The most recent updates from my various webpages. To keep up-to-date on the topics covered, follow @andrew_grantham on Twitter for railways (and other things which interest me), and @ConcreteEar for sound mirrors and suchlike.
Railways of Afghanistan
If you thought Afghanistan was bereft of railroads, read on for a story of international intrigue, invasion plans, the Great Game, and powers imperial and hydro-electric.
- Freight train from China arrives in Afghanistan 14 September 2016
The first rail freight service from China arrived at Hairatan in Afghanistan on 7 September 2016, having left Nantong in eastern China’s Jiangsu province on 25 August 2016. Afghanistan: Chinese freigh … - Another China to Afghanistan freight train 29 August 2016
You wait for ages, then two China to Afghanistan freight services start at once. Freight train now links E China's Yiwu, famous for small commodities, to Afghanistan https://t.co/lvvE6qd9z7 pic.t … - First China to Afghanistan freight train departs 25 August 2016
What is described as the first train from China to Afghanistan1 left Nantong in eastern China’s Jiangsu province on 25 August 2016, carrying 84 containers.2 It is scheduled to take 15 days to complete … - Kunduz province Alchin bridge attack pictures and video 23 August 2016
[no railways in this post!] This is not a picture of the Alchin Bridge near Kunduz in Afghanistan being attacked by the Taliban. It is a picture of the controlled demolition of a bridge in Kansas in t … - TAT railway progress 18 August 2016
Turkmenistan’s state news agency TDH has published an update on the TAT Railway project: News about the international Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway project (TDH, 28 June 2016). This says …
Sound mirrors
Follow @ConcreteEar on Twitter for sound mirror news and updates.
- Stuck at Dover? See a sound mirror! 25 July 2016
The Guardian article How to amuse yourself in a 14-hour queue at Dover suggests: “The A20 between Folkestone and Dover can be an area of breathtaking beauty, with sea views and endless greenery to dis … - Covenant names new single Sound Mirrors 14 July 2016
Swedish band Covenant has announced that its new single to be released on 26 August 2016 will be called ‘Sound Mirrors’. Music publisher Dependent says: Covenant’s new single ‚Sound Mirrors’ gives us … - Drone films Denge sound mirrors 13 July 2016
Filming with a drone – The Dungeness Sound Mirrors. pic.twitter.com/Kc2zZ0CZJW — Tim Paine (@TimPaine) June 25, 2016 CEMEX UK commissioned ECP Video to produce a short documentary on the history of th … - “Obscure functionalism melting into majestic land art” 12 July 2016
"Sound mirrors are no longer a failed technology. They are art." https://t.co/cNQixCkKxD pic.twitter.com/2gbC02lJ4T — theQuietus (@theQuietus) July 11, 2016 The mirrors’ fruitlessness may be … - 2016 Denge sound mirror open day 12 June 2016
The RSPB – which now owns the site – is holding an open day at the Denge sound mirrors on Saturday 23 July 2016, from 10:00 to 15:00. Open days are the ONLY WAY to access the Denge listening ears. Sat …
Railways of Iraq
- Mobile friendly 13 April 2015
I have changed this website’s WordPress theme, so hopefully it should now be more mobile device friendly. Let me know if anything doesn’t work. Meanwhile, I would recommend following “Historical Railw … - New coaches for Iraqi Republic Railways 16 January 2015
Tüvasaş has built 14 coaches for Iraqi Republic Railways, including 2 sleeping, 4 couchette and 2 restaurant cars pic.twitter.com/CM4IdLrKvC — Railway Gazette (@railwaygazette) January 14, 2015 - Derailment response vehicle for IRR 29 September 2014
One of 7 Zagro derailment response vehicles ordered by Iraqi Republic Railways, on show at #InnoTrans pic.twitter.com/J0HmL5iUER — Railway Gazette (@railwaygazette) September 26, 2014 - New Chinese train for Iraq unveiled 25 February 2014
The first of the new inter-city trains for the Baghdad – Basra corridor has been rolled out by Chinese manufacturer CSR Sifang. - Egyptian Railways website 5 December 2013
Mark Goldfinch, author of the excellent book Steel in the Sand, has an unofficial website on Egyptian Railways. The Egyptian Railways Diwan is described as “a website and blog area intended to fill th …
Other – travel and similar
If God had intended us to fly, He would never have given us the railways.
- Crystal Palace FC steam train 15 May 2016
Crystal Palace FC organised a steam-hauled train from Clapham Junction, Selhurst and West Croydon to Southampton for their final league game of the 2015/2016 season on Sunday 15 May 2016. Here it is p … - Zagreb funicular railway 8 June 2015
The funicular railway in Zagreb, Croatia, is a whole 66 metres long. There is lots of information about the Zagreb funicular at the Funimag website. - Eurostar Velaro on test in Brussels 5 May 2015
A short and shaky video of a new Siemens Velaro high speed trainset for Eurostar, on test at Brussels Midi station on 25 April 2015. - Tours tram wireless operation 18 January 2015
Videos of Alstom Citadis 402 trams in the French city of Tours switching from 750 V DC overhead to APS ground-level power supply, outside the main station. APS catenary-free operation is used on a 1·8 … - Steam loco at InnoTrans 2014 2 October 2014
HF Wiebe GmbH’s Hanomag 9445/1925 0-4-0T ‘Emma’, offering cab rides at the InnoTrans 2014 trade fair held in Berlin, Germany, during September 2014.