• 87 Year Old locomotive cruising through Los Angeles
    84 replies, posted
Amazed people are surprised that these big steam locomotives move so fast, they were the best way to get around before the car became and thing and even after the introduction and popularisation of cars, trains were still faster. Steam engines also do a really good job of keeping constant speed and accelerating because once the momentum is there, there's very little going to stop the monster.
my town has a railway going directly into the heart, trains used to deliver supplies to the factories back in the day. There is no fence or guard and it used to travel right beside traffic and houses (the train would be 15 feet from some peoples backyards), of course not travelling full speed. No longer in service though, last time i seen a train go through the town was like ten years ago. It was pretty cool seeing it though
Wow, it's just so [B]big[/B]. For some reason movies give me the perception that they're much smaller than this, both height and length-wise. These things are fucking monsters, though.
I hope that within in my lifetime, that these beautiful pieces of machinery start becoming common place again, and instead of just flying Point A to Point B, you instead get to go across country on a really fancy train with the whole line of bar cabins and all.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;49814898]I hope that within in my lifetime, that these beautiful pieces of machinery start becoming common place again, and instead of just flying Point A to Point B, you instead get to go across country on a really fancy train with the whole line of bar cabins and all.[/QUOTE] The UK and Japan have functioning national rails... why can't our beautiful lands?
This thread: [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2_I0EGhcB4[/media]
For those surprised how big it is: have you never seen the UP Big Boy before? [t]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Steamtown%2CScranton%2CPA_%28201036412%29.jpg[/t] Biggest locomotive on this planet.
[QUOTE=Ridge;49811453]This is pretty awesome to see. Surprisingly fast, and bad ass to look at and hear cruising down I-10 [video=youtube;xp-b4Ce4Mf4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp-b4Ce4Mf4[/video][/QUOTE] Surreal to see something like that drive in the middle of a highway.
[QUOTE=Orkel;49814985]Surreal to see something like that drive in the middle of a highway.[/QUOTE] [t]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/La_Grange_KY_-_train_on_Main_Street.jpg[/t] [url=http://www.myinstants.com/instant/inception-button/]La Grange (Kentucky)[/url]
[QUOTE=Rangergxi;49814912]The UK and Japan have functioning national rails... why can't our beautiful lands?[/QUOTE] Probably because have 1000 miles between cities in many cases.
[QUOTE=GameDev;49812010]It's a commuter train route, lots of major cities integrate them with highways, makes the most sense really. Chicago's L train in the outer limits runs along the highway [img]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/4625338085_5245017d92.jpg[/img] which is also connected to the elevated loop downtown after going through the subway [img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Chicago-Loop-SEcorner.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Also here's a map to see how big our CTA lines are. [img]http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltx0fl0drE1r54c4oo1_1280.png[/img] That little square? That's the Loop where ALL those lines interchange. My favorite Loop station is the one by Harold Washington Library. Also I live by the Orange Line, 35th/Archer :D
God damn, watching all that machinery move with such perfect precision is almost pornographic.
[QUOTE=Tmaxx;49815197]God damn, watching all that machinery move with such perfect precision is almost pornographic.[/QUOTE] No joke here, it was seeing all of that on steam trains as a kid that gave me my love for machinery and Steampunk.
Speaking of trains on highways and metro trains: say hello to the cleanest metro system of America: The Santiago Metro. [video=youtube;XOlUu1QMr8Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOlUu1QMr8Q[/video] Line 4. [video=youtube;1TD1Wez9Tko]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TD1Wez9Tko[/video] Line 2. Rubber-tyred Metro. [sp]Not my videos, btw[/sp] I ride this subway everyday and, of course, is crowded in rush hours, but is very comfortable the rest of the day, clean, shiny, with friendly employees, and I love it. This is the only subway system in the world where you will be banned for painting graffiti and kicked out of the country. :v
If I was 3 when I saw this I would've gone nuts
[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;49815188]Also here's a map to see how big our CTA lines are. [img]http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltx0fl0drE1r54c4oo1_1280.png[/img] That little square? That's the Loop where ALL those lines interchange. My favorite Loop station is the one by Harold Washington Library. Also I live by the Orange Line, 35th/Archer :D[/QUOTE] and that doesn't even account for the metra! sup fellow chicago fper i used to live off granville
You mean the buses or the train service I used once to go to Six Flags? Also I'm good, just waiting for this miserable winter to end so I can get on my bike and learn how to drive.
Train thread and no 611? Time for the "Queen of Steam" [video=youtube;MWjQTpttH5c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWjQTpttH5c[/video]
[QUOTE=Lolkork;49811483]That's awesome. But I've never seen a train track this close to a road, is this common in the us?[/QUOTE] Back in the 50's as part of the push for everyone to own a car (in North America) a lot of the smaller railways sold or otherwise ripped up their lines so freeways could be built on their alignments. It's also why most places have dreadful or nonexistant commuter transit lines. [quote]Speaking of metro trains, I absolutely love those that do this soothing whizzing sound when they arrive and start-up.[/quote] Vancouver would like a word with you. [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_kmLz7ZhDY[/media]
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVzVrpGjRUo[/media]
[QUOTE=mralexs;49815676]If I was 3 when I saw this I would've gone nuts[/QUOTE] If I was 23 when I saw this I would've gone nuts.
[video=youtube_share;zE8oOfWocVc]http://youtu.be/zE8oOfWocVc?t=9s[/video]
[QUOTE=Rangergxi;49814912]The UK and Japan have functioning national rails... why can't our beautiful lands?[/QUOTE] Probably because the UK can fit inside the US two times vertically and like 4 times horizontally. AKA the US is HUGE with vast empty lands, the UK is more dense with towns and generally smaller. Not to mention the automobile because the big thing here in the US and as such trains died out. Nowadays if you want to go long distance everyone picks planes anyway. Trains are more expensive and take longer than most plane trips. Unless planes became significantly more expensive, trains are unlikely to see a return to popular use.
When or where was this video actually taken? The actual rail lines in the middle of the I-10 have been gone for more than a decade, all that's there now is the Metro Gold Line, which is light rail. You try and put a big steamer like that on those rails and it would sink like a rock.
[QUOTE=Shugo;49814691]Wow, it's just so [B]big[/B]. For some reason movies give me the perception that they're much smaller than this, both height and length-wise. These things are fucking monsters, though.[/QUOTE] When I was very little I used to play with a toy steam engine and liked trains. A locomotive (a bit like the one in the video) came to the town nearby so my dad drove me there to see it at the station. Was super excited but when I was in front of the enormous thing which dwarfed me and was bellowing steam I cried and was terrified. :v:
[QUOTE=richard9311;49814939]This thread: [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2_I0EGhcB4[/media][/QUOTE] I wonder how the guy who did the commercial for this feels about it.
God damn this thread is glorious
I know nothing about trains. Do those big linkages outside of the wheels drive the train?
[QUOTE=Buck.;49817597]I know nothing about trains. Do those big linkages outside of the wheels drive the train?[/QUOTE] Yes, there's a cylinder at the front on each side, steam from the boiler is pushed into the cylinder, pushing the piston in the desired direction, which moves the connecting rods and in turn the drive wheels
[QUOTE=Buck.;49817597]I know nothing about trains. Do those big linkages outside of the wheels drive the train?[/QUOTE] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8LrAsL4oH0[/media]
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