Posted by Carl on Jul 30, 2009 in
Good Going
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Bearing in mind acquiring the best exchange rates for overseas currency, if you are only wanting a good deal on holiday money, certainly avoid normal banks and foreign exchange shops either. You can get house arrival and occasionally even at the office online – so look there additionally.
Thinking of commercial considerations in general, in these arduous financial periods and the supposed credit crunch, payment cards increase their APR and banks are far more careful about who they lend credit to. There are what can be called bad credit loans, or bad loans. These are a loan that is lent to consumers with a bad credit history but mostly offer an exaggerated APR.
Posted by Carl on Jul 30, 2009 in
Good Going
The ‘Coronation Scot’ was a high speed luxury service run between London (Euston) and Glasgow (Central Station). It went into operation in 1937 and was the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) reply to the high speed trains put on by the LNER in 1935 and an attempt to lure passengers away from their rival.
The train was a major feature in LMS publicity, a source of great pride to its staff and an indication of future trends in passenger services.
Background
In 1936 the LMS decided to introduce a brand new train between London (Euston)and Glasgow (Central Station). The train was to consist of nine coaches (292 tons) and be able to make the journey in 6.5 hours, even though 6 hours had been achieved in a previous test. The decision was made to call the train ‘Coronation Scot’ named to celebrate the coronation of King George VI in 1937. It was decided to build a brand new Pacific locomotive for this service, which was based on the earlier Princess Royals built between 1933 and 1935.
At that time streamlining was all the rage. so right from the beginning the decision was made, probably by the publicity department, to give the engines ‘streamlining’ to show that the LMS was a ‘modern’ railway just like its rival the LNER.
The ‘Coronations’ differed from earlier locomotives, by having an increased boiler size with increased superheating. The driving wheels were increased in size by 3 inches to 6ft 9in and the cylinders were beefed up so as to supply the 40,000lb of tractive effort needed for the task. The inside valves were operated by rocking levers so avoiding the inconvenience of having inside valve gear. This all led to the production of the most powerful express passenger locomotive built in Britain.
The Record Run
On the 29th June, the LMS surprised everyone by running a ‘Press Special’ from Euston to Crewe and back called the ‘Coronation Scot’. It was hauled by a locomotive simply named ‘Coronation’. The 158.1 miles was covered in 135 minutes at an average speed of 70.2mph. The crew of the ‘Coronation’ was Driver Clarke and Fireman Lewis Also on the footplate were Robert Riddles and Inspector S. Miller. It was no secret that the LMS were after the British Railway speed record, which at the time was 113 mph held by the LNER, and the section of line between Norton Bridge and Crewe had been overhauled and the maximum speed of 90mph had been lifted.
The trip was pretty unspectacular until the 60mph restriction at Norton Bridge had been passed. Even then, the train did not reach full speed and it topped Whitmore summit at no more than 85mph later records showed that these locomotives could achieve 95mph here). accelerated hard] but it got perilously close to Crewe before the LNER record was approached.
Platform Three at Crewe was approached over three successive crossovers and the train was under heavy braking when it reached them and still travelling at speed. The train lurched severely sending crockery everywhere. The fact that everything stayed on the track was testament to the design of the locomotive and coaches.
Official timekeepers recorded a maximum speed of 112.5mph, but the LMS claimed a maximum speed of 114mph recorded on the chart taken from the speed-recorder on the locomotive. The overall time taken was 129.75 minutes at an average speed of 73.1mph. The last 1.1 miles to the stop at Crewe was achieved in 1 minute 19 seconds!
Of more interest was the return journey to London as it showed the sustained high speed potential of the ‘Coronation’ class locomotives. The overall journey time being 119 minutes at an average of 79.7mph, this included observing speed restrictions of 30mph at Stafford and 40mph at Rugby. The highlight of the run was the 69.9 miles from Walton to Willesden Junction, which was covered in 47 minutes 1 second at an average of 89.3mph, with a maximum speed of 100mph at Castlethorpe water troughs. All this meant the LMS could claim the fastest start-to-stop runs of over 100 and 150 miles.
In order to commemorate the ‘Coronation Scot’, Hornby Railways was commissioned to produce a superb train pack depicting the service. Of particular interest to collectors, the Hornby Coronation Scot Train Pack was produced in a limited run of 2000, each with its own Certificate of Authenticity. The Hornby Train Pack comprises a streamlined Coronation Class locomotive and three coaches, all in the blue livery as opposed to the usual Crimson Lake livery of the LMS.
Posted by Carl on Jul 30, 2009 in
Good Going
We have been training with a Lady Trainers To Go Plano personal trainer and just completed our 36 sessions. My husband and I were very impressed that each workout session was handled so professionally. Our personal trainer in Plano was always prompt, energetic, skilled and knowledgeable.
She was also creative with our workouts. Instead of the ordinary, yet effective ways of getting in shape, she kept it full of variety. To keep us from getting burnt out on constant cardio and strength training, our Plano personal trainer incorporated Pilates, yoga and boxing into our workout sessions. Having this mix of exercises definitely helped both of us stay interested and motivated. Without her creativity those 6 a.m. sessions would’ve been unbearable.
Both of us feel that having a personal trainer come to your home is the ideal way to get in shape. Neither one of us is a huge fan of the gym, so working out at home gave us privacy, comfort and convenience. Our personal trainer also took into account our personal fitness needs and focused only on the best exercises to great results. Our schedules are very busy, so it meant a lot to us that she focused on only the necessary exercises. Having a trainer come to you definitely saves you time. More importantly, you get a distraction-free workout, which allows you to achieve your goals faster. We’re partial to our trainer, but are confident that Lady Trainers To Go is staffed with other wonderful Plano personal trainers. We definitely recommend this program to friends and family.
Posted by Carl on Jul 30, 2009 in
Good Going
Bangkok is a beautiful city to visit for your holidays. However if you are on a budget, you can save a sizeable amount of money through some great Bangkok hotel. Follow these tips for some ideas for such bargains.
Keep a look out for great deals on the internet; you will find various hotels in Bangkok offering Bangkok hotel bargains to their online customers. Pay a visit to these sites to find out more about the offers offered in these hotels.
It is basically better to plan a trip to Bangkok during the off season months. This is because these are the months where you can expect large discounts on your holiday expenses.
Find out more about available discounts
If you find some interesting hotel in Bangkok, call them to find out if they have any offers and discounts that they can offer you. Ask them to list out all their promotions, terms and conditions so that you can choose the best bargains for yourself.
At the same time, as there are some hotels that offer Bangkok hotel bargains to credit card holders of some companies, ask the hotel manager if their hotel offers such bargains. If you hold the same card, you can thus use it to get a great bargain.
If you are traveling to Bangkok with kids or senior citizens, find out if the hotel offers any discounts to students and senior citizens. Some hotels also have packages where free breakfasts are included in the hotel tariff. Make use of this.
Note down your negotiations
There are also some hotels that offer great Bangkok hotel bargains at certain times of the year or on a certain day of the week. Ask them when it is, so that you can plan your trip accordingly.
You could also ask them if they can give a higher discount as during off peak seasons, most hotels are ready to give great bargains just to get their empty rooms filled. Don’t forget to jot down all the agreed rates of the Bangkok hotel bargain when you negotiate. Also jot down the name of the person you were talking to, the day and date and a number for calling to check the hotel confirmation.
It never hurts to name drop; so if you know a frequent visitor to the hotel, mention that the person had referred you to them. This will give the hotel a reason to give you a discount. Don’t give up; keep pestering and pretty soon you will be given a great bargain
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