snellblogs · 1 year ago
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Okehampton Station Re-opened
Blog by Susie Bedford
(Pen name, writing poetry and novels is Lynne Pearl)
Website https:lynnepearl.com
April 23
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 There always was this old piece of track left behind after the 60’s cuts.  Somehow this little piece of track between Crediton and Okehampton was still there. The line to Barnstaple stayed in full service, but the piece going to Okehampton was only open on Sundays in the season for tourists and now it’s back, for all of us to use.  Is it a sign of the times, that we need more public transport than ever, not less if we are to reduce our reliance on the motor car which will be eclipsed eventually.  There is still a line between Plymouth and Gunnislake and it’s only a short piece of track necessary to join the Meldon quarry to Gunnislake and that would re -open an inland route across Devon that doesn’t involve Dawlish, the sea and storms in winter.  It’s so close. There is a viaduct outside Tavistock that has become a cycle route but it would be grand to link up the communities by rail.
  There is also a route between Starcross via Cofton but there is the matter of a hill in the way.  This is the case with Devon, it’s amazing we got a railway when you consider hills that are everywhere and, the mass of Dartmoor, our centre and beating heart.
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   But we have a line opened full time for all from Exeter all the way through to Okehampton.  It has a real station again, not a picture postcard but an active service line that takes people from the heart of Dartmoor and the beaches of North Cornwall back to the beating heart of civilisation via a train.  It can take them home to jobs and all that entails in the South and South East of England.  It’s doable now and the community must be glad.
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 The new-old line goes through Crediton where the track is single line and the signal box ensures the line is safe for trains to proceed.  There is a level crossing gate and beside the track there are horses in the field with may bushes in flower at this time of year.  
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 The staff on this line are friendly. It’s almost as if they are chosen for their people skills, they are kind and patient, with time to make sure the journey is pleasant.  This is wonderful, a truly social railway.  This line seems to have more bridges than I have ever seen, magnificent stone bridges to carry lanes over the line that runs between farms.  
 At this time of year there are fields of rapeseed in flower, a yellow so bright it looks painted on.  Evidently the bees get drunk on the rapeseed it makes them dizzy there is an abundance. We pass blue tractors, a collection of them, and we are so close to the cowsheds you can see the cows waiting.  
 There’s a viaduct at Holsworthy that is now a bike track.  This train reconnects Bude with the world. Imagine there used to be a train all the way to Bude, my parents took it on their honeymoon many years ago.  A way of life nearly, not quite forgotten,  Bude is the town that is the farthest away from a mainline station until the railway opened again in Okehampton.
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 We hope this is the way forward for us all to connect and keep our communities alive.
 PS I wrote a poem in the carriage en route… 
THE NEW OLD LINE
Deep green,
Rolling wet hills
As we approach small town Crediton.
There’s nineteen thirties platform here...
(and so one...)
www.lynnepearl.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7796332.Lynne_Pearl
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thiel-One-Foot-Front-Other-ebook/dp/B00GLNTCR2
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head-post · 3 months ago
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Serbian activists arrested after mass protest against lithium mining
A mass protest against lithium mining ended with the arrests and sentences of three environmental activists, Ivan Bjelić, Nikola Ristić, and Jevđenije Julijan Dimitrijević.
Bjelić was sentenced to a 40-day detention, while Ristić and Dimitrijević received a 30-day arrest for “disturbing public order and peace,” according to the first instance judgement, which legal experts called “draconian.”
The activists were arrested in the early hours of 11 August at one of the two Belgrade railway stations blocked by protesters. Thy were convicted, however, not for blocking the railway, but for disrupting public order by verbally abusing a journalist from pro-government Informer television who was reporting on the scene, according to local media.
The Higher Public Prosecutors Office in Belgrade announced on 11 August that all those who blocked the railway would be prosecuted. Lawyer Rodoljub Šabić, former Public Information Commissioner of Serbia, called the sanctions “draconian” and an intimidation attempt. The lawyer of the arrested activists Marko Pantić stated:
It is alleged that they obstructed the journalist’s work, surrounded her and shouted. In our opinion, this action must be concretised. What did they shout, where did they surround her, how did they disturb her? If they shouted ‘child poisoning’, it was not directed at that journalist personally. I believe that no one thinks that the journalist poisons children, but that it refers to the Jadar project and the whole story for which the protests were organised.
Railway blockade
The blockade of railway stations lasted several hours and ended after police intervened. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said on Sunday that the police acted without using coercive measures and that no one was hurt. President Aleksandar Vučić declared:
The blockades and protests are not the solution. I will talk to the people about the fear of lithium mining and with those who think differently.
Zlatko Kokanović, an environmental activist and one of the organisers of protests against lithium mining, said that environmental organisations would not give up their demands for a ban on lithium mining in Serbia.
We want to send a message, you can arrest us, but we continue, we are not afraid, we are heading towards victory, to the end.
Prior to the railway blockade, some 30,000 people took to the streets of Belgrade on Saturday night to protest against the re-announcement of the opening of the lithium mine of the international company Rio Tinto in the Jadar River valley in the west of the country.
The protest was organised by the Association of Environmental Organisations of Serbia. Speakers claimed that they would not allow the mine to open due to concerns that the lithium mine would pollute water sources and seriously jeopardise public health.
Lithium for EU electric vehicles
A series of protests began following the Serbian government’s decision in mid-July to continue a project to open a lithium mine in the Jadar Valley, which was halted by state authorities in 2022 also due to large-scale protests.
On 19 July, the Critical Raw Material Summit was held in Belgrade. The meeting was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, and President Vučić. It concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Serbia on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles (EVs).
The EU has been expressing interest in Serbian lithium reserves in the context of reducing dependence on the critical raw material and transitioning to a green economy. Germany also showed appetite in recent years, with lithium batteries being a key element in the production of EVs.
According to the Rio Tinto plan, the Jadar project will produce around 58,000 tonnes of lithium per year, enough for 17% of Europe’s EV production. According to recent statements by the Serbian authorities, led by the Serbian Progressive Party, the mine will open in 2028 if the company complies with environmental regulations and obtains the necessary permits.
In recent years, many experts and environmental associations in Serbia have argued that lithium mining could have serious negative consequences for the environment. Widespread mistrust in Serbia’s state institutions, which would be responsible for enforcing environmental standards, has also been emphasised.
Read more HERE
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adamwatchesmovies · 1 year ago
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Hugo (2011)
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Martin Scorsese is not known for his family films. You associate the name with gritty crime stories. So what drew him to Hugo? Perhaps he wanted to try something different? On top of being suitable for the whole family, the picture makes impressive use of 3D and special effects. If you’ve seen Hugo the whole way through, you’ll know why. I suspect Scorsese connected to this story on a deeply personal level.
In 1931 Paris, 12-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) maintains the clocks at Gare Montparnasse railway station. His alcoholic uncle Claude officially does the work but he’s been gone for months and as long as the machines keep the time, Station Inspector Gustave Dasté (Sacha Baron Cohen) won't ask any questions. This means Hugo is free to focus on the automaton he and his father were repairing before he became orphaned. Hugo keeps to himself, occasionally stealing parts from a toy store owner, Georges (Ben Kingsley). After he is caught and his book on the automaton is confiscated, Hugo befriends the toy maker’s goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz). He hopes she can help him get his book back.
There’s no way you can guess where this movie is going. The surprises along the way are a big part of the fun and the screenplay by John Logan (based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick) is in no hurry to get to its big reveals. As Hugo goes about his day, we meet all the characters who frequent the station. Richard Griffiths plays a man pining for a dog owner (played by Frances de la Tour) whose pooch can’t stand him. Shy Inspector Dasté wants to approach a beautiful flower saleslady (Emily Mortimer) but is embarrassed by an old war injury. Christopher Lee plays the owner of a book store who probably knows more than he lets on, Papa Georges is hiding something from Isabelle. And then there’s the automaton Hugo is repairing. How is it tied to his father? There’s enough going on with these characters that it doesn't matter if you don't know where the plot is going. You’re having a great time simply getting to know them, admiring the performances (Moretz does a flawless accent) and enjoying Scorsese's direction. Check out the way the camera moves down chutes, through crowds and then into the secret openings into Hugo’s home or the breathtaking shots of a long-gone Paris.
Ultimately, this is a small, personal story. The world’s fate does not rest in the hands of Hugo. The secrets we uncover deal with very human tragedies but it’s shot like all of reality hinges on the lonely boy finding a friend. After Hugo is over, you remember specific shots, specific characters and the emotions you felt while watching them. These would attract any director but I suspect Scorsese wanted this project specifically because the film contains numerous references to specific events in the history of cinema. We see a clip of Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last! and the film’s most iconic shot is re-imagined later on. The Montparnasse derailment of 1895 is reimagined and Scorsese gives us to opportunity to relive the shocked reaction audiences would’ve had while viewing “L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat” - that famous shot of a train coming towards the camera that supposedly had audiences falling out of their seats in terror - by shooting it in 3D - literally having the train come right towards the screen and frighten us. There are many other references to the history of cinema throughout. If you love movies, you’ll get an extra kick out of these scenes.
Hugo is moving, warm, romantic, tragic and exciting. It goes in unexpected directions and the surprises make the movie feel big while also keeping it small and intimate. The performances are excellent, the characters fully realized. The only mark against it comes from the presentation. This movie is meant to be seen on the big screen and in 3D. Few people will be able to see it that way now. If that’s the only flaw you can find in a movie, it's doing a lot of things right. (On Blu-ray, September 25, 2020)
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papillon82fluttersby · 1 year ago
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Famous Five Art Nostalgia – Publishing Overview
Introductory post
When I started this series of posts a few months ago, I only had the vaguest idea about the various editions of the Famous Five books that existed over the years in France. The most well-known editions are those from the “Bibliothèque Rose” collection from publisher Hachette – ask anyone on the street (born in the last millennium) and it is probably what they have in mind. But through my searches on the second-hand market – both physical and online – I discovered several additional publications, and even the “Bibliothèque Rose” collection itself saw several variations over the years, giving us a plethora of cover art and inside illustrations to enjoy. Read on to get an overview of the publishing history of the Famous Five books in France (and French-speaking Switzerland)!
The French publisher, Hachette, was founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as a bookshop and publishing company, first specialising in schoolbooks. In the 1850s, Louis Hachette opened several bookshops in railway stations and started to diversify his offer with serialised novels, travel books and magazines. In 1853, he signed a partnership with the Countess of Ségur (still famous to this day in the world of children’s literature) and subsequently founded the “Bibliothèque Rose” collection (lit. “pink library”) three years later, focused on books aimed to children aged 6-12. 150 years later, Hachette is now the first publishing company in France, and the “Bibliothèque Rose” collection still exists, although it has known many changes over the years.
The first Famous Five book was first published in France in 1955, under the simple title “Le Club des Cinq.” The French publisher did not follow the original English publishing order, and instead chose to publish in priority the books which, I assume, were deemed to garner most traction at the time. The first six books published in France have their original editions in a collection named “Ségur-Fleuriot” (thus named as an homage to two female writers whom Louis Hachette had been working with). These books were pocket-sized, with a hard cover, black-and-white illustrations, and a full-colour dust jacket.
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“Ségur-Fleuriot” collection – From left to right:
#02 Five Go Adventuring Again / Le Club des Cinq (1955, ill. Simone Baudouin);
#03 Five Run Away Together / Le Club des Cinq contre-attaque (1955, ill. S. Baudouin);
#04 Five Go to Smuggler’s Top / Le Club des Cinq en vacances (1956, ill. S. Baudouin);
#06 Five Go On Kirrin Island Again / Le Club des Cinq joue et gagne (1956, ill. S. Baudouin);
#07 Five Go Off to Camp / Le Club des Cinq va camper (1957, ill. Paul Durand);
#08 Five Get into Trouble / Le Club des Cinq en péril (1957, ill. S. Baudouin).
(Note: The numbers starting with # correspond to the original English publishing order.)
From what I can gather – even if I find it odd because it doesn’t sound commercially sound – the next books benefitted from a double first edition: one in a collection called “Nouvelle Collection Ségur” with a soft cover, and the other in the above-mentioned “Bibliothèque Rose” with a hard cover. As far as I know, both these editions featured the same inside illustrations, although I have never seen a copy of a “Nouvelle Collection Ségur” book, so I cannot be absolutely sure of this. The red-coloured artwork featuring on the “Nouvelle Collection Ségur” covers were re-used (in black) on the inside title pages of the “Bibliothèque Rose” editions.
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“Nouvelle Collection Ségur” – From left to right (in addition to the first six books which joined this collection at some point):
#10 Five on a Hike Together / Le Club des Cinq en randonnée (1958, ill. S. Baudouin);
#12 Five Go Down to the Sea / Le Club des Cinq au bord de la mer (1959, ill. Aldo de Amicis);
#09 Five Fall into Adventure / Le Club des Cinq et les gitans (1960, ill. Jeanne Hives);
#11 Five Have a Wonderful Time / Le Club des Cinq en roulotte (1960, ill. J. Hives);
#13 Five Go to Mystery Moor /  La locomotive du Club des Cinq (1961, ill. J. Hives);
#14 Five Have Plenty of Fun / Enlèvement au Club des Cinq (1961, ill. J. Hives);
#16 Five Go to Billycock Hill / Le Club des Cinq et les papillons (1962, ill. J. Hives);
#01 Five on a Treasure Island / Le Club des Cinq et le trésor de l’île (1962, ill. J. Hives);
#18 Five on Finniston Farm / Le Club des Cinq et le coffre aux merveilles (1962, ill. J. Hives);
#19 Five Go To Demon’s Rocks / La boussole du Club des Cinq (1963, ill. J. Hives); 
#17 Five Get into a Fix /  Le Club des Cinq aux sports d’hiver (1964, ill. J. Hives);
#05 Five Go Off in a Caravan / Le Club des Cinq et les saltimbanques (1965, ill. J. Hives) [not featured];
#20 Five Have a Mystery to Solve / Le Club des Cinq et le vieux puits (1966, ill. J. Hives) [not featured];
#21 Five Are Together Again / Le Club des Cinq en embuscade (1967, ill. J. Hives).
If you count carefully, the 6 books from the “Ségur-Fleuriot” edition added to the 14 books from “Nouvelle Collection Ségur” make for a total of 20… out of 21 from the original English series! Where is the last book?? Well, the missing book (namely #15 Five on a Secret Trail / Le Club des Cinq se distingue) benefitted from a higher-end edition called “Idéal-Bibliothèque,” featuring a larger-size format, hard cover, better-quality paper, a dust jacket, and more numerous illustrations. A second book joined this upgraded edition a year later.
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“Idéal-Bibliothèque” collection:
#15 Five on a Secret Trail / Le Club des Cinq se distingue (1961, ill. J. Hives);
#08 Five Get into Trouble / Le Club des Cinq en péril (1962, ill. J. Hives).
The “Bibliothèque Rose” editions, featuring hard covers, 4 to 6 full-page colour art, and several black and white illustrations, are the most well-known to this day.
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“Bibliothèque Rose” original editions from 1958 to 1967, featuring artwork from the four original illustrators
(Note: Covers sorted according to the original English publication order, as it is very difficult to pinpoint the exact French publishing order due to the many re-editions.)
The series became wildly popular and benefitted from several re-editions, some of them with new cover art produced by the then-current illustrator, Jeanne Hives.
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Some “Bibliothèque Rose” re-editions from 1965-1969, featuring new cover art by Jeanne Hives
The 1970s saw a renewal of the “Bibliothèque Rose” collection with the arrival of illustrator Jean Sidobre who, over the next 15 years, produced numerous covers for all 21 books and, in time, produced the full set of inside illustrations. In these newer editions though, the number of full-page colour illustrations was reduced to four due to economic constraints.
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Various cover art by Jean Sidobre from 1971 to 1985
(Note: The third cover for '#03 Five Run Away Together / Le Club des Cinq contre-attaque' is not from Sidobre but from another illustrator, called Annie-Claude Martin.)
Back in the early 1970s, thanks to the series’ popularity, some of the books were published in a larger size format featuring several more colour illustrations and some black and white ones. These editions were respectively called “Galaxie” and “Vermeille” and were both illustrated by Jean Sidobre. Some of the art is the same as in “Bibliothèque Rose” above, and some is new. You will notice that the two books from the “Galaxie” edition are also part of the “Vermeille” edition; my guess is that they started these upgraded editions as “Galaxie”, but for some reason decided that “Vermeille” was better, and so they fitted the first two books into the developing new collection – as far as I can figure out, the contents of these two books are the same under “Galaxie” and “Vermeille”, the only difference being the cover art.
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“Galaxie” collection:
#02 Five Go Adventuring Again / Le Club des Cinq (1971, ill. J. Sidobre);
#21 Five Are Together Again / Le Club des Cinq en embuscade (1972, ill. J. Sidobre).
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“Vermeille” collection:
#18 Five on Finniston Farm / Le Club des Cinq et le coffre aux merveilles (1973, ill. J. Sidobre);
#21 Five Are Together Again / Le Club des Cinq en embuscade (1974, ill. J. Sidobre);
#02 Five Go Adventuring Again / Le Club des Cinq (1974, ill. J. Sidobre);
#01 Five on a Treasure Island / Le Club des Cinq et le trésor de l’île (1975, ill. J. Sidobre);
#17 Five Get into a Fix / Le Club des Cinq aux sports d’hiver (1975, ill. J. Sidobre);
#09 Five Fall into Adventure / Le Club des Cinq et les gitans (1975, ill. J. Sidobre);
#04 Five Go to Smuggler’s Top / Le Club des Cinq en vacances (1975, ill. J. Sidobre).
The 1980s saw a drop in “Bibliothèque Rose” sales as kids were moving from books to TV and video games. To boost sales, the publisher made several changes to the look and format of the books, and the original text was sometimes abridged.
In 1988, as sales continued to fall, and to save money, Hachette changed its “Bibliothèque Rose” hardbacks to a softcover pocket format. The inside colour illustrations disappeared and the black and white ones decreased in number (re-using former art from Sidobre). On the upside, these editions saw a series of new cover art from a different illustrator, Yves Beaujard, whose art style on these covers is very similar to Sidobre’s, which leads me to think that this was a requirement from the publisher who wanted a certain consistency between Beaujard’s cover art and Sidobre’s inside illustrations.
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From 1988 to 1992, the whole series benefitted from new cover art by Yves Beaujard (with the exception of ‘Le Club des Cinq au bord de la mer’ and ‘Le Club des Cinq et les papillons’, which re-used former art from Jean Sidobre)
(Note: As far as I know, ‘#03 Five Run Away Together / Le Club des Cinq contre-attaque’ was never included in this edition.)
In the 1990s, a series of new cover art was produced by Paul Gillon, with the same general layout as the previous edition. The inside black and white illustrations are either former art by Sidobre or new art by Anne Bozellec.
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Cover art by Paul Gillon from 1991-98
In 2000, Hachette celebrated the new millennium with a new style for its “Bibliothèque Rose” collection, featuring a hybrid format between hardback and softback adorned with a glossy aesthetic. The inside illustrations are the same as the previous editions, by Sidobre or Bozellec.
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Cover art by Philippe Munch and Jame’s Prunier from 1999-2004
(Note: As far as I know, ‘#10 Five Go on a Hike Together / Le Club des Cinq en randonnée’, ‘#11 Five Have a Wonderful Time / Le Club des Cinq en roulotte’, ‘#12 Five Go Down to the Sea / Le Club des Cinq au bord de la mer’, ‘#17 Five Get into a Fix / Le Club des Cinq aux sports d’hiver’ and ‘#21 Five Are Together Again / Le Club des Cinq en embuscade’ were never included in this edition.)
In the mid-2000s, the morality police made their way through the books, resulting in watered-down translations and some title changes. Frédéric Rébéna did a series of new cover art. The inside illustrations all but disappeared, only featuring as small vignettes at the opening of each chapter.
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Cover art by Frédéric Rébéna from 2005-11
In the 2020s, the series changed from “Bibliothèque Rose” to “Bibliothèque Verte” collection with new cover art by Auren.
Similar to “Bibliothèque Rose,” “Bibliothèque Verte” (lit. “green library”) was another historically popular collection from publisher Hachette, initially aimed toward a teenage male readership, while “Bibliothèque Rose” was leaning toward a younger and female audience. Nowadays, the line between what is deemed appropriate reading material for boys or girls has thankfully blurred and both collections are now thematically oriented, “Bibliothèque Rose” focusing on humour/emotion and “Bibliothèque Verte” on action/adventure. Hence the marketing decision that caused the Famous Five series to lose its historical pink palette.
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Cover art by Auren from 2019-21
And that’s a wrap for the main French editions! But there’s still a few more to go through.
First is France Loisirs, a book sales club to which you can register and you will receive a certain number of books each month. I do not know if the whole series was ever fully published by France Loisirs; the visuals that you will find below are all that I could find. The books are hardbacks with a dust jacket and without any inside illustrations. From what I could gather, they were published from 1975 to the early 1980s. The illustrator is called J.P. Morvan and, if you look closely, often took inspiration from earlier “Bibliothèque Rose” illustrations by Jean Sidobre.
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“France Loisirs” edition from 1975-82 with cover art by J.P. Morvan
In the 1990s, France Loisirs published another batch, re-using cover art by Paul Gillon from the contemporary “Bibliothèque Rose” edition. I’m a bit fuzzy on the exact dates, but these were published from the early to mid-1990s to around 2000. I do not know anything about the books themselves, but I can assume that they contain only plain text without any inside illustrations.
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“France Loisirs” edition from the 1990s featuring art by Paul Gillon
Last on our exploration of “Famous Five” French publishing is actually not French at all! But I’m including it in this post because it uses the same French translations as Hachette.
This particular edition is from a publisher named “Edito Service SA, Genève”, which you may have guessed is from Switzerland. I don’t have a lot of information about its history and only learned about its existence because some of these books made it through the border into France, and from there onto the online second-hand market. The books each contain 5 illustrations by Umberto Nonna (3 black and white and 2 full-colour), and they come both in softback and hardback formats. They were published in 1981-82.
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“Edito Service” edition from 1981-82 (softbacks)
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“Edito Service” edition from 1981-82 (some of the hardbacks)
(Note: Despite what the above pictures suggest, all the hardback covers have the same dark green background.)
Thank you for your attention, and see you soon!
~~~~~~
We’ve now truly come to the end of this deep-dive into Famous Five French publishing.
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rabbitcruiser · 6 months ago
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Dawson Creek, BC (No. 3)
Upon entering the war, the United States decided to build a transportation corridor to connect the US mainland to Alaska. In 1942, thousands of US Army personnel, engineers, and contractors poured into the city – the terminal of rail transport – to construct the Alaska Highway. The highway was completed in less than a year; even after the workers involved in its construction departed, population and economic growth continued. In February 1943, a major fire and explosion in a livery barn, packed with road-building supplies including dynamite, caused serious damage to the center of town; five people were killed and 150 injured. Dawson Creek became a RCAF station during WWII, in September 1944. The station disbanded in March 1946.
By 1951, Dawson Creek had more than 3,500 residents. In 1952, the John Hart Highway linked the town to the rest of the British Columbia Interior and Lower Mainland through the Rocky Mountains; a new southbound route, known locally as Tupper Highway, made the town a crossroads with neighbouring Alberta. The next year, western Canada's largest propane gas plant was built and federal government offices were established in town. In 1958, the extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway to the Peace from Prince George was completed, and the village was re-incorporated as a city. Between 1951 and 1961, the population of Dawson Creek more than tripled. The RCAF center reemerged on October 1, 1956 and was declared functional in 1958. It was disbanded a final time in March 1964.
Growth slowed in the 1960s, with the population reaching its all-time high in 1966, but area population increased. In the 1970s, the provincial government moved its regional offices from Pouce Coupe to the city, Northern Lights College opened a Dawson Creek campus, and the Dawson Creek Mall was constructed. Several modern grain elevators were built, and the town's five wooden grain elevators, nicknamed "Elevator Row", were taken out of service. Only one of the historic elevators remains, converted to an art gallery. Since the 1970s, with the nearby town of Fort St. John attracting much of the area's industrial development and Grande Prairie becoming a commercial hub, the town's population and economy have not significantly increased.
Since 1992, the city has undergone several boundary expansions. One expansion incorporated undeveloped land in the southeast for an industrial park and a Louisiana-Pacific Canada veneer factory. The city extended sewer and water lines to the location; however, the area was not developed and with the factory only half-built, L-P Canada abandoned its plans. A business making manufactured homes bought the factory and completed its development in 2005. Another expansion incorporated the existing oriented strand board factory in the northwest corner of the city, while further incorporations have included undeveloped land to the south and north.
Source: Wikipedia
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skarloeyspa · 2 years ago
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The Two Good Fairies (Wait, Two?)
Just a bit (a lot) of re-imagining of the finer details of Duke's rescue and the episode Sleeping Beauty. I haven't exactly posted my writing publicly before so don't expect stellar content lol. I also took some liberties between the tv series and RWS canon, but most of the inspiration is from the tv series. Also crediting @/ryan1014n2 for the aluminum works HC for Stuart and Falcon!
“...and that’s why they call you a hotbox!”
“Hotbox?! At least I’m not the one with steamroller wheels!”
Rheneas watched the two new engines bicker with amusement as he waited for his own departure, passengers still slowly filing into the coaches attached to his back buffers. The two new engines, Sir Handel and Peter Sam were double-heading a heavy freight train, passing by the station slowly.
“Steamroller! Wait until Duke hears about this one!”
Sir Handel proclaimed, and the bickering had all but stopped. Rheneas couldn’t see the expression on either engine, they had already passed the station by then, and were speeding along the line once more. 
A familiar whistle sounded across the platform, Rheneas whistled back as Skarloey pulled into the station.
“Rheneas! How does it feel to be back on the line?”
“Just wonderful, is that even a question? I was so glad to finally get overhauled, but I’m even more grateful to be back.”
The two old engines shared a laugh, before settling into the buzz of the busy station. Tidbits of the earlier conversation between the two new engines resurfaced in Rheneas’ mind.
“Say, Skarloey. You know that Duke person that Sir Handel and Peter Sam bring up? Who are they?”
The red engine froze, before returning Rheneas’ gaze, a hint of bitterness in his eyes.
“Duke is…an engine. He was on the old railway that Sir Handel and Peter Sam used to run. It closed after some time and…they couldn’t find Duke a new home.”
Rheneas felt dread pool at the bottom of his boiler.
“Was he…”
“Oh, no, they didn’t scrap him. They just…sheeted him. But who knows what happened to the poor old engine?”
Rheneas opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of guard’s whistle kept the words on his tongue. Pursing his lips, Rheneas simply whistled back as he pulled out of the station, left to ponder about this mysterious engine’s fate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several years had passed since their conversation, and Rheneas would have forgotten, if he didn’t hear passing mentions of Duke whenever the two new engines were around. 
No, calling them new would imply they were strangers, Peter Sam and Sir Handel had far outgrown that title.
Sometimes, when the rain was heavy and the trees rustled against the brick of their sheds, the two engines would recount tales on their old railway. It was from these stories that Rheneas and Skarloey would learn more about the mysterious engine named Duke. 
Duke, or as Sir Handel and Peter Sam liked to call him, Granpuff, was the old faithful of their old railway the Mid-Sodor. When they were still called Stuart and Falcon, Duke was the one to keep them in check and out of trouble. They talked of the time that Duke gallantly pulled Sir Handel back up the mountain, or the time Duke humbled Peter Sam by roaring loudly on the mountain as though he were the one with a packed passenger train and an engine pulling on his coupling. The two told of many stories, some more savoury than the others, but not once had they spoken Duke’s name without love.
And, as Rheneas would later recognize in their voice, grief.
One day, after returning to the sheds for the night, with Skarloey being the only other engine present, Sir Topham Hatt approached Rheneas and Skarloey along with a group of men holding rolls of paper and small suitcases.
“Starting from tomorrow,” announced Sir Topham Hatt, “I’d like the two of you to assist in a special job,” and he quietly explained to the two old engines the visitors’ proposal.
“They want to find Duke!” Skarloey exclaimed as the men left with the Fat Controller, “Goodness! Wait until Sir Handel and Peter Sam hear about this, they’ll be ecstatic!”
But Rheneas shushed his brother, “Best keep it a secret until we actually do find him,” he replied, “It would be such a letdown for them if we build up all this hope only to end up finding nothing.”
And so, the two engines and their crew agreed to keep this operation a secret. In the following days, either Rheneas or Skarloey would take the visitors and some workmen into the faraway mountains, going through old tunnels and over high bridges, trying to find the old shed that still housed the lost Duke. Every day, they would go deeper and deeper into the hills, and with each day their hope dwindled, but the search carried on, the crew refusing to give up. 
Skarloey waited on the old rails, watching as the search crew climbed further and further into the old station, looking like ants as they scrambled over the overgrown ruins. Bored, Skarloey observed the mountains around him. 
From the moss-covered tracks to the rusted barrels and rotting wooden crates that strewn about the grounds paved with gravel, Skarloey’s gaze trailed to the empty decaying shed, the first thing they had found upon arriving. Pieces of the roof had broken off and fallen onto the ground, the glass on the windows cracked and filled with holes, and vegetation ate away at the bricks and wood that still struggled to keep the shed intact.
Skarloey’s observations were interrupted by the sound of a distant crash. Returning his attention to the search crew, they were rushing towards the top of a particularly shallow cliff. Skarloey squinted his eyes. Was that…smoke? 
The men crowded around the clouds of dust, and Skarloey was too far away to hear their conversations, but soon cheers and laughter erupted from the crew. 
“We found him! We found our sleeping beauty!”
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Skarloey and Rheneas waited patiently as the crew secured the old engine to the flatbed, chains pulling over the engine’s dusty, worn brown paint. Some of the men discussed among themselves what to do with the decade-old coal that still remained in the old engine’s little tender, but neither Skarloey nor Rheneas caught the end of that conversation as their crew prepared for departure.
Rolling along the old track, Skarloey was coupled up to the flatbed, curiously observing the old engine they had just rescued. Duke’s eyes were wide and filled with glee as he watched the mountains pass. Soon, the old engine’s gaze landed on Skarloey.
“Oh? Hello there, I don’t believe we’ve met before,” Duke inquired of Skarloey. 
“No, we haven’t. But I’ve heard a lot about you,” Skarloey replied, and the two began chatting, with Rheneas soon joining in from behind. They talked of the stories that Peter sam and Sir Handel would tell, now hearing Duke’s perspective as well, chuckling over how the two had been such cheeky engines in their youth.
“Really now? Seems like Peter Sam hasn’t changed a bit!” Rheneas retorted, and the three laughed once again, though a sadness settled in Duke’s tired eyes.
“Peter Sam, is it? Everything does change, I suppose.” The old engine murmured solemnly.
“Perhaps, but I’d say the joy I hear in their voices when they told your stories was all genuine, and so was the sadness they'd tried to hide,” Skarloey said in return.
Duke contemplated Skarloey’s words in silence as they passed over the viaduct. With his gaze trained on the ravine below, Duke smiled tenderly.
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Sir Handel bit back a retort, imagining all the ways he would one-up Peter Sam once given the chance. As he waited for his coaches to be uncoupled, Skarloey rolled into the station, strangely muddy for a day at the quarry and barely contained excitement.
“Hello Skarloey, what’s got you all excited?” quizzed Sir Handel.
“Oh, has the Fat Controller not told you yet? There’s a surprise waiting for you and Peter Sam at the sheds!”
“Surprise? How nice of him! What is it?” Peter Sam replied.
“Well, I’m not one to spoil surprises, but there’s someone you’ve been longing to see, just as he’d been longing to see you again.”
…huh?
“You mean…Duke?”
Skarloey’s grin widened. Next to him, Peter Sam bounced about on his tracks, shaking with joy, but Sir Handel remained frozen on his spot, disbelief still rampant in his mind. Distantly, he could hear his driver’s comments about his fire going on and off, unstable and incapable of producing good steam. Skarloey spoke again, but his words faded into a buzz, settling into the background with the rest of the bustling passengers at the station.
Glimpses of the mountain cliffs flashed through his mind, the pull of gravity on his buffers and the drafts of wind from the bottom of the mountain, the sheer cry of the eagle that pierced through the screeching and humming of his Granpuff’s wheels as he pulled and pulled against the tracks. Then, the comfort of the ground, of being pushed back to the station, standing safely next to his Granpuff as he shushed him to sleep later that night with a rare softness to his gruff voice.
…el…
Then there was the bitterness, the painful panging in his boiler when their old railway closed. The gut-wrenching fear, clawing and clambering at him as he was driven away from his Granpuff, who stood faithfully to the very end at his shed at the foot of the mountain. 
…alco…
Short flashes of those brief years at Peel Godred, the coldness of the factories where he found his only comfort next to his brother, wishing and hoping everyday that maybe, just maybe, someone would be nice enough to bring their Granpuff back. 
Drip. Drip.
Wishing, praying, oh he’d have done just about anything to have his Granpuff back, if only just for one day-
“Falcon!”
Sir Handel was snapped out of his thoughts, Peter Sam had stopped just before his buffers, with Skarloey looking on from the side with concern. 
“...Stuart?”
Tears welling in the corners of Sir Handel’s eyes splashed onto his footplate, only then did he notice how blurry his vision had gone, muddled by emotion. Blinking rapidly, Falcon cleared his eyes and took a good look at his brother before him, just to make sure he didn’t mishear.
It was like they were back at the aluminum works, where Stuart would feign bravery and act strong for both of them, keeping a smile on his face as he pushed on. But Falcon always saw the fear in his brother’s gaze, the trembling young engine who just wanted to be comforted too, but had put on a brave face because one of them had to. 
Now, wearing the same expression that Stuart had on when he tried to calm Falcon down the same way their Granpuff used to, there was still a fear that had long since lodged itself within him, but there was also something new. Like their very first night at Peel Godred, Peter Sam had hope, and maybe just a little bit of his own tears.
“Come on, Falcon, looks like we have to keep Granpuff in check.”
For one last time, Sir Handel dared himself to spare a glance at Skarloey. The old engine, now joined by Rheneas, smiled at him assuredly. Squeezing out all his remaining tears, Sir Handel beamed at Peter Sam.
“Yeah, gotta keep Granpuff in order, Stuart.”
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scotianostra · 1 year ago
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On June 20th 1887 the "new" "Tay rail bridge opened, the longest in the British Isles.
Firstly let’s get the usual dates thing out the way, I have three dates for this after examination, 1st, 10th and 20th of June, you’d think in an age where we photograph things for posterity, we could get the dates right. I’ve chosen today because it flagged up in my alerts, it’s as simple as that.
We have to salute the bravery of those men who worked building bridges like this, I say men, but look t the photos of the construction workers and see how young some of them were!
I think we all know the story behind the Tay bridge disaster so there is now need to go through it all again but after the bridge collapsed the North British Railway and supporters of the Tay Bridge were determined that it should be rebuilt. William Henry Barlow who had sat on the board of enquiry into the old bridge was asked on the best course of action. After thorough investigation of the options, his recommendation was to build a new double line bridge, completely independent of the old.
Barlow’s design for the new bridge was deeply influenced by the presence of the old. To satisfy stipulations made by the Board of Trade, the bridge was to be constructed exactly parallel alongside the old in order to keep navigation channels open, and its height was to be reduced from 88ft in the old bridge to 77ft in the new. As in the old bridge, the railway line was to run on the top of the approach girders, and through the girders of the high, larger navigation spans. Barlow recommended that if the spans of the new bridge were to be kept the same, girders from the old bridge that were unaffected by the collapse of the high girders, were able to be re-used in the new.
The new bridge was to be built 60ft upstream from the old, allowing the old bridge to become ‘staging’ for the men and materials in the construction of the new. The approaches onto the new bridge were altered; to the south the branch lines were joined on brick arches nearer to the shore at Wormitt, and to the North the eastwards curve into Tay Bridge Station (now called Dundee) was softened. Stringent tests on weight and wind loading in the design and construction of the new bridge were also to be undertaken. The proposals for the ‘New Tay Viaduct’ were accepted by Parliament in October 1881, and the firm William Arrol & Co of Glasgow was appointed contractor.
The new bridge took just 5 years to build, thanks in most part to special pontoon equipment with hydraulic legs which were designed by William Arrol. Various arrangements of these hydraulic pontoons were used to sink and construct the brick and concrete foundation columns, to erect the wrought iron piers, to move the old girders into position for the new bridge, and to erect the new navigation spans. The completed bridge is 10711ft in length, 8396ft of which is in a straight line running virtually north / south across the Tay until it curves eastwards towards Dundee. There are 85 piers; 1-28 forming the south approach, 28-41 the ‘navigation spans’ and 41-85 the north approach. The new Tay Bridge was opened to traffic, without ceremony on 20th June 1887.It still stands as testament to what good engineering was used in it's build.
You can find loads more pickoff the bridge during construction here https://www.leisureandculturedundee.com/virtual-gallery-new-bridge-1887
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lnwrcauli · 8 months ago
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Otto & Mark the Suburban Tank Engines [NWR AU]
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History
In 1925, the London, Midland & Scottish Railway entered a running-rights agreement with the North Western Railway, allowing them running rights as far as Tidmouth in exchange for the North Western Railway being given running rights to Barrow-In-Furness, as well as the LMS providing a station pilot at Vicarstown for five years. As part of the agreement, the LMS was allowed to stable their engines at Vicarstown. By 1926, four LMS engines inhabited the shed alongside it's NWR residents. Two of these LMS engines were Otto and Mark. The pair were built at Crewe in 1909 for suburban work between London Euston and Watford, being stabled at Camden Shed for a time.
Upon the agreement being reached, the pair were taken from their duties in the capital and re-allocated to Vicarstown Sheds to work suburban trains. Their hot heads and arrogance put them at odds with other LMS engines, as well as the NWR's fleet. In 1929, Otto heavily damaged his internal motion after pushing himself far beyond his limits in a bid to win an argument with Gordon, requiring heavy repairs which put him out of action for a few months, leaving Mark and Edward to take up the slack. When he returned, he was a much more cautious, sensible engine. The same could not be said for Mark however, as he was still as arrogant as ever.
In 1939, the Germany declared war on the United Kingdom, starting the Second World War and the beginning of evacuee services. Evacuee trains on Sodor were mostly worked by Otto and Mark. During this time, Mark truly began to shape up and mature, transforming from a self-centred, rude hotshot to a well-adjusted, level-headed engine. By the end of the Second World War, the pair were completely worn out. The LMS was considering scrapping them, but they were given full overhauls curtsey of Crovan's Gate works as a thank you for their service. They continued to run well past nationalisation before they were eventually withdrawn by British Railways in 1958, upon which they were given the numbers 18 and 19 respectively, repainted into NWR green and put back to their regular duties, where they have served ever since.
Personalities
Otto is the more level-headed of the pair, often being more realistic, which Mark sees as pessimism. He keeps to himself usually, but has a few engines he can open up to, namely Edward. Otto tends to underestimate his capabilities, which can sometimes land him in trouble when he turns down jobs.
Mark on the other hand is more confident and outgoing, and is usually the one to start conversations. He can be airheaded and cocky at times, but is quite kind too. His main weakness is his prejudice against freight, still considering goods work "beneath him", even in his old age.
All in all, the pair are dedicated hard-workers who are vital in the running of the North Western Railway.
Thank you for reading, I'll see you in the next one.
Cheerio!
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ye-olde-sodor · 2 years ago
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Family Reunion (CotL Fic)
Sorry for the lack of content, I forgot that I was real. I wanted to try something a little different than what I'd normally do, but this turned out to be super fun and easy to do, so I'll probably be doing more of these lmao. Anyways, enjoy the look into Claw of the Law!
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"Go on holiday", they said, "The Railway will be fine!" they said!
Surely the whole island won't suddenly separate itself from the entire Mainland in mere seconds! There isn't a chance that it'll suddenly become lost at sea through some otherworldly nature, don't be ridiculous! We won't have to send for a rescue crew to track the island down in order to get you and your family home!
The Fat controller sighed as he opened the door to the local Pub outside of Tidmouth Station. He looked around at his fellow patrons, and felt as though he had finally lost his mind.
The place recked of diesel fuel despite the open windows, although no one seemed to notice of care. If anything, it was like they were used to the smell of the fumes. At each of the tables, a large crowd of grey skinned workers happily drank a noncaseous black liquid from large mugs. At one table, a group of the men were playing cards. At another, they were cheering for some sort of great achievement unknown to Topham.
The Pub was rowdy, sure, but it was much tamer then what Topham had expected it to be...especially considering that he knew almost everyone in the Pub.
They were the Vicarstown Diesel fleet! His own engines!
He had already known of the sudden "change" within the Sudrian locomotives, but even after a week of being on the newly re-discovered island, he still couldn't believe his eyes. But he knew that it was them, even without looking at them he knew. He knew it was them, the same way a child knows it's mother.
As he walked to the bar in front of him he was able to recognize a few faces. The most noticeable of them was Diesel himself. Despite him wearing the same black overalls and hat as all the other diesels, his bright red turtleneck and tall posture made him stand out from the rest. Naturally, he was seated at the table celebrating a success, with his mug held high as they announced a toast.
Beside him was most likely Splatter, primarily due to the purple shirt hidden by the overalls. His brother Dodge right beside him. Interestingly, the scrapyard twins Arry and Bert were right beside them, with what looked to be Dennis at the far end of the table.
"Knowing him, he was only here for the party..." Sir Topham though to himself as he sat at a barstool. The other diesels didn't seem to notice him enter, nor did they seem to notice that it was actually him. Perhaps this was due to the winter coat he was wearing. That, and he traded his signature top hat for a smaller cap instead. He didn't think it would be that much of a difference, but clearly he was mistaken.
Just then a diesel on the other side of the bar had approached him with a notepad in hand.
The man had grey skin just like the other locomotives, except he was much paler when compared to the rest of them. Unlike the other locomotives there, he wore a black leather jacket with a teal shirt underneath it. His trousers were a shade of burgundy, with a black belt wrapped around it.
Interestingly, he was wearing on of those new fancy "chokers" that the youth were wearing nowadays. Topham never understood the trend himself, to him it just looked like a safety hazard. The locomotive also had a set of silver piercings, although Topham couldn't possibly understand how that could've happened.
The diesel had long, dark blue hair. If he didn't know any better, Topham would've assumed that it was a bird's nest given how messy the hair was. On the bright side, it looked clean and devoid of any grease or grime.
What really caught Topham's attention though, was the man's face. His face was eerily familiar, but Topham wasn't quite sure if he recognized this diesel. He had a much softer face then most other diesels, but had a stern look on his face. It was as if he hadn't smiled in years. His eyes had dark circles over them, yet his eyes were still a piercing green.
Topham was sure that he knew this man, but It wasn't until the man spoke did Topham finally put it all together.
"Welcome to Jamies, how can I help you?"
Topham's eyes shot open at the sound of his voice. He quickly pulled out a picture of one of his engines and held it out in front of him.
Lo and behold, it was an exact match. Almost. For starters, Thomas never had bags under his eyes until now, and he always had triangular eyebrows, not the long and thin ones he had now.
"Um, sir?" Thomas questioned, "Are you going to order something or are we just going to stand here all night?"
Apparently, Thomas didn't recognize him either! To be fair though, Topham had changed since they last met as well. The stress from losing an entire island and his fleet of engines had not been kind to him in the slightest. He even managed to lose a little bit of weight!
Once Topham snapped out of it, he looked at Thomas with glee.
"Thomas! Is that really you?"
Now it was Thomas's turn to be surprised! He looked at Topham, rubbed his eyes, and looked back at him. After a few moments, a bright smile had formed across his face.
"Sir! I can't believe it's you!" he cried excitedly, "I almost didn't recognize you!"
"I almost didn't recognize you!" retorted the Fat Controller, "What on earth happened to you?"
"The same thing that happened to everyone else, engine one minute, Mengine the next!"
Sir Topham Hatt crocked his head at the mention of Mengines. He had heard the word tossed around before, and through deduction he was able to figure out what it meant. While the island still had it's human inhabitants, it also had "Mengines", men who could turn into engines. From what he could tell, only the diesels could shift from one for to the other, while the steam engines were left with one form.
Regardless of what his engines were now, all that mattered to him was their wellbeing. That, and trying to save the railway from bankruptcy and forever tarnishing the Hatt family legacy.
And now that he's found his number 1 engine...he can surely find the rest of them. If he can do that, then maybe, just maybe, they can work something out to befit from this strange mess.
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meret118 · 1 year ago
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Originally constructed as a railway to connect the harbour of the town with the main train line, Ramsgate Tunnels are two and a half miles long and in some places are as much as 27 metres below the surface. The largest of the tunnels, dates back to October 1863, when it was opened as a railway tunnel serving Ramsgate Harbour Station.
The line closed in 1926, when the current Ramsgate station opened. However, the tunnel was brought back into use in 1936, when a narrow gauge railway ran between Hereson Road and the seafront.
The second phase of construction for the Tunnels was during the Second World War, when the Mayor or Ramsgate commissioned the construction of a series of tunnels to serve as underground shelters to protect the inhabitants of Ramsgate. Due to Ramsgate’s close proximity to Europe, the town suffered from heavy bombing during the Second World War.On 24 August 1940, 500 German bombs were dropped on Ramsgate in just five minutes. Despite the heavy bombardment, the deep shelters saved lives and as a consequence only 29 civilians and two soldiers were lost. The bombardment on 24 August 1940 destroyed roughly 1,200 homes and, as a result of homelessness, roughly 300 families took to living in the tunnels on a permanent basis.
The tunnels became a subterranean town with shops, barbers, canteens, concerts and even an underground hospital. After the end of the war, the tunnels were slowly sealed and abandoned.The scenic railway was re-opened in 1946 but was finally closed in 1965. Following this, the tunnels were derelict for a number of years, and without regular maintenance the tunnels were in danger of deterioration and collapse.
More at the link.
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Re: railway cats, I think it'd actually make more sense if Ingo and Emmet were knowledgeable about trains and humans. There have been cats living as mousers at railyards for as long as trains have been a Thing. They're not quite kittypets, but a lot of them are friendly and almost-mascots. So they might not really know know what trains are, but they've been around them their whole lives and have a working relationship with the station employees
I could see to them the trains being near deities? They're huge, have names, how they work and move is kind of mysterious to cats because they seem both alive and not, and both the cats and station workers service them. So basically they'd be reshiram and zekrom lol
However, railways cats tend to be very loved by passengers, and they can end up being local celebrities. And like all celebrities, sometimes fans can be very inappropriate. So I could see someone forcibly taking Ingo, somehow catching and sneaking him on the train, to match how he was taken by giratina. Maybe he was given some drugged food, leaving him disoriented when he woke up, but he knew he wasn't supposed to actually be on the train and something was wrong because Emmet wasn't with him. So jumps out of the moving train himself, because it makes sense to his dazed mind to try to get back home and find Emmet. But he's uncoordinated, messes up the landing, hits his head, and loses his memories
Meanwhile, Emmet has no idea where his brother went, until one of the passengers hears that he went missing when they return, and tells the staff that they saw him on the train on their first trip. So Emmet knows Ingo was on the train (do kittypets understand human speech? Maybe he understands just enough words and reads the vibes to tell), which he knew better than to do, which means someone took him. Ingo would have tried to come home, he'd never just abandon Emmet or the station, so if he wasn't on any of the return trains that meant that something went horribly wrong, he just doesn't know what
To the clan cats Ingo probably seems overly knowledgeable about and friendly towards human-related things, like how he was with pokemon, but doesn't actually seem like he was formerly a Pet. They at first think he might be part of the Galaxy Team barn cats as a result, but they insist they've never seen him before
ok the trains being like deities to them is. REALLY fun. in a sort of like "yes they're dangerous, but treat them with care and respect and they can help you do things no cat ever thought possible (go very very fast)." i guess this is where i admit that i was imagining them as more like, railyard strays than like. uh. whadyacallem. passenger station cats? especially if they ARE doing the thing of showing other cats around. though they could have sort of done both at different points, if they DO move around a lot like i suggested earlier. but them being like station cats and sort of mascots is also very fun and DOES open up some fun options for ingo's Why Do You Know That-ness like you said. idk i see pros of both options in different ways but i feel like the vibes of the first might fit warriors better? idk!
anyway i don't thiiiink any of the cats really understand human speech? iirc at least. but i could see that ingo and emmet understand, at the very least, the human words for Train and maybe whatever the names are that humans have given them, if they ARE like, cat celebs (which... they probably aren't ingo and emmet i don't think. maybe diminutive forms of zekrom/reshiram? kuro and shiro?) but i'm not sure if that would be enough for emmet to pick up exactly what the situation is. but otoh that does kind of work better, anyway? if emmet doesn't actually have any idea where ingo is, that means he has to spend longer looking and we get more time to do the main Plot back in pearlclan.
side thing but the galaxy team cats also being like. inhabiting an abandoned barn maybe. is really fun i like that
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guerrerense · 2 years ago
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Churnet Valley Railway Froghall Staffordshire 13th November 2010
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Churnet Valley Railway Froghall Staffordshire 13th November 2010 por loose_grip_99 Por Flickr: Southern Railway Bulleid rebuilt-West Country Pacific 34028 Eddystone standing in Kingsley & Froghall station on the Churnet Valley Railway. It was the Gala Re-opening of the line to Cauldon Lowe. We and it were waiting for 45 minutes. This engine pulled the 11.25 train to Cauldon Lowe - the second public passenger train in 75 years! Notice the shadows of the crowds waiting for this train. The platforms and trains were heaving all day.
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newnewz · 2 years ago
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'Tragic human error' caused Greece's worst train crash: PM
"Everything shows that the drama was, sadly, mainly due to a tragic human error," Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address.
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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday said a "tragic human error" was likely responsible for a train collision that has left at least 38 dead in the country's worst rail tragedy.
Two carriages were crushed and a third engulfed in fire when a passenger train and a freight train late Tuesday collided near the central city of Larissa, on a route plagued by years of safety warnings.
The fire department had earlier increased the death toll to 38, adding that 57 people were still hospitalised, six of them in intensive care, while several were missing.
"Everything shows that the drama was, sadly, mainly due to a tragic human error," Mitsotakis -- who is seeking re-election this year -- said in a televised address.
He said it was a "terrible train accident without precedent" in Greece which would be "fully" investigated.
"I've never seen anything like this in my entire life," said one rescue worker, emerging from the wreckage. "It's tragic. Five hours later, we are finding bodies."
The accident left a tangled mess of metal and shattered glass in a field.
In some cases, passengers are being identified from body parts, volunteer fireman Vassilis Iliopoulos told Skai TV, warning that the death toll would rise.
Seventeen biological samples have been collected from remains, and from 23 relatives seeking a match, the police said.
"It was the train of terror," Pavlos Aslanidis, whose son is missing along with a friend, told reporters.
Greece's transport minister submitted his resignation just hours after the accident.
"When something so tragic happens, we cannot continue as if nothing had happened," Kostas Karamanlis said in a public statement.
On Wednesday evening, police in the capital Athens fired tear gas at protesters throwing rocks at the offices of the railway's operating company, Hellenic Train.
The passenger train, carrying more than 350 people, had been travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki.
The 59-year-old station master of Larissa was arrested several hours after the accident and charged with negligent homicide.
Government spokesman Yiannis Economou said the two trains were left running on the same track for "several kilometres".
But train unionists said the station master was likely a scapegoat as the safety shortcomings of the Athens-Thessaloniki railway line had been known for years.
In an open letter in February, train staff said track safety systems were incomplete and poorly maintained.
A safety supervisor had resigned last year, warning that infrastructure upgrades pending since 2016 were incomplete and that train speeds of up to 200 kilometres (124 miles) an hour were unsafe.
The president of the train drivers' union Kostas Genidounias told AFP from the scene that the accident "would have been avoided if the safety systems were working".
'Complete panic'
Health Minister Thanos Plevris said most passengers were "young people", with the train carrying many students returning to Thessaloniki after a long holiday weekend.
"It was a nightmare... I'm still shaking," 22-year-old passenger Angelos told AFP.
"Fortunately we were in the penultimate car and we got out alive. There was a fire in the first cars and complete panic.
"The collision was like a huge earthquake."
"I was stained with blood from other people who were injured near me," a passenger named Lazos told the newspaper Proto Thema.
Some 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances were mobilised for the response, according to Greek emergency services.
Crews were still struggling to lift one of the smashed carriages, lying on its side, to enable a search inside, Iliopoulos said.
"My thoughts are with the people in Greece this morning," tweeted the head of the European Council, Charles Michel.
"Shocked by the news and images of the collision of the two trains," he added.
Neighbouring Albania, Italy, Serbia and Turkey were among states to send condolences, as did China, the United States, France, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and the Vatican.
Nicosia said two Cypriots were among the missing.
'Windows exploded'
On the local media site Onlarissa, a young woman said that the train "was stopped for a few minutes when we heard a deafening noise".
Another passenger told Skai TV that "the windows suddenly exploded. People were screaming."
"Fortunately, we were able to open the doors and escape fairly quickly. In other wagons, they did not manage to get out, and one wagon even caught fire," he added.
Authorities have declared three days of national mourning.
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mandssisters · 2 years ago
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Brizzle innit 22.11.22
“By any means possible” A train taking the strain today. Across two counties. Wiltshire into Avon. Bristol. Love Brizzle.
After the storms of yesterday today we got lucky with the skies, they were blue again. Whilst waiting for the train at Salisbury on a cold but sunny platform I got the step count up for the day to 3,500 before boarding. Result. And didn’t buy a hot chocolate to compensate for the cold. Joe Wicks would be proud of me.
An easy 78 mins on the train. A short walk from the station to the des res Ho e clearly the Ibis budget doesn’t stretch to T’s and L’s.
I needed chips. What better way to enjoy them than in a Wetherspoons! Living the dream. Now I had a real fan girl moment, I got right up close and personal with …….. a real life pair of Gromit and Shaun the sheep sculptures. Trip already made! #suchafan Bristol been the home of Aardman animations.
Right let’s cut to the chase. The venue. Google maps did show me what to expect. And it didn’t disappoint. WOW. An idiot could have walked past quite easily and thought it was a disused warehouse….. I mean idiot. 😉
The marble factory. ((Stone cut marble not the glass ball variety.)) Back in the day I bet this place was amazing? But right now it was opposite a building site which was once an industrial estate and even the ATS Tyre shop google maps had promised me had closed!! The only location highlight was a Vegan Cafe called Future in the railway arches which sold the best donuts in town. £10 for 3 well spent.
#homersimpsoneatyourheartout
Met the very lovely Evie in the queue. from Wales…… saw Marcus at Cardiff last night so was still buzzing. Queue time passed quickly.
Motion as I’m going to give it its proper name (the marble factory) is a night club and hanger warehouse. It was pretty cool inside capacity around 1200. All standing but some balcony standing. A real hidden gem.
Monica was back. She gave a very honest set against all the odds. She was so funny. I think one too many strepsils, lemsips, paracetamols may have been taken! There was so much rambling it was fun to watch. Great work Monica. You pulled it off.
To the show.
Ooooooooh new shirt. Tweed shirt and are they called “baggies” where is seeing bees 🐝 Patrick Grant when you need him!
Opening with Awake my soul, the cave.
Banter:
Came in the form of Football.
Last nights gig in Wales not being able to announce the score as 2 blokes had “saved” the game to watch later!!
I would appear that we had “Miss Wales” in the audience as at various times ramblings were shouted! And Marcus joked at the end that for “I will wait “ Miss Wales needed to keep quiet.
Every song is about footy…
From the balcony gods came a very sweet “shout” of “it’s coming home”!!
Marcus even joked that
“Exeter being a shit show” quiet literally!! He recapped how he got a stripping down about his use of bad potty mouth language from a friends dad. Who questioned the need of the word FUCK? It’s only a good job he didn’t get carried away with “c*nt”.
Post shows, Taylor Mackall ace musician, comments about the performance of Only Child most nights and critiques the 50% of cords Marcus gets right during the average performance of only child! Harsh.
Sadly we didn’t get to see the wonderful Monica onstage for Go in Light, as he insisted she gets well for her main performance. As she isn’t in TIP TOP form!!
After the fake end of show, and encore, another fab rendition of Cowboy, with added burp slurp! Apparently within the tea cup was tonic water most nights, but tonight it’s tea but has the same effect.
Then off piste from the set list we were in for a treat. 6 mins of bliss. Marcus’s favourite song “not dark yet” by the one and only Bob Dylan. Loved this. What a real treat. At the end the slight boast that the next one was written with Bob, although he wasn’t actually there!! WIGMHOY.
Too soon it was off mic I will wait. The crowd very respectful. Miss Wales did wales proud.
I waved a sad goodbye to band as they won’t be with Marcus for leg 3 in stores next week. Going to miss them they are so tight. Marcus’s voice just gets better and better each night. Vs mine which can barely speak atm without coughing!!! What a total joy these dates have been. Over too soon.
Today. Enjoying life with a walking tour of Banksy street art and a trip on the S S Great Britain in the dry dock. Well worth a trip, fascinating engineering and fantastic recreation of sea travels circa 1840s. What a visionary Isambard Kingdom Brundel was. And a great Ambassador of the top hat.
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alicewhitesblog · 1 month ago
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Lost and Found by Alice White
There is a reason why some lost should never be found.
Beth Simmons stood on the station platform, agitated. She was running late for work, as usual, and knew her boss would want to see her about her time keeping when she eventually arrived.
Once the train arrived, she almost lept through the open carriage door and immediately scanned left and right for an empty seat. Surprisingly, for a busy carriage she found one. Sitting near the window she watched as the station rolled by to be replaced with the back gardens of the houses that bordered the railway track. Soon, they became a blur as the train picked up speed.
Putting her bag on the only available seat next to her, she saw that a child had left behind their doll. Picking it up, it reminded her off the dolls she had as a child. Only this one looked a bit distressed. Its black hair was long and unkept. It wore a long purple and green stripe dress, purple tights with black pointed shoes.
Then looking at its white plastic face, Beth could see it had been bashed in. It was missing an eye and there were cracks down its cheeks. Either it had been ran over by a vehicle or the child had a temper tantrum.
Nevertheless, it was probably missed by a child, so she would hand it in to the lost property office when she got off the train. Beth placed the doll in her bag and spent the rest of the journey thinking up another excuse for being late.
If only she liked working at Transcorp, maybe she'd find the enthusiasm to be on time. Then, subconsciously she said out loud, "If only that place would burn down!"
Then a tiny voice spoke. "Your wish is my command."
Beth looked around at those in the busy carriage. But no-one was looking at her. She was about to ask if anyone had said something, when she could see the train was about to pull into her station.
Upon leaving the carriage, Beth went to the lost property office. "Yes dear?" Asked the man behind the glass screen.
Beth fumbled in her bag. "I have here..." Still pushing aside the detritus in her bag. "I thought I picked up a lost doll?"
The man behind screen said. "It's OK. If it's still on the train at the next station, the cleaning staff will pick it up."
Beth gave an embarrassed smile, turned, and walked out of the station. Now not thinking about the doll, she was preparing for the confrontation with her boss.
A little way away from the station, Beth noticed a plume of black smoke rising from a nearby building. Turning the corner she saw to her horror that it was her place of work, Transcorp!
Fire engines, rushed passed her with their sirens screaming.
Running over to where all the staff had mustered, she saw there were three fire engines already in attendance. Seeing her, Beth's boss came over to her. His face was ash grey and his white shirt, black from soot.
"Beth! You certainly picked a good day to be late again."
"What happened!" She asked.
"I was asking the team where you were. When an almighty explosion came from downstairs! Some say a generator blew up!"
Looking back at the orange flames devouring the three story building he said to her. "You may as well go back home. There is no work for you or any of us here now!"
In shock, Beth turned and walked back to the train station.
Once back in her apartment, Beth began to re-live the day. Her running late, finding a doll and then she remembers saying out loud she wanted Transcorp to burn down! Surely, that was a bizarre coincidence. Wasn't it? And that doll she was convinced she put it in her bag!
Fetching her bag she opened it up again. To her horror, she saw the doll lying there looking up!
Beth dropped the bag. It hit the floor and its contents plus the doll rolled out. The doll was face down. Beth was about to retrieve the doll when its arms moved and pushed itself onto its back. Slowly it began to sit up!
The expression on its face had changed. Now through its facial cracks, there was a smile. An evil, sinister smile. Then a voice came from its unmoving lips.
"Tut, tut. I grant you your wish and you tried to get rid of me! What kind of thanks is that. I am here to stay with you sweetheart. So long as I can see you, you can't lose me. The last person tried to blind me. But now I'm all seeing."
The doll reached across its chest and with its tiny plastic hands ripped open its dress to expose hundreds of small black eyes!
Beth screamed!
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brookstonalmanac · 3 months ago
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Events 8.2 (after 1930)
1932 – The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson. 1934 – Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler becomes Führer of Germany following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. 1937 – The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in America, the effect of which is to render marijuana and all its by-products illegal. 1939 – Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to begin the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon. 1943 – The Holocaust: Jewish prisoners stage a revolt at Treblinka, one of the deadliest of Nazi death camps where approximately 900,000 persons were murdered in less than 18 months. 1943 – World War II: The Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 is rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri and sinks. Lt. John F. Kennedy, future U.S. president, saves all but two of his crew. 1944 – ASNOM: Birth of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, celebrated as Day of the Republic in North Macedonia. 1944 – World War II: The largest trade convoy of the world wars arrives safely in the Western Approaches. 1945 – World War II: End of the Potsdam Conference. 1947 – A British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian airliner crashes into a mountain during a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile. The wreckage would not be found until 1998. 1968 – An earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261. 1973 – A flash fire kills 50 people at the Summerland amusement centre at Douglas, Isle of Man. 1980 – A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. 1982 – The Helsinki Metro, the first rapid transit system of Finland, is opened to the general public. 1985 – Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137. 1989 – Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972. 1989 – A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians. 1990 – Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War. 1991 – Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-43 to deploy the TDRS-5 satellite. 1999 – The Gaisal train disaster claims 285 lives in Assam, India. 2005 – Air France Flight 358 lands at Toronto Pearson International Airport and runs off the runway, causing the plane to burst into flames, leaving 12 injuries and no fatalities. 2014 – At least 146 people were killed and more than 114 injured in a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.
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