tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post5951350522381733728..comments2024-03-25T12:21:56.752-05:00Comments on Sweethearts Of The West: TRAINS by E. AyersCaroline Clemmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-10106854794801592492018-02-12T02:57:25.392-06:002018-02-12T02:57:25.392-06:00It's a little like sharing the road with a bik...It's a little like sharing the road with a bike path. The road is wide enough. It's the thought that makes it weird, although there is a section in this metropolis where the train is in the median and that's for the large container trains coming out of a major port. But on the other side of this metropolis there's a lightweight high-speed passenger train the runs beside a major road although you don't feel like you are sharing space with it because it's far enough away. E. Ayershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01434761738048963826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-49586607461440551272018-02-11T11:06:58.827-06:002018-02-11T11:06:58.827-06:00Interesting. I've never given gauge a thought,...Interesting. I've never given gauge a thought, especially about the stability about the tracks. I'm with you. Driving on train tracks would unnerve me.Linda LaRoquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672522522233696282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-11974150258892142012018-02-11T01:16:43.887-06:002018-02-11T01:16:43.887-06:00Actually I stumbled onto the gauge aspect of the r...Actually I stumbled onto the gauge aspect of the rails, but like so many things, I wind up wandering down the bunny trails because it's fascinating. Once I sink my teeth into something I tend not to let go until I've filled that mental compartment and I'm happy. I think it's a hazard while researching, yet most of us do it. I guess it's that childhood interest in trains that has never left me.<br /><br />Friends took the Amtrak up the east coast and then went west. They hated the trip from Tidewater VA to some place up north to the point they almost canceled their tickets. But once they were beyond Chicago... They were on one of the scenic trains at Amtrak has to offer, the food was delicious, the accommodations were so much nicer on that train, the big "glass" cars that allowed them to look out were fabulous, There seemed to be a tour guide that often came over the speaker saying if you look to your left you'll see a herd of whatever, the yellow flowers that are blooming are.... My friend said beware because the chocolate layer cake is about 12 layers of awesomeness. <br /><br />Sarah, you would have loved my uncle's train display. Everything in it was wooden including the "brick" buildings that were carved to look like brick. Each one was hand made with super precision and very carefully painted. It was huge and he had at least 5 trains, metal, that he could run on it simultaneously and several that he didn't run for whatever reason. He had engines that blew smoke, a little town and the countryside, mountains for the trains to climb, tunnels, bridges, etc. I loved it! Even my dad got a kick out of it. (Maybe I was my dad's excuse to visit so that he could play with the trains, too!)E. Ayershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01434761738048963826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-1898245405370800242018-02-11T00:15:25.463-06:002018-02-11T00:15:25.463-06:00Yikes, my comments have vanished!
Most accidents ...Yikes, my comments have vanished!<br /><br />Most accidents are caused by people who don't pay attention to the signs. Do not try to beat the train across the tracks. The odds are you can't! And if it says not to cross with a truck, don't figure your truck's underside isn't going to get hung up on the tracks. Trains cannot stop on a dime. They don't "play" nicely. They are bigger and stronger The odds are you will lose. <br /><br />They are still one of the most efficient and safest modes of transportation. E. Ayershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01434761738048963826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-49550343274067096722018-02-10T14:50:28.554-06:002018-02-10T14:50:28.554-06:00Well E., I never thought about train tracks and th...Well E., I never thought about train tracks and the different gauges that could really ruin your day if the train you were on ran onto the wrong gauge track. And I never even gave that a thought until now.<br /><br />Okay, I can't help it, I had to chuckle a little when I read the part about the Yankees destroying southern rail tracks and forgetting about the movement of agricultural goods the would need for themselves. But of course, it did make a huge difference in the outcome of the Civil War since trains moved troops and ya kinda need soldiers at the right place and at the right time to win a battle.<br /><br />Every time I hear about the Union Pacific Railroad I cannot help but think of the TV series "Hell on Wheels." Now I can add to that memory the fact that it was the first standardized rail.<br /><br />In Charlotte, NC, we do have a "light rail" that carries passengers in and out of the city from outlying areas. They are adding to it so it will end up something like a Medicine Wheel with the four directions.<br /><br />Sadly, I have never been on a train ride, but I want to some day. My sister suggested we take a rail trip from Charlotte, NC to our home town in Bloomsburg, PA.<br /><br />I remember watching with wonder and excitement the train display at Sears in the toy department around Christmas. They toy department was like an enchanted place when I was a kid.<br /><br />This was such an interesting post, E. You must have really done some research on it. All good things to you.Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-38915064874489453272018-02-10T13:56:12.184-06:002018-02-10T13:56:12.184-06:00Fascinating...and we think such facts and figures ...Fascinating...and we think such facts and figures just happen...when the process was somewhat slow but sure to keep those trains on the tracks. <br />So trains...and especially the tracks...became one of the best transportation vehicles to date. <br />And today...doesn't everyone love a train? But it makes you wonder why today, with so much technology and precision, why we witness far too many train wrecks. Somebody is not minding the store. Thanks, E..very good post!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.com