<![CDATA[British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight.]]>British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. I only noticed because of the purple light shining upwards"

Everyone: ???

"We have track measurement trains. They run around, checking the tracks for faults, the power cables, etc

They're bright yellow. So they're nicknamed the Flying Banana, as a joke on the Flying Scotsman

Night time they have this blue laser that scans the overhead wires. It creates this giant glow you can see when it moves"

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/dae81915-e30d-4b4d-a55d-655c11597f7e/british-online-friend-saw-a-flying-banana-tonight.RSS for NodeFri, 17 Apr 2026 10:54:13 GMTTue, 14 Apr 2026 08:56:09 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:50:34 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe Wow, that is some incredible light pollution... Why is its intensity set so high? (I know I'm focusing on the wrong thing here, but geez...)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://urusai.social/users/nazokiyoubinbou/statuses/116405504212435347https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://urusai.social/users/nazokiyoubinbou/statuses/116405504212435347Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:50:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:34:47 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j9ZDOJ6f0U]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fe.disroot.org/objects/e232073b-aa4b-4bf2-8774-3af987334674https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fe.disroot.org/objects/e232073b-aa4b-4bf2-8774-3af987334674Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:34:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:02:59 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe This is a rabbit hole I am more than happy to enter.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://federate.social/ap/users/116381814815893574/statuses/116404609350257497https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://federate.social/ap/users/116381814815893574/statuses/116404609350257497Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:02:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:22:10 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe Hmm, wouldn’t this make plane pilot mad ?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.sciences.re/users/Sobex/statuses/116404448835226224https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.sciences.re/users/Sobex/statuses/116404448835226224Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:22:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:50:17 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe It's funny to think that the vehicle that tests the overhead lines... runs on diesel traction 😄 Obviously it's more versatile that way for a largely unelectrified network in the UK, and Deutsche Bahn also use the diesel BR 605 for testing, so hardly unprecedented. But lovely to see the old British Rail class 43s still in use in one way or another all the same!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.seabass.systems/users/seabass/statuses/01KP6ED7KMQDR69FD2JBXEYNRThttps://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.seabass.systems/users/seabass/statuses/01KP6ED7KMQDR69FD2JBXEYNRTTue, 14 Apr 2026 16:50:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:39:28 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe I first thought you were talking about the original Flying Banana, the Piasecki/Boeing Vertol H-21 helicopter! Shame they didn’t have blue lasers…

Link Preview Image
]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.party/users/GiantGinkgo/statuses/116404045020800220https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.party/users/GiantGinkgo/statuses/116404045020800220Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:39:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:11:46 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe today i learned: bananas have a blue laser at night

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://made.asterism.gay/ap/users/116267880179033457/statuses/116403936076197014https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://made.asterism.gay/ap/users/116267880179033457/statuses/116403936076197014Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:11:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:29:44 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe clearly the purple light is the bat signal, but for train nerds

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.opportunis.me/users/olasd/statuses/116403770778406092https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.opportunis.me/users/olasd/statuses/116403770778406092Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:29:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:00:48 GMT]]>@allypally @GreenSkyOverMe Ha! I won't. I wanna see Dr Zhicago now!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/chiffchaff/statuses/116403421074431842https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/chiffchaff/statuses/116403421074431842Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:00:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:47:58 GMT]]>@allypally @chiffchaff @GreenSkyOverMe The same story just with a lot more jazz.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.me.uk/users/JonnyT/statuses/116403370631229452https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.me.uk/users/JonnyT/statuses/116403370631229452Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:47:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:27:42 GMT]]>@qwazix Not sure, maybe this video someone else linked explains it, I haven't watched it https://youtu.be/BVa0TR7YByc

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ohai.social/users/GreenSkyOverMe/statuses/116403290912921867https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ohai.social/users/GreenSkyOverMe/statuses/116403290912921867Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:27:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:18:15 GMT]]>mx [@tay, @GreenSkyOverMe], now this one wants a giant blue laser glow,,

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.vierkantor.com/users/1/statuses/116403253750756095https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.vierkantor.com/users/1/statuses/116403253750756095Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:18:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:51:59 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe why is it so long?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bananachips.club/users/qwazix/statuses/116403150489038709https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bananachips.club/users/qwazix/statuses/116403150489038709Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:51:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:43:43 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe the measure and maintenance trains on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines are similar; they're named "Doctor Yellow" 😄

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jgilbert/statuses/116403117956983924https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jgilbert/statuses/116403117956983924Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:43:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:37:01 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe@ohai.social i want one of these

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://transfem.social/notes/al267ba0psfu0070https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://transfem.social/notes/al267ba0psfu0070Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:37:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:33:09 GMT]]>@niavy@masto.bike @GreenSkyOverMe@ohai.social https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Scotsman

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pleroma.breizh.pm/objects/886bac2a-1fad-44cf-90be-135ed25d66d3https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pleroma.breizh.pm/objects/886bac2a-1fad-44cf-90be-135ed25d66d3Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:33:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:32:02 GMT]]>@niavy I don’t think so https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Scotsman_(railway_service)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ohai.social/users/GreenSkyOverMe/statuses/116403072044980581https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ohai.social/users/GreenSkyOverMe/statuses/116403072044980581Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:32:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:30:20 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe
Is the flying Scotsman a Monty Python joke?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.bike/users/niavy/statuses/116403065354079311https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.bike/users/niavy/statuses/116403065354079311Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:30:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:08:53 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe @nigecube Did you know about this? 🙂

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/lopta/statuses/116402981007672806https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/lopta/statuses/116402981007672806Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:08:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:56:09 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe
I didn't know about this and now I do . Thank you

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.me.uk/users/Christo_459/statuses/116402930914656268https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.me.uk/users/Christo_459/statuses/116402930914656268Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:56:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:37:45 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe Leaned something knew. Goooo flying bananas!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://newsie.social/users/Christofurio/statuses/116402858562928342https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://newsie.social/users/Christofurio/statuses/116402858562928342Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:37:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:32:17 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe They always remind me of this scene in Dr Zhicago because of how they arrive unannounced at small stations going line speed and surprise everyone.

https://youtu.be/wRXKHTTzayU

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/chiffchaff/statuses/116402837084813800https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/chiffchaff/statuses/116402837084813800Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:32:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:04:16 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe Funny!

Personally, I call the black-and-yellow service trains I have in my Minecraft world "bees". Called the last one "Andrena" (mining bee) because it's a driller train, haha

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/samerion/statuses/116402726954515495https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/samerion/statuses/116402726954515495Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:04:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to British online friend: "Saw a flying banana tonight. on Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:41:42 GMT]]>@GreenSkyOverMe Japan has 'Doctor Yellow' for their maintenance train.

Flying Banana was used as a nickname for all the high speed train units in their original livery long before the NMT, and that was a reference to 1930s use for GWR railcars

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/etchedpixels/statuses/116402638186668800https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/etchedpixels/statuses/116402638186668800Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:41:42 GMT