HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Nigel.Allen@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Nigel Allen)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Earth Train arrives in Washington
Date: 1 Oct 92 23:59:00 GMT
Organization: NDA


Here is a press release from Earth Train.

 Earth Train's Inaugural Journey Culminates With D.C. Arrival
 To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor
 Contact: Tom Pilla, 202-835-8864, or Phil Siegel, 415-984-6150

   News Advisory:

   Event I:   Washington welcomes world youth leaders at
              Union Station Arrival Ceremony

   When:      Friday, Oct. 2, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

   Where:     Union Station - Gate C

   Who:       Eleanor Holmes Norton,
              Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly
              D.C. Council Members
              D.C. School Board Members
              D.C. school children
              Earth Train riders
              Creative Response singing group


   Event II: Earth Trainers present National Youth Agenda to
             Congress.  American youth feel presidential candidates
             are not addressing the social and environmental issues
             they rank as the nation's most significant concerns.

   When:     Friday, Oct. 2, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

   Where:    Russell Senate Office Building
             Senate Caucus Room, Room 325

   Who:      Sens. Mitchell, Wirth, Chaffee, and more than a dozen
             of their Senate and House colleagues
             Members of diplomatic corps and Earth Train youth
             leaders

   Details:
   More than 150 of the world's most accomplished youth leaders --
from the U.S., Britain, Canada, Croatia, Russia, Brazil, and 10 other
nations -- will be arriving, via the Earth Train, in Washington, on
Friday, Oct. 2.  Earth Train is one of the largest and most
significant international youth programs of the decade.  Created by
the people behind Hands Across America/USA for Africa, Earth Train is
mobilizing outstanding youth leaders around the globe to work
together for positive social and environmental change in the next
century and to inspire thousands of their peers to action.
   Throughout their journey across the U.S., Earth Trainers have
already conducted youth action forums and town meetings in Los
Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland, Denver, and are on their way to
Chicago and New York.  During these sessions, Earth Trainers teach
other youths leadership skills -- bridging gaps between inner city
and suburban youths, blacks and whites -- and discussing problems and
answers to issues such as crime, drugs, racism, education and family
values from the youth perspective.  At forums, youths will personally
pledge how they're going to work for a better tomorrow beginning
today.
   Earth Train is endorsed by the United Nations Environmental
Programme, United Earth and the National Association of Secondary
School Principals.
 -30-

--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: ctillier@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Clemens Emmanuel Tillier)
Subject: TGV Nord
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 23:52:02 GMT

Could anyone tell me about the TGV Nord trainsets and how they differ from
TGV-A? I can't find any good sources of information. I'm looking for random
specs, performance, etc... What about the bi-level TGV? I saw a model of it
this summer at a design exhibit at Beaubourg in Paris; what is the scoop on 
this one? Thanks for any info...

Clem
ctillier@phoenix.princeton.edu
From: mattp@phred.UUCP (Matt Pedersen)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Heavy Rains in Iowa?
Date: 25 Sep 92 17:37:16 GMT
Reply-To: mattp@phred.UUCP
Organization: Physio-Control

In article 122200150@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM, rogerm@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Roger Mitchell) writes:
>With today's diesel locomotives if the water is over the rail head they can't
>be operated.

So why is that?  What is it about the wheels being in water that prevents
the unit from operating?  I realize that if the traction motors get submerged
the loco obviously won't work, but wouldn't it be possible to operate if the
water were just "slightly" above the railheads?  Just how low are the traction
motors slung on the trucks, anyways?

On a related note, how do those fancy laser speed/wheel slip doodads work when
there's standing water on the ballast?  I know that laser light really doesn't
travel through water very well, it gets dispersed.  So if the lasers are pointed
at the ballast (my assumption), doesn't it follow that they wouldn't operate
efficiently?

Just curious

Matt Pedersen    mattp@phred
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: scott@svl.cdc.com (Scott Gerken)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: something about tunnels
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:29:55 GMT

lip@s1.gov (Loren I. Petrich) writes:


>	I certainly agree on sending a lot of car and truck traffic by
>train. Here in the United States, there is only one car-train service,
>Amtrak's Auto Train, which runs between Lorton, VA (near DC) and
>Sanford, FL (in the center of the state). I looked at a comprehensive

There is one other car-train service in the U.S.  It is operated up in
Alaska by the Alaska Railroad.  I cann't remember the line it is on.  
There is a port city (Whittier if I remember correctly) that has a large
mountain range between it and the nearest road and the train is used
to connect the two.  It is alot less formal then Amtrak's Auto Train.
People just drive up onto the flat cars, but on there parking brakes,
and stay in their car as the train goes through the long tunnel between
the end of the road and the port city.
From: Martin.Hrabe@p3.f117.n207.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: rail sights in Kansas City??
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Oct  1 1992
Date: 02 Oct 92  15:20:50

 GH> I`ll be travelling to Kansas City in a week.
 GH> Anyone know any good railroad spots? Particularly 
 GH> active yards?  Norfolk Southern facilities?


GO down to the 18th street bridge. It crosses the S.P. and U.P.  yards. IT is 
a great pplace for pictures and watching. Now go south about maybe 3 miles on 
18th street and your at Argentine yards. Can't say much about N.S. Have fun
 Martin


HELP ME!!! I'm stuck in a BRIDGE RECTIFIER running backwards !!!!

--- EZPoint V2.1
From: judson@watnxt2.ucr.edu (Michael Judson)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Anybody how Metrolink is coming along?
Date: 1 Oct 92 02:59:46 GMT

In article <15404@umd5.umd.edu> gurd@next04wor.wam.umd.edu (Daffy Duck) writes:
> Does anybody in Southern California know how Metrolink is coming along.
> Last I heard the first line (from Moorpark I believe) was getting ready to 
> roll before years end.  I would imagine Metrolink would be incredibly 
> successful, with only the severe lack of parking and limited schedules  
> holding it back.  Anyway, I've heard some transit planners claim Metroling  
> will turn LAUPT into another Grand Central?

The Metrolink system is scheduled to begin on October 29.  At that time the
system will consist of only three lines: Los Angeles-Moorpark, LA-Santa
Clarita, and LA-Pomona.  The Southern California Regional Rail Authority
recently came to agreement with the Santa Fe Railway for use of their tracks
for future service extentions.  Included in the deal are operating rights over
their trackage to Riverside, San Bernadino, Oceanside, and Hemet.  Also, the
 Union Pacific has agreed to let Metrolink operate trains over their line bet-
ween LAUPT and Riverside.  This line is expected to be operational in the first
half of 1993.  The line to Oceanside should be operational in 1993 as well.  In 
addition, another commuter service is supposed to begin in 1994 between San
 Diego and Oceanside.  It is unknown if this service will be part of Metrolink
 or not. As for LAUPT, new tracks are being put into service to accommodate
the new rail services and the red line subway terminal will be in the base-
ment of the terminal, allowing direct connections to the downtown area.

                                          --
"I drank what?" -- Socrates

judson@watserv.ucr.edu
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: cal@ee.ryerson.ca (Calvin Henry-Cotnam)
Subject: Re: Three-phase electrification (was something about tunnels)
Organization: Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 14:31:37 GMT

All these questions regarding three phase electrification and how
does one get three phase power to the train.

Has anyone ever seen a system (using a pantograph, not a trolley pole!!)
where there was more than one wire???

Be real!  Yes trolley busses have two poles, but a pole tracks the wire
at low speed.  And yes, some light rail systems have two third rails
(third and fourth rail?), the Scarborough RT system here in Toronto uses
this (Vancouver, and I believe Detroit have the same systems).

But for higher speeds where a pantograph is used, how does one control
where the pantograph comes in contact with the catenary?


If you want to use AC traction motors, you are going to need 3-phase
operation to prevent vibration.

To get this power, you simply pick up single phase AC (or I suppose
DC in some rare installations) from the overhead.  Modern electronics
can do wonders in the field of inversion/conversion between AC, DC, and
different frequencies and phases of AC.

This is how 3-phase power is made available for AC traction motors when
the power must come from a catenary.


Calvin Henry-Cotnam, CATE            |    MY CANADA INCLUDES CANADIANS!
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute      | I would really like this to include
Toronto, Ontario, Canada             | Quebec - but I won't hold my breath.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: locomotive cables
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 23:08:14 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill

What are all those cables at the ends of modern locomotives?

Let me be precise...  I've often seen the three cables on either side
of the coupler referred to as MU cables.  Fair enough, but I've sometimes
seen four on each side.  (For example, see the back cover of the very
latest (October '92) Railpace.)  But if those are MU cables, what are the
larger, multi-pin sockets above and on either side of the coupler?  Again,
there's a good example on the back cover of the current Railpace, which
even shows what appears to be a loopback connector between the two.  One
thought I had was HEP pass-through, but I've seen 'em on engines I'd assume
were dedicated freight units, such as Conrail GP-38's.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: prodok@prodok.ch (prodok)
Subject: Re: Three-phase electrification (was something about tunnels
Organization: PRODOK Engineering AG
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 14:33:24 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.154944.332@Princeton.EDU> jsm@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (John Scott McCauley Jr.) writes:
>
>How does two-wire overhead handle switches (turnouts)? Like
>a trolleybus switch? Did this limit high-speed operation through
>switches? 
>
>	Scott

The sections where the wires cross each other are insulated. As either
pantographs or bows are used, there is little problem to handle the 
crossing. There was (and is) no need for any moving parts in the overhead
system.

Max Wyss, PRODOK Engineering AG, Bonstetten, Switzerland
From: afsidgb@cidsv07.Berkeley.EDU (Gerard Burridge)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Modeling: Trains and the modeler
Date: 29 Sep 92 22:56:15 GMT
Reply-To: afsidgb@cid.aes.doe.CA
Organization: Environment Canada

In article <8ejxE_O00aw_I1lUQV@andrew.cmu.edu>, jt3y+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jason Paul Togyer) writes:
|> Re what magazines I, as a modeler read, if any:
|> 
|> especially the old pulp fiction stories by people like Harry Bedwell and
|> Chauncy del French.  I'd like to see R&R reprint some of the best of the
|> Railroad magazine fiction stories.  I'm not holding my breath, though. 
|> I don't think there's much interest.
|> 
|> Or is there?  Anyone else like Railroad magazine?
As far as I'm concerned, RR was my favourite magazine, tho in its latter years
it did fall off. No matter how TRAINS may deny it, they were/are to management
as RR was to labour. RR got you down and dirty(from you armchair), both
in its fact and fiction. On the other hand too many of the articles in
TRAINS read like a treatise or a reference manual(thatis, the info may be
there but the style is not to my taste)--example: current 3 PART series
on ex CM&P(???). It dont want short and snappy stories, but neither do I
want articles that cause my eyes to glaze over in what I  assume is 
supposed to be a "popular monthly".. 
I look forward to R&R more. Agree that first R overwhelms second, but
the series on birth of colour schemes was one of all time best anywhere.
Used to subscribe to PTJ, now buy it after examination of contents.
Scholarly works do have a place, which is why I'm a member of the R&LHS,
to get its semi-annual Bulletin.
But, other interests, other opinions.

Two plugs for Canadian interest publications:
1) Canadian Railway Modeller -- 6 times ayear, slick paper, exclusively
   Cdn subjects. Not avlbl on newstands and likely not in US hobby shops
   either. Dont have address handy(is out of the Peg), but will get and
   post if enuff email queries. Same publisher hopes to come out with
   a Cdn railfan mag in 1993.
2) the  Newsletter  of the Upper Canada Rwy Society. -- 20 pp monthly
   of news, spottings, historical items; no photos xcpt front/rear
   cover; has transit section. Membership of $26 Canada/$29 US includes
   subscription. Address: PO Box 122, Station 'A', Toronto, Ont.,
   M5W 1A2.


-- 
 Gerry Burridge                        afsidgb@cid.aes.doe.ca
 Canadian Meteorological Centre        Tel.: 514-421-4646
 2121 North Service Road - #404        Fax.: 514-421-4639
 Dorval, Que.  -  H9P 1J3
From: zephyr@cory.Berkeley.EDU (COIFMAN)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Heavy Rains in Iowa?
Date: 28 Sep 92 01:16:02 GMT
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley

in Article: 19221 of rec.railroad

>In article 122200150@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM, rogerm@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Roger Mitchell) writes:
>>With today's diesel locomotives if the water is over the rail head they can't
>>be operated.

>So why is that?  What is it about the wheels being in water that prevents
>the unit from operating?  I realize that if the traction motors get submerged
>the loco obviously won't work, but wouldn't it be possible to operate if the
>water were just "slightly" above the railheads?  Just how low are the traction
>motors slung on the trucks, anyways?

 I recal reading in the BN rule book that it is okay to proceed through
water over the rails with special approval. So, I think you are right.



   _ -----------  -------------  ----------- _  -------------/^^^^^^^^\----
  /^____________||_____________||____________^\|[] ==== ====  ___ ___   == |
 'o-o ------ o-o  o-o ------ o-o o-o ------ o-o o-o ------------------- o-o
Way of the Zephyrs         zephyr@cory.berkeley.edu             Benn Coifman
Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation
From: elw4@po.CWRU.Edu (Evan L. Werkema)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Notes from recent transcontinental vacation
Date: 3 Oct 1992 15:31:59 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: elw4@po.CWRU.Edu (Evan L. Werkema)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc12.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, jbvb@vax.ftp.com (James B. VanBokkelen) says:

>There were a number of BN SDP-35s (or SDP-40s, I'm not sure) around
>Denver on 9/7.  Based there?

  Those are former Great Northern SDP40's.  BN usually keeps about three on
hand in Denver and uses them, along with SD9's, on the "beer train" out to the
Coors brewery in Golden.  I saw one SDP40, 6397, at Denver last August, along 
with a few of the not-dead-yet SD9's.
-- 
 ________________._____                           ________________________
   IooI = = =     _____I   ______________________ I         I  I Evan    I
 |_I__I--_Santa Fe=====I_| I  elw4@po.cwru.edu  I I EL&W    I  I Werkema I
~`-~O==O~=========~O==O~-`~~o==o~~~~~~~~~~~~o==o~~~o==o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o==o~~
From: DHBHM@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (Bruce H. McIntosh)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Demise of Pot Yard???!?!?!!
Date: 5 Oct 92 13:13:01 GMT
Organization: University of Florida, NERDC

I was profoundly shocked the other day when, wandering through a hobby
shop, I picked up the May '92 TRAINS and discovered that RF&P's Potomac
Yard (and the RF&P itself, for that matter) had 'gone the way of all
flesh', and that everything is going to come up condos and shopping
centers!  One of the neat things for me as a kid going to National Airport
was getting to see all the railroad activity.
 
So what still constitutes good train-watching in the DC area these days?
Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation
From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: SP Coast Line (San Jose-LA) may be sold
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 21:50:03 GMT


From the San Francisco Chronicle, Tuesday, 9/29, page A16:
(text in [square brackets] is mine)


New Rail Link to L.A. Planned

Passenger trains would run between San Jose and Burbank

By Harre W. Demoro
Chronicle Staff Writer

A Los Angeles transportation agency wants to buy Southern Pacific's
416-mile rail line between San Jose and Burbank and establish frequent
passenger train service between the Bay Area and Southern California.

Southern Pacific Lines, owner of the little-used coastal tracks, and the
Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, will formally announce the
plan in San Jose tomorrow [at 10am at the CalTrain/Amtrak station].

If the sale is completed and the track upgraded, there would be multiple
passenger trains running between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, one of the
most congested air travel corridors in the world.

The speed and design of the trains is undetermined.  But it is likely the
first trains added to the line would be similar in speed to Amtrak's Coast
Starlight, which takes about 12 hours to run between Oakland and Los
Angeles and is the only passenger train currently on the line.

There was no immediate comment from the transportation commission.

According to SP officials, the railroad has granted the agency a one-year
option at no cost to buy the line, which also serves Gilroy, Salinas, King
City, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.

It will take one year to determine the value of the rail line.  The tracks
are no longer a major freight route and SP would retain rights to provide
freight service.

The source of funds to pay for the tracks and real estate has not been
determined.

SP officials said they expected that counties along the rail line would
join the Los Angeles commission in jointly purchasing the line, if there
was an agreement on a sale price.

Although the sale of sections of rail lines to cities and counties for
passenger service is not unusual, the size of the proposed SP transaction
would be unprecedented.

The Los Angeles agency, which is building a subway and other rail lines in
the Los Angeles area, already has arranged to run commuter trains on the
SP line between Burbank and downtown Los Angeles.

Access to San Francisco is assured because the counties of San Francisco,
San Mateo and Santa Clara own the former SP commuter [CalTrain] line on
the Peninsula.

The San Jose-Burbank line was once one of SP's busiest and had the
railroad's best passenger trains, the Coast Daylight and the Lark.

Long trains of refrigerator cars loaded with lettuce from the Salinas
Valley once rolled over the line but trucks long ago grabbed most of the
highly profitable perishable business.

Financially ailing SP has diverted most of its north-south freight trains
to tracks through the San Joaquin Valley and has been trying to sell
little-used lines to raise cash.


-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
UUCP: ...!ames!ntmtv!adrian
ARPA: ntmtv!adrian@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: pierson@cimcad.enet.dec.com (Dave Pierson)
Subject: Track Record
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 13:00:46 GMT

Over the past weekend, the local PBS (Public Broadcasting System) showed
back to back half hours of a show called "Track Record ".  This seems to be a
video history of Railroading in Australia, made in 1991.  Enjoyable so far.

Can anybody in Australia comment on how many of these there are?

thanks
dave pierson			|the facts, as accurately as i can manage,
Digital Equipment Corporation	|the opinions, my own.
200 Forest St			|I am the NRA.
Marlboro, Mass		01752	pierson@cimnet.enet.dec.com
"He has read everything, and, to his credit, written nothing."  A J Raffles
From: gregb@hpsad.sad.hp.com (Greg Brahms)
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 13:31:18 GMT
Subject: Re: Salt Lake City
Organization: HP Signal Analysis Division - Rohnert Park, CA
Newsgroups: rec.railroad

Head up to Brigham City and then out to Promontory.  There is a visitor 
center along with the partially-restored main line where the gold spike
was driven.  They run reenactments of the ceremony with re-creations of 
the 119 and the Jupiter.  I do not know their schedule on steam operation
in October, however.  You can also make an interpretive drive on the old
grades and see where the CP and the UP paralleled each other to compete
for government money.  (Yes, the CP graded into Wyoming and the UP graded
into Nevada!)

Have fun

Greg Brahms
"I'd rather be riding my speeder."

Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: fwk@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (f.w.kerfoot..iii)
Subject: Re: Steamtown 
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 13:10:19 GMT

Following up on the discussion of where and what Steamtown is, has
anyone visited it recently? I visited it about 4-5 years ago,
and there were relatively few locomotives you could see. The Big Boy
was accessable, and a pair of Canadian Pacific Canadian Pacifics
(CP railroad, 4-6-2 built by the Canadian locomotive works- clever),
but, if I recollect, not much else. This was not too long after the
move from Vermont, and I assumed they were still "unpacking".

Several weeks ago, my son, my brother-in -law and I (all train nuts)
were going to mount an expedition to Scranton for the day. The weather
forecast was for rain (the recent tropical storm which went through
that area), so I called Steamtown and asked how much of the equipment
was inside versus outside. The answer I got was that there was a
half hour or so guided tour through some buildings, and it sounded like
you are not even on the same level as the locomotives for the tour.
Beyond that, everything was outside, and it sounded like the same
engines, except that one Pacific had been sold and the other pulls
the excursion ride. We decided not to go, based on the rain, but to
try for another weekend.

So my questions are:

     How many steam locomotives are there (roughly)?

     Can you see (i.e. spend time near) all of them?

     If yes, is this restricted to certain times of the year?

     If no, are there plans to make this the case?

     In effect, is it worth a 2 1/2 hour trip?

Thanks in advance.

Frank Kerfoot
fwk@homxc.att.com
From: eazy@troi.cc.rochester.edu (Eric Anderson-Zych)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: On-time Performance for Lake Shore Ltd.
Summary: On-time percentages needed
Keywords: Amtrak Lake Shore Limited On-time
Date: 29 Sep 92 19:00:45 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

Howdy all-

In November my wife and I will travel from Rochester to Chicago on the
Lake Shore Ltd.  We've made the trip before and generally enjoy it.

What I'd like to know is the Lake Shore's recent on-time percentages.
If memory serves me corectly, they are not that impressive.  Sigh.

Also, what's been happening on the Chicago Line in the way of maintenance
projects that could slow down the train.

Please e-mail responses.

Thanks in advance,
Eric
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Anderson-Zych, Department of History, University of Rochester,
Rochester, NY  14627                eazy@troi.cc.rochester.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------