Trains |=|=|=|=|[ ]-[ ]-[ ]=|=|=|=|

[harryc]

[Robert Pence]

^Shiny new tanks, not even tagged yet!

After numerous instances of drunk/distracted/speeding drivers crashing into the sides of stopped or moving trains at dark crossings, the carriers are really getting on board with the reflector tape. Just last night as I approached a crossing I was reminded of how dramatic the change has been; it would be pretty hard not to notice a train in a crossing from a considerable distance, so long as your headlights are on.

[theWatusi]

[Robert Pence]

^Holy Smoke! The dang thing jumped the tracks, and it's goin' down the street! Everybody Run!

If that's how you're gonna' play -

[hammersklavier]

At the Lansdale train station on a couple of rainy nights...

Rob, the only reason I know that was 1991 is because the Silverliners are a lot less colorful. #9016 still runs, even.

Check out today's 30th St.:

[bulliver]

More Canadian National action in refinery row, Edmonton AB, CA

[Robert Pence]

Rob, the only reason I know that was 1991 is because the Silverliners are a lot less colorful. #9016 still runs, even.

I used to be a conspicuous train geek, and I carried a portable scanner so I could listen in on railroad communications. I did have the decency to use an earplug. In Philadelphia I kept hearing references to the "snake pit." When I saw that storage yard from the platform, I understood what they were talking about - densely-placed tracks, full of trains. Rush hour was approaching, and as equipment was positioned and lined up, I could see long, silvery trains slowly easing into place with snake-like movements through switches and crossovers.

Most rail rolling stock has a long service life, especially when you're dealing with cars like the Silverliners that used lots of stainless steel. With good maintenance and periodic updates to the propulsion and controls, it's conceivable that they can run fifty years. The late-1920s cars on the South Shore between South Bend and Chicago ran until the early 1980s, and that was with minimal maintenance in the last several years when CSX had bought the line and was trying to kill the commuter rail business. I think the Insull-era cars were faster than the later-generation cars that NICTD bought to replace them.

[Minato Ku]

Orleans light ral

[Bedhead]

Originally Posted by the sage

The Intercity 125 was always my favorite, my first memories of rail travel are on these.

Thanks (belatedly!) for you comments Sage. Those 125s are great trains, not the most glamorous, but great workhorses nonetheless.

A couple of platforms -

Zurich airport:



London, Liverpool St:

[Robert Pence]

Glorious trainshed! So spacious and light and airy, and with wonderful architectural detail.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by Robert Pence

I used to be a conspicuous train geek, and I carried a portable scanner so I could listen in on railroad communications. I did have the decency to use an earplug. In Philadelphia I kept hearing references to the "snake pit." When I saw that storage yard from the platform, I understood what they were talking about - densely-placed tracks, full of trains. Rush hour was approaching, and as equipment was positioned and lined up, I could see long, silvery trains slowly easing into place with snake-like movements through switches and crossovers.

Most rail rolling stock has a long service life, especially when you're dealing with cars like the Silverliners that used lots of stainless steel. With good maintenance and periodic updates to the propulsion and controls, it's conceivable that they can run fifty years. The late-1920s cars on the South Shore between South Bend and Chicago ran until the early 1980s, and that was with minimal maintenance in the last several years when CSX had bought the line and was trying to kill the commuter rail business. I think the Insull-era cars were faster than the later-generation cars that NICTD bought to replace them.

I've been a train geek since I was a little kid, and it shows at the edges. #9016 is a Silverliner II that was originally built for the PRR in the mid-sixties, and is due to go out of service as the new Silverliner Vs come in. For my money, though, Silverliner II and IIIs offer the quietest, smoothest ride of any car in SEPTA's fleet, especially if you can snag #269 with its good leather seats or one of the cars retrofitted for Airport operation back in the '80s. What I was commenting on, in part, was the timelessness of the station scene.

[srperrycgy]

As part of the 7th Avenue Refurbishment Program, Calgary's downtown LRT platforms are being rebuilt. The latest platform to open is 8th Street SW.











The old platform is now closed and was quite infamous in Calgary for crime. It will be demolished after Xmas after 28 years of service.

[bulliver]

[R@ptor]

Some photos I took of Taiwanese trains in the 4.5 months I've been living here now.

[harryc]

METRA - getting down to grade in River Forest (Illinois).

[harryc]

[hammersklavier]

Taiwanese HSR looks really cool! Are the standard rails in that country really narrow, like they are in Japan?

Too bad I don't have a new train pic right now. I wonder if the Silverliner Vs are operating yet...

[harryc]

[Bedhead]

^^^ harryc I like the way the brown stains on the truck at the back blend in with the leaves on the trees.

R@ptor, I like this shot from the Taiwanese trains, too!

Recently, I had the good fortune to have lunch on the Orient Express. I didn't have the guts to take pictures in the dining car, so I had to made do with some of the lavatory:

.....

The mosaic really is made up of little tiles:



Continuing with the floor theme - a Pullman mat from between the carriages:

[harryc]