On closer inspection it would seem that hole os hexagonal with grooves radiating from each point. Surely this must have a purpose. Is that a ball swivel on the end of the thread? If so that would need to bear on flattish surface. Maybe there is another part?

Thanks Moggy but still not working!

Sorry try again will check it this time

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-32101785

Confirmed working.

Paul F
Yes indeed I agree with all you have said. I take your point about mothballing but that wasn’t quite what I had in mind. With the canals and disused railway lines we built across them, sold them off and filled canals and cuttings up. Now we are busy trying to restore many of these canals and railway lines for various reasons. My suggestion is that these and airfields are national assets and that they should be ring fenced against development and that they should retain their planning rights. If there is no immediate use for them allow none destructive leased use so that they are always recoverable at any later date. Specifically with regard to Manston if no aviation solution can be found allow leased usage of existing builders and suitably located industrial buildings and return the rest of the land to agriculture. However, retain the national asset of being able to fly planes in and out of the plot even if a new runway has to be built say in 50 years time. It seems to me that developers are keen to obtain these airfields because they are available and presumably now classed as brown field, however, if no airfield had been there it would still be agricultural land and probably no development allowed.

Haven’t there been aircraft related business at Manston right up until it was closed and could this not be encouraged, I thought this was all part of the original and River Oak plans.

We have a similar recent case with the Military Railway at Long Marston this was a complete full size rail system for training military personnel. This should have been gifted to the National Rail Museum who could have operated it as a working system using stock that is otherwise basically captive at York and Shildon. But what are we getting houses, holiday homes and Underground stock storage.. There appears to be some provision for keeping some of the track but there does not appear to be any clear plans.

Charlie

I agree over pollution but it is the hot topic, along with global warming (or is it climate change or isit….) that are band wagons that can be used to advantage and justify almost anything. I am keen to get these trucks off the roads and back onto the rail system where they belong. Oh and bring back the Scarab, battery powered of course, for delivery from the station to the local supermarkets etc. Win win all round, less congestion, less pollution and increased revenue for the rail infrastructure with a positive knock on effect for passengers.

It’s a pity that Manston is a bit too far away for the runway to operate for Operation Stack, otherwise it would be ideal and presumable save a lot of money over any alternative solution.

Regards Paul

Thanks for posting. Thank you to Lord Ashcroft for a win win solution with Les Munro getting the respect he richly deserves.

Thanks for the update Nick very pleased she is still safely buried, let’s hope she remains so.

The runway size make it important infrastructure and a national asset, as the local MP agrees. River Oak thinks it can make a go of it as a freight terminal and they should be allowed to try. There are good rail and road links and I think that the whole way we handle freight in this country is going to dramatically change in the coming decades and, as has already started, move to rail. HS2 is not about travel times as the popular press would lead you to believe but about capacity including freight capacity. Diesels are the new enemy and radical changes are needed to get long distance trucks off the road and freight back on to the railways where it always belonged. But, of course, when the powers that be decide that we no longer need transport infrastructure what do they do, fill it up, rip it up and sell it off cheap to the sort of shady characters we see involved at Manston. As I have sprouted before we have now decided we like canals and are busy digging them out and restoring them all be it for a different use. Rail reinstatement projects that would have been thought impossible 20 years ago are happening in many places. Porthmadog has even allowed trains to cross and run down a main road.
My point is that transport infrastructure such as airfields and rail goods yards are difficult if not impossible to reinstate. They are all national assets and should be ring fenced against any development that would not allow the reinstatement of its transport use. So even if an operator cannot be found for Manston the infrastructure and planning use should be kept and the land leased back to its original use, agriculture.

If you are in any doubt about the motivations and shenanigans of the present owners then please watch the Select Committee meeting on Manston mentioned below, if for no other reason than to deprive these “characters” of Manston then River Oak should be given a chance.

Thanks for posting the pics.
Have visited a number of times and is truly an excellent museum. You can spend a day in the Warehouse alone. Very worthwhile taking the guided tour in the Warehouse. Went to the last Railfest there in 2012 which was absolutely excellent. Will certainly go again if they hold another one. This is the museum that arranged to bring together the six surviving A4s, despite my best efforts I did not manage to get to see them but for rail buffs this was equivalent to bringing over Vera.

So if you are interested in this sort of thing I have just stumbled across this Military Railfest at Long Marston http://www.trainofevents.co.uk/pages/military-railfest-2015.html. Little info yet but I will certainly be trying to get to that. Hope to be at Coventry Airfield for the 2nd so as Long Marston is only 25m away might spend a few days and visit Midlands Air Museum again as well.

Sadly always something to take the icing off, took a look at the airfield and saw the closed museum planes. Are they still there?