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Ron Ron Ron

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Everything posted by Ron Ron Ron

  1. 2021 to late 2023 - Oxford Rd., Aylesbury .
  2. The 2nd part of the YouTube video, posted a few days ago, showing the Colne Valley viaduct. This video shows half the length of the two thirds of the viaduct that have already been built. See if you can spot the launching girder in the distance.…. .
  3. You will also see the Atlas Road logistics site, just south of the Willesden hub, marked by the gantry crane and store of concrete tunnel segments, ready to be delivered into the logistics tunnel. The ramp into the logistics hub portal can be seen at the OOC end of this area. There’s a good view of it near the end of the video, as the drone returns towards Willesden. In the Victoria Road crossover box, you can see the two TBM’s being assembled. The first to set off will be “Emily”, the shield of which can be seen at the bottom of the circular ventilation shaft Sections of the Down tunnel TBM, “Anne”, are still to be lowered into the box. These remaining TBM modules can be seen, stored in an area close to Victoria Road. Anne’s cutting head and shield are already in place, in the already constructed lead in tunnel. I found it fascinating to see the workers moving around, down in the crossover box. They look tiny down there. It certainly gives some idea of the scale of this giant hole in the ground. .
  4. It looks like the Phase 2a land sell-off is coming sooner than feared..... Quote: "The lifting of safeguarding is separate from the programme for disposing of any property no longer needed for the HS2 project which will begin shortly." Repeal of the enabling bill, or not, the aim appears to be, to dispose of the land ASAP. .
  5. Just beaten to it by Phil, as I was typing..... Today, the safeguarding of the land required for HS2 Phase 2a (Handsacre to Crewe) was formally removed. Land covering the Phase 2a route can now be developed and built on. The official communication... https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/hs2-safeguarding Media reports..... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrgregpg1do https://www.itv.com/news/central/2024-01-18/land-on-axed-birmingham-to-crewe-hs2-leg-can-now-be-developed .
  6. The diagram is an image. Right click on the image and depending on your type of browser, there should be options to open the image in another tab, or save it, etc, etc. In Safari, I can right click on the image and can then do all sorts with it. .
  7. Really helpful, clear, understandable and well drawn wiring diagrams for the MP1 motors, from Harlequin (Phil). However, multiply that for 15, 20, 30 or more point motors !!! Do the math, as the Americans say. That’s an awful lot of wiring running out to the layout and back. …..or, you could just use the 2 wires of an accessory bus. .
  8. I think you are describing the Cobalt Alpha Mimic, which is a different device to the Alpha Encoder and Alpha Switches that are used to create a Cobalt Alpha control panel. Alpha Mimic does as you say, it reads the DCC commands being sent to the point motors via the Power Bus (track or accessory) and illuminates the matching LED’s on a mimic panel. That’s not what the Cobalt Alpha encoder, used to drive a control panel (track diagram or not), does. It operates on the cab bus and generates DCC commands, to be sent to the addressed point motors. If using the Alpha Switch panel mounted buttons on a mimic control panel, these buttons have LED’s built in, illuminated by electrical contact. .
  9. Cobalt Alpha, as well as the DTM-30, LW150 and (for NCE users) the NCE MiniPanel, all do what you want. Physical switches or buttons with LED's.....even point levers with Alpha.... No screens and no automation. .
  10. Glass screens being the most flexible solution, but not everyone wants a computer screen, or to have to run a computer, just to run their layout. (Kudos to the ECoS and Z21 here…) Others prefer the idea of tactile, physical buttons or switches, rather than touch screens, using a mouse or touchpad. Incidentally, Bachmann’s new wireless Kinesis DCC system comes ready bundled with their RailController layout control software, all for a lower price than most, if not all, other wireless DCC systems on the market. .
  11. Both the DTM-30 and LW150 are good options, but neither offer a full range of additional items (switches, plug & play cables etc,) to allow a convenient and relatively simple installation. The Cobalt Alpha kit offers all that and is much closer to a plug & play solution. To answer Nigel’s point about price, the DTM-30 isn’t cheap either, at £71 just for the module. Cobalt Alpha can work out fairly pricey if more components to the system are needed for a large number of points. However, for a stand-alone arrangement, with a separate DCC accessory system, the £29.95 Power Bus driver and Sniffer adapter is the cheapest “DCC Command Station” you can buy to do the job. So why would you want a stand-alone DCC accessory bus, not connected to the main DCC system? If you never need, or want to set routes or points through your DCC handset or console, this may be an option. It allows continued use of your DCC control of points, when running the layout under DC. .
  12. There's a very simple, non-complicated solution to combine the Cobalt iP digital motors with a physical mimic panel. DCC Concepts Cobalt Alpha. You can power and control your point motors either via the main power (track) bus, via a dedicated power (accessory) bus, or on a stand alone DCC bus, not connected too the main DCC system. There are a few videos online, demonstrating how these options work. (p.s. I have no connection with DCC Concepts)
  13. Progress on all 5 currently active TBM's on the main railway tunnels, was updated yesterday (15th Jan). 3 more TBM's are due to start off in the next few weeks.
  14. The same goes for many government departments. it's not just the top job in each department (Secretary of State etc), but the other departmental ministers and junior ministers below, which are a constant round of musical chairs. Amateurs shoehorned into jobs in fields they largely have no experience in. Careers moves, with appointments often seen as a short term stepping stone to greater things etc, etc. The whole system is rotten to the core. This is no way to run the enterprise. .
  15. An aerial view looking east - Jan 2024 This shows the eastern half of the Colne Valley Viaduct. The halfway point of the viaduct is approximately between a quarter and a half of the photo from the left edge. The launching girder has reached the Grand Union Canal - the line of trees and boat marina (left of the launching girder) mark the canal route. The western portal of the Copthall (green) tunnel, can be seen in the distance, with the realigned Harvil Road passing over the top. The buildings at the bottom right of the photo, are a residential complex on the site of the former Denham film studios. The London skyline can be seen on the distant horizon. .
  16. They have been very poor in updating progress. However, the Northolt West TBM's, Shushila and Caroline also had updates today. .
  17. HS2 begins epic year-long, half-kilometre viaduct deck slide https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2-begins-epic-year-long-half-kilometre-viaduct-deck-slide .
  18. Certainly some confusion somewhere, but I take issue with your apparent notion that property ownership is "middle class" (whatever that means?). The majority of what may be termed "working class" (whatever that means, if anything today) are home owners. .
  19. That's why I ask what his "less than 25%" means? If meaning home ownership then.... The ONS figures show home ownership by household as 62.3%. A third of all homes (33%) are owned outright, without any mortgage or any sort of debt on them. 29.3% are owned with a mortgage or home loan against them. Another 17% of homes are also privately owned. The bulk of which are rented out., but this also includes holiday or 2nd homes. Socially rented households represent only 20.7% of all households. Down from its peak of 34% in 1981. Note that the UK population in 1981 was 56 million. Today it's touching 68 million, with an additional (by the governments own estimates) between 600,000 and 1.2 million extra "unknowns" living here. .
  20. The NPR line from Liverpool was a supposed to joint HS2, out to the west of Manchester Airport and share the HS2 line from there to Piccadilly. HS2's Piccadilly plan is for an above ground station (not ground level) approached on a viaduct. Andy Burnham and the TfN NPR advocates would prefer a sub-surface HS2 + NPR station, which would allow through running, onwards towards the NPR trans-pennine route, rather than having to reverse trains at HS2's planned terminus. The sub-surface station proposal, would mean a significant change to the station approach, as there would be no need to create a tunnel portal and build over a mile of rising viaduct from there to the Piccadilly site. Instead, the line would continue in tunnel right into the new HS2 + NPR station. Less (expensive) land acquisition on the long station approach and a large amount of money making development potential above ground. .
  21. With the Christmas and New Year holiday pause in activities now behind us, the TBM's are back in action. At the Chilterns tunnels, today's report says that "Florence" has only 592 metres left to go, before break through at the north portal. At a rough guess, that event will take place in the first week of February (4 to 5 weeks from now). "Cecilia" is a little way behind and either yet to re-start after the break, or has only just started off again. Breakthrough is likely to be in late February, or early March. TBM "Lydia" boring the OOC Logistics Tunnel, is due to be dismantled and removed, beginning at the end of this month, January. Progress reports about this tunnel have been scant, from day 1. The last report dated 19th December, said that there was still 216 metres remaining, which was similar if not the same as the previous report, so open to scepticism. Reports say that breakthrough into the eastern section of the OOC station box, is expected in the next couple of weeks., after which, the bulk of the TBM will apparently be towed back through the newly constructed tunnel, to Atlas Road, for removal and dismantling. Presumably the cutting head and shield front end will have to be removed at OOC ? Further news. From later this month and through to March, cranes and lifting gear will start to be assembled at OOC, in preparation for lowering sections of the Euston tunnels TBM's into the eastern end of the OOC station box. .
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