echoplex posted:

It never really left us

Wicaeed posted:

It's also not like the drive wheels are mechanically connected to the engine in any way, they are usually electric motors...right?

InterceptorV8 posted:

http://youtu.be/6xSzU0oM4mM

Kinda neat! Closed tube station.

Zeether posted:

If I ever get back into model railroading I'm going On30 and seeing if I can find one of these (or its sister the K-27) in that scale, because holy mother of gently caress are they the coolest looking narrow gauge locomotives ever.

SybilVimes posted:

What everyone is describing is basically micro-sleep. It has a long and bad association with train drivers

quote:

The Department of the Environment report on the collision was published on 4 March 1976 and tests showed no equipment fault on the train. Postmortem evidence indicated that at the time of impact the driver's hand was on the brake handle, rather than in front of his face to protect it. Witnesses were interviewed; some passengers on the train reported that the train accelerated when entering the station, and some witnesses standing in the station reported that the driver, 56-year-old Leslie Newson, was sitting upright in his seat and looking straight ahead as the train passed through the station. The state of the motor control gear as found after the accident indicated that power had been applied to the motors until within two seconds of the impact.

Newson had worked for London Underground since 1969 and the post-mortem examination did not find any evidence of a medical problem such as a stroke or heart attack that could have incapacitated him. There was some doubt as to if he had consumed alcohol. Testing for this was hampered by the four-and-a-half days it took to retrieve his body from the wreckage; analysis showed that his blood alcohol level at the time of the post-mortem was 80 mg/100ml, but it was not possible to reach a definite conclusion as to whether this was the result of consumption of alcohol or a product of the process of decomposition. 80 mg/100ml is the current UK legal limit for driving a car (the limit at the time of the accident was higher), and the medical experts disagreed with each other on whether any amount consumed would have affected his ability to drive the train. Medical evidence to the official enquiry raised the possibility that the driver had been affected by conditions such as transient global amnesia, or akinesis with mutism, where the brain continues to function and the individual remains aware although they cannot move physically, but pointed out also that there was no evidence to indicate either condition – to positively diagnose akinesis with mutism would depend on a microscopic examination of the brain which was not possible owing to decomposition, and transient global amnesia would leave no traces at post-mortem in any case.

Evidence to the inquest showed that the driver did not have any reason to be suicidal and had over £270 (about £1600 today) in his pocket which he was intending to use to purchase a car for his daughter after the end of his shift. The coroner's verdict was accidental death.

Axeman Jim posted:

The Class 37, classic English Electric design and the backbone of BR's freight operations for 40 years. A handful are still around:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F6wEmsgaLc

Ika posted:

I've been reading about crossrail 2, but I haven't seen this mentioned: If it is taking over the SW regional routes, would they end up designing trains that can use both power systems, or would they just upgrade the lines to the 25KV system as they are added to the network?

I would expect the second option to sound more expensive, but become cheaper in the long term as then you don't need to buy two types of trains every time you order new ones.

And crossrail 1's trains having two or three types of signaling interfaces just sounds like a mess.

MikeCrotch posted:

Except the Flying Scotsman would never be at Paddington

MikeCrotch posted:

Glad you yanks now have your very own Morpeth Curve

Axeman Jim posted:

inkjet_lakes posted:

Five minutes walk from my house this morning, I think I someone shouted hello from the cab (excuse shaky phone vid, I was balancing on a fence):

https://youtu.be/3d-9n3-k_uU

BalloonFish posted:

Great Western: vacuum (but a unique system that wasn't fully compatible with other vacuum brakes)

MikeCrotch posted:

The other big element was that BR more than most railways didn't anticipate road haulage taking a lot of the short freight routes, and so were still building tiny freight locos like the Class 17s which were supposed to replaced steam tank engines like for like and we're effectively obsolete by the time they were built.

BalloonFish posted:

I always feel bad when someone does a really long, comprehensive and interesting post like that and I can't find anything specific or insightful to say. But I really enjoyed reading it, so thanks

Had an afternoon out at a heritage railway yesterday:







Because of the prolonged dry, hot weather there was a diesel shoving at the back to save the steam engine working too hard on the climbs and risking embers/sparks flying into the fields.

Class 37 in faded Trainload Metals livery

TheFluff posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCc839UL8po

I have no idea what's going on here but I'm here for it

quote:

About 100 people were offered free seats, according to Mark Allatt, chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust - the charity which built Tornado.
He said: "It was a nice way to finish for Christmas, though I think some of the rescued passengers didn't realise they'd even been travelling on a steam train until they got off."
Mr Allatt, who was on the service at the time, said he only saw a handful of other trains between London and Dover throughout Monday.
He added: "If any of the train operators want to modernise their services by using steam trains, I would be happy to give them a quote."