what I have learned today.

[ian]

So basically they were saying that you were someone who needed a bath, then?

[ElyDave]

So basically they were saying that you were someone who needed a bath, then?

something like that 

Or I just liked odd shaped balls

[Tim Hall]

That at least some railway bridges still have their distance/position from $whereever measured in miles and chains and that even when brand new distance markers are affixed they still display the distance in miles and chains.

All of them I believe*. They also have a three or four character Engineers Line Reference to identify the line.

*HS1 is measured in km and m, as it's a FOREIGN thing from ABROAD.

[TheLurker]

That at least some railway bridges still have their distance/position from $whereever measured in miles and chains and that even when brand new distance markers are affixed they still display the distance in miles and chains.

All of them I believe.

My sample size was small (3 bridges so far this week) and all in N/NE Kent so was quite expecting it to be a relic from whichever company originally built the line (VIR) rather than a system currently in use.

V codes here : http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/elrs/elrv.shtm

[Cudzoziemiec]

That at least some railway bridges still have their distance/position from $whereever measured in miles and chains and that even when brand new distance markers are affixed they still display the distance in miles and chains.

All of them I believe*. They also have a three or four character Engineers Line Reference to identify the line.

*HS1 is measured in km and m, as it's a FOREIGN thing from ABROAD.

I have a feeling the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth line is also measured in km, presumably because the Welsh are foreign. Or perhaps because the Walian railway was built by foreign Saxons.

[TheLurker]

...presumably because the Welsh are foreign...

Indeed.  The clue is in the name; wælisc*.


*Alternative etymologies have been proposed.

[Tim Hall]

That at least some railway bridges still have their distance/position from $whereever measured in miles and chains and that even when brand new distance markers are affixed they still display the distance in miles and chains.

All of them I believe*. They also have a three or four character Engineers Line Reference to identify the line.

*HS1 is measured in km and m, as it's a FOREIGN thing from ABROAD.

I have a feeling the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth line is also measured in km, presumably because the Welsh are foreign. Or perhaps because the Walian railway was built by foreign Saxons.

Ooh, there's a thing.  According to the ELR database TheLurker linked to

Briefly also marked in km from Sutton Bridge Junction; ERTMS signalling system still uses km

(It's line SBA). So that's  my Thing I Have Learned Today covered already.

[TheLurker]

The bod. who runs the ELR reference site has a couple of flickr albums and one contains this image ...

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdeaves2/6009247037/

I am deliberately not embedding the picture, it has to be a surprise, but it definitely deserves a dekko. 

I think it's utterly brilliant. 

[fuzzy]

One of those linguistic/cultural differences that I'd completely missed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cider_in_the_United_States

So, Apple Juice or Cider then?

[Basil]

Today I have learned why occasionally people knock at my door hoping that I will cut some keys for them, even though the house next door but one has a key shaped sign that says  Locksmiths.
It happened  again today.  Out of curiosity, I typed "keys Llandysul " into my phone.  Ah.

[ElyDave]

there is a Deliveroo type thing in Norway (Stavanger at least) and its PINK

[ian]

Hire bikes in Portland and Seattle are a rather lurid green (or rather lime). In Portland they have electric Lime scooters. In Seatlle a mix of pedal-powered and electric bikes. Also Lime.

[Moleman76]

Seattle also has yellow and orange ones for rent, along with the bright green

[Legs]

That mole meat tastes unpleasant.

Sorry, Moleman76.  It wasn't through personal experience, you understand!

[ian]

Seattle also has yellow and orange ones for rent, along with the bright green

They seem to have mostly been eclipsed by lime now.

[TheLurker]

That it is possible to play the Star Wars main theme on piano accordian.  Possible, but very, very odd.  Almost as odd as hearing someone play Wooden Heart on the bagpipes.

[rafletcher]

That there is s device on our power supply called a recloser.

[Pingu]

there is a Deliveroo type thing in Norway (Stavanger at least) and its PINK

Also in Oslo.

[Legs]

That Phil Lynott was Leslie Crowther's son-in-law.

[rogerzilla]

That Lynda Carter (yes, the Wonder Woman one) did a cover version of "She's Always A Woman" by Billy Joel.

[Feanor]

That there is s device on our power supply called a recloser.

Yes, they are like fuses but are not one-time operation and are automatic.
Its because most overhead line faults are transient ( eg a branch falling ) and the actual fault self-clears pretty quickly.
So a recloser will restore power after a pause, without requiring human intervention.
They will attempt to reclose a few times (2 or 3 usually) before locking out and requiring human intervention.

You need to be careful of them if you come across downed power lines.

If power lines have come down in a storm and appear dead, be cautious.
They may re-energise a couple of times before the recloser locks out.

[Kim]

the actual fault self-clears

Read: Disappears in a puff of smoke (magic or otherwise).

If power lines have come down in a storm and appear dead, be cautious.

I think the rule of thumb is that any power thingy that isn't visibly tied to a known-good earth with a sturdy conductor is inherently not to be trusted.

[Jurek]

That Phil Lynott was Leslie Crowther's son-in-law.

And that Phil Lynott's wife was a glamour model / soft porn star.

[ian]

I had to google both Phil Lynott and Leslie Crowther. Neither was who I thought they were.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I had to google both Phil Lynott and Leslie Crowther. Neither was who I thought they were.

Ha! Me too. Well, not Phil Lynott. I mean, he's a cricketer, everybody knows that. But I was (genuinely) confusing Leslie Crowther and Aleister Crowley.

Whereas ian might have been mixing up Leslie Crowther and Lesley Judd. In fact the similarity is greatest between Lesley Judd and Aleister Crowley...


Occultist with Black Cat



Blue Peter presenter with One He Made Earlier