BR 0-6-0 diesel mechanical shunter No. D2120 between duties at Swansea East Dock on 11th July 1970. New from Swindon Works in October 1959 and first allocated to Danygraig MPD (87C), the loco became Class 03 No. 03120 under TOPS. It was withdrawn in July 1985 but re-instated during November of that year. Final withdrawal came during February 1986 but the loco survives in preservation at the Fawley Hill Railway in Buckinghamshire.

Walking around Niagara Falls Ontario Canada.

A milk box! I don`t see too many of those anymore.

For those who don`t know, milk used to be delivered door to door by the... wait for it... `milkman`. The milk, sometime jiuce , was left in the milk box which also has a door on the inside so you didn`t have to go out in the winter to get the milk.

It`s an idea that could be re instated in newer houses. Make them a bit bigger & call the amazon boxes, or just delivery boxes.

If you like my work click the "Follow" button on Flickr.

Other places to see my work rumimume.blogspot.ca/, Google+ google+, twitter

1312 seen operating route 65. At then time of this photographs service 65 was generally operated by Leyland Lynx`s. 1312 a long serving Hockley bus looks very smart with Silver wheels and one of the last leyland Lynxs in Service 2009.

LIFE OF BUS 1312

New to Hockley Garage June 1990

Withdrawn 16/01/2000

Refurbised 2001

Repainted into Travel Merry Hill Livery but never used

Re-instated to Lea Hall May 2002

Withdrawn July 2005

Re-instated to Walsall June 2007

Withdrawn January 2009

Sold to Walton Coach Sales February 2009

Location: Birmingham, Corporation Street

May 1992

HY

The Kaapse Klopse (or simply Klopse) is a minstrel festival that takes place annually on 2 January and it is also referred to as Tweede Nuwe jaar (Second New Year), in Cape Town, South Africa. As many as 13,000 minstrels take to the streets garbed in bright colours, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments. The minstrels are self organised into klopse ("clubs" in Kaapse Afrikaans, but more accurately translated as troupes in English). Participants are typically from Afrikaans-speaking working class Cape coloured families who have preserved the custom since the mid-19th century.

People consider the festival a rite of renewal that has been shaped by the Cape’s history. The events that are associated with Klopse in the festive season include competitions for the Christmas Choirs, Cape Malay Choirs and Cape minstrel choirs.

On the eve of 1 January, people will gather in the Bo-Kaap (Malay Quarter in Signal Hill) to await the Tweede Nuwe Jaar (2 January) with the songs of Malay choirs and ghoema drums ushering in the dawn of a New Year. During the 19th century, the New Year was celebrated by the Dutch and was considered to be the biggest annual feast. Slaves would get a day off on 2 January and were allowed to celebrate in their own manner. Slavery was officially abolished in the Cape on 1 December 1834. The Tweede Nuwe Jaar became a celebration that united the "creole culture" in Cape Town. It is estimated that the first carnival troupe was organised in 1887.

Modern Cape Coon tradition was influenced by the visit to the Cape by American minstrels. Old Cape minstrels, such as "The Ethiopians", had their own collection of Dutch and American songs. These minstrels used to parade the streets of Cape Town and serenade the locals with their songs. An etching by Heinrich Egersdorfer in 1884 depicted those regular marches by the local chapter of the Salvation Army, which included many of the locals, could have contributed to the style of the marching that the Klopse displays today. In 1862, the then internationally renowned Christy's Minstrels visited the Cape from the USA and in 1890 Orpheus McAdoo's Virginia Jubilee Singers performed in Cape Town. The Christy’s Minstrels were caucasian men and women who had blackened their faces with burnt cork to impersonate the African American slaves. Between July 1890 and June 1898 they staged many minstrel shows in Cape Town and it is believed that this contributed to the birth of the Cape Minstrels and the Coon Carnival. The visitors’ influence on the Coon Carnival included the tradition of painting their faces black and whited out their eyes to look like "racoons". In the 1900s, the celebrations took place at various locations. In 1907 Green Point Cricket Club organized the first formal Carnival and moved it to the Green Point Track which later became a tradition. The events continued in 1908 and 1909, but discontinued thereafter until 26 January 1920, when the leader of the African People Organization, Dr A Abdurahman, re-instated the "Grand Carnival on Green Point Track". In 1921, the Cape Town Cricket Club held a rival carnival in Newlands and this was the start of Coon competitions in various venues and by various organizing boards. New Year Carnivals of the 1920s and 1930s brought Coons, Privates, Brass Bands, Choirs and Malay Choirs together

46007 waits to depart Plymouth with 4M05, 12:40 Penzance - Crewe parcels, 2nd June 1976.

Locomotive History

Built at Derby works it was originally numbered D144 and it entered service in December 1961 allocated to Derby MPD. It would spend the first half of its career predominantly on the old Midland Railway lines being allocated to Derby or Toton (apart from six months allocated to Leeds Neville Hill in 1962). In 1971 a major fleet re-organisation occurred and 46007 was part of a batch of class 46 locomotives transferred to Bristol Bath Road as replacements for the then rapidly disappearing diesel-hydraulic fleet on the Western Region, this was followed by a transfer to Laira in October 1974. 46007 was one of thirty eight class 46 locomotives stored in October/November 1980. It was towed to Swindon works for storage where it was officially withdrawn in December 1980. A year later an increased demand for Type 4 locomotives found British Rail looking to the storage lines at Swindon for an answer. 46007 was one of eleven class 46 locomotives re-instated to traffic in December 1981 and left Swindon works for Bristol on the 4th December. The expectations demanded of these locomotives must have been something of a challenge as they had been in open storage for at least twelve months and 46007 did not last long in traffic being withdrawn in February 1982 and dumped at York. 46007 eventually made its way back to Swindon works and was broken up in June 1985.

Re-scanned and Re-edited 16th June 2017

Praktica LTL, Orwochrome UT18

A recent arrival in 2010 at the Great Central Railway (North) is Peak 46010, seen here stabled in the sidings at Ruddington, 5th April 2010.

Locomotive History

46010 was originally D147 and was built at Derby works, entering traffic in December 1961, allocated to Derby MPD for Midland Main Line and North East – South West cross country duties. A short spell at Cricklewood was followed by a transfer to the Nottingham Division (Toton) in 1964,where it was to remain there until 1971, when a major fleet re-organisation occurred and 46010 was part of a batch of class 46 locomotives transferred to Bristol Bath Road as replacements for the then rapidly disappearing diesel-hydraulic fleet on the Western Region. 46010 was transferred to Laira in October 1974 where it was to remain until October 1980 when it was stored unserviceable at Swindon works. A year later an increased demand for Type 4 locomotives found British Rail looking to the storage lines at Swindon for an answer and 46010 was one of eleven class 46 locomotives re-instated in December 1981. The expectations demanded of these locomotives must have been something of a challenge as they had been in open storage for at least twelve months. However that challenge was met by 46010 as it would give over two years further service, allocated to Gateshead. By May 1984 46010 was approaching five years since its last classified works repair (Derby works, September 1979) which included the year in open storage and was becoming increasingly unreliable and spent most of the summer of 1984 under repair intermingled with brief bouts of work. By the end of August 1984 it was stopped awaiting repairs at Gateshead and these were not sanctioned and 46010 was officially withdrawn on the 4th November 1984. 46010 was then moved to Doncaster Works along with several other class 46’s for breaking up, however in 1985 it was selected to test new depot protection scotches (being such a heavy locomotive) at Doncaster MPD and moved across to the depot where it was basically forgotten. It was eventually offered for sale by tender in February 1993 and bought for preservation and following restoration moved under its own power for the first time since 1984 in July 2000.

AEC Routemaster Park Royal in Trafalgar Square London April 2014, on the 'hreitage' element of route 15 only between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill. Regrettably it has been announced having been suspended during Covid-19, this stage service will not be re-instated. Although traditional crew-Routemaster operation ceases, others of the type will continue to operate in London on other commercial enterprises. New in 1960 to London Transport.

...it all started on the frozen-fish day, one of the few common feast by Nordics and the Slavic allies...

the feast was a celebration to the polar god of the frozen sea, named Vinter in Nordic culture and Zima among the slavic tribes... since they share this common god (but with different names) they had a tradition to celebrate this together now when they were allies...

the way they celebrated this feast was by eating frozen fish and drink loads of Vodka/brännvin get totally drunk in the gods honor...

But this year... someone started talking about Rurik a legendary figure and hero in both traditions, but they had some different opinion on what culture he came from and what he did...

...the mount of alcohol made the small friendly joking soon turn in to a fight, fist by two drunk warriors, then their friends tried to intervene and so instead of hindering their friends to fight all the sudden they got dragged in the fight and then fighting spread like a wildfire in the frozen winter palace...

The sides where divided among their ethnic lines vikings and Huns at one side and slavic tribes on the other,even the to queens started fighting...

...all over the palace the two factions staggered drunk around fighting...

That was When the mad monk intervened he took his holy saint warriors and wedged himself between the two sides...

He said: Sven-Inge, Svetlana, vikings, huns, slavs all stop...

...this serves no one but our enemies, the united Kingdom alliance, the Barbarian hordes and so on...

the fighting slowed down and more and more combatants started listening...

The Monk Carried on:

My dear queens, obviously it is not fit two women to lead our two chosen people... I have studied our scriptures both the nordics and the slavic, I have found chapters which say that women should not lead our people, a male cleric should, just look it up, page 1223 in the nordic scriptures and page 2235 in the slavic book...

...actually if you look at page 3473/3348 you see that your prophets has made a prophecy on exactly this thing happening and how to solve it I read from both books now:

First the nordic: Tweig sellum digur traug, tellmar i doppus königin kler präster regnum seltum supremes!

Now the slavic: Dve Krijitza Nema rulum, Sveceric ti moss Krai delentum sloba Kraljarus!

that was the day where the mad monk seized the power of the two queendoms, He instated himself as the supreme cleric who´s authority was above the two queens, non of them liked it, but they could not go against the word of their gods...

..all major ruling was now done by the new religious leader and minor decisions where left to the two queens...

...and the two soldiers that started the fight got rewarded in gold by the Mad Monk as he had promised them...

Hawes railway station is a disused railway station that served the town of Hawes in North Yorkshire, England. It was closed in 1959 and now forms part of the Dales Countryside Museum. Since 2015, the museum has rented the building to a business operating a bike shop. Today there is also a cafe.

The station was opened in October 1878 by the Midland Railway as the terminus of their 6-mile (10 km) branch line from Hawes Junction. The Midland Railway branch made an end-on junction there with the North Eastern Railway line from Northallerton via Bedale which had been opened as far as Leyburn by 1856 and then extended onwards to Hawes in the summer of 1878.

Although the station belonged to the Midland, the North Eastern Railway operated most of the passenger services from there. The Midland Railway section being worked as an extension of the service to/from Northallerton. The only exception to this was a single daily return service between Hawes and Hellifield that for much of its life was known by the somewhat unusual nickname of Bonnyface.

The North Eastern Railway section of the line lost its passenger service in April 1954, but the station retained a nominal service of one train each way from Hawes Junction by then renamed Garsdale until final closure to passengers on 16 March 1959. Goods traffic from the Leyburn direction continued until complete closure in April 1964, after which the track was lifted and the buildings left to fall into disrepair.

However, after many years of disuse, the site was purchased by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and converted into a museum and tourist information centre in the early 1990s, a role it continues to fulfil to this day. As part of this scheme, the station buildings and platforms were refurbished, a short length of track relaid. A preserved industrial tank locomotive, cosmetically painted in British Railways colours, together with a pair of ex-BR Mark 1 coaches, were installed as a static exhibit.

Although isolated from the national rail network for over fifty-five years, the Wensleydale Railway hopes to one day eventually rebuild, re-instate and re-open the currently abandoned and derelict section of line between Redmire and Garsdale. This would involve restoring the station to its former glory and active use. However, the train with three carriages which currently resides in the platform would have to be removed and placed in a newly-constructed siding, because the project involves re-instating the entire station to its former use.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The English Electric Skyspark was a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It remains the only UK-designed-and-built fighter capable of Mach 2. The Skyspark was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was later merged into the newly-formed British Aircraft Corporation. Later the type was marketed as the BAC Skyspark.

The Skyspark's direct replacement was the Tornado F.3, an interceptor variant of the Panavia Tornado. The Tornado featured several advantages over the Skyspark, including far larger weapons load and considerably more advanced avionics. Skysparks were slowly phased out of service between 1974 and 1988, even though they lasted longer than expected because the definitive Tornado F.3 went through serious teething troubles and its service introduction was delayed several times. In their final years, the Skysparks’ airframes required considerable maintenance to keep them airworthy due to the sheer number of accumulated flight hours.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 51 ft 2 in (15,62 m) fuselage only

57 ft 3½ in (17,50 m) including pitot

Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)

Height: 17 ft 6¾ in (5.36 m)

Wing area: 474.5 sq ft (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg) with armament and no fuel

Gross weight: 41,076 lb (18,632 kg) with two Red Tops, ammunition, and internal fuel

Max. takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojet engines,

12,690 lbf (56.4 kN) thrust each dry, 16,360 lbf (72.8 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph+ at 40,000 ft)

Range: 738 nmi (849 mi, 1,367 km)

Combat range: 135 nmi (155 mi, 250 km) supersonic intercept radius

Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,500 km) with internal fuel

1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km) with external overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Zoom ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)

Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s) sustained to 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Zoom climb: 50,000 ft/min

Time to altitude: 2.8 min to 36,000 ft (11,000 m)

Wing loading: 76 lb/sq ft (370 kg/m²) with two AIM-9 and 1/2 fuel

Thrust/weight: 0.78 (1.03 empty)

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.181 in) ADEN cannon with 120 RPG in the lower fuselage

2× forward fuselage hardpoints for a single Firestreak or Red Top AAM each

2× overwing pylon stations for 2.000 lb (907 kg each)

for 260 imp gal (310 US gal; 1,200 l) ferry tanks

The kit and its assembly:

This build was a submission to the “Hunter, Lightning, Canberra” group build at whatifmodellers.com, and one of my personal ultimate challenges – a project that you think about very often, but the you put the thought back into its box when you realize that turning this idea into hardware will be a VERY tedious, complex and work-intensive task. But the thematic group build was the perfect occasion to eventually tackle the idea of a model of a “side-by-side engine BAC Lightning”, a.k.a. “Flatning”, as a rather conservative alternative to the real aircraft’s unique and unusual design with stacked engines in the fuselage, which brought a multitude of other design consequences that led to a really unique aircraft.

And it sound so simple: take a Lightning, just change the tail section. But it’s not that simple, because the whole fuselage shape would be different, resulting in less depth, the wings have to be attached somewhere and somehow, the landing gear might have to be adjusted/shortened, and how the fuselage diameter shape changes along the hull, so that you get a more or less smooth shape, was also totally uncertain!

Initially I considered a MiG Ye-152 as a body donor, but that was rejected due to the sheer price of the only available kit (ModelSvit). A Chinese Shenyang J-8I would also have been ideal – but there’s not 1:72 kit of this aircraft around, just of its successor with side intakes, a 1:72 J-8II from trumpeter.

I eventually decided to keep costs low, and I settled for the shaggy PM Model Su-15 (marketed as Su-21) “Flagon” as main body donor: it’s cheap, the engines have a good size for Avons and the pen nib fairing has a certain retro touch that goes well with the Lightning’s Fifties design.

The rest of this "Flatning" came from a Hasegawa 1:72 BAC Lightning F.6 (Revell re-boxing).

Massive modifications were necessary and lots of PSR. In an initial step the Flagon lost its lower wing halves, which are an integral part of the lower fuselage half. The cockpit section was cut away where the intake ducts begin. The Lightning had its belly tank removed (set aside for a potential later re-installation), and dry-fitting and crude measures suggested that only the cockpit section from the Lightning, its spine and the separate fin would make it onto the new fuselage.

Integrating the parts was tough, though! The problem that caused the biggest headaches: how to create a "smooth" fuselage from the Lightning's rounded front end with a single nose intake that originally develops into a narrow, vertical hull, combined with the boxy and rather wide Flagon fuselage with large Phantom-esque intakes? My solution: taking out deep wedges from all (rather massive) hull parts along the intake ducts, bend the leftover side walls inwards and glue them into place, so that the width becomes equal with the Lightning's cockpit section. VERY crude and massive body work!

However, the Lightning's cockpit section for the following hull with stacked engines is much deeper than the Flagon's side-by-side layout. My initial idea was to place the cockpit section higher, but I would have had to transplant a part of the Lightning's upper fuselage (with the spine on top, too!) onto the "flat" Flagon’s back. But this would have looked VERY weird, and I'd have had to bridge the round ventral shape of the Lightning into the boxy Flagon underside, too. This was no viable option, so that the cockpit section had to be further modified; I cut away the whole ventral cockpit section, at the height of the lower intake lip. Similar to my former Austrian Hasegawa Lightning, I also cut away the vertical bulkhead directly behind the intake opening - even though I did not improve the cockpit with a better tub with side consoles. At the back end, the Flagon's jet exhausts were opened and received afterburner dummies inside as a cosmetic upgrade.

Massive PSR work followed all around the hull. The now-open area under the cockpit was filled with lead beads to keep the front wheel down, and I implanted a landing gear well (IIRC, it's from an Xtrakit Swift). With the fuselage literally taking shape, the wings were glued together and the locator holes for the overwing tanks filled, because they would not be mounted.

To mount the wings to the new hull, crude measurements suggested that wedges had to be cut away from the Lightning's wing roots to match the weird fuselage shape. They were then glued to the shoulders, right behind the cockpit due to the reduced fuselage depth. At this stage, the Lightning’s stabilizer attachment points were transplanted, so that they end up in a similar low position on the rounded Su-15 tail. Again, lots of PSR…

At this stage I contemplated the next essential step: belly tank or not? The “Flatning” would have worked without it, but its profile would look rather un-Lightning-ish and rather “flat”. On the other side, a conformal tank would probably look quite strange on the new wide and flat ventral fuselage...? Only experiments could yield an answer, so I glued together the leftover belly bulge parts from the Hasegawa kit and played around with it. I considered a new, wider belly tank, but I guess that this would have looked too ugly. I eventually settled upon the narrow F.6 tank and also used the section behind it with the arrestor hook. I just reduced its depth by ~2 mm, with a slight slope towards the rear because I felt (righteously) that the higher wing position would lower the model’s stance. More massive PSR followed….

Due to the expected poor ground clearance, the Lightning’s stabilizing ventral fins were mounted directly under the fuselage edges rather than on the belly tank. Missile pylons for Red Tops were mounted to the lower front fuselage, similar to the real arrangement, and cable fairings, scratched from styrene profiles, were added to the lower flanks, stretching the hull optically and giving more structure to the hull.

To my surprise, I did not have to shorten the landing gear’s main legs! The wings ended up a little higher on the fuselage than on the original Lightning, and the front wheel sits a bit further back and deeper inside of its donor well, too, so that the fuselage comes probably 2 mm closer to the ground than an OOB Lightning model. Just like on the real aircraft, ground clearance is marginal, but when the main wheels were finally in place, the model turned out to have a low but proper stance, a little F8U-ish.

Painting and markings:

I was uncertain about the livery for a long time – I just had already settled upon an RAF aircraft. But the model would not receive a late low-viz scheme (the Levin, my mono-engine Lightning build already had one), and no NMF, either. I was torn between an RAF Germany all-green over NMF undersides livery, but eventually went for a pretty standard RAF livery in Dark Sea Grey/Dark Green over NMF undersides, with toned-down post-war roundels.

A factor that spoke in favor of this route was a complete set of markings for an RAF 11 Squadron Lightning F.6 in such a guise on an Xtradecal set, which also featured dayglo orange makings on fin, wings and stabilizers – quite unusual, and a nice contrast detail on the otherwise very conservative livery. All stencils were taken from the OOB Revell sheet for the Lightning. Just the tactical code “F” on the tail was procured elsewhere, it comes from a Matchbox BAC Lightning’s sheet.

After basic painting the model received the usual black ink washing, some post-panel-shading and also a light treatment with graphite to create soot strains around the jet exhausts and the gun ports, and to emphasize the raised panel lines on the Hasegawa parts.

Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and final bits and pieces like the landing gear and the Red Tops (taken OOB) were mounted.

A major effort, and I have seriously depleted my putty stocks for this build! However, the result looks less spectacular than it actually is: changing a Lightning from its literally original stacked engine layout into a more conservative side-by-side arrangement turned out to be possible, even though the outcome is not really pretty. But it works and is feasible!

37800 waiting to depart Derby working 5Q72 Derby Litchurch Lane - Wembley Yard with Southeastern 375902 (fresh from Litchurch Lane Works following overhaul) in tow, 7th April 2017.

Locomotive History

37800 was originally D6843 and was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry Works, entering traffic on the 29th May 1963, allocated to Cardiff Canton MPD. In August 1966 it headed north for Scotland and would spend the next eight years generally on freight duties in the Scottish lowlands allocated initially Polmadie and later Eastfield. At the end of 1974 it was back to South Wales with transfer to initially Landore and then within a couple of weeks to Cardiff Canton. On the 29th January 1975 whilst departing Marine Colliery with a coal train bound for Llanwern steel works, 37143 went through the a set of trap points, incorrectly set by the shunter, and continued through the stopblock and down the embankment stopping just short of the river Ebbw, thankfully the train crew escaped with minor injuries. 37143 would spend the next six months here until finally recovered from the bottom of an embankment on the 4th August 1975 after two previous attempts had been unsuccessful. It was transferred to Tinsley in February 1977, Immingham in November 1977 and Stratford in May 1984 before entering Crewe Works for refurbishment in March 1986 and emerged in September 1986 as 37800, allocated to Cardiff. It was transferred to Immingham in 1993, Stewarts Lane in 1994, Eastleigh in 1997 and Toton in 1998 prior to being sent overseas to France for infrastructure duties in August 1999. It returned from France in July 2000 and departed for Spain for further infrastructure duties a year later in August 2001 operated by GIF and numbered L33. After eleven years in Spain it returned to the UK in September 2012 and following overhaul it was re-instated to traffic in May 2016

Grangetown Junction 13-10-02 (SUN) Recently re-instated 56055 emerges from Tees Dock on empty Potash hoppers for Boulby Mine. Typically she is smoking a little having stood idling in the docks waiting for departure.

Preserved 47793, 4 months after it arrived at Mangapps Farm Museum.

This is one of the few Healey Mills storage lines demics that survived and found a new home.

I had sighted it there in 2005 and 2006, so was chuffed to see it here (and John Jolly was chuffed to have it 😊 👍).

Built as D1778 at Brush Loughborough, (Works No. 540), it entered service with BR from the Falcon Works on 23 October 1964.

Initially delivered to BR's Eastern Region and to Tinsley Depot, it also had spells at Holbeck, Immingham and Stratford before it got its first number under TOPS in February 1974 (of 47183).

More moves in the rest of the 70s saw it at Immingham again, York & Healey Mills.

It then had its longest spell anywhere when based at Stratford from September 1979 to March 1990.

In March 1981, it got fitted with ETH and became Sub Class 47/4 No. 47579. 6 months later in 29 September, it got its first name of "James Nightall G.C." (a fitting railway nameplate that still lives on with EWS' 66079 carrying it for the last 18 years).

It was moved to Old Oak Common in April 1990 when the Anglia trains no longer needed ETH stock and locos and got its first official pool code in December (NWRA: Network SouthEast - Western Region Locos).

Many more pool codes followed:

12/9 1to NTWE (Network SouthEast - West of England Class 47)

03/93 to NTWH based at Eastleigh (Network SouthEast - (West of England) Eastleigh Class 47)

05/93 to NXXB back to Stratford (Network SouthEast - Stratford EMU Transfer Locos)

03/94 to EWTS (Trainload Freight South - Stratford Class 47 New Stock Delivery

10/94 to EWAS (Trainload Freight South - Stratford Class 47 (Acton/Reading))

By now sectorisation was in and it was under the Trainload sector, which soon became an EWS division under privatisation.

In EWS’ Railnet/ RES postal division, it quickly moved sectors (4 times in 2 months):

07/95 to EWRS (Trainload Freight South - Stratford Class 47 Restricted Use)

07/95 to PXLH based at Crewe Diesel (EWS Rail Express Systems - Crewe Class 47/4 (Hire 75mph Maximum)

07/95 back to EWRS and again back to Stratford

09/95 to PXLB again at Crewe Diesel (EWS Rail Express Systems - Crewe (CD) Class 47 (Railnet))

While in the last pool, it entered Crewe Works and was rebuilt as a Class 47/7 (wired for use with PCV postal vans).

It initially was allocated 47757, but never carried this number as it was late entering the RCH modifications program. Instead, it was released in December 1995 as 47793.

6 months later on 24 June 1996, it was named Saint Augustine. It then worked postal trains in its RES livery until January 1999 and after that, both RES and the more general pools until early 2004. Its pool moves were:

01/99 to WHDP (EWS - Crewe Diesel (CD) Class 47/7 (Railnet))

04/99 to WHDM (EWS - Crewe Diesel (CD) Class 47/7 (Railnet) Modified)

06/00 to WHDN (EWS - Crewe Diesel (CD) Class 47/7)

12/00 to WHCD (EWS - Crewe Diesel (CD) Class 47 (Railnet/General))

By January 2004, the end of its working life was looming.

It had survived defects in May 2001 and got a bogie change that June.

It was under "Special Tests" assessment in January 2003, but repairs and "reliability modifications" were approved and completed in February as was a repaint into EWS livery.

After repaint and while it was undergoing loadbank tests at Toton on 11 February 2003, it got its last nameplates of "Christopher Wren".

On 12 February 2004, it was stored with 3 others as part of EWS' run down of the class (lack of work after losing the postal contact work to road freight + 250 reliable new Class 66s locos).

The next day, EWS re-instated it on Humberside freight workings for the day😊😂.

Unfortunately that was its last hurrah and it arrived the next day at Healey Mills. 2 days later on 16 February 2004, it was officially stored WNTR from the WHCD pool.

Its only move after that was a visit to Knottingley for de-fuelling in June.

On 17 January 2007, EWS put 47793 up for sale and it was bought by the Jolly family for the Mangapps Railway Museum. On 1 April 2007, it was shunted to the Marcroft Sidings at Horbury, loaded on a trailer and left for Essex.

It arrived at Mangapps Farm on 3 April and entered preservation 😊 👍

The last known engine hours for 47793 was 7,632 in 2003. So hopefully it has many decades running up and down its one mile of track at Mangapps.

NB: Big thanks as usual for the data and gen providers:

Ian Furness for WNXX and and people running Class47.co.uk 🙏🙏

A refresh of the April 2013 35 seater ADL that is nowadays seeing service in Tauranga, a photo courtesy of Alan Wickens who captured it at the Lambton bus interchasnge on 13 May 2013.

Bus Information for GUU626:

Operator - New Zealand Bus Ltd (NZ Bus) - Next Capital NZ Ltd

Depot - Tauranga

Fleet Number - 4224

Registration - GUU626 (NZ First Registration: 24 April 2013)

Chassis Type - Alexander Dennis Enviro200

Chassis No. - SFD6F3BR5CGY63181

Body Manufacturer - Kiwi Bus / ADL

Body Date - 2013

Seating Codes - B35DW

Livery - Bay Hopper

Date Last Change - 06/03/2020

www.businfo.nz/index.php?R=9570

Tauranga is now the domain of NZ Bus where they own a fleet of 135 buses running approximately .38 million service trips and 5.1 million in-service kilometres per annum and operating approximately 78 routes in Tauranga and Te Puke.

NZ Bus took over in Tauranga when contracts held by Go Bus, Reesby Rotorua Ltd, Bethlehem Coachlines and Uzabus expired in December 2018.

NZ BUS ON NOTICE OVER TAURANGA BUS SERVICE

SunLive, Friday, 8 February, 2019

By Sam Thompson

Frustration over the shambolic bus service in Tauranga by new provider NZ Bus boiled over at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council today.

Directors of the Company have been put on notice.

They fronted up to the Regional Council's public transport committee to put their case.

It’ didn’t go down well with the councilors.

“You are single handedly letting us down because of you non-performance,” says Councillor Kevin Winters.

“The service is not good enough.

“The Community has lost faith in you. Not engaging enough drivers is bizzare.

“All I have heard is excuses. I want solutions.

“You are not delivering what we signed up for on December 10 and we certainly did not agree to the reduced evel of service you are delivering.”

The council heard about cancelled bus service, buses not turning up on time, changes in bus routes, school kids stranded because there are not enough school buses, they turn up late or not at all.

NZ Bus General Manager operations Clair Neville admitted they “didn’t anticipate the scale of the services needed when school started”.

"We did prioritise school services. The trips that were missed were urban service trips not school trips.

"We weren’t able to meet requirements and we weren’t able to closes the gaps in driver shortage,” says Clair.

She admits driver shortage is a major issue.

“We need 150 full time drivers, at the moment we have 110 (40 short), we anticipate it will take 10 to 12 week to reach the necessary staffing levels.

“It will require a minimum of 10 weeks to source, process and train drivers.”

Clair says they are paying two dollar an hour more to drivers than the previous contractor.

But concillors say their pay scale is still not good enough because drivers are already leaving.

Clair says they are filling the gap in driver shortage by engaging drivers from Auckland.

The Committee chairman councillor Lyall Thurston personally apologised to the people of Tauranga for the issues they’ve been facing with the bus service.

"I apologise especially to the aged in this community, to the transport disadvantaged and to my community of people with disabilities," says Lyall.

“NZ Bus has not delivered to the contract.

“There’s grave shortage of drivers, which has impacted directly on service delivery.

“The directors of NZ Bus have heard a high degree of anger and frustration from around the council table.

“I haven’t seen that level of anger and frustration with colleagues in my many years on the regional council.

“They’ve certainly got some take home messages to go away with.

“We will certainly be looking at how we view the contract now and what we see as instrumental in being an interim part of any interim solutions to fix this.

“Some of the time lines that are being proposed we feel are totally unrealistic.”

“We are committed to a high quality bus system for the people of Tauranga."

Councillors have agreed in principal to reinstate route 36 and the former route 70 in Matua during off peak hours while maintaining the current peak service.

A Pāpāmoa to CBD route via Maungatapu – an extension to route 36 - will also be introduced while further changes to the network will be scoped over coming weeks.

Lyall says there have been significant challenges with the implementation of the new bus contract, particularly since the beginning of the school year.

“ Many of these issues were able to be attributed to a driver shortage which then disrupted the network’s timetable.

“The Regional Council has been inundated with feedback about the network over the last two months and there have been some recurring themes which the council has prioritised to address.

“The Maungatapu community has been largely affected by not having a direct bus route to the CBD, we will be re-instating this.

“We have also heard from those in Pāpāmoa that can no longer get a bus directly to the Tauranga CBD so we hope the extension to route 36 will address this.”

“The priority right now is to resolve the immediate challenges – particularly the cancellation of some bus services due to a driver shortage, and the need for faster communication around any route disruptions.

“Transport staff are also looking at making changes to the current timetables to give some certainty for bus users during the current driver shortage.”

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The English Electric Skyspark was a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It remains the only UK-designed-and-built fighter capable of Mach 2. The Skyspark was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was later merged into the newly-formed British Aircraft Corporation. Later the type was marketed as the BAC Skyspark.

The Skyspark's direct replacement was the Tornado F.3, an interceptor variant of the Panavia Tornado. The Tornado featured several advantages over the Skyspark, including far larger weapons load and considerably more advanced avionics. Skysparks were slowly phased out of service between 1974 and 1988, even though they lasted longer than expected because the definitive Tornado F.3 went through serious teething troubles and its service introduction was delayed several times. In their final years, the Skysparks’ airframes required considerable maintenance to keep them airworthy due to the sheer number of accumulated flight hours.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 51 ft 2 in (15,62 m) fuselage only

57 ft 3½ in (17,50 m) including pitot

Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)

Height: 17 ft 6¾ in (5.36 m)

Wing area: 474.5 sq ft (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg) with armament and no fuel

Gross weight: 41,076 lb (18,632 kg) with two Red Tops, ammunition, and internal fuel

Max. takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojet engines,

12,690 lbf (56.4 kN) thrust each dry, 16,360 lbf (72.8 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph+ at 40,000 ft)

Range: 738 nmi (849 mi, 1,367 km)

Combat range: 135 nmi (155 mi, 250 km) supersonic intercept radius

Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,500 km) with internal fuel

1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km) with external overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Zoom ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)

Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s) sustained to 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Zoom climb: 50,000 ft/min

Time to altitude: 2.8 min to 36,000 ft (11,000 m)

Wing loading: 76 lb/sq ft (370 kg/m²) with two AIM-9 and 1/2 fuel

Thrust/weight: 0.78 (1.03 empty)

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.181 in) ADEN cannon with 120 RPG in the lower fuselage

2× forward fuselage hardpoints for a single Firestreak or Red Top AAM each

2× overwing pylon stations for 2.000 lb (907 kg each)

for 260 imp gal (310 US gal; 1,200 l) ferry tanks

The kit and its assembly:

This build was a submission to the “Hunter, Lightning, Canberra” group build at whatifmodellers.com, and one of my personal ultimate challenges – a project that you think about very often, but the you put the thought back into its box when you realize that turning this idea into hardware will be a VERY tedious, complex and work-intensive task. But the thematic group build was the perfect occasion to eventually tackle the idea of a model of a “side-by-side engine BAC Lightning”, a.k.a. “Flatning”, as a rather conservative alternative to the real aircraft’s unique and unusual design with stacked engines in the fuselage, which brought a multitude of other design consequences that led to a really unique aircraft.

And it sound so simple: take a Lightning, just change the tail section. But it’s not that simple, because the whole fuselage shape would be different, resulting in less depth, the wings have to be attached somewhere and somehow, the landing gear might have to be adjusted/shortened, and how the fuselage diameter shape changes along the hull, so that you get a more or less smooth shape, was also totally uncertain!

Initially I considered a MiG Ye-152 as a body donor, but that was rejected due to the sheer price of the only available kit (ModelSvit). A Chinese Shenyang J-8I would also have been ideal – but there’s not 1:72 kit of this aircraft around, just of its successor with side intakes, a 1:72 J-8II from trumpeter.

I eventually decided to keep costs low, and I settled for the shaggy PM Model Su-15 (marketed as Su-21) “Flagon” as main body donor: it’s cheap, the engines have a good size for Avons and the pen nib fairing has a certain retro touch that goes well with the Lightning’s Fifties design.

The rest of this "Flatning" came from a Hasegawa 1:72 BAC Lightning F.6 (Revell re-boxing).

Massive modifications were necessary and lots of PSR. In an initial step the Flagon lost its lower wing halves, which are an integral part of the lower fuselage half. The cockpit section was cut away where the intake ducts begin. The Lightning had its belly tank removed (set aside for a potential later re-installation), and dry-fitting and crude measures suggested that only the cockpit section from the Lightning, its spine and the separate fin would make it onto the new fuselage.

Integrating the parts was tough, though! The problem that caused the biggest headaches: how to create a "smooth" fuselage from the Lightning's rounded front end with a single nose intake that originally develops into a narrow, vertical hull, combined with the boxy and rather wide Flagon fuselage with large Phantom-esque intakes? My solution: taking out deep wedges from all (rather massive) hull parts along the intake ducts, bend the leftover side walls inwards and glue them into place, so that the width becomes equal with the Lightning's cockpit section. VERY crude and massive body work!

However, the Lightning's cockpit section for the following hull with stacked engines is much deeper than the Flagon's side-by-side layout. My initial idea was to place the cockpit section higher, but I would have had to transplant a part of the Lightning's upper fuselage (with the spine on top, too!) onto the "flat" Flagon’s back. But this would have looked VERY weird, and I'd have had to bridge the round ventral shape of the Lightning into the boxy Flagon underside, too. This was no viable option, so that the cockpit section had to be further modified; I cut away the whole ventral cockpit section, at the height of the lower intake lip. Similar to my former Austrian Hasegawa Lightning, I also cut away the vertical bulkhead directly behind the intake opening - even though I did not improve the cockpit with a better tub with side consoles. At the back end, the Flagon's jet exhausts were opened and received afterburner dummies inside as a cosmetic upgrade.

Massive PSR work followed all around the hull. The now-open area under the cockpit was filled with lead beads to keep the front wheel down, and I implanted a landing gear well (IIRC, it's from an Xtrakit Swift). With the fuselage literally taking shape, the wings were glued together and the locator holes for the overwing tanks filled, because they would not be mounted.

To mount the wings to the new hull, crude measurements suggested that wedges had to be cut away from the Lightning's wing roots to match the weird fuselage shape. They were then glued to the shoulders, right behind the cockpit due to the reduced fuselage depth. At this stage, the Lightning’s stabilizer attachment points were transplanted, so that they end up in a similar low position on the rounded Su-15 tail. Again, lots of PSR…

At this stage I contemplated the next essential step: belly tank or not? The “Flatning” would have worked without it, but its profile would look rather un-Lightning-ish and rather “flat”. On the other side, a conformal tank would probably look quite strange on the new wide and flat ventral fuselage...? Only experiments could yield an answer, so I glued together the leftover belly bulge parts from the Hasegawa kit and played around with it. I considered a new, wider belly tank, but I guess that this would have looked too ugly. I eventually settled upon the narrow F.6 tank and also used the section behind it with the arrestor hook. I just reduced its depth by ~2 mm, with a slight slope towards the rear because I felt (righteously) that the higher wing position would lower the model’s stance. More massive PSR followed….

Due to the expected poor ground clearance, the Lightning’s stabilizing ventral fins were mounted directly under the fuselage edges rather than on the belly tank. Missile pylons for Red Tops were mounted to the lower front fuselage, similar to the real arrangement, and cable fairings, scratched from styrene profiles, were added to the lower flanks, stretching the hull optically and giving more structure to the hull.

To my surprise, I did not have to shorten the landing gear’s main legs! The wings ended up a little higher on the fuselage than on the original Lightning, and the front wheel sits a bit further back and deeper inside of its donor well, too, so that the fuselage comes probably 2 mm closer to the ground than an OOB Lightning model. Just like on the real aircraft, ground clearance is marginal, but when the main wheels were finally in place, the model turned out to have a low but proper stance, a little F8U-ish.

Painting and markings:

I was uncertain about the livery for a long time – I just had already settled upon an RAF aircraft. But the model would not receive a late low-viz scheme (the Levin, my mono-engine Lightning build already had one), and no NMF, either. I was torn between an RAF Germany all-green over NMF undersides livery, but eventually went for a pretty standard RAF livery in Dark Sea Grey/Dark Green over NMF undersides, with toned-down post-war roundels.

A factor that spoke in favor of this route was a complete set of markings for an RAF 11 Squadron Lightning F.6 in such a guise on an Xtradecal set, which also featured dayglo orange makings on fin, wings and stabilizers – quite unusual, and a nice contrast detail on the otherwise very conservative livery. All stencils were taken from the OOB Revell sheet for the Lightning. Just the tactical code “F” on the tail was procured elsewhere, it comes from a Matchbox BAC Lightning’s sheet.

After basic painting the model received the usual black ink washing, some post-panel-shading and also a light treatment with graphite to create soot strains around the jet exhausts and the gun ports, and to emphasize the raised panel lines on the Hasegawa parts.

Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and final bits and pieces like the landing gear and the Red Tops (taken OOB) were mounted.

A major effort, and I have seriously depleted my putty stocks for this build! However, the result looks less spectacular than it actually is: changing a Lightning from its literally original stacked engine layout into a more conservative side-by-side arrangement turned out to be possible, even though the outcome is not really pretty. But it works and is feasible!

1415 was repainted in July 2010 to NXWM Livery. Having previolsey based at Walsall for the 377. 1415 did not last long in this livery repaited withing 3 months in Blythe Vallery Livery Purple/Blue Livery until withdrawal in 2011.

LIFE OF BUS 1415

New to Perry Barr Garage February 1997

Transferred to Acocks Green January 2004

Transferred to Walsall October 2007

Withdrawn June 2010

Re-Instated to Acocks Green 25/07/2011

Withdrawn 30/10/2011

Location: Solihull Poplar Road

September 2010

AG

(profile icon pictured)

Hello all my followers and fans. Today I would like to comment on Flickr’s major change to their free accounts and photo limits, and how I will be reacting to it. Also in advance, apologies for the delay - I’ve been a bit busy and I’ve had to type this letter out to tell you all the story.

First things first, here is my commentary on the changes. Some of our community members have speculated about such a shift preceding the first announcement of SmugMug’s acquisition

While Flickr strived to assert their reasons for instating this cap on free users, I can see some of the flaws that their new policies include. While it is stated 97% of free Flickr members have under 1,000 photos I could presume most are long-inactive or unused accounts with far less than the number. As for the deletion of photos - for those who have not backed up their photos on a computer or cannot take action this is a concern. I would also be wary if any sites lose their photos or others are affected by these. Otherwise while I assume many will get this situation taken care of, I wouldn’t want to see many of my favorite Flickr uploads leave the internet for good.

One idea in particular that could benefit SmugMug/Flickr and help retain members and their photos would be to create a third service focused on hosting photos. This will allow for larger storage and keep the fans of Flickr’s large storage size.

Note that prior to a major update in 2013 (where the 1TB storage amount came into play), all free users had 5x less of a limit than will be now. That 200 photo limit had long represented the basis of Flickr, however I assume many uploaders since then have lapsed this cap even over 1,000 these days.

Through the rest of 2018 and the January 2019 limit implementation date, all photos on my account will remain as they are. Once the 1,000 photo rule is imposed on all free Flickr users, I will need to choose between two different options to make sure the best of BatteryMill Retail remains on this site and my photos are preserved on the internet. These two options, in short are either to upgrade to Flickr Pro or to continue remaining free and adapt to Flickr’s new rules wisely.

If I decide to purchase a Pro subscription around that time, this will mean my page will continue uploads and all previous photos will be preserved through the duration of the subscription. Decisions on photos will be done if I choose not to renew the Pro subscription in the future. This most likely may not be happening as I must set aside funds for other projects at this time; and the same effect will be inevitable once my subscription expires.

In the case I cannot afford Pro, this will mean that I must clear my Flickr library in time for the deletion process coming in February. I will handpick a good ⅓ of my photostream I wish to keep on Flickr, while removing the rest from this service. In the end I will retain anywhere under 1,000 photos or on the limit, depending if I wish to continue uploading from time to time. Photos deleted within this wave will This will most likely be my final decision due to my financial reasons and my thoughts on the changes overall. More details will be announced as the deadline approaches.

However if any are photos of note, they will reappear on my future blog or on other websites. Unfortunately as of now, my deleted photos will not immediately not make their way back online. I plan to filter out photos which will be reuploaded elsewhere such as on my blog. I take pride in my photo collection and I certainly would not want to let the internet lose out on these forever!

As for uploads between now and then; I will continue to upload small batches/single photos during the time period. This will allow you to continue to enjoy what I have to offer here and offers potential candidates for photos which will remain online. Larger photosets will unfortunately cease on this account unless I purchase Pro or any other reasons follow.

Following my photo deletion process, if I remain under 1,000 photos I will continue to upload from time to time, albeit have a focus on higher-quality photos I deem worthy to publish here. Otherwise I’ll still be here to engage with comments, faves, and more occasionally.

If anyone here has ultimately made the decision to part from Flickr, I wish them all the best in their future projects and pursuits. I hope we can keep in touch and thank you for being a part of our community here. For those staying, carry on with your journey and I’ll be there to check out your further content!

Much love and thanks for showing over three years of support, fun times, discussion and memories on my page and within the Flickr retail community as a whole. I appreciate the feedback on my many uploads over the years, and your committment to my offerings as a whole. Make sure to also check out what I’ll have in store down the road for you all too. If you have any question or clarification to leave for me on this, I would gladly appreciate them down in the comments below.

That being said, I also have one more announcement to make that will be released prior to my downsizing. It’s going to become something that will tell you the direction of my online retail offerings. Stay tuned for more updates and have a good day!

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The English Electric Skyspark was a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It remains the only UK-designed-and-built fighter capable of Mach 2. The Skyspark was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was later merged into the newly-formed British Aircraft Corporation. Later the type was marketed as the BAC Skyspark.

The Skyspark's direct replacement was the Tornado F.3, an interceptor variant of the Panavia Tornado. The Tornado featured several advantages over the Skyspark, including far larger weapons load and considerably more advanced avionics. Skysparks were slowly phased out of service between 1974 and 1988, even though they lasted longer than expected because the definitive Tornado F.3 went through serious teething troubles and its service introduction was delayed several times. In their final years, the Skysparks’ airframes required considerable maintenance to keep them airworthy due to the sheer number of accumulated flight hours.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 51 ft 2 in (15,62 m) fuselage only

57 ft 3½ in (17,50 m) including pitot

Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)

Height: 17 ft 6¾ in (5.36 m)

Wing area: 474.5 sq ft (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg) with armament and no fuel

Gross weight: 41,076 lb (18,632 kg) with two Red Tops, ammunition, and internal fuel

Max. takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojet engines,

12,690 lbf (56.4 kN) thrust each dry, 16,360 lbf (72.8 kN) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph+ at 40,000 ft)

Range: 738 nmi (849 mi, 1,367 km)

Combat range: 135 nmi (155 mi, 250 km) supersonic intercept radius

Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,500 km) with internal fuel

1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km) with external overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Zoom ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)

Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s) sustained to 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Zoom climb: 50,000 ft/min

Time to altitude: 2.8 min to 36,000 ft (11,000 m)

Wing loading: 76 lb/sq ft (370 kg/m²) with two AIM-9 and 1/2 fuel

Thrust/weight: 0.78 (1.03 empty)

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.181 in) ADEN cannon with 120 RPG in the lower fuselage

2× forward fuselage hardpoints for a single Firestreak or Red Top AAM each

2× overwing pylon stations for 2.000 lb (907 kg each)

for 260 imp gal (310 US gal; 1,200 l) ferry tanks

The kit and its assembly:

This build was a submission to the “Hunter, Lightning, Canberra” group build at whatifmodellers.com, and one of my personal ultimate challenges – a project that you think about very often, but the you put the thought back into its box when you realize that turning this idea into hardware will be a VERY tedious, complex and work-intensive task. But the thematic group build was the perfect occasion to eventually tackle the idea of a model of a “side-by-side engine BAC Lightning”, a.k.a. “Flatning”, as a rather conservative alternative to the real aircraft’s unique and unusual design with stacked engines in the fuselage, which brought a multitude of other design consequences that led to a really unique aircraft.

And it sound so simple: take a Lightning, just change the tail section. But it’s not that simple, because the whole fuselage shape would be different, resulting in less depth, the wings have to be attached somewhere and somehow, the landing gear might have to be adjusted/shortened, and how the fuselage diameter shape changes along the hull, so that you get a more or less smooth shape, was also totally uncertain!

Initially I considered a MiG Ye-152 as a body donor, but that was rejected due to the sheer price of the only available kit (ModelSvit). A Chinese Shenyang J-8I would also have been ideal – but there’s not 1:72 kit of this aircraft around, just of its successor with side intakes, a 1:72 J-8II from trumpeter.

I eventually decided to keep costs low, and I settled for the shaggy PM Model Su-15 (marketed as Su-21) “Flagon” as main body donor: it’s cheap, the engines have a good size for Avons and the pen nib fairing has a certain retro touch that goes well with the Lightning’s Fifties design.

The rest of this "Flatning" came from a Hasegawa 1:72 BAC Lightning F.6 (Revell re-boxing).

Massive modifications were necessary and lots of PSR. In an initial step the Flagon lost its lower wing halves, which are an integral part of the lower fuselage half. The cockpit section was cut away where the intake ducts begin. The Lightning had its belly tank removed (set aside for a potential later re-installation), and dry-fitting and crude measures suggested that only the cockpit section from the Lightning, its spine and the separate fin would make it onto the new fuselage.

Integrating the parts was tough, though! The problem that caused the biggest headaches: how to create a "smooth" fuselage from the Lightning's rounded front end with a single nose intake that originally develops into a narrow, vertical hull, combined with the boxy and rather wide Flagon fuselage with large Phantom-esque intakes? My solution: taking out deep wedges from all (rather massive) hull parts along the intake ducts, bend the leftover side walls inwards and glue them into place, so that the width becomes equal with the Lightning's cockpit section. VERY crude and massive body work!

However, the Lightning's cockpit section for the following hull with stacked engines is much deeper than the Flagon's side-by-side layout. My initial idea was to place the cockpit section higher, but I would have had to transplant a part of the Lightning's upper fuselage (with the spine on top, too!) onto the "flat" Flagon’s back. But this would have looked VERY weird, and I'd have had to bridge the round ventral shape of the Lightning into the boxy Flagon underside, too. This was no viable option, so that the cockpit section had to be further modified; I cut away the whole ventral cockpit section, at the height of the lower intake lip. Similar to my former Austrian Hasegawa Lightning, I also cut away the vertical bulkhead directly behind the intake opening - even though I did not improve the cockpit with a better tub with side consoles. At the back end, the Flagon's jet exhausts were opened and received afterburner dummies inside as a cosmetic upgrade.

Massive PSR work followed all around the hull. The now-open area under the cockpit was filled with lead beads to keep the front wheel down, and I implanted a landing gear well (IIRC, it's from an Xtrakit Swift). With the fuselage literally taking shape, the wings were glued together and the locator holes for the overwing tanks filled, because they would not be mounted.

To mount the wings to the new hull, crude measurements suggested that wedges had to be cut away from the Lightning's wing roots to match the weird fuselage shape. They were then glued to the shoulders, right behind the cockpit due to the reduced fuselage depth. At this stage, the Lightning’s stabilizer attachment points were transplanted, so that they end up in a similar low position on the rounded Su-15 tail. Again, lots of PSR…

At this stage I contemplated the next essential step: belly tank or not? The “Flatning” would have worked without it, but its profile would look rather un-Lightning-ish and rather “flat”. On the other side, a conformal tank would probably look quite strange on the new wide and flat ventral fuselage...? Only experiments could yield an answer, so I glued together the leftover belly bulge parts from the Hasegawa kit and played around with it. I considered a new, wider belly tank, but I guess that this would have looked too ugly. I eventually settled upon the narrow F.6 tank and also used the section behind it with the arrestor hook. I just reduced its depth by ~2 mm, with a slight slope towards the rear because I felt (righteously) that the higher wing position would lower the model’s stance. More massive PSR followed….

Due to the expected poor ground clearance, the Lightning’s stabilizing ventral fins were mounted directly under the fuselage edges rather than on the belly tank. Missile pylons for Red Tops were mounted to the lower front fuselage, similar to the real arrangement, and cable fairings, scratched from styrene profiles, were added to the lower flanks, stretching the hull optically and giving more structure to the hull.

To my surprise, I did not have to shorten the landing gear’s main legs! The wings ended up a little higher on the fuselage than on the original Lightning, and the front wheel sits a bit further back and deeper inside of its donor well, too, so that the fuselage comes probably 2 mm closer to the ground than an OOB Lightning model. Just like on the real aircraft, ground clearance is marginal, but when the main wheels were finally in place, the model turned out to have a low but proper stance, a little F8U-ish.

Painting and markings:

I was uncertain about the livery for a long time – I just had already settled upon an RAF aircraft. But the model would not receive a late low-viz scheme (the Levin, my mono-engine Lightning build already had one), and no NMF, either. I was torn between an RAF Germany all-green over NMF undersides livery, but eventually went for a pretty standard RAF livery in Dark Sea Grey/Dark Green over NMF undersides, with toned-down post-war roundels.

A factor that spoke in favor of this route was a complete set of markings for an RAF 11 Squadron Lightning F.6 in such a guise on an Xtradecal set, which also featured dayglo orange makings on fin, wings and stabilizers – quite unusual, and a nice contrast detail on the otherwise very conservative livery. All stencils were taken from the OOB Revell sheet for the Lightning. Just the tactical code “F” on the tail was procured elsewhere, it comes from a Matchbox BAC Lightning’s sheet.

After basic painting the model received the usual black ink washing, some post-panel-shading and also a light treatment with graphite to create soot strains around the jet exhausts and the gun ports, and to emphasize the raised panel lines on the Hasegawa parts.

Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and final bits and pieces like the landing gear and the Red Tops (taken OOB) were mounted.

A major effort, and I have seriously depleted my putty stocks for this build! However, the result looks less spectacular than it actually is: changing a Lightning from its literally original stacked engine layout into a more conservative side-by-side arrangement turned out to be possible, even though the outcome is not really pretty. But it works and is feasible!

New re-instated 56049 'Robin Of Templecombe'& 56090 power up Farington Curve at Coote Lane working a late running 6E32 08:55 Colas Ribble Rail (Preston Docks) to Lindsey OR. 23/01/19

My favourite bus 1103 newley repainted looking great with silver sparkle wheels. 1103 did survive until 2006 with Highland Country but now it is thought she is scraped.

LIFE OF BUS 1103

New to West Bromwich Garage August 1989

Transferred to Hockley July 1990

Transferred to Perry Barr March 1998

Transferred to Hockley April 1999

Withdrawn August 1999

Re-instated to Acocks Green October 1999

Withdrawn 16/01/2000

Sold to Rapsons, Highland country August 2001

Fleetnumber 504 Aviemore Depot

Withdrawn July 2006

Scraped

Location: Birmingham, Snow Hill Queensway

May 1994

HY

Korsika - Calvi

View from the Citadel

Aussicht von der Zitadelle

Calvi (/ˈkælviː/, French: [kalvi], Corsican: [ˈkalvi]) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.

It is the seat of the Canton of Calvi, which contains Calvi and one other commune, Lumio. Calvi is also the capital of the Arrondissement of Calvi, which contains, besides the Canton of Calvi, three other cantons: L'Île-Rousse, Belgodère, and Calenzana.

The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2ème REP) of the French Foreign Legion is based in the citadel of Calvi.

According to legend, Christopher Columbus supposedly came from Calvi, which at the time was part of the Genoese Empire. Because the often subversive elements of the island gave its inhabitants a bad reputation, he would have been expected to mask his exact birthplace.

Calvi is located on the northwest coast of the island of Corsica, 95 km (59 mi) from Bastia and 24 km (15 mi) from L'Île-Rousse. It is the fifth-largest commune in Corsica; however, the arrondissement is the smallest.

The motto, "Calvi semper fidelis" ("Calvi Always Faithful"), referred originally to its loyalty to the Republic of Genoa. The republic instated there a closed city center (préside) in 1278, and built a new castle in 1491 to face new artillery technologies.

During the war with Revolutionary France, British forces under Admiral Nelson and Lieutenant-General Charles Stuart captured the city in the Siege of Calvi. It was during the bombardment of Calvi that Nelson sustained the injury that cost him his eye.

The economy of Calvi is essentially based on summer tourism, which started in 1950 due to the pioneering efforts of Vladimir Raitz. Calvi is served by the international Calvi - Sainte-Catherine Airport, the Xavier Colonna Port, and a railway line to L'Île-Rousse and Ponte-Leccia, where it connects with the main line Ajaccio - Bastia.

(Wikipedia)

Calvi est une commune française située dans la circonscription départementale de la Haute-Corse et le territoire de la collectivité de Corse. Bâtie dans le golfe du même nom, elle se trouve au nord-ouest de l'île et constitue avec l'Île-Rousse l'une des deux agglomérations majeures de Balagne.

« [...] Calvi, l'une des places principales de la Corse, tant à cause de son ancienneté qu'à cause de la beauté des maisons aussi bien bâties que le comportent les ressources du pays. Il y a quelques années, Calvi comptait environ quatre cents feux; on y voyait beaucoup de belles maisons avec leurs puits. Il y avait aussi hors de la ville un magnifique faubourg. Mais la dernière guerre a ruiné complètement les maisons extérieures et fort endommagé celles de la ville elle-même. Les rues sont un peu étroites, l'air est excellent, les habitants très polis. Calvi est situé sur une éminence dont la forme ressemble à une balle ronde, et sur le bord de la mer qui l'entoure aux deux tiers . Il y a plusieurs années, l'Office de S. Georges y a fait bâtir une très belle forteresse, laquelle a coûté, au dire de quelques-uns, plus de soixante mille livres de Gênes. »

— Mgr Giustiniani in Dialogo nominato Corsica, traduction Lucien Auguste Letteron in Histoire de la Corse, Description de la Corse - Tome I, p. 21

Située à l'extrémité nord-ouest de l'île, face au littoral de la Côte d'Azur, bénéficiant de conditions climatiques favorables et dans un environnement de toute beauté, la petite ville de Calvi occupe une position privilégiée en Corse. Calvi est devenue la capitale économique et touristique de la Balagne et la ville est aujourd'hui un des deux pôles touristiques de la région Corse, l'autre étant Porto-Vecchio.

La commune se trouve dans la Corse occidentale cristalline anté-hercynienne et hercynienne, « connue depuis longtemps sous le nom de Pays d'au-delà des monts »1. Son sol, fait des intrusions de Calvi et de Porto Agro, est composé de granite sub-alcalin, formé pour l’essentiel par un vaste batholite (formé entre -340 et -240 Ma), issu d’un cycle plutonique carbonifère. Ce magmatisme, probablement lié à la formation de la chaîne Hercynienne (syn-orogénique), a donné des leucogranites (granites blancs de Calvi).

Bordée à l'ouest par le territoire de la commune de Lumio et au sud par celui de Calenzana, le territoire communal, que baigne la mer Méditerranée, comprend une large façade maritime.

Au nord, le golfe de Calvi (baie de Calvi dans les guides touristiques), est délimité à l'est par la Punta Caldanu (présence d'une tour génoise ruinée) et à l'ouest par la Punta San Francescu. Il baigne la longue plage de La Pinède, les ports de plaisance et de Commerce ainsi que la Citadelle bâtie au bord de l'eau.

À l'ouest, le golfe de la Revellata entre la Punta San Francescu (pointe Saint-François) et la presqu'île de la Revellata à la pointe de laquelle se trouve un important phare à éclats. Le golfe relativement abrité des vents d'ouest dominants, sert de mouillage pour les plaisanciers à la belle saison. Il est aussi utilisé par les pilotes des bombardiers d'eau (avions Canadair et hélicoptères Skycrane CH-54) pour écoper et pomper l'eau lors de luttes contre les incendies, fréquents vers la fin de l'été sur l'île.

Au sud enfin, jusqu'à la baie de Nichiareto (Calenzana), peu avant Capo Cavallo et son sémaphore mis en sommeil depuis 1987, c'est un littoral sauvage, une côte déchiquetée et inhospitalière.

Entre la plaine de la Figarella et le littoral occidental, se trouve un maillon du chaînon montagneux du massif de l'Argentella situé plus au sud, sur la commune de Calenzana. Sur Capu di a Veta (703 mètres) le plus haut sommet, une croix en fer avait été érigée en 1964 par des membres du Club alpin autrichien (le club est installé à l'entrée de la ville). Depuis trois autres croix lui ont succédé la dernière, pesant 830 kg, ayant été installée en 2012 avec l'aide d'un hélicoptère. Au nord, dominant la ville du haut de ses 218 mètres d'altitude, ont été bâtis la chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Serra et un cimetière.

Symbole de la ville de Calvi, elle fut érigée à l'époque de l'occupation génoise. En 1483, l'Office de Saint Georges gestionnaire de l'île, décide de renforcer la défense de Calvi en construisant de nouvelles fortifications, le château de Castello vecchio étant insuffisant pour assurer la protection du préside. En 1545, devant la menace franco-turque, les ouvrages sont consolidés. Les murailles seront complétées au XVIIe siècle.

Les remparts sont constitués de quatre bastions principaux (San Ghjorghju, Sant'Antonu d'Altu, Teghiale et Celle) et de courtines. La citadelle, ses remparts et la tour du sel, propriétés de la commune, sont classés Monuments historique.

Ses ruelles pavées sont pittoresques et la vue sur la baie depuis les remparts est magnifique. L'entrée est unique, jadis défendue par un fossé à pont-levis avec herse.

La citadelle (ou Haute-ville) recèle de beaux monuments : l'oratoire Saint-Antoine, la Poudrière, la caserne Sampiero (ex-palais des Gouverneurs) et la maison de Christophe Colomb. Un chemin de visite a été mis en place par l'Office de Tourisme de Calvi afin de mieux faire découvrir ce monument chargé d'histoire. Sur ce chemin, la maison de Laurent Giubegga dans laquelle Napoléon Ier séjourna en 1793.

(Wikipedia)

Calvi ist eine französische Hafenstadt an der Nordwestküste Korsikas und Hauptort der Landschaft Balagne. Mit 5559 Einwohnern (Stand 1. Januar 2017) ist sie die fünftgrößte Gemeinde auf Korsika.

Calvi liegt 95 km von Bastia und 24 km von L’Île-Rousse entfernt am Golf von Calvi.

Die Stadt besteht aus der Unterstadt, in der das Rathaus, der Marktplatz und der bedeutende Yachthafen liegen, und der Oberstadt, die vom Gouverneurspalast und der Zitadelle dominiert wird.

Auf Korsika gibt es sieben Häfen, die von Transportschiffen oder Fähren von der französischen (Marseille, Toulon, Nizza) oder italienischen (Savona, Genua, La Spezia, Livorno, Piombino) Küste sowie aus Sardinien (Santa Teresa di Gallura, Porto Torres, Palau) angefahren werden. Diese sind L’Île-Rousse, Calvi, Propriano, Ajaccio, Bonifacio, Bastia und Porto-Vecchio. Der Fährbetrieb in Calvi ist inzwischen eingestellt.

Über eine frühgeschichtliche Besiedlung ist kaum etwas bekannt, aber bereits Phönizier, Griechen und Etrusker hatten Siedlungen im Gebiet des heutigen Calvi. Die Römer errichteten im Bereich der Unterstadt eine Siedlung namens Sinus Caesiae (möglicherweise auch Sinus Casalus), von der sich der heutige Name Calvi ableiten soll.

Nach Sarazenenüberfällen besetzte Pisa, dem Korsika durch den Papst zugesprochen wurde, im 11. Jahrhundert die Stadt. Nach Streitigkeiten zwischen Pisa und der Republik Genua über den Besitz der Insel folgte eine turbulente Zeit mit wechselnder Herrschaft zwischen korsischen Adeligen, Genua und der Krone Aragon. 1278 baten die Einwohner von Calvi Genua um Unterstützung gegen die lokalen Adeligen. So fiel Calvi in den Einflussbereich von Genua, das die Zitadelle von Calvi (und auch die von Algajola) ausbaute, Calvi einen autonomen Status und den Calvesern eine Reihe von Privilegien gewährte. Die Einwohner dankten es Genua mit Treue, auch während der Unabhängigkeitskämpfe. Noch heute sieht man am Zugang zur Oberstadt den lateinischen Leitspruch Civitas Calvi semper fidelis („Die Stadt Calvi ist immer treu“).

Im 16. Jahrhundert widerstand Calvi Eroberungsversuchen des korsischen Freiheitskämpfers Sampiero Corso und seiner Verbündeten, den Türken und Franzosen.

Im 18. Jahrhundert gab es eine kurze Zeit der korsischen Unabhängigkeit unter Pascal Paoli, die mit der Machtübernahme Frankreichs endete. Beim Versuch Paolis, mit Unterstützung durch das Königreich Großbritannien Korsika wieder unter seinen Einfluss zu bringen, wurde Calvi 1793 durch die britische Flotte weitgehend zerstört.

Nach Verlust der französischen Gebiete in Nordafrika wurde 1967 das 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes, ein Fallschirmjägerregiment der Fremdenlegion, in Calvi stationiert.

Seit den 1960er Jahren ist die Stadt ein bekannter Touristenort und meistbesuchter Ort der Insel. Mehr als die Hälfte der Einwohner lebt heute vom Tourismus. In der Südhälfte der Gemeinde wird Wein angebaut.

In der Zitadelle wurde angeblich der Amerika-Entdecker Christoph Kolumbus geboren. Calvi gehörte über Jahrhunderte zur Seerepublik Genua und wehrte sich sogar lange Zeit gegen die Unabhängigkeit Korsikas. Aus dieser Zeit stammt auch das Gerücht, Christoph Kolumbus stamme aus Korsika – schließlich beansprucht Calvi neben zahlreichen weiteren Städten in Italien, Spanien und Portugal das Privileg, Geburtsort des berühmten Amerika-Entdeckers zu sein.

(Wikipedia)

Notts and Derby C720 NNN seems to have been saved for preservation and has migrated to the Nottingham Heritage Centre, Ruddington, 21st May 2017. C720 NNN is a Leyland Olympian chassis fitted with an Eastern Coach Works body and was delivered to Trent Barton in December 1985. It has also been operated with Wellglade Group TM Travel and finally Notts and Derby. It survived withdrawal in October 2012 being re-instated with Notts and Derby in January 2013.

I am looking forward to a bit of snow this year. Last year there was already plenty about but this year it has been so mild there is hardly any present. Also, I am currently getting my fireplace at home re-instated so am looking forward to using it when the days get a bit colder.

So I am hoping that this picture from last year will set the mood for the next few months.

June 26th 1982 - Halifax Station

In typically wet weather Class 46 46010 (formerly D147) is ready to leave Halifax Station with the Saturday's only 7.57am Weymouth to Bradford express (see comments).

This engine had been stored at Swindon Works, but was re-instated to traffic on November 29th 1981. It survived another three years, withdrawal coming during November 1984. This is a very lucky locomotive, surviving today in preservation.

Scanned from print

08587 stabled at Ebbw Junction MPD on the 24th August 1975. This is one of my early 35mm transparencies after my move from number taking to photography using a Hanimex Compact non SLR “point and shoot” camera with a 40mm lens of dubious quality around the edges of the frame.

Locomotive History

08587 is a Crewe built class 08 and was originally D3754. It entered traffic in October 1959 and was originally allocated to Danygraig MPD, Swansea. It would spend spells at various Western Region depots until stored at the end of 1981. In 1984 it was given a classified repair, fitted with train air brakes and re-instated allocated to GatesheadIt migrated back to South Wales at Margam towards the end of its career being withdrawn in August 2008 and broken up during December 2009 by TJ Thomson, Stockton.

Hanimex Compact, Orwochrome UT18

Cricklewood allocated 25316 ambles into the goods yard at Nottingham light engine, 25th June 1975.

Locomotive History

25316 was delivered as D7666 (in corporate blue livery), entering traffic in December 1966. D7666 was one of a batch of twelve new class 25 locomotives (D7660 - 7671) allocated to Willesden to take over the empty coaching stock, parcels and local freight duties in the London area. With the arrival of these locomotives it was possible to release the remaining Willesden allocated class 24's to the Stoke Division, as part of the eradication of steam in the North West. It was originally part of an order for fifty two class 25 locomotives awarded to Beyer Peacock, Manchester, however due to Beyer Peacock’s worsening financial situation the last seventeen locomotives of the order were cancelled and they were built at Derby works instead. In January 1971 it transferred to the Birmingham division before returning to London in July 1971. 25316 received collision damage repairs at Derby works in June and July 1977 and was recalled back to Derby three months later for what turned out to be its last classified works repair. One wonders why this was not done during the earlier visit. On the 12th May 1981 whilst working the 00.19 Garston – Forders brickliner along with 25313 it collided with 85022, running light engine at Speke Junction. Towed to Derby works it was surprisingly repaired at a time when such damage would have normally seen the engine condemned returning to traffic during October 1981. In January 1984 it left the London area and was transferred to Longsight and shortly afterwards on the 27th January 1984 it failed at Keighley whilst working a Heysham - Tees ammonia train. Four days later 25316 was withdrawn and initially dumped at York before being moved to Doncaster and eventually reached Toton in March 1984. Here it was repaired and was re-instated back to traffic, still allocated to Longsight during April 1984. In May 1985 it transferred to Crewe and in November 1985 to Carlisle Kingmoor. In the Autumn of 1985 twelve class 25/3’s were given E exams and were restricted to 60mph to minimise traction motor problems and classified class 25/9. 25316 was one of these locomotives and became 25911. The specific duties planned for the class 25/9's did not reach the expected levels so the sub class soon migrated back to normal duties, losing their special mechanical attention. 25911 was placed in store at Kingmoor in August 1986 and withdrawn a month later during September 1986. It would spend the next two years dumped at Carlisle until moving to Crewe Basford Hall in November 1988. By the end of December 1988 it had reached Vic Berry, Leicester and was broken up during March 1989.

Hanimex Compact, Kodachrome 25

One of my very early transparencies (number 79 in my collection) taken with a Hanimex Compact non SLR camera of dubious quality and using a cheap East German film called Orwochrome UT18. 08741 is stabled in the goods yard at Wilford Road, Nottingham, 6th August 1975.

Locomotive History

08741 was originally D3909 and was built at Crewe works entering traffic in November 1960. It was one of a batch of thirteen class 08’s (D3905 – D3917) delivered new to Glasgow Polmadie MPD. In April 1972 it transferred to Eastfield and two weeks later it headed south to the London Midland Region at Allerton. Five months later it transferred to Longsight and then in July 1973 it transferred to Toton where it settled down for the next eleven years. In September 1984 it transferred to Thornaby moving to Gateshead in January 1986. In February 1990 it was stored and eight months later it was re-instated allocated to Derby. This reprieve was short lived as six months later in April 1991 08741 was withdrawn. It was broken up by CF Booth, Rotherham during May 1994.

Has a rare day on the 16. 2955 recently repainted into Timesaver Blue/Gold Livery which is the new and Final LIvery for Timesaver Routes. At the time Hockley operated Timesaver Route 901 & 966.

LIFE OF BUS 2955

New to West Bromwich Garage December 1986

Transferred to Hockley May 1990

Transferred to Perry Barr December 1994

Transferred to Walsall October 2001

Withdrawn May 2004

Rebuilt as a training vehicle & Transferred to Travel London training fleet August 2004

Re-instated to TWM Traning Fleet

Withdrawn January 2011

Scraped

Location: Birmingham Colmore Row

April 1992

HY

In common with other MOD fire appliances, the Bedford 'Midis' received an overall coat of NATO green paint in the early 1980s. When freshly painted, they didn't look too bad, but quickly took on a rather scruffy and 'down at heels' appearance. Common sense soon prevailed and the previous red scheme was re-instated. By comparison with the earlier red version, this digital representation - based on an actual vehicle - carries a shorter ladder. Thanks again to Ron Henderson for the base image (31-Dec-16).

All rights reserved. Not to be posted on Facebook or anywhere else without my prior written permission. Please follow the link below for additional information about my Flickr images:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

In Early 2004 Hockley received 10 Volvo ALX400`s 4290-4299 from Perry Barr which displaced Metrobuses from the 101 Service. 2903 was previosly branded for the 101 service and has very recent being de-branded in this picture. She stayed at Hockley till the end and transferred to Perry Barr and was back on the 101. She went to quite a few Garages and was one of the last metrobuses in Service at Acocks Green. She was a nice bus to drive and now lives on with Abbey Travel, Leciester.

LIFE OF BUS 2903

New to Hockley Garage November 1985

Transferred to Perry Barr 31/05/2005 (Upon Hockley Closure)

Transferred to West Bromwich August 2006

Transferred to Walsall Janaury 2009

Withdrawn 29/11/2009

Re-instated to Acocks Green April 2010

Withdrawn 25/07/2010

Sold to Abbey Travel, Leicester

Location: Birmingham Upper Bull Street

Febuary 2004

HY

The sun has just melted the frost on a cold but sunny morning at Derby as 46017 awaits the “right away” with 1O13, 0700 Newcastle - Poole, 22nd November 1975.

Locomotive History

The class 46's were the third variant of the “Peak” class (class 44/45/46) and were fitted with Brush electrical equipment instead of Crompton Parkinson. Fifty-six were built at Derby works between 1961 and 1963, with the majority of their lives spent split between Laira and Gateshead depots for cross country passenger traffic. A lack of electric train heating equipment meant the class started to be withdrawn in 1978 and all had been taken out of service by 1984. 46017 was originally D154, entered traffic in February 1962 and was eighteen years old when stored at Swindon at the end of 1980. A year later an increased demand for Type 4 locomotives found BR looking to the storage lines at Swindon for an answer and 46017 was one of eleven class 46 locomotives re-instated. The expectations demanded of these locomotives must have been something of a challenge as they had been in open storage for at least twelve months. However that challenge was meet by 46017 as it would give over two years further service. At the end of February 1984 the availability of 46017 was being affected by a number of minor faults (batteries, low power) and on the 21st March 1984 it suffered minor collision damage. This proved to be the end for 46017 as it did not work again and was condemned on the 22nd April 1984. By the 25th April 1984 it had migrated to Stratford and was surrendering its power unit to 46052. Towed to Swindon works with 46014/18/44 as 9Z28 on the 4th June 1984 it would linger for almost another two years until broken up in the middle of May 1986

Re-edited 23rd November 2016

Hanimex Compact, Orwochrome UT18

A recently re-instated Volvo B10 sits alone in the lanes on a Saturday afternoon at Lillyhall.

R945XVM is covering for an out of service low-floor vehicle.

To the rear on "Death Row" can be seen a sextet of withdrawn Olympians that had latterly been clogging up the drivers' car park. Among the SWB Volvo examples is a lone LWB Leyland example, H116SAO.

45041 was built at Crewe Works in 1962 and was released into traffic on 25th June, 1962 and based at Derby. The locomotive carried the number D53 and was initially painted in green livery and carried a split centre headcode. On 24th September, 1964 the locomotive was named “Royal Tank Regiment” at Derby Works with no formal ceremony and above the nameplates the Royal Tank Regimental crest was carried. D53 was used on a variety of passenger and freight duties throughout the 1960s.

During a visit to Derby Works for refurbishment in 1967 D53 lost its green livery in favour of the new corporate blue livery and its headcode was changed to a full four character version. The locomotive was fitted with air train brakes in 1968 continuing in its role of a mixed traffic locomotive before being re-numbered to 45041 in May, 1975.

A further change to 45041’s headcode occurred in March, 1979 when the headcode mechanisms were removed from the nose ends and these were replaced with marker lights. 45041’s final works overhaul occurred during 1985 with the locomotive re-entering traffic in August of that year without its nameplates fitted.

45041 was used predominantly on freight trains during the 1980s as it was not one of the 50 Class 45s that were selected to be converted to supply electric train heat (ETH) in the mid 1970s and 45041’s boiler was isolated in the late 1970s being one of the first of the class to lose its train heating capability.

45041 suffered a traction motor problem whilst working a stone train from Peak Forest to Leeds and was taken out of service on 18th May, 1988. 45041 was sent to Thornaby depot for assessment but it was condemned and was taken out of service on 8th June, 1988.

Thornaby depot became the locomotive’s home until January, 1994 when it was moved to Crewe Heritage Centre having been purchased for preservation by locomotive collector Pete Waterman. It was displayed at Crewe Works Open day in August, 1994 and at the Crewe Railfair event in August, 1995 although no restoration work was undertaken on 45041.

The locomotive was purchased from Pete Waterman by the Peak Locomotive Company in February, 1996 and had bodywork repairs and a complete repaint so that it could be re-dedicated by the Reverend Bernard Baines, the Royal Tank Regiment Padre at Crewe Works Open Day on 17th August, 1996. Following the Open Day, the locomotive was moved to Crewe Electric Depot where it had its tyres turned before being hauled over the main line to the Midland Railway Centre.

Restoration work began upon its arrival at the Midland Railway Centre alongside the groups other locomotives (at the time); Class 44 D4 “Great Gable” and Class 46 D182. 45041 made its debut in preservation on 28th September, 2002 and subsequently visited diesel events at the East Lancs Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as well as making a return visit to Crewe Works for an Open Day in September, 2005.

The locomotive was repainted once again into BR Blue livery with Full Yellow ends in September, 2010 and the owning group have plans to re-instate the locomotive’s train heating capability at some point in the future following an overhaul of its train heating boiler.

2779 recieves the 2nd Version of 101 Route Branding apllied in 1998. 2779 spent almsot 8 years on this servcie recieveing the 3rd Version in Late 2000 Jewerley Quater.

LIFE OF BUS 2779

New to Dudley Garage August 1984

Transferred to Hockley June 1990

Route Branded 101 May 1996

Transferred to Perry Barr 31.05.2005

Upon Hockley Closure

Transferred to Wolverhampton December 2006

Withdrawn January 2007

Re-Instated to Wolverhampton Febuary 2007

Withdrawn November 2008

Scraped June 2009

Location: Birmingham, Paradise Circus Queensway

May 1998

HY

Rolling through p2 Kettering, ROG with Europheonix liveried 37510 which has recently been re-instated, works 5M57 back to Derby in readiness for her next duties

CSX 1776 is in charge of recently instated Wilmington, NC- Charlotte, NC freight L703 as it passes Lanier Material Sales in Charlotte.

Walsall based MCW Merobus A735UOE pauses in Brownhills whilst working the 394A.

2735 had been withdrawn from service at Lea Hall in 2007, but was re-instated for service at Walsall in the same year. It lasted with WM until June 2009 and was sold for further service with Nigel Jackson in Leicester.

24082 at Crewe on a pleasant summer Saturday, 16th July 1977.

Locomotive History

24082 was originally D5082 and was delivered from Crewe works during March 1960, allocated to March MPD. It was one of a batch of fifty Type 2's (D5045 - D5095) delivered to the Eastern Region to assist in the dieselisation of East Anglia. However it was quickly transferred to the London Midland Region one month later in April 1960, allocated to Rugby. After three months at Rugby D5082 transferred south to Willesden in July 1960, followed by transfers to Watford in May 1962, Crewe in January 1963 and Willesden in August 1966. By the end of 1966 with the completion of the electrification of the southern end of the West Coast Main Line and the arrival of newer class 25's from Derby works, the exodus of the London area class 24 fleet began, with D5082 transferring to the Stoke Division (Crewe MPD) during January 1967, this would be its final transfer. The first half of the 1960’s also contained a number of lengthy visits to Derby works, February – May 1962, April – August 1963, July/August and November1965. 24082 was stored in July 1976 but re-instated to traffic in September 1976 and during the winter of 1977/78 was a favourite engine for railtour duty, no doubt due to its operational steam heating boiler At the beginning of March 1979 there were three class 24’s left in traffic (24063/81/82) and this was reduced to two when 24082 was withdrawn in the first few days of the month. It was quickly dispatched to Doncaster works being towed away from Crewe on the 20th March 1979 as 9Z15, 17.40, Crewe - Derby St Mary's (were it attached 50018 from Laira) – Doncaster works. On arrival it was almost immediately broken up and had gone by the end of April 1979, less than eight weeks after withdrawal.

Praktica LTL, Kodachrome 64

This video was taken from a set of over a hundred pictures, whittled down to the best of the set, 38, shown in this video along with the background sounds, same as the earlier one at Thoresby, a nightingale singing its heart out in some woodland spot in Northamptonshire. This walk completes a series started as long agon as 2010 with some of the pictures shown here from places such as Arkwright Town, Staveley, Killamarsh and west from Penistone all along what is now the TPT route 62 trail but which, once upon a time, when the world was young, constituted the trackbed of the MSL/GC/LNER's 'London Extension'. On those earlier walks, locomotive traction was conspicuous by its absence as the track-bed section walked did now have any close proximity to a proper railway and unfortunately the only one that does in these parts, the Stocksbridge branch, isn't all that easily walked; though I have done some of it and shown the pictures here. As yesterday, the Autumn Equinox, celebrating Bilbo and Frodo's birthday and the start of their adventures and, in my own case, coincidentally I believe, mine to, when I returned to Australia on the the same day in 2008 and another coincidence, the Google satellite camera photographed most of the area in S.Yorks showing, at the location we had been living, both our cars parked up on the drive; the picture still being current, as this section of GE does not appear to have been updated since September 22nd 2008. Anyway after a very miserable start to the week on Monday, yesterday was much better, and possibly the start of an 'Indian Summer', though that jury is still out, the option to get the last leg of the TPT 'in the bag' seemed clear and with National Grid still working on the 'Supergrid' pylons along the Longdendale Valley, west of Woodhead Tunnel, there was clearly interest to be checked out. The other more pertinent reason for doing this was that a few weeks ago there had been a press release indicating that NAtionalgrid had put aside UKP500million to _remove_ the pylon structures from three areas of outstanding natural beauty and one of them was here in the Longdendale Valley; the puzzle was, and still is, if this is going to happen , what on earth are they doing replacing some or all of the pylon structures, cable supports and other ancillary equipment if the whole lot is to be taken up. The only thing I can think of relates to the old adage, 'If a signalbox gets repainted and maintenance work done, its as good a sign as any that its about to be pulled down'! The links to the article which appeared in the Guardian newspaper were, from November 2009!-

www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/09/national-grid-50...

and again, a few weeks ago this year-

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/15/national-grid-rem...

So not quite sure what is going on except to say if the structures are time-expired, as could easily happen in the hostile conditions along the Woodhead Pass/Longdendale Valley, then maybe NationalGrid have no choice. As these pictures show, the work to replace the pylon infra-structure is being undertaken with the current still on, at least on the half of the pylon not being worked on. I guess this may be easy to understand as cutting the flow from Drax, the large power station, north of the Humber over to the millions of folk and businesses in Lancashire, may not be viewed in too kindly a manner! This large, extensive infra-structure working being carried out can not proceed without having some impact on the look of the valley and this will be seen in the accompanying video; though the roadways and disruption are being kept to a minimum and all the natural habitat will be restored once the work is finished, but it has to be said that my earlier comment when visiting the area around the Woodhead Tunnel in June last year, see-

www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/14180651458/

I can't see that all this changes that view at all... In this video there are views along the old track-bed, east and west, the area at Torside where the B6105 crossed the lines at Torside Crossing and signalbox, is shown towards the end, with the cyclist doing an about turn off the track-bed and making for the bridge crossing the dam wall between Torside and Rhodeswood Reservoirs. The signal box was right in front of the cyclist and the track crossed the road, where many an inpatient road driver stood waiting to get about their business, just to the right on the red, 'Site Access', sign. In the pictures just before the cyclist appears, a shot towards the Torside road crossing showing the gate for NationalGrid's access road, running alongside the old track-bed, looks for all the world as if the MSLR has returned and decided that after all, the 4-track rail formation consisting of 2 fast lines flanked by the up and down slow, goods, lines, ought to be re-instated and trains run once more along here... pigs might fly, of course.

Towards the middle of the video are a few shots taken at Hadfield Station and really the only part of this multi-sectioned walk along the track-bed I have undertaken where there was any traction still available on part of the line. The half-hourly service can be seen pulling into the much denuded station terminus, in the form of a Northern Rail DMU class 323, 323228 on the terminating Manchester Piccadilly to Hadfield, 2H74 service. With a change of end for the driver and a handful of passengers getting of and around the same boarding, the train set off back to Piccadilly around 10 minuets later as the 2H79 service. For some unknown reason! Manchester and its environs has a fully electrified railway system and with traction which makes the 'Nodding Donkeys', over this side of the great divide, look just a tad dated.. I'm joking of course, as 'tad' doesn't nearly cover it.

The end of the station shows the remnants of the old OHL equipment form the DC electrified days and in fact the cable support structures here were re-used for the change over from 1500VDC to 25kVAC current, the higher voltage requiring a longer path to earth in the form of longer ceramic insulators. A left over vestige of one of the 1500VDC OHL portals can be seen beyond both the train and the end of the line; straight ahead from that point is where my walk has brought me from but there is no access to the station via that route, a diversion onto a road-side footpath has to be taken to access the station building. The general views of the beautiful scenery along the Longdendale VAlley will be self-evident as will the large amount of heavy goods traffic on the famous 'Woodhead Pass' road, the A628. The surrounding moorland, now resplendent with Autumn, purple heather, the reservoirs and the relative peace of the location even with all this going on makes for a very pleasant experience.

The final few shots show the overall view taken along the Valley from a view-point on the A628 road with, right beneath the camera, on the left the MSLR track-bed passes through the long gone Woodhead Station but with its platforms still in place; the station masters house now in private hands on the left. THe River Etherow passes under the track-bed and continues under the new section of NationalGrid's cableway housing, in continuous baths of oil, cooled by refrigerated water all the way along the Tunnel, the half-million volt Supergrid cables. These rise out of the ground on the right of the large pylon and are then conveyed along the valley by more normal structures... and if the details at the links IS correct, all this lot will one day disappear to reveal the once pristine conditions along the Vally... but sadly without its electrified railway...

47102 enters Nairn with a mixed passenger & freight 1340 Aberdeen - Inverness on 15th October 1984.

This relatively short lived mixed train concept could be seen on selected trains throughout Scotland in the mid-eighties.

Nairn East signal box in the background was, at the time well known for the signalman commuting between the two boxes, West & East by a bike provided by BR!

This finished in 2000 when both boxes were abolished and the signalling controlled by a Westcad workstation.

The loco was first withdrawn in 1991 and then re-instated in 1994 before finally being withdrawn again in 1995 and scrapped 3 years later.

Nairn box was finally decommissioned in October 2017.

A newcomer to Perry Barr in 1995 is EX-Hockley 2955 which came in Timesaver Gold Livery but was quickely repainted into WM Buses Livery. 2955 is Looking very smart fresley Repainted.

LIFE OF BUS 2955

New to West Bromwich Garage December 1986

Transferred to Hockley May 1990

Transferred to Perry Barr December 1994

Transferred to Walsall October 2001

Withdrawn May 2004

Rebuilt as a training vehicle & Transferred to Travel London training fleet August 2004

Re-instated to TWM Traning Fleet

Withdrawn January 2011

Scraped

Location: Birmingham, Priory Queensway

March 1995

PB

Commentary.

Bodiam Castle is of a classic, Medieval vintage.

Rounded corner towers.

Vast moat.

Portcullis.

Drawbridge.

Castellated, with arrow-slit windows.

Keep and dungeons.

As seen here, it is always a popular

venue, for all ages.

It stands on slightly higher ground

than the partially flooded, flood-plain.

The southern levee is clearly visible and both

levees are used as raised footpaths.

To add to the attractions, just behind

the location where this shot was taken,

volunteers re-furbished and re-instated

the Kent and Sussex Railway.

It runs from Tenterden in Kent

to Bodiam in East Sussex, and back.

It has steam-driven engines, and is just as

popular as the castle, during the summer months.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

Although the performance increases of jet-powered aircraft introduced towards the end of World War II over their piston-powered ancestors were breathtaking, there were those at the time who believed that much more was possible. As far back as 1943, the British Ministry of Aircraft Production had issued a specification designated "E.24/43" for a supersonic experimental jet aircraft that would be able to achieve 1,600 KPH (1,000 MPH).

The Levin served only with RAF 29 and 65 Squadron, the latter re-instated in 1970 as a dedicated fighter squadron. When in November 1984 the Tornado squadrons began to form, the Levin was gradually phased out and replaced until April 1987 by the Tornado F.3.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length w/o pitot: 51 ft 5 in (15,70 m), 55 ft 8 in (16.99 m) overall

Wingspan incl. wingtip launch rails: 34 ft 9 in (10.54 m)

Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)

Wing area: 474.5 ft² (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 8937 kg (lb)

Loaded weight: 13,570 kg (29,915)

Max. takeoff weight: 15,210 kg (33,530 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce RB.106-10S afterburning turbojet,

rated at 20,000 lbf (89 kN) dry and 26,000 lbf (116 kN) with afterburning

Performance:

Maximum speed:

- 1,150 km/h (620 kn, 715 mph, Mach 0.94) at sea level

- 2,230 km/h (1.202 kn, 1,386 mph, Mach 2.1;), clean with 2× Red Top AAMs at high altitude

- Mach 2.4 absolute top speed in clean configuration at 50.000 ft.

Range: 1,650 km (890 nmi, 1,025 mi) on internal fuel

Combat radius: 500 km (312 mi); clean, with a pair of wing tip Red Top AAMs

Ferry range: 1,270 mi (1.100 NM/ 2.040 km) with overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 16,760 m (55,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 136.7 m/s (27,000 ft/min)

Wing loading: 76 lb/ft² (370 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.78

Takeoff roll: 950 m (3,120 ft)

Landing roll: 700 m (2,300 ft)

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN cannons with 120 RPG in the upper front fuselage

2× wing tip hardpoints for mounting air-to-air missiles (2 Red Top of Firestreak AAMs)

2× overwing pylon stations for 260 gal ferry tanks

Optional, but rarely used: 2× hardpoints under the front fuselage for mounting air-to-air missiles

(2 Red Top of Firestreak AAMs)

The kit and its assembly:

Another contribution to the Cold War GB at whatifmodelers.com, and the realization of a project I had on the agenda for long. The EE P.6/1 was a real project for a Mach 2+ research aircraft, as described above, but it never went off the drawing board. Its engine, the RB.106, also never saw the light of day, even though its later career as the Canadian Orenda Iroquois for the stillborn CF-105.

Building this aircraft as a model appears simple, because it’s a classic Lightning (actually a F.1 with the un-kinked wing and the small fin), just with a single engine and a rather tubular fuselage. But creating this is not easy at all…

I did not want to replicate the original P.6/1, but rather a service aircraft based on the research aircraft. Therefore I used parts from a Lightning F.6 (a vintage NOVO/Frog kit). For the fuselage I settled for a Su-17, from a MasterCraft kit. The kit’s selling point was its small price tag and the fuselage construction: the VG mechanism is hidden under a separate spine piece, and I wanted to transplant the Lightning’s spine and cockpit frame, so I thought that this would make things easier.

Nope.

Putting the parts from the VERY different kits/aircraft together was a major surgery feat, with several multiple PSR sessions on the fuselage, the air intake section (opened and fitted with both an internal splitter and a bulkhead to the cockpit section), the wings, the stabilizers, the fin… This model deserves the title “kitbash” like no other, because no major sections had ever been intended to be glued together, and in the intended position!

The landing gear was more or less taken OOB, but the main struts had to be elongated by 2mm – somehow the model turned out to be a low-riding tail sitter! The cockpit interior was improvised, too, consisting of a Su-17 cockpit tub, a scratched dashboard and a Martin Baker ejection seat from an Italeri Bae Hawk trainer.

Since most of the fuselage surface consists of various materials (styrene and two kinds of putty), I did not dare to engrave panel lines – after all the PSR work almost any surface detail was gone. I rather went for a graphic solution (see below). Some antennae and air scoops were added, though.

The overwing tanks come OOB from the NOVO kit, as well as the Red Top missiles, which ended up on improvised wing tip launch rails, based on design sketches for Lightning derivatives with this layout.

Colors and markings:

There are several “classic” RAF options, but I settled for a low-viz Eighties livery taken from BAC Lightnings. There’s a surprising variety of styles, and my version is a mix of several real world aircraft.

I settled for Dark Sea Grey upper surfaces (Modelmaster Authentic) with a high waterline, a fuselage completely in Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165 – had to be applied twice because the first tin I used was obviously old and the paint ended up in a tone not unlike PRU Blue!) and Light aircraft Grey underwing surfaces (Humbrol 166). The leading edges under the wings are Dark Sea Grey, too.

The cockpit interior was painted in dark grey (Humbrol 32 with some dry-brushing), while the landing gear is Aluminum (Humbrol 56).

Once the basic painting was done I had to deal with the missing panel lines on the fuselage and those raised lines that were sanded away during the building process. I decided to simulate these with a soft pencil, after the whole kit was buffed with a soft cotton cloth and some grinded graphite. This way, the remaining raised panel lines were emphasized, and from these the rest was drawn up. A ruler and masking tape were used as guidance for straight lines, and this worked better than expected, with good results.

As a next step, the newly created panels were highlighted with dry-brushed lighter tones of the basic paints (FS 36492 and WWII Italian Blue Grey from Modelmaster, and Humbrol 126), more for a dramatic than a weathered effect. The gun ports and the exhaust section were painted with Modelmaster Metallizer (Titanium and Magnesium).

The decals come from several Xtradecal aftermarket sheets, including a dedicated Lightning stencils sheet, another Lightning sheet with various squadron markings and a sheet for RAF Tornado ADVs.

The code number “XS970” was earmarked to a TSR.2, AFAIK, but since it was never used on a service aircraft it would be a good option for the Levin.

The kit received a coat of matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can – jn this case the finish was intended to bear a slight shine.

This was a project with LOTS of effort, but you hardly recognize it – it’s a single engine Lightning, so what? But welding the Lightning and Su-17 parts together for something that comes close to the P.6/1 necessitated LOTS of body work and improvisation, carving it from wood would probably have been the next complicated option. Except for the surprisingly long tail I am very happy with the result, despite the model’s shaggy origins, and the low-viz livery suits the sleek aircraft IMHO very well.

EWS she's 66155 takes control of Moreton on Lugg working to Elstow in Bedfordshire passing one of my favourite location of Usual, MML between Kettering and Wellingborough.

This is heading south on the current no directional line with evidence of the respite instated 4th line now taking shape. In the very near future the OHL will be instated making our shots rather different, but I will still be out and about with my camera regardless

North Pier is the most northerly of the three coastal piers in Blackpool, England. Built in the 1860s, it is also the oldest and longest of the three. Although originally intended only

as a promenade, competition forced the pier to widen its attractions to include theatres and bars. Unlike Blackpool's other piers, which attracted the working classes with open air

dancing and amusements, North Pier catered for the "better-class" market, with orchestra concerts and respectable comedians. Until 2011, it was the only Blackpool pier that

consistently charged admission.

The pier is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, due to its status as the oldest surviving pier created by Eugenius Birch. As of 2012 it is still in regular use,

despite having suffered damage from fires, storms and collisions with boats. Its attractions include bars, a theatre, a carousel and an arcade. One of the oldest remaining Sooty

glove puppets is on display commemorating Harry Corbett buying the original puppet there.

North Pier was built at the seaward end of Talbot Road, where the town's first railway station, Blackpool North, was built. Its name reflects its location as the most northerly of

Blackpool's three piers. It is about 450 yards (410 m) north of Blackpool Tower, which is roughly the midpoint of Blackpool's promenade. The sea front is particularly straight and

flat on this stretch of coastline, and the 1,650 feet (500 m) pier extends at right angles into the Irish Sea, more or less level with the promenade.

History: The construction of Blackpool Pier (eventually North Pier) started in May 1862, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, part of the parish of Bispham. In October 1862 severe storms

suggested that the planned height of the pier was insufficient, and it was increased by 3 feet (0.91 m) North Pier was the second of fourteen piers designed by Eugenius Birch,

and since Margate Pier was destroyed by a storm in 1978, it is the oldest of the remaining examples of his work still in use. It was the first of Birch's piers to be built by Glasgow

engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son.

The pier, which cost £11,740 to build, originally consisted of a promenade 1,405 feet (428 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, extending to 55 feet (17 m) wide at the pier-head. The

bulk of the pier was constructed from cast iron, with a wooden deck laid on top. The cast iron piles on which the structure rests were inserted using Birch's screw pile process; the

screw-tipped piles were twisted into the sand until they hit bedrock. This made construction much quicker and easier, and guaranteed that the pier had a solid foundation. The

cast iron columns, 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter, were filled with concrete for stability at intervals of 60 feet (18 m), and supported by struts that were on average were slightly

more than 1 inch (25 mm) thick.The pier's promenade deck is lined with wooden benches with ornamental cast iron backs. At intervals along the pier are hexagonal kiosks built

around 1900 in wood and glass with minaret roofs topped with decorative finials. On opening two of the kiosks were occupied by a bookstall and confectionery stall and the

kiosks near the ends of the pier were seated shelters. The pier-head is a combination of 420 tons of cast iron and 340 tons of wrought iron columns; standing 50 feet (15 m)

above the low water line, it sees a regular 35 feet (11 m) change in sea level due to the tide.

The pier was officially opened in a grand ceremony on 21 May 1863, even though the final 50 yards (46 m) had not yet been completed. All the shops in the area were closed

and decorated with flags and streamers for the ceremony, which included a procession and a cannon salute, and was attended by more than 20,000 visitors. Although the town

only had a population of approximately 4,000, more than 200,000 holiday makers regularly stayed there during the summer months; this included 275,000 admissions in 1863,

400,000 in 1864 and 465,000 the following year. The pier was officially opened by Major Preston, and he and 150 officials then travelled to the Clifton Hotel for a celebratory

meal.

The pier was intended primarily for leisure rather than seafaring; for the price of 2d (worth approximately £4.90 in 2012) the pier provided the opportunity for visitors to walk close

to the sea without distractions.This fee was insufficient to deter "trippers'", which led to Major Preston campaigning for a new pier to cater for the 'trippers'. In 1866, the

government agreed that a second pier could be built, despite objections from the Blackpool Pier Company that it was close to their pier and therefore unnecessary

As permitted by the original parliamentary order, a landing jetty was built at the end of North Pier in incremental stages between 1864 and 1867. The full length of the jetty was

474 feet (144 m), and the extensions increased the pier's total length to its current 1,650 feet (500 m). The Blackpool Pier Company used the jetty to operate pleasure steamers

that made trips to the surrounding areas. In 1871 swimming and diving lessons were added to the pier.

In 1874, the pier-head was extended to allow Richard Knill Freeman to incorporate a pavilion, which opened in 1877. The interior decoration led it to be known as the "Indian

Pavilion", and it was Blackpool's primary venue for indoor entertainment until the Winter Gardens opened in 1879.

To differentiate itself from the new pier, North Pier focused on catering for the "better classes", charging for entry and including attractions such as an orchestra and band

concerts, in contrast to the Central Pier (or the "People's pier"), which regularly had music playing and open-air dancing. The pier owners highlighted the difference, charging at

least a shilling (worth approximately £19.90 in 2012) for concerts and ensuring that advertisements for comedians focused on their lack of vulgarity. Sundays were given over to a

church parade.

On 8 October 1892, a storm-damaged vessel, Sirene, hit the southern side of the pier, causing four shops and part of the deck to collapse onto the beach below. Several columns

were also dislodged, and the ship's bowsprit hit the pier entrance. All eleven crew members were rescued when they were hauled onto the pier. Damage to the pier was

estimated to be £5,000 and was promptly repaired.

Nelson's former flagship, HMS Foudroyant, was moored alongside North Pier for an exhibition, but slipped anchor and was wrecked on the shore in a violent storm on 16 June

1897, damaging part of the jetty. The wreck of the ship broke up during December storms.

The pier was closed for the winter during 1895–6 as it unsafe; as a result, the pier was widened as electric lighting was added.

An Arcade Pavilion was added in 1903 at the entrance to the pier and contained a wide range of amusements to suit all tastes. Further alterations were made to the pier in 1932-

3 when the open air stand was replaced with a stage and sun lounge.

In 1936, a pleasure steamer returning from Llandudno crashed into the pier. The collision left a 10 feet (3.0 m) gap, and stranded a number of people at the far end.

The 1874 Indian Pavilion was severely damaged by fire in 1921. It was refurbished, but was then destroyed by a second fire in 1938. In 1939 it was replaced by a theatre, built in

an Art Deco style. At around the same time, the bandstand was removed and replaced with a sun lounge.

In the 1960s, the Merrie England bar and an amusement arcade were constructed at the end of the pier nearest to the shore. The 1939 theatre, which is still in use, narrowly

escaped damage in 1985 when the early stages of a fire were noticed by performer Vince Hill. In the 1980s, a Victorian-styled entrance was built. In 1991 the pier gained the

Carousel bar as an additional attraction, and a small tramway to ease access to the pier-head. By this point, the pier had ceased to have any nautical use, but the jetty section

was adapted for use as a helicopter pad in the late 1980s. Storms on 24 December 1997 destroyed the landing jetty, including the helipad.

The North Pier is one of the few remaining examples of Birch's classic pier architecture and is a Grade II Listed building, the only Blackpool pier to hold that status. It was

recognised as "Pier of the Year" in 2004 by the National Piers Society.

North Pier's attractions include a Gypsy palm reader and an ice cream parlour, the North Pier Theatre, a Victorian tea room, and the Carousel and Merrie England bars. The

arcade, built in the 1960s, has approximately eleven million coins pass through its machines each year.

One of the earliest Sooty bear puppets used by Harry Corbett is on display on the pier. Corbett bought the original Sooty puppet on North Pier for his son, Matthew. When Corbett

took the puppet on BBC's Talent Night programme, he marked the nose and ears with soot so that they would show up on the black and white television, giving the puppet its

name.

The Carousel bar on the pier-head has a Victorian wrought iron canopy, and its outdoor sun-lounge is classified as the largest beer garden in Blackpool. Next to the bar is a two

tier carousel, the "Venetian Carousel", which is protected from sand and spray by a glass wall.

After the fire in 1938, the pavilion was replaced with a 1,564 seat theatre which has since hosted a number of acts including; Frankie Vaughan, Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea,

Dave Morris, Bernard Delfont, Morecambe and Wise, Paul Daniels, Freddie Starr, Russ Abbott, Bruce Forsyth, Des O'Connor, Joe Longthorne, Lily Savage, Brian Conley and

Hale and Pace.

In 2002 a heritage room with photographs was opened up, the foyer entrance was refurbished and a disabled lift added. By 2005, there was no longer a live organist playing in

the sun lounge although other live entertainment continues. In 2013, the live organist was brought back into the sun lounge.

The pier was built and owned by the Blackpool Pier Company, created with three thousand £5-shares in 1861 (worth approximately £2,990 in 2012). The same firm operated the

pier in 1953, and the company was incorporated in 1965. The Resorts Division of First Leisure, including the pier, was sold to Leisure Parks for £74 million in 1998. In 2009, the

pier was sold to the Six Piers group, which owns Blackpool's other two piers, and hoped to use it as a more tranquil alternative to them. The new owners opened the Victorianthemed

tea room, and built an eight-seat shuttle running the length of the pier.

In April 2011, the pier was sold to a Blackpool family firm, Sedgwick's, the owners of amusement arcades and the big wheel on Blackpool's Central Pier. Peter Sedgwick

explained that he proposed to his wife on North Pier forty years ago, and promised to buy it for her one day. He said that he wants to restore the Victorian heritage of the pier and

re-instate the pier's tram. An admission charge of fifty pence to access the board-walk section of the pier was abolished by the Sedgewicks.

A petition to wind up the Northern Victorian Pier Limited (the company used by the Sedgwick family to manage Blackpool North Pier) was presented on 17 September 2012 by

Carlsberg UK Limited, a creditor of the Company, and this was to be heard at Blackpool County Court on 15 November 2012.

At the 11th hour, an agreement to pay the outstanding balance owed to Carlsberg was made and Peter Sedgwick's company escaped liquidation.

[Wikipedia]

The signalman at Masboro Station South Junction Signal Box watches Stanier Princess Coronation pacific 46229 Duchess of Hamilton pass by as it is towed to the York Railway Museum, 21st May 1976.

Locomotive History

Thirty eight 7P "Princess Coronation" class locomotives were built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway between 1937 and 1948. 46229 was out-shopped in August 1938 from Crewe Works as 6229 and was part of the second batch of five locomotives. These were streamlined locomotives, painted in London Midland and Scottish Railway standard crimson lake livery. In 1939 6229 swapped identities with the first of the class 6220 Coronation and was sent to North America with a specially-constructed Coronation Scot train to appear at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The locomotive (though not its carriages) was shipped back from the United States in 1942 after the outbreak of the Second World War, and the identities of the locomotives were swapped back in 1943. 6229 was painted wartime black livery in November 1944. The streamlined casing was removed for maintenance-efficiency reasons in December 1947 and it was painted in the 1946 black livery. Under British Railways it became 46229 on 15th April 1948 and it was painted in the short-lived British Railways blue livery in April 1950, but was repainted in April 1952 into Brunswick green. The semi-streamlined smokebox was replaced with a round-topped smokebox in February 1957, and in September 1958 it was painted maroon. On withdrawal in February 1964 it was purchased by Butlins and spent the next ten years on static display at the Minehead Holiday Camp. In March 1975 it left Minehead and in 1976, the Friends of the National Railway Museum accepted the locomotive from Butlin's on a twenty-year loan arrangement and immediately began an overhaul. It returned to traffic in 1980 and was operational until 1985. After purchasing the locomotive from Butlin's in 1987 it was overhauled again and returned to traffic in 1989 until withdrawn from main line duty in 1996 when its seven-year boiler ticket expired. From 1998 to 2005, 46229 was a static exhibit in the National Railway Museum, standing next to Mallard. In September 2005 the National Railway Museum announced that the streamlining would be re-instated, returning the locomotive to its original appearance. This work was undertaken at Tyseley Locomotive Works and in May 2009 it was returned to the National Railway Museum, going on display in a new exhibition called "Duchess of Hamilton Streamlined: Styling An Era".

Praktica LTL, Orwochrome UT18

Loughborough Central Station the current end of the line of the heritage Old Great Central Railway (GCR). In Loughborough, Leicestershire.

The origins of the old GCR may be traced back to the earliest days of railways in and around Manchester. What was to become identifiable as the Great Central Railway was the amalgamation on first of January, 1847 of the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyme & Manchester, the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction, the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railways and the Grimsby Dock Company. The area of operation of the MSLR is clear in its title and its reason for existence and principle traffic was the movement of coal and other goods across the harsh Pennine moorland and through the Woodhead Tunnel.

Little change in the system took place until the appointment, in 1854, of Edward Watkin as General Manager.

A bill was put before Parliament in 1891 for the line from Annesley through Nottingham, where the great Nottingham Victoria station was built with the Great Northern Railway, Leicester, Rugby and to an end on junction with the Metropolitan at Quainton Road. A short spur, going under Lords Cricket ground, was built from Metropolitan tracks at Canfield Place to the new terminus at Marylebone. It has since become known as the London Extension. It is on this line on which the present day Great Central Railway is based.

Construction of the line started in 1894 and was opened to coal traffic on 25th July, 1898 (to bed in the line) and to passenger and goods traffic started on 9th March, 1899.

The nationalisation of the railways in 1948 led to the Great Central metals becoming part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. In 1958 the ex-Great Central was re-allocated to the Midland Region of British Railways and so were sown the seeds of its decline as a main line to London. Country stations such as those at Belgrave & Birstall, Rothley and Quorn & Woodhouse were closed in 1963. In 1966 the line closed as a though route to London and the line was severed just south of Rugby while the proud station at Nottingham Victoria was demolished. Until 1969, when the line was finally closed, a DMU service ran from Rugby to Nottingham Arkwright Street.

A group of enthusiasts was determined to keep the line alive for the running of main line engines. The Main Line Preservation Group (MLPG) was formed to begin the mammoth task of preservation and restoration. Fund raising was always a problem so in 1971 the Main Line Steam Trust was formed and registered as a charity in order to raise funds through covenants. This too proved not to be sufficient to raise funds for the purchase of a short section of the line so the Great Central Railway (1976) Ltd was formed to raise funds through the sale of shares.

Since then the volunteers and staff have re-instated a double track section from Loughborough Central to Rothley and opened a single track to Leicester North, just south of the old Belgrave & Birstall station (and built a new station there) and have restored stations, signals and signalboxes, carriages, wagons and steam and diesel locomotives.

Information Source

www.gcrailway.co.uk/brief-history/

graaff's pool

a few golden oldies, newish pix during recent refurbishment of the promenade area

(city of cape town)

MEDIA RELEASE

NO. 137/2005

10 JUNE 2005

CITY PARTIALLY DEMOLISHES WALL AT GRAAFF’S POOL

The City of Cape Town has completed the partial demolition of the surrounding wall at Graaff’s Pool in Sea Point to a metre high and the area will be re-instated within the next few days. Graaff’s Pool remains a public amenity. The bathing area is now clearly visible and previous criminal activities will no longer be possible.

Three years ago the City of Cape Town applied to the Western Cape Heritage Council to have the wall at Graaff’s Pool demolished. Excessive storms during 2002/2003 caused huge damage to the structure.

The structure had started falling apart and sharp pieces of metal and concrete protruded from it. The building started to disintegrate and collapse and crime, rent boys and drug dealing were often reported to have occurred at Graaff’s Pool.

Background

Graaff’s Pool was built in 1870 and was named after David and Jacobus Graaff whose family owned an estate on the beachfront which included Graaff's Pool.

Legend has it that it was originally built as a wading pool. There was a tunnel underneath the road and the grandmother used to be wheeled to bathe in the tidal pool. The ground was later ceded to Council. In the 70’s it became a male only facility. However, after 1994, the “men only” signs came down and it became an area which could be utilised by both men and women.

END

The Brush-built Type 4 has been given considerable attention by members of the Crewe Diesel Preservation Group (CDPG) since its purchase in 2013, after becoming surplus to Direct Rail Services requirements. Initially based at the Crewe Heritage Centre, it moved to the Weardale Railway where the loco has latterly provided traction for the winter season Polar Express charter workings.

During down-time, the opportunity has been taken to re-instate the vacuum-brake system, overhaul numerous components and make cosmetic improvements such as removing the multiple working and re-instating the distinctive front end TDM cables. Much of this effort has only been possible due to the help of Weardale Railway volunteers. The repainting was undertaken by RMS Locotecs Wolsingham workshop. RMS have, in the past, only repainted locomotives from their own group and this is the first job they have done for an external customer.

The result of all this hard work is a fully-operational, reliable, dual-braked, ETH-fitted locomotive. Now that the exterior renovation has been completed, the owning group is actively encouraging invitations for a revitalised 47712 to attend and perform at diesel galas, special events and open days.

The first public display of No. 47712 in its new coat of old colours is scheduled to be at Carlisle Kingmoor Open Day on Saturday, July 18th, when visitors to the DRS headquarters will be able to meet the owners and inspect the locomotive more closely.

Originally numbered D1948, the locomotive entered traffic in August 1966 before being fitted with electric train heat equipment and renumbered 47505 in 1974. In 1979, it was chosen to become part of the Scottish Class 47/7+DBSO push-pull project and emerged from Crewe Works later that year, wearing the new identity of 47712.

It was named Lady Diana Spencer as a result of a Radio Clyde suggestion competition won by Mr Robert Cooney. The then BRB Chairman, Sir Peter Parker, revealed the plates on April 30, 1981, at Glasgow Queen Street station. ScotRail blue-stripe livery was applied during overhaul at Crewe Works in early 1985, and was carried until overhaul at Doncaster in 1991.

* Camera mounted on 5m light stand, aligned with iPhone 6 via Canon EOS App and triggered with Hahnel 5m remote shutter release.

Here is a shot of her back in Fragonset days November 2006:

www.flickr.com/photos/45021513@N08/9589759387/in/photolis...

SET 2 – Oxford Kroger, 2020 Remodel/Expansion

Taking a bit of a closer look at the Choice Meats half of the counter in this shot. It’s interesting to me that the light was still on in the back portion of seafood, but turned off everywhere else in the abandoned department – as you would expect to be the case.

Notice the prominent posterboards advertising smartphone sanitizer, a total steal at just $19.99 (!). Things like that were definitely rising in prominence around the time these pictures were taken; in fact, this was my first store photography visit during COVID following my tour of the (Remixed) Stateline Kroger in March of 2020, some two months earlier. We had just finished moving the stuff out of my on-campus apartment (having finally been allowed back on campus to access the place and complete that task), and the City of Oxford had instated a mask ordinance, which we had to comply with both on campus and anywhere else in public, like this Kroger. Given that I didn’t leave the house much in April, this was probably my first (of many…) store visits with a mask – and it was very strange. And hot.

(c) 2022 Retail Retell

These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)