British Rail. Mark.1. Stock.
There is a lot more to trains than that of locomotives it is the coaching stock that is the passenger bit, that we travel to enjoy or commute to work. Prior to privatisation the four big railway companies in the United Kingdom, LMS, LNER, GWR and Southern Railways had each designed their own carriages.
But in 1951 the BR Mark one was introduced, being built at Doncaster up to 1963 and it has remain in use to this day being the most successful ever built. Mark 1 coaches remain in service as part of the Royal train as well as Departmental duties and are part of nearly every preservation railway.
The Mark 1 was also supplied to Northern-Ireland railways and exported to the Republic of Ireland from the early 1960's.
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Tuesday, 16 June 2015
Tugboats. Part-One.
Sea Haulage.
There is quite a lot more to the humble tugboat than meets the eye! Haulage is big business on land, in the air and so it is also at sea. Tugboats have a great expanding history to them from their first introduction, as a ship type in 1830 to the present day.
With the introduction of this seaborne assistant no major changes were made for the first seventy years of service in the British Isles. But over the last 110 years much has changed to the various new classes and their roles, which now include search and rescue, floating fire engines and a few newer type oil rig towing and recovery roles.
There is quite a lot more to the humble tugboat than meets the eye! Haulage is big business on land, in the air and so it is also at sea. Tugboats have a great expanding history to them from their first introduction, as a ship type in 1830 to the present day.
With the introduction of this seaborne assistant no major changes were made for the first seventy years of service in the British Isles. But over the last 110 years much has changed to the various new classes and their roles, which now include search and rescue, floating fire engines and a few newer type oil rig towing and recovery roles.
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
Airbus. Part-Two.
The Military Side.
With the ongoing development of the Airbus A400M, there is also the adaption of some earlier models now for in flight refuelling roles and other transport requirements. Airbus is moving into the military market to challenge its U.S. counterparts of Lockheed and Boeing, who have been Kings of transport and a variety of other military aviation roles for well over fifty years.
Recent orders by N.A.T.O. members of the A400m have been disappointing and many have returned the aircraft and both newer versions of the Lockheed Hercules. Despite a recent accident with an A400M in Spain, Airbus has to push on with it development.
Success in the civil market has been phenomenal, but I wonder will they really do that well in the military. Perhaps the take over of the helicopter construction and market will do them much better with many already well established designs such as the EC-135/45, Tiger, Cougar/Super Puma family.
With the ongoing development of the Airbus A400M, there is also the adaption of some earlier models now for in flight refuelling roles and other transport requirements. Airbus is moving into the military market to challenge its U.S. counterparts of Lockheed and Boeing, who have been Kings of transport and a variety of other military aviation roles for well over fifty years.
Recent orders by N.A.T.O. members of the A400m have been disappointing and many have returned the aircraft and both newer versions of the Lockheed Hercules. Despite a recent accident with an A400M in Spain, Airbus has to push on with it development.
Success in the civil market has been phenomenal, but I wonder will they really do that well in the military. Perhaps the take over of the helicopter construction and market will do them much better with many already well established designs such as the EC-135/45, Tiger, Cougar/Super Puma family.
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Solar Powered Flight.
Not the first to Try.
This solar powered aircraft that is attempting a world flight record is far from the first, in fact there have been longer distance flights made between A and B/Z in the past. These aircraft failed to attract the publicity that this one has got, for various reasons that are not worth going into.
Some commercial airlines have added solar power cells to the roofs of aircraft to charge batteries with some success, but nothing more has happened since. Now that Australia has fashioned the first commercial possibility of a car for mass production I suppose an aircraft is the next target.
Japan was for a time the leader in solar powered said technology on general shipping and perhaps this stop over has really some connection with that factor?
This solar powered aircraft that is attempting a world flight record is far from the first, in fact there have been longer distance flights made between A and B/Z in the past. These aircraft failed to attract the publicity that this one has got, for various reasons that are not worth going into.
Some commercial airlines have added solar power cells to the roofs of aircraft to charge batteries with some success, but nothing more has happened since. Now that Australia has fashioned the first commercial possibility of a car for mass production I suppose an aircraft is the next target.
Japan was for a time the leader in solar powered said technology on general shipping and perhaps this stop over has really some connection with that factor?
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Warships. Part-Two.
The Battleship.
This type of vessel concept is nothing new, the ancient galleys were based on sea warfare and effective attack methods. Later we see this in the 15-17th century battleships of Piracy and the Spanish Armada, the cannon was now more effective than ever before.
European nations of empire now had their battle fleets, the English, Spanish and French and this is how it has stayed up the American Independence? Not exactly correct! Russia, Sweden, Japan and China also had their own areas of expansion in northern-Europe and SE-Asia.
The concept of the Battle/Warship of today stemmed from the invention of the steam engine and the ironclad ships, moving away from wood and sail allowed for stronger and faster vessels. While armaments could now be increased, thus the Dreadnought was born.
This type of vessel concept is nothing new, the ancient galleys were based on sea warfare and effective attack methods. Later we see this in the 15-17th century battleships of Piracy and the Spanish Armada, the cannon was now more effective than ever before.
European nations of empire now had their battle fleets, the English, Spanish and French and this is how it has stayed up the American Independence? Not exactly correct! Russia, Sweden, Japan and China also had their own areas of expansion in northern-Europe and SE-Asia.
The concept of the Battle/Warship of today stemmed from the invention of the steam engine and the ironclad ships, moving away from wood and sail allowed for stronger and faster vessels. While armaments could now be increased, thus the Dreadnought was born.
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Police Aviation. Part-Two.
Helicopters to Drones.
The drone is the cheapest alternative available at this time to the helicopter! We see in the many Sci-Fi films police forces of the future using various types of drones to overfly, to get in close and go places that only insects and small animals can go.
The drone will not totally replace aircraft, but will perhaps be the new dog or security camera that is much more mobile for the future.
The police now employ many new techniques in fighting crime in the large metropolitan cities and in time these methods will work their way down to the smaller towns and rural communities.
The loss and failure of these robotic craft will not be as expensive and they will be easy and quick to replace.
The drone is the cheapest alternative available at this time to the helicopter! We see in the many Sci-Fi films police forces of the future using various types of drones to overfly, to get in close and go places that only insects and small animals can go.
The drone will not totally replace aircraft, but will perhaps be the new dog or security camera that is much more mobile for the future.
The police now employ many new techniques in fighting crime in the large metropolitan cities and in time these methods will work their way down to the smaller towns and rural communities.
The loss and failure of these robotic craft will not be as expensive and they will be easy and quick to replace.
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Two Breakthroughs.
First possible commercial Solar powered Car.
Australia who is the leader in the field of Solar (Sun) powered vehicles have developed a vehicle which can now be mass produced and sold to the general public. Every invention has to start somewhere and this one has come out of forty years of continued development and research.
The Solar powered car will not be at a loss even here in the U.K., because it like an electric car can take a charge.
The second Breakthrough is the development of a Bionic suit that helps those who are not able to walk, walk.
Some of the research from this has come from Space suit design, while the rest from connecting the human nervous system to a chip.
Australia who is the leader in the field of Solar (Sun) powered vehicles have developed a vehicle which can now be mass produced and sold to the general public. Every invention has to start somewhere and this one has come out of forty years of continued development and research.
The Solar powered car will not be at a loss even here in the U.K., because it like an electric car can take a charge.
The second Breakthrough is the development of a Bionic suit that helps those who are not able to walk, walk.
Some of the research from this has come from Space suit design, while the rest from connecting the human nervous system to a chip.
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