Trains

Siddy Holloway is doing a special I'd really like to watch, but it's only on BBC2 from what I see. Will it be on a streaming service or anything?

Piped / Invidious

About halfway between Tokyo and Nagano.

Here's what it looks like in the daytime:

Here's the plaque explaining it, and the cherry blossoms(?)

Can anyone translate the plaque? Japanese OCR seems to be hopeless...

Photoshop filter not included

https://daitetsu.jp/eng/abt

The Abt rail system, developed in Switzerland in the 1880s, is a narrow gauge track that specializes in climbing inclines by using a 3rd track that is toothed.

The Oigawa Railway's Ikawa Line is the only Abt system in Japan.

From comment on anime series Shuumatsu Train Doko E Iku - Where is the Last Train Going?

https://ani.social/comment/4233782

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Myingyan_Railway_Station_2.jpg

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/28549386

“As trains — many carrying hazardous material — have grown longer, crews should not be getting smaller,” said Eddie Hall, the president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union. He praised the FRA for taking the step President Joe Biden promised. Hall said keeping two people in the cab of a locomotive is crucial now that railroads rely on longer trains that routinely stretch for miles.

Soda locomotives saw very limited use, and though I've found some awesome photos and descriptions thanks to the research of enthusiasts online, I haven't really found anything describing what exactly the process of draining the probably-boiling-hot caustic slop from the locomotive and refilling it with water and fresh caustic soda looked like. Soda locomotives saw very limited use, and though I've found some awesome photos and descriptions thanks to the research of enthusiasts online, I haven't really found anything describing what exactly the process of draining the probably-boiling-hot caustic slop from the locomotive and refilling it with water and fresh caustic soda looked like. 

So I thought I'd reach out to another community of enthusiasts and see if you might be able to extrapolate from the other ways they did things (or how it could be done now). 

Sorry if this is obvious to or kind of a trivial question, I'm not super familiar with the logistics around normal trains. 

The reason I'm asking is that I'd like to feature these in a story I'm working on, and maybe some art, but I want to make sure it's reasonable, even if it's not how things shook out in real life. 

Mostly I'm wondering: if these locomotives had obtained mainstream use, what would the station where they swap wet soda for fresh look like? (A water stop and some kind of screw elevator or rig for blowing in the powder/granules?) I don't necessarily need to write an engineer-level description so much as something a casual observer would see, but if you have that knowledge I'd be thrilled to read it and use as much as possible. I'd also love any suggestions about how you might modernize the design or the processes of filling it, especially for safety. 

I really like the idea of a (sunny) place using big solar concentrators to dry the soda essentially for free. It seems like it could be very efficient in terms of using heat in the form we get it, and the simpler analog tech appeals to me since I'm often writing about rebuilding societies. 

Thanks very much!!

The EMD F40 series trains were retired from CalTrain's fleet last week.

Just for fun, a thought experiment, how much theoretically does it cost to build a commuter rail service? I've lived in a city that has thousands of cars commute to a close by city every day, about 30 miles away. It kills me that there is not an obvious commuter line between them.

There are (I believe) UP tracks there. Not that I have millions of dollars lying around but it did get me thinking, how much really does it cost? For fun, of course, ballparks.

Say end to end, about 30 miles. About 25 off that could be on the existing spur that is there, and then say 5 total to tie the ends to potential stations. Then the cost to build 2 terminal stations and say 2 small ones for towns on the way. Then say a single consist similar to the Coaster trains to just ping pong back and forth.

This to me is the "cheap" option to kickstart some transit in cities, but they always seem to think it's impossible. But how much really is a project like that?

The three entities that received Fiscal Year 2022-2023 IRC Program funding are as follows:

• Illinois – MIPRC Expansion Project (Up to $300,000) Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC)
• Louisiana – SRC Rail-Ready Project: Building Capacity to Expand Passenger Rail across the American South (Up to $400,000) Southern Rail Commission (SRC)
• North Carolina – VA-NC Compact Administration & Southeast Rail Network Analysis Project (Up to $200,000) North Carolina DOT on behalf of the Virginia – North Carolina Interstate High-Speed Rail Compact Commission (VA-NC HSR Compact)

The three entities that received Fiscal Year 2022-2023 IRC Program funding are as follows:

• Illinois – MIPRC Expansion Project (Up to $300,000) Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC)
• Louisiana – SRC Rail-Ready Project: Building Capacity to Expand Passenger Rail across the American South (Up to $400,000) Southern Rail Commission (SRC)
• North Carolina – VA-NC Compact Administration & Southeast Rail Network Analysis Project (Up to $200,000) North Carolina DOT on behalf of the Virginia – North Carolina Interstate High-Speed Rail Compact Commission (VA-NC HSR Compact)

Ancora Holdings, an investment group, is looking to instil a new set of directors, citing safety issues and higher operating ratio (railroad investor speak for lower profit profit margin). The labour union AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Dept. president Greg Regan has put out a statement against this takeover attempt, citing these investors running Bed Bath & Beyond into the ground.

From the document: “The bottom line is that it is time to actually move Norfolk Southern forward. Moving ahead starts with identifying the right destination. Our slate and proposed management team believe they have the experience and strategy required to turn Norfolk Southern into a safer, more sustainable railroad that is growing profitably while also yielding more stability for customers and employees. As shown in our presentation, this is a far cry from where Norfolk Southern stands today under Mr. Shaw and his loyal backers in the boardroom. In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing a second presentation that focuses on our 100-day transition plan and the details of our reliable network strategy that will leverage Norfolk Southern’s existing assets and people to get the organization to the right destination. We will show that a better day is in reach—one that includes enhanced value for customers, communities, employees and shareholders.”

Railroad Workers United (RWU), a caucus of rank-and-file workers spanning all thirteen national rail unions, recently released a video offering one answer to the rotten state of US rail. “Putting America Back on Track: The Case for Public Rail Ownership” opens in East Palestine, with a resident of the area showing the viewer photos he took the night of the Norfolk Southern derailment. The video goes on to make the case for public ownership of rail, which has been a focus for RWU over the past year.

What are your thoughts on the idea of public ownership of rail (in the US and Canada)? What type or level of public ownership would you support?

https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2023-0099-0001/comment?sortBy=postedDate&sortDirection=desc

Comments due tonight at 2359 EST, 2059 PST. It's about waivers to the Buy America plan for High Speed Train components. Probably have a look through this video before submitting a comment, as it shows the important parts of comments other companies have put and (Armchair Urbanist) Alan Fischer's suggestions on commenting.

The train is Spanish Talgo 350 SRO with an operating speed of 300 km/h