The Royal Air Force (RAF) may be British, but the French consider it a dual-citizen since it was born during World War One in the Pas-de-Calais, and they too are celebrating its 100th Anniversary with special exhibitions and a Douglas Bader trail. The RAF was formed in...
The home of the Netherlands Mariniers (‘Marines’) has always been Rotterdam, so no surprise that the corps’ museum should be in the historic heart of the city. It hasn’t there long. The first attempt to create a collection of historic Mariniers artifacts was at their barracks on...
Zurich public transport operator, Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ), have unveiled a mock-up of their new FLEXITY tram, made by Bombardier. The FLEXITY trams are designed to be a cost-effective solution to improve capacity, accessibility, efficiency, and passenger comfort for Zurich commuters. The FLEXITY tram’s design features include a...
AmaWaterways have unveiled designs for the first of a new generation of river cruise ships that are almost twice the width of traditional river cruise ships. When she is launched in May 2019, MV AmaMagna will have space for a wider choice of facilites including four restaurants...
The Vulcan to the Sky Trust is inviting the public to add their names to Avro Vulcan XH558 – the longest serving Royal Air Force Vulcan bomber, and the last to fly. It’s a time-limited opportunity for anyone to place their chosen name on a set of...
It wasn’t just any civilian*, it was one of America’s most famous celebrities at the time, Charles A. Lindbergh. Lindbergh, famous for making the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in his single-engined Spirit of St Louis aircraft in 1927, wasn’t supposed to...
European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, is planning to fit sleeping berth modules inside the cargo compartments on its airliners. Airbus and Zodiac Aerospace have partnered to develop and market lower-deck modules with passenger sleeping berths. The modules, which would fit inside the aircraft’s cargo compartments, offer new opportunities...
Efteling – the fairytale* theme park in the south of Holland – has launched a new virtual experience on one of the park’s main attractions, the dark ride Droomvlucht, making the ride accessible to disabled visitors. To be honest, Droomvlucht (“DreamFlight”) is a little bit dated these...
Last week Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) took possession of their new 4,000-guest cruise ship during an on board signing ceremony at which ownership was transferred from the (astonishingly efficient) Meyer Werft shipyard (I’m a big fan) to NCL and their respective flags were changed. Norwegian Bliss is...
The Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME) museum re-opened in June 2017 at MOD Lynham in Wiltshire. The corps has had a museum since 1958. It was originally a small collection located in a few rooms at Moat House in REME’s base at Arborfield outside Reading. It...
Private railway carriages are not new, but these days the ability to rent one and attach it to a train is rare outside the USA, where they are known as “Private Varnishes”*. Now, Golden Eagle Luxury Trains has introduced the Romanov Suite to its (already) private Golden...
Gulliver’s Gate is a miniature world in Times Square, New York. I love a good modelscape. How did I miss this one? How did I miss this one for a whole year?? It turns out NYC launched its own version of Hamburg’s fabulous Miniatur Wunderland back in...
This is an interesting standalone exhibit in one of the outbuildings on the Beaulieu estate (site of the National Motor Museum) in the New Forest. It’s a Welbike – a small, parachuteable, motorbike designed for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in WW2. As the blurb in the...
Bristol’s latest attraction, ‘Being Brunel’, a new museum dedicated to the genius of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was opened to the public this weekend. The £7.2m museum sits on the dockside next to his marine masterpiece, SS Great Britain on Bristol’s Harbourside, and incorporates his Dock Office from...
This is a niche blog about technically-minded travel. It reflects my own interests in the mechanical, technical, historical, engineering, transport and military world.
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