Deleted pending further action elsewhere...
I'm retired, live alone, spend all day surfing the web, and that was way too long to read. Sorry.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Loved it!!!!
I like it! One thing though in 2048... I see Caltrain owing all main lines including full electrification at 25Kv60... Caltrans, Metrolink, and associated authorities are making plans of some sort as we speak for electrification of the LOSSAN corridor in the future.. The rest will follow suit.
And where does the electricity come from? Solar and wind aren't reliable, and there has been no new power plants built there for a long time. Importing power from the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant in Arizona?
A great prediction, and we religious people say: "From your mouth to the Eternal's ear," or in this case, "From your pen (computer) to the Eternal's eye."
T think it is thoroughly realistic and will copy it to friends.
There is one technical change I suggest: Inductive powering individual freightcar computers from the catenary for charging their batteries is inefficient and may not be totally reliable. Digital information transmission lines actually have a benefit from dc bias or even if superimposed on low-frequency (50 or 60 Hx) AC. Modern distribiuted loudspeaker systems can have an amplifier, delay unit, frequency response corrector ("equalizer") for each individaul ceiling, pew-back, or whatever koudspeaker, with delay, frequency response, and oupur level controlled by a central computer, and in the most advanced sysstems, this can change in real time, as the speaker or musician moves. Of course rhe computer-signak controlled local control equipment and the power amplifier itself at each loudspeaker is powered through the same pair of wires that carries the digitized audio signal and the digital control signals.
So the batteries in the freightcars can be charged by the digital transmission line from the much-greater-capacity batteries in the leading locomotive. And they should be.
And is not this analagous to the air-brake system, past, present, and future?
Very l-o-n-g boring.
It is interesting, but I would also explore other ways of makeing those points. Here is one approach I would try: Go straight into the new technology in a synopsis, and then unfold that in layers, so a reader can absorb it all and finally see the big picture in detail. The technological improvements seem to be the point of the narrative, but just having them pop up spontaneously in the narrative seems to give them less importance than they deserve, since the travel narrative itself seems to distract from the points of technological improvements.
I am not saying that you should just start over. Your narrative does give good context to the technical advancements over 28 years. But there is a lot of information there, and I would at least explore alternative ways to present it to make the point as clear as it can be.
The railroad version of 'The Jetsons'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQgcLYXKNSA
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
SFbrkmn Very l-o-n-g boring. I don't agree at all and loved every minute of reading it. I enjoy descriptions of real cab-rides, also. An Israeli friend, who received my forwarding, questioned how i could possibly concern myself with North-American railroading on Israel's Memorial Day. I gave him avery strong, but very personal answer, and I'll be glad to tell anyone who asks at daveklepper@yahoo.com.
I don't agree at all and loved every minute of reading it. I enjoy descriptions of real cab-rides, also.
An Israeli friend, who received my forwarding, questioned how i could possibly concern myself with North-American railroading on Israel's Memorial Day. I gave him avery strong, but very personal answer, and I'll be glad to tell anyone who asks at daveklepper@yahoo.com.
@Northwest:
I enjoyed the post. I like the imagination of how technology could fundamentally change railroading in the future. I must admit, though, i am a bit skeptical that RR management would acquire enough respect for their crews to allow them to play music and brew coffee in the cab! Maybe instead they could have a barista from the local Starbucks hoop up a cup of coffee as the train was passing through!
I enjoyed this just like I enjoyed Don Oltmann's original about the ex-PRR.
But I confess I'm still waiting for dharmon to finish the description of the awesome tech conspiracy 'future' that was beginning to come clear at the end of Detective Cinderdick. His Jane Austen style 'ending' came too soon...
OvermodDetective Cinderdick
I think I have that entire story saved somewhere...
A lot of the folks mentioned aren't around the forum any more...
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...
April 10, 2048:
A man sits at his desk, remembering what it was like when railroad companies operated trains in North America. Unfortunately, they don't anymore, not since autonomous vehicles proved to be cheaper and more efficient for both passengers and freight. "Oh well." he thought, "maybe I will go for a walk on the Southern Transcon Rail Trail later."
There, fixed it for you.
Horrors!
And just who would have predicted a brand new position-light signal installation for 2014?
Or tracks and overhead wire installed on Baltimore's Howard Street after having been ripped out or paved over 50 years earlier?
ttrraaffiicc April 10, 2048: A man sits at his desk, remembering what it was like when railroad companies operated trains in North America. Unfortunately, they don't anymore, not since autonomous vehicles proved to be cheaper and more efficient for both passengers and freight. "Oh well." he thought, "maybe I will go for a walk on the Southern Transcon Rail Trail later." There, fixed it for you.
Do you get paid by the post, or how does that work?
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
zugmannDo you get paid by the post, or how does that work?
I am an eternal pessimist.
ttrraaffiicc zugmann Do you get paid by the post, or how does that work? I am an eternal pessimist.
zugmann Do you get paid by the post, or how does that work?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
tree68 Overmod Detective Cinderdick I think I have that entire story saved somewhere... A lot of the folks mentioned aren't around the forum any more...
Overmod Detective Cinderdick
Murphy SidingThat was my first thought, literally aren't around any more.
True, that.
Edit: I found it - it runs 14 pages in the word processor. If there's enough interest, I'll start a new thread with it...
It definitely needs to be done, but (if you can remember it) in something like the original chapters.
We might have to explain to some of the latecomers who people like Ed and Jen were.
Overmod We might have to explain to some of the latecomers who people like Ed and Jen were.
Was Juniatha in there too?
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
OvermodIt definitely needs to be done, but (if you can remember it) in something like the original chapters.
I was able to save it as posted, in chapters. Apparently Chapter 12 came up missing somehow. Warning: It's a long read... But well written, nonetheless.
It was originally posted as a serial - ie, a chapter at a time.
SD70DudeWas Juniatha in there too?
It makes me feel old to say this, but this was written years before she first came to the forum...
Overmod SD70Dude Was Juniatha in there too? It makes me feel old to say this, but this was written years before she first came to the forum...
SD70Dude Was Juniatha in there too?
And y'all must think I'm still wet behind the ears for not knowing that!
Thanks, all.
ttrraaffiicc, I'll believe it when I see 400+ more trucks try to make it across Cajon Pass on I-15 every hour.
The problems with railroading's competitiveness are first and foremost reliability, followed by service quality, and then speed. None are insurmountable, but improvements would require a totally different leadership mentality.
SD70Dude Overmod SD70Dude Was Juniatha in there too? It makes me feel old to say this, but this was written years before she first came to the forum... And y'all must think I'm still wet behind the ears for not knowing that
And y'all must think I'm still wet behind the ears for not knowing that
Hell to the no! Do many 'new posters' who joined this thread in the past couple of years carefully look over the whole of the many historical threads, or take the time to 'get to know' first the range of older posters and then their 'forum personalities' over time?
And then keep careful track of controversies, and quittings, over time?
Not something very many people would voluntarily do. (If sane.)
To NorthWest: time to believe. In 2016 the average hourly truck count on I-15 at the junction with I-215 at Devore was 550 trucks/hour. The daily count at that location was 13,205. That is the last year I can find that Caltrans has data. See page 40 on:
https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/traffic-operations/documents/f0017681-2016-aadt-truck-a11y.pdf
If you translate that count into 160-box intermodal trains, it equals 82 per day. That is not an accurate translation, of course, as there are large numbers that move both between the LA Basin and the High Desert and Las Vegas. Those are trips that will likely always be OTR. I wish I had that breakdown: it probably exists somewhere. The balance, of course, are headed to Barstow and then east on I-40; or north on I-15 to I-15 / I-70 split near Sulphurdale, more going to Salt Lake City on I-15 than to Denver on I-70. I-15 going into Sulphurdale gets about 3000 trucks per day, or about 125 per hour. I-40 at Needles gets about 6500 trucks per day, or about 270 per hour. Hwy 58 (the primary truck route from Barstow to Bakersfield, very heavy reefer traffic) gets about 4,000 trucks per day, about 165 per hour.
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