Better or Bitter on the Betuweroute?
No, neither had fbb!
But it is a freight only line which links Rotterdam Haven (Harbour) area across the border to Germany.
There are enough problems with Tesla Taxis trundling troublingly where they shouldn't trundle, or not trundling at all. Think what mayhem an errant umpteen ton freight train could cause!
But, Talking Of Driverless
News from Paris is that the first MF18 train has entered revenue earning service. This marque is designed to become the standard Metro train for the future with over 400 units on order.
Various train lengths will be built and part of the order will come without cabs for the fully automatic lines. Unit 001 below ...
... does have cab and driver's doorway.
Also on the way is stock for new orbital lines 15, 16 and 17 ...
... due for 2027.
Not Driverless But Discontinuous?
'Discontinuous' always sounds like a pompous word to describe train cancellations; but it refers to the cheapskate policy of electrifying bits of the railway in bits.
Batteries (or even diesel engines) power the train when the electric string is unavailable.
So 'permanently earthed' sections have wires but no electric.
Is it really cheaper than doing the job properly?
Beautiful Bricks Build Bigger and Better!
When sons of fbb were young, you bought a box of Lego which included instructions for making a whole range of different but simple models.
Then came Lego technic, Lego pneumatic, Lego castles and Lego space to name but a few.
You found errant bricks when you stepped on them provoking excruciating, but thankfully brief, agony.
But Lego, like model railways, has now become much more of a hobby for rich old men. Now you buy an expensive box of bricks just to make up one large, spectacular model.
One of the latest is NCC-1701-D.
(Profuse apologies to No 3 son if this designation is wrong! He is a Star Trek expert. fbb just enjoys the programmes.)
This was the 'Enterprise' of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) from the 'Next Generation' series.
The Lego set comes with a selection of small models of the key characters.
So, as a special treat over the next few blogs, fbb will present these characters from the on-screen shows in Lego form. All you have to do is identify the character's role on the star ship. Non Trekkies or even non Trekkers (they are different, you know) can guess!
Do you care?
But for a bonus non-prize can you recall the actors' names.
Jean-Luc Picard?
The Same Or Different?
Three versions of a Lima tank wagon.
All three were sold with UK couplings. Left has the black band, never seen in the UK, but designed, on the real thing, to disguise ugly oil spills; centre is a very 'European' paint scheme, also never seen in the UK, right is a poor effort at a UK livery. Equally poor representations of UK 'Shell' livery are on the wagons in the background.
Agreed, fbb is almost as obsessive as thise assembling huge Lego spacecraft with ludicrously out of scale figures!
Who Runs Copenhagen's Buses!
Or is it this lot?
More tomorrow.
Next Variety blog : Sunday 8th Nov
Worf seems to be depicted the wrong way around. His sash should be over his right shoulder, with 'comm badge' on the left side (in the same position as the comm badges of Picard and Crusher)
ReplyDeleteI live in South Wales - the cost and disruption involved in electrifying the line through Caerphilly tunnel would have been huge. Of course we already have discontinuous electrification on the South Wales Main Line - not only do the wires stupidly stop at Cardiff and Chippenham, I have been on trains where the "jiuce" has obviously been cut off on a section for some reason, and the changeover to diesel achieved seamlessly and at speed. Indeed not long ago I was on one of the few electric-only services into London and we had a power failure just outside Paddington. We looked on enviously as bimode trains rumbled passed us while we were stationary for 20 minutes within sight of the platforms!
ReplyDelete