Practicality?
It was hoped that Britain would see all diesel locomotives withdrawn by 2020, but this has now been changed to 2040?
Because new stock is already playing up and with the changes with franchises there is also a demand on the existing fleet of locomotives to be shuffled about on the British system!
The Class 43 or well known HST-125's are getting another modernisation to keep them in service to at least 2040. Freight operations will continue with what they have, but some older engines in good nick will be kept for reserve recovery workings?
This has much to do with the price of fuel at this time and they remain more reliable than some of the new stock? The Class 66 service is now complete and it is unlikely anymore new orders will be made for the time?
Lithium battery technology is improving all the time and the Diesel Multiple Unit fleet is expected to also be withdrawn by 2040 in suburban operations, where electrification will continue for long distant speed and travel!
Thursday, 22 February 2018
Changes in Shipping?
Container World!
Shipping containers has always faced problems in rough weather, because of the ships listing some containers fall off and are lost! But this is about to all change with a new type of fixed ribs being built to hold a certain number of boxes in place!
These vessels may look a bit strange or ugly to the eye when empty, but this new system will save the insurance of goods a lot less and the safety of other shipping having a collision with underwater or surface floating containers?
These are on of the main changes, there are few more to do with engineering and rig support vessels and their ability and stability to work at sea, cutting out the expense of installing rigs until it is definitely confirmed that a potential profit will be made from either gas or oil!
Shipping containers has always faced problems in rough weather, because of the ships listing some containers fall off and are lost! But this is about to all change with a new type of fixed ribs being built to hold a certain number of boxes in place!
These vessels may look a bit strange or ugly to the eye when empty, but this new system will save the insurance of goods a lot less and the safety of other shipping having a collision with underwater or surface floating containers?
These are on of the main changes, there are few more to do with engineering and rig support vessels and their ability and stability to work at sea, cutting out the expense of installing rigs until it is definitely confirmed that a potential profit will be made from either gas or oil!
Thursday, 8 February 2018
Classic and Vintage Vehicles. Part-One.
Keeping history Alive?
So far we have done just fine in preserving both steam and Diesel/petrol powered vehicles, but this is running out with all the new technologies that are to come? This is because they will be built from bespoke parts perhaps unique to each individual manufacturer and thus the restorer will hit a road block in say twenty-years time!
Most vehicles have now been saved in one form or another luxury and sports cars are the most popular, followed by interesting construction and military equipment. But some have not, either for lack of parts or because their design remains classified!
This is because many designs follow on from the one before, being improved as they proceed through time and this is true of the Swedish manufactures Saab and Volvo! There may be many others around the world former Soviet and Communist Chinese to the present?
Even the British and U.S have many similar vehicles such as the Abraham's/Challenger MBT that no one will get the chance to pry upon along with the Israeli Merkeva, not anytime too soon!
So far we have done just fine in preserving both steam and Diesel/petrol powered vehicles, but this is running out with all the new technologies that are to come? This is because they will be built from bespoke parts perhaps unique to each individual manufacturer and thus the restorer will hit a road block in say twenty-years time!
Most vehicles have now been saved in one form or another luxury and sports cars are the most popular, followed by interesting construction and military equipment. But some have not, either for lack of parts or because their design remains classified!
This is because many designs follow on from the one before, being improved as they proceed through time and this is true of the Swedish manufactures Saab and Volvo! There may be many others around the world former Soviet and Communist Chinese to the present?
Even the British and U.S have many similar vehicles such as the Abraham's/Challenger MBT that no one will get the chance to pry upon along with the Israeli Merkeva, not anytime too soon!
Thursday, 1 February 2018
The Railways 2018. One.
Improvements?
Every nation in the world this year will be making or trying to make improvements to its railways infrastructure, wither it is new stock, new expanded or changed railway track layouts, signalling or ticket operations and security?
We can only go forward with technology and with comfort, many countries will not focus to much on safety but will rather make some changes somewhere within their remit? Others may do little or nothing to what they already have or they will cut back in place of buses and coach travel for one reason or another!
The battery train looks promising over the demise of Diesel and electric over that of the same and steam, this is the future for modern railways! But it is not the end for some countries who as yet cannot afford this or are stuck and have to make do with their existing parameters?
Every nation in the world this year will be making or trying to make improvements to its railways infrastructure, wither it is new stock, new expanded or changed railway track layouts, signalling or ticket operations and security?
We can only go forward with technology and with comfort, many countries will not focus to much on safety but will rather make some changes somewhere within their remit? Others may do little or nothing to what they already have or they will cut back in place of buses and coach travel for one reason or another!
The battery train looks promising over the demise of Diesel and electric over that of the same and steam, this is the future for modern railways! But it is not the end for some countries who as yet cannot afford this or are stuck and have to make do with their existing parameters?
Off to the Moon! Part-One.
The Trump Mission?
For humanity to return to the Moon will cost billions if not trillions and something will have to give way, so it has been decided that the International Space station will have to go within the next few years?
The United States of America is determined to beat China getting to the Moon in this next fifteen year period and the U.S. wants to do what JF Kennedy pressured NASA to do forty years ago, but with a base rather than just landing and coming home!
The problems with this are enormous, if their is no Space station as a stepping stone on these proposed missions! The ISS has at least another twenty good years of operational service and Russia will perhaps have to foot the bill for its replacement?
A Moon base may never really become that stepping stone to Mars as is being promised, to maintain it will be very difficult even with 6% gravity over that of none? Trump wants to undermine the Kennedy legacy as much as he is doing politically to Obamas!
For humanity to return to the Moon will cost billions if not trillions and something will have to give way, so it has been decided that the International Space station will have to go within the next few years?
The United States of America is determined to beat China getting to the Moon in this next fifteen year period and the U.S. wants to do what JF Kennedy pressured NASA to do forty years ago, but with a base rather than just landing and coming home!
The problems with this are enormous, if their is no Space station as a stepping stone on these proposed missions! The ISS has at least another twenty good years of operational service and Russia will perhaps have to foot the bill for its replacement?
A Moon base may never really become that stepping stone to Mars as is being promised, to maintain it will be very difficult even with 6% gravity over that of none? Trump wants to undermine the Kennedy legacy as much as he is doing politically to Obamas!
Friday, 19 January 2018
A changing aviation Market?
Airbus A380 and A350-100 at a loss!
The world wants smaller aircraft, rather than larger ones and in the civil commercial airline market one does not get any bigger than the Super-Jumbo and the Extra-wide bodied?
New aircraft such as the Bombardier C-series are more desirable, Embraer has taken the market with its E-Jet series and new comers from Russia, China and Japan are quickly following suite with their own versions!
Boeing has kept to a tight ship in its developments, staying with the 747-8bio-fuelled and struggling with the Dreamliner? But it has given up on the DC-9/717, for the expansion in the 737-800/900 and MAX, all of which is in demand around the globe.
Airbus has taken on the C-Series with reluctance, because it clashes with the A321-neo and similar designs that will be forthcoming?
The world wants smaller aircraft, rather than larger ones and in the civil commercial airline market one does not get any bigger than the Super-Jumbo and the Extra-wide bodied?
New aircraft such as the Bombardier C-series are more desirable, Embraer has taken the market with its E-Jet series and new comers from Russia, China and Japan are quickly following suite with their own versions!
Boeing has kept to a tight ship in its developments, staying with the 747-8bio-fuelled and struggling with the Dreamliner? But it has given up on the DC-9/717, for the expansion in the 737-800/900 and MAX, all of which is in demand around the globe.
Airbus has taken on the C-Series with reluctance, because it clashes with the A321-neo and similar designs that will be forthcoming?
Thursday, 11 January 2018
Elon Musk!
In trouble over a failed Launch?
Space is still a tricky business we may be able to launch rockets weekly up the International Space Station as well military spying, but from time to time there will be failures since humans are not perfect and make mistakes?
Musk has promised much in relation to taking men back to the Moon after forty years and reaching to Mars, with his new re-usable rockets? But this is still new and untested systems that need to be fine-lined, even the Space Shuttle still had teething problems that NASA failed to address at the cost of precious scientific lives for the prestige!
We are only sixty-one years into the Space race exploration, man has reached Pluto and now beyond! Gone to the Moon and built several Space stations culminating in the ISS! Soviet Russia/Russia and the United States were the first to dominate this race from 1957!
But now other nations have now joined this Space club, China, Japan, Europe, India, Israel and more are coming along such as Brazil, Nigeria and Iran!
Space is still a tricky business we may be able to launch rockets weekly up the International Space Station as well military spying, but from time to time there will be failures since humans are not perfect and make mistakes?
Musk has promised much in relation to taking men back to the Moon after forty years and reaching to Mars, with his new re-usable rockets? But this is still new and untested systems that need to be fine-lined, even the Space Shuttle still had teething problems that NASA failed to address at the cost of precious scientific lives for the prestige!
We are only sixty-one years into the Space race exploration, man has reached Pluto and now beyond! Gone to the Moon and built several Space stations culminating in the ISS! Soviet Russia/Russia and the United States were the first to dominate this race from 1957!
But now other nations have now joined this Space club, China, Japan, Europe, India, Israel and more are coming along such as Brazil, Nigeria and Iran!
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