The Shape Of Trains To Come
The replacement trains for the sub-surface lines of London Underground, show a lot of clever thinking to deliver effectively two different but identical trains.
For the Metropolitan line, an eight car train is needed, with a generous proportion of seats, as the line goes a long way into Metroland.
For the Hammersmith and City, District and Circle lines, a seven car train is needed, with longitudinal seating.
Bombardier came up with the S Class train, which satisfies both these requirements. It is a unique design for the Underground, in that it is through-gangway train, where you can walk from end-to-end.
The replacement trains for the rest of the Underground, will probably borrow heavily on this design.
I travel on these trains about once a week or so and feel they are a great improvement on the previous trains. I first used them, during the Olympics to get back from Wembley Stadium, where they were able to move 1,500 or so people a time away from the stadium, in an air-conditioned train. The A Class trains they replaced had more seats, but a smaller capacity and a ventilation system from the 1960s.
I Tend To Avoid Sun, Swimming, Salt, Cold And Water
I was wondering today, if my lifestyle choices have been my problem all along.
As a child I spent endless hours in my bedroom playing with my Meccano, and in most of my working life I was programming alone in my office, often watching the television at the same time. Even today, living alone in East London, I spend a lot of time on my computer, with either the television or the radio in the background.
The difference now, is that I try to get some sun and even today, I’ve had an hour or so in the sun walking around the local area.
But I don’t eat much salt and I’ve never liked it. So could I be that rare person, who doesn’t get enough salt?
Paradoxically, although I’m not a sun lover, I do hate the cold and C used to complain that my office and car was too hot. This winter though, I’ve felt a bit better by deliberately keeping the temperature down to 20 °C or less inside most of the time. My gut, which is usually troublesome, has been perfect all the time.
I am trying to drink more water, but only in the form of tea, lemonade, milk or beer. But all I seem to want to do is pee it down the toilet!
So can I get decent health, by controlling my avoidances?
One conclusion, I’m coming to, is that when I was living with C, she used to drag me out for walks and probably curbed some of my excess.
So does that explain, why my health was better for all those years I was married?
Are Politicians Stupid?
I’ve just been reading the legislation proposed in the Queen’s Speech today as reported on the BBC web site.
i can’t be against migrants to this country, as go back a couple of hundred years and half my ancestors were living in fear of their lives in Europe. But it was the sentence in the report that said that in future illegal migrants will not get driving licences, that shocked me.
How can they get them now and has it not been made illegal by Parliament? Obviously, not!
Cooking With Celia
Some of my friends will chuckle at this.
Cooking With Celia
I’m actually cooking the fish with beans and peas, I cook regularly.
Who Will Be The Next Manchester United Manager?
Just watch the betting!
Years ago, I had a friend, who’s since died, who told me that some heavy punters have a direct line to what goes on at Manchester United.
At the moment David Moyes is well ahead on Betfair.
Is Lack Of Sun One Of My Problems?
I don’t know, but I’ve read this article about research at Edinburgh University with a great deal of interest.
I am very pale skinned and used to burn easily in the sun, so I kept out of it for long periods of my life. Since being diagnosed as a coeliac, and going gluten-free, strangely, I’ve tended to burn less easily.
I had a very bad winter in 2010-2011 and again this one in 2012-2013. This year our lack of sun in London has been very marked. I’ve just looked atb the pictures, I took on this blog in 2011-2012 and there seems a lot more sun than this past winter. I know, it’s not very scientific.
In the last few years of her life, C and I always went away for a few weeks in January and I felt better. She would also drag me out for a walk on any day that the sun might come out.
Soon, after she died, my GP at the time, thought I might be suffering from SAD, so one of the actions I took, was to wear a thick coat and drive my Lotus with the top down. The extra sun seemed to help!
Let’s hope the sun kicks me back to life!
The Anonymous Widower 