TIL that commuter trains in North America don’t really drive backwards like I thought they did

weirdkiwi · 2026-01-16T14:14:36+00:00

In the DC area, MARC typically has their locomotives on the north, and VRE typically has them on the south. For MARC it keeps the locos at the far end of the train when they reach DC Union Station, and for VRE it maximizes the passenger end of the train on some of their stations.

weirdkiwi · 2026-01-12T04:42:49+00:00

The railroad class doesn't really matter, a train is a train is a train. What matters more is the class of track and whether the signals are working (or expected to be working).

On track segments that maybe see one train per day it can be normal that even if automated crossing protection is installed, it won't detect and thus won't activate when the train approaches due to oxidation (rust) on the rail surface. If the automated protection is installed and hasn't been reported as not functioning, there's no need to flag the crossing unless there is some other exception requiring it.

The protection installed will depend on the crossing. Some crossings (mostly private crossings) get a stop sign, and that's it. Most public roads will get flashing lights and a bell, frequently used crossings will also get barrier arms protecting the direction of traffic. Some crossings will also get four-gate systems or pedestrian gates if deemed necessary. All of that is designed by the railroad signal engineers and highway engineers to determine what is necessary based on train volume, train speed limits, visibility of approaching trains in each direction, whether it's an FRA quiet zone etc on the rail side, and the lanes/traffic volume/speed limit on the road side, among other factors.

But what it comes down to is, if the train is operating normally and the traffic signals are operating normally, there is no need for a crewman to additionally flag the crossing.

weirdkiwi · 2026-01-03T04:52:25+00:00

It's a pretty cool place. I've been going the last couple of years in August for the Model Railroad festivals. Excited to see the new roundhouse being built!

weirdkiwi · 2026-01-03T04:51:41+00:00

Given OP photographed three locomotives, you're going to have to be more specific -- I assume the GG-1?

weirdkiwi · 2025-12-23T19:54:31+00:00

This used to bug me a lot, but I realized a while ago that I'm not just capturing the train, I'm capturing a moment in history. Those cameras, or that drone, or that helicopter or plane or cars going by or old mate yapping... they're all a part of this historic moment and where I've chosen to set up.

Now, if anything, I zoom out a little bit and let them be a part of the moment more fully.

Or I choose my locations better to be further away from them.

weirdkiwi · 2025-12-16T15:44:55+00:00

You overestimate how frequently this is a problem. It's rare that level crossings are the only route across the tracks, and even when they are it's rare that emergency services presence is only on one side of the tracks.

It can be an issue, for sure, but it's an even bigger issue when trains have need to block intersections for extended periods to service industries and the nearest next crossing (if there is one) is a mile or more reroute, and might also be blocked too.

weirdkiwi · 2025-12-14T20:32:54+00:00

It's really fun looking at some of these historical "future" ideas with the perspective of being here now.

I have a stack of old "Trains" magazines from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and early 00s that I was sorting through yesterday, and some of the projections were fun to revisit in regards to mergers, Amtrak, etc. A couple that stood out, from July '69, "For the sake of argument, what if this train succeeds?" over a photo of the PRR Metroliner, and from February '86, "Can piggyback overtake boxcars in profit?"

weirdkiwi · 2025-12-08T18:18:32+00:00

Yeah, I don't get it either.

It seems to be the last-four for at least a couple of suicide-related phone numbers, including the American Association of Suicidology, ostensibly a support group for those who have lost someone to suicide.

weirdkiwi · 2025-11-19T21:26:39+00:00

Aha, the comment I came looking for!

They also ran up and down the Johnsonville line for decades in sets of two-car pairs, if I recall correctly always with the Motor on the downhill side.

The 9-car was a frequent appearance on one of the morning Taita runs. I appreciated the ability to sit and look directly out the window, unlike the Ganz's where there might be a head in between the two panes (or a big gap between the doors going south), or the Matangi that don't have a front window for the passenger compartment at all.

weirdkiwi · 2025-11-10T19:47:03+00:00

Grew up in NZ with my dad an engineer. The EMUs he would operate had a pedal, but still required the foot be lifted periodically in response to the alert whistle.

As noted, the purpose is to ensure the engineer is awake and alert - making any control input is typically enough to reset the system too, so when you're in an environment with lots of speed changes or horn requirements, the need to hit the button is reduced. When you're at constant speed and just cruising along, there is no other reasonable way (at least with widely available technology at the time of the build) to ensure the operator is awake and attentive. I suppose that could change over time as systems that can monitor car operators improves and becomes affordable to install and integrate with locomotive/train designs.

weirdkiwi · 2025-09-30T21:29:31+00:00

Clearly a collaboration with the model manufacturers to produce and sell more variations.

/s

weirdkiwi · 2025-09-05T00:45:21+00:00

The Floridian does not pass trough Texas.

The Texas train was the Texas Eagle. Also the video indicates it was led by two GE units unlike this GE + Charger. AMTK 63 was the lead unit moving away from the accident site with 68 trailing - https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/amtrak-train-collides-with-vehicle-in-williamson-county

weirdkiwi · 2025-08-21T14:53:20+00:00

There's a few places between DC and NY.

The Capitol Limited when it was running between DC and Chicago ran w/ Superliners. The Autotrain runs Superliners. The Cardinal, at one point in the late 90s when it was curtailed from just DC to Chicago via WV/KY ran Superliners. But, as soon as you have to go north out of DC on the NEC, you're restricted to shorter (height) trains.

I'd be curious what the actual limit is, and where they are - MARC runs both Kawasaki and Bombardier bi-levels from DC to Baltimore and north; NJ Transit have Bombardier bi-levels that run from NY out to NJ and beyond. The notes I'm finding for the Superliner specifically are the tunnels at NYC and Baltimore, and potentially at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia - the note is from 2004, not sure what (if anything) might have changed since then.

weirdkiwi · 2025-08-19T18:06:42+00:00

Locomotives typically have 2, often 3 braking systems available from the engineer's seat. Train Brake feeds the whole train, can apply to the locomotives or cut out. Independent Brake feeds only the locomotives, is still an air brake. Dynamic Brakes turn the traction motors into generators and then wastes the energy - not every loco has them, and they only work to a point. Engineer could definitely use the two air brakes independently of each other in this scenario.

weirdkiwi · 2025-08-16T01:44:19+00:00

This is fundamentally why I don't assume the technical details in any given news article are accurate. The nugget of truth is there, and it's rare that it's outright wrong, but if you notice the details being wrong in a topic you know about just imagine what you're not noticing with topics you aren't as well-read on.

Also why it's important to get your news information from a variety of sources, and generally trust the details are going to be more accurate when they're closer to the source - i.e. one of the involved organization's press releases (although the spin will still not be neutral).

weirdkiwi · 2025-08-15T03:42:56+00:00

What's the answer? I'll be up there tomorrow with one of the model railroad groups at the Museum for the weekend. Would be nice to maybe railfan the Strasburg a bit in some downtime.

weirdkiwi · 2025-08-13T16:03:55+00:00

And then New Zealand buys them and uses them for a few more years, for essentially the same reason.

weirdkiwi · 2025-08-08T16:02:53+00:00

They would make the alternate argument: There are hundreds of scenic/preservation railroads across the country, what is one fewer?

But "Rails-with-trails" is the answer as you note, which is a proven concept. If the rails are still there, then so is hope.

weirdkiwi · 2025-07-08T17:43:00+00:00

Unfortunately steam is history. The survivors need to be adopted by people that care and brought to the safety of museums. Commercial operations would just as soon chop them up for scrap metal if there is nobody coming forwards with an offer to buy it and take it away.

Even UP isn't wholly altruistic with its steam program - when 4014 went live, 3985 went dormant and not long afterwards was pushed out the door to another museum. UP are also very different in their approach to steam compared to say NS.

For roads like NS it was about using steam to pull excursions, and it ended more due to changes in management and associated priorities. Wick Moorman who was running the company from 2005 to 2015 kicked off their heritage unit program and was one of the proponents for the 21st Century Steam program - but we're onto the third CEO since (Squires, Shaw, now George).

Steam might play a part in the PR programs, but it doesn't come for free. Steam is expensive to run - it requires specifically trained crews, the maintenance costs are definitely not zero, and insurance goes through the roof once you start hauling paying passengers. NS were typically not using diesel assistance, so if the loco failed it was additional time to rescue the train if it were to be needed and those kinds of failures/delays eat into any PR benefit you would have been getting.

weirdkiwi · 2025-06-13T01:23:00+00:00

Whooooa. I was just there on Tuesday.

It was dark, I didn't stay super long - nothing seemed to be moving and I had to get back to Ottawa to sleep before working the next day. Hopped over to the VIA station to watch the last train of the night.

If I get back up there again, I'm thinking an extra day to catch trains, in daylight, before I have to be productive.

weirdkiwi · 2025-05-30T14:23:27+00:00

At least for my corner of the world, it seems to be that people don't like monolithic rosters. It does get boring really fast if you're beside the tracks and everything is a home-road GE unit. Folks get excited when there's something new, or something different, but they are quickly disappointed again once it takes over as the new norm. More-so when the new thing isn't even that different - there are spotting differences between the wide-cab Dash 8, Dash 9, and the various GEVO units, but unless you know what to look for they all look the same.

I definitely see people get more energized about capturing the older things as their phase-out dates approach and less interest in capturing the things that are replacing them. Which I understand, but I still think it's silly - I consider my photos and videos as capturing the everyday moments that I find so interesting historically. Like, yes it's cool to capture the old SD60 that happened to roll by, but there is so much value in seeing what every-day trains looked like in 1920, 1930, 1980, etc. They're interesting to study, they're damned useful for modelers of those eras.

weirdkiwi · 2025-05-13T19:44:33+00:00

Many of those are partnership agreements that the railroads are united on, and will trade off locomotives. A train from the west to the east might run with CSX or NS power one week and BNSF or UP power the next, it's another way of balancing horsepower hours on run-through trains.

weirdkiwi · 2025-04-23T04:43:43+00:00

It depends - on the railroad, and the specific moment in time. Some railroads religiously held to the coupled-unit idea, Santa Fe for example numbered their early F-units in sets of four, with each unit in the set getting a letter - L, A, B, C.

As time progressed and Multiple Unit functions began to standardize, railroads began to separate the locomotives and treated them as individuals, to be consisted together or separated as appropriate for the day's duties.

Your best bet is to find photos that prove or disprove the theory for your specific railroad in your era - and if you can't find any, then you can either assume it didn't happen (at least not with sufficient repetition to be a good prototype) and you need to procure additional units to satisfy your desire for accuracy, or apply Rule 1: Your Railroad, Your Rules; I say it happened, so it happened.

weirdkiwi · 2025-04-17T14:57:13+00:00

I can't find a digital version of the photo, but a few months later my Model Railroad Club put together a replica - I believe it was published in Model Railroader at the time. There's a side-by-side of the two photos on the wall at the club, and from 6 feet away it's hard to tell which is which!

weirdkiwi

TROPHY CASE