Exhibition cancellations (not much to do with that anymore!)

[APOLLO]

Not exhibitions but airlines - emirates in particular. Their new route capacity & frequency up to the end of March 2021. For me an indication of return to "normality" worldwide is the airline industry (passenger) . Air freight is booming though.

 

https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/293952/emirates-nw20-operation-changes-as-of-1100gmt-24sep20/

 

1000 pilots, 2500+ crew sacked - yes sacked.,  All but 6 (out of over 100) big double deck A380 aircraft stored - rumored some will never fly again (those coming up for major overhauls). Most routes are now operated with a Boeing 777, less capacity than a A380, two engines so cheaper to run. Some routes canned (Stanstead Edinburgh, Newcastle to Dubai). Manchester to Dubai down from 21 x A380 per week to 10 777 / week.

 

Worldwide aviation running at a tad under 50% of this time next year. Rising very slowly, but winter approaches.

 

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/294032/recovery-tracker-the-global-market-we-sept-27/

 

We are all in this, worldwide, for the "Long Haul". Until a vaccine is produced, tested and distributed worldwide we can only follow the rules and keep as safe as we can.

 

Brit15

 

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by APOLLO
typo

[Nearholmer]

It’s also worth thinking about the “unless or until“ arrangements, given that vaccines may not prove to be a solution, and/or may take a pretty long time to get to the nearly 8 billion people on the planet.

 

To me, it implies breaking the world into small chunks, maybe 10 million person chunks, putting travel barriers between chunks, eliminating transmission within each chunk (which would take more or less time in different cases), and then very gingerly “re-stitching” clean zones together, followed by real Test-trace-isolate and quarantining.
 

A massively disruptive way forward, and really painful if you live at the border between zones and typically move about across that never-there-before border, but maybe giving the possibility of normal existence within each zone after several months. 10 million as a zone size is, after all  bigger than, say, the population of the whole of Ireland.

[ColinW]

I have been asked to put this statement from the Tonbridge Exhibition manager on here, regarding our exhibition.

 

It is with great regret that we have to advise you of the cancellation of our exhibition in February 2021, owing to the ongoing restrictions and uncertainty around Covid 19.  It is not possible to take the financial risk, nor the risk to safety of all involved.  We are pleased to announce however that most of the layouts that were booked for 2021 have agreed to come to our 2022 exhibition, which is proposed to be held on Saturday 19th February, at the Angel Centre, Tonbridge, assuming of course, that things have returned to something like normal by then.

 

I shall start a thread for the 2022 exhibition nearer to the date to confirm everything.

 

Colin

[john new]

2 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Probably yes, for educational reasons, Although kids do genuinely need a break, especially primary age kids.

... snipped

 

And their teachers and support staff.

Edited September 29, 2020 by john new

[Neil]

There's an interesting piece here in today's Guardian on the scientific thought (and the differences in scientific thought) which governments base their strategies on. It describes how some sections of the media have latched onto one set of ideas and why there are two largely opposing stances. I found it fascinating.

[Nearholmer]

Interesting piece.

 

One thing it doesn’t mention is the propensity of some academics to “grandstand” because they have big egos - they bask in attention, and are used to receiving more than their fair share of adoration in the small pools in which they are big fish.

[PaulRhB]

6 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

One thing it doesn’t mention is the propensity of some academics to “grandstand” because they have big egos -

Oh I dunno I reckon that’s what’s being said here,  

”Heneghan in particular seems to be spoiling for a fight with the establishment. Writing in the Mail on Sunday a few days before the letter was published . . .”

[AY Mod]

1 hour ago, Neil said:

I found it fascinating

 

Over a hundred years on we still can't say whether Edison or Tesla was the best scientist so we've got no chance at this stage. Each of them thought they were though.

[John M Upton]

Half the problem is we have so many experts out there ranging from top of the tree academics down to the tabloid press preferred expert 'random bloke on Facebook' with so many different conflicting opinions, theories and suppositions and quite frankly scant few actual solid facts.

 

The whole thing is descending into a complete and utter shambolic mess.

 

No wonder the average man in the street is now so confused...

[Neil]

I think we ( the general population) hear what we want to hear. If you own/run/work in a business that's suffering under restrictions then the more libertarian scientific opinion may appeal to you the most. If you or your loved ones are in a vulnerable group then you'll feel that the cautious approach is best. It would be foolish to think that scientists are immune from this sort of stuff, that the starting point of their research isn't influenced by their preconceptions and that their interpretation of the facts isn't swayed by their basic personality traits; libertarian vs cooperative.

[Nearholmer]

You can cut through a lot of ‘stuff’ by simply looking at numbers as a start-point, though.

 

Even allowing for under-self-reporting (people not knowing they’ve got it, or having it so mildly that the barely know) and the ‘maxing-out’ of the capacity of the testing system, it is blindingly obvious that cases are rising very fast currently, and the maths of disease-spread are easy to access On the ‘net and not that hard to understand.

 

Most of the ‘argument’ and ‘confusion’ are about how to influence the course/rate of spread, and back to a point I’ve made multiple times: government communication on that point has been and continues to be a disaster zone.

 

Their communication of what are basically instructions, and reasons why those instructions are necessary, is truly bl000dy incompetent.

 

In short, it’s not science of subtly different flavours that is the problem, it is poor government communication that is the problem.

[PenrithBeacon]

I'm really not at all sure where the problem lies or what it (if it only one thing which I doubt) is. But I am sure that I'm going to cut through it all by putting myself into something like lockdown, by being very positive about where I perceive danger and acting accordingly. 

 

Basically this means taking a mask with me when I go out, wearing it if it isn't possible to maintain 2M separation and always in shops or other closed spaces; meeting family (or only, to my regret, one part of the family) indoors if more than that the meeting has to be outdoors, which is difficult in the autumn/winter.

 

We can all, we pensioners, if we choose, take control. Those in employment it's more, much more, difficult; but we pensioners can.

 

As to the government, well I don't know. It isn't as though Boris Johnson wasn't a known quantity last December at the election, although the quality of the opposition was equally poor. For the first time in my life I voted for the local MP and not party. It seemed to be the only positive thing to do.

 

Forget the mixed messages and the forgetfulness of Johnson, just look at what the government advises is permissible and then ask the question 'is that safe?'. Draw what you think is the appropriate conclusion and act on it.

 

Keep well, keep safe

 

DM  

 

 

[woodenhead]

16 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

Over a hundred years on we still can't say whether Edison or Tesla was the best scientist so we've got no chance at this stage. Each of them thought they were though.

On the basis it was Edison's model that received investment and Tesla's didn't because he didn't appreciate that investors want a return then it is Edison because he was a businessman.  But in true science Tesla saw the future and designed stuff that now we acknowledge had proper merit whereas businessman Edison invented obsolescence and we all see the impact of that today.

[Nearholmer]

Yep, Tesla was the far more influential first-principles scientist/engineer, but Edison had a huge influence as a manager of people and processes to deliver practical technology.

 

In many ways, history might be better-served by lionising Edison for the contributions he did make, rather than over-blowing his personal role as a "scientist", but he was the one who started that, because that was the tune he played when he blew his own trumpet.

[Geoff Endacott]

So is it Mr Edison or Mr Tesla who will be organising the next exhibition?

 

Geoff Endacott

[woodenhead]

27 minutes ago, Geoff Endacott said:

So is it Mr Edison or Mr Tesla who will be organising the next exhibition?

 

Geoff Endacott

I am sure they would be both glad of the opportunity.

[TheQ]

3 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

I am sure they would be both glad of the opportunity.

They'd be arguing over DC or DCC.. and how to light the layouts properly...

[Nearholmer]

"So is it Mr Edison or Mr Tesla who will be organising the next exhibition?"

 

I strongly recommend instead two other electrical pioneers: Professors Ayrton and Perry of London.

 

In 1882, they fielded a really good exhibition layout, by means of which they demonstrated the first use of electrical power (as opposed to telegraph-repeating) relays, and realised for the first time the principles of an automated electric railway as set out ten years earlier by Werner Siemens,

 

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/gas-engine-supplying-motive-power-b-magneto-electric-news-photo/931744112

 

I've always fancied replicating this layout - does anyone have a small gas-engine to hand?

[woodenhead]

@Nearholmer Also a very good example of an early modular layout and use of trestles

[Joseph_Pestell]

33 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

does anyone have a small gas-engine to hand?

Mamod?

[Nearholmer]

I'm 99% sure I've seen a 16mm/ft layout, possibly Fen End Pit, being run from a Wilesco Steam Engine and Dynamo.

 

Loads of old gas-engines get exhibited chuffing away, doing things like pumping coloured water around closed-circuits, at vintage rallies, so there are plenty out there.

 

[wainwright1]

Looks like the original Model Railway Club test track.

[AY Mod]

49 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

@Nearholmer Also a very good example of an early modular layout and use of trestles

 

It never progressed because nobody could agree on the standard.

[Ravenser]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

"So is it Mr Edison or Mr Tesla who will be organising the next exhibition?"

 

I strongly recommend instead two other electrical pioneers: Professors Ayrton and Perry of London.

 

In 1882, they fielded a really good exhibition layout, by means of which they demonstrated the first use of electrical power (as opposed to telegraph-repeating) relays, and realised for the first time the principles of an automated electric railway as set out ten years earlier by Werner Siemens,

 

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/gas-engine-supplying-motive-power-b-magneto-electric-news-photo/931744112

 

I've always fancied replicating this layout - does anyone have a small gas-engine to hand?

Is this the world's first continuous run exhibition layout???

[Ravenser]

38 minutes ago, wainwright1 said:

Looks like the original Model Railway Club test track.

 

Bit modern for that, surely?