HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Smokey Alcos?
Date: 24 Nov 92 04:41:05 GMT
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

In article <01GRGZ2Q65XE95OH2T@VAXC.STEVENS-TECH.EDU> U93_PTUPACZE@VAXC.STEVENS-TECH.EDU (Prime Mover Software Development) writes:
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> X-Vms-To: IN%"rec.railroad@silver.ucs.indiana.edu"
> 
> The primary reason most Alcos smoke is due to the design of their 
> turbochargers. They work correctly, for the most part; however, a design flaw 
> in them allows the thick exhaust smoke to sneak past the turbocharger blades 
> into the stack and out of the engine. This phenomenon only occurs when the 
> engine is "notched out," or sped up. The engine immediately starts spitting 
> out more exhaust smoke, but the turbocharger is still spinning relatively 
> slowly. The turbocharger takes a few seconds to catch up to the correct speed, 
> and in the interim, smoke gets right around the blades.

This sounds fairly spurious, given that turbo-chargers aren't particularly
particulate eaters.  The usual reasons for excessive smoking are:

1) Clearing of carbon/particlates that have been deposited during
	idle low flow/low temperature operation.

2) Poor atomization due to worn injector nozzles.

3) Excessive fuel/air mixture due to governer overtravel
	or limit mis-adjustment.

You see all of these same problems any time you're following a
real smoker of a tractor-trailer.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,     work:   to be avoided at all costs...
but no way officially representing:   uucp:   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
Commodore, Engineering Department     domain: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com
From: nigel.allen@canrem.com (Nigel Allen)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: cp rail
Date: 20 Nov 1992 14:50:56 -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
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: Rich.Rubel@launchpad.unc.edu (Rich Rubel)
Subject: Re: Crossing borders; was: Amtrak's future under a Clinton administration
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 17:41:44 GMT


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).
 [RICHR]
--
   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:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: pierson@gimp77.enet.dec.com (dave pierson)
Subject: Re: UPDATE ON BOSTON TO PORTLAND, ME SERVICE
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: 22 NOV 92 11:05:24    

In article <1992Nov19.192212.19048@pbs.org>, btiffany@pbs.org writes...
>In article <1992Nov17.121352.2435@merrimack.edu>, gemmellj@merrimack.edu
>writes:

>> on another note, when does the Swedish train engine makes it debut
>> on the NE corridor??

>It's been in and out of Washington Union Station for some weeks now (yes, I
>have plenty of pictures! :-)  ).  I don't think it's on a regular run yet.
>For some reason they brought down a Rohr Turboliner (!) to park nose-to-nose
>with it one cold day last week.

	The turboliner power cars are scheduled to haul it north of New Haven,
	once tests begin.  (one rather assumes they are used because they are
	geared faster than the FP40mumbles.  Probably the FP40 suspension,
	independent of the gearing, may not be up to the possible speeds.)

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: tarumph@uncc.edu (Timothy Allen Rumph)
Subject: Re: Attack on a Train
Reply-To: tarumph@uncc.edu
Organization: University of NC at Charlotte
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 00:39:35 GMT

A switching crew here in Charlotte, NC was mugged while working in the Charlotte NS
yard last year just after midnight. The assailant held them at gun point, took their
wallets and fled. No one on the crew was hurt, and as far as I know the mugger was not
caught.

Ditto the not on trespassing. With these sort of things going on, you can't blame the
RR police for being very nervous about strange people on RR property, espescially after
dark.

Tim Rumph

Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: cthorne@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Charles E Thorne)
Subject: Re: The US Passenger Railroad Gap
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 16:13:41 GMT

In article <1992Nov14.085532.4207@s1.gov> lip@s1.gov (Loren I. Petrich) writes:

>	This may be old hat to some of you people, but here in the
>United States, we suffer from a severe passenger railroad gap compared
>to some of our economic competitors. I tried to estimate some numbers,
>and I came up with, for the number of intercity trains dispatched a
>day, of:

>Amtrak: 250 to 300

>[approximate count from most recent schedule]

>Europe: ~20,000

>[Thomas Cook schedule: crude estimate]

>	There are no commuter trains in Amtrak's count, though some
>_may_ be counted in the Thomas Cook schedule.

>	Even the two schedule books show the rather glaring size
>differential (about a factor of 100).

>	I think that this would be a great thing for some pol to make
>a fuss about:

>	How we Americans are suffering from a dangerous Railroad Gap,
>and how we must catch up, no matter what the cost, lest we fall
>hopelessly far behind and lose rather badly.

There are a number of reasons for this.  First of all the European and
Japanese trains are serving a population that is much more concentrated
as well as the fact that the trains there are government owned and
operated.

In the early days of the railroads in the U.S., there were passenger trains
since there were no cars, buses or airplanes.  The railroad tracks and other
infra structure was built by private industry (with some subsidy or land
and cash during the first transcontinental push).

Also Europe has a lot of waterways which provide alternate freight transporta-
tion.  In the interim, autos, trucks, buses and airplanes have been government
subsidized and the railroads have just barely survived.  

Many people think that since the tracks connect the cities, it would be easy to
run passenger trains on these tracks.  Unfortunately, the heavy freight usage
on these tracks (even today) have worn down the infra structure and the
railroads really don't want to sideline a going freight train for the
occasional passenger train.

Here in Columbus, during WW II, there were over 100 passenger trains a day
going through.  The last Amtrak that ran was a lonely 3 in the morning
service that was soon disconotinued.  It's a shame, since Columbus is an
overnight ride to most of the East (Chicago, NY, Atlanta, etc.) and with
the airlines being at least one hour away it's impossible to be in downtown
NY in the morning unless you go the night before.

Charlie
From: ehr@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (Ernest H. Robl)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Scanners
Summary: depends on use
Keywords: Scanners
Date: 15 Nov 92 20:24:41 GMT
Organization: UNC Educational Computing Service

In article <1e47qaINNctb@gap.caltech.edu>, pvmason@cco.caltech.edu (Peter V. Mason) writes:
> Does anyone on the net have opinions on scanners particularly well-suited
> to railroad monitoring? .  The local electronics store has a BC 70 at $216,
> which scans from 50 to 450 MHz, so it ought to cover the frequencies.


What kind of scanner you will be happy with depends a lot on how you
use it.  I've always favored the two-scanner approach on trips where
the main purpose is railfanning.  I use a portable (hand-held) model
when I'm out walking around and a console type model in my car.

There larger scanner in my car (together with a roof-top antenna)
not only has a better range and better sound quality (larger 
speaker, among other things), but also has a fluorescent display
that is easy to read while driving.  This also saves the batteries
of the smaller scanner during long days of running around.

Depending on how much weight you are carrying around with you,
the weight and bulk of a portable scanner can also be a 
consideration.  You will seldom need even 30 channels, if you are
willing to reprogram your scanner before a trip.  It may be worth
sticking with a 20 channel model that fits in your shirt or jacket
pocket rather than going for a bulkier 30- or more channel model.

Just some things to think about. -- Ernest
-- 
"My other computer is a Nikon N8008." -- Ernest H. Robl
Ernest H. Robl (ehr@ecsvax)  Durham, NC, USA   +1  919   286-3845
                                         FAX:  +1  919   286-1696
This .signature exceeds plate C specifications (for rec.railroad fans)
From: rfj@alpha.sunquest.com (RICHARD F. JONES)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Recording trains
Keywords: audio, sound, recording
Date: 17 Nov 92 20:35:00 GMT
Organization: Sunquest Information Systems, Tucson AZ
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1

Greetings!!

Well, since I have combined by love of trains and photography into
several dramatic photos, I now have turned to recording (audio) moving
trains.

I have tried placing the microphone(s) adjacent to the tracks, about
10 to 15 feet from the tracks, suspended over the tracks (got some
great engine sounds from this one!!) and between the tracks.  My
problem is the frequent wind that often tags along with mile long
freights travelling 60+ miles per hour.

I have used the usual foam wind screens, tried shielding the mikes in
boxes (caused a sound distortion), etc.   Does anyone have any
suggestions as to how I can get good recordings and not have the
hurricane wind sounds along with the sounds of the train???

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

You may either respond to the net or to me directly.

Thank you, in advance.

Richard Jones    rfj@alpha.sunquest.com  -  internet

P.S. -
If you want a copy of my attempts, let me know privately (E-Mail) and
I'll let you know my address to send me a blank cassette.  No charge
for the copying!!
From: msjohnso@donald.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Mark Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Hopping trains for a ride
Date: 16 Nov 92 21:14:52 GMT
Organization: NCR Corporation Wichita, KS

hleaves@gems.vcu.edu writes:

>I used to know a group of people who hopped freight trains for free rides and a
>thrill. I presume that this is very illegal. What are the laws regarding doing
>this? I've heard that the caboose crew is allowed to shoot people trying to
>jump their trains. Is this true? It seems like rather a severe measure to
>prevent kids catching a ride. Why do they do this? 


You are correct...it is quite illegal everywhere.  However, it is *not* the
case that the caboose crew (which almost doesn't exist anymore, except on a
few local trains) is allowed to shoot anybody.

The railroads generally prosecute freight hoppers as some variation of
simple trespassing; shoot-on-sight has never been allowed, to my knowledge.
I've heard stories of folks being thrown off moving trains, back in the
bad old days (1930's or so). Today, I think they usually hold them for some
local law enforcement agency.

-- 
Mark Johnson                          USnail: NCR Peripheral Products Division
E-mail:  Mark.Johnson@WichitaKS.NCR.COM       3718 N. Rock Rd.
Voice: (316) 636-8189 [V+ 654-8189]           Wichita, KS  67226
[Non-business email: 76670.1775@compuserve.com]
Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation
From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: Re: Failure of Proposition 156
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Distribution: ca
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 02:52:29 GMT

In article <1992Nov14.084038.4110@s1.gov>, lip@s1.gov (Loren I. Petrich) writes:
|> 	As some of you fellow Californians may know by now,
|> Proposition 156, for issuing $1 billion in bonds to finance
|> passenger-rail improvements, failed (52% to 48%).

As some of you might want to know, the CTC (California Transportation
Commission) will be holding a special meeting/workshop to decide what
to do about 156's failure (how to shuffle money around to make up for
it).  It will be this Saturday, November 21st in South San Francisco
at the Best Western Hotel, 380 S. Airport Blvd., from 9:00 - 17:00.
Call the CTC at 916 654-4245 for more details.


|> 	The schedule of the Capitols is unchanged; there are none of
|> the new stops promised for the Oakland Coliseum and Hayward / Union
|> City / Fremont.

Hurry up and wait for those new stations.  As usual, CalTrans (Division
of Rail) seems to be moving very slowly on these...  Fremont-Centerville
station should open for service around Sept/Oct '93.


|> 	However, there is no indication that the trains will be going
|> significantly faster. Maybe that's what Proposition 156 was for :-(

Yes, some of it was.


|> 	And what about Central Valley high-speed railroading?

Anyone interested in stuff like this (and California passenger rail
news in general) should be a member of TRAC (Train Riders Assoc. of
California).  Then you would have known to attend our annual conference
last weekend in Sacramento.  This year the primary focus was high
speed rail in California.  We had a couple of excellent guest speakers
associated with TGV in France.  As a dues-paying member of TRAC you
read about all kinds of interesting stuff going on in California in 
our bimonthly "California Rail News" newsletter.  TRAC together
with PCL (Pacific Conservation Leauge) authored prop 116 (rail bonds)
and are planning something big for an upcoming California ballot that
would help pay for California high-speed rail, among other things...

To join, call TRAC at 916 557-1667 or write:
	
	TRAC
	926 J Street, Suite 612
	Sacramento, CA 95814

I think the dues are up to $35/year now.  But remember that this pays
for some (in my opinion) very good California passenger rail lobbying.

-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
UUCP: ...!ames!ntmtv!adrian
ARPA: ntmtv!adrian@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: mstoffan@uumark.UUCP (Mark Stoffan)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: cp rail
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 04:19:05 GMT
Reply-To: nlbbs!mstoffan@uunet.uu.net
Distribution: world
Organization: 


In article <1992Nov17.104.133855@dosgate> nigel.allen@canrem.com 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.
 > 
        Things should be interesting. I expect most of this would be 
taken over by short lines, especially in the Atlantic provinces. The 
Bangor and Aroostook would seem to have an interest in preserving their 
connections west. I could see them securing the line from Brownville 
Junction west to Sherbrooke.
        This isn't unexpected news, since CP's purchase of the D & H. 
But I wonder how the Canadian politicians will react to preference in
using U. S ports as opposed to St. John and Halifax?

 Mark Stoffan              nlbbs!mstoffan@uunet.UU.NET    (UUCP)
 Gorham, Maine  USA        mark@btsgatep.caps.maine.edu   (Internet)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: sws37449@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Steven W. Salzman)
Subject: Re: ICC gives WC preliminary approval to buy GB&W
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 17:51:58 GMT

schumann@msus1.msus.edu writes:

>The Chicago & North Western had asked that numerous conditions 
>(trackage rights, etc.) be placed on this transaction.  Has anyone 
>heard whether the ICC is granting any of C&NW's requests?

According to last Thursday's Journal of Commerce (11/13), the ICC voted
unanimously to deny C&NW's request for trackage rights.  However,
the ICC stated that it will establish a five-year period (following
completion of the deal) in which it will monitor the competitive
implications of the acquisition.

Steven W. Salzman
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
sws37449@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu

All opinions are my own.


Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: gemmellj@merrimack.edu
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: UPDATE ON BOSTON TO PORTLAND, ME SERVICE
Date: 17 Nov 92 12:13:52 GMT
Organization: Merrimack College, No. Andover, MA, USA

Just a quick update on rail service from Boston to Portland, ME.
A few days ago, the stops were selected they are:
1) Boston -orgin
2) Woburn, MA
3) Haverhill, MA
4) Exeter, NH
5) Durham, NH (note stops only on weekends. probally because the Univ. of NH. 
              (is there)
6)Dover, NH
7)      (not sure on these stops, but they are in the state of Maine)
8)
9) Portland, ME


Not sure when service is *actually* going to commence.

on another note, when does the Swedish train engine makes it debut
on the NE corridor??

john
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: billg@bony1.bony.com (Bill Gripp)
Subject: Re: GE chugging
Organization: LA&W RR
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 14:52:40 GMT

In article <1ea25lINNo7e@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> elw4@po.CWRU.Edu (Evan L. Werkema) writes:
>
>In a previous article, U93_PTUPACZE@VAXC.STEVENS-TECH.EDU (Prime Mover Software Development) says:
>
>>GE's chugging have long been a part of my railroad memories. I grew up on the 
>>Erie Lackawanna Boonton Line, and their freight U33C/U36C's were fairly 
>>common. But even better were their U34CH commuter units - their HEP generators 
>>were run off the prime mover; hence, they were always running at the 
>>equivalent of Run 6 - so you can imagine the sound as they accelerated from a 
>>stop! WOW!  Today's Susquehanna's DASH 8-40B's still have that familiar GE 
>>chug, though I think GE's figured out how to quiet 'em down - you can only 
>>hear the Suskie's units when they notch out climbing up Sparta Mountain or on 
>>the grade out of Butler. The spirit is still there.

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!


>  They share more than that...GE's FDL-16 has the same bore, stroke, and RPM
>as the Alco 251.  I made some recordings of GBW C424's last summer, and 
>was surprised at how similar they sounded to the B23-7's I got on the ATSF.

Speaking of Alco, ever notice how the older ones idle just above
"stall"?  I remember listening to CNJ RS3's and NYS&W RS1's idling.
You'd swear they would stall at any moment.  But they never did, they
just kept on.
From: ovr@lk-hp-4.hut.fi (Otto-Ville Ronkainen)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Amtrak List of Trains by # (LOOONG) (fwd)
Date: 16 Nov 92 20:02:50 GMT
Reply-To: ovr@snakemail.hut.fi (Otto-Ville Ronkainen)
Organization: L{nsi-Uudenmaan Keisarillinen Polyteknillinen Koulu

In article <TML.92Nov16103137@hemuli.tik.vtt.fi> tml@tik.vtt.fi (Tor Lillqvist) writes:
>Why does Amtrak use what I assume are *airport* designators for
>stations? Isn't that both stupid, as trains are supposed to compete
>with airplanes, and misleading, as many cities have several airports,
>none of which presumably are as conveniently located as the railway
>station(s)?

Convenience to the passenger? (And probably the assumption that there
is an airport in every town that still has a railroad station.)
And isn't a bit confusing to guess whether to use LPP, Lr or Lpr for
the same town (in this case, Lappeenranta, Finland)?
--
Ott-Vill R______________________
ovr@snakemail.hut.fi
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: Steve_Hooper@mindlink.bc.ca (Steve Hooper)
Subject: Ghetto Grills
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 08:10:34 GMT

> Craig Hinners writes:
>
> >
> >Apparently so.  The ``Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide'' notes
> >the presence of rock shields on some Amtrak engines on the Northeast
> >Corridor.
>
> Can't recall where I read this, but they're affectionately referred to
> as "ghetto grills".


The old VIA Rail Dayliner that used to run between Calgary and Edmonton was
equipped with a grate over the cab-end windows, presumably for rocks and
mishap debris.
--

 steve_hooper@mindlink.bc.ca   []  The Great White North in
 OR      a777@mindlink.bc.ca   []   Vancouver, BC, CANADA

Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation
From: dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Amtrak List of Trains by # (LOOONG) (fwd)
Date: 17 Nov 92 23:53:45 GMT
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam

In article <BxuBsq.167@access.digex.com> terryfry@access.digex.com (Terry Fry) writes:
 > In article <TML.92Nov16103137@hemuli.tik.vtt.fi> tml@tik.vtt.fi (Tor Lillqvist) writes:
 > >In article <Pine.3.05.9211151945.A26182-e100000@uafhp.uark.edu> plaws@uafhp.uark.edu (Peter Laws) writes:
 > >    1) Taken from _Amtrak System Train Timetables_, valid through 4/3/93.
 > >     1 Sunset Ltd.             NOL LAX 136 Comb w/21 SAS
 > >Why does Amtrak use what I assume are *airport* designators for
 > >stations?
 > 
 > You have a valid question, but the answer makes sense (err, sorta).
 > 
So now we have the answer.  I have still one question left: which code means
what?  I know that LAX is Los Angelos, but what is NOL?  New Orleans?  Or
what?  Can somebody provide a translation of the codes used?
-- 
dik t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj  amsterdam, nederland
home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn  amsterdam, nederland; e-mail: dik@cwi.nl