Kitler Finds a New Home
Enough said!
A Use for a Cheque
I got a cheque today to settle my problem with National Express East Anglia. I’m not a lover of cheques, but this must be one use for them, as they didn’t have my bank details and probably the credit card details weren’t stored either, as it was a transaction in a station.
Incidentally john Lewis give out gift vouchers for small payments and another rail company gave me compensation for a late train in a Rail Travel Voucher. For me neither is a problem, as I go to Waitrose a couple of times a week and I suspect that the Rail Voucher will be used on a trip to see Ipswich Town.
I wonder how long before Universal Gift Vouchers or something similar become commonplace. These would be bar coded and possibly issued to a particular person, very much like the vouchers I buy for The Times. I think some companies already use M & S vouchers in this way.
When I paid the cheque into my account at a branch of Nationwide in Upper Street, the counter was empty, and I joked with the cashier about writing few cheques these days. He agreed that he didn’t either and judging by his expression, he’d done little business that day. Admittedly, it was lunchtime, but all this seems to say that counter service will soon be gone.
We just need to replace the cheque.
Using People to Heat Buildings
I like this story on the BBC web site.
I think I read somewhere that a person gives out about the same heat as a one bar electric fire.
We rarely collect it to make sure buildings are warm enough. But that amount of heat does explain why the Underground gets hot.
The Dragons Can’t Cook!
Or is it most likely won’t?
I watched them last night, when they rejected a lady who had developed a product called a Gloven.
It’s exactly what I need, to get round the problems of my gammy left hand, which responds badly to hot and cold.
I have a feeling that this is a product that will be a success, as it has so many niches, that haven’t been identified yet!
A Too Good Delivery System Causes Problems
This may seem a rather cntroversial title for a post, as most would envisage, that any delivery from a mail order site can’t be too good.
On Thursday, I ordered a new television from John Lewis. Incidentally, I had wanted to order it a few weeks ago, but they didn’t have the model I wanted in stock, so I asked them to e-mail me when it arrived in stock. That e-mail arrived on the Thursday and I ordered it there and then.
In the ordering process, I could have got it delivered on a specific day or morning for a charge, but let’s face it as I’d waited a few weeks, I thought that to wait for the normal five days wiouldn’t be a problem.
I then got an e-mail on the Saturday saying that John Lewis had dispatched it and giving me a link to the delivery company. On checking with them, I found it was going to be delivered on the Saturday. So as I reasoned that van drivers stop work at midday on Saturday (Don’t they?), I decided to stay in and wait. Even though the web ste clearly stated that if I wasn’t in, I could arrange a redelivery on line.
I almost gave up, as I wanted to get my paper and some shopping. But the parcel turned up just before one!
In other words they got the parcel on the day they said they would, but I wouldn’t have minded waiting a few days. But then when did you get a five day delivery in forty-eight hours?
Actually, we might be back to the ASAP scheduling problem, I highlighted in the post on NHS waiting times. Take say the problem of ordering goods, just before you go away for a holiday. You might like to delay them until after you return. With John Lewis you can specify a delivery date, but perhaps you might like to specify a not before date, or say a day of the week.
I think we’ll see increasingly sophisticated on-line delivery systems and that will be better for the consumer and more efficient. and hence more profitable, for the shops and the delivery companies.
The Future of Very Long Distance Trains in the UK
We may be a small island, but it is possible to do some of the longer train journeys in Europe in the UK, where you don’t have to change trains. The longest trip I did in Europe was Nice to Lille.
We have several major long distance routes starting or finishing in London. Some include.
- London (Kings Cross) to Inverness via Edinburgh
- London (Kings Cross) to Aberdeen via Edinburgh
- London (Euston) to Holyhead
- London (Paddington) to Fishguard
- London (Paddington) to Penzance
I should note that the longest route is actually Penzance to Aberdeen.
At present all of the routes use IC125s or other diesel trains, but for a lot of the journey some will be under wires used by high speed electric trains. It is probably for this reason that when civil servants specified the replacement for the incomparable IC125, they came up with the idea of a bi-mode train, that was electric, but hauled a diesel around for where there was no power supply. Just as with people obesity is not to be tolerated as it wastes fuel, causes more carbon dioxide to be emitted and probably causes all sorts of track problems because of the weight. As an engineer, I just don’t like it! But that’s my prejudice and what do I know about trains?
However, Ian Walmsley, a man who does know about trains, has proposed in the August edition of Modern Railways, that the ageing Class 90 electric locomotives and Mark 3 coaches on the London to Norwich line be replaced with Bombasrdier TRAXX electric locomotives, refurbished and modern styled Mark 3 coaches and perhaps a new set of driving van trailers. The article showed some impressive interiors proposed by a company called Dg8.
Would this concept work on say London to Inverness? I’ve travelled the northermost part of this line in the driver’s cab and it is a truly spectacular line, but it is unlikely that it will ever be able to be electrified further than Stirling. But there are diesel versions of TRAXX, so could an engine change be performed before the electricity runs out. If Bombardier has the engineering correct, which I suspect they do, I doubt that an engine change would take more than a few minutes. It would certainly be less hassle for the passengers than a train change.
As you are running engine facing London as trains do on the northern routes out of Kings Cross, there would be no need for any special operating procedures in London, but you would need to provide for perhaps a small amount of track work at the engine changeover. This point would have to be chosen with respect to driver availability, so perhaps on services via Edinburgh, this might be the point. But of course it would be a simple matter for the train company to work out the best place for the changeover.
In his article, Ian proposed new driving van trailers. When I went to Inverness on the IC125, the driver had no access to train services, so he had to disembark to use the toilet. So should the DVTs be provided with various facilities for the driver?
It should also be noted that the current trains on the route have no room for heavy luggage, so could they be used for such items as bicycles, surfboards for Cornwall and large cases.
If these long routes have more than just distance in common; many passengers will want an at-seat meal and many will be leisure passengers who would want to admire the view.
So should in some ways a retrograde step be taken and make sure everyone has a full table and that seats align with windows, just like they originally did when the Mark 3 coaches were built. In some ways all of the routes are premium routes, where many will book well in advance for a holiday or an event, so the extra cost of the trains would probably be affordable.
An idea I thought of was an observation car, but although it might be possible, it might make train operation difficult. But surely someone like Dg8 could come up with a Cafe Bar Car with large windows that sat in the middle of the train.
As the journey length could be up to about nine hours, it would probably need innovative entertainment systems. How about a front and back camera to show views.
I may be talking out of my backside. But as John Lennon said. Imagine!
A Victoria Line Train Used as a Litter Bin
I came back from Walthamstowe Central on the Victoria Line yesterday.
To say the train was full of litter would have been an understatement.
A Victoria Line Train Used as a Litter Bin
It was even worse if I’d taken a picture to my left, with lots of half-empty beer cans. But there were people there, who were giving the filth equally disdainful looks and probably didn’t want to be associated with it in any way.
Flowers At Bromley-by-Bow Station
It was good to see the flowers at Bromley-by-Bow station today as I came back.
We need more of these in the Underground stations on the surface.
Hackney WickED
It was the Hackney WickED Festival this weekend and I went to see some of the artists, who were having an Open Studios in the area.
It was well worth it.
Afterwards I walked past the locks at Old Ford.
Old Ford Locks
And then under the Northern Outfall Sewer on a newly restored towpath on to the Olympic Park.
Sunday on the Greenway
It was good to see so many people about on the Greenway.
Amazingly, the blackberries were out and people were picking and eating them.
Olympic Tat
I want to get some Olympic towels for my guests. Especially, as some have a rather cynical view of the Games.
As I was going to john Lewis, I had a look in their official Olympic Shop. The towels were twice the price of the ones I use from John Lewis and not at all good.
But then very little of what was on offer seemed to be worth buying.
The Anonymous Widower 