antrobuscp

With a rogue "shunter" named Sammy?

Plug your car into a lightning rod and get a flash charge!!

St Ives sunset, 25th March 2017 IMG51784a_C by Colin Antrobus, on Flickr

I have also done this for many years, but just need to check if there is any residual email coming direct. I have a few Freeserve acccounts, but have only received the termination notice on two. The first one prompting the post was quite some time ago now. Colin

I must admit, I've now no reason for staying with the EE brand. I expected problems after BT took over. Originally, I stayed with EE for the webspace and email as the way it was set up was very convenient for me. It will be a bit of a hassle reorganising the email as although I only seriously use two or three domain names and their respective email addresses, I need to cover a number of others, and the catchall setup with my new web hosting is playing up at the moment. I can see my email setup becoming rather complex. Still, I may be able to save a little money by rolling my broadband up with something else. Colin

Just a "heads up" for anyone using Freeserve/Orange and related email services. I received an email today stating that the above services will be ending on 31st May 2017. http://ee.co.uk/help/mobile-and-home-connections/broadband-gallery-mobile-broadband/email/email-closure?intcam=ON_EE_E_Orange_email_closure_infomremail_toplink-2017-01-11 Colin

The early emblem version is expected at Hattons on or after 24th February - according to email received a little earlier. Colin

Cornish weather over the sea

I hope this is of interest. Flying Scotsman, having been lifted at Liverpool from the ship bringing the loco back from the USA, the loco is about to touch down on English soil for the first time since 1969.

An old photo - from February 1973 - showing Flying Scotsman being landed at Liverpool on return from the USA, on an old fashioned winter's day.

Another one from Porthmeor, St Ives

A cloudscape over St Ives Bay

Added to what Jason mentions above, are the parcel laden shoppers returning from a trip to Liverpool City centre. The spacing of the airline style seating better not be too tight or the Liverpudlian humour will lead to the application of some derogatory epithet. The airline style of seating will, without doubt, be a culture shock to Merseysiders who, so far as the electrified system is concerned, have always "enjoyed"(or not) face to face seating. Generally, being a chatty bunch, this has in my experience worked reasonably well. There was a (very) little longitudinal seating in the 1938 502s, but its wide application would be disliked. Assuming I live to see these units delivered, I will have seen 2 changes of stock in my lifetime(3 if you count the Ormskirk line compartment stock). I suspect that this will, as happened on the last changeover, be regarded as a detrimental one - largely because of the seating style and the pressure that will come from so many standing. I do, however, have an open mind and await the introduction with interest. I do feel that DOO is undesirable, in particular, on the underground sections, and maybe a second crew member should be carried on those sections. It probably won't matter unless and until the occasion of "extraordinary incidents", but at that time the extra person could be a life saver. Colin

There is obviously an issue, at Walton I think, as there are low platform warnings given when the trains arrive there. No other "mind the gap" style warnings elsewhere that I am aware of, but I'm normally travelling close to the city on the Southport and Ormskirk services. Colin

I thought so. I was brought up close to the Liverpool-Southport line in the 502 era. I know the older(and original) L & YR stock was also very large, very square, and very American in style. I must admit I was rather thinking of the underground section of the Southport-Hunt Cross route in my comment, as that had to be designed to cope with the 502s, albeit only for a relatively short period. The 503s, running under the river, were smaller. I wondered, because of the design response(retractable steps) to the gap. whether is is, in fact, much worse than on other parts of the rail network because of the size of the earlier stock. Colin

Is the gap issue between train and platform a consequence of the infrastructure having had to cope with the 502/503 stock, the later types being smaller, and the structures not having been modified over the last 30+years? The 502s were, I believe, much wider, but I don't know if this was at floor level as well as at the waistline. Colin

I must admit, when I first looked at the photos of the units and the mock ups of the interior, the thought that these were more like trams than trains went through my mind. That's just my personal feeling. My use of the trains now is normally out of peak times, so I don't expect to use them when they will be in sardine mode, and I would expect to be seated. I wouldn't fancy standing for too great a distance. As I've said already, I'll be interested to see the end product. Colin

I think Win 7 support finally ends in 2020, but that can readily be checked. I still use WinXP occasionally, and will continue to do so until I no longer want to use some very old programs. Would I use the machine for bank transactions, and similar? No, not by choice, as I have more up to date alternatives. Colin

Sadly, that sounds like the sort of situation I had in mind, and certainly why a second on-board presence is desirable aside from any other safety considerations. I'm not involved other than as a passenger, by the way. Colin

Thanks, I did see that, but the images would suggest the majority will be airline style. I also noticed the "quad-art" formation. It will be interesting to see the finished article. The forward views would be good, but I could understand crew resistance. Colin

It is a personal preference, I accept. However, having lived all my life in Merseyside, this will be the first time that the 3rd rail electrified network has used this style of seating, and it has been mentioned in some of the launch material that a preference was expressed by many users for the existing style. For myself, I think the airline styles that I have seen feel more "closed in" and are definitely a disadvantage for family groups. It is difficult to square the circle of increasing capacity v cost reduction. I note that all the increased carrying capacity is standing rather than seated. Time will tell as to public opinion. Colin

I don't think the airline style seating will go down very well with the Merseyside travelling public. From the design images this appears to represent the majority of the seating. The existing arrangements were retained, I seem to remember, when the 507/8s were introduced because they continued the popular style used in the last LMS stock. No doubt this is all about "sardine packing" and money. I wait with interest to see further details of the rolling stock. Colin

Another sunset photo from St Ives

I remember, as a child, queueing from Platform 8, out of the station into the small road behind the "Punch and Judy" and out to Lime Street whilst waiting to board one of the trains to Butlins at Pwllheli. This model brings it all back. Without doubt, arrangements should be made for the long term preservation and display of this whole layout. The sheer scale of the modelling at this quality is truly staggering - all the more because such praise is given "willy-nilly" these days in much less deserving cases. A sincere "Well Done" to everyone involved. Colin

Probably has as much to do with the pressure on the servers at the "other end". It can be frustrating, though, particularly if you leave it to get on itself and then come back to find that it stopped because some user intervention had been required. I did 3 machines last evening, 2 x Win 7 and 1 x Win 10, the latter being the slowest by a mile, and the highest spec. Colin