Thursday 27 September 2012

Toyota Corolla

Battered & sun bleached early/mid '70's Gen 2 Corolla, Tavira, Portugal. It survives in the dry climate. All the ones in the UK must have disintegrated by now.

Funky Moped

Tiny Alpino moped in cycle shop window, Faro, Portugal.



Wheezy Rider

Forvel Mini-chopper spotted in Faro, Portugal this week. "My Porsche is in the garage" - an unlikely claim.

Saturday 15 September 2012

Forth Replacement Crossing



The road and rail bridges over the River Forth are probably Scotland's most well known man-made sight. But the two bridge are going to become three. The construction of the Forth Replacement Crossing is now underway with completion planned for 2016. Roadworks have been going on for some time but there is now progress on the bridge itself. The new bridge is a cable stayed structure with three supports in the river. For the foundations cassions have been installed. There are basically huge steel tubes that are sunk through the river bed to the rock below and will be filled with concrete to form a base for the bridge's towers.

The new bridge is required because the existing road bridge, constructed in 1964, is suffering on-going corrosion and breakages in the main suspension cables that will reduce its capacity to carry traffic in the future. It's interesting that the rail bridge, completed in 1890, is now in good condition after repairs and repainting and likely to be in service for the foreseeable future.

This project should provide some interesting photographs in the next few years.

The Forth Rail & Road bridges

On the right there are caissions near each bank and a jack up barge where a third cassion will be sunk.
Cassions & jack up barge show where the bridges towers will be. 


Artist's impression of new bridge

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Autumn Run to the Borders



The "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" is truly upon us (in Scotland anyway) But with a heavier jacket & and extra pair of socks I had a pleasant run to the Borders today in bright but cool conditions.

Big skies over the Lammermuir Hills

Cranshaw Kirk

An autumn scene - a field of hay bales

One for "The Bridge Club" There are many fine masonry arch bridges in this area, this one over Blackadder Water near Duns.







Friday 7 September 2012

Featured Bike - MV Agusta 750 Sport



They don't come much more exotic than this Italian beauty from the early '70s photographed at the Stafford show in 2005.


Jelly mould tank, eye popping paint scheme, massive lump of a dohc motor, four pipes and open bell mouths.