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Happy Hippo last won the day on July 13 2022
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You can just imagine the Daily Mail/Mirror/Express/Sun/Star/Sport headlines over that one: Electric cars are to be taxed on the number of rivets used in their construction! New industry watchdog to employ toy train buffs to enforce minimum rivet numbers in all new vehicles from 01 Apr 25.
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I suppose they could take the annual VOSA test mileage readings for older vehicles, but I'm sure a lot of the more unscrupulous would start 'adjusting' the odometer so that it only read 1-200 miles over the previous reading. The easiest way to tax people is to add a proportion to fuel duty (this would be charged at the pump, or at the charging socket (home and commercial charging station). This would ensure that those that drove the most were charged the most. However, this would be immediately complicated by having to give rebates to individuals who do not have ready access to public transport, and have to rely on cars to get around. And would this rebate be given per vehicle or per household? Under the current regime it is per vehicle, so perhaps I could buy a couple of spares? Whatever plan is eventually thought up by the government of the day, it will be wrong, and the general population will whinge like nobodies business🤣.
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There is a bay platform in Wellington that is used for a somewhere in the Black Country to Wellington shuttle. This is the crossover used by trains returning towards Wolverhampton to regain the up main. (So quite a few of the local passenger drivers will have signed it if required). The loops are used for freight locos to run around their trains when they access the Donnington freight terminal branch. West of Wellington station (beyond Aldi) there is a Limit of Shunt sign on the up side that is the furthest point that any loco can run 'wrong line' when using the up loop to run around.
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This is a rant! TfW has stated that they cannot run a Wellington to Shrewsbury shuttle service because there is no way of changing from the up line to the down line at Wellington. What do they think this track formation does then? Wellington also has up and down loops and a bay platform. (Although it does face in this direction.) Behind the photographer is a facing crossing that leads into the Donnington freight terminal. Surely a DMU could run past the crossover and reverse, or if TfW are worried about the train running on up the line and reaching the collapsed embankment, then have the branch as the route set passed the crossover. It would also remove the train from the main line, whilst the crew change ends, although there's no through traffic to contend with. The station is just out of sight around the bend. I can only presume that this decision and statement was made by a suit and not the railway operations staff, because this was the sort of situation they used to revel in and show a lot of pride in continuing to operate a service under the most trying of circumstances. Now it's close it down and hire in a bus! Crewe on Saturday, by car! Unranted🤣
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That would depend on the colour of the water he used.
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Are the two current contenders for the next presidential term really the best that can be offered?
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The stunt double, or perhaps it's the other way around?
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There are two sides to Colchester Military Corrective Training Centre. The first is for those offenders who will remain in the Army, and who are subjected to military training, which keeps them up to speed on military skills, but also improves on that training, so a bad boy who knuckles down will come out of Colchester more than qualified for promotion. I have known a few soldiers whose advancement was much more rapid after they had returned from the delights of the MCTC. The other side are those who will be discharged after their time at MCTC They get training appropriate suitably geared to going back into civilian life, including qualifying them for employment. MCTC is subject to inspections by HM Inspector of Prisons and Ofsted and there are very set procedures for inmates and the staff. (At the last inspection there were only 33 inmates. The maximum capacity is 323.) So the productive time PB wishes for is very much dictated to by the edicts of the civilian authorities and not WO1 Savage, Sgt Sadist, and Cpl Brutal.
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I thought I'd go to the MIOG show at Crewe on Saturday next week. I'll take the train thought I. However, the patheticos that are the TOCs can't run trains between Shrewsbury and Wellington because of an embankment slippage between Wellington and Telford. Wellington has a complete set of crossovers between up and down lines, plus freight loops through the station, so I can see no real reason why they could not operate a Wellington to Shrewsbury shuttle service. Although I suppose that require a little bit of effort to sort out, or it's just to difficult to arrange. However, they managed to do it from Shifnal to Wolverhampton! So x units are standing idle, and the replacement bus service is.... Well you can see the picture. I'd take the bus to Shrewsbury and train it from there, except I have to go to Telford or Wellington for a bus. Alternatively, I could take the car to Shrewsbury, but parking is a nightmare (and not free) and it's still long walk to the station. So I'll end up taking the car to Crewe because by the time I've messed around with all the changes required. I'll be in Crewe before the bus gets to Shrewsbury. Public transport when you are out of the various major cities in the UK is pretty poor.
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Today is being taken up fixing an annoying air lock in the hot taps (gravity fed). I have carried out the recommended remedial action of pressurising the system with cold water to shift the airlock, to little avail. This might need multiple attempts to fully clear. Of course, I am getting a lot of exercise going up and down stairs, so it's not all bad.
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It is alleged (not by me) that this sort of attendee wear clean clothes to travel to such events, carrying their 'stinkies' in the rucksack. They then change into the aforementioned either just before, or just after, entering the attraction. This allows them to change after the event and travel back in clean and reasonably fresh clothing.
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Rather than messing around with cutting and rejoining the belt, why not add a small tensioned roller to the outer face of the belt? You can then adjust it as required
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Much better than the rugby🤣
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Are you back from your trip to sunnier and beerier climes?