Saturday Variety

Taken Aback By Double Stack

Confused.com? Where within the UK loading gauge could you ever run a double stack container train? What's one of them when it is at home anyway? 

Here is a video of a double stack container train in the good old U S of A - well actually Canada.

The video says 220 wagons; fbb counted 226 and two locos, but he is unreliable eyeball-wise. But what is a few double stack containers between friends?

But that is NOT what Tesco are trialling!

Rather uninspiringly the roof of Tesco's wagon can be jacked up to get an extra layer of pallets in and then lowered to the correct UK loading gauge.

Rather boring?

Fake Sheffield Wagons

Rails (of Sheffield) have recently come up with a couple more of their private owner never owned wagons. In just over 20 years in Sheffield fbb never knowing sucked a Maxon's sweet. But this small company still makes its product in the traditional small-batch way. 

If you fancy a wagon plus small bagga, remember there is postage to add to the £25 retail price. Likewise with the Potted Beef wagon.

fbb cannot ever remember consuming such delectable scrumptiousness.

Three flavours are available "in the shops".

These are boiled up (literally) in a small "works" situated in a pleasant wooded avenue ...

... that lies between Crookes and Walkley. 

There's no sample with the Rails wagon, sadly - or fbb would order one, simply for the taste of real potted beef, not the sanitised de-flavoured stuff you get "dayn sarf"!

Now Here's A Spiffing Idea

To move huge containers around, why bother with a nasty, stinking, planet destroying diesel "switcher" as out chums from across the pond would say.

So you load the container onto two disconnected bogies ...

... you program the bogies to take the box wherever it wants to go.

When it gets there you program it to autonomously load on the lorry (truck!), presumably equally autonomous and off it goes to the Emerald City. Perhaps.

One possible flaw occurs to fbb. How do you ensure that the bogies and the box match up? Perhaps the three bits are positioned by some version of Sat Nav?

Isn't technology wonderful. IF it works!

Answers to Quiz Part 2

This is the over-priced tram which runs between Parkway and Airport at Luton. And here are (or maybe were) the straw hats.

Birmingham New Street. The property is for sale. It has a reasonable view of the western exit tracks but that is the less busy of the two ends, so perhaps not an ideal pad for a wealthy trainspotter.

Rugby. Very much changed today. Just a simple canopy protects passengers, but ...

... trains still thrash past at speed on the "avoiding lines".

The tunnels approaching Liverpool Lime Street being opened up for extra tracks.

Ryde Pier Head showing the new windbreak. And this is what used to stand where the car park (above right) is now.

Woodhead Tunnel. The new bore was built for the very short-lived electrification at 1500 volts DC.

EM1 loco No 27000 was named "Electra".

This was Brunel's original terminus building at Bristol Temple Meads.

Notwork Rail show the platforms in use in 1956 ...

... but can't spell "Brunel"!!

It is the very original Severn Bridge, not either of the modern upstarts. After a meeting of barge and bridge, the link was closed and the bridge demolished. It had a swinging section as well.

Tinsley Marshalling Yard Sheffield - all gone now.

Of course The Tay Bridge disaster.

And, as a special treat; extracts from William McGonagle's Tay Bridge "collection".

Opening of the Tay Bridge

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay!

With your numerous arches and pillars in so grand array

And your central girders, which seem to the eye

To be almost towering to the sky.

The greatest wonder of the day,

And a great beautification to the River Tay,

Most beautiful to be seen,

Near by Dundee and the Magdalen Green.

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay!

That has caused the Emperor of Brazil to leave

His home far away, incognito in his dress,

And view thee ere he passed along en route to Inverness.

Tay Bridge Disaster

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay!

Alas! I am very sorry to say

That ninety lives have been taken away

On the last Sabbath day of 1879,

Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

‘Twas about seven o’clock at night,

And the wind it blew with all its might,

And the rain came pouring down,

And the dark clouds seem’d to frown,

And the Demon of the air seem’d to say-

“I’ll blow down the Bridge of Tay.”

Opening of the New Tay Bridge

Beautiful new railway bridge of the Silvery Tay,

With your strong brick piers and buttresses in so grand array,

And your thirteen central girders, which seem to my eye

Strong enough all windy storms to defy.

And as I gaze upon thee my heart feels gay,

Because thou are the greatest railway bridge of the present day,

And can be seen for miles away

From North, South, East or West of the Tay

On a beautiful and clear sunshiny day,

And ought to make the hearts of the "Mars" boys feel gay,

Because thine equal nowhere can be seen,

Only near by Dundee and the bonnie Magdalen Green.

Thankfully, only the opening lines in each case are quoted!

Well, he was Scotland's worst poet, possibly even the world's worst poet!

 Next Variety Blog : Sunday 20th August