Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
A few photos of 8554 being cut up are in the next post. The two others await their turn.
Thank You.
NDG Incredible. FYI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRMeNMJatpw Thank You.
The S word written in microscopic print.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I have an app on all of my computers that pulls time from a variety of sources (but not GPS) to keep my computers within milliseconds of the actual time.
This became necessary when I started using my laptop for digital amateur radio contacts (JT65) as the transmit and receive signals are time sensitive. I eventually put the app on all of my computers.
OTOH, I bought a "heads up" speedometer for my truck that pulls in GPS to compute my speed, and it displays GPS time as well. Pretty cool, actually. Shows my direction of travel, but only to the cardinal and ordinal points.
A trunked radio system I administered included a GPS antenna for system time.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Heartbreaking, in a way, even if the reasons for it are completely sensible. It could have been retained, like the speaking clock, for its nostalgia value -- how much airtime or spectrum bandwidth did it use?
Admittedly, even after all these years, I'm still a bit upset that the time signal injected into the GPS system 'for everyone to use free' represents a far better continuous time reference than anything previously available to railroad time services. (In fact I still think it's amazing that the time signal has to be corrected both for relativity and the effects of lower gravity... and that the corrections are in opposite directions!)
I spent a great deal of time and trouble designing a spring-wound railroad watch that would be precise to within 5 seconds a year. Guess what? Don't need it any more (at least if I can see the sky with my $2.42 32-channel GPS core that runs on millivolts and microamps...)
O.T.
Might be of Interest.
FWIW.
Did they ever track down the kimberlite pipe in Cobalt that the enormous diamond came from?
The magic of physics. Kinda like air conditioning railroad cars using steam.
Rio Grande Wreck, Troublesome, 1956.
NDG, further to our conversation about power in the Canadian north, it appears that Yellowknife is supplied by local hydro dams and also has a large backup diesel plant. (link opens as a PDF)
https://registry.mvlwb.ca/Documents/MV2019L1-0001/MV2019L1-0001%20-%20NTPC%20-%20Jackfish-%20Operations%20Maintenance%20and%20Surveillance%20Manual%20-%20Feb26_21.pdf
In locomotive terms the Jackfish diesel plant contains four SD45s, two MK5000s, several NRE gensets (or perhaps a Siemens Charger if you bolted all the QSKs together a-la Detroit) and something British.
Why did I know I was going to be reading about something by GE before I clicked on that link?
Note the repair history. The report noted over 60% of the power assemblies had needed attention by 50% of the expected overhaul interval...
The Canadian TSB has released their report on a locomotive fire in the Kootenay region a couple years ago. As usual GE = Generally Exploded and Guaranteed Employment (for mechanics)........
https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2021/r21v0144/r21v0144.html
Meanwhile the far north end of the Great Slave Lake Railway is about to go up in flames.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/hay-river-wildfire-update-nwt-august-26-2023-1.6948781
That scheme does adapt quite well to modern safety cab units.
Can Always Hope??
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