JohnSR wrote:If that guy we have for President gets his way, we will have a high speed train from NY to Chicago. If they build one from Chicago to Seattle or LA, wonder how fast it could go over the Rockies, Sierras or the Cascade mountains. Can just see one being launched into space as it tops the summit at 200 mph.
I have a feeling that they will have to slow down to go over the 'humps'!
They may start the design, but I bet it takes them twenty years to complete it.
Rick Shutterman wrote:That's what they said about the Channel Tunnel Rail link but once it was started it was completed within 5 years, incuding the tunnel boring.
Things in this country are falling apart, and the politicos can't seem to bit the bullet to make the hard decisions. There was an estimate of a couple trillion dollars just to replace all of the roads and bridges that are falling apart in this country.
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.
As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all the other monkeys with cold water. After a while another monkey makes the attempt with same result, all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another Monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.
Now, put the cold water away. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs.
To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the snot out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one.
The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.
Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is attacked.
Most of the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs OR even why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. Finally, after replacing all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.
Why not?
Because as far as they know, that is the way it has always been done around here.
And that, my fellow monkeys, is how Congress operates - And is precisely why we need to replace all the original monkeys this November.
Three Scores and 14 years old and still going strong.
I shot this on the Leica about a year ago at Rainham Station in Kent about 10 miles from us. The car was in dock and I was making my way home by train.
This was a High Speed train on test, the service went live soon after.
Wow, that thing looks fast. How fast does it go? Our passenger trains on some of the straight aways get up to 120 mph which does not classify them a "high speed". I hear that in Mid-Amerca's farmbelt our trains really book. The only thing holding them back is the condition of the rails.
Three Scores and 14 years old and still going strong.
Once it's on the High Speed track it's cleared for 175mph but it is capable of up to 200 mph. This latter speed though, is reserved for the Eurostar, London to Paris service.
Interesting note, the train in the picture is actually designed in the UK and built by Hitachi in Japan.
I should point out that at this time, the trains weren't in public service.
These trains are dual voltage, running on 750v DC from a third rail on the normal South Eastern system and switching to 25KV AC from overhead (same as the main European TGV system) when switching to the High Speed line. The Eurostars also have this capability and although they are normally restricted to the HS line, occasionally they need to be diverted.
Livery is overall dark blue with yellow "safety" ends.
Last edited by Rick Shutterman on Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
