He-he-he....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XE0JtqvYS8
Sometimes you don't have to touch it to "feel the power."
I was parked by the Staples Mill Road Amtrak station a few years back in a Chevy "Cavalier" when a CSX freight came through pulled by SD40-2's, and I was less than 50 feet from the tracks.
The "Cavalier" started and rumbling and vibrating! You suppose it was a sympathetic reaction from another GM product? I have to wonder.
Sometimes on the Deshler cam (and I'm sure others as well) if it's quiet (ie, no wind noise), you can hear the thrum-thrum of the big Diesels well before they blow for the crossings.
That said, I think I can understand that someone would be awed being that close to such a huge machine - much larger than anything else in most peoples lives.
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...
They have the POWER to move you, no doubt about it. Better to
STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN than get in their way.
That woman struck me as the kind of person who just had to stick her hands in the lion's cage at the zoo. "I didn't think he'd bite me" she says as she enacts a lawsuit against the zoo.
tree68Sometimes on the Deshler cam (and I'm sure others as well) if it's quiet (ie, no wind noise), you can hear the thrum-thrum of the big Diesels well before they blow for the crossings. That said, I think I can understand that someone would be awed being that close to such a huge machine - much larger than anything else in most peoples lives.
And then as a kid, my Dad drove me up Key Highway in Baltimore - at that time Bethlehem Steel's shipbuilding division had several drydocks located along Key Highway - to move past the ships in the dry docks that towered 30 - 40 - 50 feet over the level of the street was awe inspiring.
We see pictures of ships all the time - but until you get 'up close and personal' you really can't comprehend just how LARGE they are.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACDWe see pictures of ships all the time - but until you get 'up close and personal' you really can't comprehend just how LARGE they are.
Indeed.
We were at a college social event at a state park hard by the American Narrows of the St. Lawrence River when an upbound ship passed.
The Narrows aren't all that wide, but are very deep (300').
All you could see from shore was a wall of steel going by.
I will say that a 440' ship gets kind of small if you're out in the middle of the ocean...
tree68I will say that a 440' ship gets kind of small if you're out in the middle of the ocean...
And how! I've been there.
I couldn't help but be reminded of the old fisherman's prayer:
"Oh Lord have mercy on me! For thy sea is so vast, and my boat is so small!"
So true!
When I was a boy in the early 60's before the end of the great ocean liner era we drove down the west side of New York past the piers. In port at the time were the "Queen Elizabeth," the "Queen Mary," the "United States" and several others I can't remember.
You're right Balt, the sight was awe-inspiring! How huge they were!
I think everyone may find this interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw21S4g9qk8
From the thread title, I thought this was about those 'Xlerator' hand dryers in public restrooms...
A Navy pilot said about the USS Enterprise from the 1960s- "It's a big ship but a damn small airport."
chutton01 From the thread title, I thought this was about those 'Xlerator' hand dryers in public restrooms...
They sure beat the old-style hot air hand dryers!
Remember the instructions on them?
1) Push button.
2) Rub hands vigorously under nozzle.
3) Wipe hands on pants.
My wife and I have always wanted to do a transatlantic cruise but probably never will. We're faking it next month by doing a round trip from NYC to Bemuda and back.
PS--We're scheduled for another cruise in May-June from the UK to Norway and ending up in Iceland. Since we'll be leaving Southampton, we'll get the other port of a transatlantic crossing checked off. We could never do Cunard since we're not the dress up types. NCL is more our flavor.
While looking for this picture -- Titanic and modern cruise ship:
Then found this one:
York1 John
tree68 BaltACD We see pictures of ships all the time - but until you get 'up close and personal' you really can't comprehend just how LARGE they are. Indeed. We were at a college social event at a state park hard by the American Narrows of the St. Lawrence River when an upbound ship passed. The Narrows aren't all that wide, but are very deep (300'). All you could see from shore was a wall of steel going by. I will say that a 440' ship gets kind of small if you're out in the middle of the ocean...
BaltACD We see pictures of ships all the time - but until you get 'up close and personal' you really can't comprehend just how LARGE they are.
Same thing along the Savannah River in downtown historic Savannah. Ships navigating to or from their docks.
York1 While looking for this picture -- Titanic and modern cruise ship: Then found this one:
Wow. I think I'd rather travel on an "Olympic" class ship than one of those mega-cruisers. Those things are TOO damn big. They make me nervous.
Now the "Enterprise-D" might make a cool ride!
BackshopWe could never do Cunard since we're not the dress up types.
Yeah that is what is holding me back. Mandatory wear of a Tux three nights of the cruise..............otherwise you can eat in the snack bar. Screw that.
I'm paying above market prices and thats my only option?
BaltACD Same thing along the Savannah River in downtown historic Savannah. Ships navigating to or from their docks.
My wife and I were living in my hometown (near Savannah) during the first Gulf War. We happened to be down by the river in Savannah on the day the USNS Bellatrix, a large roll-on roll-off cargo ship, sailed out of port loaded with Army equipment headed for the Middle East. The streets on top of the bluff are probably 20 feet or more above the surface of the water, and that ship looked iike a very long, very tall gray wall motoring down the river.
Earlier we had visited Newport News, VA with someone who had access to the Navy base and drove past an aircraft carrier at the dock or near it - that beast was IMMENSE!! Hard to believe something that huge could look tiny out in the ocean, but I'm sure it does.
You want to feel power? Go to Amtrak's Lapeer Depot here in Michigan along CN's Flint Sub. There's a bench on the platform that's about 8' from the RoW. When you got 3 SD70's barreling down at you doing 60MPH. with about 10K Tons trailing. You'll certainly feel the power! So much so you might just be frozen to the bench...
SALfan1 BaltACD Same thing along the Savannah River in downtown historic Savannah. Ships navigating to or from their docks. My wife and I were living in my hometown (near Savannah) during the first Gulf War. We happened to be down by the river in Savannah on the day the USNS Bellatrix, a large roll-on roll-off cargo ship, sailed out of port loaded with Army equipment headed for the Middle East. The streets on top of the bluff are probably 20 feet or more above the surface of the water, and that ship looked iike a very long, very tall gray wall motoring down the river. Earlier we had visited Newport News, VA with someone who had access to the Navy base and drove past an aircraft carrier at the dock or near it - that beast was IMMENSE!! Hard to believe something that huge could look tiny out in the ocean, but I'm sure it does.
When I first had to go to Newport News for Chessie System to install a Terminal Services Center for Chessie's Newport News Terminal - Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock they were in the process of building one of the aircraft carriers (I think it was the Theodore Roosevelt) - the island tower was visible for MILES across the coastal plain that is Tidewater Virginia.
Flintlock76 York1 While looking for this picture -- Titanic and modern cruise ship: Then found this one: Wow. I think I'd rather travel on an "Olympic" class ship than one of those mega-cruisers. Those things are TOO damn big. They make me nervous. Now the "Enterprise-D" might make a cool ride!
My wife and I have never been on a cruise, but are thinking of a US river cruise for a starter trip. They run them on the Mississippi and Columbia rivers, among others. Anyone here ever take one and what did you think?
adkrr64My wife and I have never been on a cruise, but are thinking of a US river cruise for a starter trip. They run them on the Mississippi and Columbia rivers, among others. Anyone here ever take one and what did you think?
Having lived in New Orleans, my wife and I took those cruises. They were very nice. One advantage is that if you are prone to seasickness, the cruises are very smooth.
You can also stop at some great Civil War sites if you're interested.
The one we enjoyed the most was a Big Band cruise on the Mississippi. Great entertainment each night!
These are all smaller ships and give you a more personal "feel".
I had fun yesterday with the local community colleges CDL students. A couple of them are getting tanker hazmat endorsement and needed to feel the surge of the tank in reality. So myself and our top tank driver took a fully loaded sulfuric acid tank to the school. He the students weren't happy about getting hammered by 50k pounds of liquid moving forward and backwards on them. Or as their own instructor called it a real eye opener.
Next week they get the entire class gets shocked into reality why well the instructor who took it over is one of my hubbies friends and he is giving them the speech that my husband always gave his trainees.
Our as it's called the ice bucket from 80k feet over the recruiting department promises.
Shadow the Cats ownerI had fun yesterday with the local community colleges CDL students. A couple of them are getting tanker hazmat endorsement and needed to feel the surge of the tank in reality. So myself and our top tank driver took a fully loaded sulfuric acid tank to the school. He the students weren't happy about getting hammered by 50k pounds of liquid moving forward and backwards on them. Or as their own instructor called it a real eye opener. Next week they get the entire class gets shocked into reality why well the instructor who took it over is one of my hubbies friends and he is giving them the speech that my husband always gave his trainees. Our as it's called the ice bucket from 80k feet over the recruiting department promises.
Should have given them a partially loaded tanker to get the REAL feeling of slosh effect.
.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Feeling the power: yesterday Pat and I were headed into downtown Elmhurst, when a westbound stack train was on its way out of Proviso. For lack of seeing model designations, let me just say that there were four GEs and one EMD on the point (No DP at all, surprisingly). When he passed us, they were pulling, in that notch where you feel them as well as hear them (even in the car), but I hoped that they would really sound off when they opened up. We weren't there for that, but when the hind end of that train went by, he was moving! Must have put on a good show for somebody west of us.
It might help if Shadow could use punctuation and reasonable syntax.
A bit smaller but still impressive, a trio of IHB SW7's at Hammond dragging a trainload of coils westbound.
The tanker trailer holds 6000 gallons of water but around 2K gallons of acid for a load. So it was a one third full barrel of liquid moving front to back. It is our preferred load for training our new tanker haulers as if they can haul that safely they can manage anything we do haul. Pure sulfuric acid is around 25 pounds a gallon.
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