The Hi-Speed Bus
Today as I went up to the Angel, I got on a normal 38 bus. I then noticed, that by the time a New Bus for London was about a hundred metres behind. By the time I’d got halfway, the new bus was about the same distance in front.
This is not the first thing a similar thing has happened, and I suspect the three doors and the on-board staff, means that it loads and unloads much quicker at each stop.
Coming back later, I actually got on a new bus and this passed one of its humbler brethren on the way back.
The New Kings Cross Piazza Is Emerging
This picture shows what the area in front of Kings Cross station will look like.
Most of the demolition appears to have been completely, as this picture from today shows.
Note the short fat tower to the left of the centre of the picture. This must be the top of some sort of shaft and if you look it is also in the design of the new piazza. I bet the architects are cursing it, very loudly!
The Gay Marriage Vote Today
Why has such a simple proposition created so much amount of useless hot hair?
I was married to a lovely woman for nearly forty years and know the value of such a relationship. There is also the work of William Farr in the 1850s, to reinforce it, as I outlined here.
So what right does anybody have to deny anybody happiness?
If we do, we’re following the route of religious nutters, like the Taliban and some Christian and other groups, who deny women a good life.
I would also take civil partnerships further and allow it to any couple, who wanted it. C and I had a pretty good marriage, but at times we wondered, if it would matter, if we hadn’t got married or not. Some couples, who don’t think marriage is for them for various reasons, might prefer a civil partnership to sort out their tax affairs, if one sadly dies. When C died, it saved a fortune in various taxes compared to if we’d just been living together.
There is also the problems of say two widowed sisters or brothers living together for economic and companionship reasons. Should they be allowed a civil partnership to perhaps put their financial affairs on the same basic as any other couple. In C’s work as a family barrister, she came across several cases like this. Often the surviving sibling would be living in a dingy flat on benefit. We owe people a better life and all it would need would be the extension of civil partnerships.
Sir James Has Got A New Motor
This article on the BBC, looks at a first glance to be about a water tap, with a built in hand dryer, design by Sir James Dyson’s company.
But the most significant thing about it, is the new electric motor. Here’s Sir James Dyson’s view.
Although the minimalistic hybrid water-air tap head is the device’s signature feature, Sir James said that the “secret” of the machine was its motor, which had taken seven years to develop.
Dyson said that its latest motor had taken more than 100 engineers over £26.9m to develop.It uses an electromagnetic field, rather than carbon brushes, to accelerate from standstill to up to 100,000 revolutions per minute within 0.7 seconds. That was about four times the number of revolutions per minute that motors its size typically produced, Sir James said.
The article also says that the motor has a built in computer chip. So is this another of the ubiquitous ARM ones?
Who knows where this type of motor technology will lead?
The Operation Of Edgware Road Station
Edgware Road station has been changed dramatically over the last few years, by becoming the balance station in the Circle line. The platforms are organised this way according to Wikipedia.
The usual service pattern is: platform 1 for outer rail services to Kings Cross, Liverpool Street and beyond, platform 2 for circle line to High Street Kensington and Victoria, platform 3 for district line trains to Earls Court and Wimbledon, and platform 4 (inner rail) for Shepherds Bush Market and Hammersmith. This may vary in times of disruption – trains can go east from any of platforms 1 2 and 3 and to any of the westbound destinations from platforms 2 3 or 4.
As I came back from Paddington station, I got out of the station to get a newspaper and I also watched Circle line trains reverse on Platform 2. There actually waiting for a few minutes and cleaners were cleaning the trains before they returned back through Victoria. It was all very efficient.
It would appear that most of the transfers at the station, just involve a simple cross platform transfer, although not always.
But by adding lifts and sorting out the access between Platforms 1 and 2, and 3 and 4, would improve those travelling through the station, especially for those who need step free access or are travelling with heavy cases.
As an example, if you are coming north through Notting Hill Gate station on the District or Circle line and want to go west at Edgware Road station, you are best to get a District line train, but if you’re going east, a Circle line train is better.
The Rebuilt Metropolitan Station At Paddington
The Metropolitan station at Paddington is emerging from the extensive building works at Paddington station.
Note that there is still quite a lot to do, like installing the lifts.
The New Taxi Rank At Paddington Station
Paddington station now has a new taxi rank.
It must be one of the best ones in the UK.
It certainly means that if you’re coming into Central London from the west and need a taxi, it’s a good station to pick one up.
Note how the taxi rank is properly numbered, so you can arrange to meet on a particular number!
General Sikorski
General Sikorski was a wartime Polish leader.
The pictures show his statue in Portland Place.
Farringdon Station
After visiting the works at Crossrail, I went to have look at Farringdon station on the Metropolitan Line.
Note how the new station is coming on.
Creation Of Crossrail At Custom House
The Crossrail line through Custom House is unusual in that because it is close by the DLR, you can see all of the work as the new railway is being installed.
It is very much unusual to see a modern railway being created, but as the pictures show, you can get a good view of London’s new railway as it is created.
The pictures were taken from the three stations; Royal Victoria, Custom House and Prince Regent. It will be interesting to see how the view changes as Crossrail is built.
There’s more about Custom House station on this web page on the Crossrail web site.
The Anonymous Widower 