The Rolling Rolling Thread: A Transport of Delight

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We like a good discussion about transport, we do. So how about a general discussion thread for Trains, Planes and Buses?

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:34 (nineteen years ago)

I went through the empty Thameslink Box yesterday. It's wierd to have a 'lost station' tat hasn't been built yet rather than one that has been closed down.

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:37 (nineteen years ago)

i really want to fly on one of those planes with the little coccoons that you can sleep in.

sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:37 (nineteen years ago)

Got 5000 quid?

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:38 (nineteen years ago)

All three options Ed outlines are My Means For Getting Around, and all rule.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:39 (nineteen years ago)

What no ships? They may not have wheels, but they certainly ROLL upon the ocean!

Wheelist!

She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:40 (nineteen years ago)

Can we discuss elevators too? The enforcement arm of the US DOJ apparently can't afford enough working ones. This morning I felt like we should have had a conductor announcing stops. "4th Floor. 4th Floor. This is the Up Elevator to the 11th Floor. Please stand clear of the closing doors."

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:40 (nineteen years ago)

I have a friend who is an engineer that designs and builts elevators. He's great, he's kind of like a mad scientist.

She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

(Except, he is English so he calls them Lifts. But still.)

She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)

whats a quid in real money?

i would be very interested to hear about cruise ships. i almost died when i heard they have movie theaters in them. i had no idea they were so big.

sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)

Can we talk about trams too? The ones in Prague and Vienna are great.

o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

Cruise ships are indeed very impressive. We got to have a lengthy chat with the art auctioneer on ours. He makes about $.25M a year tax-free moving huge volumes of prints and originals while in international waters. I believe Royal Caribbean just ordered the biggest cruise vessel in history, accomodating 5400 passengers and 1000 crew.

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060206/060206_project_genesis2_hlrg_9a.hlarge.jpg

There it is.
You couldn't pay me to ride that fucker. 900 passengers is too many for me.

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:49 (nineteen years ago)

Although actually if you paid me $.25M tax-free to sell art, maybe I would ride that fucker, on second thought.

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

A quid is a pound in real money.

Those are far too big to be real ships. They are floating islands.

She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

I like ships but especially prefer submarines, for obvious reasons.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

What about bicycles? Must they be confined to the bicycle thread?

Zora (Zora), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:53 (nineteen years ago)

Also, is it only modern trains for transport, or for lovely British Steam Power! also?

She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:55 (nineteen years ago)

I like ships but especially prefer submarines, for obvious reasons.

their phallic symbolism eh?

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:57 (nineteen years ago)

BTW that ship IS bigger than a Nimitz class, in case anybody was wondering

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 15:59 (nineteen years ago)

their phallic symbolism eh?

I leave that to the armchair theorists.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:00 (nineteen years ago)

Just looking at that ship takes all of the romance out of ocean travel. It looks like a Floating Ramada Inn.

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:11 (nineteen years ago)

disney cruise line c 2348 BC

http://victorsart.com/posters/Worlds-First-Cruise-Ship/images/Worlds-First-Cruise-Ship-72dpi.jpg

sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:16 (nineteen years ago)

Where did the bear get that newspaper

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

I imagine they were available from a vendor on board.

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:25 (nineteen years ago)

Noah looks spectacularly camp there.

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:25 (nineteen years ago)

that woodpecker on the side of the boat reeks of disaster

sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sorry, but I'm most distrubed by the elephant in the bikini.

She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

yeah wait what the fuck - how come acquatic animals didnt totally take over the world in the days of the flood? those whales dont need noah at all.

pssst - badass revolutionary art! (plsmith), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

is the rhino drunk or seasick?

sunny successor (katharine), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:32 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think this is the thread that Ed wanted. :-(

She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:36 (nineteen years ago)

It rolls on, when I find a particularly interesting article about Scharfenberg couplers I shall have it back.

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

here have a tranvia

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:42 (nineteen years ago)

seeing as all other ILX threads digress into transport enthusiasm it seems only fair that this one digress into conversation about everything else (including dubious notions about how animals amused themselves on Noah's Ark, had it existed).

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:43 (nineteen years ago)

I'm thinking of signing up for flightpledge, where you pledge not to fly for a year, as I don't fly anyway.

jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

Is this the thread for discussing tactics for Railroad Tycoon III?

Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

I loved the electric buses in San Francisco when I was a kid, and used to wonder why cars couldn't stick conducting lines on their trunks and go electric as well.

Nemo (JND), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

if they had done that people would've got this irresistable urge to wack Carnival Music Vol. 4 into the tape deck and start bumping into other cars gleefully.

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

Your vision holds considerable appeal, S.T. Massacre.

Nemo (JND), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:00 (nineteen years ago)

I am infatuated with the Daimler-Benz Smart Cars. I am quite annoyed that they're holding out for bringing them to the US market until they build a Smart SUV model, which seems oxymoronic to me, but whatever.

this looks like so much fun

They had a crash test of a Fortwo on google video at one time that was pretty awesome, but I can't find it now.

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:14 (nineteen years ago)

Tom, you should really consider importing a second hand LHD one from the Europe. I looked into it for a friend a while back and the logistics are not that bad. Not sure about approval in the US, but someone else must have done it.

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:51 (nineteen years ago)

Well it's not as if I need a car this minute, we both are working two stops away from our apartment and get our groceries delivered in a truck. I'm using Zipcar whenever we have to do anything that requires personal road transport, such as for picking up sampler/sequencers from the repair shop or rescuing kittens from the animal shelter.

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 17:55 (nineteen years ago)

fair enough. I don't have a car anymore either, it's great.

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 18:00 (nineteen years ago)

Smart Cars are available in Canada already in a diesel-powered version.

According to Wikipedia, "The smart has not been officially sold in the U.S. by its manufacturer owing to a fear of possible market positioning confusion, Mercedes-Benz wishing to maintain an aura of high priced luxury that enables it to keep profit margins high."

Do they really think rich people aren't going to buy a C55 AMG if they have the option of buying a tiny $20,000 car instead?

Nemo (JND), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 18:05 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, they think the smart car market in the states wants some kind of SUV-looking shit too, they really are that dunderheaded.

TOMBOT, Wednesday, 15 February 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sure there are people who want "the best of both worlds," i.e. a hybrid or fuel-efficient SUV, but the popularity of the Prius and Civic hybrids (even in places like Texas) makes me think they're missing an opportunity.

I also just want to see these little cars puttering around my neighborhood.

Nemo (JND), Wednesday, 15 February 2006 18:19 (nineteen years ago)

And blimps puttering above.

Nemo (JND), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:04 (nineteen years ago)

That's my idea.

Ed (dali), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:08 (nineteen years ago)

I'd ride it.

Boris and the Johnsons (kate), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)

fuck a giant blimp if it can only go 174mph though.

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

Cocktails over the Alps?

Ed (dali), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

I really like that it flies at a relatively low altitude and has enormous windows. You'd be able to see quite a bit on the ground below as you sipped your Martini.

Nemo (JND), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:37 (nineteen years ago)

Chicago has one of the worst/best/worst again trains systems evah. Great when I'm going to and from the airport (I live three blocks from the Blue line), but totally suck if I want to get, like, 4 miles north east.

MAKE IT A NETWORK, YOU JERKS.

gbx (skowly), Thursday, 16 February 2006 17:45 (nineteen years ago)

when I find a particularly interesting article about Scharfenberg couplers I shall have it back.

Taking Sides: Scharfenberg vs. BSI vs. Dellner

Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 16 February 2006 19:49 (nineteen years ago)

can i copy over my 10000 word diatribes from the transport is shit thread to this one? ;)

some random thoughts:

technology is one of the few ways in which definite progress can be made in improving transport, yetthe improvements it often dont have a great impact. in the light of the need to get people to shift modes in the UK, and halt declingin bus patronage, i think we need to do the job of all the bus companies "business development" departments, or whatever the people that actually, y'knowm, try and increase their market share, call themselves.

therefore, what innovative ways can we rid buses of their poor image? one problem is the bumpy ride, i think discomfort is a problem on buses. so what scope is there for smoothing the ride of the bus? what makes buses so jerky/stop start? is it all the drivers or is there something inherent about the design? can it be improved?

what set me thinking was the mention of electric buses. in my experience, trolley buses provide a much smoother ride, and are environmentally sounder. why have all the trolleys gone, and cant we have them back? what additional requirements are there for trolleys
that make them problematic? isnt it just a case of vehicles and the wires and gubbins hanging in the air? in the light of the UKs newfound distaste for trams, cant we rock the trolleybus round our cities at least, instead of those blessed guided buses?

secondly, UK people, does anyone use liftshare.com? has anyone succesfuly managed to get a lift on it? can you use it for one off journeys? is it worth it? will it ever reach the critical mass that it needs to be viable?

ambrose (ambrose), Friday, 17 February 2006 11:28 (nineteen years ago)

I was on a 106 yesterday and was surprised to see the 'Bus Stopping' ligh-up sign written in both English and Chinese (I'm guessing, but could be other) characters.

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Friday, 17 February 2006 11:38 (nineteen years ago)

what makes buses so jerky/stop start?

is it anything to do with the suspension being as it is - lowering at bus stops for the elderly, infirm and disabled?

Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Friday, 17 February 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

Trolley buses are a fairly good solution. There are problems when the go off wires due to crap driving but otherwise OK. They are effectively the old form 'guided busways' but require a lot less hardware. There are even types with diesel engines so that they can extend beyond the reach of the wires. I have no idea why they are out of fashion they make much more sense to me than guided busways.

The main disadvantage when compared to Trams is that they are not as capacious. They don't offer much more than buses other than shifting emissions to some remote power station.

Ed (dali), Friday, 17 February 2006 11:42 (nineteen years ago)

unfortunately despite the obvious (not easy to quantify/justify in the face of fearsome (myopic) Cost Benefit Ogres) benefits of a tram, it looks like DfT is just not going to be providing any funding for trams in the country for X years.

Last chances:

Merseytram appeal - bit last gasp
revised assessment of success of Sheffield Supertram, and plans for extensions. If we can convince them of the viability of extending Supertram, maybe theres room for othe schem,s to get back in favour.

Funding of trams - DfT sez: "oh look we arent all horrible, we love trams and you are welcome to do em, but we arent gonna pay a penny" to Merseytravel. so, is there any chance of tram schemes being funded in total by PTEs/LAs? are therer any other funding options?

ambrose (ambrose), Friday, 17 February 2006 11:50 (nineteen years ago)

back of the sofa

Ed (dali), Friday, 17 February 2006 11:54 (nineteen years ago)

three weeks pass...
http://www.railnews.co.uk/news.aspx?id=2574

looks like Ken will be getting more Rail powers.

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

So he might do something about Silverlink, but Thameslink is still outside his bounds? (Meaning no Oyster for us, and no impetus for me to have to get an Orrible Oyster?)

Failure Isn't Falling, It's Staying Down (kate), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 16:58 (nineteen years ago)

No this sounds like he will have the power to enforce the wonderful oyster on the south london suburban network.

Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

three months pass...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn_2005.jpg/200px-Wuppertal_Schwebebahn_2005.jpg

reasons to go to Wuppertal: the Schwebebahn

Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 30 June 2006 09:55 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...
http://metro.b3co.com/

Ed (dali), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:51 (nineteen years ago)

its missing quite a few though

-- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:16 (nineteen years ago)

It said you could search for a city if you couldn't find it.

Angel In Love With Her Own Pedals (kate), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:17 (nineteen years ago)

i did! and it wasnt there!

-- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:18 (nineteen years ago)

What city are you looking for, then? You could just add it in text.

Angel In Love With Her Own Pedals (kate), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:19 (nineteen years ago)

london's
amsterdam's
berlin's (s and u)
bilbao's
stockholm's
new york's
chicago's

could've gone on glasgow's and barcelona's but bottled it

Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:19 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.metrotransit.org/

-- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:30 (nineteen years ago)

well, and portland, cologne, new orleans, dusseldorf, wait did i go on that? i forgot, manchester, sheffield, liverpool...

-- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:31 (nineteen years ago)

gets into all that *what is a metro* stuff though i guess.

-- (688), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:34 (nineteen years ago)

My list's a bit rubbish; and b3co is missing the Köln/Bonn system. In text:

London
Glasgow
Manchester (if you count that)
Sheffield (ditto)
Bonn
Paris (Metro)
Paris (RER)

Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:41 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...
The Barlow Shed on St Pancras is looking amazing this morning, and me without my camera. They have done an amazing job of restoration/modernisation.

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 08:20 (nineteen years ago)

Oooh!

Forest Pines (ForestPines), Tuesday, 26 September 2006 08:25 (nineteen years ago)

Thirty years of the HST. Still one of the best trains on the network.

Ed (dali), Thursday, 5 October 2006 11:23 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.locod.it/125.jpg

Ed (dali), Thursday, 5 October 2006 11:29 (nineteen years ago)

whoa, sorry, huge

Ed (dali), Thursday, 5 October 2006 11:29 (nineteen years ago)

lovely. i wish they'd never ditched that blue (cobalt?).

Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 5 October 2006 11:39 (nineteen years ago)

cobalt? ha ha what am i thinking?

Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 5 October 2006 11:39 (nineteen years ago)

Known rather unimaginatively as BR Blue. One of the two Lymington slammers is in BR blue and it looks lovely.

Ed (dali), Thursday, 5 October 2006 13:32 (nineteen years ago)

http://static.flickr.com/73/215196711_c37c160dcc_m.jpg

Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 5 October 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

yo steve

saw yr message upthread - the schwebebahn is ace - it runs along the river and is all verdant below.

at one end (the non wuppertal end) theres trolleybuyses running around underneath as well - 2 awesome weird forms of transport in close proximity!


here it is at the terminus
http://static.flickr.com/15/22204688_0348a6431f.jpg

ambrose (ambrose), Friday, 6 October 2006 15:08 (nineteen years ago)

good man!

Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 6 October 2006 15:14 (nineteen years ago)

This is the best idea ever:

http://fabulist.org/postimages/pda.jpg

But why in a city with such crap public transport, as LA? Or is that the point? That people have to be tempted out of their cars and onto trains with Spacerock?

Blah Blah Blah (kate), Thursday, 19 October 2006 09:00 (nineteen years ago)

It does appear to be part of a campaign to get people onto public transport, admission : incoming subway or bus ticket.

Ed (dali), Thursday, 19 October 2006 09:03 (nineteen years ago)

Can you imagine if they did something like this at Kings Cross? But bah, no, because they would probably only accept Oysters. Ugh.

Blah Blah Blah (kate), Thursday, 19 October 2006 09:05 (nineteen years ago)

One day Ken will know all of our precise locations.

Ed (dali), Thursday, 19 October 2006 09:09 (nineteen years ago)

I thought you meant Ken C for a minute there.

Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 19 October 2006 09:11 (nineteen years ago)

Now that's a thread: If Ken C Was Mayor Of London.

Dance Dance Revolution on every corner! Free chicken wings when you pay your council tax!

Blah Blah Blah (kate), Thursday, 19 October 2006 09:13 (nineteen years ago)

Cotswold Rail, the rail company that named its locomotive 'Joe Strummer' and 'John Peel', is naming its next one 'Captain Sensible'.

Ed (dali), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:14 (nineteen years ago)

That's a simply great name for a train, though.

Going Through The Motions (kate), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:17 (nineteen years ago)

God, these LA people *really* aren't getting into the spirit of it. Everyone so far has talked about driving to a station 1 or 2 stops away, parking their car, and then walking back to the car after the show.

FFS, this show is supposed to get you OUT of your cars, and onto public transport!!! If you don't know where your nearest bus or train route is, LOOK IT UP!!! That is the point of this concert.

Going Through The Motions (kate), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:21 (nineteen years ago)

question for Ed or Ambrose or someone else maybe: do you know if any of the refuse collected on public transport gets recycled (e.g. all those discarded newspapers, other paper, uneaten food etc.)?

;_; (blueski), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 11:18 (nineteen years ago)

...shit...

Going Through The Motions (kate), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 11:25 (nineteen years ago)

three weeks pass...
What's with that big handle on the outside of the top deck of some London buses?

http://www.londonbuspage.com/JPGs/040529-s.jpg

bigger image

ledge (ledge), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:04 (nineteen years ago)

Handle? It is the bus's antenna!

They truly are insectoid creatures.

Breaking Under The Crush (kate), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:23 (nineteen years ago)

It is to depends that corner of the bus from trees.

Ed (dali), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:24 (nineteen years ago)

depends = defend

Ed (dali), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:24 (nineteen years ago)

A plausible suggestion, although perhaps the trees could grab it and swing the bus around, trees are mighty strong. Or perhaps LT could just be a bit more vigilant in their tree trimming.

ledge (ledge), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:30 (nineteen years ago)

LT not responsible for tree trimming, local councils are, which may well be the problem.

Ed (dali), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:31 (nineteen years ago)


Good explanation of the new Oyster card touch-in/out system on diamondgeezer.blogspot.com

Pete W (peterw), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:41 (nineteen years ago)

this last week on the buses and tubes has turned me into a potential murderer.

benrique (Enrique), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:42 (nineteen years ago)

http://static.flickr.com/112/301832423_310cd97cb2_m.jpg

S- (sgh), Monday, 20 November 2006 12:12 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

Rome's dinky buses are the cuetest

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2655112501_63d271a43b_m.jpg

blueski, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:28 (seventeen years ago)

adorable!

get bent, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:29 (seventeen years ago)

shame about the livery tho (see also paris transport - white and turquoise whyyy?)

blueski, Thursday, 10 July 2008 16:32 (seventeen years ago)

eight months pass...

classic awesome TROLLEY scenes

Hard House SugBanton (blueski), Thursday, 12 March 2009 16:56 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2009/05/heritage-train-excursion.html
This Sunday 17th May, the oldest working main line electric locomotive in Britain will make special trips between Harrow-on-the-Hill, via Rickmansworth to Amersham. "Engine no. 12 , Sarah Siddons, was built in 1922 and is the last operational Metropolitan Railway electric locomotive; the only surviving working engine out of 20 built by Metropolitan Vickers and named after real or fictitious people associated with the area served by the Metropolitan Railway. The engines had a top speed of 65 miles per hour." said London Transport Museum.

Sarah will pull carriages dating back to the 1950s and is making four special trips. Adult tickets cost £20.00 and they're only £3.00 for children. However, the first journey is £25.00 as it travels via Watford and the north curve.

Tickets must be booked in advance on 020 7565 7298. Visit www.ltmuseum.co.uk for full journey details & a timetable. There's also a vintage bus service running between Rickmansworth station to the Rickmansworth Festival site at Batchworth Lock.

Hard House SugBanton (blueski), Tuesday, 12 May 2009 11:30 (sixteen years ago)

two years pass...

Maglev into space:

http://www.gizmag.com/startram-maglev-to-leo/21700/

ledge, Friday, 9 March 2012 15:36 (thirteen years ago)


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