbour, was proposed. In early 1889, the L&MMR was approached to see if it would agree to the connection, and the outcome was that the L&MMR offered to purchase the BP&GVR instead. At the time, the BP&GVR was still heavily indebted and the purchase would have cleared the debts. The existing shares in the company were almost worthless, but acceptance of the offer would have realised that unpalatable fact, and after some hesitation, the offer was put in abeyance in 1890. Instead, a financial reconstruction was arranged, in which many shareholders received reduced holdings and debenture holders lower interest rates; arrears of interest were cancelled. The scheme was accepted and the former £373,000 issued capital of the company was reduced to £148,000. This enabled the company to apply to be released from receivership and this took place on 5 July 1895. The company soon found itself unable to pay the current interest, however, and it was returned to receivership on 6 February 1896. This second period lasted until release on 29 July 1898. For the half-year ended 30 June, 1899 preference shareholders received a dividend of 2 1⁄2%, although ordinary shareholders had to wait.
The Sandy to Pwll connection was proceeded with, authorised by Act of 28 July 1891
Passenger operation
On 3 September 1903, there was a collision between a light engine and one of the workmen's trains. The Board of Trade wrote to the company on 23 September, warning of the "responsibility incurred by your company in carrying persons in this manner without the proper safeguards adopted for passenger lines". Lt Col Yorke of the Board of Trade visited the line by invitation to discuss what the proper safeguards might be, and he advised that the Board of Trade "could not recognise the practice of carrying outsiders..."
From the careful wording, it is evident that the carrying of workmen was condoned, but that it had come to light that the company had been improperly permitting the carriage of members of the general public. The company continued running the workmen's trains.
At the same time, local people were demanding the operation of a public passenger service on the line; an outlay of £8,500 was calculated to be necessary to enable that, and the work was deferred. However, public opinion was insistent and the Company noted that the Light Railway Acts permitted the authorisation of passenger operation as a light railway on an existing line. To ensure that they made use of relevant experience, the Company consulted Holman Fred Stephens (later Colonel Stephens), who had much experience in the field. Stephens produced a report and waited on the Directors at a meeting on 13 July 1908; his estimate confirmed the £8,500 previously arrived at.
The scheme gathered pace, and new, heavier, rails were ordered together with a new locomotive and signalling equipment. Ten second-hand coaches were acquired from the Metropolitan Railway. On 30 June 1909, the Light Railway Order was confirmed by the Board of Trade, and the passenger service was inaugurated on 2 August 1909. As well as the mainline, the branch to Ty Coch was included. The mainline operation was as far as Pontyberem, although a petition had been received from residents at Cwm Mawr for a service; the incremental cost of that would have been £4,000, and there were formidable gradients on that section. Public stations were at Burry Port (immediately south of the GWR Pembrey & Burry Port station), Pembrey, Pinged, Trimsaran Road, Pontnewydd (renamed Glyn Abbey in 1910), Pontyates, Ponthenry, and Pontyberem.
The possibility of extension of passenger operation to Cwm Mawr was revisited; considerable new earthworks were required to ease the gradient to 1 in 40, and an estimate of £4,844 for the work was arrived at. The proposal was ratified and the necessary Light Railway Order was confirmed by the Board of Trade on 4 October 1911. Three former London and South Western Railway six-wheel coaches were acquired to be converted to four-wheelers.
Cwm Mawr was to be supplied with water and electricity from the New Dynant Anthracite Colliery company. Passenger services started on 29 January 1913. Another halt was opened to serve Glynhebog Colliery, probably in 1898 when the passenger service was extended to Cwmmawr.
After the introduction of authorised passenger trains from 2 August 1909, the workmen's trains on the mainline became regular service trains; however, the Ponthenry and Pentremawr Colliery halts for the collieries were not shown in the public timetable, and only certain trains stopped there. The halt at Trimsaran Road became a regular stopping place, and additional halts were opened to serve other collieries at Trimsaran Junction and Carway Colliery Sidings (between Glyn Abbey and Pontyates). Workmen's trains continued to run to Tycoch on the Kidwelly branch but these were not shown in the public timetable.
The twentieth century
In the first years of the twentieth century, the production of anthracite in the area served by the railway increased very considerably, and the fortunes and profitability of the company rose correspondingly. 10% dividends were paid on ordinary shares in certain years in the period.
At the end of 1903, the Gwendraeth Valleys Railway Company approached the BP&GVR with the intention of selling their concern; the BP&GVR negotiated but an acceptable price could not be agreed, and the Gwendraeth Valleys Railway later sold its line to the Kidwelly Tinplate Company for £3,000, effective from the end of 1904. The new owner immediately procured a locomotive and gave three months' notice to terminate the working arrangement (whereby the BP&GVR worked the GVR); this took place in March 1904.
Burry Port declined as a port, with collieries preferring to forward coal to Swansea Docks, where larger ships and mechanical handling facilities meant that the mineral could be dealt with more efficiently. More wagons were being sent away over the GWR mainline, and the exchange sidings at Burry Port became congested with loaded wagons waiting to be taken forward and empties returning to the collieries. Some traffic was diverted to join the GWR at Kidwelly via Tycoch; previously, this route had only been used for coal travelling on towards West Wales. A triangular junction was formed at Kidwelly Junction by the installation of a south-to-west curve, known as the Kidwelly Loop; this enabled direct running from Llanelly and Pwll to Kidwelly GWR; it was laid by 1909. At the same time, silting of the Gwendraeth estuary led to the little quay at Kidwelly being much less used after 1920, and it is believed that the last traffic to use it before closure in October 1929 was roadstone. The track from Tycoch Junction to the quay was recovered in 1933.
In January 1913 the designation of up and down directions was reversed; it had been "up" to Burry Port, but now it was "up" to Cwm Mawr; the reason for the change is not clear, but "up" was now uphill.
Sale to the Great Western Railway
The Railways Act 1921 was passed by the Government and resulted in most of the railways of Great Britain being "grouped" into four large concerns. The Great Western Railway was to be one of the groups, and therefore, it was to absorb many smaller lines in its geographical area. The BP&GVR had already been considering a sale to the GWR, and the excellent profitability of the little line now meant that a good price could be negotiated. The proposed GWR Scheme of Absorption received approval by the BP&GV Board on 20 March 1922, and an Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting was held on 10 July. The Railway Amalgamation Tribunal of 24 July 1922 ratified the scheme, which was backdated to 1 July 1922 for administrative purposes. The BP&GVR network was now simply a part of the GWR.
The terms for shareholders agreed with the GWR were for 10 GWR preference shares to be exchanged for each of the 3,312 BP&GV preference shares, and for 143 GWR ordinary shares to replace every 10 BP&GV ordinary shares.
After 1923
Kymers Quay had long been moribund due to silting and the inability to handle modern, larger vessels and the BP&GVR branch to the Quay closed beyond Tycoch Junction in October 1929.
A new passenger halt called Craiglon Bridge Halt was opened on 1 February 1932.
The Cwm Capel branch at Burry Port had long been worked by the locomotives of the Pembrey Copper Works. Crossing the GWR mainline on the level, it was worked by the GWR after 1898. In the 1920s traffic declined, and Cwm Capel colliery closed in 1931. After that date, there was little traffic on the branch after 1931. In 1932 the signal box controlling the crossing of the branch over the mainline (Snook's Crossing) was closed, the crossing is protected by a ground frame. The track on the Cwm Capel branch remained for a time in case the colliery re-opened but was eventually lifted in 1940.
During World War II women were employed on various duties to alleviate staff shortages; at one time on the BP&GV section there was a woman porter and several women signallers, and at one period there were women operating all the signal boxes except Ty Mawr and Cwmmawr. They found that some of the point levers were difficult to operate, especially those at Dock Junction and Kidwelly Junction boxes, with each lever working both the points and the locking.
The railways of Great Britain were nationalised in 1948, and from 1 January, were part of British Railways.
Consideration of the closure to passengers had started in January 1951. It was found that during 1949 that 71,397 passenger journeys were recorded; passenger receipts came to £1,499, stated to result in a loss of £1,144 for the year. The intention to close was announced; objections were received: the main objections were that the inhabitants of Glyn Abbey and Pontnewydd would be left without any alternative bus service, and the 9.30 pm train from Burry Port was being replaced by a motor bus leaving at 10.00 pm which it was claimed arrived at the Capel Ifan Slant too late for the miners starting their shift at 11.00 pm. Arrangements were made to deal with the objections and the last passenger trains ran on Saturday, 19 September 1953.
From 1953 opencast coal extraction gathered pace in the Gwendraeth Valley, and this coupled with economic factors, gradually led to the closure of most of the deep mines. By 1961 only the Capel Ifan Colliery at Pontyberem continued deep mining, and that pit ceased to forward coal by rail in 1970.
The Sandy branch connected the BP&GVR to the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway near Llanelly. At the eastern end, it divided into two and curved round to the south; one part joined the Stradey estate line and the other the L&MMR line; with the closure of the Pwll brickwork, all traffic between Burry Port and Sandy Gate sidings ceased from 4 October 1962. Sandy Gate sidings were simply located on a short stub now served from Sandy, and that too closed on 22 December 1963.
The Trimsaran branch closed to revenue traffic in 1960, but it was retained for wagon storage until June 1962. Goods traffic to Pwll Brickworks ended on 4 October 1962. Regular traffic to Smart's Dinas Silica Brickworks at Kidwelly ceased in February 1959, after which the Kidwelly branch was little used, and was closed in October 1965.
The section from Kidwelly Junction to Kidwelly closed in October 1965 but reopened after relaying on 19 September 1983.
Diesel traction was inaugurated on the BP&GVR section on 4 October 1965. Two D2000 class (later 03 class) locomotives were modified to work together in multiple, and soon a third was used to bank the trains up the steep gradients in the rear of the train. On the downhill journey, the three locomotives hauled the train. The cabs were cut down to pass under the low bridges on the line. The original reason for the use of the 03 class was the frequent flooding on the line which would interfere with the low-slung auxiliary equipment on the more powerful 08 class; however, in June 1984 the affected section of line was closed and there was no longer an objection to the 08 class; three locomotives were modified to lower the profile for the low bridges and were designated class 08/9.
The short section from the New Dynant North ground frame to the Cwmmawr terminus was closed on 1 May 1967, although the coal depot at New Dynant continued to be referred to as Cwmmawr.
The Kidwelly branch beyond Coed Bach was re-opened (after relaying the track) on 19 September 1983 and for the first time, large mainline locomotives were able to use this short section of the BP&GV as far as Coed Bach. The re-opening enabled the original section of line from Burry Port to Kidwelly Junction to be completely closed, from 19 September 1983. The remaining line was now worked in two sections: Kidwelly yard to Coed Bach and Coed Bach to Cwmmawr (New Dynant). From February 1987 substitute locomotives capable of operating air-braked wagons were introduced on the line,
The very last train to Cwmmawr ran on Friday 29 March 1996, so the closure of this remaining section of the BP&GV mainline took place on 1 April 1996. Coed Bach continued to be fed by road, so there was still rail traffic over the short distance from there to Kidwelly yard. This remaining stub of the BP&GV, and also of the GVR, finally closed on 23 March 1998.
Preservation
There has been some discussion of preserving the railway however, the tight clearances and light construction of the line would be a problem. The costs however of preserving the entire line were, at that time, prohibitive. Parts of the route can be walked as part of the Pontiets (formerly Pont Yates) mining heritage trail and the section between Burry Port and Craiglon Bridge Halt is now a footpath/cycleway. Preservation of the railway at Pontyates has now begun. Much of the group's railway stock is in storage at the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway.
Only one Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway locomotive still exists today into preservation. The last survivor is BP&GV No.2 Pontyberem, an 0-6-0ST built by Avonside Engine Company in 1900. It is in need of an overhaul and is being restored to working order. The engine was sold off by the Great Western Society and is now in private hands, currently residing at the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway.
BP&GVR.png
Dock workers grab some hooks so that they can be placed on the absorption tower so that it can be unloaded from off of the ship Thorco Clairvaux at the France Road Wharf in New Orleans on Saturday, May 17, 2014. (Photo by Peter G. Forest)
When bathed in sunlight - or a light source rich in ultraviolet - certain ambers from the Dominican Republic and from Sumatra turn a rich blue due to surface fluorescence. See: www.flickr.com/photos/bob_81667/13426229735/
It is thought that this fluorescence is due to a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), most probably perylene, which is one of the most efficient fluorescent dyes known.
Perylene absorbs light between about 350 and 450nm and emits it between about 400 and 550nm. The exact wavelength profiles of this absorption and emission depends on the environment of the PAH within a liquid or a solid.
This experiment is an attempt to examine the profile of the PAH absorption in Sumatran blue amber by measuring the transmission of a thin flake of the material and comparing it with the absorption of the material dissolved in cyclohexane (thin grey spectrum).
The violet and orange spectra are from the same flake (about 0.7mm thick, but not exactly the same region) of amber with two different spectrometers optimised for the visible and UV spectral regions. The green line spectrum is a measurement of a somewhat thicker flake (~2mm - which completely absorbs the UV). If the absorption is indeed due to perylene, it can be seen that the spectrum is significantly modified compared to the liquid solution.
The image shows the amber sliver held with blu-tack being illuminated with a 400µm fibre and collimating lens (the black object at the lower right) being fed by a 3000K QH lamp. The fibre feeding the spectrometer is placed close to the opposite face of the amber flake.