Trivia Investigation Team

[CitroJim]

Robin, that's magic Love it!

[Rp0thejester]

Big Trivia question...What idiot bought the FCF tax disc and didn't show it due respect by cleaning the inside of the windscreen first???

[Gibbo2286]

Another trivia question, when does an 'underpass' become a tunnel?

[Rp0thejester]

When it comes to divorce lawyers?? Or is an underpass just under 1 road and a tunnel is under many roads?

[bobins]

At a guess, I'd say an underpass becomes a tunnel when it's been bored or dug out of the virgin ground ?

[deuchebleu]

As far as traffic management, required signage and evacuation procedures go,normally if it is over 300metres in length then it's classed as a tunnel otherwise it's an underpass and less onerous rules apply. Even with 'concrete canyons', i.e. cuttings, if they are over 300metres then the tunnel rules apply. It's largely to do with evacuating drivers and passengers in the event of a crash and subsequent fire.

[NewcastleFalcon]

The advantage of this particular video is that it is only a couple of minutes long. Many of the "Longest tunnel" type videos go on way past the casual viewer's attention span unless they are particularly interested.

One thing can be learned from this short film...it is indeed currently the longest rail tunnel in the World. Others will no doubt come along and take the crown. All to achieve the often pointless goal of getting from one place to another quicker. A tunnel from Austria to Italy is under construction which will be longer and in 2028 Innsbruck to Fortezza in Italy will go from from 80 minutes to just 25. As Shanai Twain once observed "That don't impress me much"! Can't even see any scenery out the train window in your 25 minutes as you travel.



Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Jim's Bricks

Neil, we spotted these in the Cambridge Museum of Technology and thought of you

Brocross.com is the go-to site for named Bricks.

First up Buck
Co-incidentally just down the road from the "Worm" favoured lodging place of the dynamic duo/trio when venturing North is Low Fell, where another Brickmaker called Buck plied their trade there, and also in Gazzaland down at Dunston in the 19th C. The Cambridgeshire Buck, in the Brocross listing, contains much the same info as on the card in the cabinet at the Museum.

"Thomas Buck junior is listed as brickmaker at Stanley Road, Newmarket Road, Cambridge in Kelly's 1892, 96 & 04 editions & his works was operational between 1880 & 1912."

This is a brick from the Co.Durham Buck


Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

There could be Trivia sprouting from this so this is the thread for it.

On the subject of distilled water a job I have never got round to finishing is to re-route the condensate drain pipework from the gas boiler following a freeze-up last winter. Over the summer it has just been dripping into an open water butt outside. Collects a fair quantity of what must effectively be distilled water. Obviously dripping into an open water butt it soon looses its purity but should I wish to collect some pristine distilled it wouldn't be too difficult to collect it in a 5L container

Neil

OMG ! If you do that then your crops will fail, you'll be unlucky in love , your castle will crumble and pestilence will be upon you. Etc, etc.
In reality, boiler condensate isn't much use for anything as it can be quite (surprisingly) acidic and can have 'stuff' ( note the technical term there ) dissolved in it.

There's me thinking it was just condensed pure water vapour from

CH₄+2O₂=CO₂+2H₂O

But Natural gas isn't pure Methane and Air is 80-ish percent Nitrogen.

Wonder how typical natural gas boiler condensed "water" from the products of burning natural gas compares to our Chinese tap water.

Neil

[CitroJim]

Just to show what Robin says is correct, just look at the state of the bottom of your water butt Neil. I found this out when I had to allow my boiler to drain into a container for a few weeks.

It was pristine at the start but after a few weeks it was horrible and permanently stained... Definitely not the stuff for a cooling system...

I avoid freezing condensate pipes now by keeping mine entirely indoors. My boiler is in the attic and the condensate pipe now runs straight into the top of the stink-pipe...

LPG isn't very clean either... Next time you cut open a cylinder, just have a look at the amount of rubbish in there! Hence why car LPG systems have filters on them...

[myglaren]

I avoid freezing condensate pipes now by keeping mine entirely indoors. My boiler is in the attic and the condensate pipe now runs straight into the top of the stink-pipe...

Mine is similar. Boiler on the top floor and the condensate pipe runs into the stench pipe in the attic that vents at the roof ridge.
I've see a few frozen condensate pipes.

[CitroJim]

Wonder how typical natural gas boiler condensed "water" from the products of burning natural gas compares to our Chinese tap water.

Last time I was in Northumberland Neil, I found the water to be very agreeable, especially that just off the beach in Cresswell!

[myglaren]

You wouldn't want to drink it or put it in your radiator though Jim!

[CitroJim]

You wouldn't want to drink it or put it in your radiator though Jim!

No, that would not be good Steve, my radiator is full of blood! And it's a bit salty too... The water, not my blood...

[myglaren]

Been for blood tests today. Mine is overdue for servicing, going for a blood and filter change in March