Luckily, it didn't get hung up in any trees!
That tree will keep us warm for many, many weeks!
Monday, July 14, 2014
Another one comes down!
Hubby is at it again.....
Luckily, it didn't get hung up in any trees!
(I still think he likes to yell "timber"! when they fall!)
That tree will keep us warm for many, many weeks!
Luckily, it didn't get hung up in any trees!
That tree will keep us warm for many, many weeks!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Mark your calendar!
Three Supermoons in a Row
July 10, 2014: In June of last year, a full Moon made headlines. The news media called it a "supermoon" because it was 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of 2013. Around the world, people went outside to marvel at its luminosity.
If you thought one supermoon was bright, how about three….? The full Moons of summer 2014—July 12th, August 10th, and Sept. 9th--will all be supermoons.
The scientific term for the phenomenon is "perigee moon." Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. The Moon follows an elliptical path around Earth with one side ("perigee") about 50,000 km closer than the other ("apogee"). Full Moons that occur on the perigee side of the Moon's orbit seem extra big and bright.
This coincidence happens three times in 2014. On July 12th and Sept 9th the Moon becomes full on the same day as perigee. On August 10th it becomes full during the same hour as perigee—arguably making it an extra-super Moon."
It might seem that such a sequence must be rare. Not so, says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory.
"Generally speaking, full Moons occur near perigee every 13 months and 18 days, so it's not all that unusual," he says. "In fact, just last year there were three perigee Moons in a row, but only one was widely reported."
In practice, it's not always easy to tell the difference between a supermoon and an ordinary full Moon. A 30% difference in brightness can easily be masked by clouds and haze. Also, there are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon looks about the same size as any other.
Chester expects most reports of giant Moons this summer to be … illusory.
“The ‘Moon Illusion’ is probably what will make people remember this coming set of Full Moons, more than the actual view of the Moon itself,” he says.
The illusion occurs when the Moon is near the horizon. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. When the Moon illusion amplifies a perigee Moon, the swollen orb rising in the east at sunset can seem super indeed.
"I guarantee that some folks will think it's the biggest Moon they've ever seen if they catch it rising over a distant horizon, because the media will have told them to pay attention to this particular one," says Chester.
"There's a part of me that wishes that this 'super-Moon' moniker would just dry up and blow away, like the 'Blood-Moon' that accompanied the most recent lunar eclipse, because it tends to promulgate a lot of mis-information," admits Chester. "However, if it gets people out and looking at the night sky and maybe hooks them into astronomy, then it's a good thing."
Indeed it is.
Mark your calendar--July 12th, August 10th, and Sept. 9th –and enjoy the super-moonlight.
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
Friday Night Steam
We're off to Germany to see a real beauty: The BR18-201!
For addition information, please follow the links listed below!
The German express locomotive, number 18 201 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn in East Germany, appeared in 1960-61 at Meiningen repair shop as a conversion of the Henschel-Wegmann train locomotive 61 002, the tender from 44 468 and parts of H 45 024 and Class 41. It is the fastest operational steam locomotive in the world.
For the conversion a DR Class 22 new-design boiler, parts of the unsuccessful high pressure locomotive, H 45 024, (outside cylinders, trailing wheels and rear section of the locomotive frame) as well as the tender of locomotive 44 468 were used. The inside cylinder of the three-cylinder engine was not however taken from 61 002, rather a new one was made. Other technical improvements were a Riggenbach counterpressure brake and a Giesl ejector. The locomotive was streamlined at the front and over the boiler fittings.
The new locomotive was given its number to commemorate the first German locomotive with a 4-6-2 ('Pacific') wheel arrangement, the Baden IV f of the Baden State Railways (later the DRG Class 18.2).
Locomotive 18 201 from the side
In 1967 number 18 201 was converted to oil-firing. After the
changeover to computerised numbers the engine was given the number 02
0201-0. On 11 October 1972 during a trial run it attained a top speed of
182,4 km/h or 113.3 mph. As a result it is the fastest, operational
steam locomotive in the world, and also holds the world record for the
biggest driving wheels (2.30 m in diameter) ever to be fitted to an
engine with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement.
When not required for test runs, locomotive 18 201 was also put in charge of scheduled express trains until well into the 1970s.
18 201 on 25 September 2004 in red livery
Since 1980 the locomotive has mainly been employed to haul heritage and special trains, often with a second tender, in order to be able to complete long-distance runs without the need to replenish its water. At its birthplace in Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works the engine was handed over to the firm of Dampf-Plus
on 4 April 2002 having been completely overhauled. Originally sporting a
green livery with white stripes, the engine was repainted between 30
April 2002 and 10 July 2005 in a special red livery (RAL 3003, ruby red)
sponsored by the model railway manufacturer, Roco. Today she is once again painted in her traditional green colour (RAL 6020, chromium oxide green).
18 201 in August 2005 – once more in green
18 201's last special run before took place on 16 July 2005 followed
by several months when it was out of service. The special red livery was
- as always intended - replaced by the original green paintwork.
On 31 January 2006 the newspaper, Sächsische Zeitung, reported that the guardians of this historic Halle monument were permitting the engine to be stationed elsewhere for a length period; but this did not mean that its export was planned. Meanwhile the locomotive is stabled at Nossen.
At the celebration of the Schiefe Ebene's 160 years in September 2008 organised by the German Steam Locomotive Museum at Neuenmarkt, 18 201 was finally back in action.
For addition information, please follow the links listed below!
DR 18 201
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| DR 18 201 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Number(s): | 18 201 since 1970: 02 0201-0 |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | RAW Meiningen |
| Wheel arrangement: | 4-6-2 |
| Axle arrangement: | 2'C1' h3 |
| Type: | S 36.20 |
| Gauge: | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Length over buffers: | 25.145 m (82.50 ft) |
| Service weight: | 113.6 t (111.8 long tons; 125.2 short tons) |
| Service weight incl. tender: | 172 t (169 long tons; 190 short tons) |
| Adhesive weight: | 62.3 t (61.3 long tons; 68.7 short tons) |
| Axle load: | 20.8 t (20.5 long tons; 22.9 short tons) |
| Top speed: | 180 km/h (110 mph) |
| Indicated Power: | 1,581 kW (2,120 hp) |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) |
| Leading wheel diameter: | 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) |
| Trailing wheel diameter: | 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) |
| No. of cylinders: | 3 |
| Cylinder bore: | 520 mm (20 in) |
| Piston stroke: | 660 mm (26 in) |
| Boiler Overpressure: | 16.3 bar (1,630 kPa) |
| Grate area: | 4.23 m2 (45.5 sq ft) |
| Superheater area: | 83.80 m2 (902.0 sq ft) |
| Evaporative heating area: | 206.30 m2 (2,220.6 sq ft) |
| Tender: | 2'2' T 34 + additional tender |
| Water capacity: | 34,000 l (7,500 imp gal; 9,000 US gal) |
| Fuel: | 13,500 l (3,000 imp gal; 3,600 US gal) oil |
| Train heating: | Steam |
Contents
Origin
The motivation for the conversion was firstly that, as a one-off, locomotive 61 002 could not really be used for scheduled services, and secondly that the research institute at VES-M Halle urgently needed locomotives that could do at least 160 km/h in order to test passenger coaches.For the conversion a DR Class 22 new-design boiler, parts of the unsuccessful high pressure locomotive, H 45 024, (outside cylinders, trailing wheels and rear section of the locomotive frame) as well as the tender of locomotive 44 468 were used. The inside cylinder of the three-cylinder engine was not however taken from 61 002, rather a new one was made. Other technical improvements were a Riggenbach counterpressure brake and a Giesl ejector. The locomotive was streamlined at the front and over the boiler fittings.
The new locomotive was given its number to commemorate the first German locomotive with a 4-6-2 ('Pacific') wheel arrangement, the Baden IV f of the Baden State Railways (later the DRG Class 18.2).
When not required for test runs, locomotive 18 201 was also put in charge of scheduled express trains until well into the 1970s.
Duties as a heritage locomotive
18 201 today
Locomotive 18 201 belongs to Christian Goldschagg and Axel Zwingenberger, owners of the Dampf-Plus company. Up to January 2006, the locomotive was the subject of a dispute between its owners and the Deutsche Bahn AG, and a sale abroad was contemplated (even the USA and Canada were discussed).
On 31 January 2006 the newspaper, Sächsische Zeitung, reported that the guardians of this historic Halle monument were permitting the engine to be stationed elsewhere for a length period; but this did not mean that its export was planned. Meanwhile the locomotive is stabled at Nossen.
At the celebration of the Schiefe Ebene's 160 years in September 2008 organised by the German Steam Locomotive Museum at Neuenmarkt, 18 201 was finally back in action.
See also
- Deutsche Reichsbahn
- Deutsche Reichsbahn (East Germany)
- List of East German Deutsche Reichsbahn locomotives and railbuses
- List of DRG locomotives and railbuses
- List of preserved steam locomotives in Germany
Literature
- Weisbrod, Bäzold, Obermayer: Das große Typenbuch deutscher Lokomotiven. Transpress Verlag, ISBN 3-344-70751-5
- Wilhelm Reuter: Rekordlokomotiven. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-87943-582-0
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to DR 18 201. |
- http://www.dampflokwerk.de/deutsch/special18201.htm
- http://www.dampf-plus.de
- http://www.18201-stiftung.de
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany
|
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Mud - yuck!
We have had a lot of thunderstorms and rain, mostly at night. Hubby is having a hard time moving the logs to a drier spot.
I . HATE . mud........
The Wheel Horse got stuck in the mud:
Gee, I wonder why????
Had to get the backhoe to pull it out of the muck.
It will take days of hot, sunny weather to dry all this up!
I . HATE . mud........
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Night of Nights
Because Terry doesn't have his blog set up yet:
“Night of Nights” 2014 Marks 15th Anniversary of Last US Commercial Morse Operation
07/09/2014
This weekend marks the 15th anniversary of the last US commercial Morse operation — commemorated each year in a “Night of Nights” event in which historic coast stations KPH and KSM in California and others across the US reopen briefly and again take to the MF and HF airwaves. The Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) sponsors the event, which will take place Sunday, July 13, from 0001 UTC until 0700 (Saturday, July 12, from 1701 until midnight PDT). What is believed to have been the last commercial Morse transmission in the US took place from KPH in 1999. MRHS member Richard Dillman, W6KWO, a veteran coast station operator, has called July 12, 1999, “a sad day” for him and his colleagues.
“We knew it was coming, but when the end finally arrived, it was a shock,” he said. “It was the supposed last day of Morse code. The final sign off took place at a remote station on the Pacific Coast. Women attending the event were dressed as if at a funeral. Grizzled, hard-bitten old men — the kind you wouldn’t mess with in a barroom — had tears in their eyes as the last message was keyed out to the world at 0000 GMT. And then there was silence.”
“It was just beeps in the air. But that’s how much Morse code means to the men and women who made the profession of radiotelegrapher one of honor and skill,” Dillman added.
Dillman said predictions of Morse code’s death were premature, though, because on July 12, 1999, the Maritime Radio Historical Society was born and planning begun to restore the famous KPH. A year later it marked the first Night of Nights, and KPH and other coast stations returned to the air. “Every year since we have commemorated that date by returning these stations to the air and thereby, we hope, honoring the men and women who came before us,” he said.
The MRHS has posted a schedule of participating stations and operating frequencies.Sixteen transmitters will be on the air from the MRHS transmitter site in Bolinas, California.
This year’s Night of Nights may mark the last time that participating US Coast Guard stations will be heard on the air using CW. As new equipment has been installed at USCG stations, Morse hardware and wiring have been removed, and knowledgeable personnel have retired.
The MRHS also operates Amateur Radio station K6KPH, run by veteran Morse hands, including former KPH staff members with years of experience “sitting the circuit.” K6KPH will monitor 3550, 7050, 14,050, 18,097.5, and 21,050 kHz.
KPH will transmit traffic lists, weather, and press broadcasts as well as special commemorative messages, some of which will be sent by hand. At other times the KPH, KSM and KFS “wheel” is sent to mark the transmitting frequencies. KPH and KSM are operated by the Maritime Radio Historical Society in cooperation with the Point Reyes National Seashore.
Vampire.....
........ squids!!!
I had never heard of this strange creature before today - lots of videos on YouTube - just enter "Vampire Squid"!
For more information, please go to:
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_squid
and here:
http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/vampire-squid.html
 |
| Drawing by: Vampire des abysses - Own work |
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