Locomotive Insanity: Murder on the BNSF Mixed Consist doesnt have the same ring to it

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Locomotive Insanity: Murder on the BNSF Mixed Consist doesnt have the same ring to it

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Saga posted:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8428097.stm

There were programs on it last year - it was new-built by enthusiasts (with a lot of time on their hands I guess). With links to their website.

Wasn't that the same engine used in the Top Gear race to Scotland vs. Jaaaaaag XK120 and the Vincent motorcycle?

# ¿ Mar 7, 2011 22:29

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 04:41

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

auzdark posted:

I'm pretty sure this video has been posted earlier in the thread...

In regards to crossings, there are hardly any in Australia where I drive around, the trains are all elevated across the roads until they hit the city, then its all underground.

I guess you live in Sydney, because Melbourne has a metric poo poo load of level crossings, and it shits the drivers of both cars and trains.

leica posted:

Should have kept it, that's pretty funny.

While I don't like most red title avatars, I think that one was appropriate, especially since Geoj was doing his best to poo poo up this thread.

# ¿ Jun 7, 2011 00:08

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

tehsid posted:

Ah, I was wondering if there was a thread for train people on SA. I found it.

I've never been all that interested in trains. They look cool, sometimes, but the size or power never really struck until I started my new job as a tradesman's assistant at a rail-yard in Melbourne, about 3 months ago.

Now they are very, very cool and I'm learning a LOT about them.

So what do I do? I work an 'underfloor wheel lathe'. Its very cool. It basically takes out any flat spots or skids in the wheels, by taking out between 10 and 30mm. Some locomotives we have to take off more, but that's dependent on how many kilometers they've done.

Anyway, have a few pic's from work. And if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer, or find out the answer's, if anybody is interested. I'll also take a few photos of any cool trains that come in.

(Sorry for the crappy iPhone 3GS pics... If I can I'll get a few more pics with a normal camera, but for now, these will do.)

The wheel lathe itself, facing the direction the trains roll out.

A passenger train on the lathe being turned.

A faulty train that was sitting there for ages (before I started). Some fool put in a window that was 10cm to small on the top, it only got fixed about a week ago... now another one is in its place.

The day I took the first and last photo's was obviously foggy. That was because I was feeling arty. Now while I feel they are impractical to get a decent idea of the place, that's all I have for now. I'll try and get some clear ones over the next few days, either with the phone or the actual camera.

I didn't properly read the start of this post and then I saw the last photo and thought "I recognise those buckets of poo poo"

Is that the train repair centre out in Bayswater?

# ¿ Jul 14, 2011 00:12

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

tehsid posted:

Na, we're out in Newport.

Ah, that kinda makes sense with all the mist, being near the sea. I thought it was Bayswater cos of the all fog at this time of the year around that area.

Is the train museum still down there?

# ¿ Jul 15, 2011 00:27

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Gorilla Salad posted:

In the green room.

Well, I guess that's one way of trimming back the foliage.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2011 23:26

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Das Volk posted:

Huge ones. I remember as a kid standing on a footbridge that preceded the nicer, protected bike bridge to Elliot Bay Park in Seattle back in the late 80's. It was just an open metal grille bridge without even so much as a handrail and I stood on it as a large freight configuration went under, the power of the fans blasting upward at me enamored me with trains for the rest of my childhood.

A bit of a "Seven Year Itch" situation for you

# ¿ Feb 9, 2012 22:28

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

BrokenKnucklez posted:

Hes trying to make it exciting... because lets face it.

Railroading is pretty boring poo poo. Mostly just hurry up and wait. Hell, I spend about 5 hours of my day sitting still.

Yeah, but that's due to your Range Rover being broken down, rather than the train :downsrim:

# ¿ Sep 25, 2012 23:25

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Huge_Midget posted:

For more information about air cooled nuclear reactors, see this awesome (and terrifying) wiki entry.

Ah, the flying crowbar. What the great minds of the RAND Corporation would get up to in the 50s and early 60s.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2013 22:40

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

The Locator posted:

How does anyone not at least pretend to look for a train coming before going around the barrier (assuming they are stupid enough to go around the barrier in the first place)? I mean there was no loving way that was even close to a 'beat the train' situation there.

BUT I HAVE A SUV!

# ¿ Apr 2, 2014 23:11

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Neddy Seagoon posted:

As a life-long resident of Melbourne and someone who's grown up riding on those trains to get to school and university, all I can say is GOOD RIDDANCE. Those trains were awful, prone to breaking down and never had air conditioning until a rare few at the very end of their lifespan. Any time you saw one pulling up to the platform (and there was always the silent prayer of please don't let it be a Hitachi), you knew you were in for a nice hotbox on awful too-closely-spaced seating. And god help you if it was in rush hour because then it became a literal sardine can.

I steadfastly refuse to believe anyone was sad to see those rolling shoe-boxes go to the scrapyard .

The Hitachis were supposed to be scrapped at the end of the 90s, and some were sold off to private owners. However with the huge rise in public transport use as the petrol prices rose, the Vic Government had to buy them back and bring them back to the system.

Of course if Kennett didn't kill off the double decker trains in the early 90s, the metro train system wouldn't be in this mess.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 23:42

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

dissss posted:

Could have been worse - over here in Wellington, NZ they actually had to grab some of the old English Electric EMUs from museums to meet demand in the mid 2000s

The worst thing was they tried to brand it as a positive thing - like you should feel privileged to ride to work in a clunky old train from 1950 (or earlier)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_DM_class_electric_multiple_unit#Withdrawal

That kinda reminds me of the Red Rattler trains used on Melbourne suburban lines from 1910-1984:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tait_(train)

# ¿ Apr 22, 2014 03:01

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Disgruntled Bovine posted:

Here's a good example of what lovely trackwork looks like with heavy zoom.

Bonus: CATS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwxmU4hxKIM

I wonder if the cat is going along the rail making "choo choo" noises in its head

# ¿ Jun 18, 2014 23:49

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

SybilVimes posted:

Pictured, classic british reaction of 'well, I don't know how to loving fix it...'

I can almost hear some Yorkie accents "Ooh aye, that'll be a bit of a mess, then"

# ¿ Jul 28, 2015 00:06

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Yeah, gently caress those Hitachi trains during summer time. Thankfully my train trips was only 3 stops long, but was enough to really bring the hate on those trains

# ¿ Jan 16, 2016 07:26

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Jesus gently caress how can the British Rail network get so many thing so wrong?

That said, the Victorian (Australia) Regional fast trains have had to be pulled out of service due to brake issues

# ¿ Jan 18, 2016 23:42

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Neddy Seagoon posted:

Crap Trains of Victoria, Australia - Cribbing off Thatcher

The reason why Kennett sold off the Victorian Public train (and tram) system wasn't due to state debt, it was his revenge for the public transport unions going on strike during the Australian Grand Prix one year, which pissed Kennett right off. And he was a bastard of a man and has now given Victoria this awful privatised train system.

Also during that heat wave of 2009 there was a shortage of trains, as more people were taking the train due to the rising cost of petrol. So what did the state government do when presented with a shortage of trains as they were still waiting for newer models to be delivered? Buy back some of the 30+ year old Hitachi trains that were sold to private owners and run them on the system again, with no air conditioning.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2016 23:02

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Neddy Seagoon posted:

Hope you weren't planning to get a train ride this evening in Melbourne.

I would not be at all surprised if VicTrack had a single point of failure for something important on their infrastructure network.

Word is Telstra hosed up with the network links

# ¿ Jul 13, 2017 23:27

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Saukkis posted:

Why does that green and yellow/beige colour scheme seem so common with trams? The older and newest generation of trams in Helsinki use exactly the same colours and I think some japanese trams have the same colours.

That was the colour scheme for the Melbourne Public transport system during the 80s and 90s

# ¿ Apr 10, 2019 01:14

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Disgruntled Bovine posted:

Well that's different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sstRJcaFU9U

There's also another bridge south of Greymouth on the same NZ island with that setup

# ¿ Sep 4, 2019 02:01

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Raluek posted:

wtf, how is it possible that a politician not only did what they promised they'd do in an election campaign, which meant spending money, on transit infrastructure, and not only that but they expanded the project and did more than they said they'd do? ???? that's not how politics works. why are they trying to actually help people?

The Premier (leftie) doesn't give a poo poo about what the predominantly right wing media says about his projects, and shock horror, more people voted for him the past two elections.

Praise be Dandrews

# ¿ Feb 26, 2023 00:18

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 04:41

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

Neddy Seagoon posted:

You're forgetting they had no air conditioning, drunkill. It wasn't a thing until the last handful of the drat things were pushed back into use. Any time it was over 30, it was abominable in one of those tin cans.

Also no legroom for the most part, let alone the dreaded Corner Seat.

I remember going to high school in the 90s and every time a Hitachi would turn up to the station on a summer's day there was always a groan of pain from most users.

However they do ride better than the Xtrapolis shitheaps. God drat I hate their non-airbag bouncy ride. One of them gave me motion sickness. Also bring back the thick foam seats from the Comeng and Hitachis

# ¿ Feb 9, 2024 23:22

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Locomotive Insanity: Murder on the BNSF Mixed Consist doesnt have the same ring to it