Theodore Judah

Theodore Dehone Judah (March 4, 1825 – November 2, 1863) was an American civil engineer who was a central figure in the original promotion, establishment, and design of the First Transcontinental Railroad. He found investors for what became the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR). As chief engineer, he performed much of the route survey work to determine the best alignment for the railroad over the Sierra Nevada, which was completed six years after his death.
Early life and education.
Theodore Judah was born in 1826 (perhaps 1825) in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Mary (Reece) and The Rev. Henry Raymond Judah, an Episcopal clergyman. After his family moved to Troy, New York, Judah attended Rensselaer Institute for a term and developed at a young age a passion for engineering and railroads.
At age 21, Judah married Anna Pierce (1828-1895) on May 10, 1849. Theirs was the first wedding in the then-new St James Episcopal Church of Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Career.
After studying briefly at Rensselaer, Judah went to work on a number of railroads in the Northeast, including engineering for the Niagara Gorge Railroad. He was elected member of the American Society of Civil Engineers on May 1853; at that time there were fewer than 800 civil engineers in the United States. Judah was hired in 1854 at age 28 as the Chief Engineer for the Sacramento Valley Railroad in California. He and his wife Anna sailed to Nicaragua, crossed over to the Pacific, and caught a steamer to San Francisco. Under his charge, it became the first common carrier railroad built west of the Mississippi River.
Pacific railroad surveys.
On January 1857 in Washington DC, Judah published "A practical plan for building The Pacific Railroad", in which he outlined the general plan and argued for the need to do a detailed survey of a specific selected route for the railroad, not a general reconnaissance of several possible routes that had been done earlier.
Nominated in the 1859 California Pacific Railroad Convention in San Francisco, Judah was sent to Washington DC to lobby in general for the Pacific Railroad. Congress was distracted by the trouble of pre-Civil War America and showed little interest. He returned noting that he had to find a specific practical route and some private financial backing to do a detailed engineering survey.
In 1860, he set out to make general reconnaissance studies, using a barometer to measure elevation, of several possible routes through the Sierra. That Fall, with the help of Daniel W. Strong, a storekeeper in Dutch Flat, California, Judah found a practical trans-Sierra railroad route. In November 1860, Judah published "Central Pacific Railroad to California", in which he declared "the discovery of a practicable route from the city of Sacramento upon the divide between Bear River and the North Fork of the American, via Illinoistown (near Colfax), Dutch Flat, and Summit Valley (Donner Pass) to the Truckee River". He advocated the chosen Dutch Flat-Donner Pass route as the most practical one with maximum grades of one hundred feet per mile and 150 miles shorter than the route recommended in the government's reports. Much of the Sierra Nevada where the practical routes were located was double-ridged, meaning two summits separated by a valley, Donner Pass was not and thus was more suitable for a railroad. From Dutch Flat, the Pacific road would climb steadily up the ridge between the North Fork American and Bear Rivers to the Pass before winding down steadily following the Truckee River out of the mountains into the Great Basin of Nevada.
Judah's youthful interest in the general subject of a Pacific Railroad developed during this period into almost an obsession, his wife observing that...
Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR).
Failing to raise funds for the Central Pacific project in San Francisco, Judah succeeded in signing up five Sacramento merchants, : James Bailey, Leland Stanford, Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker. On June 28, 1861, the Central Pacific Rail Way of California (CPRR) was incorporated with Judah as the chief engineer. At this point in time, Judah had the CPRR backing to survey the route over the Sierra Nevada along which the railroad was to be built during the 1860s, as well as barometric reconnaissance of two other routes, which turned out to be inferior. In a report dated October 1, 1861, Judah discussed the results of the survey, the merits of the chosen Dutch Flat-Donner Pass route, and the estimated costs from Sacramento to points as far as Salt Lake City. On October 9, 1861, the CPRR directors authorized Judah to go back to Washington DC, this time as the agent of CPRR, to procure "appropriations of land and U.S. Bonds from the Government to aid in the construction of this road". The next day, Judah published a strip map (a.k.a. the Theodore Judah map), 30 inches tall by 66 feet long, of the proposed alignment of the Central Pacific Railroad. On October 11, 1861, Judah boarded a steamer in San Francisco headed for Panama.
At Washington DC, Judah began an active campaign for a Pacific Railroad bill. He was made the clerk of the House subcommittee on the bill and also obtained an appointment as secretary of the Senate subcommittee. On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law, which authorized the issuance of land grants and U.S. bonds to CPRR and the newly chartered Union Pacific Railroad for the construction of a transcontinental railroad. Judah then went to New York to order supplies and sailed back to California on July 21, 1862, having accomplished his mission in less than a year.
Death.
Judah died of yellow fever on November 2, 1863. He contracted the disease in Panama on a voyage with his wife to New York City, apparently becoming infected during their land passage across the Isthmus of Panama. He was traveling to New York to seek alternative financing to buy out the major investors. Anna took his body back to Greenfield, Massachusetts, where he was buried in the Pierce family plot in the Federal Street Cemetery. He died before his dream of a transcontinental railroad could be completed.
Legacy and honors.
Within days of Judah's death, the CPRR's first locomotive, "Gov. Stanford", made a trial run over the new railroad's first 500 feet of track in Sacramento, CA.
"In purely engineering retrospect, Judah’s achievements would seem nothing short of providential, especially in comparison to modern route surveying efforts. With a minimal survey crew utilizing crude instruments and only draft animals for transportation, Judah was able to lay out a remarkably accurate alignment across the most difficult natural obstacles undertaken up until that time (1861)." J. David Rogers and Charles R. Spinks, ASCE Golden Spike 150th Anniversary History Symposium, Sacramento, CA, May 6, 2019
References.
Sources


Splash zone

Splash zone applies either to the Supralittoral zone or, in the context of Offshore construction, to the transition from air to water when lowering heavy burdens into the sea. The overall efforts applied on the crane change dramatically when the load starts touching water, up to the point where it is completely submerged. Its buoyancy reduces the static mass that the crane has to support, but contact with the waves creates widely fluctuating dynamic forces.
Simulation of these changing efforts are necessary to correctly dimension cranes and lifting equipment. See for example DNV-RP-H103 (Det Norske Veritas recommended practices) for a mention of the piston effect created in the splash zone between two walls.


Tukang MRT station

Tukang MRT station is a proposed Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Jurong Region Line in Boon Lay, Singapore. The name is derived from the road nearby, "Jalan Tukang".
History.
On 9 May 2018, LTA announced that Tukang station would be part of the proposed Jurong Region line (JRL). The station will be constructed as part of Phase 3, consisting of a total of 7 stations. A 4 station extension to Jurong Pier at Boon Lay and a 3 station extension to Peng Kang Hill from Tawas. It is expected to be completed in 2029.
A contract to design and construct Tukang Station and its associated viaducts was awarded to China Harbour (Singapore) Engineering Company Pte. Ltd. on 12 May 2021 at a sum of . Construction will start in May 2021, with completion in 2029.
Initially expected to open in 2028, the restrictions on the construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays in the JRL line completion, and the date was pushed to 2029.
Location.
The station complex will be straddled over the existing Jalan Boon Lay, at the junction with Jalan Tukang, just south of the junction with International Road. It is located within the Boon Lay planning area in the Tukang Subzone., serving the nearby industrial areas and the JTC MedTech Park.
Access to the station will be via 4 exits on each side of Jalan Boon Lay.


David Jacques Way

David Jacques Way (1918–1994) was an American harpsichord maker.
Early life.
Born in Elk Creek, Nebraska, Way was educated at Black Mountain College in North Carolina in its earliest days, where he gained his lifelong interest in graphic design and typography. His first commercial venture was the establishment in 1938 of Grafix Press in nearby Lake Eden, with fellow Black Mountain College student Emil Willimetz. After leaving the College, he began his working life as a fine-arts printer and publisher. In 1953, he entered partnership with the graphic designer Bertram L. Clarke to form Clarke & Way, consolidating a collaboration which began four years previously with work on the production of the twelve volume catalog of the Frick Collection.
Harpsichord maker.
Way came to harpsichord making relatively late in his life. After having built a harpsichord kit by Wolfgang Zuckermann in the late 1960s, Way wrote the "Appendix—By a Harpsichord Kit Builder" for Zuckermann's book "The Modern Harpsichord", which was published in 1969 by Way's own company October House Inc. When Zuckermann prepared to leave the United States soon afterwards, Way sensed a career change, purchased Zuckermann Harpsichords Inc and moved its premises from New York City to the historic seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut.
Beginning his evolution of new harpsichord designs based on more historic principles of construction, Way visited European museums and engaged William Hyman—one of the highly regarded American harpsichord makers in Zuckermann's book—as consultant and teacher. The rapid development of the historic harpsichord in this decade was fuelled by the popularity of the harpsichord kit, produced by several companies including Zuckermann and the Boston-based Hubbard Harpsichords Inc.
During the 1970s, Way gradually abandoned the more usual modern materials of plywood, hard steel wire and zither tuning pins. At this time, Stonington was the prototype and custom instrument shop while the Zuckermann kits were mass-produced by a facility in Philadelphia. When William Hyman died unexpectedly in 1976, Way was charged with the posthumous completion of several outstanding orders with the assistance of Hyman's last apprentice John Bennett, who remained in Stonington to preside over a dozen workers as foreman through 1990.
Way developed a large network of domestic and international Agents who liaised with musicians and distributed the instruments and kits worldwide. In 1983, Stonington took over full-time production of smaller runs of the Zuckermann kits, while continuing to complete the custom-finished instruments signed D. Jacques Way. In the late 1980s he formalised his cross-Atlantic partnership with French harpsichord maker Marc Ducornet, after which many instruments were signed D. Jacques Way & Marc Ducornet.
He died of a heart attack in his workshop on February 4, 1994.
Philosophy.
Way did not try to make exact copies of old instruments but rather learn from historical makers:
As a master instrument maker, he was always perfecting his craft and focused on the sound of his instruments:
Legacy.
Harpsichords by David Way remain in regular use in many educational institutions and by orchestras worldwide, and are played by many leading harpsichordists including Trevor Pinnock (who has said of his instrument "it is modelled somewhat after Hemsch, but the sound is completely David Way"). Harpsichord makers who David Way mentored include Carey Beebe, Marc Ducornet, F. Jacob Kaeser, Kevin Fryer, Edward Kottick, Gerald Self and Kevin Spindler. Several of Way's designs are still produced by Zuckermann Harpsichords International, which continues today under the direction of Richard Auber. Way's legacy is also his encouragement of the thousands of amateur musicians and people from all walks of life who discovered the harpsichord through building their own instrument from a Zuckermann kit.


Alfred De Courcy

Alfred de Courcy (Alfred de Courcy, 1866–1931) was a Birmingham whistle maker from 1888 to 1927, who founded the company A de Courcy & Co. He was the largest whistle maker beside J.Hudson & Co. from 1906 until 1927, when Hudson bought out the whistle-making part of the company.
Whistle maker.
Whilst whistles were stamped A De Courcy, the family never capitalise the 'de' and as such Alfred is Alfred Edward de Courcy.
De Courcy made whistles for 45 years. He started working at J Hudson & Co at 1883 and became a foreman. He left to form his own whistle-making brass foundry at 1888. It is not known how he raised the money for this, as despite several sources suggesting he had an aristocratic background, he came from a semi skilled working-class family living in Hockley. He was the first of seven children of William John de Courcy and Susannah (née Ridding), the family being descended from Irish immigrants from the Cork area who came to Limehouse in London in the 1830s.
Being a skilled metal worker, de Courcy was very creative in making new designs and registering new patents for whistle construction. He was in fact the only whistle maker beside Hudson to successfully cross the heights of Victorian era into World war I and onward.
His personal connections with retailers, distributors all over the globe, are well reflected in body stamps found on his whistles.
The British whistle scholar Martin Gilchrist, who wrote the three important books about whistles, was still able to meet the family descendants but unfortunately few documents remain. None of Alfred's grandchildren by his son Joseph, have any clear memories of their grandfather or his business. As they say ' in those days, as children, you never asked' Some personal photographs remain from the estate of daughter Madge, but shed no light on her father's business.
Alfred is buried alongside his wife Mary Ellen (née Condren) in the churchyard of The Abbey, Erdington.
Body stamps.
De Courcy did not stamp whistles with his company name prior to 1906 but prior to this year supplied many orders to railway, Police, Army, Navy, Asylums, Fire Brigades, sporting goods companies, arm distributors and hardware stores as well as for other makers as W Dowler & Sons and B Lily & Sons. Many of his whistles prior to 1906 are easily identified by shape, construction and characteristic designs.
While his business and reputation grew he first stamped whistles "A De Coursy & Co. Frankfort Street Birmingham" in 1906.
It would be beyond the scope of this page to list all while some are still being discovered by collectors, here are some samples:
Stamped on GSWs:
Stamps on Escargot-type whistles:
Abbey Cyclone, The Thunderer, The Thunderer Patent, LYR, L&NWR, LMS, GNR, Army ordnance mark 1916, 1917, 1918
Stamps on Round whistles for B Lily & Sons, The assistance.
"Distributors and wholesalers"
T Dyke & Co. London,
E. Milns & Co.,
Millard Bros. London,
Ellis Bros Hong Kong,
Marvie & Cooke Shanghai,
L E Trent & Co. London,
Bate & Co. B'ham,
Gammage London,
Henry Riely Constitution Hill Birmingham (escargot-type).
Samuel Parks & Co. (Railway escargot-type)
After 1927
De Courcy stock of whistles purchased by Hudson at 1927 was restamped, thus rare whistles made by de Courcy
and stamped by Hudson exist.


Ma Jun (mechanical engineer)

Ma Jun ( 220–265), courtesy name Deheng, was a Chinese mechanical engineer, inventor, and politician who lived in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. His most notable invention was that of the south-pointing chariot, a directional compass vehicle which actually had no magnetic function, but was operated by use of differential gears (which applies equal amount of torque to driving wheels rotating at different speeds). It is because of this revolutionary device (and other achievements) that Ma Jun is known as one of the most brilliant mechanical engineers and inventors of his day (alongside Zhang Heng of the earlier Eastern Han dynasty). The device was re-invented by many after Ma Jun, including the astronomer and mathematician Zu Chongzhi (429–500). In the later medieval dynastic periods, Ma Jun's south-pointing chariot was combined in a single device with the distance-measuring odometer.
Life.
According to his friend and contemporary poet and philosopher Fu Xuan (217-278), Ma Jun was born in Fufeng Commandery (), which is located around present-day Xingping, Shaanxi. In his youth, Ma Jun travelled throughout present-day Henan and obtained the position of a "boshi" (博士; a minor literary degree). Despite this degree, Ma Jun was relatively poor in his youth, yet found means to gain recognition by employing his natural genius in creating mechanical contraptions and inventions.
Ma Jun was a somewhat distinguished official serving under the state of Cao Wei, becoming an Official Who Concurrently Serves in the Palace (). Ma Jun once oversaw the construction of Chonghua Palace () under the orders of Cao Rui, the second Wei emperor. Ma Jun was very well known in Wei as a very gifted designer of weapons and certain types of devices, and was praised especially by Fu Xuan in an essay of his. Fu Xuan noted that Ma Jun was not the best orator or master of rhetorics, and had trouble conveying his ideas to others with his somewhat introverted personality. Nonetheless, he gained fame for his mechanical genius, and is universally considered one of the greatest mechanical engineers of ancient China.
Engineering and technological achievements.
One of Ma Jun's early inventions was an improved silk drawloom, which, according to Fu Xuan, earned Ma Jun considerable recognition for his innovative skill. In his time, silk looms generally had fifty heddles and fifty treadles, some even up to sixty of each. Ma Jun crafted a loom that had only twelve treadles, which not only made the process faster and more efficient, but also allowed the weaving of new intricate patterns.
While serving in the Wei government, Ma Jun got into a dispute with Gaotang Long () and Qin Lang over the concept of the south-pointing carriage, or the south-pointing chariot. Gaotang Long and Qin Lang mocked Ma Jun for his belief in historical texts that the south-pointing chariot had actually been invented in the past (as the legend goes, by the Yellow Emperor), something they viewed as nonsensical, non-historical myth. Ma Jun retorted, "Empty arguments with words cannot (in any way) compare with a test which will show practical results". After being instructed to craft such a device, Ma Jun completed his fully functional design of the south-pointing chariot in the year 255. With this mechanical-driven compass-vehicle device, Ma Jun created one of the first mechanical devices in the world to employ differential gear designs. Referring to history of differential gears, Ma Jun's differential gear is the earliest historically verifiable design. In China, the south-pointing chariot was re-invented a second time by Zu Chongzhi (429-500) due to the original detailed instructions being lost.
Ma Jun once invented for the Wei emperor Cao Rui an intricate hydraulic-powered, mechanical-operated puppet theatre (much more complex than the mechanical puppet set discovered by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty, when he observed the state-absorbed items taken from the treasury of Qin Shi Huang). His puppet theatre is similar to that of a Greek model invented by Heron of Alexandria, the difference being that the latter used instead a rotating cylindrical cogwheel with ropes and pulleys to operate his mechanical theatre. Joseph Needham describes Ma Jun's mechanical theatre in a passage taken from the "Records of the Three Kingdoms":
Possibly inspired by this incredible mechanical theatre of puppets, Qu Zhi of the Jin dynasty (265–420) made similar mechanical sets with wooden dolls. Joseph Needham states that he was famous for his "wooden dolls' house, with images which opened doors and bowed, and for his 'rats' market', which had figures which automatically closed the doors when the rats wanted to leave".
Ma Jun was also responsible for the construction of square-pallet chain pumps meant for irrigation. However, Ma Jun was not the first person in China to invent such a device. An earlier account was made in the year 80 by the philosopher Wang Chong in his "Discourses Weighed in the Balance". The Eastern Han dynasty court eunuch Zhang Rang once ordered the engineer Bi Lan to construct a series of chain pumps outside the capital city of Luoyang, used for irrigation and means of fresh water source. Ma Jun constructed his square-pallet chain pumps to water newly designated garden space established within Luoyang by Cao Rui.


Silk Road Fund

The Silk Road Fund () is a state owned investment fund of the Chinese government to foster increased investment in countries along the One Belt, One Road, an economic development initiative primarily covering Eurasia. The Chinese government pledged US$40 billion for the creation of the investment fund established on 29 December 2014.
Personnel.
The senior executives are all from four shareholders and officials from People's Bank of China have taken most of the posts as the biggest holder, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, is a subordinate body of the Central Bank. For instance, the chairman of board of directors, Jin Qi, was formerly the assistant governor of the People's Bank of China. And the most important executive post, General Manager, was assigned to Wang Yanzhi, the Director of Foreign Exchange Reserves to Entrust Loan Office of State Administration of Foreign Exchange.
The structures of board of directors and supervisors represent the balance of power between OBOR related institutions. In the board of directors, four relevant ministries of Central Government, including Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce, and four shareholders respectively send one midlevel official to delegate in the board. In the board of supervisors, with Yang Zejun, former Secretary-general of the Office of the Central Financial Leadership Group, acting as Chairman, senior executives from CIC, CDB and IEBC share the seats with two other staff representatives.
Stakeholders.
Unlike other funds, whose organizational forms are mainly limited partnership, private equity (PE) in particular, Silk Road Fund is a limited liability company. Its 4 shareholders are: State Administration of Foreign Exchange(65%), China Investment Corporation (15%), Export-Import Bank of China (15%) and China Development Bank (5%). The Fund has a total capital of 40 billion, and the first round of capital instalment is US$10 billion, contributed by the shareholders accordingly.
Connections with People's Bank of China.
Silk Road Fund is semi-directly under the supervision of People's Bank of China. Its Party Organizational Relations are under the management of PBOC. For instance, on 18 January 2016, the Governor of PBOC, Zhou Xiaochuan participated in the Meeting of Democratic Life with the Party Committee of Silk Road Fund and gave instructions on Fund operation and Party building after the management team reported the work and their criticism and self-criticism. In the Chinese political system, participation in Meeting of Democratic Life means supervision and superiority.
Investments.
Until August 2017, the committed investment of Silk Road Fund is US$6 billion and equity investment accounts for nearly 80%, according to the chairman JIN Qi, and the number of its invested projects was 15 by May 2017.


Crows Nest railway station

Crows Nest railway station is a future underground rapid transit station, to be built beneath Crows Nest as part of Transport for New South Wales' Sydney Metro City & Southwest scheme. It is scheduled to open in 2024.


Variomatic

Variomatic is the continuously variable transmission (CVT) of the Dutch car manufacturer DAF, originally developed by Hub van Doorne. It is a stepless, fully-automatic transmission, consisting of a V-shaped drive-belt, and two pulleys, each of two cones, whose effective diameter can be changed so that the "V" belt runs nearer the spindle or nearer the rim, depending on the separation of the cones. These are synchronized so that the belt always remains at the same optimal tension.
History.
The Variomatic was the first commercially successful CVT (as opposed to shifting between separate gears). In theory, this always produces the optimum torque. The Variomatic was introduced by DAF in 1958, also putting an automatic gearbox in the Netherlands for the first time. The "Variomatic" was introduced on the DAF 600.
Efficiency.
Because most of the time the engine runs at its most economical speed, the fuel consumption of this car was acceptable, although the fuel efficiency of any mechanical CVT is about 70% (then) to 75% now (Bosch) (now).
Reversing.
Because the system does not have separate gears, but one (continuously shifting) gear and a separate 'reverse mode' (as opposed to reverse gear), the transmission works in reverse as well, giving it the interesting side effect that one can drive back as fast as forwards. As a result, in the former Dutch annual backward driving world championship, the DAFs had to be put in a separate competition because no other car could keep up. Thus, these very cheap and simple cars were the 'formula one' in this competition.
Multitronic.
Manual transmission remains dominant in Europe. When DAF was acquired by Volvo in 1974, the Variomatic patents were transferred to a company called VDT (Van Doorne Transmissie), later acquired by Bosch in 1995. VDT continued the development of the CVT and introduced a push-belt system in the Ford Fiesta and Fiat Uno. Audi reintroduced an improved version of the Variomatic in 2000 under the name multitronic. This system uses a metal belt and has an effectively unlimited number of gears, switching between them without noticeable shocks. These metal drive belts are the most important part of CVT. There are three factories producing these belts, the Bosch factories in Tilburg the Netherlands, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. It is used in over 40 car models, even with expensive brands like Mercedes-Benz.
Operation.
Gear ratio.
The final drive has two pulleys with moveable conical drums. The distance between the drums is controlled by the engine vacuum in the inlet manifold and engine RPM, through centrifugal weights inside the drums. Between the two pulleys runs a drive belt. As a result of the change in the distance of the conical drums in both pulleys, the diameters and so also the reduction ratio changes continuously.
Differential.
With the DAF 600 - 55, each rear wheel was propelled individually by a pair of conical drums and drive belt with the effect of a limited-slip differential: if a drive wheel on slippery road revs up, the other wheel can still transfer the full torque. This results in unusually good traction characteristics, which were also a reason for the successes of the DAFs in rallies. There were several disadvantages that accompanied the lack of a true differential gear. Although each belt could settle (independent of the other) into its optimum position, thus allowing for wheel speed variation, the system was slow to operate and depended on the pulleys being turned. This led to rapid tire wear and placed stress on other transmission components. Snapped drive shafts were common. Low-speed handling in icy conditions was interesting as the system tended to drive the car forward against the influence of the steered wheels. Later cars, the 46, 66, and Volvo variants were fitted with a differentially geared axle. A version with a differential was developed by Williams in the 1993 Williams FW15C CVT Formula One car, but it was banned before being raced. In testing there were problems with the heat production.
Motorscooters.
The Variomatic is also used in today's motorscooters. It has been a standard part of all common scooters since 1985, and several companies such as Malossi, Polini, Doppler, and Stage6 are offering tuning clutches and variomatic for most common 50, 70 and 125 cc scooters.
Steel link belts.
The modern CVT works according to the same principle of split pulleys allowing infinitely variable gear ratios. Rather than the pulled rubber drive belts as originally used by DAF, the modern transmission is made more durable by the use of steel link belts that are pushed by their pulleys. This improvement was pioneered by Fiat, Ford, and Van Doorne in the Netherlands from the late 1970s. The gearbox is also under electronic control.
One version that incorporates the switch from rubber to steel belts was called the Transmatic.
Availability.
DAF's Van Doorne's Transmissie is still operating (as of November 2015) in Tilburg, Netherlands. It changed affiliations from the DAF group to Bosch in 1995.
The CVT is available from brands such as Audi, Honda, BMW Mini, and Subaru. Tata Motors from India intended to use a Variomatic transmission in its $2500 Nano. The Nissan Primera is offered with this transmission.


Choa Chu Kang West MRT station

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Choa Chu Kang West MRT station is a proposed Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Jurong Region line in Choa Chu Kang, Singapore. There will be two station names in the JRL naming exercise - Brickland and Choa Chu Kang West.
History.
On 9 May 2018, LTA announced that Choa Chu Kang West station would be part of the proposed Jurong Region line (JRL). The station will be constructed as part of Phase 1, JRL (West), consisting of 10 stations between Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and Tawas, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Contract J102 for the design and construction of Choa Chu Kang West Station and associated viaducts was awarded to Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. (Singapore) Pte Ltd at a sum of S$465.2 million. Construction started in 2020, with completion expected in 2027. Contract J102 also includes the design and construction of Choa Chu Kang station and Tengah station, and associated viaducts and A&A works to the existing Choa Chu Kang station complex.
Initially expected to open in 2026, the restrictions on the construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays in the JRL line completion, and the date was pushed to 2027.
Location.
The station will be straddled over the existing Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3, just east of the junction with Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1. It is located within the Choa Chu Kang planning area between the Keat Hong and Peng Siang Subzones, nested within an existing housing estate, near to Sunshine Place.
Access to the station will be via 2 exits, 1 of each side of Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3.


Thrust bearing

A thrust bearing is a particular type of rotary bearing. Like other bearings they permanently rotate between parts, but they are designed to support a predominantly axial load.
Thrust bearings come in several varieties.
Thrust bearings are commonly used in automotive, marine, and aerospace applications. They are also used in the main and tail rotor blade grips of RC (radio controlled) helicopters.
Thrust bearings are used in cars because the forward gears in modern car gearboxes use helical gears which, while aiding in smoothness and noise reduction, cause axial forces that need to be dealt with.
Thrust bearings are also used with radio antenna masts to reduce the load on an antenna rotator.
One specific thrust bearing in an automobile is the clutch "throw out" bearing, sometimes called the "clutch release bearing".
Fluid film thrust bearings.
Fluid-film thrust bearings were invented by Albert Kingsbury, who discovered the principle in the course of bearing and lubrication investigations commencing in 1888 while a student. His first experimental bearing was tested in 1904. He filed for a patent in 1907, and it was granted in 1910. The first Kingsbury bearing in hydroelectric service, one of its major applications, was installed at the Holtwood Generating Station in 1912. It remains in full use today.
Thrust bearings were independently invented by Australian engineer George Michell (pronounced Mitchell) who patented his invention in 1905.
Fluid thrust bearings contain a number of sector-shaped pads, arranged in a circle around the shaft, and which are free to pivot. These create wedge-shaped regions of oil inside the bearing between the pads and a rotating disk, which support the applied thrust and eliminate metal-on-metal contact.
Kingsbury and Michell's invention was notably applied to the thrust block in ships. The small size (one-tenth the size of old bearing designs), low friction and long life of Kingsbury and Michell's invention made possible the development of more powerful engines and propellers. They were used extensively in ships built during World War I, and have become the standard bearing used on turbine shafts in ships and power plants worldwide. (See also Michell/Kingsbury tilting-pad fluid bearings)


Samuel Thorp

Samuel Thorp, or Thorpe, (c. 1765 – 1838) was a clockmaker born in Madeley, Shropshire. He was baptized 6 January and became apprenticed in 1780 to a renowned Shrewsbury Clockmaker Robert Webster. On 20 December 1790 he married Mary Newall at Ford in Shropshire. Samuel Thorp died in 1838 and was buried in Abberley Churchyard on 15 February. Mary joined him there on 19 February 1843.


Du Ruisseau station

Du Ruisseau is a future Réseau express métropolitain (REM) station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, expected to open for REM service in the third quarter of 2023. It was formerly a commuter rail station on the Deux-Montagnes line until Exo ended service in 2020.
Origin of name.
Du Ruisseau takes its name from nearby Boulevard Du Ruisseau, located in the heart of the subdivision.
Prior to the modernization of the Deux-Montagnes Line, between 1993 and 1995, this area was served by the now defunct Monkland station, located some further west at the O'Brien Avenue level crossing. It was intended that Line 2 be extended at this end. The proposed Bois-Franc metro station could have been intermodal with the former Monkland station.
Location.
The station is located at 3735 Henri-Bourassa Boulevard West, between Jules-Poitras Boulevard and Dutrisac Street, just west of Autoroute 15 exit # 3 in Saint-Laurent on the border with Cartierville. It is located about one kilometre from the Bois-de-Boulogne station on the Saint-Jérôme line.


Buffers and chain coupler

Buffers and chain couplers (also known as "buffers and screw", "screw", and "English" couplers) are the de facto UIC standard railway stock coupling used in the EU and UK, and on some surviving colonial railways, such as in South America and India on older coaches. These couplers are an assembly of several devices: buffers, hooks and links or screws.
With the modern version of these couplers, the rail vehicles are mated by manually connecting the two hooks with one of the two links which incorporate a turnbuckle screw, drawing together and slightly compressing the buffer pairs, one left and one right on each headstock. This limits slack and lessens shunting shocks in moving trains. In contrast, the semi-automatic Janney Type E coupler experiences significant jarring during mating and shunting. Very early stock had "dummy buffers" which were simple rigid extensions of the frame; these evolved and improved with enclosed mechanical then hydraulic springs.
Characteristics.
The standard type of coupling on railways following the British tradition is the buffer and chain coupling used on the pioneering Planet class locomotive of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway of 1830. These couplings followed earlier tramway practice but were made more regular.
This coupling is still the standard in European countries (except the former Soviet Union, where the SA-3 automatic coupler is used). Coupling is done by a worker who must climb between the cars. First he winds the turnbuckle to the loose position, and then he can hang the chain on the hook. After hanging the chain on the towing hook the turnbuckle handle is stowed on the idle hook to prevent damage to itself, the vehicle, or the brake pipes. Only shunting is permitted with a dangling chain. Disconnected brake pipes must be stowed on dummy connectors, to allow proper operation of the brakes. (The picture shows two coupled cars, with a single brake pipe.)
The hooks and chain hold the carriages together, while the buffers keep the carriages from banging into each other so that no damage is caused. The buffers can be "dumb" or spring-loaded. That means there are no run-in forces on the coupler. The other benefit compared with automatic couplers is that its lesser slack causes smaller forces on curves; there is a lower probability of a broken coupler in a curve than with automatic couplers. The disadvantage is the smaller mass of the freight that can be hauled by hook and chain couplers (maximum ).
Early rolling stock was often fitted with a pair of auxiliary chains as a backup if the main coupling failed. This made sense before the fitting of continuous fail-safe braking systems.
On railways where rolling stock always pointed the same way, the chain might be mounted at one end only, as a small cost and weight saving measure.
On German and Scandinavian railways, the left buffer is flatter than the right one, which is slightly more rounded. This provides better contact between the buffers than would be the case if both buffers were slightly rounded.
Variants.
Three-link couplings.
A peculiarly British practice was the "loose-coupled" freight train, operated by the locomotive crew and a 'Guard' at the rear of the train, the successor to the brakesman of earlier times. This train type used three-link chain couplings for traction and side buffers to accept pushing forces: since such trains were not fitted with an automatic through-train braking system there were no pipes to connect between the vehicles. The last vehicle of the train was a heavily ballasted guard's van with its brakes controllable by a handwheel convenient for the guard. The 'slack' between vehicles was very convenient when starting heavy trains with a relatively low-powered locomotive on the level or a rising gradient. On the driver's command the guard would apply his brake as hard as possible. The driver would then gently reverse to close up the wagons onto their buffers. The locomotive was then driven ahead and it could pick up the load, wagon by wagon, thus giving an easy start up the gradient. Wagons of that era didn't have roller bearings and the grease-lubricated bearings had considerable resistance to start moving, especially on a cold day, so starting wagon-by-wagon greatly reduced the traction force required from the locomotive.
The downside of this convenience was that the guard could get badly thrown about as the train changed speed due to the inter-wagon gaps opening or closing. In the worst case these jerks could break a coupling or cause a derailment. A skilled guard would observe or listen to his train and apply or release his brake to keep the last few couplings reasonably taut and act as a shock-absorber. The same effect was seen when the route changed gradient, when going over a hill the rear of the train would catch up with the wagons held back by the locomotive, again, the guard could minimize this. This working of the brake was why the guard was required to prove his route knowledge, the same as the driver, before being in charge of a heavy train. Such trains travelled at low speeds and were phased out in the 1970s.
An improvement on this is the "Instanter" coupling, in which the middle link of a three link chain is specially triangular shaped so that when lying "prone" it provides enough slack to make coupling possible, but when this middle link is rotated 90 degrees the length of the chain is effectively shortened, reducing the amount of slack without the need to wind a screw. The closeness of the coupling allows the use of inter-vehicle pipes for train brakes.
Three-link and Instanter couplings can be operated entirely from the side of the wagons using a shunter's pole (a pole rather like a substantial broom handle with a hook on the end) and are safer when shunting work is under way. Similarly, the screw-adjustable coupler can be connected by a shunter's pole once it has been unscrewed. Ordinary three-link couplings have been superseded by instanter, screw or buck-eye couplers in UK freight trains today.
Center-buffer-and-chain(s).

On some narrow-gauge lines in Europe and on the Paris Metro a simplified version is used, consisting of a single central buffer with a chain underneath. Sometimes there are two chains, one on each side of the coupler. The chain usually contains a screw-adjustable link to allow close coupling. These variants are also used elsewhere. On sharp curves, a single centre buffer is less likely to be subject to buffer-locking. The Eritrean Railway also uses a center buffer and chain coupler.
Buffer-and-chain on the narrow gauge.
Buffer-and-chain couplers do not allow very sharp curves, and there is a buffer-locking problem if pushing the limit. Because of that—and Carl Pihl's successful promotion of the single-buffer Norwegian coupler that he designed to overcome this—conventional buffers-and-chain coupling is rarely employed on narrow-gauge systems: notable exceptions being the railway networks of Senegal/Mali, Tunisia and Côte d'Ivoire/Burkina Faso in Africa, and Queensland and Tasmania in Australia. Narrow gauge railways are often isolated from other railways, so standardization is not so important.
Problems with buffers and chain.
Maximum load.
The buffers and chain coupling system has a maximum load much less than that of the Janney coupler. They allow around 3,000-4,000 (metric) tonnes total train weight depending on the how they are constructed. The Janney coupler sometimes is built for .
Buffer-locking.
On sharp reverse curves, the buffers can get buffer-locked by slipping over—and onto the back of—an adjacent buffer. Although careful track design makes this occurrence rare, an accident at a Swiss station in the 1980s was caused by buffer-locked wagons. Buffer-lock could be caused on the very sharp switches by the older, rounded buffers. The newer buffers are rectangular and they are wider than they are tall. They are not as flat, so they rarely cause buffer-locking. Buffers and chain coupler allow curves to have around radius, but so sharp S-curves are not allowed. If it weren't for the couplers, much sharper curves could be allowed, on the condition the train is not too long. Tramways exist with , or less curve radius, with center couplers.
Variation with gauge.
The width between the buffers tends to increase as the gauge increases or decrease as the gauge decreases, so that if wagons are changed from one gauge to another, the buffers will no longer match. This occurs because the buffers are originally extensions of the frames, which are spaced according to the gauge. Conversely, as gauge gets smaller, the distance between the buffers reduces also. The height of the buffers is usually lower on narrow gauge railways, corresponding to the generally lower height of the rolling stock. Narrow gauge railway often use centre couplers without buffers instead. In short, when rebuilding wagons from one gauge to another, more work is needed.
However, in the case of Iberian broad gauge railways, the buffer's height and spacing is the same as for the standard gauge railways in Europe including Great Britain in order to allow through running of rolling stock by the use of bogie exchange.
Dimensions.
Buffers and chain couplers tend to have the two buffers spaced according to the gauge, but especially in Europe this is modified to the standard gauge value to allow interrunning by means of bogie exchange.

Dimensions showing variation of spacing by gauge.


Pneumatic actuator

A pneumatic control valve actuator converts energy (typically in the form of compressed air) into mechanical motion. The motion can be rotary or linear, depending on the type of actuator.
Principle of operation.
A Pneumatic actuator mainly consists of a piston or a diaphragm which develops the motive power. It keeps the air in the upper portion of the cylinder, allowing air pressure to force the diaphragm or piston to move the valve stem or rotate the valve control element.
Valves require little pressure to operate and usually double or "triple" the input force. The larger the size of the piston, the larger the output pressure can be. Having a larger piston can also be good if the air supply is low, allowing the same forces with less input. These pressures are large enough to crush objects in the pipe. On 100 kPa input, you could lift a small car (upwards of 1,000 lbs) easily, and this is only a basic, small pneumatic valve. However, the resulting forces required of the stem would be too great and cause the valve stem to fail.
This pressure is transferred to the valve stem, which is connected to either the valve plug (see plug valve), butterfly valve etc. Larger forces are required in high pressure or high flow pipelines to allow the valve to overcome these forces, and allow it to move the valves moving parts to control the material flowing inside.
The valve's input is the "control signal." This can come from a variety of measuring devices, and each different pressure is a different set point for a valve. A typical standard signal is 20–100 kPa. For example, a valve could be controlling the pressure in a vessel that has a constant out-flow, and a varied in-flow (varied by the actuator and valve). A pressure transmitter will monitor the pressure in the vessel and transmit a signal from 20–100 kPa. 20 kPa means there is no pressure, 100 kPa means there is full range pressure (can be varied by the transmitters calibration points). As the pressure rises in the vessel, the output of the transmitter rises, this increase in pressure is sent to the valve, which causes the valve to stroke downward, and start closing the valve, decreasing flow into the vessel, reducing the pressure in the vessel as excess pressure is evacuated through the outflow. This is called a direct-acting process.
Types.
Some types of pneumatic actuators include:


HMS Dunoon (J52)

HMS "Dunoon" was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the "Aberdare" sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sunk by a mine in 1940.
Design and description.
The "Aberdare" sub-class were enlarged versions of the original Hunt-class ships with a more powerful armament. The ships displaced at normal load. They had a length between perpendiculars of and measured long overall. The "Aberdare"s had a beam of and a draught of . The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.
The ships had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Yarrow boilers. The engines produced a total of and gave a maximum speed of . They carried a maximum of of coal which gave them a range of at .
The "Aberdare" sub-class was armed with a quick-firing (QF) gun forward of the bridge and a QF twelve-pounder (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft gun aft. Some ships were fitted with six- or three-pounder guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.
Construction and career.
HMS "Dunoon" was built by the Clyde Shipbuilding Company. In November 1939 she was sweeping for mines around Malta. The following month she was recalled to England, stopping at Gibraltar for fuel. She then worked in the North Sea as part of the 4th Minesweeping Flotilla, based at Great Yarmouth. In April 1940 she struck a mine at Smith's Knoll near Great Yarmouth and sank with the loss of 3 officers and 23 ratings.
Fiction.
HMS "Dunoon" is featured in the 1958 book "The Dragon Tree" by Victor Canning


Theodore E. Steinway

Theodore Edwin Steinway (October 6, 1883 – April 8, 1957), of the famous Steinway piano family, was a member of the Collectors Club of New York and Board of Trustees of the Philatelic Foundation. He was awarded the first Lichtenstein Medal in 1952 for his efforts in the field of philately as well as his contributions to the growth and prestige of the Collectors Club.
Early life.
Steinway was born on October 6, 1883 in New York City. He was the grandson of Henry E. Steinway, the founder of Steinway & Sons. His parents had several children, including:
Steinway attended the St. Paul's School in Garden City, New York.
Philanthropy.
Steinway supported the Collectors Club with funds for various projects, such as purchasing the philatelic library of Austrian Justice Viktor Suppantschitsch for the club. The development of this library resulted in the club having one of the most extensive philatelic libraries in the world.
Steinway, along with other prominent American philatelists, helped found the Philatelic Foundation, which originally was located on the fourth floor of the Collectors Club of New York. He was named Chairman of the Expert Committee (1950–1952)..
He was also the founder of the Association for Stamp Exhibitions and was responsible for organizing the first five philatelic international exhibits in the United States which were held in 1913, 1926, 1936, 1947 and 1956.
Stamp collections.
Steinway had various collections of stamps. The most significant ones were:
Because of his interest in collecting stamps related to his business, and because he applied no rigid rules as to collecting stamps, Steinway is often regarded as one of the founders of thematic collecting, which today is a common method of collecting. Such collectors today collect stamps showing butterflies, elephants, Disney characters, famous art, and so on.
Personal life.
He married Ruth Gardner Davis, with whom he had:
Because of his extensive interests and leadership within the field of philately, Theodore E. Steinway was awarded the first Lichtenstein Medal by the Collectors Club of New York in 1952. His son John carried on his work in the field of philately, and served on the Board of Trustees of The Philatelic Foundation after his death in 1957.


Dickey Chapelle

Georgette Louise Meyer (March 14, 1918 – November 4, 1965) known as Dickey Chapelle was an American photojournalist known for her work as a war correspondent from World War II through the Vietnam War.
Early life.
Chapelle was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Shorewood High School. By the age of sixteen, she was attending aeronautical design classes at MIT. She soon returned home, where she worked at a local airfield, hoping to learn to pilot airplanes instead of designing them. However, when her mother learned that she was also having an affair with one of the pilots, Chapelle was forced to live with her grandparents in Coral Gables, Florida. There, she wrote press releases for an air show, which led to an assignment in Havana, Cuba.
A story on a Cuban air show disaster that Chapelle submitted to the "New York Times" got her noticed by an editor at Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA), which prompted her to move to New York City. Working at the TWA publicity bureau, she began to take weekly photography classes with Tony Chapelle, who became her husband in October 1940. She eventually quit her job at TWA to compile a portfolio, which she sold to "Look" magazine in 1941. In April 1941, she was hired by Lear Avia to handle press liaison work for the New York office, according to a press release from the company. Later, after fifteen years of marriage, she divorced Tony, and changed her first name to Dickey.
Breakthrough.
Despite limited photographic credentials Chapelle managed to become a war correspondent photojournalist during World War II for National Geographic, and with one of her first assignments, was posted with the Marines during the battle of Iwo Jima. She covered the battle of Okinawa as well.
After the war, she traveled all around the world, often going to extraordinary lengths to cover a story in any war zone. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Chapelle was captured and jailed for over seven weeks. She later learned to jump with paratroopers, and usually travelled with troops. This led to frequent awards, and earned the respect of both the military and journalistic community. Chapelle "was a tiny woman known for her refusal to kowtow to authority and her signature uniform: fatigues, an Australian bush hat, dramatic Harlequin glasses, and pearl earrings."
Later life.
Despite early support for Fidel Castro, Chapelle was an outspoken anti-Communist, and loudly expressed these views at the beginning of the Vietnam War. Her stories in the early 1960s extolled the American military advisors who were already fighting and dying in South Vietnam, and the Sea Swallows, the anticommunist militia led by Father Nguyen Lac Hoa. Chapelle was killed in Vietnam on November 4, 1965 while on patrol with a Marine platoon during Operation Black Ferret, a search and destroy operation 16 km south of Chu Lai, Quang Ngai Province, I Corps. The lieutenant in front of her kicked a tripwire boobytrap, consisting of a mortar shell with a hand grenade attached to the top of it. Chapelle was hit in the neck by a piece of shrapnel which severed her carotid artery and she died soon afterwards. Her last moments were captured in a photograph by Henri Huet. Her body was repatriated with an honor guard consisting of six Marines, and she was given a full Marine burial.
She became the first female war correspondent to be killed in Vietnam, as well as the first American female reporter to be killed in action.
External links.


Alastair Craig Paterson

Alastair Craig Paterson CBE, FREng (born 15 January 1924) is a British civil engineer. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he was the 124th President of the Institution of Civil Engineers from November 1988 to November 1989 and President of the Institution of Structural Engineers from 1984 to 1985.
Career.
After graduating from the Royal Technical College, Glasgow in 1944, Paterson joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and reached the rank of Major. He completed his service in 1948 having gained the position of Deputy Assistant Director Mechanical Engineering (North Burma and China).
In 1948 Paterson joined Merz & McLelland in Esher, then Aberdeen. In 1958 he left to join Taylor Woodrow working with Frank Gibb on nuclear power station projects.
He became a partner of F R Bullen in 1960 and founded their Glasgow office. He was involved in the structural engineering of the Aberdeen School of Art. In 1966 he moved to London becoming Senior Partner and worked on projects such as Dungeness B power station and Aber Swing Bridge, Carnaerfon.
He became Chairman of the British Consultants' Bureau in 1976. He was President of the Institution of Structural Engineers from 1984 to 1985, and President of the Institution of Civil Engineers from November 1988 to November 1989.


Crossplane

The crossplane or cross-plane is a crankshaft design for piston engines with a 90° angle (phase in crank rotation) between the crank throws. The crossplane crankshaft is the most popular configuration used in V8 road cars.
Aside from the V8 already mentioned, other examples of configurations using such 90° piston phases include straight-2, straight-4, V2, and V4 engines.
Crossplane crankshafts could feasibly be used with a great many other cylinder configurations, but the advantages and disadvantages described below may not apply to any or all of them and must be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Crossplane V8 crankshaft.
Design.
The most common crossplane crankshaft for a 90° V8 engine has four crankpins, each serving two cylinders on opposing banks, offset at 90° from the adjacent crankpins. The first and last of the four crank pins are at 180° with respect to each other as are the second and third, with each pair at 90° to the other, so that viewed from the end the crankshaft forms a cross.
The crankpins are therefore in two planes "crossed" at 90°, hence the name "crossplane". A crossplane V8 crankshaft may have up to nine main bearings in the case of an eight throw design, and usually has five bearings supporting four throws each with a shared crank pin.
The crossplane design was first proposed in 1915, and developed by Cadillac and Peerless, both of whom produced flatplane V8s before introducing the crossplane design. Cadillac introduced the first crossplane in 1923, with Peerless following in 1924.
Balance and Smoothness.
The entire motivation for the development of the crossplane V8 was to ameliorate the buzzy feel of the flatplane design. Because four pistons stop and start together in the same plane in both banks, the second-order forces inherent to the flatplane design stack up and become noticeable in large displacement engines. Each bank of the crossplane engine has four distinct piston phases that cancel the second-order free forces entirely, so there is no vibration of this kind, barring variations in reciprocating weights due to production methods.
However, the 180° disposition of the end and middle crank throws does result in a primary (crank speed) rocking couple, which thankfully in the 90° V case can easily be countered by weighting the crankshaft appropriately, much like a V-Twin. Other V-angles generally require a balance shaft to keep things as smooth.
Because of the heavy counterweights on each crank throw, most crossplane V8s have very heavy crankshafts, meaning they are not as free revving in general as their flatplane counterparts. Early Chrysler Hemi V8 had heavy counterweights, but the middle two positions on both sides of the center main bearing (the third of 5 mains) did not have any counterweight. Because these positions are located close to the center of engine, they contribute less to countering any rocking motions - hence the use of external balance weights (e.g. in the crank nose pulley), which requires less extra mass for the same balancing effect.
Unfortunately, the uneven firing in each bank (see below), as well as the 90° piston phases themselves, do contribute to torsion in the crankshaft which can be noticeable - it is for this reason that crossplane V8s have tuned mass dampers fitted to them, again usually on the free end of the crankshaft. Coventry Climax discovered that a sufficiently short-stroke flatplane engine was smoother and more powerful at higher rpm, both likely partly due to a relative absence of these torsional vibrations, and switched to this design with their Mk.III FWMV in 1963. BRM made the same switch at about the same time, and this carried over into their 1964 P261 F1 car.
Firing intervals.
Four stroke crossplane V8 engines have even 90 degree ignition intervals, but unevenly spaced firing patterns within each cylinder bank.
The firing order on the Left and Right banks are generally LRLLRLRR or RLRRLRLL, with each 'L' or 'R' ignition being separated by 90° crank rotation for a total of 720° for eight ignitions. As can be seen by counting four characters to the right of each 'L' or 'R' (4 x 90° = 360°), the cylinders that fire (and thus exhaust) at 360° phase difference reside in opposite banks in a crossplane V8.
The actual intervals in each bank are 180-90-180-270 crankshaft degrees, in various orders depending on the engine, and not usually in the same order in each bank. The exact combinations depends on the crankshaft "handedness", the direction of rotation and which of the 360° pairs is ignited first in the order.
Sound.
The characteristic "burble" of a crossplane V8 comes from the exhaust manifold design, which typically merges all four exhaust ports on each bank of four cylinders into one exit for convenience. This accentuates the pattern outlined above, sometimes described as "potato-potato", mimicking the alternating sequential interval and longer gap.
The specific firing order of the engine and the exhaust configuration can lead to subtle variations which may or may not be noticeable to enthusiasts.
Other sounds are possible by careful grouping of the exhaust pulses, but the packaging (space) requirements generally make this unfeasible in road-going machines.
Tuning.
Recall that even firing pairs are disposed in opposite banks, so long equal-length exhaust pipes are needed to merge these pairs and achieve uniform scavenging.
One of the earliest examples of such a tuned exhaust for a crossplane V8 was as fitted to the 1.5 Liter Coventry Climax FWMV Mk.I and Mk.II engines in the early 1960s - these were known to get in the way of servicing the engine itself, however.
Many racing crossplane V8 engines (like Ford 4.2L DOHC V8 for Indy racing) had exhaust ports on the inside of the V angle to make these exhaust pipe lengths shorter and the merges easier to achieve without causing packaging issues. The Ford GT40 made the concept on production-based V8s famous with an elaborate arrangement of long exhaust pipes nicknamed "Bundle of Snakes". Such systems are also sometimes called "180-degree headers", referencing the 180° intervals collected in each branch, similar to a flatplane V8.
Prior to this, straight individual "stack pipes", or "zoomies", were sometimes used (e.g. BRM) to avoid the negative impact of uneven exhaust pulse interference on scavenging, at the cost of not benefiting from the positive extraction effects of merging, as above. Even afterwards on many occasions the performance deficit was accepted and ordinary 4-into-1 systems per bank were employed for convenience. Some of the gap can be made up with performance-oriented 4-into-2-into-1, or "Tri-Y", exhausts, e.g. those used in NASCAR and V8 Supercars.
Inline-four crossplane crankshaft.
 Unlike in a V8, crossplane arrangement in inline-four engines results in unevenly distributed firing pattern, so the use tends to be limited to extremely high-revving engines. In such engines, the advantage of less secondary imbalance outweighs the irregular firing interval disadvantage. This design, not having pistons disposed at 90° to each other in separate banks, requires a balance shaft to counter the rocking vibration disadvantages arising from plane imbalances on reciprocating mass and rotating mass. Please see engine balance article for details.
2009+ Yamaha YZF-R1.
The 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle uses a crossplane crankshaft, employing a crank-speed balance shaft to counter the inherent rocking vibration (primary rocking couple) described above.
This was inspired by Yamaha's M1 MotoGP racing models, which continue to use crossplane cranks to this date because of their significant inertial torque advantage at the extreme high rpm operation these engines see. Yamaha claims advances in metal forging technologies made this a practical production sportbike.
URS engine.
The so-called Fath-Kuhn straight-four engine, as used to relative success in motorcycle and side-car racing from 1968 by the private URS racing team, was also a crossplane type. It was a different configuration to that normally used in a V8 or indeed in the Yamaha above, with two of the throws being swapped around - i.e. the throws may be described as being at absolute angles of 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees, versus the more usual 0, 90, 270, 180. This results in a slightly reduced primary rocking couple, but introduces higher order couples of much lower magnitude.
The different layout was primarily chosen to reduce the impact of the inertial torsion inherent with crank throws spaced 90° apart due to the pistons being accelerated (start-stop motion), given this engine was meant to be high revving and inertial forces scale as to the square of engine speed. The reduction in torsion was achieved by splitting the crank into two separate parts, geared together, from their respective midpoints, via a counter-shaft, from which power was delivered to the gearbox.
It is likely this inertial torsion within the crank is the reason for Yamaha citing crank forging improvements as a reason for the cross-plane crank being viable in a road bike. It is less of an issue in the V8 because each throw is shared by two pistons already offset by 90°.
Firing intervals.
Crossplane crankshafts used in a four-stroke, four-cylinder engine result in uneven firing, since the natural separation of ignition events is (720°/4 =) 180° in such an engine (hence the popularity of 180° flat-plane crank). The firing intervals (the space between ignition events) for the crossplane R1 and URS engines are 90-180-270-180 (crank degrees), but other intervals are possible including those due to so-called big-bang firing orders. The uneven firing is the cause of the distinctive sound of this configuration, which is superficially a combination of the 270-450 (90° V-Twin), 180-540 (180° straight twin) and 90-630 ("twingled" V-Twin) intervals, the dominant interval perceptually being the 270° one.
The 90° throw separation would make the cross-plane crank a natural choice for a two-stroke straight four, providing the advantages of both evenly spaced firing and less secondary vibration when the increased rocking vibrations are countered with a crank-speed balance shaft.
Straight-twin cranks.
Straight-twin motorcycle engines (a.k.a. "parallel-twin" and "vertical twin") historically came in two types, neither of which were "cross plane": 360° cranks with their pistons moving in tandem, or 180° cranks with their pistons moving in opposite phase.
Beginning with Edward Turner's Triumph Speed Twin, most classic English 4-stroke roadsters (Triumph, BSA, Norton, Royal Enfield, etc) used the 360° cranks; but in the 1960s, Honda adopted the 180° cranks for its OHC 4-stroke parallel twins, such as the 450cc "Black Bomber" and CB500T. On a small displacement bike, the rocking couple was acceptable without a balance shaft, particularly when compared to a similar sized 360° twin similarly lacking a balance shaft. The 400cc Dream/Hawk CB250/400T replaced the 4 cylinder CB400F, and to obtain smoother running closer, it had a 360° twin with a balance shaft - the even firing of the 360° crank noticeably smoother than the uneven 180° crank.
In 1995, Yamaha fitted 270° crankshaft to its TRX850 and in 1996 to the TDM850 MK2, plus a balance shaft to counter the resulting combination of free forces and rocking couples. The 270° crank has smaller free forces than the 360° crank (but much larger than the 180° crank) and smaller rocking couples than the 180° crank (the 360° crank has no such couple). Whilst firing was as uneven as a 90° V-Twin, the 270° crank was not as uneven as the 180°. The 270° configuration represents a successful compromise and has been adopted for Honda's NC700 and 2016 Africa Twin, Hinckley Triumph's Scrambler and Thunderbird cruiser, Yamaha's MT-07 / FZ-07 and a number of others.
Some customising engineers have modified British and Yamaha XS 650 parallel-twin motorcycles to become 277° engines, close to cross-plane crankshafts (aka "offset crankshaft" or "rephased crankshaft") with success in reducing the vibration from stock 360° vertical-twins. Such modified engines have not been given additional balancing systems, but they can have lighter flywheels since the pistons are never simultaneously stationary, so rotational momentum does not need to be stored up as much to compensate, it is simply transferred between the pistons directly (through the crankshaft). This is seemingly inspired by the earlier work of Phil Irving.
This is a similar principle to that in Yamaha's crossplane four cylinder engines, where the extra two cylinders account for the non-symmetry of piston motion in the upper and lower halves of their strokes, resulting in greater minimisation of the inertial torque caused by changes in rotational momentum.
On 2-stroke parallel-twin engines, the 180° crank configuration was almost universally adopted, giving two power strokes in each revolution. Examples include quite large capacity bikes such as the 598cc Scott Squirrel or 498cc Suzuki T500. Two exceptions with 360° crankshafts are the Yankee, and the military edition of the Jawa 350.


Jurong Pier MRT station

Jurong Pier MRT station is a proposed elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Jurong Region Line (JRL), located on the boundary of Boon Lay and Jurong East planning areas in Singapore. The station will be the southern terminus of the JRL mainline.
First announced in May 2018, the station is expected to be completed in 2029 along with Phase 3 of JRL.
History.
On 9 May 2018, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that Jurong Pier station would be part of the proposed JRL. The station will be constructed as part of Phase 3, consisting of 7 stations – a 4 station extension to this station from Boon Lay and a 3 station extension to Peng Kang Hill from Tawas. It was expected to be completed in 2028. However, the restrictions on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays, with the completion date pushed to 2029.
The contract for the design and construction of the Jurong Hill and Jurong Pier stations and of associated viaducts – Contract J112 – was awarded to a joint venture between China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (Singapore Branch) (CCECC) and SCB Building Construction Pte Ltd at S$263 million (US$ million) on 6 April 2021. Construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2021, with expected completion in 2029.
Station details.
The station will serve the Jurong Region line (JRL) as the terminus of the mainline, with the next station being Jurong Hill. The official station code will be JS12. Jurong Pier station will be situated along Jurong Pier Road, next to the Jurong Pier Circus and Jurong Pier Flyover. The station will have three entrances.


Mary Meigs Atwater

Mary Meigs Atwater (February 28, 1878 – September 5, 1956) was an American weaver. She revived handweaving in America by collecting weaving drafts, teaching and writing; "Handweaver and Craftsman" called Atwater "the grand dame and grand mother of the revival of handweaving in [the United States]".
Atwater studied art at the Chicago Art Institute and in Paris, France. She lived in several western states, Bolivia and Mexico. When living in Basin, Montana, she began weaving as an artistic outlet and to provide business opportunities for the women in her community. She organized a weaving guild and published "The Shuttle-Craft Book of American Hand-Weaving" (Macmillan, 1928). She wrote monographs on specific weave structures as well as an instructional course in hand weaving (Cambridge, 1923). The artistic endeavor of handweaving nearly disappeared in America except for Weaver Rose (William Henry Harrison Rose) and his sister Elsie Maria Babcock Rose in Rhode Island and isolated women in the Appalachian Mountains. Mary Meigs Atwater researched patterns and collected forgotten weaves and through her efforts restored weaving in America as an artistic endeavor. As she states in "The Shuttle-Craft Book of American Hand-Weaving" , "There are actually more hand-looms in operation at the present time than there were at the time of the Revolution when all textiles were woven by hand."
"The 20th-century revival of American hand-weaving began with a few individuals who rediscovered the old coverlets and the surviving weavers. These interested individuals saw a need to collect the woven pieces and knowledge still around before the coverlets were permanently destroyed and the information lost. They recorded or acquired coverlets and coverlet fragments, as well as written drafts, notebooks, and account books. Founding weaving schools and donating collections to museums, these individuals including Mary Meigs Atwater, left a legacy to today's weavers, historians and collectors."