HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: romeo@niagara.Tymnet.COM (Michael Stimac)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Compound Locomotives
Date: 19 Nov 92 20:07:58 GMT
Organization: BT North America (Tymnet)

In article <1992Nov18.125904.23699@engage.pko.dec.com> pierson@ggone.enet.dec.com (Dave Pierson) writes:
>
>	This would have been a little tricky.  The first GG1 (4799, later 4800)
>	ran in 1934.  The first A (I looked it up) dates to 1936  (unless the
>	reference is wrong.
>
>	The GG1 apparently evolved from tests PRR ran on a borrowed NYNH&H
>	electric (351?).  Another precursor was the CUT design of electric.
>

Dave, thanks for correcting the chronology. 

The original GG-1 ("old rivets") was built as #4899, then became
the #4800 when its design was selected for large-scale production.

The design competitor for the GG-1 class was the 4-D-4 R-1. Only
one R-1 was built. It was built as #4800, then changed to #4899
when the 4-C+C-4 design was found superior. The R-1 was later
changed again to #4999 when GG-1 production exceeded 100 units.

My source says the New Haven engine was of the EP-3 class, but
the specific engine # is not provided.

Michael Stimac


-- 
Michael Stimac
(415) 355-8889
romeo@tymnet.com
These opinions are not necessarily anyone's but my own.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: news@sifon.cc.mcgill.ca
Subject: RE: CP Rail abandonment
Organization: McGill University
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 14:04:07 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.104.133855@dosgate> nigel.allen@canrem.com (Nigel Allen) writes:
>
>CP Rail has apparently asked government permission to abandon all its
>lines east of Sherbrooke, Quebec. All or most of these lines are part of
>its Canada Atlantic railway.

Just nitpicking, but this is the Canadian Atlantic Railway.  The
Canada Atlantic was a line in Ontario and Quebec absorbed by the
Grand Trunk in the early years of this century.  I don't recall
its complete extent, but I think it ran from the Quebec-New York
(or Vermont) border to Georgian Bay.  CN's Alexandria subdivision,
from Coteau to Ottawa, is a former Canada Atlantic line.

To get back to the CP abandonment, the line from Sherbrooke to
Megantic is part of CP's Quebec Division, while the line from
Megantic to Saint John and all the branch lines in New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia make up the Canadian Atlantic.
>
> CN and CP are allowed to abandon 4% of their networks a year, I
>understand, but a large-scale abandonment like this would presumably
>require special permission.
>
>VIA Rail provides passenger service between Montreal and Halifax three
>days a week on the CP route through northern Maine and Saint John, New
>Brunswick. (It also provides three-times-a-week service on the CN route
>through northern New Brunswick.)

The VIA train on the CP route is the Atlantic Ltd.  It has been a
political football for some time.  It was cut by the Liberal government
in 1981, then restored by the Conservatives in 1985, following an
election promise.  It seemed likely to be cut again in 1989, but
some heavy lobbying, notably by Saint John mayor Elsie Wayne, managed
to save it, though with frequency reduced from 7 to 3/week.

Following the outcry over the 1990 VIA cuts, the government has been
reluctant to allow further reductions in VIA service.  It overturned
National Transportation Agency rulings allowing CN to abandon lines
from Chandler to Gaspe, Quebec, and from La Sarre, Quebec to Cochrane,
Ontario, because they would have affected VIA routes.  The proposed CP
abandonment would not take effect until 1994, after the next federal
election, so it remains to be seen how political pressure will
influence this abandonment.
>
>CP's operations in Nova Scotia were traditionally operated as the
>Dominion Atlantic Railway, which is under 999-year lease to CP.
>Passenger service on CP's Nova Scotia lines ended in the massive VIA
>cutbacks of January 1991.

That should be January 1990.  About half of the former DAR, from
Kentville to Yarmouth, was abandoned at that time.  The rest, from
Kentville to Windsor Junction, would be abandoned under the current
CP request.

Tom Box
CZ94@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA

Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: pierson@ggone.enet.dec.com (Dave Pierson)
Subject: Re: Crossing borders; was: Amtrak's future under a Clinton administration
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 17:59:45 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.160451.25248@galileo.cc.rochester.edu>,
kolassa@genesee.bst.rochester.edu (John Kolassa) writes, in part:

>Concerning arangements for customs checks while crossing borders, and a proposal
>that this be done on the train between the US and Canada, without delaying the
>train for a long time on the border,

>I believe that a VIA route crosses into Maine.  Does it stop in the US?
	Used to.  Think it still does.  One stop, maybe two.

>What are the immigration practices there?
	Based on the "train across Canada documentary" doors are "sealed" at the
	crossings, or before, while US Customs checks the train, probably
	enroute, at least checking any detraining passengers.

thanks
dave pierson			|the facts, as accurately as i can manage,
Digital Equipment Corporation	|the opinions, my own.
40 Old Bolton Rd		|I am the NRA.
Stow, Mass		01775	pierson@msd26.enet.dec.com
"He has read everything, and, to his credit, written nothing."  A J Raffles
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: percus@pnheap.in2p3.fr (Allon Percus)
Subject: Re: Amtrak's future under a Clinton administration
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 18:24:54 GMT
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> A possible solution would be for customs to go through the train while it
> is travelling.  This has been implemented in Europe for as long as I remember
> (and I am over 40 years, I think the last cases where you had to get out of
> the train or somesuch was in the late 50s).

And furthermore I think this would be very easy to do on the Montreal
trains as there is no passenger stop on the Canadian side of the border
until St-Lambert (just outside of Montreal itself).  This gives the
border officials almost an hour or so do their inspections, etc.  For
the southbound trains they could get on at Montreal (where there is
already a U.S. Customs office at the train station), begin the inspection
after St-Lambert and then get off after the border.  For the northbound
trains it's basically the same thing, they could get on at the border,
which would give them plenty of time to finish the inspection before
arriving at St-Lambert.

Allon Percus
From: bill@mathnx.math.byu.edu (Bill Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Smokey Alcos...(Was: Re: GE chugging)
Date: 23 Nov 1992 19:38:01 GMT
Organization: Brigham Young University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: mathnx.math.byu.edu

In article <1992Nov22.015323.1@fnalo.fnal.gov>  
khartman@fnalo.fnal.gov writes:
> In article <1992Nov18.145240.16329@bony1.bony.com>,  
billg@bony1.bony.com 
> (Bill Gripp) writes:
> [Other text deleted]
  
> > What is really dramatic is to find a U34CH which needs a tune up.   
Catch
> > one of those accelerating from a station stop and not only do you  
get
> > that chug, but black smoke that almost rivals the best Alcos!
>  
> 
> 
> 	Yeah, what about the smokey Alcos?  What is the general  
opinion on

I think it was indeed turbo design.  Anyway, you should have
seen the good old  C855's.  Talk about Mt. St. Helens.  
On the maiden voyage of the things out of Omaha when they
finally reached transition, there was a tremendous explosion
in all three of them.  The Alco engineers had wired the
transistion circuitry across the cabinets instead of the
traction motors.  Scared the crew to death!  UP never
trusted them to be main power again.  Too bad.  They
were really ugly-pretty!
-Bill

--
Professor William V. Smith
Phone: 1-801-378-2061 Fax: 1 801 378 2800
email: smithw@hamblin.math.byu.edu  or   
uunet!hamblin.math.byu.edu!smithw
NeXTmail: bill@mathnx.math.byu.edu
SMail: Math Dept. -- 314 TMCB; BYU; Provo, UT 84602 (USA)
From: nigel.allen@canrem.com (Nigel Allen)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: cp rail
Date: 17 Nov 1992 20:59:21 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


CP Rail has apparently asked government permission to abandon all its
lines east of Sherbrooke, Quebec. All or most of these lines are part of
its Canada Atlantic railway.

 CN and CP are allowed to abandon 4% of their networks a year, I
understand, but a large-scale abandonment like this would presumably
require special permission.

VIA Rail provides passenger service between Montreal and Halifax three
days a week on the CP route through northern Maine and Saint John, New
Brunswick. (It also provides three-times-a-week service on the CN route
through northern New Brunswick.)

CP's operations in Nova Scotia were traditionally operated as the
Dominion Atlantic Railway, which is under 999-year lease to CP.
Passenger service on CP's Nova Scotia lines ended in the massive VIA
cutbacks of January 1991.

 This information is rather sketchy.  I heard about CP Rail's
application to abandon the service on the radio this evening, and
everything else in this post is from memory.
--
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
From: PLAWS@UAFSYSB.UARK.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: bullet train death
Date: 20 Nov 1992 11:10:57 -0600
Organization: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

      I wonder what the stopping distance is from ~300 km/h?

Peter Laws              |"The '90s are gonna make the '60s|   pcl@engr.uark.edu
n5uwy@ka5bml.ar.usa.noam| look like the '50s"--D. Hopper  |plaws@uafsysb.bitnet
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: lancelot@spock.uucp (Thor Lancelot Simon)
Subject: Re: Stupid People (Grade crossings)
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 17:56:34 GMT

In article <1992Nov15.042209.12804@ulysses.att.com> smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
>In article <1e475kINNc1q@gap.caltech.edu>, pvmason@cco.caltech.edu (Peter V. Mason) writes:
>> BTW, boneheads along the SP cut along Mission going east from LA
>> used to throw rocks at the trains.  Since they were about eye-to-eye
>> with the cabs, they managed to prang a couple of engineers.  Does this
>> happen elsewhere? 
>
>Apparently so.  The ``Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide'' notes
>the presence of rock shields on some Amtrak engines on the Northeast
>Corridor.

_All_ MBTA engines have rock shields.  At least I've never seen one without
them.  Does Amtrak own the MBTA's F40 units, or do they just run them?  The
few older F units I've seen on the MBTA have the shields too, but I've never
seen them on anything painted in Amtrak colors, so far as I recall.  Has
anyone?  Where?
-- 
*******************************************************************************
*Thor Simon             * Okay, just a little pin-prick...There'll be no more-*
*tls@panix.COM          * Aieeeeaaaugh!-but you may feel a little _sick_.     *
*tls@spock.UUCP         *   ---Pink Floyd                                     *
*******************************************************************************
From: schumann@msus1.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Attack on a Train
Date: 19 Nov 92 15:38:37 -0600
Organization: Minnesota State University System

The recent threads on "stupid people" and "vandalism" reminded me of a 
story told to me by a railroad worker in Chicago.

Like most large cities, many of the railroads in Chicago pass through 
high-crime areas.  This presents railroads with problems in addition 
to people getting themselves hit by trains (or running into trains),
vandalizing equipment, and throwing rocks.

For example, the Conrail railroad police routinely follow trains on 
city streets.  If a train has to stop, the Conrail police quickly show 
up to protect the train from people who come to steal things out of 
the boxcars and containers.  Indeed, some enterprising thiefs have 
learned that they can cause a train to stop in various ways, and have 
used this knowledge in their thefts.  Apparently, car radios in cars 
on autoracks are particular targets.  Thus, the railroad police are 
especially vigilant when the train has "high value" loads.

But now to my story.  Apparently, some are not content with stealing 
car radios and breaking into boxcars and containers for their 
contents.  It seems that there is one particular Conrail job that 
involves a light-engine move.  I was told that this job is staffed 
only by an engineer, who operates alone.  It is a night job.  Well, 
according to the story, one night he was cruising along when he came
to a red absolute signal.  Since it was "only" light engines, the
railroad police were not around to provide protection and the engineer
was quickly attacked and mugged.  The person who told me the story did 
not know the extent of the engineer's injuries, including whether or 
not he survived.  But it did cause a stink on whether another 
crewmember would have prevented the attack and on the extent of 
railroad police protection.

Personal aside:  The next time you're in a major city to do some 
railfanning, be especially careful to avoid trespassing on railroad 
property as many railroad police officers are under intense pressure 
of various kinds.  These are not easy times.

--
   Paul L. Schumann, Ph.D.           |  VAX:  IN%"schumann@MSUS1.MSUS.EDU"
   Professor of Management           |  Office Phone:       (507) 389-5349
   Mankato State University          |  Secretary's Phone:  (507) 389-2966
   Mankato, MN   56002-8400          |  Fax Number:         (507) 389-5497

Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: Steve_Hooper@mindlink.bc.ca (Steve Hooper)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Vandalism
Date: 22 Nov 92 07:28:01 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada

> John Mosbarger writes:
>
>      A couple of years ago, an SP caboose on a southbound train north of
> Klamath Falls took some bullets.  With the large population of Native
> Americans in the area, noone was really surprised.  Maybe that contributed
> to the demise of the caboose:  Fewer targets :-).


Funny you should mention that.  When I worked on Vancouver Island (on the
Esquimalt & Nanaimo) back in 89, we used to get rocks all the time.  See, to
get to Wellcox yard (the main yard), you traveled right through an Indian
reserve.  One of the old timers warned me my FIRST trip...keep the windows
closed through this part, no matter how hot it may be.  :)  Yep, and like a
dummy I stood on the back platform one day (I was having a cigarette as I was
working with a non-smoking conductor) and just missed being hit by half of a
brick.  The damn thing bounced off the door of the cab and landed at my feet.

The Con laughed his head off.....


--

 steve_hooper@mindlink.bc.ca   []  The Great White North in
 OR      a777@mindlink.bc.ca   []   Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: Steve_Hooper@mindlink.bc.ca (Steve Hooper)
Subject: Re: Train Master Program
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 04:40:27 GMT

> stewart l dejournett writes:
>
> I say an ad in the Dec Trains for a computer program called Train Master
> from Corporate Strategies in Springfield VA.  Has anyone every seen this
> program?  For $75 I would like to get a recomendation first.  The ad
> states that they are a very popular program.


I have seen MANY requests for such info regarding a number of different
Train-type programs.  Are people replying in E-mail or something cuz I have
yet to see a review!

I'd like to see some, so could they be posted publicly?  Thanks.


--

 steve_hooper@mindlink.bc.ca   []  The Great White North in
 OR      a777@mindlink.bc.ca   []   Vancouver, BC, CANADA
From: macman+@pitt.edu (Dennis H Lippert)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Why long end of engine forward?
Date: 16 Nov 92 14:44:17 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1e4pt5INN1g4@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> elw4@po.CWRU.Edu (Evan L. Werkema) writes:
>In a previous article, hess@stat.ncsu.edu (George Hess) says:

>>Does anyone know why Norfolk Southern (and their
>>ancestors, Norfolk & Western and Southern) run
>>their engines long end forward?  Seems like all

>  The Great Northern ran their GP7's, 9's, and 20's long hood forward for 
>safety reasons.  As many people have already said, a collision with the long 
>hood taking the impact is sometimes safer for the crew than with the short hood 
The long-hood forward of early diesels is sometimes attrributed to the 
"long nose forward" of steam locomotives.

>have to turn the engines as often, I don't know.  The practice of ordering 
>high short hoods ended with the delivery of the first SD50's to N&W...either 
>EMD and GE wouldn't cooperate anymore, or it was decided that the SD50 and 
>C36-7 were just too darn long to run long hood forward.  Southern's GP50's 
>were (I think) the last high hood units bought.

The N&W stopped buying high noses in 1975 (?) on their second order of 
SD40-2's.  The reasoning was that EMD/GE was charging much extra money for 
the option, and they couldn't justify the expense.  The units still had
either two control stands, or one bidirectional one, and they still had the
long hood designated as FRONT.  Southern bought high noses until the end,
(even rebuilding the ex "old NS" locos with high noses.)  N&W's money-saving
prevailed with the "new NS", but the SD50's (at least NS's first batch) still
had long nose as front.

>  One other NS question...many old ex-SOU engines have two sets of horns, one
>set mounted on each hood.  Did they feel that running nearly invisible black
>engines made extra volume on the horns necessary?

Simply put, they didn't turn locos.  SO, having a set of "all-forward" five
chimes on each end allowed the horns to be heard equally well from either
end. (or were they 3-chimes... I'm an N&W nut...not Southern!)

Den
-- 
===============================================================================
Dennis Lippert   -   macman+@pitt.edu or macman@vm2.cis.pitt.edu
The "Mac Maniac" operator at the Hillman Research Lab - Univ. of Pittsburgh
"All comments are mine, you'd look like a fool if *you* used them"
From: news@sifon.cc.mcgill.ca
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Crossing borders
Date: 20 Nov 92 20:56:56 GMT
Organization: McGill University

In article <1992Nov20.174144.23564@samba.oit.unc.edu> Rich.Rubel@launchpad.unc.edu (Rich Rubel) writes:
>
>When I rode Via to Halifax from Montreal, we crossed Maine.  The train was
>not allowed to stop in the states, and there was no Customs check.  I do
>believe, though, that a US Customs official boarded the train when we
>entered the states, and left when we recrossed into Canada, just in case
>there was an emergency stop (real or contrived by a passenger).

The VIA timetable lists six stops in Maine, so I'm pretty sure you
can get on or off there.  A conductor's manifest for one run of this
train, which I scrounged at Montreal Central Station, shows two passen-
gers ticketed to get off in Brownville Jct., and two more in Danforth.

I understand that Customs used to check everyone on the train (waking
them to do so), but now they only check people as they actually get
on or off in the U.S.  I believe the baggage car is sealed by Customs
in Montreal (eastbound) and McAdam, NB (westbound), and no checked
baggage service is provided at stops between these points.

Tom Box
CZ94@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: billg@bony1.bony.com (Bill Gripp)
Subject: Re: Scanners
Keywords: Scanners
Organization: LA&W RR
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 06:20:04 GMT

In article <1e47qaINNctb@gap.caltech.edu> pvmason@cco.caltech.edu (Peter V. Mason) writes:
>The local electronics store has a BC 70 at $216,
>which scans from 50 to 450 MHz, so it ought to cover the frequencies.

The local catalogue showromm (Service Merchandise) has the Bearcat
200XLT for about $219.  You may want to check into this in your area.
From: jerry@ncc.uky.edu (Jerry Nokes Jr.)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: 717.gif info
Date: 23 Nov 92 19:26:22 GMT
Organization: University of Kentucky, Communications Services
Originator: jerry@ncc.uky.edu


   Due to requests, I have posted the gif's here instead of alt.binaries.
pictures.misc.  I hope this does no inconvienience anyone, I was told by a
few different people that they did not have access to the other group.
Please let me know what you think of the picture, I took it with 400 speed
film due to the overcast lighting.  
73 Jerry
:wq

-- 
Jerry R. Nokes, Jr.  University of Kentucky Wide Area Network Shop Technician
                     Volunteer Examiner ARRL & W5YI
Jerry@NCC.UKY.EDU    Official Observer for ARRL Field Bureau
                     WY8S@WY8S.#LEX.#CKY.KY.USA.NA [44.70.12.21]
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: sdejour@mksol.dseg.ti.com (stewart l dejournett)
Subject: Train Master Program
Organization: Texas Instruments, Inc
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 15:42:06 GMT

Hi

I say an ad in the Dec Trains for a computer program called Train Master
from Corporate Strategies in Springfield VA.  Has anyone every seen this
program?  For $75 I would like to get a recomendation first.  The ad
states that they are a very popular program.

Thanks in advance for any help
stewart
From: atrw0176@cellar.org (Atrw93)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Why long end of engine forward?
Date: 20 Nov 92 02:41:14 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system

jbvb@vax.ftp.com (James B. VanBokkelen) writes:

> In article <1992Nov16.183626.7277@ee.ryerson.ca> cal@ee.ryerson.ca (Calvin He
> 
>     hess@stat.ncsu.edu (George Hess) writes:
> 
>     >Does anyone know why Norfolk Southern (and their ancestors, N&W and
>     >Southern) runtheir engines long end forward?
> 
>     I always speculated that the powers that be had such a strong tie
>     to steam power that they chose to operate diesel locomotives in a
>     way resembling steam locomotives, with the cab at the rear end.
> 
> I think it was actually because the crew is better-protected when the long
> hood is between them and a gravel truck they're about to crunch.
> 

Yes, this is essenially correct. In the last days of the Lehigh Valley,
vandalism and careless drivers - particularly heavy trucks and dangerous
commodities - got so bad that with the typical short hood forward,
many engine crews too to operating from the second unit in the consist.

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