B & O EA and EB diesels on the Capitol Ltd., 1939
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B & O EA and EB diesels on the Capitol Ltd., 1939
Last edited by acptulsa; 03-28-2011 at 12:59 PM.
Originally Posted by Swordsmyth
One of the Pennsy's famous GG1 electrics at the fine museum in Green Bay, WI.
Last edited by acptulsa; 03-28-2011 at 12:59 PM.
Yes. And private enterprise, too. The Durango & Silverton.
Last edited by acptulsa; 03-28-2011 at 03:19 PM.
Right, and that's a fine example of an interstate venture.
This is about intercity rail.
This is about commuters and tourists, supposedly, at least in Florida... who are going to want to be able to travel once they arrive at their destination. It would pretty much function as a mix of Metro and Disney Monorail. Hell, I'd think if the idea were that amazingly good, Disney and Busch would have set aside their differences and built the thing when times were better
Genuine, willful, aggressive ignorance is the one sure way to tick me off. I wish I could say you were trolling. I know better, and it's just sad.
Hey, why should Anheuser Busch and Disney spend their own money improving their own appeal when they can get the neighbors to foot the bill?
Whenever I see someone advocating High Speed Rail where there isn't even a standard-gauge train running, I can't help but think of that clip.
Last edited by acptulsa; 03-28-2011 at 04:33 PM.
Indeed, which brings me back to my point: I don't think high-speed rail connecting Tampa and Orlando would really happen in a totally free market, either. It doesn't seem like a front-burner sort of project, and more of a pain than potential profits would suggest prudent to undertake.
Genuine, willful, aggressive ignorance is the one sure way to tick me off. I wish I could say you were trolling. I know better, and it's just sad.
The companies, communities, or both could decide their combined tourism enhancement was worth the expense and trouble. But I don't want my tax dollars used to benefit them. Seems to me the Concorde proved that a lot of extra money for a little extra speed wasn't the best business model.
Last edited by acptulsa; 03-28-2011 at 04:59 PM.
Something for anyone who wants to delve deeper--route list 'on the eve of Amtrak'. Quite a contrast to what Amtrak ran itself.
http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Am...s_pre1971.html
Oh, and it's my damned thread, Melissa.
*looks up* Well, if I'm wrong, you might've titled it differently.
Genuine, willful, aggressive ignorance is the one sure way to tick me off. I wish I could say you were trolling. I know better, and it's just sad.
LOL Might've. But I'm all about discussing 'most anything related but commuter service...
Don't most people ultimately prefer a car, because it is your personal space so you feel more comfortable ?
So, Obama says a few extra miles an hour would win over the multitudes that Amtrak has spectacularly failed to please and impressed for decades. I say trains can't compete with air with speed, ships do compete with air but not with speed, and quality means something. And trying civility rather than speed is the cheaper option. By far, when your mainland is three thousand miles across.
Billions for thousands and thousands of miles of a few extra miles per hour? Or give the people who own the rails a chance?
A Pullman train offers you a little room of your own. And you can stand up in it. Many people prefer to drive for various reasons. But a room on a train keeps moving even as you sleep in a comfortable bunk.
Last edited by acptulsa; 03-29-2011 at 05:59 PM.
Thus the beauty of a "sleeper" cabin.
I am a huge railfan. This thread is all win for me.
Oh, to have a fallen flag railroad to ride, now that spring is here. Gubbermint rail sux!
For fellow railfans
Brand new British "Peppercorn" class, completed in 2009.
I've got a nice shot of the UP Challenger, too. Unfortunately (in some ways), I took it on film, not pixels. I ought to get it scanned.
Those Peppercorns are interesting. I think one could be 'decorated' as a more American-style Pacific. And just about every American railroad did have Pacifics, so it could be a useful faux-historical thing here too.
I wasn't going to carry on about steam, as this idea of ending Amtrak and re-privatizing most rail travel wouldn't actually lead to much if any steam power being used. But AF is leading me into temptation. The Henry Dreyfuss streamlining on the NYC Hudson:
Definitely too good for government work.
I gnash my teeth on a regular basis over the fact that we, in the states, can't fund a project like that.
Imagine a brand new 2-8-0 Consolidation being built.
Would be fun, but I doubt it--both because they are still not uncommon and because they were freight hogs.
I've got the notion that steam could be more efficient in passenger service than diesel. How on earth? Because people love steamers. More love means more passengers, and more passengers means more efficiency. So, steam could be very efficient in passenger service just because it would attract some business. Hard for a train to top three hundred passenger miles per gallon with two people on board...
Of course, Obama doesn't want rail to have a chance to attract passengers. They want fuel prices and the TSA (and, presumably, legislation if all else fails) to force passengers onto trains.
Not to mention vast, relatively cheap coal reserves.
Oh, hell, run it on anything that burns. And it's just as efficient as its fireman is good at his job.
I prefer electric locos
Siemens locomotive proposal for Amtrak. So sexy!
Just another thing we can't build anymore...Grrrrrr...I prefer electric locos
Siemens locomotive proposal for Amtrak. So sexy!
Electrics are wonderful, if traffic is thick enough to justify maintaining the catenary wire. Wonderful. First vehicles to use regenerative braking, and it doesn't even need batteries. It just generated electricity by braking (turning its motors into generators) and ships it over the wire to a train under power. Good stuff. They last forever, too.
If not for Amtrak, U.S. locomotive builders would actually concentrate on both electrics and high-speed designs. Then we could end the silly practice of our government having European designs like this license-built here. And we wouldn't run into problems like those silly rubber tires of German design that have caused deadly accidents here and abroad.
And we'd have American electrics again:
http://www.davesrailpix.com/nh/htm/nh072.htm
General freaking Electric is the biggest locomotive builder in this country, and they can't even come up with a decent high-speed truck for this kind of service.
General freaking Electric. Too damned busy trying to brainwash us with msnbc to do their damned job.
Last edited by acptulsa; 04-08-2011 at 03:58 PM.
I've said this quite a few times already in different threads on rail travel here.
The main problem I see in developing an intercity rail system in the US is that privately funded rail cannot compete on the same playing field as government funded Interstates and subsidized airports. As long as there are no user fees on interstates and other highways and airports are given massive subsidies and grants, intercity rail travel will not be able to compete.
The other massive problem I see is FRA regulations which mandate locomotives and carriages to be built like tanks, meaning they're heavier, slower and less efficient. We need to get rid of ridiculous federal regulations on railways.
And obviously, there is the problem of Amtrak, which I'm sure we can all agree needs to be opened up to true competetion. I support a position such as Ron Paul's on the Fed. We don't necessarily have to shut down Amtrak, but just allow private companies to compete with it on equal terms. Of course, I'd much rather just have Amtrak's rolling stock sold off and the company shut down (or turned into a privitized Network Rail type system where all operators come together to create a seamless brand/network).
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