Category Archives: Railroad

Not-so-obscure technologies, part 2

As with the video about the differential I blogged about earlier, I’m not certain exactly when this documentary was produced. Based on what is shown, it would have to be between 1938 (when the AT&SF 3765 class locomotive featured in this film began its service) and 1957 (the last year of steam operation on the AT&SF). It most likely dates from the earlier part of that range.

One of the things I particularly like about this video is that it doesn’t just explain the technology, but it also shows a lot of the human activity necessary to make these wonderful machines work.

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A train bound for nowhere

According to a new poll, about two-thirds of Californians now oppose the high-speed rail project that was authorized by voters in 2008. Normally I’d say I’ve never seen a train I didn’t like, but in this case I’m inclined to agree with the majority. It’s hideously expensive, for one thing, and isn’t projected to be complete until 2026. And given that this is a government project, it’s a sure bet that it will take much longer and cost much more than projected.

When privately owned railroads are built, the first segment to be constructed is nearly always chosen with an eye toward generating revenue as soon as possible. Given the chosen route of the California high-speed rail line, either Los Angeles to San Diego or maybe San Francisco to San Jose should be built first. Instead, the plan is to begin constructing the line between Fresno and Bakersfield. This already is enough to show that it’s being built by morons.

Another major problem is that, due to federal safety regulations, high-speed trains in the United States have to be massively heavier than their European or Japanese counterparts. (A good summary of the problem can be found here.) This makes them slower and more expensive, as well as more polluting. Those regulations are a significant part of the reason the Acela Express only averages about 70 mph over the length of its route.

Currently, no passenger train is allowed to exceed 150 mph (the Acela’s maximum) except under special conditions, which won’t exist on the California high-speed route. The average speed end to end will, obviously, be significantly lower. What that ultimately means, is that the rail line is unlikely to be fast enough to compete with airlines. It will just be a huge money pit.

(Don’t even get me started on the Desert Xpress. Las Vegas to Victorville! Are you freakin’ kidding me?)

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DIY Railroad

What do you do when you have a railroad track but no trains? You build them yourself, of course.

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Sierra Ry. train porn

Here’s a few pictures I took out behind the roundhouse at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.  (click to embiggen)

 

An old Shay is awaiting restoration. This type of locomotive uses gears instead of rods to drive the wheels. Speed was low, but pulling power was much higher than conventional steam locomotives.

 

Here’s the other side of the same locomotive. This angle is not as interesting visually, and very few historic photographs of Shays  show this side.

Underneath an awning they’ve got an old narrow gauge boxcar saved from the Yosemite Short Line. Sadly, there are no plans at present to restore this historic little gem. I’d really hate to see this car just rot away.

 

Most of the equipment at Railtown appears to be in need of a little work (some more than others), but #3 is fully restored and running. It takes passengers on a short but enjoyable ride through some beautiful foothill country.

There has been some concern that Railtown might have to close because of state budget cuts. I urge anybody who likes old trains to get out there and ride this one and help them continue to operate.

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Ridin’ the train, part 2

Spent the day in Jamestown, CA town. Among other things, we paid a visit to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and took a ride behind Sierra Railway #3. I’ve got some good pictures, but it’s late and I’m tired so I’ll post them tomorrow.

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Google Earth find

For anyone interested in western railroads, one of the members of the Google Earth Community has posted a file showing both the original and present day routes of the famous Virginia & Truckee Railroad. Once you’ve downloaded the file, you can install it by firing up Google Earth and selecting Add/Network Link from the menu bar.

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Railroad history

A valuable reference for archaeologists, historians, modelers, and anyone else interested in early trains, a compilation of bulletins 1-10 of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society is available for free online. (At 617 pages it’s a rather large download, so people with slow connections be warned.)

Although published in the 1920s, most of the articles deal with 19th century railroading. The bulletins are weighted toward Eastern U.S. railroads, which is not surprising to anybody who has seen a railroad map of North America. There are, however, a number of articles on western railroads as well, especially on the Central Pacific. There are also a few dealing with lines in the U.K. and Canada.

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Obscure technologies, part 4

I just found this Wired story about a futuristic train, made out of aluminum and driven by a airplane style propeller at the rear. The Schienenzeppelin was actually a railcar rather than a train (i.e. it was a single unit, not a set of cars propelled by a locomotive), and made it’s first test run in 1930. In 1931 it set a railway speed record of 230.2 km/hr. That record was not beaten until 1954 and, according to Wikipedia, still has not been beaten by any gasoline-powered rail vehicle.

There were a number of issues with the Schienenzepplin that stopped it from ever going into production, one of the most important of which was the safety of an open propeller at passenger stations. The one prototype was scrapped just before World War II.

Incidently, the Schienenzeppelin was not the first attempt to use aircraft propulsion on a rail vehicle: the Soviet Aerowagon was built as early as 1921, but it crashed on it’s second trip, killing all aboard.

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Did you ever wonder…

when a railroad locomotive goes off the track, how do you get it back on? The thing weighs about 170 tons, but if you thought that it required a big crane, you were wrong.

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Riding the train

I plan to comment on the recent paper by Paul A. LaViolette proposing that the Pleistocene mass extinction was caused by a solar flare, but I haven’t had a chance to read and digest it yet.

So in the meantime, I’ll offer some more train porn. Over the weekend we rode the restored Virginia & Truckee from Carson City to Virginia City and back. I took quite a few pictures, a few of which I am posting. (Click to embiggen)

Here’s the locomotive used on this run. It’s of a type known as a Mikado (wheel arrangement 2-8-2), and was built in 1914 for the McCloud River Railroad, a logging road operating near Mt. Shasta in California. This locomotive was also featured in the film Water for Elephants.

 

The modern V&T has an authentic 1870s era TSA agent on duty at the Eastgate station.

 

Another view of the locomotive, this time at Virginia City. It burns fuel oil, like the original V&T did for most of its existence.

 

The two passenger coaches were acquired from the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. It would have been nice to ride in original V&T cars pulled by an original V&T locomotive, but that’s not possible. The equipment that still survives in operable condition is all in the hands of museums, who understandably don’t want to subject it to the wear and tear of regular service.

Overall, it was a very fun trip through some wonderful scenery. We even met a herd of wild horses on the way back. I don’t think this was the last time I’m going to be riding this train.

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