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Would it surprise you to learn that a substantial proportion of the vaccines used in the UK were supplied from the EU?

It's the rail version of the AS Tronic automated manual gearbox that's common on trucks and buses so a clutch and 12 speed gearbox (actually a two speed, a three speed and a two speed in series). I doubt though that all of those speeds are used. If a clutch can handle the couple of thousand Nm...

The issue is that without a coasting ability you'll have engine braking so the train will tend to slow down going downhill so the driver will have to take power - and diesel - to maintain speed. With a hydraulic transmission the train can coast for quite long distances, admittedly using some...

No, they're not. In isolation "mechanical" gearboxes are more efficient because they transmit power mechanically when they lock their torque converters but unless they can provide a coasting facility much of the gains are lost by having to drive the train downhill. ZF make two manifestations of...

I've been to Sweden. Coffee is not so much served as made available to you. Large cups are very much a thing and better yet the coffee is usually with free refills as you just pour your own from a pot. Unless of course you've gone all fancy and ordered something produced by an espresso machine.

It wasn't a big deal - speed limit signs are just panels bolted onto poles so you just unscrew one and put on the other. It only took a few minutes per sign.

Subtitling rather than dubbing isn't necessarily related to the likelihood of the locals understanding English though. It seems in my experience at least to be more of a cultural thing so when I was in Scandinavia TV stations used subtitles for all their foreign programming regardless of...

I'm intrigued by the DUP getting excited about any possibility of NI remaining in (some kind) of customs union with the EU and insisting they will withhold support for any agreement that included this. The fact that NI voted to remain in the EU and the customs union resulting therefrom appears...

I was in Sweden last week and yes, they have the same sequence, as does Germany. Interestingly, in the old days the DDR used to have an extra combination in their traffic light sequence so they went green, orange+green, orange, red. German toilets and their peculiar arrangements are a thing best...

Where did I say that? I did point out the absurdity of your claim that democracy wins over the GFA, given that the GFA is rather more a democratic process than the UK leaving the EU without any terms in place.

Quite right. The GFA was not accepted by referenda held in Northern Ireland and Ireland on the 22nd of May 1998 with "yes" votes of 71% and 94% respectively while a decision to leave the EU without a deal was made by the UK electorate on....no, wait a minute!

The Cork Dublin and Dublin Belfast trains are usually loco hauled and the former passes through Limerick Junction. The first and second pictures show Class 22000 DMUs by Hyundai which serve Waterford - LJ and the flat fronted DMU in the third picture is a Class 2800 which does LJ - Limerick.

Everybody else (Sweden included...) seems to manage!

I've often wondered why some English people (and it tends to be English rather than British in general) refer to Ireland as Éire rather than Ireland. According to the Constitution, the correct name is Ireland (in the English language) and Éire (in Irish). When writing in English one would no...

Interesting that you take the trouble to include Northern Ireland, seeing how it voted to remain....

At the time the Pantheon was the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. It still is.

I was on the Inlandsbana in Sweden some years ago and while we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere a passenger reported trouble with the toilet. The driver came back to investigate (while the train was still underway, don't ask me) and having had no joy the tour guide announced that as...

Not really. The older DMUs used a semi automatic gearbox with a torque converter so the driver had to change gear. The later ones use a Voith hydrodynamic transmission which uses a torque converter (lots of fluid pumped around, high losses) for first speed and a fluid coupling (less fluid being...

No wrecking required. The old Borg Warner boxes that much of the UK motor industry used at one point would allow it. Wasn't encouraged partially because of the speed needed, but it was possible. Older Mercs used to do it too (and the manual said that you could!)

They use what's called a hydrodynamic transmission. One fixed gear driven either by a torque converter (lots of slip, so first speed) or a fluid coupling (less slip, so second speed). Newer units have a high gear driven by a second fluid coupling, so third speed.