With print copies now being prepped for dispatch to subscribers at LR Towers, London Reconnections Magazine Issue 4: Feeding the Monster is now available to purchase in our online store.
This brings to an end what I would probably describe as our “difficult middle issues”, where the ever-changing nature of the Mayoral elections caused a certain amount of havoc with our planned content. This issue we instead focus on talking to a number of senior figures within the Rail Industry, with a focus both on the past and on the future.
Our cover this month features what is, frankly, an incredible piece of art specially by London artist Paul Tillotson, who took on the title of our lead feature – Crossrail: Feeding the Monster – and ran with it. The stunning original is now mounted proudly on my wall, and I’m half tempted to offer prints in the shop.
The feature itself sees us speak to Crossrail’s Chief Engineer, Chris Binns. Binns’ experience in London is relatively unique. Having worked at a senior level on signalling for both Thameslink and Crossrail we felt that he could likely provide a fascinating insight into the differences between resignalling an existing railway and fitting out a new one.
In addition to this, we wanted to look at the cultural (and communicative) shift that has been happening at Network Rail, an organisation that seems to have become increasingly vocal about its position as a guardian of Britain’s railways. It seemed only natural to go right to the top and thus Sir Peter Hendy makes his second LR Magazine appearance in the feature Why We Alight.
We’ve become conscious lately that it can sometimes be too easy to focus too much on the large organisations and firms working in rail rather than the SMEs and others who make up the supply chain. This is a knowledge gap we’ve been looking to correct through talking with Rail Alliance.
Recent (and occasionally alcoholic) discussions at LR meetups have touched on the difference between innovation and ingenuity within the rail supply chain, and so we felt it was a topic worth covering in more detail and triggering a conversation on. In this issue Rail Alliance CEO Colin Flack attempts to do exactly that in Innovation: The Lazy Man’s Consolation.
Our final timed exclusive is part of a new push I’d like to make to cover some of the smaller things that make our transport network work on a day-to-day basis in an unseen way.
For the first of these we look at the Kee Klamp – a name that will be as unfamiliar to most as it is ubiquitous – in The Secret History of a Kritical Klamp.
When we approached Kee Systems for access to their archive and history, they not only agreed but also offered to sponsor the piece. That sponsorship was gratefully received, and is one of the reasons we’ve been able to start bringing you the LR Podcast. Hopefully similar mutually beneficial content opportunities will present themselves in future.
Last, by by no means least, we bring you two of our previous features now updated and presented in print. In this case, we complete our History of St Johns Station, begun last issue and look at the World Class Capacity work on the Northern and Jubilee lines.
As before, you can purchase your copy of the latest issue in the LR Shop as either a digital download or physical issue. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. We look forward to bringing you the next one.
A last note – for the completionistas among you who have yet to subscribe, we are down to our last box of Issue Threes – so if you’re looking for a full print run of everything in volume one (Issues One – Six) then it is probably best to subscribe (or individually order Issue Three) sooner rather than later, as we may have to remove Issue Three from the shop shortly, at least in physical form.
John Bull
July, 2016
And how can this be? For he is the Kwisatz Haderach!
Loving the Dune inspired artwork!
I’d like to have the paper version, but A) I can’t personally justify the price of £10 an issue with postage (I’m sure it’s worth it, though and would be ideal for business-related customers) and, more importantly, B) from past experience I find that I end up with a collection of magazines that that I rarely read again and eventually gets thrown away when I get fed up with moving them!
However, a digital subscription seems a much better way for me to go and I also see it as a means of supporting LR in a small way.
A couple of observations:
The shop info states that the magazine is in the American A4 (letter) format. I therefore assume that the PDF version is also in letter rather than the standard UK format?
On the Customer Information page (where the personal details are entered), it states:
“By continuing, I agree that my information will be transferred to the United States”
I thought that LR were UK rather than US based. If UK based, I can’t see why personal details need to be sent to the USA.
The shop info states that the magazine is in the American A4 (letter) format.
Where’d you spot the A4 reference (just so I can make it say US letter)?
I therefore assume that the PDF version is also in letter rather than the standard UK format?
Yes it is. Indeed part of the reason for going with US Letter was that it’s almost perfect size for iPads.
On the Customer Information page (where the personal details are entered), it states:
“By continuing, I agree that my information will be transferred to the United States”
Simple answer: software. The shop is run using Shopify (which is the best service in terms of price / ease of use) and they’re currently based in the US.
The US A4 reference was on the magazine subscription page:
http://shop.londonreconnections.com/collections/subscriptions/products/gift-subscription-includes-free-digital-issues
“About the print issues
Each issue is published in beautiful perfect bound, full-colour American A4 format.”
I see in the next paragraph about the digital issues it states:
“US Letter”. I’d seen this after reading the “American A4 format” comment, but them completely forgot about it in my post 🙂
I’d forgotten about software night be the reason. I’ll sort out my subs later
also on the Print subscription page
As per my tweet when you first debuted the cover, you can definitely put me down for a print!
As a pedant, who also happens to be a magazine editor, I have been fighting against the term “American A4” for nearly four decades. It’s been used by magazine ad salesmen for as long as I can remember, and each time I’ve heard it I’ve wanted to kick them where it hurts.
A4 is defined as 210 × 297 mm. No more, no less. It was originally a German standard, issued by DIN, dating back to 1922.
The US has a letter-size standard which is similar, but not the same. It’s 8.5 × 11 inches, or about 216 × 279 mm, so 6 mm wider but 18 mm shorter. It’s not American A4. Never has been, never will be.
Rant over, until the next time.
A B-G
I didn’t know that about the origin of the “A” paper-sizes, but it makes sense for “Das ist Normal” ….
Each size is half the size of the previous & they are (IIRC) “golden section” ratios, are they not?
Greg: No, the ratio is the square root of 2, as a little bit of geometry and algebra will quickly show. The so-called golden section or golden ratio is the solution to a different equation. See readily-available internet sources for fuller discussion (which is code for “not here please”).
Out of interest, how many subscribers do you now have to the paper version? Have you tried promoting it amongst TOC’s and transport industry headquarters, etc? I think it would be a great publication to have in the waiting areas at Overground House for example, and also in staff rest areas in rail depots, bus garages, TfL offices, etc. Some of the content might even reach the eyes of our decision makers! Can we somehow ensure that a hard copy reaches the Mayor for London and the Transport Secretary?
Many years ago I was ‘paid’ for a job with a load of Kee Klamp. Indeed still have much of it!
Really enjoying the new issue.
I’ve just been (for reasons that aren’t obvious) in the London Transport Museum Shop at Covent Garden.
They have a wide range of transport-topic magazines, but London Reconnections isn’t one of them, and it perhaps should be?
Wow. I cannot wait for Issue 4 to arrive and join the previous three, which are safely preserved. The subscription was my best Christmas present in many a year.
Any other subscribers picked up on the pleasant aroma provided by these premium publications?
They have been posted, yes?
( August’s copy of “Modern Railways” has just arrived, to remind me …. )
[I believe so. LBM]
Just out of interest is there any reason as to why the cover of the magazine is different from the painting/ print in that the yellow where the TBM/carriages emerge the yellow is absent?
They’re there – it’s just that the central circle effectively hides them. The paper stock also changes the colouring slightly, obviously.
why ‘hash tag (#)’ 4 for the edition number? I thought the hash tag sign was now pejorative e.g. ‘# load of old rubbish’.
I guess this is nothing to do with hashtags and simply the (as far as I am aware mainly American) usage of the # symbol to mean “number”, whereas in the UK the symbol “No.” is more common (following French practice (“numero”) – in German one sees “Nr”).
I have also heard the same symbol referred to as the “pound” sign, (“for the operator, press pound”, on an American voicemail system I find myself calling frequently) apparently because of a supposed resemblance to a handwritten “lb”. For musicians it means “sharp”.
When I was much younger, many decades ago, and learning about the still evolving pre-mobile phone keypad layout, I was taught that the two symbols bottom left and bottom right of the keypad were called ‘Star’ and ‘Gate’, and I still think of them as such. Just goes to show that, as usage evolves, you should not take anything for granted.
… called ‘Star’ and ‘Gate’ …
Just goes to show that, even if you are an official in the General Post Office (or whoever dreamed up these names) the pesky public will not always follow any usage that you spell out for their edification.
At BT they always seemed to avoid the calling # “hash”, presumably because it was a “mild drug reference”? I think they called it “square”…
Ah! Thanks timbeau – I get it now. Why use British/European symbols when American ones will do?! Odd for a publication originating in London, but perhaps the editor has been reading too many Superman magazines, where in my childhood I seem to recall seeing this # symbol and wondering what it meant.
Clearly it is an age thing.
(‘twinkle’ and ‘hash’ since you didn’t ask 😛 )
Just received my copy looks interesting will settle back with it this weekend.
Re the secret history of a kritical klamp – page 80 Barrage balloons the steel cables donwing V2 rockets. Surely the V2 were in a supersonic dive (almost vertical) and it was the pulse jet V1 that would be brought down.
I have not received Issue 4 so far. Just sent [email protected] an e-mail.
I think the V2s’ trajectories were ballistic (with rocket power, the most efficient way to power is to use all the fuel at launch) so they would be not particularly vertical. A V1 (which was not ballistic, but essentially a cruise missile) would simply drop out of the sky when it ran out of fuel (it may have glided until it reached stalling speed)
Barrage balloons would probably have been of some assistance against both, although they were probably more effective against the V1s, because of their low cruising height.
Vergeltungswaffen:
Eins – were definitely brought down by Barrage Balloon wires
Zwei -coming in at high angles & supersonic – no “kills” at all by BB’s, whatsover.
Please think about the Physics involved (!)
Yes, V2s were ballistic and yes, V1s did glide for a short duration.
Perhaps the best defence against the V2s though was feeding false information back to the Germans that their missiles were falling 2 miles too far North. This went a long way to saving London, but did very little good for Dulwich.
@Stationless: It was even less fun for Penge, which is why there is so much post-war architecture there.
@timbeau V1’s had a mechanism that pitched them into a dive at the appropriate moment I believe, don’t know if that was a timer or when the fuel ran out?
@Stationless
The V1’s accuracy was much less than two miles anyway – nearer twenty. The government only reported V1 attacks which overshot London altogether, thereby misleading the Germans into a miscalibration so that most later V1s ran out of fuel before they got to London. Hence the large number that fell harmlessly into the Thames estuary, and (less harmlessly) on the Medway Towns.
(V2s were reported as gas explosions to avoid leaking the news to the public that the Germans had a weapon against which there was no possibility of getting a warning – being supersonic you only heard it coming after it had hit)
timbeau
To start with.
My father said that the “flying gas-main (V-2) was far less terrifying than the V-1 – if you heard the bang, you were still alive …
Whereas, he was returning from London on leave, returning to go on making/devising explosives in Scotland, waiting on a train in St Pancras, when a V-1 cut-out directly overhead ….
[Perhaps this had better be enough for the digression into V1s and V2s. Interesting though it has been, its links with any topics originating here are tenuous at best. Malcolm
Just wondering how issue 5 is progressing?
@ABM
I don’t know, sorry, but we do acknowledge that this website was unavailable due to the major Denial of Service cyber attack yesterday that disrupted internet service across Europe and the US.
Fortunately it appears that everything is back up and operating as normal at LR Towers. If you notice anything askance, please drop us a line at [email protected].
LBM
how is issue 5 progressing?
Once again I pose the question how issue 5 is progressing, also how do I change my mailing address from 17th Feb 2017. Cheers Alan