DavidB-AU

[Once again, can we PLEASE have a Railways of Africa group?] THE transport minister of Rwanda, Mr Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye and his Tanzanian counterpart, Mr Makame Mbarawa, agreed on March 9 to electrify the planned 407km standard-gauge line linking Isaka in Tanzania with the Rwandan capital Kigali. https://www.railjournal.com/index.php/africa/tanzania-rwanda-standard-gauge-line-to-be-electrified.html

Not forgetting the shortest HST formation to run with passengers. http://www.luxsoft.demon.co.uk/village/hst.html Cheers David

Looks like they have been since 2012. https://goo.gl/maps/exGX7S28JwD2 Cheers David

A new scientific study claims that bones found in 1940 on the Pacific Island of Nikumaroro belong to Earhart. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/03/07/bones-discovered-on-a-pacific-island-belong-to-amelia-earhart-a-new-forensic-analysis-shows/

Another forum suggested the last one is Huéneja. https://goo.gl/maps/mJoRrw1j6dp Cheers David

I made some low res screen shots for the purpose of research. The third one is a different station as you can see overhead wires which are not present in the first two. Both look fairly typical of stations on the line to Almeria. Cheers David

I doubt it as it is a war grave. Cheers David

Ah, that would be right! Is this one visible? Cheers David

I've been loaned most of The Comic Strip Presents... on DVD and I'm up to A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques. I understand it was the first episode filmed outside the UK, on location in Andalucia. According to Keith Allen's autobiography, the cast and crew were staying at San Jose, just outside Almeria, during filming and used some of the same locations as A Fistful of Dollars which it spoofs. Is anybody familiar enough with the area to identify any of the actual locations? Especially the railway station. There is a cropped version on Youtube. The station is just after the opening credits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z10K-MPRWG4 Cheers David

It's slightly closer to Mellish Reef (Australia) than Sudest Island (Papua New Guinea) but it is in international waters. Cheers David

It's 10,000 feet down and unlike HMS Edinburgh it's not carrying any gold. Cheers David

Looks like a Douglas Devastator. Cheers David

Wow. Just wow.

With some clever planning the same layout could run both eras at different times. If you have a main station building, making it removable and having two buildings that can sit on the same footprint makes it easy to change the era. Say a GWR design for the 1960s and a boring modern prefabricated design for the 1980s. Plus change any road vehicles to suit the era. It doesn't take much to change the overall look and feel. It's quite reasonable to have a 3-4 platform station serving a big city (if only for local trains) without rationalisation into the blue era. Think of something like Fenchurch Street or the pre-1987 Birmingham Moor Street. You could also take some inspiration from Ian Futers' Newcastle Haymarket. Cheers David

I was going to post a joke about time travel but none of you liked it.

Transport Heritage NSW has entered into a storage and use agreement with the new owners of Beyer-Garratt 6029. It will be operational at the Thirlmere Festival of Steam on 3-4 March. Cheers David

LONDON’s Thameslink Programme moved a step closer to completion on February 26 with the launch of through services from Brighton and Horsham to Peterborough and Cambridge via London Bridge and Farringdon. http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/commuter-rail/peterborough-and-cambridge-join-thameslink-network.html

"I'm a 10 guv a day man!"

For those on Facepalm this is an interesting video. The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Australia has had not one but TWO airworthy F27-500s donated to it. Both were until recently flying mail in New Zealand. The first one arrived today. These are believed to be the first flyable preserved F27s in the world. https://www.facebook.com/hars.gen/videos/960572764101523/ Nothing quite like the scream of a Rolls Royce Dart. Cheers David

4401, owned by Transport Heritage NSW, has been towed to Junee for static preservation at the roundhouse. Cheers David

He was spotted on an XPT today. Cheers David

For interest, Michael Portillo has been sighted on board an XPT with a film crew. Cheers David

Yes it was staged during a week when no trains were running. https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-this-fake-photo-went-viral-and-tricked-the-internet-2014-5 Cheers David