SHMD

According to a learned published paper, there is no such thing as a fish. Kev.

I once ordered a taxi to carry/deliver an "encoder" from Southampton to Manchester on Saturday morning. He showed up Saturday afternoon, and seconds after dropping off the box, asked everyone, on the shop floor, "anyone wanted a taxi to Southampton?" - there were no takers! Kev.

Time was that valuable - and quantifiable! I nearly flew Concorde once, (I really really wish I had). A company in Florida had its main production line "down" - think $10000 per hour - and getting me there minutes earlier saved lots. (Production lines cost LOTS $$$$ when down / minute. Lots of pressure there....) It never happened - oh well... Kev.

I loved watching Concorde fly over my house in eastern Manchester. In the last years of its' service life, it was scheduled to MAN once a month and was always a great pleasure / privilege to see it bank / turn for the glide path down over Stockport into Ringway. (It always announced its' arrival - loudly - so you could go out into the garden and enjoy!) Kev.

I suspect the vast majority, of member of both houses, are completely oblivious to what any of that means. (So no difference then, to other areas of legislation, requiring indepth specialst knowledge!) Kev.

My apologies. I was thinking Plane Speed + Air Speed = Ground Speed. (I'm not sure now!!!) Still, impressive. Mach 1.02 but definately no BANG! Kev. Edit: to correct the autocorrect - again!

That's Mach 1.02 ! Are you allowed to break the speed of sound ?! Kev. (I know, GS + AS.)

...and no thread about airlines would be complete without Fascinating Aida's Cheap flights, Cheap flights. Flights for 50p... Kev. Edit: to correct the autocorrect!

Best check-in experience... XiAn to GuangZhou 2013 with (I think) XiaMen Airways. Kev. Don't confuse "XiAn" with "Xian" - they are completely different places! XiAn (2 chinese characters and usually written Xi'an) is in the Middle of China and is famous for the Terracotta Army. Xian (1 completely different chinese character) is in the middle of nowhere and a few hours drive to XiAn when you realise what has happened!

Last Monday MAN-DOH, with Qatar Airways, I noted we were at 38997 ft and doing 1018 kph over Saudi Arabia. I was on the morning flight but managed to miss it (taxi trouble) but was allowed to change to the mid afternoon flight for £62. I am always curtious to the staff (it really does pay off) and try to have a laugh too. They then moved me from cattle class to cattle class exit row. The meal was (possibly) the best airline food I have ever had - Beef stew and mash potatoes. B777 and really good IFE - I watched some Marvel Thor film and another about Dumbledoor. That left only 1 hour to kill hence looking at the map. Kev.

The collective noun for a collection of bridges may be a "cluster of bridges" or even a "tangle of bridges" - depending on situation.* Kev. *I just made those up, but I like them!

Stop STOP! You forgot the X04! Kev. ....oh, sorry...

Fairy Penguins, St-Kilda, any day. Kev. (actually, I 'av no idea but I've been to St Kilda and Phillip Island quite a few times.)

not yet.... (I guess the ramps would upset too many...) Kev.

Six days ago I was up in the northern half of Sweden. Bally cold and everthing was ice locked with 0.8m of snow on the land. (Roads and paths clear though) So no pics of any boats. Today, I find myself a few thousand miles south east of there (and about 40 degrees warmer). Guess where: - Kev.

That is one seriously unimpressed cat! Lov-it. Kev.

Where's the Landy gone? Only joking. Great tohave you back posting again. Kev.

I've heard it all before but the advantages (faster, reliable more frequent trains) apply to users of "other" stations NOT Stalybridge. (Possible exception of "reliable" but that's also emphaticaly prooven to be wrong.) As for "replaceing" or "life expired" or other such BS - Pah! Kev. (...who is sat at Manchester Aiport having missed ((another)) flight but this time because the Taxi cancelled itself! Oh well, booked on this afternoons flight to Qatar instead...)

I really can not stress how appalling the service has been degraded to at Stalybridge... Here's some more "fresh" analysis: - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65341736 As a passenger/commuter, the two most hated aspects are "Pre-Cancelling" and "Turnbacks". I gave up trying to use the trains from Stalybridge, to the Airport after missing 3 flights - and that was with setting off 3 1/2 hours before the flight closed! Kev.

Those two masts (I'm pretty sure) are going to carry the wires for both Platform 4 and Platform 5, with Platform 5's wire terminating (presumably) just past the Buffer Stop (I guess it's something to do with what's hidden behind the wooden fence). But II agree, some (design) decisions do appear (to me, the lay person) to be stupid! (Especially all the started, then cancelled, and then started again electrifications schemes over the years... I know, politicions...) Referring back to my (empty) photo, 3 years ago, those platforms would have been packed with commuters at 6:45am. Now, after the "More seats" debarcle, Covid, Stalybridge Upgrade ~10 years ago, Working From Home, Strikes, TPE cancelling like there is no tomorrow, and the latest Upgrade - I estimate passengers (in the morning commute) are down %90! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65346831 These figures are far worse for Stalybridge because Stalybridge was previously designed for operational flexibility (rare I know) giving it faster passing trains whilst now being very convienient to "turnback" services when things go pear shaped - ie many times a day. Passengers just can not count on any releiability now and have voted with their feet. This latest Upgrade has replaced the Ladder Junction with a double track Junction - thus allowing trains to pass by even faster. No benift to Stalybridge commuters. Kev.

This is how Stalybridge looked on Friday morning commute into work: - The Unit is in the Bay - Platform 5 - under all this new OHLE stuff. (I think they must have installed "N" gauge OH wires as I can't see them! Kev.

Kev.

That actually says that! In Mandarin (PinYin): - JingZhi ODa KeRen (Although the "O" (3rd character) is written in the "complex" form.) Jing = Strict Zhi = Stop O = Gather together Da = Beat Ke = Guest Ren = People Kev.

The "class 25" rescuing you is actually a class 24. Absolutely wonderful pics, thanks again. Kev.

Here's something to put things into perspective - forwards and backwards! https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0f7sx0n/the-22nd-century-people-living-among-us?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=exchange&tblci=GiChq-O_TR0AKNZTCPCxL-IM4QHiGD8K9lj7R9WJ1qdoHSCMjFQo_JCUtOiJy9zXAQ#tblciGiChq-O_TR0AKNZTCPCxL-IM4QHiGD8K9lj7R9WJ1qdoHSCMjFQo_JCUtOiJy9zXAQ Kev. I'm less than 60 (just) but now I have been given a seat, on public transport, 3 times! (I guess that when I lose count of that statistic, I will be officially old!)