HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 23:13:10 -0500 
From: "Derrick J. Brashear" <db74+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Casey to open state railroads to dbl stack...

From a local paper, without permission:
	HARRISBURG (UPI) -- Double-stack railroad containers would be
free to move across Pennsylvania, creating thousands of new jobs, if a
plan announced by Gov. Robert P. Casey Friday is approved by the
legislature.
	At a Capitol news conference, Casey announced that a deal has been
struck with two railroad companies on a $77 million dollar plan to
remove obstacles to use of the giant containers.
	Under the proposal, 84 structures would be raised or cleared on the
Conrail line running east-west across the state. Another 25 projects
would be undertaken on the north-south Canadian-Pacific/Delaware &
Hudson line runing from New York to Reading.
	The state would invest $34 million in the project.
	However, the state legislature must agree to rewrite some budget
language before the money becomes available.
	Casey said the double-height containers are the "fastest growing
segment of the transportation industry" and that delay in fixing the
track-paths would put Pennsylvania at a competitive disadvantage.
	"This project is as important to our transportation network in the
1990's as our inter-state highways were in the 1950's," Casey said.
	According to Casey's estimates, the entire project would mean over
22,000 new jobs in the state by the year 2000. Some of the jobs would
come directly from the construction work involved. Other jobs would flow
from transportation cost savings to private businesses.
	"We are either going to join and lead this revolution or be left
behind," Casey said.


Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: lip@s1.gov (Loren I. Petrich)
Subject: New Swedish train on the NEC (was Re: UPDATE ON BOSTON TO PORTLAND, ME SERVICE)
Organization: LLNL
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 01:24:53 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.121352.2435@merrimack.edu> gemmellj@merrimack.edu writes:
>Just a quick update on rail service from Boston to Portland, ME.

	[Stops between Boston and Portland, ME]

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

	A critical bit of info.

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

	According to the latest Amtrak comprehensive schedule, early
next year.

	It is a Swedish ABB X-2000 trainset that was imported not too
long ago for testing. It can go up to 125 or 150 mph (I don't quite
recall), and it has some features that help it go around curves at
higher speeds than usual. The axles can swivel in the bogies, so they
can stay perpendicular to the rails, and the cars tilt, to keep
sideways acceleration down.

	It is electric, which means that the X-2000 will be confined
to the NEC in the near future, and even then to the parts south of New
Haven until electrification out to Boston is complete. ABB, however,
is working on a diesel loco, which can be used on the abundant
American trackage without overhead electric cables and with an
abundance of twisty track, such as here in California.
From: atrw0176@cellar.org (Atrw93)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Compound Locomotives
Date: 17 Nov 92 00:21:56 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system

rogerm@PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_GATEWAY_FILE (Roger Mitchell) writes:

> were the N&W Y class 2-8-8-2 mallets. They were true mallets and were
> highly successful when used on slow heavy coal drags, but when it came
> to hauling the mail on fast freight the class A simple articulated did
> the job far more efficiently. One other note about many compound locomotives

One other comment (sorry if someone else already picked up on this)

The greater reason for the high speed performance of the "A" - and the
feature was copied fron UP Challengers ( and used in others) and it was
Woodward at ALCO who developed this:

Mallets were articulated with two degrees of freedom, "yaw" or
horizontal turning to negotiate curves and "pitch" which allowed
the two engines to flex over vertical curves. This reduced the
benefit of the springing and led to poor adhesion on less than
perfect track and generally bad tracking at the higher speeds.

Woodward simplified the atriculation to one degree of freedom,
that of "yaw". While the locomotive could respond to horizontal
curves as two 6-coupled engine trucks, it behaved like
a twelve-coupled engine with respect to vertical curves
as well as profile and cross-level variations. It was a great
successs. 

This concept was copied into the GG-1 electrics and provided great
trackability up to 125 mph. And they were able to manuver on even the
poorest yard trackage that could sustain the weight.

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Newsgroups: rec.railroad,ba.transportation
From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: Re: SFO rail transit setback?
Keywords: Kopp SFO BART CalTrain
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Distribution: ca
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 20:55:38 GMT

In article <27525@dog.ee.lbl.gov>, b_nbca@icarus.lbl.gov (Bruce Nordman) writes:
|> I'm speculating here, but suspect that it is airport $$, not regional
|> transit $$, that the ballot measure would be about.  It wouldn't
|> require that BART go into the airport garage, but would prohibit
|> the people mover being built.

According to the press release from Kopp, his ordinance shall make it:

"the law of the City and County of San Francisco that a BART passenger
station be constructed within the Airport and that all necessary steps
be taken by the City and County to secure extension of BART services
into the Airport.  The initiative ordianance require the Mayor, the
Board of Supervisors and all city officers and agencies, including
Airport Commissioners, to adopt such further ordinances and resolutions
as are necessary to effectuate the extension of BART into the Airport..."

AND

"The ordiance finally provides that the extension of BART service to a
station within the Airport shall be given priority over other trans-
portation systems ... and that any automated people mover or similar
conveyance be built only in that portion of the Airport necessary to
transport people within the terminals, repair hangars and other base
facilities at the Airport."



|> In principle, BART could not go to the airport garage AND no
|> people-mover built.

Why not?  The internal BART station would be under the short term
parking garage.  The proposed (and currently planned and budgeted)
people-mover would travel in a loop connecting the terminals and
other key places (e.g. CalTrain and the maintenance facility).  If
you mean that the people mover would be needed to distribute BART
passengers to their final airport destinations, then that takes
away most (if not all) of Kopp's (lame) "argument" for why BART
into the airport will be a "good thing" (namely, BART riders
wouldn't have to transfer to a people mover!).


|> The whole thing might be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Yup.  Write a letter to the editor of one or more of the papers in
Kopp's district (San Mateo thru San Francisco) about this and/or
contact Kopp via mail or phone to express your concerns.  Kopp's
office is at 363 El Camino Real, Suite 205, South San Francisco,
CA 94080.  The phone number there is (415) 952-5666.  The last time
I checked, Kopp's group hadn't started gathering signatures yet, so
it is an ideal time to raise objections.  Another possibility is
to call Kopp on his radio talkshow on KGO AM 810.  I'm not sure
how regularly he is on, but when he is it's usually Sunday nights
between 8 and 10 (or something close to that).


-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
UUCP: ...!ames!ntmtv!adrian
ARPA: ntmtv!adrian@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: wey@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (william.e.yoder)
Subject: Re: Dead meat
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 13:53:03 GMT

On the video, "Best of Colorado Narrow Guage", Green Frog Video, they show
a scene where a bunch of cows are scattering and all of a sudden one
calf gets sucked under the "cattle cruncher". I couldn't believe it!!
The next scene showed things cleaned up the loco was a little further
along.

Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: pierson@empror.enet.dec.com (dave pierson)
Subject: Re: Ghetto Grills
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: 16 NOV 92 08:57:14    

Many of the MBTA Budds had grills over the end windows.  (One band of hooligans
built snowmen on the RoW.  After the crews got used to poooofing thru them,
the built one with ties inside.  NASTY.  (My (proposed) solution for the
lineside rockheavers was to mount power operated turrets, and let the
commuters have at at 'em, $5 for 50 shots say.  Use rubber bullets with
fluorescent dye, then survey the local kids with a black light the next day.
probably impractical.)

The UA (original) Turbo Train had the operators positions at the "outer" ends
of dome structures over the turbines.  Passenger accomodation  in the remainder.
Arguably the GREATEST place to watch RRs from, ever.  They rapidly sprouted
grills on the leading end.  Then, one of the bombers with either better, or
worse timing dropped a concrete block so as to catch the "reverse" (passenger
area) end of the then_trailing dome.  Killed a passenger.

I believe that many dome cars have "icicle guards" fitted.

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: jtthorp@hubcap.clemson.edu (J. T. Thorpe)
Subject: Re: A-Train
Organization: Acme Looniversity
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 03:53:28 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.221210.6427@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> zephyr@cory.Berkeley.EDU (COIFMAN) writes:
> Could someone out there give a review of the computer game A-Train? I
>am particularly interested in the mac version (does it require a color
>machine or sys7) but I would like an overview of the game in general.

Hello again, folks!

I don't have any information about the Mac version of A-Train, but I
certainly have had fun with the IBM version!  The overall goal of the
game is clear--build a working *profitable* rail line for a city.  There
are 6 scenarios to choose from, ranging from using your power as a
railroad builder and investor to build a small rural town into a
metropolis, to starting out with a big city that is running its rail
line at a loss.

The graphics look fairly nice, and are still simple enough to not
overwhelm you.  Maxis/Artdink threw in a bunch of "fun" things like
Santa Claus on Dec.24, and UFOs in July.  The major problem that I have
with the program is that it runs on a day-by-day basis, so it can take
a LONG time to run (you can control the speed of days, tho').

The game is a lot more complex than things like Rail Tycoon, etc.,
especially considering the "size" of the city you are working on.  The
majority of your rail revenue comes from your passenger load, but a lot
of your major revenue comes from your investments, rents, and other
real estate revenues.

Your railroad "empire" is really more like a commuter line than a
railroad.  You have a limited amount of real estate to work with.
Building your rail lines is costly, as is building real estate.  You can
invest in the stock market (Note: the market skyrockets every 1.5 - 2
years and then crashes--hey, even the manual tells you this).  It is a
bit difficult to figure out what will help you generate a profit, esp.
since initial railroad startup costs are HUGE!  Hint: for quick cash,
play around with real estate, and don't invest in leisure estate
property until you have a sufficient population base.

I have been semi-successful with the program.  I have managed to get the
commuter lines alone to generate over $170,000 per month, and I get even
more with the real estate revenues.  My friend around the hall goes the
real-estate route and generates the majority of his revenue that way.

If you want more specific information, just ask!

JTThorpe
-- 
JT Thorpe	 __________________         ===+==___()__o_][ c
 Clemson 	   |[][][] |[]| |   _/-----| |=|=|   |    |  ]}  
University	 [_|_______|__|_|_]|_______|=|___|-----------___ 
 CS Dept           oVo        oVo  oVo   oVo   (o) (o) (o)  oo \\
From: jwj2@po.CWRU.Edu (Jermaster)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: AMTK SW-1's
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 20:51:46 GMT
Organization: Eastern & Ohio Railroad Company
NNTP-Posting-Host: b63154.student.cwru.edu

In article <1992Nov19.191538.19045@pbs.org> btiffany@pbs.org writes:

> That should be 730-745, formerly 243-258.  They were from PC:

>                         *       *
>	ATK	 PC  ==> NYC     PRR <==
>                        ---     ----
>	730	8425     599
>	731	8428     602
>	732	8431     605
>	733	8464     666
>	734	8475     677
>	735	8476     678
>	736	8497     701
>	737	8499     ???
>	738	8522             9422
>	739	8523             9423
>	740	8528             9428
>	741	8530             9150
>	742	8543             9160
>	743	8559             9399
>	744	8575             9145
>	745	8580             9200
>     
>With a little digging I could probably find their pre-PC heritage, but I
>don't have the time right now.  I believe most were NYC.

Hope this helps.

Later,
-Jer
--
Jerry W. Jordak       Take a laser microscope and try to find an answer
a.k.a. Jermaster      An antidote a drug to cure a special strain of cancer
(jwj2@po.cwru.edu)    Spreads it's revolution wide from cell to cell to cell
                      Your kingdom's like your body
                      When it dies it goes to hell -- Alice Cooper
From: craig@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Craig Dewick)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: flashing signals
Date: 12 Nov 92 01:21:32 GMT
Organization: Kralizec Dialup Unix Sydney: +61-2-837-1183 V.32

eoliver@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au (Eddie Oliver) writes:

>NONSENSE! You don't know what you're talking about, or at least you're
>several years out of date. 

>NSW has had flashing MAINLINE signal indications for several years. They are
>more recent than the flashing yellow bands (and certainly more recent than
>the flashing shunt-ahead or subshunts) but are not things that arrived
>yesterday or the day before.

Unfortunately I don't agree. There are no mainline flashing yellow signal
indications. What you refer to is still a pulsating signal. I was a
trainee signal engineer for four years, so I should know.
 
Now being an acting driver (ie. locos), I should know even better!

The new interlocking at Maitland came after the initial installation at
Berowra. In fact, the success of the one at Berowra was the reason this
has been adopted elsewhere. The south coast is full of signals that show
this indication.
 
You have to be clear on the definitions. And is apparent that some other
systems (mainly overseas) use 'flashing' to refer to lights that actually
pulsate (ie. they just alter the intensity, but don't turn off during the
duty cycle), and vice versa. The NSW definitions are literal.
-- 
 Craig Dewick               |        - Railway Preservation Industries -
 Send email to:             |            Supporting the Preservation
 craig@kralizec.zeta.org.au |          of Australia's Railway Heritage
From: hudson@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Hudson Leighton)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Maximum Flatcar Length?
Date: 19 Nov 92 15:25:06 GMT
Organization: People-Net [pnet51], Minneapolis, MN.

Acually you just load the beam on three flat cars.


        ____________________________________________________
        |                                                  |
        |                                                  |
        ----------------------------------------------------
          ^^                                              ^^
######################  ######################  ######################
0 0                0 0  0 0                0 0  0 0                0 0


We moved a 125 foot turntable this way I have seen it done with two idlers


UUCP: {crash tcnet}!orbit!pnet51!hudson
INET: hudson@pnet51.orb.mn.org
ICBM: Lat. 44.59 x lon. 93.13
HAM:  N0NMX  444.100 repeater
Advertisement: Try the Railway Post Office BBS (612) 377-2197 a Railfan BBS
From: eddie@railnet.nshore.ORG (Eddie Van Huffel)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Hopping trains for a ride
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 21:09:21 EST
Organization: Railnet BBS +1 216 786 0476

msjohnso@donald.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Mark Johnson) writes:

> hleaves@gems.vcu.edu writes:
> 
> >I used to know a group of people who hopped freight trains for free rides an
> >thrill. I presume that this is very illegal. What are the laws regarding doi
> >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? 
> 
> 

Having been around railroads even when they had those cars know as 
cabooses, (or is it "Cabeese") and I have known of men who were 
disciplined for carrying firearms on the train.  Your question indicates 
to me that you have been watching too many movies.....


--
eddie@railnet.nshore.ORG (Eddie Van Huffel)
Railnet BBS +1 216 786 0476
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: dmarble@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Duane F Marble)
Subject: Michigan Railroad History Query
Organization: The Ohio State University
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 00:18:23 GMT

I am interested in locating sources of information on Michigan railroad
operations in the last part of the 19th century. For personal reasons I
am very interested in wreck reports, etc. Leads to any sources of materials
greatly appreciated.
-- 
Duane F. Marble			       E-mail: dmarble@magnus.acs.osu.edu
Department of Geography                Telephone: (614) 292-2250
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio 43210                   Fax: (614) 292-6213
From: atrw0176@cellar.org (Atrw93)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Locomotive pilots
Date: 19 Nov 92 01:53:28 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system

wadams@spitz.ECE.CMU.EDU (William Adams) writes:


> 
> Also: I have seen one particular pilot on a Conrail engine in Pittsburgh, PA
> with the lower outside corners cut off and the markings "3rd rail cutout" 
> chalked on.  Is there 3rd rail track on freight-shared tracks around here?
> 
> 	Bill

These units are eqquipped for and authorized to operate in third rail
territory on Metro-North out of NYC, ex-NYC third rail territory.

They would also clear third rail on Long Island RR, although I have
never heard of one being out there. The LIRR third rail extends
west through Penn Station to the portal of the Hudson River tunnels
at the Hackensack Meadows. AMTK uses third rail power to work on
de-energized 12KV overhead catenary.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         
Your Attention Please!   Thank you for reading this far.
ATRW 93       <atrw0176>

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From: btiffany@pbs.org
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: AMTK SW-1's
Date: 20 Nov 92 00:15:37 GMT
Organization: PBS:Public Broadcasting Service, Alexandria, VA

In article <5BycuB5w164w@cellar.org>, atrw0176@cellar.org (Atrw93) writes:
> 
> Has anyone on the net know the heritage of Amtrak's
> 
> remaining fleet of SW-1's 730-744 series.
> 
> Any info posted or e-mailed will be most appreciated.
> 
> Thank you in advance.

 That should be 730-745, formerly 243-258.  They were from PC:

	ATK	 PC

	730	8425
	731	8428
	732	8431
	733	8464
	734	8475
	735	8476
	736	8497
	737	8499
	738	8522
	739	8523
	740	8528
	741	8530
	742	8543
	743	8559
	744	8575
	745	8580

With a little digging I could probably find their pre-PC heritage, but I
don't have the time right now.  I believe most were NYC.

-- Bruce Tiffany
From: kolassa@genesee.bst.rochester.edu (John Kolassa)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Amtrak's future under a Clinton administration
Date: 18 Nov 92 05:09:14 GMT
Reply-To: kolassa@genesee.bst.rochester.edu (John Kolassa)
Organization: University of Rochester Biostatistics.

In article <7933@charon.cwi.nl>, dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter) writes:
[Response to (IMHO well justified) complaints about train delays while crossing
the US-Canadian border.]
>  > 
> 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).  This was even true with the
> paranoid customs on the (then) iron curtain.  But perhaps this is too rational.
> -- 
> dik t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj  amsterdam, nederland
> home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn  amsterdam, nederland; e-mail: dik@cwi.nl

I crossed from Austria to Czecholovakia this way in 1986.  As I recall, although
customs went through the train, we still waited on the border for a long time,
since the train couldn't make the first Czechoslovak stop until customs had
finished.  Incidentally, from Vienna until just over the border the windows
were all sealed.  They were unlocked when customs passed.  I presume that was
to avoid boxes of Levis going out the window just over the border.

My point is that even with this arrangement, you'll have to have enough
time between the last US stop and the first Canadian stop to screen the
whole train, and have some mechanism for deporting those not allowed across the
border.
-- 
Thanks, John Kolassa, kolassa@bio1.bst.rochester.edu
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: zephyr@cory.Berkeley.EDU (COIFMAN)
Subject: A-Train
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 22:12:10 GMT

 Could someone out there give a review of the computer game A-Train? I
am particularly interested in the mac version (does it require a color
machine or sys7) but I would like an overview of the game in general.



 Thanks much



Benn


Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: pierson@ggone.enet.dec.com (Dave Pierson)
Subject: Re: Compound Locomotives
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 12:54:07 GMT

Some one wrote, concerning single axis articulation:

>This concept was copied into the GG-1 electrics and provided great
>trackability up to 125 mph. And they were able to manuver on even the
>poorest yard trackage that could sustain the weight.

	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.

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
From: tml@tik.vtt.fi (Tor Lillqvist)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Amtrak List of Trains by # (LOOONG) (fwd)
Date: 16 Nov 92 10:31:37
Organization: Technical Research Centre of Finland, Laboratory for Information
	Processing (VTT/TIK)
NNTP-Posting-Host: tik.vtt.fi
In-reply-to: plaws@uafhp.uark.edu's message of 15 Nov 1992 19:44:58 -0600

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? 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)?
--
Tor Lillqvist,
working, but not speaking, for the Technical Research Centre of Finland,
Laboratory for Information Processing (VTT/TIK).