>>82947

This also sound legit.

>>82949

oh, canada.

Bump because I must know how canucks do it.

Close inspection of a VIA F40PH fails to detect any sanding gear. I'll hazard a guess that they just don't need it on varnish?

GO Transit units did have sanders, so maybe it was a nefarious scheme by VIA to keep its power from crossing the border? FRA rules, an' all that.

They're overcoming lack of traction in the winter by using wheelslip to warm the tracks up and melt all the snow.

>>82997

CONSPIRACY!

>>82997

The FRA requires sanders?

>>83026

I wouldn't put it past them.

>>83026

Operable sanders, yup. Watch VIA in winter to find out why.

Amtrak Crescent, really. Any idea the on location?

>>81962 Ponchartrain Causeway, just outside Nawlins.

I'm guessing you say "Amtrak" based on the fourth car fro the rear? If so, it can't have been very long after Amtrak took over--looks like the consist is still mostly Southern.

>>81963
Yeah, though the Crescent was really a holdout after Amtrak.

The Southern Railway was one of the railroads to opt out of Amtrak in May of 1971 (along with the CRI&P, Rio Grande, and others), so for a good eight years the Southern Crescent ran under the Southern banner.

Southern relinquished their passenger service to the government in 1979; Amtrak runs the Crescent on most of the original line.

Wasn't there a time when the Crescent, while still a Southern operation, carried a through sleeper for Amtrak?

>>81965

>(along with the CRI&P, Rio Grande, and others)

Reading held out about a week while the courts pondered if their "long" distance trains were, in fact, commuter operations. They weren't. Also, the Georgia Railroad had a mixed train that they decided wasn't worth paying the Amtrak entrance dues just to get rid of (see pic).
Interestingly, if the Santa Fe had been permitted to drop the worst of its secondary trains, like the Grand Canyon and the Denver connection for The Chief, they might have stayed out of Amtrak as well.

Oh boy, me favorite Amtrak train. Unfortunately it only passes by me at night.

<<Another local railfan got this shot.

Actually, this is The Southerner, but it eventually got combined with the Crescent Limited.

>>81961 This is NOT under Amtrak... the date is July 1978 and Southern is still in charge. The dome car on the rear was not used by Amtrak.

OH YEAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have some more fun...

http://books.google.com/books?id=YhUlAAAAMAAJ&dq=sor+gondola&output=html&source=gbs_navlinks_s

hey Cornelius, try these links out...

If you can still stay awake...

http://books.google.com/books?id=NVdNAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=html&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0

The links work, but Google seems broken: I can only scroll to the bottom of each page for 30 seconds or so, after that it won't scroll and I have to reload the page to scroll and continue reading. Weird glitch.

I particularly liked the section on fast freight lines--this was the era just before the freight car fleet became truly free-running. I don't suppose they have a more up-to-date Equipment Register?

Holy fuckballs Conductor/Engineer Dave.

I just nostalgia'd. Hard.

I am completely ignorant to this.

wait.... holy shit why does this ring a bell?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!

holy crap my childhood is racing before my eyes...!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO1Zh3KAkj0

found it!

It's from "There Goes a Train"

Remember that dude who was the engineer that nearly hit a car stuck on the crossing? I met him back in 2007 when I went to Railcamp. He was either an engineer or a brakeman (or whatever the hell they call the left-hand seat occupier in diesels) at NNRY.

I still watch my VHS every year or two.

>>82898
I'd be pretty pissed if I had to wait an hour or more for a shuttle bus instead of walking 300 yards.

>>82900

It's bullshit either way.

>>82901
What's your solution?

>>82904
Place all routes carrying passengers under Amtrak dispatchers, and have Amtrak responsible for delaying freights. Flip the performance contract around.

>>82911
That doesn't really address this particular problem though, it derailed on a wye outside the station.

>>82904

There would definitely be some compensation for this bullshit.

>>82911
The US should just do like the UK did and just nationalize the rail system. That would end all the butthurt all around...

>>82938

Either socialize the freight roads or privatize the passenger system. We just can't have it both ways.

>>82939
Only if you privatize the airports and highways first.

No, socializing all the railroads would be a disaster; but the notion of Amtrak owning the tracks they use, or at least dictating their use, has merit. But Amtrak needs a droit de régale on their routes--or at least the threat of same if the railroads insist on shenanegans.

>>82940
In a lot of places in Australia, Government(s) owns the rails, sells track access. The Interstate track in Victoria, NSW, and Queensland is owned by the respective state governments, but control and maintenence is given to the Australian Rail Track Corporation, A federal government owned corporation. The passenger trains are only ever as late as the freight trains.

You ought to add, they upped the dividend by almost 10%. Earnings per share about 12 times that of CSX, yet price per share only 3 times as much, roughly. Four times better at turning investment into profit. Why is NS not the darling of Wall Street?

Oh, yeah: they're too busy running a railroad. How's their track capacity doing? Velocity? Dwell time?

They built one of these and realized how stupid the whole endeavour was, decided to quit while the NS was still ahead.

>>82910

>How's their track capacity doing? Velocity? Dwell time?

I was wondering this myself....

I could only find metrics for cars on line, velocity, & dwell.
Dec 2011: 185684 cars, 22.3 MPH, 24.3 Hours, & 71.2%
Dec 2010: 195104 cars, 21.7 MPH, 26.2 Hours, & 72.2%

The annual operating ratios
2011: 71.2%
2010: 72.2%

You guys and your numbers, it's like I'm in another GCOR annual where the local directors come in and flap their face holes for an hour about this same shit. What are ye, a bunch of corporate execs and stockholders? Who really gives a shit about all the records and profits and this and that when the front line men and women will never see a dime of it? Do you think anyone in transportation will benefit from those numbers? What's the appeal of knowing this bean counter bullshit?

>>82959 Your not mad now are you?

>>82959

>Do you think anyone in transportation will benefit from those numbers?

Take a good look at your paycheck. can you do better flipping burgers or pumping gas?

See, the numbers are a rough indicator of the health of the industry. Maybe YOU take it for granted that the wheels will roll, but the truth is it's a situation worth monitoring.

Some of us are interested in the power and drama of white-colar railroading, too. It just so happens this is the week everyone releases their reports.

>>82959

It does serve as a way to push for more money in our paychecks... now only if the fuckin' UTU, (and to a lesser extent, the BLE&T) could use those numbers to our advantage.

Mike Ward you dipshit, pay my lunches.

>>82290

Except the paint scheme for the local shortline in Pickens County, SC is "maintenance orange" with solid black blockish lettering. I would bother to make the trip down there for some railfanning if they had ANYTHING else.

They had the general public vote for the best paint scheme.

As for the worst one... I'd have to say ALL OF THE ABOVE.

>>82872
Wait a minute. How come 3 has a rear porch, and the other 2 don't?

Because the graphic artists fail

>>82872 Good observation!

>>82905

The enlarged T takes up so much space that crew members cannot hold on to the side of the locomotive, so they've got their own little porch on the back.

>>82872

You'd think the T would stick with what works (pic not related to thread).

>>82917
We're talking MBTA: stick with what DOESN'T work.

>>82218
Oh dear...

Choo-choo ch'boogie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A2pRVyBmOY

0-4-0

... and to think nowdays not only is the concept of a super fast freight train is a such alien idea, but also using such pagan name.

Picture highly weabou, but strongly related.

I know Amtrak ran a "Fast Mail" on the Corridor, which was nothing but mail and express freight in MHCs pulled by a toaster. That is until Amtrak realized such endeavors were about as productive as fucking a pie.

No trains so dramatic going between New York and San Francisco. But a lot of options.

>>82839
My memory is a little fuzzy, but I believe the NEC mail train remained a Penn Central operation, even after Amtrak.

>>82887

I just remember seeing MHC's being pulled by a toaster.

>>82893
Was that around 1990 or so, when Amtrak thought it could be an express company? The original mail train only lasted a couple years--it was gone before Conrail.

>>82899

Yeah, it was around that time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Mail_(Amtrak)

>>82887

>Railway Post Office service ended on June 30th, 1977 when Conrail Trains 3 and 4 made their last runs between Washington and New York and New York and Washington. This ended 113 years of continuous service.
>When Amtrak started, it was originally planned to a passenger-only corporation. Penn Central retained operation of the New York & Washington RPO since the round trip carried no passengers. This continued when Conrail took over Penn Central operations in 1976, then was abandoned when the mail contract expired on June 30, 1977.
>All NY & WASH RPO equipment was lettered Penn Central until discontinuance. Trains consisted of a GG-1 locomotive, several sealed storage mail cars, a working storage car, two 60-feet RPOs, another working storage car (usually), and an ex-PRR N5c (I think that's the correct class) caboose that was modified for mail and express train operations.

I guess it DID make it to Conrail, after all.

>>82794
Ahhh... but working for the mouse means you get to body surf with ol' Walt's trains in the Carolwood Pacific room.

Picture strongly related.

>>82827
There is an internet for the first one of Thaddeh or Kartma to tell me the make and model of that bus. :)

>>82834

Tempting...

>>82837

Gotta be a Neoplan.

Thaddy's new job

Pic related

^_^

>>82852

Are you saying that Thaddy not only has a CDL, but he's also an able-bodied seaman?

(Huhuhuh...seaman.)

>>82838
Not even close.

>>82867

Van Hool? Mercedes? Marocopolo?

>>82871
They make the best buses, man, and you've probably never even heard of them. [/hipster]

>>82871
Which to say they are an Australian manfacturer.

>>82874

Only Ozzie automotive manufacturer I could think of is Holden, which is owned by American interests anyway.