Asylum Seeker Contact Point May 18, 2005
Posted by Andy Roberts in : hi res photos, transport, London , add a comment
arofish2
Originally uploaded by Andyrob.
Thameslink Colour Scheme November 18, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : hi res photos, transport, Art, London , comments closed
CCTV November 18, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : hi res photos, transport, Art, London , 1 comment so farThe photographer, caught on CCTV
by himself.
Elantxobe November 4, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : hi res photos, transport, movie clips , 4commentsElantxobe is an unspoilt small fishing village on the Basque coast not far from Bilbo, which Igor recommended to me via international ginatxt. It was incredibly quiet at the time, really like a ghost town, perhaps because of the time of day and time of year, but it is certainly photogenic in a postcard sort of way.
Sitting in the only restaurant open, I’d been staring at a roundabout with BUS written on it, but it only dawned on me that it was in fact a BUS TURNTABLE when I saw it in action. Luckily I was just fast enough to capture the last bit of movement on camera, so this entry can add nicely to my collection of sad bus spotter blogs 
click the turntable to rotate the bus
Friday rush hour October 8, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : soundvideo, transport, London , 7commentsFriday afternoon and everybody just wants to go home.
(only 1.5Mb, but possibly tedious)
Full sized still photograph accessible from thumbnail below :
No Emissions October 5, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : soundvideo, transport, London , 2comments
Above is a Hydrogen Fuel Cell zero emissions bus, of the type currently being trialled on several routes in London. It may not look much different to an ordinary fossil fuel bus, but take at look at my VIDEO HERE
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That’s pure steam or water vapour coming out of the exhaust at roof height. Post-space-age meets steam.
More information from Transport For London in this pdf document
Oh, all right then - I’ve typed it all out for you…
Partners in Progress
London Buses is part of Transport for London,
and is responsible for achieving environmental
targets and standards for the whole of London’s
bus fleet, as required by the Mayor’s Air
Quality Strategy.
First operates around one sixth of the London bus
network. Their experience, support and expertise
in transit management is crucial in ensuring the trial
is conducted and assessed to rigorous standards.
BP is providing the hydrogen-refuelling facilities
for the fuel cell buses. BP is an infrastructure
partner in five of the nine CUTE (Clean Urban
Transport for Europe) cities and is demonstrating
a range of different hydrogen technologies in
each location.
Energy Saving Trust is supporting the project
through grant funding from its new vehicle
technology fund programme.
Daimler Chrysler has developed and manufactured
the buses and will provide technical support during
the trial.
The European Union has co-financed the trial,
with the support of the European Commission
Directorate-General for Energy and Transport.
Fuel cell buses on Route 25
Route 25 between Oxford Circus and Ilford has
been chosen as the first fuel cell trial bus route
for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it’s important to test the buses in different
inner city areas. Route 25 is a busy route that
extends all the way from the centre of London,
through the East End and onto Ilford. It’s a long
route that offers a wide variety of traffic conditions
in the largest city taking part in the trial.
In addition, fuel cell buses will run alongside
conventional double-decker buses on the
same route. As a result of all these factors,
the operating and environmental data gathered
will play a major part in helping the project to
gain experience of how the fuel cell propulsion
system actually performs day-by-day.
Once the field trial is well established London
Buses will begin to run the fuel cell buses on
other routes in order to test their operational and
environmental effectiveness more thoroughly.
Like most of the London bus fleet, fuel cell buses provide full low-floor access.
London leading the way
London is taking part in a pioneering project to
reduce air pollution and noise by testing the first
generation of zero emission fuel cell buses. This
important initiative is a key part of the Mayor’s
Transport and Air Quality Strategies, which are
designed to help give Londoners a cleaner and
healthier future. Not only is the fuel cell bus trial
a significant step towards achieving that goal,
it also demonstrates that London is leading the
way in alternative forms of public transport.
Energetically efficient
Nine cities in Europe are taking part in the fuel
cell bus trial, making it the largest project of its
type anywhere in the world. The reason it’s so
important is because of greenhouse gas emissions
and inner-city noise levels which are a major
source of complaint.
The project brings together over 40 organisations
including the bus manufacturer, operating
companies, hydrogen suppliers, fuelling and
storage facilities, and universities. It is part of the
ongoing development of clean urban transport
systems which combine energy efficiency with
cost-effectiveness.
The fuel cell buses will be subjected to rigorous
ecological, technical and economic analysis,
which will then be compared to conventional bus
transportation. By the end of the trial London will
have made a major contribution to a much-needed
initiative, the results of which are eagerly awaited
by transport authorities and governments across
the globe.
Fuel cell buses can travel more 125 miles before refuelling.
How fuel cell buses work
The new Mercedes Citaro buses, which have
been built by Daimler Chrysler especially for
this trial, use the latest fuel cell and hydrogen
production technology.
Do they really run on hydrogen? Yes
[ useful diagram ]
Hydrogen can be made in a number of different
ways including steam reforming of natural gas
and the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen
(electrolysis). The hydrogen is then liquefied by
cooling it down to a very low temperature.
The liquid hydrogen is delivered to the fuelling
site where it is dispensed as a gas into pressurised
cylinders. These are the cylinders you can see
on top of the bus, along with the fuel cell system,
coolers and other components.
The only emission from a fuel cell bus is water,
which forms a vapour cloud as soon as it leaves
the exhaust and enters the atmosphere.
Just as importantly, the infrastructure and support
systems needed to conduct the trial
Bridge Revisited September 27, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : soundvideo, transport, movie clips, learning , 3commentsReturning from Cornwall means crossing the Tamar in the opposite direction over Brunel’s bridge again. I think the twin ferry ports of Torpoint and Saltash look quite pretty from above. ( Note the genuine accent from the train manager, not much like the people on Doc Martin )
<< view brunel-m.mov quicktime movie >>
The picture quality is an improvement on “stepping stones” through using the following process:
*DVcam records onto DV tape
*Capture to ‘Image mixer’ software which comes with camera. - rough edit to retain only usable footage
*Exports only as mpeg ( mixed sound and video )
*input to Cleaner, export as .dv ( takes hours, but only way to retain the synchronous sound )
*import to iMovie - further editing
*export as quicktime movie in DV quality ( big file )
*open in Quicktime Pro - tiny edits for finishing
*compress and export using setting “DSL medium quality”
Final copy is 4Mb+ , 2 minutes video with sound at size 320X240 without much pixellation or blocky compression patches.
The process involves 4 pieces of software, which is one more than would normally be necessary if using more compatible kit such as a camcorder which can be captured straight into iMovie or Final Cut.
Brunel’s Bridge August 29, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : transport, movie clips , comments closedIt’s my first blog entry for a couple of weeks I think, but I’ve been acquiring digital material like a loony. A forthcoming meeting on 31st August requires that the cameras be relinquished, so the blog will change character after that in some ways, although there are plenty of unfinished projects left to edit.
Anyway….
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous Victorian engineer designed this unique railway bridge, completed in the year of his death 1859.
The bridge spans the river Tamar, which marks the border for crossing from England into Cornwall. This is the point where the rain usually starts, but not always of course. Sometimes it begins in Devon. Here’s a short movie clip from that part of the journey.
The harbour and village on the Cornish side is Saltash. Try to ignore the upstart 1960s road suspension bridge, it’s the double span compression arches which carry the Great Western Railway.
London Flooded August 4, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : transport, movie clips, London , 3comments
Railway stations and Underground lines closed yesterday while streets, homes and shops flooded, as reported in ThisisLondon
I wouldn’t have blogged another boat trip normally, but by some bizarre coincidence, I happened to be sitting onboard the Mercia looking at the Thames Flood Barrier which remained in the open position while the high spring tide filled the pool of London.
The Storm Tide Forecasting Service monitors tides along the East Coast and issues warnings of dangerously high waters. Their estimates are based on meteorological information from satellites, oil rigs in the North Sea and from land based meteorological stations. Yesterday the incoming tide was forecast not to be a danger, and The Barrier was not closed.
A coincidence is all I am reporting here as the flooding was caused by rain not the tide.
If you want to see the Barrier closed, try visiting during
Maintenance Closures
Floodmovie (4mb):
Mercedes August 2, 2004
Posted by Andy Roberts in : transport, movie clips, Art, London , comments closedQueen Mercedes (1860-1878) was the wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain. Reina Mercedes, an unprotected cruiser for the Spanish Navy, was launched 1887, captured by the US Navy 1898, salvaged and used as a sort of prison ship, then scrapped in 1957.
The River Thames passenger cruiser Mercedes was built in 1960, and brought over from the Continent in the late 1980s to sail the ‘circular cruise’, from St Katherine’s Pier to Westminster, returning via Festival Pier, Bankside, and London Bridge City Pier.
With a travelcard, the ‘hop on hop off’ day pass is only
is an online professional who initiated DARnet 
