I can clearly remember mom saying (more than once), “Would you jump off a cliff just because you saw someone else do it?”
The meaning, of course, is not do do something stupid when you see some other idiot get away with it.
I present for your entertainment, two such idiots; The first, who is simply stupid. The second, who is stupid and incredible lucky.
I can imagine the second man’s agenda for the rest of the day:
1) Change underwear… Anything clean will be fine.
2) Buy shoes… Anything with both left AND right will be good.
3) Go see Mother… Ask her to repeat that old saying.
1959 saw the debut of Lionel’s #44 Army Mobile Launcher. This missile-laden locomotive gave electric trains a combative edge. Four small rockets could be fired from the back of the locomotive, either by use of a remote track, or by hand. An operator sat at the controls, and a red light beamed atop the cab.
2009 saw the debut of a far less amusing and vastly more threatening version of the ballistic missle-train idea; this one manufactured in North Korea…
A North Korean train carrying a long-range missile has allegedly arrived at a launch base in the northwest of the country. The South Korean military has confirmed this development. Some experts speculate that Pyongyang may be preparing to fire a new ballistic missile which theoretically could be capable of reaching the US.
International concern has been rising over the past week after North Korea undertook its second-ever nuclear test explosion, launched several short-range missiles, and warned of further action.
On the one side the international community must react to North Korea’s nuclear ambitions but on the other, history shows that pressure does not work in regard to North Korea, says expert Aleksandr Vorontsov.
GAUX Adds: This some genuinely scary stuff… I wonder if the average North Korean citizen is as concerned as the average citizen from anywhere else in the world? What the hell is Pyongyang thinking?
I was wandering around the internet and stumbled on a site called “English Russia” which has facinating photos and articles about Russia; especially old Russia.
The entire site is very interesting, but there are 2 postings that really caught my attention… both are photo galleries about abandoned railways:
“We’ve had recently an abandoned railway in Abkhazia, abandoned as a result of USSR collapse when new “independent” republics couldn’t maintain the complicated and high-cost USSR legacy objects. But this one was abandoned long before the USSR collapse, it was doomed to be abandoned from the beginning. It was built by a personal Stalin’s order in the middle of nowhere – deep inside Northern Siberia between Salekhard city and Igarka town. It was not connected with any other Russian Federal Railway System and the purpose of it still is not very clear, so as a senseless toy it way abandoned pretty soon and now rusts accessible only with a helicopter.”
“…one can find the pictures of the locomotive depot in Sukhumi, Abkhazia (the former USSR republic). It seems that time has stopped there since the USSR collapse. Though the depot still functions most of the technics stand abandoned.”
The fastest train in Russia is almost ready to welcome its first passengers. The high tech monster can travel at up to 300 km/h and will cut more than an hour off journey times between Moscow and St. Petersburg.A peregrine falcon, known as a Sapsan in Russian is the fastest bird and the fastest animal in the world, capable of reaching up to 350 kilometers per hour, and it has given its name to Russia’s first ever high-speed train. If all goes to plan the Sapsan will travel at 300 kilometers per hour, and hopefully give the country’s image a boost.
“It’ll be a breakthrough in terms of the further development of the Russian railways, rocketing the whole industry to a new level. This train will be able to compete with aircraft and has a chance to beat them: it’s as comfortable as an airplane, but much safer and less dangerous, and also it has no baggage restrictions,” says Dmitry Pegov, acting deputy chief engineer at Oktyabrksoe department of Russian Railways.
Sapsan driver Aleksey Maksimov says he feels like a test pilot for this speeding train. He is one of just ten drivers across Russia who are licensed to drive the high tech locomotive.
“When we started, in the mid-1990s, that was difficult, that was new and unusual. Our railways were not good enough. But so many people have been working hard for a long time. Now I can say for sure that this is the most comfortable transport in Russia today,” says Aleksey Maksimov.
The journey was indeed a long one. The project was left to mature for years before becoming a reality. One of the leading engineers on Russia’s railways, Dmitry Pegov, says it took so much time mostly because of the huge amount of financing required.
“We’ve been forced to modernize a huge part of our railways as they were not able to take such speed. We also had to adapt a German-produced train to Russia’s climate,” says Dmitry Pegov.
The half-a-billion Euro project is a joint Russian-German venture. Moscow plans to purchase eight trains over the next 15 months, while the German side has pledged to provide maintenance.
Aleksandr Babak was born in the USSR, but moved to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 16 years later he returned to his motherland, but this time as a foreign specialist. Siemens sent him to monitor the train’s trials.
“Germans were rather skeptical about Russia and Russians. They imagined a country with bears on the streets, drunk people with guns, a country of criminals and idlers. It won my heart. Now, I am so proud of Russia, that it proved itself as a reliable, and serious partner, and also a very hospitable place,” says Aleksnadr Babak from Siemens AG.
It’s expected to cover the 650 kilometer distance between Moscow and Saint Petersburg in three and a half hours, versus today’s five hours.
I can remember (or think I can) when people came to associate mirror-sunglasses with American law enforcement officers. The connection, deserved or not, has stuck and haunts anyone caught wearing “cop glasses.”
Loyal reader Dapet has discovered a way around this problem for railfans with the real genius of 3M… locomotive engineer glasses!
These AOSafety Metaliks approved safety glasses have a polished metal frame, anti-fog dual lens design, adjustable nose bridge and soft temple tips. They have a scientifically formulated lens material that absorbs 99.9% UV and specifically provides accurate red railroad signal recognition. As a bonus, they also look very cool.
I found mine online by searching for AOSafety Metaliks starting at a little over $8.00 US; not bad at all.
They are available in clear, grey or even mirror lenses (in case you are a police officer/railfan or a perhaps railroad cop?)
At the start of World War II, the United States Army acquired a defunct motion picture studio at 35th Avenue and 35th Street in Astoria, Long Island City, Queens, New York, taking over in February 1942. The studio became the Signal Corps Photographic Center, later Army Pictorial Center, home to filmmakers and still photographers who covered the war and who produced countless training films.
One of those films restricted to internal eyes only, War Department Film Bulletin Issue #71, used as its subject the U.S. Army Railroad based at Camp Claiborne, LA and the headquarters of the 725th Railway Operation Battalion during the early 1940’s.
It is very interesting to see good film footage of railroading during the WWII era; Throw-in military precision, prison-like work conditions and bombs falling all around and you have a situation certain to satisfy any testosterone level.
Outside of the well-publicized motion picture releases, information about the SCPC and training films produced during WWII are scarce. I hope you enjoy this rare piece of American railroading history.
Note: You can double-click on the movie while it is running to watch full-screen.
Lars is back at it, creating supreme Trainz routes. This time he is working on another DEM/Google Satellite mega-yard named after another of his children… Ida Yard.
David (DAP) seems to be getting very good response to a request for beta-testers of his new commodity car movement and traffic management system for Trainz. We support his idea, and look forward to a release version.
Monaghan said the train has operated “at a consistent loss” over the past 21 years. “Profitability had never been the controlling issue with the Ski Train,”Monaghan added, noting that the train has been operated more as a public amenity than as a money maker. “However, more recently it has faced additional, serious challenges, including escalating costs, particularly liability coverage,” he said.
Monaghan also said there have been operational conflicts with freight train traffic, “substantial uncertainties” posed by planned redevelopment of Union Station, and “long-term impacts resulting from this nation’s economic crisis. Regrettably, the Ski Train could no longer be operated under these conditions.”
An economic development official is hopeful that a meeting intended to bridge a communication gap with CSX Transportation could help open the door for building a long-desired vehicle bridge at the Four Star Industrial Park. […]
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's call for the resignation of the chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is grandstanding at its most craven. […]
The Union Pacific Foundation Board has approved a grant to Loretta Y. Jackson-African American Historical Society for 2010, to support the African American Museum History Center and One Room School Project. […]
New Jersey Transit launched the pilot of its new "Quiet Commute" program this morning, offering some riders the silence they crave on their daily commutes and allowing others to avoid being shushed. […]
The quiet hum of passing cars, the chime of an old bronze courthouse bell and the whistle of a Kansas City Southern train are constants on Leesville's Third Street. […]
Caversham Road will be closed overnight from 8pm on Saturday 11 and Saturday 18 September while Network Rail carries out improvement works on the rail bridge that spans the road. […]
These tankers started to appear in noticeably larger quantities in the fall of 2009, after Transflo Terminal Services opened an ethanol transfer facility in Spotsylvania County 's industrial park--400 feet from the Fredericksburg city limits. […]
Progress Rail Services Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., and Norfolk Southern have announced the order of additional EPA Tier 2 compliant, high-horsepower repower locomotives - designated the PR43C. […]
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