View allAll Photos Tagged four_up
Even if it is not exactly the same Cavern in which The Beatles started playing their music in the 1960s, there is still some kind of magic in it, and it is not hard to imagine the Fab Four up on the stage.
Nowadays The Cavern has become a kind of pilgrimage centre with lots of tourists going in and out and buying plectrums, as I did, T-shirts, mugs, fridge magnets or badges.
It's getting colder. The last two days we've seen dramatic sun dogs. Took the dogs out today, had ten in the dog box and four up in the cab of the truck with me. Pickle about drove me nuts, he can't sit still for more than about 15 seconds it seems. He hit the squirts about 6 times which caused the fluid to freeze on the window and further block my view; as if it isn't hard enough driving into the sun and trying to see through the dog nose prints. But we made it and had a lovely run at minus 20F. On Black
An NS ES44AC leads four UP units on the climb from the base of Coal Creek Canyon up toward Tunnel One. When Union Pacific activates PTC (Positive Train Control) on the Moffat, there is a good chance it will mean the end of foreign power on the point of trains...at least for awhile. Until foreign power is equipped with PTC technology that is compatible with UP's, such units will not be able to lead on the Moffat.
©2017 ColoradoRailfan.com
Seven Southern Railway GP50's are heading south with four up front, then a Radio Control car & 3 more GP50's are SB somewhere south of Russellville, Alabama - with a Pride Coal Train. Canon FD 50mm 1.8 Lens, Canon FD 35mm f2.0 Lens, Fujichrome 100, Epson 4990 scan. DATE: N/A
The reverse of the postcard has no message. The stamp box is printed an AZO logo with four up triangles, which according to research dates the image from 1904 - 1918.
small shoot for the biltwell/knockaround collaborated limited edition sunlasses for night and day riding with wayne and gabrielle from ODFU
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The North American FJ-4 Fury was a swept-wing carrier-capable fighter-bomber for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The final development in a lineage that included the Air Force's F-86 Sabre, the FJ-4 shared its general layout and engine with the earlier FJ-3, but, compared to that of the FJ-3, the FJ-4's new wing was much thinner, with a six percent thickness-to-chord ratio, and featured skin panels milled from solid alloy plates. It also had an increased area and tapered more sharply towards the tips. Slight camber behind the leading edge improved low speed characteristics. The main landing gear design had to be considerably modified to fold wheel and strut within the contours of the new wing. The track of the main wheels was increased, and because they were closer to the center of gravity, there was less weight on the nosewheel. Wing folding was limited to the outer wing panels.
The FJ-4 was intended as an all-weather interceptor, a role that required considerable range on internal fuel. The FJ-4 had 50% more fuel capacity than the FJ-3 and was lightened by omitting armor and reducing ammunition capacity. The new wing was "wet"; that is, it provided for integral fuel tankage. The fuselage was deepened to add more fuel and had a distinctive "razorback" rear deck. A modified cockpit made the pilot more comfortable during the longer missions. The tail surfaces were also extensively modified, had a thinner profile and featured an extended, taller fin. The overall changes resulted in an aircraft that had little in common with the earlier models, although a family resemblance was still present.
The FJ-4 was developed into a family of aircraft. Of the original order for 221 FJ-4 day fighters, the last 71 were modified into the FJ-4B fighter-bomber version. This had a stronger wing with six instead of four underwing stations and stronger landing gear. Additional aerodynamic brakes under the aft fuselage made landing safer by allowing pilots to use higher thrust settings and were also useful for dive attacks. External load was doubled. The most important characteristic of the FJ-4B was, since the Navy was eager to maintain a nuclear role in its rivalry with the Air Force, that it was capable of carrying a nuclear weapon on the inboard port station. For the delivery of nuclear weapons, the FJ-4B was equipped with the Low-Altitude Bombing System (LABS), and with this capability it replaced the carrier-based A-3 Skywarrior bombers, which were not suited well for the new low-level approach tactics.
In April 1956, the Navy ordered 151 more FJ-4Bs, 10 US Navy squadrons became equipped with the FJ-4B, and the type was also flown by three Marine squadrons. At the same time, the Navy requested a carrier-borne fighter with all-weather capability, radar-guided missiles and a higher performance. This new type was to replace several 1st generation US Navy jets, including the ponderous and heavy Douglas F3D Skyknight, the lackluster Vought F7U as well as the Grumman F9F-8 Cougar. This requirement led to the Douglas F4D Skyray and North American’s FJ-5, another thorough modification of the Fury’s basic design and its eventual final evolution stage.
North American’s FJ-5 was designed with compact dimensions in mind, so that the type could be operated on older Essex Class carriers, which offered rather limited storage and lift space. At the time of the FJ-5’s conception, several of these carriers were still in service – and this argument led to an order for the FJ-5 in addition to the F4D.
For the FJ-5, the FJ-4’s aerodynamic surfaces were retained, but the fuselage had to be modified considerably in order to accept an APQ-50A radar with a parabolic 24 inches diameter antenna in the nose. The radome was placed above the air intake, similar to the F-86D, and coupled with an Aero 13F fire-control system, which together provided full all-weather capability and information on automatic firing of rockets.
A deeper rear fuselage became necessary, too, because the FJ-5 was powered by a reheated J65-W-18 engine (a development of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet, optimized for a naval environment), which delivered up to 10,500 lbf (47 kN) at full power instead of the FJ-4’s original 7,700 lbf (34 kN). This upgrade had, limited by the airframe’s aerodynamics, only marginal impact on the aircraft’s top speed, but the extra power almost doubled its initial rate of climb, slightly raised the service ceiling and markedly improved acceleration and carrier operations handling through a better response to throttle input and a higher margin of power reserves.
Internal armament still consisted of four 20mm cannon. These had to be placed lower in the nose now, flanking the air intake underneath the radome. The FJ-4B’s six underwing hardpoints were retained and could carry AIM-9 Sidewinders (both the IR-guided AIM-9B as well as the Semi-Active Radar Homing (SARH) AIM-9C) as well as the new radar-guided medium-range AIM-7C Sparrow, even though the latter only on the outer pylons, limiting their number to four. Up to six pods with nineteen unguided 70 mm/2.75” unguided Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (Mighty Mouse FFARs) were another armament option.
Beyond these air-to-air weapons, a wide range of other ordnance could be carried. This included the AGM-12 “Bullpup” guided missile (which necessitated a guidance pod on the right inner wing hardpoint), bombs or napalm tanks of up to 1.000 lb caliber, missile pods, drop tanks and ECM pods. The FJ-4B’s strike capabilities were mostly retained, even though the dedicated fighter lost the ability to carry and deliver nuclear weapons in order to save weight and internal space for the radar equipment.
The first FJ-5, a converted early FJ-4, made its maiden flight in April 1958. After a short and successful test phase, the type was quickly put into production and introduced to service with US Navy and US Marine Corps units. The new fighter was quickly nicknamed “Fury Dog” by its crews, a reminiscence of the USAF’s F-86D “Sabre Dog” and its characteristic nose section, even though the FJ-5 was officially still just called “Fury”, like its many quite different predecessors.
With the new unified designation system adopted in 1962, the FJ-4 became the F-1E, the FJ-4B the AF-1E and the FJ-5 the F-1F. From the prolific Fury family, only the FJ-5/F-1F became involved in a hot conflict: in late 1966, the USMC deployed F-1Fs to Vietnam, where they primarily flew escort and top cover missions for fighter bombers (esp. A-4 Skyhawks) from Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, plus occasional close air support missions (CAS) on their own. The Marines’ F-1Fs remained in Vietnam until 1970, with a single air-to-air victory (a North-Vietnamese MiG-17 was shot down with a Sidewinder missile), no losses and only one aircraft seriously damaged by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire.
After this frontline experience, a radar upgrade with an AN/APQ-124 was briefly considered but never carried out, since the F-1F showed the age of the original Fifties design – the type already lacked overall performance for an all-weather fighter that could effectively engage supersonic bomber targets or low flying attack aircraft. However, the aircraft was still popular because of its ruggedness, good handling characteristics and compact dimensions.
Other upgrades that would improve the F-1F’s strike capability, e. g. additional avionics to deploy the AGM-62 Walleye glide bomb or the new AGM-65 Maverick, esp. the USMC’s laser-guided AGM-65E variant, were also rejected, because more capable types for both interceptor and attack roles, namely the Mach 2 Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the LTV A-7 Corsair II, had been introduced in the meantime.
Another factor that denied any updates were military budget cuts. Furthermore, the contemporary F-8 Crusader offered a better performance and was therefore selected in favor of the F-1F to be updated to the H-L variants. In the wake of this decision, all F-1Fs still in Navy service were, together with the decommission of the last Essex Class carriers, in 1975 handed over to the USMC in order to purge the Navy’s inventory and simplify maintenance and logistics.
FJ-4 and FJ-4B Fury fighter bombers served with United States Naval Reserve units until the late 1960s, while the F-1F soldiered on with the USMC until the early Eighties, even though only in reserve units. A considerable number had the heavy radar equipment removed and replaced by ballast in the late Seventies, and they were used as fighter-bombers, for dissimilar air combat training (simulating Soviet fighter types like the MiG-17 and -19), as high-speed target tugs or as in-flight refueling tankers, since the FJ-5 inherited this capability from the FJ-4, with up to two buddy packs under the wings. A few machines survived long enough to receive a new low-visibility livery.
However, even in the USMC reserve units, the FJ-5 was soon replaced by A-4 Skyhawks, due to the age of the airframes and further fleet reduction measures. The last F-1F was retired in 1982, ending the long career of North American’s F-86 design in US service.
A total of 1,196 Furies of all variants were received by the Navy and Marine Corps over the course of its production life, including 152 FJ-4s, 222 FJ-4Bs and 102 FJ-5s.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 40 ft 3 in (12.27 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 1 in (11.9 m)
Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.2 m)
Wing area: 338.66 ft² (31.46 m²)
Empty weight: 13,518 lb (6,132 kg)
Gross weight: 19,975 lb (9,060 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 25,880 lb (11,750 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Wright J65-W-18 turbojet with 7,400 lbf (32.9 kN) dry thrust
and 10,500 lbf (46.7 kN) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 708 mph (1,139 km/h, 615 kn) at sea level,
737 mph (1,188 km/h/Mach 0.96) at height
Range: 2,020 mi (3,250 km) with 2× 200 gal (760 l) drop tanks and 2× AIM-9 missiles
Service ceiling: 49,750 ft (15,163 m)
Rate of climb: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)
Wing loading: 69.9 lb/ft² (341.7 kg/m²)
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 12 cannon (144 RPG, 578 rounds in total)
6× underwing hardpoints for 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) of ordnance, including AIM-9 and AIM-7 missiles
The kit and its assembly:
A project I had on the agenda for a long time. But, due to the major surgeries involved, I have been pushing it away – until the “In the navy” group build at whatifmolders.com came along in early 2020. So I collected my courage, dusted off the donor kits that had already been stashed away for years, and eventually started work.
The original inspiration was the F-8 Crusader’s career: I really like the look of the late RF-8s, which were kept long enough in service to receive the Eighties’ Low-Viz USN “Compass Ghost” livery. This looks cool, but also a little wrong. And what if the FJ-4B had been kept in service long enough to receive a similar treatment…?
In order to justify a career extension, I made up an all-weather development of the FJ-4B with a radar and a more powerful engine, a kind of light alternative to the Vought A-7. A plausible solution was a mix of FJ-4B and F-86D parts – this sounds easy, but both aircraft and their respective model kits actually have only VERY little in common.
At its core, the FJ-5 model is a kitbashing of parts from an Emhar FJ-4B (Revell re-boxing) and an Airfix F-86D. The FJ-4B provided the raised cockpit section with the canopy, spine and fin in the form of a complete transplant, which furthermore had to be extended by about 1cm/0.5” because the F-86D is longer than the Fury. The FJ-4B also provided its wings, stabilizers and the landing gear. The Fury’s ventral arrester hook section, a separate part, was also transferred into the F-86D’s lower rear fuselage, under the openings for the air brakes.
For a more lively look, the (thick!) Fury canopy was sawed into two pieces for open display and the flaps were lowered, too.
The cockpit was taken from the Airfix kit, since it would fit well into the lower fuselage and it looked much better than their respective counterparts from the relatively basic Emhar kit, which just comes with a narrow board with a strange, bulky seat-thing. As an extra, the cockpit received side consoles, a scratched gunsight and a different ejection seat that raised the pilot’s position into the Fury’s higher canopy.
Since the F-1F was supposed to be a fighter, still equipped with the radar set, I retained the OOB pylons from the Fury with its four launch rails. For an aircraft late in the career, I gave it a reduced ordnance, though, just a pair of drop tanks (left over from a Matchbox F3D Skyknight; I wanted something more slender than the stubby OOB drop tanks from the Emhar Fury kit), plus a better Sidewinder training round (hence its blue body) and a single red ACMI data pod on the outer pylons, as an aerial combat training outfit and nice color highlights on the otherwise dull/grey aircraft.
Painting and markings:
As mentioned above, the idea for livery was a vintage aircraft in modern, subdued markings. So I adapted the early USN Compass Ghost scheme, and the F-1F received a two-tone livery in FS 36320 and 36375 (Dark and Light Compass Ghost Grey, Humbrol 128 and 127, respectively) with a high, wavy waterline and a light fin. In front of the cockpit, a slightly darker anti-glare panel in Humbrol 145 (FS 35237) was added, inspired by early USN F-14s in Compass Ghost camouflage.
The radome was painted with Humbrol 156, for a slightly darker/different shade of grey than the aircraft’s upper surfaces – I considered a black or a beige (unpainted glass fiber) radome first, but that would have been a very harsh contrast to the rest.
The landing gear as well as the air intake duct were painted glossy white (Humbrol 22), the cockpit became medium grey (Humbrol 140, Dark Gull Gray). The inside of the air brakes as well es the edges of the flaps, normally concealed when they are retracted, were painted in bright red (Humbrol 174). The same tone was also used to highlight the edges of the land gear covers.
The grey leading edges on the wings the stabilizers were created with decal sheet strips (generic material from TL Modellbau), the gun blast plates were made with silver decal material.
In order to give the model a worn look, I applied a black ink wash, an overall, light treatment with graphite and some post shading. Some extra graphite was applied around the exhaust and the gun nozzles.
The markings were taken for an USMC A-4E/F from a Revell kit (which turned out to be a bit bluish). I wanted a consequent dull/toned-down look, typical for early Compass Ghost aircraft. Later, colored highlights, roundels and squadron markings crept back onto the aircraft, but in the early Eighties many USN/USMC machines were consequently finished in a grey-in-grey livery.
Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and the ordnance added.
Well, the end result looks simple, but creating this kitbashed Fury all-weather fighter was pretty demanding. Even though both the Fury and the F-86D are based on the same aircraft, they are completely different, and the same is also true for the model kits. It took major surgeries and body sculpting to weld the parts together. But I am quite happy with the outcome, the fictional F-1F looks pretty conclusive and natural, also in the (for this aircraft) unusual low-viz livery.
The Stones of Stenness may be the earliest henge monument in the British Isles, built about 5,400 years ago. Their function is unclear, but our best guess is that they were involved in activities and ceremonies celebrating the relationship between living and past communities. The monument was dated to around 3100 – 2900 BC by radiocarbon analysis of bones found in the ditch surrounding the monument. No longer visible, the ditch would have been at least 4m wide and 2m deep, and was cut into bedrock. The stones were arranged in an oval shape, about 30m in diameter, set within this enclosure.The focus of the interior was the large hearth, which is still visible today. Its significance can be seen in the line of features marking the approach to the hearth:
a paved path
two stone settings
a possible second hearth
three upright stones forming a ‘dolmen’ – a probably fanciful reconstruction of a megalithic tomb.
Excavated pottery and animal bones show that Neolithic visitors cooked and ate food at the site. Two nearby stones, called the Watch Stone and the Barnhouse Stone, are likely to have some connection with the henge. The Stones of Stenness are part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. The surviving stones are sited on a promontory at the south bank of the stream that joins the southern ends of the sea loch Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray. The name, which is pronounced stane-is in Orcadian dialect, comes from Old Norse meaning stone headland. The stream is now bridged, but at one time was crossed by a stepping stone causeway, and the Ring of Brodgar lies about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) away to the north-west, across the stream and near the tip of the isthmus formed between the two lochs. Maeshowe chambered cairn is about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) to the east of the Standing Stones of Stenness and several other Neolithic monuments also lie in the vicinity, suggesting that this area had particular importance.
The Stenness Watch Stone stands outside the circle, next to the modern bridge leading to the Ring of Brodga. Although the site today lacks the encircling ditch and bank, excavation has shown that this used to be a henge monument, possibly the oldest in the British Isles. The stones are thin slabs, approximately 300 mm (12 in) thick with sharply angled tops. Four, up to about 5 m (16 ft) high, were originally elements of a stone circle of up to 12 stones, laid out in an ellipse about 32 m (105 ft) diameter on a levelled platform of 44 m (144 ft) diameter surrounded by a ditch. The ditch is cut into rock by as much as 2 m (6.6 ft) and is 7 m (23 ft) wide, surrounded by an earth bank, with a single entrance causeway on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray. The Watch Stone stands outside the circle to the north-west and is 5.6 m (18 ft) high. Once there were at least two stones there, as in the 1930s the stump of a second stone was found. Other smaller stones include a square stone setting in the centre of the circle platform where cremated bone, charcoal and pottery were found. This is referred to as a "hearth", similar to the one found at Barnhouse. Animal bones were found in the ditch. The pottery links the monument to Skara Brae and Maeshowe. Based on radiocarbon dating, it is thought that work on the site had begun by 3100 BC.
Few trains stopped at Bruton and I reckon that I must have arrived on the one that called at 13:33. The timetable shows that four Up expresses passed while I was around this spot, but I recorded only one of them, so I suppose the others must have been hauled by diesel-electrics and hence unworthy of notice. It is such a marvellous viewpoint that I must have resolved to remain until a proper loco came by; by which time the sun was not in an ideal position.
In the distance where the track disappears is the point where the Somerset & Dorset crossed the West of England main line.
Low-down electrification flashes (I think) suggest a Swindon machine 1000-1024, while the allocation sticker behind the cab door suggests 1005, 1009, 1016 or 1024.
After several attempts, screams, splashing and falling in, they finally managed to stand with all four up for a quick photo before they all fell in again.
Four UP GE AC4400CWs lead empty WAFX Aluminum coal hoppers as they depart La Salle, CO after receiving a clear signal from the dispatcher after meeting a southbound manifest.
Rudbeckia laciniata, the cutleaf coneflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in both Canada and the United States. Its natural habitat is wet sites in flood plains, along stream banks, and in moist forests. Common names other than cutleaf coneflower include cutleaf, goldenglow, green-headed coneflower, tall coneflower, sochan and thimbleweed.
The Latin specific epithet laciniata refers to the pinnately divided leaves.
It is a robust herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 3 metres (10 feet) tall. It has broadly ovate and somewhat glaucous leaves that are often deeply dissected. The alternate leaves are usually divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The smooth or hairy leaf blade is simple or one to two-pinnate. The leaflets are lobed three to eleven times. The leaf margin is smooth to roughly serrated. The lower leaves are 38 to 127 centimetres (15 to 50 inches) long and 25 to 64 cm (10 to 25 in) inches wide. The upper leaves are 8 to 40 cm (3 to 15+1⁄2 in) long and 3 to 20 cm (1 to 8 in) wide. Long rhizomes are formed as persistence organs with fibrous roots. The stem is bare.
The composite flowers (flower heads) are produced in late summer and autumn. The disc flowers are green to yellowish green, while the rays are pale yellow. In umbrella-clustered total inflorescences, two to 25 cup-shaped partial inflorescences stand together. The flower heads, which have a diameter of 7 to 15 cm (3 to 6 in), stand on long stems. 8 to 15 irregularly arranged, foliage-like, smooth to hairy bracts have a length of up to 2 cm and usually a ciliate border. The inflorescence base is almost spherical to conical. The chaff leaves are 3 to 7 millimetres (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in) long.
In a flower basket there are 8–12 ray flowers and 150 to over 300 tubular disk flowers. The golden-yellow rays are 1.5 to 5 cm long and 4 to 14 mm (1⁄8 to 1⁄2 in) wide and are later repulsed. The yellow to yellowish-green tubular flowers are 9 to 30 mm (3⁄8 to 1+1⁄8 in) in length and 10 to 23 mm in diameter, with yellow corolla lobes 3.5 to 5 mm (1⁄8 to 3⁄16 in) long. The stylus branches have a length of 1 to 1.5 mm.
The 3 to 4.5 mm long achenes have a crown-shaped or four up to 1.5 mm long scales consisting of pappus.
R. hirta is similar, with a hemispherical disk and orangish-yellow rays.
Up to six varieties of R. laciniata are currently recognized. The varieties ampla and heterophylla are considered to be the most distinctive, while the others less so. There is variation in treatment among authors, with the less distinctive varieties sometimes being subsumed into laciniata, and variety ampla sometimes recognized at the species level.
The six varieties are:
Rudbeckia laciniata var. ampla – Native west of the Great Plains, into the Rocky Mountains
Rudbeckia laciniata var. bipinnata – Native to New England and the Mid-Atlantic area
Rudbeckia laciniata var. digitata – Native to the Southeastern Coastal Plain
Rudbeckia laciniata var. heterophylla – Endemic to Levy County, Florida
Rudbeckia laciniata var. humilis – Native to the southern Appalachian Mountains
Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata – Widespread and common, native across eastern North America
Rudbeckia laciniata is widely cultivated in gardens and for cut flowers. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which 'Herbstsonne' ("Autumn sun") and 'Starcadia Razzle Dazzle' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The cultivar 'Goldquelle' features double yellow, pom-pom blooms that are 8 cm across.
Rudbeckia laciniata has long been cultivated as an ornamental plant and came to Paris in the private garden of Vespasias Robin at the beginning of the 17th century. Caspar Bauhin also received this ornamental plant from Robin in 1622, who described it as 'Doronicum americanum laciniato folio'. The first garden in Germany in which it is recorded is Altdorf 1646. The double-flowered form, which is mainly cultivated, has been known since around 1894. The first naturalizations on river banks in Central Europe were observed in the 18th century. Anton Johann Krocker reported about it in 1787 in Queistal near Flinsburg in eastern Upper Lusatia. As an ornamental plant, varieties are used in parks and gardens in temperate areas, for example also filled forms. In Europe, Rudbeckia laciniata became wild in various countries. Besides Europe, Rudbeckia laciniata is a neophyte in China and New Zealand.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes that "Because it spreads rampantly by underground stems, cut-leaf coneflower is only appropriate for large sites."
The plant is somewhat toxic to livestock.
Traditionally, the young leaves have been gathered from the wild and eaten in the early spring. They are greatly favored as a potherb (cooked). Though some references state the use of this plant as salad greens (raw), traditional use is as cooked greens. This is assumed to be done to remove toxins. However, there is little evidence of their presence. One report cites circumstantial evidence of poisoning to horses, sheep and pigs.
The Sego Lilies were blooming in great quantities, seems they'd had a good wet winter. I took too many pictures, trying to get one that really captured their delicate beauty. That's nearly impossible to do, these two will have to suffice.
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Summer 2019: Snakes & Lakes
We looped up through Utah into and across Idaho, then back down across the northeast corner of Nevada.
May31: Sand Canyon
This Southern Pacific manifest is just starting up the grade through the Tehachapi Mountains in southern California. SD45T-2 "Tunnel Motor" 9232 is the first of 10 total units on this train. Four up front, four more 1/3 back, and they have just added 2 more 2/3 of the way back on this heavy freight. All ten are EMD, the majority are tunnel motors. I would see him again on the famed Loop later. (see my SP album).
During the F1, we will be bringing you photos by photographer Mark Sutton of Sutton Images, who is on location to capture the energy of the races.
Spanish Flags by Mark Sutton
“I headed out on Saturday morning to watch the FP3 practise and postioned myself to cover turn 2/3, where you can also turn and cover the 6th turn in the track.
This area offers good angles, and as the session progressed I noticed the local Spanish fans had started to erect some patriotic flags for Spain, Fernando Alonso, and the local Oviedo region where Alonso comes from. They started with one flag, and then eventually put four up attached to the fence with tie wraps and completely blocking our view onto turn 2. One Spanish photographer shouted to the fans ‘You’re blocking our view!‘, but I could see that the flags had created a good angle in what was normally a standard image.
I decided to use my Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm F/2.8G ED VR II lens. It’s the best lens to have the flags slightly out of focus but the F1 car sharp. I positioned myself between two sets of the flags and waited and waited for Fernando Alonso, the local hero, to appear. When he did, I fired off 5 or 6 frames and knew that I had a great image. It perfectly captures the Spanish GP, the beloved Spanish driver and offers a unique image which is what we are always looking for, having been to Barcelona for 25 years!”
Camera: Nikon D4s Digital SLR Body
Lens: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Exif data:
Shutter Speed: 1/1000th of a second
Aperture: f/10
ISO: 200.
Deliberate fusion of camera, imagination, emotion and expressions. Or just raw fun!
I find I just have so much fun seeing where I can go in the way of making the images like this. I dream of them being full size in a big gallery some day. Or on some ones walls. Not just here at flickr. I have four up in my house. That is so cool to see them on the aluminum. But the one of AJ is the only one I did full size. A few can be almost 8 feet. I don't think I will get to see them full size ever. This one here almost was not made at first. I did not see any thing in it. Then after a few months of looking past it it was seen. I have 1000s and 1000s of images that I look at and few will make the cut. But then the naming them is hard to do. I wish I could just have no names. But that is what Jackson Pollock did a lot of. Just a lot of numbers. Not as intimate as names make them. But this name maybe to big. Have fun every one. Hope you enjoy this one.
The size of this is 47 inches wide by 19 tall. So seeing them here at Flickr no one really sees them well at all.
Mike
Michael and Albert (AJ) Patnode - Artist Statement
Father and son collaboration
Our photographic art is a kinetic motion study, from the results of interacting with my son A.J and his toys.
He was born severely handicapped much like a quadriplegic. On December 17,1998. Our family’s goal has always been to help A.J. use his mind, even though he has minimal use of his body.
A.J. likes to watch lights and movement. One of the few things he can do for himself is to operate a switch that sets in motion lights and various shiny, colorful streamers and toys that swirl above his bed.
One day I took a picture of A.J. with his toys flying out from the big mobile near his bed like swings on a carnival ride. I liked the way the swirling objects and colors looked in the photo.
I wanted to study the motion more and photograph the whirling objects in an artful way, I wanted my son A.J. to be a part of it. After all, he’s the one who inspires me. When A.J. and I work together on our motion artwork, A.J. starts his streamers and objects twirling, I take the photographs.
Activating a tiny switch might not seem like much to some, but it’s all A.J. can do. He controls the direction the mobile will spin, as well as when it starts and stops. The shutter speeds are long, and sometimes, I move the camera and other times I hold it still.
I begin our creation with a Nikon digital camera. Then I use my computer with Photoshop to alter the images into what I feel might be an artistic way. Working with Photoshop, I find the best parts from several images and combine them into the final composite photograph. I consider the finished work to be fine art. The computer is just the vehicle that helps my expressions grow.
I take the photographs and A.J. adds the magic. It’s something this father and son do together. After I’ve taken a few shots, I show him the photos in the back of the camera. When the images are completed, I show him from a laptop. He just looks. He can’t tell me whether or not he likes the images, but he’s always ready to work with me again.
It offers me my only glance into A.J.’s secret world. We’ve built a large collection of images and I hope the motion and color move you as much as they do me.
A.J. inspires me to work harder to understand my life in the areas of art, photography, people, spirituality, and so much more. He truly sets my mind in motion and helps me find the beauty in everyday things.
AJ Patnode - A Journey of Hope (documentary):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR7m8QFcmRM
AJ'S blog:
Abstract set:
www.flickr.com/photos/patnode-rainbowman/sets/72157602269...
Seen left to right lined up at NHV's (formerly Trent's) garage in Hucknall are Volvo B10B Northern Counties Paladins L102 LRA, L126 LRA, L127 LRA and M129 PRA, in what was pretty much the highlight of the day.
It'd be a long game of spot the difference just because there are so many, but one thing of note is how each has the black at the very bottom coming up to a different height (and 129 none at all, because it's only a temporary paint job). 102's cream also comes up a tiny bit further under the headlights. I like the fact they're not all quite the same as it's more interesting that way, especially when they are all seen together. Hopefully one day this can be repeated when 127 and 129 are fully complete?!
Funnily enough when there were only two Paladins in line I was already standing this side of the road with [https://www.flickr.com/photos/channel4squares], and offhandedly said "wouldn't it be great if they lined all four up" - only for it to happen minutes later. We were already stood in the prime spot while the rest of the gallery formed around us!
Nottingham Heritage Vehicles
Portland Road, Hucknall
12.11.23
Four UP SD70M's lead this northbound stack train out of Walong. In the distance, some of the competitors struggle to make the grade on CA-58.
A "four-door coupé" based on the DB9's architecture, built hastily to compete with the Porsche Panamera. Its beguiling aesthetic is the cause of its limited four-up usefulness with cramped rear seats. Poor fuel economy from the V12 engine was another drawback. It didn't achieve the success hoped for.
5.935 cc
V12
480 hp
595 Nm
Vmax : 303 m/h
0-100 km/h : 5,3 sec
1.950 kg
Expo : Supercars 2 - Road vs Race Edition
09/12/2022 - 29/01/2023
Autoworld
Brussels - Belgium
December 2022 / January 2023
This was a private buy in around November 1983 from a chap in Aylesbury. A nice looking car - better looking than the equivalent Cavalier in my opinion - it was the first car I drove on the public road as a 17-year-old learner. It was pressed into use a towcar, pulling our 13' Elddis Tornado 4 berth caravan on hoildays to the south and east coast each year. It struggled a bit on the hills, not surprising considering it was four-up towing a caravan plus all the assorted paraphernalia with just 75bhp! Dad crashed it into the back of a work colleague's Marina one day (!) and also had a mishap inadvertently selecting reverse instead of first and walloping a car park wall with the towbar! A large sledgehammer soon straightened out the floorpan! Oh, and mum hated the colour of it!
Photographed in 1987 at Silverstone circuit.
OUD 124T - Last tax due 1st June 1992
Four UP SD40-2s (3637, 3137, 3662 & 3773) on lease to the Utah Railway are W/B with a loaded coal train.
161 Likes on Instagram
15 Comments on Instagram:
efranz13: #Eclectic_Photos #CollectiveComprehension #ArtPhoto_BW
jennaannique: @efranz13 nice photos!
ma4tin: This and 3 more like it would be great to see in the #four_up challenge
efranz13: #160Likes
On April 9th 2010 four UP SD90/43macs lead the mornings West Colto to North Platte Manifest up Cajon Pass at Blue cut. There was another on the rear of the train as DPU
The Five Young Ladies that claimed Team Gold at this years National Champions. Chyna, Cece, Teodora, Raquelle & Hannah. This is club V.I.P's first team Gold, last year they claimed team silver. This years team vertern Teddy was named Team Captain. With the four up and you drop the lowest score earned rule here is what each girl contributed to their team victory. Rocky, Chyna & Hannah competed in all four disciplines.
Vault:
Hannah
Rocky
Chyna
Cece
Uneven Bars:
Chyna
Teddy
Hannah
Rocky
Balance Beam:
Teddy
Chyna
Hannah
Rocky
Floor Exercise:
Hannah
Cece
Rocky
Chyna
Following girls made each final.
Rocky: AA, UB, BB, FX
Hannah: AA, UB
Chyna: BB, FX
Cece: VT
Final Results for the team competition
V.I.P 183.596 (Gold)
Pixie 178.530 (Silver)
Hollywood 176.414 (Bronze)
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The North American FJ-4 Fury was a swept-wing carrier-capable fighter-bomber for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The final development in a lineage that included the Air Force's F-86 Sabre, the FJ-4 shared its general layout and engine with the earlier FJ-3, but, compared to that of the FJ-3, the FJ-4's new wing was much thinner, with a six percent thickness-to-chord ratio, and featured skin panels milled from solid alloy plates. It also had an increased area and tapered more sharply towards the tips. Slight camber behind the leading edge improved low speed characteristics. The main landing gear design had to be considerably modified to fold wheel and strut within the contours of the new wing. The track of the main wheels was increased, and because they were closer to the center of gravity, there was less weight on the nosewheel. Wing folding was limited to the outer wing panels.
The FJ-4 was intended as an all-weather interceptor, a role that required considerable range on internal fuel. The FJ-4 had 50% more fuel capacity than the FJ-3 and was lightened by omitting armor and reducing ammunition capacity. The new wing was "wet"; that is, it provided for integral fuel tankage. The fuselage was deepened to add more fuel and had a distinctive "razorback" rear deck. A modified cockpit made the pilot more comfortable during the longer missions. The tail surfaces were also extensively modified, had a thinner profile and featured an extended, taller fin. The overall changes resulted in an aircraft that had little in common with the earlier models, although a family resemblance was still present.
The FJ-4 was developed into a family of aircraft. Of the original order for 221 FJ-4 day fighters, the last 71 were modified into the FJ-4B fighter-bomber version. This had a stronger wing with six instead of four underwing stations and stronger landing gear. Additional aerodynamic brakes under the aft fuselage made landing safer by allowing pilots to use higher thrust settings and were also useful for dive attacks. External load was doubled. The most important characteristic of the FJ-4B was, since the Navy was eager to maintain a nuclear role in its rivalry with the Air Force, that it was capable of carrying a nuclear weapon on the inboard port station. For the delivery of nuclear weapons, the FJ-4B was equipped with the Low-Altitude Bombing System (LABS), and with this capability it replaced the carrier-based A-3 Skywarrior bombers, which were not suited well for the new low-level approach tactics.
In April 1956, the Navy ordered 151 more FJ-4Bs, 10 US Navy squadrons became equipped with the FJ-4B, and the type was also flown by three Marine squadrons. At the same time, the Navy requested a carrier-borne fighter with all-weather capability, radar-guided missiles and a higher performance. This new type was to replace several 1st generation US Navy jets, including the ponderous and heavy Douglas F3D Skyknight, the lackluster Vought F7U as well as the Grumman F9F-8 Cougar. This requirement led to the Douglas F4D Skyray and North American’s FJ-5, another thorough modification of the Fury’s basic design and its eventual final evolution stage.
North American’s FJ-5 was designed with compact dimensions in mind, so that the type could be operated on older Essex Class carriers, which offered rather limited storage and lift space. At the time of the FJ-5’s conception, several of these carriers were still in service – and this argument led to an order for the FJ-5 in addition to the F4D.
For the FJ-5, the FJ-4’s aerodynamic surfaces were retained, but the fuselage had to be modified considerably in order to accept an APQ-50A radar with a parabolic 24 inches diameter antenna in the nose. The radome was placed above the air intake, similar to the F-86D, and coupled with an Aero 13F fire-control system, which together provided full all-weather capability and information on automatic firing of rockets.
A deeper rear fuselage became necessary, too, because the FJ-5 was powered by a reheated J65-W-18 engine (a development of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet, optimized for a naval environment), which delivered up to 10,500 lbf (47 kN) at full power instead of the FJ-4’s original 7,700 lbf (34 kN). This upgrade had, limited by the airframe’s aerodynamics, only marginal impact on the aircraft’s top speed, but the extra power almost doubled its initial rate of climb, slightly raised the service ceiling and markedly improved acceleration and carrier operations handling through a better response to throttle input and a higher margin of power reserves.
Internal armament still consisted of four 20mm cannon. These had to be placed lower in the nose now, flanking the air intake underneath the radome. The FJ-4B’s six underwing hardpoints were retained and could carry AIM-9 Sidewinders (both the IR-guided AIM-9B as well as the Semi-Active Radar Homing (SARH) AIM-9C) as well as the new radar-guided medium-range AIM-7C Sparrow, even though the latter only on the outer pylons, limiting their number to four. Up to six pods with nineteen unguided 70 mm/2.75” unguided Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (Mighty Mouse FFARs) were another armament option.
Beyond these air-to-air weapons, a wide range of other ordnance could be carried. This included the AGM-12 “Bullpup” guided missile (which necessitated a guidance pod on the right inner wing hardpoint), bombs or napalm tanks of up to 1.000 lb caliber, missile pods, drop tanks and ECM pods. The FJ-4B’s strike capabilities were mostly retained, even though the dedicated fighter lost the ability to carry and deliver nuclear weapons in order to save weight and internal space for the radar equipment.
The first FJ-5, a converted early FJ-4, made its maiden flight in April 1958. After a short and successful test phase, the type was quickly put into production and introduced to service with US Navy and US Marine Corps units. The new fighter was quickly nicknamed “Fury Dog” by its crews, a reminiscence of the USAF’s F-86D “Sabre Dog” and its characteristic nose section, even though the FJ-5 was officially still just called “Fury”, like its many quite different predecessors.
With the new unified designation system adopted in 1962, the FJ-4 became the F-1E, the FJ-4B the AF-1E and the FJ-5 the F-1F. From the prolific Fury family, only the FJ-5/F-1F became involved in a hot conflict: in late 1966, the USMC deployed F-1Fs to Vietnam, where they primarily flew escort and top cover missions for fighter bombers (esp. A-4 Skyhawks) from Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, plus occasional close air support missions (CAS) on their own. The Marines’ F-1Fs remained in Vietnam until 1970, with a single air-to-air victory (a North-Vietnamese MiG-17 was shot down with a Sidewinder missile), no losses and only one aircraft seriously damaged by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire.
After this frontline experience, a radar upgrade with an AN/APQ-124 was briefly considered but never carried out, since the F-1F showed the age of the original Fifties design – the type already lacked overall performance for an all-weather fighter that could effectively engage supersonic bomber targets or low flying attack aircraft. However, the aircraft was still popular because of its ruggedness, good handling characteristics and compact dimensions.
Other upgrades that would improve the F-1F’s strike capability, e. g. additional avionics to deploy the AGM-62 Walleye glide bomb or the new AGM-65 Maverick, esp. the USMC’s laser-guided AGM-65E variant, were also rejected, because more capable types for both interceptor and attack roles, namely the Mach 2 Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the LTV A-7 Corsair II, had been introduced in the meantime.
Another factor that denied any updates were military budget cuts. Furthermore, the contemporary F-8 Crusader offered a better performance and was therefore selected in favor of the F-1F to be updated to the H-L variants. In the wake of this decision, all F-1Fs still in Navy service were, together with the decommission of the last Essex Class carriers, in 1975 handed over to the USMC in order to purge the Navy’s inventory and simplify maintenance and logistics.
FJ-4 and FJ-4B Fury fighter bombers served with United States Naval Reserve units until the late 1960s, while the F-1F soldiered on with the USMC until the early Eighties, even though only in reserve units. A considerable number had the heavy radar equipment removed and replaced by ballast in the late Seventies, and they were used as fighter-bombers, for dissimilar air combat training (simulating Soviet fighter types like the MiG-17 and -19), as high-speed target tugs or as in-flight refueling tankers, since the FJ-5 inherited this capability from the FJ-4, with up to two buddy packs under the wings. A few machines survived long enough to receive a new low-visibility livery.
However, even in the USMC reserve units, the FJ-5 was soon replaced by A-4 Skyhawks, due to the age of the airframes and further fleet reduction measures. The last F-1F was retired in 1982, ending the long career of North American’s F-86 design in US service.
A total of 1,196 Furies of all variants were received by the Navy and Marine Corps over the course of its production life, including 152 FJ-4s, 222 FJ-4Bs and 102 FJ-5s.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 40 ft 3 in (12.27 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 1 in (11.9 m)
Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.2 m)
Wing area: 338.66 ft² (31.46 m²)
Empty weight: 13,518 lb (6,132 kg)
Gross weight: 19,975 lb (9,060 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 25,880 lb (11,750 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Wright J65-W-18 turbojet with 7,400 lbf (32.9 kN) dry thrust
and 10,500 lbf (46.7 kN) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 708 mph (1,139 km/h, 615 kn) at sea level,
737 mph (1,188 km/h/Mach 0.96) at height
Range: 2,020 mi (3,250 km) with 2× 200 gal (760 l) drop tanks and 2× AIM-9 missiles
Service ceiling: 49,750 ft (15,163 m)
Rate of climb: 12,150 ft/min (61.7 m/s)
Wing loading: 69.9 lb/ft² (341.7 kg/m²)
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 12 cannon (144 RPG, 578 rounds in total)
6× underwing hardpoints for 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) of ordnance, including AIM-9 and AIM-7 missiles
The kit and its assembly:
A project I had on the agenda for a long time. But, due to the major surgeries involved, I have been pushing it away – until the “In the navy” group build at whatifmolders.com came along in early 2020. So I collected my courage, dusted off the donor kits that had already been stashed away for years, and eventually started work.
The original inspiration was the F-8 Crusader’s career: I really like the look of the late RF-8s, which were kept long enough in service to receive the Eighties’ Low-Viz USN “Compass Ghost” livery. This looks cool, but also a little wrong. And what if the FJ-4B had been kept in service long enough to receive a similar treatment…?
In order to justify a career extension, I made up an all-weather development of the FJ-4B with a radar and a more powerful engine, a kind of light alternative to the Vought A-7. A plausible solution was a mix of FJ-4B and F-86D parts – this sounds easy, but both aircraft and their respective model kits actually have only VERY little in common.
At its core, the FJ-5 model is a kitbashing of parts from an Emhar FJ-4B (Revell re-boxing) and an Airfix F-86D. The FJ-4B provided the raised cockpit section with the canopy, spine and fin in the form of a complete transplant, which furthermore had to be extended by about 1cm/0.5” because the F-86D is longer than the Fury. The FJ-4B also provided its wings, stabilizers and the landing gear. The Fury’s ventral arrester hook section, a separate part, was also transferred into the F-86D’s lower rear fuselage, under the openings for the air brakes.
For a more lively look, the (thick!) Fury canopy was sawed into two pieces for open display and the flaps were lowered, too.
The cockpit was taken from the Airfix kit, since it would fit well into the lower fuselage and it looked much better than their respective counterparts from the relatively basic Emhar kit, which just comes with a narrow board with a strange, bulky seat-thing. As an extra, the cockpit received side consoles, a scratched gunsight and a different ejection seat that raised the pilot’s position into the Fury’s higher canopy.
Since the F-1F was supposed to be a fighter, still equipped with the radar set, I retained the OOB pylons from the Fury with its four launch rails. For an aircraft late in the career, I gave it a reduced ordnance, though, just a pair of drop tanks (left over from a Matchbox F3D Skyknight; I wanted something more slender than the stubby OOB drop tanks from the Emhar Fury kit), plus a better Sidewinder training round (hence its blue body) and a single red ACMI data pod on the outer pylons, as an aerial combat training outfit and nice color highlights on the otherwise dull/grey aircraft.
Painting and markings:
As mentioned above, the idea for livery was a vintage aircraft in modern, subdued markings. So I adapted the early USN Compass Ghost scheme, and the F-1F received a two-tone livery in FS 36320 and 36375 (Dark and Light Compass Ghost Grey, Humbrol 128 and 127, respectively) with a high, wavy waterline and a light fin. In front of the cockpit, a slightly darker anti-glare panel in Humbrol 145 (FS 35237) was added, inspired by early USN F-14s in Compass Ghost camouflage.
The radome was painted with Humbrol 156, for a slightly darker/different shade of grey than the aircraft’s upper surfaces – I considered a black or a beige (unpainted glass fiber) radome first, but that would have been a very harsh contrast to the rest.
The landing gear as well as the air intake duct were painted glossy white (Humbrol 22), the cockpit became medium grey (Humbrol 140, Dark Gull Gray). The inside of the air brakes as well es the edges of the flaps, normally concealed when they are retracted, were painted in bright red (Humbrol 174). The same tone was also used to highlight the edges of the land gear covers.
The grey leading edges on the wings the stabilizers were created with decal sheet strips (generic material from TL Modellbau), the gun blast plates were made with silver decal material.
In order to give the model a worn look, I applied a black ink wash, an overall, light treatment with graphite and some post shading. Some extra graphite was applied around the exhaust and the gun nozzles.
The markings were taken for an USMC A-4E/F from a Revell kit (which turned out to be a bit bluish). I wanted a consequent dull/toned-down look, typical for early Compass Ghost aircraft. Later, colored highlights, roundels and squadron markings crept back onto the aircraft, but in the early Eighties many USN/USMC machines were consequently finished in a grey-in-grey livery.
Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and the ordnance added.
Well, the end result looks simple, but creating this kitbashed Fury all-weather fighter was pretty demanding. Even though both the Fury and the F-86D are based on the same aircraft, they are completely different, and the same is also true for the model kits. It took major surgeries and body sculpting to weld the parts together. But I am quite happy with the outcome, the fictional F-1F looks pretty conclusive and natural, also in the (for this aircraft) unusual low-viz livery.
Rudbeckia laciniata, the cutleaf coneflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in both Canada and the United States. Its natural habitat is wet sites in flood plains, along stream banks, and in moist forests. Common names other than cutleaf coneflower include cutleaf, goldenglow, green-headed coneflower, tall coneflower, sochan and thimbleweed.
The Latin specific epithet laciniata refers to the pinnately divided leaves.
It is a robust herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 3 metres (10 feet) tall. It has broadly ovate and somewhat glaucous leaves that are often deeply dissected. The alternate leaves are usually divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The smooth or hairy leaf blade is simple or one to two-pinnate. The leaflets are lobed three to eleven times. The leaf margin is smooth to roughly serrated. The lower leaves are 38 to 127 centimetres (15 to 50 inches) long and 25 to 64 cm (10 to 25 in) inches wide. The upper leaves are 8 to 40 cm (3 to 15+1⁄2 in) long and 3 to 20 cm (1 to 8 in) wide. Long rhizomes are formed as persistence organs with fibrous roots. The stem is bare.
The composite flowers (flower heads) are produced in late summer and autumn. The disc flowers are green to yellowish green, while the rays are pale yellow. In umbrella-clustered total inflorescences, two to 25 cup-shaped partial inflorescences stand together. The flower heads, which have a diameter of 7 to 15 cm (3 to 6 in), stand on long stems. 8 to 15 irregularly arranged, foliage-like, smooth to hairy bracts have a length of up to 2 cm and usually a ciliate border. The inflorescence base is almost spherical to conical. The chaff leaves are 3 to 7 millimetres (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in) long.
In a flower basket there are 8–12 ray flowers and 150 to over 300 tubular disk flowers. The golden-yellow rays are 1.5 to 5 cm long and 4 to 14 mm (1⁄8 to 1⁄2 in) wide and are later repulsed. The yellow to yellowish-green tubular flowers are 9 to 30 mm (3⁄8 to 1+1⁄8 in) in length and 10 to 23 mm in diameter, with yellow corolla lobes 3.5 to 5 mm (1⁄8 to 3⁄16 in) long. The stylus branches have a length of 1 to 1.5 mm.
The 3 to 4.5 mm long achenes have a crown-shaped or four up to 1.5 mm long scales consisting of pappus.
R. hirta is similar, with a hemispherical disk and orangish-yellow rays.
Up to six varieties of R. laciniata are currently recognized. The varieties ampla and heterophylla are considered to be the most distinctive, while the others less so. There is variation in treatment among authors, with the less distinctive varieties sometimes being subsumed into laciniata, and variety ampla sometimes recognized at the species level.
The six varieties are:
Rudbeckia laciniata var. ampla – Native west of the Great Plains, into the Rocky Mountains
Rudbeckia laciniata var. bipinnata – Native to New England and the Mid-Atlantic area
Rudbeckia laciniata var. digitata – Native to the Southeastern Coastal Plain
Rudbeckia laciniata var. heterophylla – Endemic to Levy County, Florida
Rudbeckia laciniata var. humilis – Native to the southern Appalachian Mountains
Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata – Widespread and common, native across eastern North America
Rudbeckia laciniata is widely cultivated in gardens and for cut flowers. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which 'Herbstsonne' ("Autumn sun") and 'Starcadia Razzle Dazzle' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The cultivar 'Goldquelle' features double yellow, pom-pom blooms that are 8 cm across.
Rudbeckia laciniata has long been cultivated as an ornamental plant and came to Paris in the private garden of Vespasias Robin at the beginning of the 17th century. Caspar Bauhin also received this ornamental plant from Robin in 1622, who described it as 'Doronicum americanum laciniato folio'. The first garden in Germany in which it is recorded is Altdorf 1646. The double-flowered form, which is mainly cultivated, has been known since around 1894. The first naturalizations on river banks in Central Europe were observed in the 18th century. Anton Johann Krocker reported about it in 1787 in Queistal near Flinsburg in eastern Upper Lusatia. As an ornamental plant, varieties are used in parks and gardens in temperate areas, for example also filled forms. In Europe, Rudbeckia laciniata became wild in various countries. Besides Europe, Rudbeckia laciniata is a neophyte in China and New Zealand.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes that "Because it spreads rampantly by underground stems, cut-leaf coneflower is only appropriate for large sites."
The plant is somewhat toxic to livestock.
Traditionally, the young leaves have been gathered from the wild and eaten in the early spring. They are greatly favored as a potherb (cooked). Though some references state the use of this plant as salad greens (raw), traditional use is as cooked greens. This is assumed to be done to remove toxins. However, there is little evidence of their presence. One report cites circumstantial evidence of poisoning to horses, sheep and pigs.
Freightliner Class 90s 90044 and 90004 "City of Chelmsford" lead 90049 and 90008 "The East Anglian" on 4S59 20:59 Crewe Basford Hall to Coatbridge Freightliner Terminal through Hartford.
The additional 90s were moving north on the last Freightliner intermodal service to run to Scotland on the WCML prior to the May Day Bank Holiday weekend engineering blockades. This was to ensure locos were in position to resume WCML electric freight services after the long weekend.
Having cleared the siding at James, U30B 3055 points four UP SD40s thru the S curve west of Tunnel 4 with a Stockton-bound manifest. Dave Stanley photo ©2020
Chased around my dog with canon's 10-22mm lens recently. I'm still learning lightroom so this lame diptych (thanks to a template I found online) is the best I can do for a four-up right now. I like how these look in sequence. He licked the lens right after the last one.
A westbound APL stack train passes through Walnut, CA on January 8, 1986. Four UP SD40-2's bracket a lone NW high-hood SD45. While I wouldn't say that it adds color to the mix, it most certainly breaks up the yellow/grey theme. Pool is cool!
Four UP locomotives lead a high priority intermodal bound for Chicago through the small town of Carroll, IA.
A long, loaded oil train with four up front, four in the middle and one on the end, led by UP 7810, highballs the south switch at Natron, near Springfield, Oregon, on a dark, cloudy day. Sandwiched in between the UP motors are two CP units.
White Admiral - Hockley Woods, Essex. There were four up and about yesterday plus the usual Heath Frits and a Ringlet or two
The Standing stones of Stenness.
The surviving stones are sited on a promontory at the south bank of the stream that joins the southern ends of the sea loch Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray. The name, which is pronounced stane-is in Orcadian dialect, comes from Old Norse meaning stone headland. The stream is now bridged, but at one time was crossed by a stepping stone causeway, and the Ring of Brodgar lies about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) away to the north-west, across the stream and near the tip of the isthmus formed between the two lochs. Maeshowe chambered cairn is about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) to the east of the Standing Stones of Stenness and several other Neolithic monuments also lie in the vicinity, suggesting that this area had particular importance.
The Stenness Watch Stone stands outside the circle, next to the modern bridge leading to the Ring of Brodgar
Although the site today lacks the encircling ditch and bank, excavation has shown that this used to be a henge monument, possibly the oldest in the British Isles. The stones are thin slabs, approximately 300 mm (12 in) thick with sharply angled tops. Four, up to about 5 m (16 ft) high, were originally elements of a stone circle of up to 12 stones, laid out in an ellipse about 32 m (105 ft) diameter on a levelled platform of 44 m (144 ft) diameter surrounded by a ditch. The ditch is cut into rock by as much as 2 m (6.6 ft) and is 7 m (23 ft) wide, surrounded by an earth bank, with a single entrance causeway on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray. The Watch Stone stands outside the circle to the north-west and is 5.6 m (18 ft) high. Once there were at least two stones there, as in the 1930s the stump of a second stone was found. Other smaller stones include a square stone setting in the centre of the circle platform where cremated bone, charcoal and pottery were found. This is referred to as a "hearth", similar to the one found at Barnhouse. Animal bones were found in the ditch. The pottery links the monument to Skara Brae and Maeshowe. Based on radiocarbon dating, it is thought that work on the site had begun by 3100 BC.[1] [2]:41