The Trains Are Learning From Formula One
This is message on a BBC report today, but it’s a rather shallow one, as it ignores the way engineers have designed systems for years. They are saying for instance, that trains now report their fault and they’ve learned this from Formula One. But trains have effectively had extensive computerised reporting systems for years. A classic example is the 1995 Stock trains on the Northern Line of the Underground, which were designed with such a system. How good it is, I don’t know!
A lot of improvements in any system, are down to attention to detail and that is probably what Formula One does in spades. But that is just good design! I was on a heavily loaded commuter train yesterday, and the station stops, were very quick, partly because, the train accelerated and stopped quickly, the passenger handholds were all in the right place, the doors were wide and the self-loading cargo, knew how to get on and off quickly.
I suspect this has little to do with Formula One, but some of the parts of the train, may well have been manufactured using advanced techniques developed for motor-racing.
A More Colourful Railway
Travelling all over Europe, as I have been recently, when you get on British Trains, you nothing how there is more colour everywhere. Watford Junction shown here, isn’t that bright in the rain, but there’s more colour and texture, than I’ve seen in Europe. Look at the dramatic, but colourless station in Liege.
A More Colourful Railway
The flowers at Watford seemed to be a bit down, but you’ll see lots of flowers on British stations. I can’t really remember them in Europe.
This also extends to metros and subways, where I don’t think I saw anything as bright as London’s, red, white and blue.
Every New Bus for London Has A Make-Up Mirror
A couple of times, I have seen the female of the species using the destination display of a New Bus for London as a make-up mirror, whilst they are standing in the wheel-chair space. So I took this picture of the display.
Every New Bus for London Has A Make-Up Mirror
That clever Mr. Heatherwick thinks of everything.
The Danish Design Museum
I spent an hour at the museum, looking at various things, but it didn’t give me any clues as to the furniture I need for my house. Strangely though, they had an exhibition of post war British fabrics. The one on the poster, was suspiciously like one that C chose for our flat in the Barbican.
It was one designed for Heals and in those days C bought the fabric from there for a lot of our curtains.
Wandering Around Copenhagen
I didn’t sleep well, as the hotel was just so hot and the windows didn’t open easily.
About eight, in the morning, I’d had enough, so I checked out and went to the station, where the ticket office was at least open and I was able to buy my ticket to Hamburg on the 15:44 train. But I did have to queue up for perhaps thirty minutes, as there were no machines.
I then decided to put my case in a left luggage locker. Not a problem for me, as my case, only weighs a few kilos, but access to the lockers in the basement of the station was down two staircases and very difficult with a heavy case. There was a lift, but it was very small and slow. When I thought about using it later, someone was in it with a bicycle.
So I said goodbye to the station and started to look for some breakfast. But nothing seemed to open until eleven. In Stockholm, things started to happen earlier. but eleven is just too late for tourists. I got the impression, that I wasn’t the only visitor aimlessly wandering looking for something to do.
In the centre of Copenhagen, I never saw a map on the street, something that I rely on for directions. I did have a guide book, but with my gammy left hand, walking and reading a map is not on.
I did find the Danish Design Centre, which according to my guide book had some good exhibits on Danish design. But the exhibits have now been closed.
Currently We Have No Exhibitions
So I just had an excellent coffee and left.
As I walked, nothing was open, but at least there were a few seats, where I could sit by myself in the sun.
A Seat In The Sun
I’d come to Denmark partly to get ideas for my house, so in the end I walked to the Danish Design Museum, which although it opened at eleven, was open by the time I got there. I’d actually wasted a lot of time, talking to other tourists, who were standing around just looking aimless. It was also raining by now, which made my map useless, so I was glad to be in some shelter.
A Good Hotel, But!
I stayed in the Stureplan Hotel in Stockholm.
Hotel Stureplan, Stockholm
It was a good hotel, for what I paid, and I couldn’t complain about the position, staff or the food, where I even got gluten-free bread for breakfast.
But it had various faults that annoyed me.
The first and one of the most serious was the intermittent wi-fi. I couldn’t get it in my bedroom unless I connected first in the lobby that was on the way to the lift. Security on wei-fi doesn’t bother me, but this can’t be the most secure, if you have to use your device in the open.
I think the hotel had had a makeover from a designer. Look at this picture of the shampoo and shower gel.
Shampoo And Shower Gel
The only way to tell is to read the small writing on the back, which for me, means glasses. But as I don’t shower in my glasses, I couldn’t tell which was which, when I needed them. Anbd trhen there was the shower controls.
Unfathomable Shower Controls
it worked well, but which side was the water control and which was the temperature. The only way I worked it out, was by experiment, after giving it a good once over with my glasses. I still haven’t found a hotel shower as good as the digital Aqualiser Quartz, I had in Suffolk.
I think partly, my problem may well be my left hand, which doesn’t work that well and also because I need my glasses to decipher things like this. Surely, all controls should be obvious to someone who is virtually blind!
I wasn’t struck with the shower door, as water leaked underneath and made the floor slippery.
A Useless Shower Door
My balance is good for someone, who had a bad stroke, but I know quite a few people, who would have found the floor dangerous.
But it was the little touches that I didn’t like. The hotel seemed to have quite a few steps like this.
A Tricky Step
If my house can be designed with totally flat floors, surely a good hotel can. Luckily, I didn’t trip up badly.
I also didn’t like the tissues.
A Silly Box Of Tissues
With my rhinitis, it was just one good blow and they were in the bin. Not very green!
Tiles At South Kensington Station
The tiles at South Kensington station seem to be being cleaned and repaired.
Tiles At South Kensington Station
The station is one of those that needs serious refurbishment and various proposals have been made.
Considering the station’s important location, with respect to the museums and Albertopolis, upgrading can’t come too soon!
Does Anybody Make An Easy-Clean Potato Masher?
I make a lot of potato pies and the worst thing is cleaning the potato masher. The potato just seems to stick in the holes.
Does Anybody Make An Easy-Clean Potato Masher?
Friends say why don’t I use my dishwasher, but after ten years of tenants, it’s a bit decrepit like me. I could afford a new one, but I may remodel my kitchen and I don’t want the design to have to be compromised because of an existing dishwasher.
I also find washing up therapeutic for my gammy left hand.
Merrily We Roll Along
I came back from Walthamstow on Friday on one of Greater Anglia‘s ubiquitous Class 317 trains.
A Greater Anglia Class 317 Train
They may look to be scrapheap-ready trains from the 1980s, ripe for replacement with shiny new expensive trains. Incidentally, the train in the picture is one of the last ones built in 1987, so it’s a comparative youngster compared to some.
But underneath the tired paintwork and uncomfortable seating, there is a legendary Mark 3 coach struggling to get out. These coaches used in the InterCity 125 and in many other trains, were made as early as the 1970s and most are still running in 2013.
The Class 317 is closely related to the Class 455, some of which have been refurbished by South West Trains to a very high standard. I talked about them here.
It looks like these 317s are going to get their own version of the Class 455 refurbishment. it is reported here in Wikipedia. Work is ongoing to create a prototype with new and more efficient traction equipment and a new interior to test passenger reaction.
So yet again, it looks like more Mark 3 coaches will be emerging from their chrysalis. The Wikipedia article talks of increasing the life of the trains by twenty years. Not bad considering that many of them are over thirty years old now!
The InterCity 125 is well-known as a design classic of Kenneth Grange. But who’d have thought that the humble coaches in the middle, would still be having a laugh at everybody’s expense nearly fifty years after they were designed.
Dishwasher-Safe Coasters
I was at the Clerkenwell Design Week today, when I saw some glass coasters that gave me an idea. Why can’t we have dishwasher-safe coasters? I have a messy office because, I tend to drink masses of tea all day. My late wife, always complained about the state, with tea stains everywhere.
My Current Dirty Coaster
The picture shows the one, I’m using at the moment. Pristine it isn’t!
So I went to John Lewis, arguing, if anybody would have them, they would. I found these by ashortwalk, which although, the main material will stand up to a dishwasher, the cork pads won’t.
Coasters From ashortwalk
I should say that the research I did at CDW, indicated that many would like dishwasher-safe coasters. The office market could be bigger than domestic.
The Anonymous Widower 