HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: casey@bradley.bradley.edu (Chris Langston)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Old boxcar
Date: 12 Aug 92 14:41:33 GMT
Organization: Bradley University

In <ardie.101@UIUC> ardie@UIUC (Richard D. McClary) writes:

>	Last Saturday, I drove from Urbana, IL towards Quincy.  Just outside 
>Jacksonville (IL), I approached a viaduct for the Norfolk-Southern railway.  
>There was a LONG freight train on it.  Unfortunately, I decided not to pull 
>on to the shoulder of Hwy 36 and "train watch".  The misfortune is that, as 
>I drove away from the bridge, I caught, in my mirror, a glimps of a 40' box 
>car with WABASH on it in white, RR Roman letters!  Imagine seeing one of 
>these after 28 years!

 Really that is not too big of a surprise. I live in Peoria. And I see     
sometimes on the NS, Wabash hoppers, and Nickle Plate Road hoppers and box
cars. But the neet one is the late night conrail run. Which we now call the 
"Oldtimers Run". Every Tuesday night and Thurs. night around 9:35pm Conrail
comes in with a train. Oddly enough it usally has a few steam era fright 
cars in it. One time I saw a green and yellow "Reading" box car, a         
Pennslyvaina RR box (green with the big harold), a Pennsy hopper (very faded)
and a Central of Georgia box car (brown and silver). So there are a few of     
these cars around. I have also seen some 40ft. Chicago and Northwestern and
Rock Island box cars around. 
-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unknown Indian Chief "Iron Horse bad medicine"                              -
- Unknown Army Scout   "What do you think is good medicine?"                  -
- Unknown Indian Chief "Milk of Magnesia"                                     -
- Chris Langston  casey@bradley.bradley.edu                                   -
Xref: sparky rec.railroad:6571 ba.transportation:2023
From: whheydt@pbhya.PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation
Subject: Re: RR bridges, was Cost of transit systems vs highways
Date: 17 Aug 92 19:22:42 GMT
Reply-To: whheydt@PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
Distribution: na
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA

In article <1992Aug17.102628@wsl.dec.com> gnn@wsl.dec.com (George Neville-Neil) writes:
>Most current LRVs can travel at 55mph, which they do on private
>rights of way.  MAX (Portland) is very speedy once out of downtown,
>and SCCTD (San Jose) cruises quite nicely once passed Technology
>Center.  BART will do ~70mph on the Concord line, very speedy, but
>only 15mph faster than the LRVs at full out.  

You're comparing an LRV full out against a BART train in service.  I
encountered a story over ten years ago (from two different,
independent sources) that some BART engineers once tried to find out
how fast the trains could go.  Report was that they lost their nerve
going around a turn at 120 mph . . .

	--Hal

-- 
Hal Heydt                    |    "Boycott Time-Warner"
Analyst, Pacific*Bell        |         --J. Danforth Quayle
510-823-5447                 |    "... kill all the lawyers."
whheydt@pbhya.PacBell.COM    |         --William Shakespeare
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: cs_a206@uk.ac.kingston (Richard Smart)
Subject: RAIL MAGAZINE
Organization: Kingston University
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 11:31:36 GMT


Just a quick message, 

	on the back cover of rail magazine, there is a network south east
	offer for rail mag readers to travel nse for the day on 3 oct
	provided that the 2 tokens are collected (cost just over #10.00)

Regards.

Richard smart.
From: Steve_Hooper@mindlink.bc.ca (Steve Hooper)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Restroom Closings on Amtrak (Was: My Amtrak Vacation)
Date: 19 Aug 92 06:53:14 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Distribution: world

> Garth G. Groff writes:
> 
> While I don't blame the crew for walking off the job, your
> choice of the term "Amtrak dumped" seems to imply that the
> train crew emptied the toilets.  If you think about it, you
> will remember that the passengers are the ones operating
> the flush buttons.  Even the passengers can't tell where
> they are dumping their do-do.  IMO it is only indirectly
> Amtrak's fault, since they can't easily control passenger
> behavior.  They still bear some responsibility, however,
> for buying cars without holding tanks.  It is rather
> surprising in these days of supposed ecological consciousness
> that they would have accepted such a design, and even more
> surprising that they haven't bebuilt the systems.


What I could never figure is why the manufacturers never installed a car-to-car
interlock system that, with a flick of a switch from the head-end, all bathroom
doors would be locked.  They could still be opened from the INSIDE, so if
someone was in there when the interlock was flipped, they could get out.  But
once they were out, the doors would be locked.

There would be isolated cases where someone would hold the door open for the
next person and the door would never get locked properly, but I think it would
be rare.  What do you think?  Should I call the patent office??? :)


--

 steve_hooper@mindlink.bc.ca   []  Conductor on the High Iron of
 OR      a777@mindlink.bc.ca   []     CP Rail - Cascade Sub
 The Great White North in      []
 Vancouver, BC CANADA          []   Opinions are mine, NOT CP's
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: jadams@vixen.uucp (26070-adams)
Subject: Re: DC fare collection method (was: Others vs BART)
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 17:36:44 GMT
Summary: one small correction

In article <1992Aug14.234128.18865@sq.sq.com>, msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) writes:
> > > Can you elaborate?  I've always found the DC fare collection system
> > > to be pleasant and efficient, and would like to know more about
> > > its `mistakes'.
> >
> > One is the fact that if your ticket doesn't have enough value left to get
> > you out at your destination, you have to bring it up to *exactly* the right
> > amount, using a special "Addfare" vending machine.  I think it would have
> > been far better if they just let you add arbitrary value to the ticket ...
> 
> If that suggestion was followed, then it would be possible to keep using
> the same ticket indefinitely.  Two things would then go wrong.  It would
> wear out, and it would run out of spaces to print the "remaining value".

As a workable alternative, use the same process that "trading in" a card
uses outside the turnstiles.  You insert your old card into the ticket
vendor, add some cash and voila! A brand spanking new card is dispensed!
As a matter of fact, not knowing exactly how Add Fare works [I've never
had to use it ;^)], I'd bet it does exactly the same thing if the designer
had her/his wits about her/him.

Jack (John) Adams		| Bellcore RRC 4B-259
(908) 699-3447 {Voice}		| (908) 336-2871 {Facsimile}
jadams@vixen.bellcore.com	| kahuna@attmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
	-- We have them just where they want us. -- Capt. J. T. Kirk
Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation,talk.politics.misc,talk.environment
From: msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader)
Subject: transit leading development (was: Boston transit (was Re: Cost...))
Followup-To: rec.railroad
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 17:02:44 GMT

> In Toronto, the TTC has a history of transit leading development,
> whereas in Boston as in most US cities, the transit has followed
> development if in fact it ever extended at all.  In Metro Toronto,
> the history has been that when the new apartment complexes (In
> Toronto as in most Canadian cities the norm for housing even in the
> suburbs is highrise apartments not single homes) and new office
> complexes opened up in the newly developed suburban areas, the
> transit was ALREADY in place to serve them.  ...  What happened in
> Toronto especially along the Yonge Street corridor as the subway was
> first opened to Eglinton and then progressively extended is a modern
> version of that phenomenon.

This seems at most partially accurate to me.  The original section of
subway (along Yonge from Union to Eglinton) was built because the
existing transportation corridor along Yonge was severely overcrowded.
This includes an intensive streetcar service as well as private cars.
Or so I read, anyway; I wasn't yet born in 1954.

It is true that the density of development along Yonge Street *increased*
once the subway was in place, as many buildings both commercial and
residential were replaced with taller ones, and that the same thing has
happened around much of the subway built since then -- though I think not
all of it.  But in all cases, the TTC subway lines have been built in
areas that would already be characterized as urban or suburban.

If you really want to see subway construction leading development,
take a look at London, around the turn of the century.

Followups directed to rec.railroad.
-- 
Mark Brader            \  "He's suffering from Politicians' Logic."
SoftQuad Inc., Toronto  \ "Something must be done, this is something, therefore
utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com \ we must do it."   -- Lynn & Jay: YES, PRIME MINISTER

This article is in the public domain.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: mer@zurich.ibm.com
Subject: Re: Swiss Railroad Questions
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 08:05:03 GMT
Organization: IBM T. J. Watson Research

In  <1992Aug19.003036.2051@vitsemi.com>  rob@vitsemi.com (Rob Eccles) writes:
> I will be spending a week in Switzerland in September.  What are some
> interesting railroads to see or ride?
>
> I already plan to take the Glacier Express.  What are some of the
> important landmarks to look for?  How important are reservations?
> I am considering disembarking in Chur, should I stay on to go to
> St. Moritz?
>
> Any suggestions are welcome.
>

You might want to have a look at the Verkehrshaus Museum in Lucerne
and possibly also the Technorama museum near Winterthur. (Particularly the
former.)

The SZU railroad (running into Zurich main station), will have several steam
excursions through the Sihl River Valley to celebrate its 100th
anniversary. Reservations are suggested for these Saturday and Sunday runs.

M. Rappoport
From: kwyatt@ccscola.Columbia (Kershner Wyatt)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Comparing other systems to BART
Date: 13 Aug 92 20:07:15 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: NCR Corp, E&M-Columbia, Columbia, SC

In article <1992Aug10.213112.24945@s1.gov> lip@s1.gov (Loren I. Petrich) writes:

>	One thing that helps BART and the WM do so well financially is
>the abundant automation in both systems. Is that also the case for
>other new rapid-transit systems, like Atlanta's MARTA? What about

Atlanta's "automation" leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion.  Hopefully,
you have exact change for the obscurely located (my opinion again) fare token
dispensers, because I have yet to find a bill changer that handles 10's and 
20's (maybe even fives). I figure that cost must be subsidizing MARTA, give
me the DC Metro for pricing.  If the MARTA didn't keep me from driving and 
parking in downtown -- I probably wouldn't use it.

Just my opinion.  I'm sure someone will say they have never had any problems
with any of Marta's arrangements.... :)

-- 
Kershner Wyatt
kwyatt@ccscola.ColumbiaSC.ncr.com

My opinions are my own and aren't necessarily my employer's.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org
Subject: Re: VIA's excellent, Amtrak sticks bigtime
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA 01730
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 18:06:49 GMT

In article <1992Aug14.162208.4967@gw.wmich.edu>
31ochs@gw.wmich.edu writes:
 
>
>
>Just out of curiosity, but does VIA still use the LRC engines?
 
I believe they do not, or if they do it's only in very limited places.  The LRC
trains I have seen recently in Quebec-Montreal and Montreal-Toronto service
were powered by F40s.  I recall hearing that VIA gave up on the LRC engines as
being intolerably unreliable.
 
 
Len Bachelder        Archives Committee, Boston and Maine RR Historical Society
MITRE Corp.           Secretary, Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts
Bedford MA 01730      Member, 470 Railroad Club
<M00209@mbvm.mitre.org>
 
"Amazing love, how can it be that Thou, my God, should'st die for me!"
                                                 - Charles Wesley
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org
Subject: Re:  High Speed Rail in Southern California
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA 01730
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 18:52:52 GMT

In article <4718@bacon.IMSI.COM>
jordan@IMSI.COM (Jordan Hayes) writes, in part:
 
>
>
>So far we have a probable route (with some upgrades) of the existing
>Amtrak line from Los Angeles north to Burbank, switching to the current
>freight line to Saugus, winding through Soledad Canyon Road, to
>Palmdale, then north to Mojave.  The fun part begins when you try to
>get back from Mojave to the main line down the Central Valley (CA/99).
>Travelling due west for about 20 miles, you get to the small town of
>Tehachapi (still with me?).  The track then follows CA/58 for about 12
>miles and just pas the smaller town of Marcel, the track *does a
>circle*, I presume to make it up some weird grade.  Then it does a flat
>S and shimmies it's way northwest.  It doubles back on itself several
>times past Bear Mtn., and has one more big difficulty right at Caliente
>until it can finally make a bee-line to Bakersfield, at Kern Junction.
>
>Whew!  Does anyone know what this particular stretch of roadbed
>looks like?
>
You have discovered the famous Tehachapi Loop, the subject of innumerable
hundreds of railfan photographs, movies and videos.  It is one of the most
scenic and exciting spots to railfan in the U.S., carrying considerable heavy
freight traffic of both the SP and ATSF.
 
 
Len Bachelder        Archives Committee, Boston and Maine RR Historical Society
MITRE Corp.           Secretary, Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts
Bedford MA 01730      Member, 470 Railroad Club
<M00209@mbvm.mitre.org>
 
"Amazing love, how can it be that Thou, my God, should'st die for me!"
                                                 - Charles Wesley
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: jis@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (jishnu.mukerji)
Subject: Re: Which cars have holding tanks
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 21:54:14 GMT

In article <1992Aug20.121517.29265@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> ggg9y@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Garth G. Groff) writes:
>AMTRAK POTTIES
>
>I may have been guilty of believing and spreading erroneous
>information about holding tanks on Amtrak cars.  But if so, 
>then why are the crews instructed on the PA system to turn
>off the toilets when going through certain towns on the
>California Zephyr if the toilets don't flush onto the tracks?
>Are there any Amtrak employees out there that can straighten
>out this question?  Thanks.

The Superliner holding tanks do not have sufficient capacity to hold a
whole trips worth of poop. So they are equipped to self flush
themselves when they get too full. This flushing consists of spraying
their contents in a fine mist on the track. The automatic flushing
mechanism is interlocked with the speed of the train so that cars do
not self flush at speeds below 15mph or some such. Unfortunately,
there are many towns in which Amtrak trains run at greater speeds than
15 mph, thus making an unforseen and undesirable holding tank flush in
a town a possibility. When trains approach such towns usually the
automatic holding tank flushing mechanism is turned off manually to
prevent this accident.

Jishnu Mukerji
jis@usl.com
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: sysmark@helios.physics.utoronto.ca (Mark Bartelt)
Subject: Re: Restroom Closings on Amtrak (Was: My Amtrak Vacation)
Reply-To: mark@cita.toronto.edu
Organization: University of Toronto Physics/Astronomy/CITA
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 12:24:42 GMT

[ Doug Jones ]

| This brings to mind a bit of old doggerel, to be sung to the tune of
| Motzart's Violin Concerto:
| 
|    Passengers will please refrain from flushing toilets
|      while the train is waiting in the station, I love you.
|    Please refrain from flushing toilets while the train
|      is waiting in the station; trackmen have a soul as well as you.

The Committee to Promote Accuracy in Musical References in Netnews Postings
(railroad doggerel subcommittee) will probably send you a rude note to let
you know that it's not Mozart, but Dvorak (his Humoresque).

Actually, the version I always heard went:

	Passengers will please refrain
	From flushing toilets while the train
	Is standing in the station; I love you.
	We encourage constipation
	While the train is in the station;
	Roses always remind me of you.

Must be regional differences, just like folk music ...

There's also a second verse, which includes the lines

	I have a habit after dark
	Of goosing statues in the park;
	If Sherman's horse can take it, why can't you?

... but this *is* getting off the subject of trains, isn't it?

Mark Bartelt                                                  416/978-5619
Canadian Institute for                               mark@cita.toronto.edu
Theoretical Astrophysics                             mark@cita.utoronto.ca

"Clothes not busy being worn are busy drying."   -   Dylan, on laundry day
Xref: sparky rec.railroad:6538 ba.transportation:2012
From: forags@nature.Berkeley.EDU (Al Stangenberger)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation
Subject: Re: RR bridges, was Cost of transit systems vs highways
Date: 17 Aug 1992 03:41:31 GMT
Organization: U. C. Forestry & Resource Mgt.
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: nature.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Aug15.181817.2358@news.columbia.edu> brennan@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Joseph Brennan) writes:
>In article <1992Aug15.051323.19656@s1.gov> lip@s1.gov (Loren I.
>Petrich) writes:
>
>>I haven't yet seen any proposals for light-rail
>>service across the Golden Gate bridge, however.
>
Since the original concrete deck of the Golden Gate bridge was replaced with
a new lightweight steel deck, engineers now feel that there is enough safety
margin to allow a second deck with either a couple of bus lanes or railroad
tracks underneath the main deck.  This wouldn't alter the appearance of the
bridge since the decks would be hidden in the bracing under the roadway.

Whether it is fiscally possible, or 
politically possible is another question -- many prominent environmentalists
in Marin County feel that any mass-transit improvements will induce too much
growth and destroy the quality of life.

>They have a big problem at the Golden Gate.  It is terrifically deep,
>so a tunnel would require very long approaches, and I don't think one
>has been proposed.

I don't think anybody has ever proposed a tunnel directly across the Gate.
Not only is it deep, but on the Marin side it's steep rocky hills which are
now in a National Recreation Area.  It would be more likely to stay in
shallower water near Alcatraz Island and surface near Sausalito.  However,
the cost is tremendous - there probably isn't enough backing to pass a
bond issue for it.

-- 
Al Stangenberger                    Dept. of Forestry & Resource Mgt.
forags@nature.berkeley.edu          145 Mulford Hall - Univ. of Calif.
uucp:  ucbvax!ucbnatur!forags       Berkeley, CA  94720
BITNET: FORAGS AT UCBNATUR          (510) 642-4424 FAX: (510) 643-5438
From: Steve_Hooper@mindlink.bc.ca (Steve Hooper)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Note on Newport News Wreck
Date: 17 Aug 92 21:55:40 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Distribution: world


I have not kept up on this story, but something to point out...

> Not only that, they also fudged a signal a mile or so away that would
> have given indications of the switch..
> 
> Sounds like disgruntled ex-employee to me
> 


This may be true, but it IS possible that it happened another way....

A few months ago a crew was heading into downtown Vancouver light engine.  They
passed a signal into a new block.  At that point, someone turned a switch on
them.  They got stopped in time and no damage or injuries occured.  But the
point is, if the engine was already past the signal and THEN the switch was
turned, they would not have had any idea.


=================================================================
  -oo          ^                                        \========
            Train is here when switch
            is turned.


--

 steve_hooper@mindlink.bc.ca   []  Conductor on the High Iron of
 OR      a777@mindlink.bc.ca   []     CP Rail - Cascade Sub
 The Great White North in      []
 Vancouver, BC CANADA          []   Opinions are mine, NOT CP's
From: dpage@ra.csc.ti.com (Doug Page)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: 3985 Schedule
Date: 20 Aug 92 22:11:39 GMT
Organization: Texas Instruments

Does anyone out there have an up to date schedule for the 3985's "tour" this
summer.  I know that it should be coming back through the DFW area this
weekend.  I'm hoping to photograph it on the move, but I've been told several
different stories regarding route, time, and even exact days.

Thanks.


*** The opinions are my own and don't necessarily represent those of my ***
*** employer, nor of anyone else.                                       ***
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: Save the Fremont-Centerville Depot
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Distribution: ca
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 19:28:15 GMT


The City of Fremont is to be among the next to get an Amtrak Capitol
Corridor station stop.  On July 8, 1992, CalTrans approved the station
site in the Centerville area of Fremont. 

Regarding the historic Fremont-Centerville Station Building:

The city agreed to buy the station from SP and move it to the north
side of the track and to "stabilize" it adjacent to the future station
platform and parking area. 

The depot is in desperate need of renovation.  The city, due to
budgetary constraints, was not able to fund this much needed work.
Consequently, the depot restoration has been left to the private
sector and volunteers to donate the necessary labor, time, money and
materials.

If you would like more information, or would like to offer assistance
or a donation of one or more of the aforementioned items, contact the:

	Centerville Business Association
	Centerville Station Project
	P.O. Box 596
	Fremont, CA 94537

	FAX (510) 795-1598 or call
	JoNelle Zager (510) 795-1505.

P.S.: The Centerville Business Association (CBA) would also like to know
of names and addresses of others that might be interested in this project.
Also, the CBA is looking for those interested in becoming a concession in
the train depot once it has been renovated.

The information in this posting was provided by Bill Wullenjohn.  Bill
is *very* knowledgeable about this project and can be reached at home
at (510) 795-1040 or in his office at (415) 973-6849.


-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
UUCP: ...!ames!ntmtv!adrian
ARPA: ntmtv!adrian@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Swiss Railroad Questions
From: Robert Chambers <RMCCU@CUNYVM.BITNET>
Date: Wednesday, 19 Aug 1992 21:36:53 EDT
Organization: CUNY/UCC VM Systems

I'll Second the Rigi cog rail ride..  Also if you have some time to
spend, look at the transport museum in Lucerne, its pretty interesting.

Robert