OT: Mystery device

[Dave W]

Or this, taken May 2014 when the sun was in a better position.

[Bill Wright]

Cul de sac means a cat in a bag. Nom de plume means smokeless zone. In loco parentis means my dad is an engine driver. A la carte means mobile chip shop. Chauffeur means your dad. Creme de la creme means a really profitable burglary. Creperie are special burglars' shoes. De rigueur is a French TV aerial installer. Divertissement is an alternative route. Je ne regrette rein means I don't care if it rains. Mange tout means fanny fart.

Bill

[damduck-egg]

It will be part of a setup that will also automatically be turning the railway signals to the stop indication so hopefully no train will come along and hit an aircraft or wreckage of one that has encroached upon the track, Gatwick has a similar system even though the trains there are powered by 3rd rails about a foot above the ground. A couple of other airports also have railway signals activated by tripwire systems, Southend and Manchester have them . The systems primary purpose are to stop trains , a diesel powered one could come barreling along even if the power has been disconnected.

So somewhere the system will be connected to the power supply control but there won't be a big switch pulled to off by the tripwire directly.

G.Harman

[Graham.]

Coalman to housewife, "How do you want it, cul-de-sac or a la carte?"

[whisky-dave]

on-core is another.

[Mike Clarke]

I'd have thought that it relies on the weight assembly being next to the switch pressing a plunger sideways. If the aircraft overruns the runway gently it pulls the weights up, if it does it violently it breaks the rope and the weights drop. Either way the plunger flies out and the power is switched off.