Seems it's time for a reprise of Guthrie's song......eh?

You mean Goodman's song.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Seems it's time for a reprise of Guthrie's song......eh?

You mean Goodman's song.

A great version, indeed.
The Guthrie version was the one I cut my teeth on. That's why I always remember it.
There are many songs that along the tracks have gone astray from their writer's stations.

Thanks for the link and reminder, buddy.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Why do American locos always have every piece of pipework on the outside? Makes them look really ungainly.

Actually, there is quite a bit hidden under the jacketing. Beyond that, I suppose it's mostly a matter a financial matter. More covering costs more money. More importantly, it gets in the way of maintenance. There was a move in the 1920s and 30s to streamline everything in sight, but to me this made steam engines uglier and uglier (and those are my two favorite railroads of that era). By the 40s, streamlining had been refined and was being incorporated into the design of the engine, rather than being an ungainly add-on shroud.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Seems it's time for a reprise of Guthrie's song......eh?

You mean Goodman's song.

A great version, indeed.
The Guthrie version was the one I cut my teeth on. That's why I always remember it.
There are many songs that along the tracks have gone astray from their writer's stations.

Thanks for the link and reminder, buddy.

It was Guthrie that made it a hit, but Goodman wrote it. I listened to both while trying to get to sleep my first night on the train last Friday.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I don't think that most trains move quite fast enough to make aerodynamics much of a factor........
At least in the terms of traditional trains being spoken of here.

Tons of metal moving at speeds less than 100 mph don't gain much by having more than a simple cowcatcher at the front.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

I don't think that most trains move quite fast enough to make aerodynamics much of a factor........
At least in the terms of traditional trains being spoken of here.

Tons of metal moving at speeds less than 100 mph don't gain much by having more than a simple cowcatcher at the front.

True. Streamlining was more of an aesthetic thing than operational, although in that era passenger trains routinely went upwards of 110 mph.

That said, though, the original 1934 movie "Silver Streak" makes the point that its streamlining helped hold it down on the track (which I don't quite buy). And in the 1980s, EMD built a set of demonstrator engines with the corners of its cab rounded to reduce wind resistance and thus save fuel. It was found that the difference was so negligible as to be far outweighed by the added cost of building them that way.

However, wind resistance is a major factor on freight trains. When you see double-stacked containers, each of them catches a bit of wind; the greater the distance from one container to the next, the more wind resistance (this is why over the road truckers have wind deflectors on their cab roofs). It can also take nearly as much horsepower to move an empty coal train at maximum speed as a fully loaded train, due to the wind catching in the empty hoppers. Some railroads even insist that empty box cars have their doors closed before a train leaves the yard. This is the same effect as opening the window on your car causing more drag than using the air conditioner.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I don't think that most trains move quite fast enough to make aerodynamics much of a factor........
At least in the terms of traditional trains being spoken of here.

Tons of metal moving at speeds less than 100 mph don't gain much by having more than a simple cowcatcher at the front.

True. Streamlining was more of an aesthetic thing than operational, although in that era passenger trains routinely went upwards of 110 mph.

That said, though, the original 1934 movie "Silver Streak" makes the point that its streamlining helped hold it down on the track (which I don't quite buy). And in the 1980s, EMD built a set of demonstrator engines with the corners of its cab rounded to reduce wind resistance and thus save fuel. It was found that the difference was so negligible as to be far outweighed by the added cost of building them that way.

However, wind resistance is a major factor on freight trains. When you see double-stacked containers, each of them catches a bit of wind; the greater the distance from one container to the next, the more wind resistance (this is why over the road truckers have wind deflectors on their cab roofs). It can also take nearly as much horsepower to move an empty coal train at maximum speed as a fully loaded train, due to the wind catching in the empty hoppers. Some railroads even insist that empty box cars have their doors closed before a train leaves the yard. This is the same effect as opening the window on your car causing more drag than using the air conditioner.

The same claim has been made about pickup trucks.........tailgate up or tailgate down.

I'll look for the link, but there were some studies done that said that you might as well leave the tailgate up.
Wind tunnel studies show that there is actually more wind turbulence when the tailgate is down.

I think this is the link........

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

I still prefer the version sung by Willie Nelson...

Nice......who did that wonderful harp part?

I suppose I should supply the link.

Willie's version......

I need the harmonica player's name on this session. I think I knew him.

Meow.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Harmonicas........not too distantly related from trains.
Hope you do not mind the free association of thoughts.


Anyway.......

I knew Magic Dick from Detroit personally.

He did a wonderful series of instructive vids on How he did this........

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Here's not very much information about Amtrak's new electric locomotives being tested for safety and performance, and not much more about them being built.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Harmonicas........not too distantly related from trains.
Hope you do not mind the free association of thoughts

Totally lost me ....

Lotta good songs about trains have harmonica parts in them.....

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

BTW, several days ago in one of these train threads, there was mention of panel track, premade sections of track like full size pieces of the track that comes in model train sets.

Panel track is mainly used to quickly repair track after a derailment or other incident tears it out, and there would be a speed restriction on it until the rails could either be welded together or replaced with longer rails, which would be welded. The exception to this is switches; when a switch needs to be replaced, to speed up the process and minimize downtime for the railroad, they prebuild the new switch offsite. At the designated time, they remove the old one and drop the new one into place. Since there usually needs to be electrical insulation at each end of a switch, it won't get welded in, but there will be a speed restriction until the ballast has been thoroughly tamped and had time to settle. They also do this with diamond crossings where two tracks cross each other at grade.

You can see here where a diamond was no longer needed, so it was just dragged as a whole off into the weeds and left there. (The diagonal track that's severed was once the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad's 2-track mainline from New York to Chicago. Amtrak operated on the one remaining track into the 1980s. Now it's completely out of service northwest of this spot in Gary, IN, to where the PRR came parallel with the New York Central a few miles away; east of here, it's the Chicago Fort Wayne & Eastern (leased from CSX) as far as Crestline, OH, where ownership switches to Norfolk Southern.) (I could further elaborate on this line's history, if anyone's interested.)

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

That mention was by Me, most model railroads use flex track and except where block gaps are needed, solder the rail ends together, I dropped out of that hobby since I don't have the room or the needed income anymore, PCs, a cat and fish will be as much as I can presently manage, the fish though are on hold as that's a big aquarium for Me to setup and in a mobile home with particle board flooring I have to move the tank out from the wall by 6.5", but I digress, Most of My knowledge on trains is from Model Railroading, at one time I specialized in HO scale rolling stock and track, I also did some free work adding to the Xtrak Cad library before It went public, I'd added some curved turnouts(switches) and such to the library so that people could use the program with what was available to design a model railroad layout(a type of table for scale model trains).

Most beginners, as well as parents and grandparents looking for a quick birthday or Christmas gift, will buy a train set with engine, cars, snap track, and a cheap power supply. Anyone who doesn't get frustrated with the crappy quality of the set and gets the modeling bug will quickly switch to flex track.

I'm in HO, but I can't afford to buy much. I'm trying to talk myself into a couple of NS Heritage units (but which ones?). A friend of mine bought all 10 of the ES44ACs and is planning to buy all 10 of the SD70ACes when Athearn finally releases them, but MSRP on those is $200 apiece.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I tend to doubt this steam engine bell was stolen by common thieves. I think it's more likely warped foamers.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

The Ringling Brothers Red Train was reported in Irvine, CA, 15 minutes ago. Supposed to be going to San Diego.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Winning late at night, listening to the local short-line railroad train going west. Line is about 1/2 mile north of me, used to be able to see the trains from the back yard, now there are houses in the way. Progress?

That's a shame (that you can't see it anymore). What railroad is it?

San Joaquin Valley Railroad, based in Exeter, Ca. Used to be owned by RailAmerica, but I'm not certain that is still the case. Hauls freight in Tulare, Kings, & Fresno Counties on what used to be Southern Pacific (now UP/SP) tracks (UP still owns the right-of-way). Tracks run right through the middle of downtown Visalia, 2 blocks north of Main Street, then angle northwest towards the industrial park. Old Southern Pacific depot on Oak Street is now an up-scale restaurant called The Depot.

From 1957 - 1960, our backyard was up against farmland (cattle pasture/cotton field), so we could sit on the fence and watch the trains go by. Then we moved 3 blocks south, but it was still a short bicycle ride to where we could watch the trains. And I can still get my train "fix" - about once a week I get caught in town at a crossing when the trains come through, or coming home from work during cotton season.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

Winning late at night, listening to the local short-line railroad train going west. Line is about 1/2 mile north of me, used to be able to see the trains from the back yard, now there are houses in the way. Progress?

That's a shame (that you can't see it anymore). What railroad is it?

San Joaquin Valley Railroad, based in Exeter, Ca. Used to be owned by RailAmerica, but I'm not certain that is still the case. Hauls freight in Tulare, Kings, & Fresno Counties on what used to be Southern Pacific (now UP/SP) tracks (UP still owns the right-of-way). Tracks run right through the middle of downtown Visalia, 2 blocks north of Main Street, then angle northwest towards the industrial park. Old Southern Pacific depot on Oak Street is now an up-scale restaurant called The Depot.

From 1957 - 1960, our backyard was up against farmland (cattle pasture/cotton field), so we could sit on the fence and watch the trains go by. Then we moved 3 blocks south, but it was still a short bicycle ride to where we could watch the trains. And I can still get my train "fix" - about once a week I get caught in town at a crossing when the trains come through, or coming home from work during cotton season.

I wish I had memories like that. I grew up (and still live) about 7 blocks from the railroad, but it's not a sleepy branch line, it's a busy 3-track main. And there's a 4-lane (now 5) US highway in between, which I wasn't allowed to cross until high school. Now I frequently drive over and sit there watching trains. If I feel like getting some exercise, I walk up and down the station platform.

RailAmerica, all of it, was sold last year to Genesee & Wyoming. Known for its orange locomotives, this holding company's namesake railroad is not anywhere near Colorado or Montana, but is in fact in New York State. (No, not New York City.) Railfans tend to think of the original G&W as cool, but wish it would quit gobbling up other cool railroads, changing their names to fit its Here & There pattern, and painting them orange. They also have an extensive operation in Australia and a small one in Rotterdam.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I remember staying over at my Grandparents house. They lived down below a slioght grade from where My dad and grandfather both worked. It was a cement company and right across the small valley was the limestone quarry that supplied them with lime stone. I cant remember how old I was but The first night I heard the locomotive pwoering up and down and all the hopper cars slamming and banging into each other. The sound of air brakes being set and realeased was not a helpfull way to sleep. My GHrandmother told me that if you listend to the sounds it would help you sleep.
She was so right. There was a pattern to the sounds.

Being in the Air Force you are never to far from a runway. I used her advice and never had a problem sleeping. When I was stationed at Tydall AFB in Florida. Id lay in bed and could tell when a F-106 or F-101 were taking off. The F-101 had two jets that would go into after burner. To this day I cant sleep if its to quiet.

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[/quote]

Old James

James, I grew up on airbases, and find airplane sounds help me get to sleep. Whenever I travel on business I try to stay at a hotel right by an airport. No trouble sleeping then.

My father-in-law worked in the round house for 30 years, and my wife grew up in a house very close to a hump yard. She feels the same way about train noises in the night.

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She would love it Vic. It would put her right to sleep.

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