On 25/01/2012 13:09, Colin Youngs wrote:
"Graeme schreef

: The Brussels pre-metro platforms have a sunken centre section for the
: trams. Is this to enable the easy provision of high level platforms
: if/when the lines are converted to full metro operation?

Yes.


Thanks Colin.

--
Graeme Wall
This account not read, substitute trains for rail.
Railway Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail

On 24-Jan-12 15:35, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Someone told me that there are merely three oversize freight car types in
North America that won't clear an 8 inch platform, and that 15 inches
might make a practical platform standard. It would sure speed up boarding.

I think you misremember a post by HJZ, in which he said there are three
freight _cars_ in the RICA database that cannot clear a 55cm (21.7in)
platform. All freight cars can clear an 8in (20.3cm) platform.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

In message , at 09:35:52 on Wed, 25 Jan
2012, Stephen Sprunk remarked:
Although a "deposit account" is the UK term for a long term savings
account, and most people will only have a debit card linked to checking
(aka current) account.

At least in US parlance, a "deposit account" is a checking, savings or
time deposit account. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposit_account

That article badly needs some international aspect adding to it.
--
Roland Perry

On 25-Jan-12 09:49, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:35:52 on Wed, 25 Jan
2012, Stephen Sprunk remarked:
Although a "deposit account" is the UK term for a long term savings
account, and most people will only have a debit card linked to checking
(aka current) account.

At least in US parlance, a "deposit account" is a checking, savings or
time deposit account. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposit_account

That article badly needs some international aspect adding to it.

It's Wikipedia: if you don't like it, fix it.

S


--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

Stephen Sprunk wrote:
On 25-Jan-12 02:14, Roland Perry wrote:
Mark Goodge remarked:

At least in US parlance, a "credit card" is linked to a "revolving"
credit account, i.e. you are not required to pay the full balance every
month. A "charge card" is linked to a credit account that is _not_
revolving.

For completeness, a "debit card" is one linked to a deposit account, and
a "payment card" is the generic form for any of the three types.

UK terminology is the same.

Although a "deposit account" is the UK term for a long term savings
account, and most people will only have a debit card linked to checking
(aka current) account.

At least in US parlance, a "deposit account" is a checking, savings or
time deposit account. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposit_account

A time versus demand deposit account has to do with the bank's cash
position and assets on its balance sheet. They wouldn't be terms
used in retail banking. Fewer assets back time deposits, as the assumption
is made that not everyone will withdraw from these accounts at once, and
if they do, the bank can prevent them from having immediate access to
their money. In retail banking, certificate of deposit (CD) would be
the term used for these types of accounts.

Prior to the late aughts, assets had to be real, even.

How many British bank customers lost money in Iceland?

On 23-Jan-12 16:49, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Stephen Sprunk wrote:
On 23-Jan-12 13:01, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
John Levine wrote:
On 23-Jan-12 12:34, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
That's a load of crap. You want the merchant to handle monies that have
to be refunded, eventually, claiming it's simpler.

Yeah, it's simpler. I have both a NY sales tax merchant account and a
Canadian GST account. The GST is much easier to deal with.

What's your experience with VAT?

So, you're a reseller, and you would find it simpler to pay the tax you're
not subject to and then get it rebated?

You apparently don't understand how a VAT works.

I understand just fine how VAT works.

Apparently not, based on your comments here.

John Levine made an irrelevant comment about VAT, which I ignored.

By leaving it in the quote, you implied that's what you were responding
to. You've demonstrated numerous times your ability to snip material
you were ignoring and/or not responding to.

How do you think the former system is simpler?

I made no such comment. ... All I said was that I disagreed with YOUR
suggestion that the merchant collect sales tax from everyone,
including transactions in which the law would not impose a sales tax.

I said doing the same thing for all customers was simpler than doing
different things for different customers. You called that "a load of
crap." I gave the canonical example of how the two systems work in
practice, and now you are refusing to acknowledge that the simpler
system is simpler.

Why not address your question in followup to John Levine's article?

Because I didn't disagree with anything in his article.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

Stephen Sprunk wrote:
On 24-Jan-12 15:35, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

Someone told me that there are merely three oversize freight car types in
North America that won't clear an 8 inch platform, and that 15 inches
might make a practical platform standard. It would sure speed up boarding.

I think you misremember a post by HJZ, in which he said there are three
freight _cars_ in the RICA database that cannot clear a 55cm (21.7in)
platform. All freight cars can clear an 8in (20.3cm) platform.

Uh, no, Stephen. The person in question is someone you don't know.

On 25-Jan-12 00:53, Neil Williams wrote:
On Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:19:31 +0100, "Colin Youngs"
wrote:
Same in Belgium. When I get my monthly credit card bill, I must
pay the outstanding amount on the card in full. Each new month must
start with a zero balance.

That to me is a charge card, not a credit card. An example of one of
those is AmEx.

AmEx now offers revolving cards, aka "credit cards", so they're not a
very good example anymore.

AFAIK, Diners Club (now owned by Discover) is still non-revolving.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

A time versus demand deposit account has to do with the bank's cash
position and assets on its balance sheet. They wouldn't be terms
used in retail banking. Fewer assets back time deposits, as the assumption
is made that not everyone will withdraw from these accounts at once, and
if they do, the bank can prevent them from having immediate access to
their money. In retail banking, certificate of deposit (CD) would be
the term used for these types of accounts.

That's not really correct. (I wish I could say I was surprised.)

US banks have historically made a distinction between demand deposits,
which you could get back on demand, such as by writing checks on them,
and didn't pay any interest, and time deposits which did pay interest
but the bank could make you wait anywhere from a week to a month
before repaying you. Those distinctions have blurred a lot in recent
years, but if you have a passbook or statement savings account, that's
a time deposit and the bank could in theory make you wait when you ask
for a withdrawal, although in practice they never do. The time aspect
is why you can't write checks on them. That last bit was widely
flouted by things with names like Payment Orders or Negotiable Orders
of Withdrawal which were checks in all but name, until the regulators
relented and allowed interest on checking accounts.

We also have Certificates of Deposit (CDs) which pay a stated amount
for a fixed time, anywhere from a week to a decade, the same thing
that's called a Term Deposit or a GIC in other countries. Some CDs
can be redeemed early with a penalty, most can't be redeemed early at
all. Most CDs are non-transferrable, but there's also a market in CDs
you can buy and sell through a stockbroker. Those aren't redeemable,
but you can more less get your money back by selling it to someone
else, albeit not necessarily at the price you originally paid.

R's,
John

On Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:35:23 +0000, "
wrote:

On 24/01/2012 21:40, Neil Williams wrote:
On Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:35:23 +0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
wrote:
When berthing at a high-level platform, a trap door is lowered,
covering the steps in the vestibule.

Thanks.

What would you call it?

I don't think we'd have a name as we don't have any - the UK is all high
platformed, or for the rare low ones (not US low) there are usually
wooden steps left on the platform.

The only thing even vaguely like it is the retractable step on Metrolink
trams in Manchester, but I think the platforms are now all high so they
are unused now. All other tram systems in the UK are all low platform
with low floor trams.

Neil

Are there any low platforms in the UK now, besides heritage lines?

Down line platform at Kingussie.