31–40 of 53 posts
Interesting how the way passengers dress has changed vastly in the first 30 years and not so much in the recent 30.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Echoing the above, and having driven a real train (well class 58 unit) around a large east midlands depot (a relative who was fairly senior organised it so I got to do the initial class checkout training for an afternoon) it's a crap load harder than you probably think it is. They really are complicated machines with a lot to learn and driving them is a skill that isn't something that easy to master. The simulators,…
As point of interest, why is it that hard? What makes the task (or mundane parts of it) less automat-able than driving cars (which I think most people would say isn't all that difficult)?
Machines are shit at noticing these things.
Also the problem is that it's not just about sitting there and pulling a lever - that bit is quite easy. There are a load of surrounding tasks like checking out the locomotives, coupling, shunting, safety rules, signalling, token exchange (which is still used), diagnosing problems (why aren't the brakes releasing can be an hour to diagnose/fix) and the inevitable "managing drunken passengers and coordinating with police" etc.
Not everything is suitable for the lowest common denominator of person or automation.
Its a little sad that repeating the exercise today shows little improvement over 30 years ago. The HST125 is still the fastest diesel train in the world (the actual video was likely taken from a Diesel Multiple Unit which are lighter and more efficient but not faster), those lines are still not electrified little has changed in train signalling with most of the improvements in train control being to centralise it rat…
Bombadier Voyager units (class 220-222) are rated to the same speed. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_Voyager_family They're much more comfortable and quieter than the 125's (43's + mk3s) plus they don't give you a face full of fumes when they start up or scare your children :)
Its a little sad that repeating the exercise today shows little improvement over 30 years ago. The HST125 is still the fastest diesel train in the world (the actual video was likely taken from a Diesel Multiple Unit which are lighter and more efficient but not faster), those lines are still not electrified little has changed in train signalling with most of the improvements in train control being to centralise it rat…
No, it's not. The Talgo XXI does 159mph, and the Russian TEP80 did over 168mph in a test run, which is even preserved on video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwYXjxXFha0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWDdNe_zx5A
Its a little sad that repeating the exercise today shows little improvement over 30 years ago. The HST125 is still the fastest diesel train in the world (the actual video was likely taken from a Diesel Multiple Unit which are lighter and more efficient but not faster), those lines are still not electrified little has changed in train signalling with most of the improvements in train control being to centralise it rat…
That line is actually electrified in all 3 videos, just not with conventional overhead caternary. Southeast England is one of the few places in the world that uses 3rd rail power outside of mass transit metros. You can clearly see the rail just outside of the running rail in all the videos.
It's interesting how many more trees there are in 2013. My wife pointed out that it looks the same with pictures of New York from the early 20th century- green space just wasn't a thing we had the desire/means to rate as highly. OTOH the major infrastructure hasn't changed much (bridges, urban areas, not just the train line which is politically determined). Technological change reshapes how live in a lot of ways in s…
They'd probably be in the same spot, so it is hard to tell if they have been replaced at the speed the video goes. Also, they would probably re-use legacy supports, bases etc for a new bridge, so they may even look the same as the old ones?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That line is actually electrified in all 3 videos, just not with conventional overhead caternary. Southeast England is one of the few places in the world that uses 3rd rail power outside of mass transit metros. You can clearly see the rail just outside of the running rail in all the videos.
Does Essex count as Southeast England? Because the LTS (C2C) line is overhead-electrified. So is HS1.
Its a little sad that repeating the exercise today shows little improvement over 30 years ago. The HST125 is still the fastest diesel train in the world (the actual video was likely taken from a Diesel Multiple Unit which are lighter and more efficient but not faster), those lines are still not electrified little has changed in train signalling with most of the improvements in train control being to centralise it rat…
That line is actually electrified in all 3 videos, just not with conventional overhead caternary. Southeast England is one of the few places in the world that uses 3rd rail power outside of mass transit metros. You can clearly see the rail just outside of the running rail in all the videos.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bombadier Voyager units (class 220-222) are rated to the same speed. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_Voyager_family They're much more comfortable and quieter than the 125's (43's + mk3s) plus they don't give you a face full of fumes when they start up or scare your children :)
In all honesty I prefer the HST125. Part of that is nostalgia, the HST125 is a great example of technology from the golden age of British Engineering which, like the Route-master bus, outlived several generations of successors. The other part is the Voyager fleet in my experience always smell of toilet.
The route master gave many people lung cancer who worked at the depots, my father included.
