A Design Crime – A U/S Building
It is a common term amongst engineers, that might by used by others too, to describe something as U/S or useless or unserviceable. There’s a discussion about the use of the abbreviation here.
So I was surprised to see this building with a big uS sign on it.
But it probably deserved it, as it was on the short-list for the Carbuncle Cup 2014.
I’ve tagged this with Crap Marketing, as who’d want to lve in a uS building?
Is Work Starting On The Hackney Downs/Central Link?
I took this picture today.
Is Work Starting On The Hackney Downs/Central Link?
It looks like something is finally happening to build the pedestrian link between the two stations.
It should all become clear in the coming weeks.
Another Bit Of London Bridge Station Opens
In March I posted pictures of the opening of platform 14 and 15 at London Bridge station. Yesterday, the next two platforms 12 and 13 opened.
10 and 11 are now closed for rebuilding and should reopen in January 2015, according to this web page.
The list of key dates and service changes is given here, with finish set out in 2018.
Let’s hope it’s all worth it!
An Unusual Picture
I have cut this picture out of Google Earth of the railway north-west of Chorley.
Sixteen Butresses
There would appear to be sixteen buttresses over the twin track railway.
They are actually some of the last examples of flying arches on UK railways. There’s more about the Chorley Flying Arches here.
I’m posting this, as the line through Chorley has just reopened after the related Chorley Tunnel has been expanded to allow for electrification. That is reported here on Modern Railways. It says this about the arches.
As well as upgrading the tunnel, the 16 historic Chorley flying arches – Grade II listed structures on the approach to the tunnel which are the only remaining examples on the British rail network – were refurbished following co-operation and consultation with English Heritage.
On the 22nd of this month, I’m going to see Ipswich play at Wigan. I think, I’ll go and look at these unique structures.
How many countries would actually restore te arches, rather than replace them with modern steel structures?
Thomas Heatherwick Goes Global
Thomas Heatherwick is going on a tour of the US and Asia, to show his iconic designs to the world.
He may leave a legacy of designs, but his biggest legacy, will be that he has shown how if architects, designers and engineers think outside conventional norms, you create the wonder factor and inspire others to do the same. Hence we all get a better world.
If we take the design of Thomas and his company, that I know best, the New Routemaster, every time you use one, you notice something that is different to and better than most current buses. Yesterday, as I got off after travelling home from the Angel, I realised that the walk to the centre exit was all clean lines and hand-holds in the right places, with no messy strap-hangers out-of-reach of short people and children, that seem to be an omnipresent feature of all other buses.
That is good design, and would Londoners accept a new bus without things like a totally-flat floor and well-positioned hand holds in the future?
The Odds Are Going Towards Yes
When I first looked up the Scottish referendum odds on Odds Checker, the results were as follows.
August 25th
No! – 1/8
Yes! – 9/2
They are now.
September 2nd – No! – 1/4 Yes! – 3/1
September 5th – No! – 2/7 Yes! – 14/5
September 7th – No! – 4/9 Yes! – 9/4
September 9th – No! – 4/9 Yes! – 2/1
But they’ve now started to go the other way.
September 11th – No! – 3/10 Yes! – 10/3
September 12th – No! – 5/19 – Yes! – 7/2
September 15th – No! – 1/4 – Yes! – 7/2
September 17th – No! – 2/9 – Yes! – 15/4
So it would appear that the vote is moving towards a Yes! It’s been quite a swing in the first seven days.
Return To de Bohun School
de Bohun School was my Primary and Junior school.
It looks like it could do with a lick of paint. But it’s still very much as I remember it!
The Orange Tickets Fight On
It’s the first time, that I’ve noticed it, but this orange rail ticket, I bought at Kings Cross on Saturday has one of those square bar codes.
The Orange Tickets Fight On
As you can see it wasn’t used by any ticket inspector to get to Rutland, as one used a Mark 1 pen and the other some stamp.
It just shows how the original ticket was such a good design from 1986.
I suspect that the basic design of the ticket will outlive me, by a good few years.
Next Year It’ll Be Fifty Years Since I Left Minchenden
It was in June or July 1965, that I walked out of Minchenden Grammar School in Southgate for the last time.
A lot has happened to me since, some of which is in this blog. Although some tales have been left out to protect the squeamish and the innocent.
I wonder if anybody is organising a fifty years reunion for the Class of 1965 from Minchenden?
Surely, in the true spirit that we learned at the school, we should make 2015 a year to remember!
Am I Bothered About The EU Ban On High Powered Vacuum Cleaners?
Of course not! Except that it has produced some entertaining articles, like this one in the Guardian.
I have a company clean my house. I get two girls for two hours for well under a hundred. And they bring all their own equipment and cleaning materials.
Idon’t have a dog any more, but one of our bassets, loved being vacuumed and would stand by you waiting patiently for her cleaning.
The Anonymous Widower 