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Detroit, 5:45 AM
Mon Nov 16
16 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of danio3834 danio3834
    11/15/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    Fine, as long as I don't have to pay for it. If they can find places to put them where they'll actually be used enough to offset their cost, build them.

    Since private industry hasn't done that yet, in spite of the technology having been available for decades, I don't think there is a strong business case for them.

    Yet anyway. #rants
     Reply
    danio3834 was starred danio3834 was unstarred
    Image of HurtsSoGood HurtsSoGood
    11/14/09

    In reply to Ten Most Important Features Car Buyers Want And Why
    Gee, I always thought automatic transmission was an American thing, and that people who drive stick were euro-trash cheese-eating surrender monkeys. #cartech
     Reply
    HurtsSoGood was starred HurtsSoGood was unstarred
    Image of Flathead Smith Flathead Smith
    11/14/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    Another advantage of HSR is that if you’re a terrorist or an anarchist, you can cause major carnage with very little investment. A simple cow on the tracks would be devastating.
     Reply
    Edited by Flathead Smith at 11/14/09 4:05 PM Flathead Smith was starred Flathead Smith was unstarred
    Image of Motor_Yakuza Motor_Yakuza
    11/14/09

    @Flathead Smith: Free burgers? #rants
     Reply
    Flathead Smith promoted this comment Motor_Yakuza was starred Motor_Yakuza was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    11/14/09

    @Flathead Smith: using that as an arguement against high speed rail (in a sarcastic tone) is akin to saying we shouldn't be allowed to live and work in tall buildings, because they are far more efficient at allowing lots of people to die when the terrorists blow them up. #rants
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of Brian Brian
    11/15/09

    @Motor_Yakuza: Free-Range burgers are all the rage these days. #rants
     Reply
    Flathead Smith promoted this comment Brian was starred Brian was unstarred
    Image of Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
    11/14/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    But commuter rail leads to functioning high speed rail. It all has to work together, or else you might as well not do it.

    Also, check out the Swedish X2000 train. It has a suspension which leans it in turns, making special tracks unnecessary. Good for those countries who only want to dip a toe into HSR.

    [en.wikipedia.org] #rants
     Reply
    Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was starred Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was unstarred
    Image of drewdrawshashtags drewdrawshashtags
    11/14/09

    @Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est: Like the Northeast corridor, where the Acela uses just such a system. Unfortunately, you still need jointless track to attain high speeds (from what I understand). #rants
     Reply
    drewdrawshashtags was starred drewdrawshashtags was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    11/14/09

    @drewdrawshashtags: Yes. You also need tracks far enough apart so when the trains tilt, they don't hit each other. Part of the reason the Acela doesn't go as fast here as it does in France is they had to restrict the speed due to the tracks being too close together to take advantage of the full tilting feature.

    Makes you glad they figured that out _before_ they started running them, eh? #rants
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of drewdrawshashtags drewdrawshashtags
    11/15/09

    @mechimike: They actually didn't. I worked for Amtrak's insurer at the time they were testing and one of the reasons for the many delays was that the trains were hitting things when they tilted. Luckily, no severe accidents, but I think some poles were taken out. #rants
     Reply
    drewdrawshashtags was starred drewdrawshashtags was unstarred
    Image of Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
    01:22 AM

    @mechimike: @drewdrawshashtags:
    Hearties for both of you for expanding my knowledge. #rants
     Reply
    Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was starred Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was unstarred
    Image of evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
    11/14/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    Having had the pleasure of riding the Shinkansen in Japan, I'd hop aboard a high speed train at the drop of the proverbial hat. For small land mass countries like Japan, it's a god-send. I spent 2.5 months in Japan on '07, mostly in a small-ish town outside of Nagoya. The Shinkansen got me to Tokyo in 2 hours, and Kobe in about the same. Fuji Speedway was another destination served almost completely by train (and a highly entertaining cab ride through the country side). No one does rail like the Japanese. The first time you're at a Shinkansen station waiting for your train, and an express blows through at a good 150mph is seriously awesome. Fun fact: the Japanese rail system averages schedule deviations and variances in seconds.

    States such as California could surely benefit from such a system. It's got a large population across a very serviceable area. Unfortunately, there's no way in hell the state could ever pay for it (I'll spare you all any diatribe aimed at our crew in Sacramento).
     Reply
    Edited by evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars at 11/14/09 1:08 AM evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was starred evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was unstarred
    Image of jolietjake jolietjake
    11/14/09

    @evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars: To be fair... The Japanese put the first Shinkansen in service (running 125 MPH) 5 years before we put a man on the moon. They've been at this a while. #rants
     Reply
    evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars promoted this comment jolietjake was starred jolietjake was unstarred
    Image of evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
    11/14/09

    @jolietjake: Oh definitely. It certainly showed when using pretty much any part of their rail system. Might as well learn from the best. #rants
     Reply
    evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was starred evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was unstarred
    Image of Rockford Brodie and the Masters of the Hooniverse Rockford Brodie and the Masters of the Hooniverse
    11/13/09

    In reply to Ten Most Important Features Car Buyers Want And Why

    So what does the "divide by zero" button do? #cartech
     Reply
    Rockford Brodie and the Masters of the Hooniverse was starred Rockford Brodie and the Masters of the Hooniverse was unstarred
    Image of Mr. M Mr. M
    11/14/09

    @Rockford Brodie and the Masters of the Hooniverse: That's a picture of a BMW steering wheel. As part of BMW's efficiency efforts, a new system has been included which leverages a captive improbability matrix to achieve near-infinite fuel economy. This new InfiniteDynamics technology can be activated with a simple push of that button.

    However, it should be noted that, in testing, the resulting infinite improbability sometimes turned the driver into a peach. But, BMW's technicians are aware of the issue and are working to resolve it as soon as possible. #cartech
     Reply
    mechimike promoted this comment Mr. M was starred Mr. M was unstarred
    Image of Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing
    11/14/09

    @Rockford Brodie and the Masters of the Hooniverse:
    The possibilities are infinite...

    /math nerd #cartech
     Reply
    Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing was starred Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing was unstarred
    Image of Adamskiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy Adamskiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy
    11/14/09

    @Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing: No, the possibilities are undefined. #cartech
     Reply
    Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing promoted this comment Adamskiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy was starred Adamskiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy was unstarred
    Image of HurtsSoGood HurtsSoGood
    11/14/09

    @Rockford Brodie and the Masters of the Hooniverse: That's the warp drive. #cartech
     Reply
    HurtsSoGood was starred HurtsSoGood was unstarred
    Image of Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing
    11/15/09

    @Adamskiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy:
    Well, okay, I took some asymptotic poetic license... ;-) #cartech
     Reply
    Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing was starred Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing was unstarred
    Image of Mobius Mobius
    11/13/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    Well ranted. I still think some of the $700 billion should have been spent on infrastructure, rather than shoring up bankers' bonuses. Two coastal rail networks and maybe one spanning the continent would truly be grand. #rants
     Reply
    Mobius was starred Mobius was unstarred
    Image of HoyaCarLover HoyaCarLover
    11/14/09

    @Mobius: We used to have this sort of thing. The argument everyone seems to miss is that once upon a time, Americans had a rail system that was the envy of the world. #rants
     Reply
    mechimike promoted this comment HoyaCarLover was starred HoyaCarLover was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    11/14/09

    @HoyaCarLover: The transcontinental railroad story still brings a tear to my eye. #rants
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of GreenN_Gold GreenN_Gold
    11/13/09

    In reply to Ten Most Important Features Car Buyers Want And Why
    My car has none of these features, thank goodness.

    Oh, and why can't people knee drive with a stick shift? Pfffttt, rookies! #cartech
     Reply
    GreenN_Gold was starred GreenN_Gold was unstarred
    Image of HurtsSoGood HurtsSoGood
    11/13/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    I heart the German ICE trains. I got to take a ride on one last month, and it was about the most sublime experience you can possibly have on wheels. Berlin to Stuttgart in about two and a half hours with about six stops in-between. $70 a first class ticket where you actually feel like you're traveling first class. You're not going to get there this fast or this well in your BMW 7-series or your Benz E-class. Not in Germany, and certainly not in the USA.

    That having been said, the difference between Europe and North America is that once you get off this state-of-the-art high-speed train, you have regional and local subways and surface streetcars and buses going wherever you might want to go in the destination city.

    In the USA, unless you've rented a car (or have your own car in a nearby parking lot), you are stranded in place. These systems have been in continuous development in every German city worth mentioning (taking a break, perhaps, for World War Two) since Kaiser Wilhelm's regime. We destroyed ours. Utterly. Unless you happen to be standing in a handful of cities on the East Coast, the only way you're going to get anywhere is by automobile.

    We will have to re-develop our local public transportation systems before we can even think about building a high-speed rail network. Without the former, you will not be able to expand ridership for the latter to even the subset of Americans who use commuter airlines.
     Reply
    Edited by HurtsSoGood at 11/13/09 7:36 PM HurtsSoGood was starred HurtsSoGood was unstarred
    Image of HoyaCarLover HoyaCarLover
    11/14/09

    @HurtsSoGood: I agree. I live in DC and I can get practically anywhere by Metro, even out into the suburbs. I almost never take busses -- this is all trains.

    I love cars, but this kind of public transit means I can buy something completely impractical to drive for fun and forget about a "daily driver" that is practical. #rants
     Reply
    HurtsSoGood promoted this comment HoyaCarLover was starred HoyaCarLover was unstarred
    Image of Ford Tempo Fanatic Ford Tempo Fanatic
    11/13/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    Another positive:

    Trains are romantic, they are elegant, they are things of beauty. In the 1930s and 40s, rail travel practically became the mascot for the U.S. They put the flashiest Cadillac to shame. While not on par with the ocean liners of the 1910s and 20s, they were close enough.

    Just thing. Trains could give the American population as a whole, something to be proud of! Something that hasn't really happened with cars of late, or cruise ships, or airplanes. #rants
     Reply
    Ford Tempo Fanatic was starred Ford Tempo Fanatic was unstarred
    Image of pauljones pauljones
    11/13/09

    @Ford Tempo Fanatic: With the exception of you airplanes comment, I completely agree with you.

    We have always had aircraft to be proud of, and the latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner is no exception.

    We do need to bring back other things that we, as a nation, can be proud of again, and I think that an advanced rail system and a renewed ship building program could be just the thing. While the original SS United States still exists, and is rumored to be the target of a major renovation in the near future, I would like to see more things like that.

    With the latest round of cars put out by GM and Ford, I think that we are at last on the right path with cars again, though. #rants
     Reply
    pauljones was starred pauljones was unstarred
    Image of Ford Tempo Fanatic Ford Tempo Fanatic
    11/13/09

    @pauljones: And I agree. We are on the right track with cars, and the Corvette ZR-1 and Cadillac CTS-V are certainly world class vehicles. But the damage has been done, and its going to be a long time before cars and America go together as well as they did in the 1950s, 1960s.

    We've got the upcoming 787 Dreamliner sure, but is that enough? We need something that will look good on billboards, something that will be a household name. Something only America has. There is definite potential both on the rails and at sea for America to achieve something great.

    Back in the 30s, 40s, you had kids playing with Lionel models of trains like the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electrics, or the New York Central Hudsons. World famous designers like Loewy and Henry Dreyfus were being contracted to work for specific railways like the PRR and the New York Central. #rants
     Reply
    Ford Tempo Fanatic was starred Ford Tempo Fanatic was unstarred
    Image of pauljones pauljones
    11/13/09

    @Ford Tempo Fanatic: And I completely agree with you.

    As you point out, much of the appeal of rail travel once upon a time was the glamor of it. And I think that before we can get people to agree on building a national HSR system, it might help if we kind of manipulated them into wanting one. If we were to renovate the current tracks, and recreate may of the old, elegant, art deco engines of yore with modern propulsion advantages, and made it a full luxury experience, we might just be able to put that glamor back in rail travel, and then we can worry about building an entirely new and more efficient system, when we have the actual support for it.

    I think we should do the same for sea travel. Nowadays, sea travel consists of going on round-trip cruises. But it used to be that sea travel consisted of actual, point A-to-point b traveling for people who had the luxuries of time and money, and wanted to enjoy a luxurious, pampered experience. We need to do that again. There's nothing that says it absolutely has to be competitive in price with transatlantic flights. It just has to be infinitely more pleasant and desirable in order to justify the price.

    If we can get it to the point that kids want things like that to play with again, we might stand a chance. But getting there is the hard part. #rants
     Reply
    pauljones was starred pauljones was unstarred
    Image of Ford Tempo Fanatic Ford Tempo Fanatic
    11/13/09

    @pauljones: Indeed. And with the sole exception of the 787 for air travel, there seems to be absolutely no effort whatsoever. So, the sad truth is that sea and rail travel are probably going to be neglected for quite some time. #rants
     Reply
    Ford Tempo Fanatic was starred Ford Tempo Fanatic was unstarred
    Image of FTGDWolverineEdition'09 FTGDWolverineEdition'09
    11/14/09

    @Ford Tempo Fanatic: 787? Really? I've always loved the original 787 (aka Sonic Cruise) but the one they are actually producing is so watered down that it merely is a slightly more stylish version of every other current airliner out there. Tell me one feature which is actually "game changing?"

    Yes, it has a great new composite body and some other differentiators but so what? There is nothing really exciting about it. It definitely is no Concord for sure. Not even a Super-Caravelle.

    p.s: I love planes. #rants
     Reply
    FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was starred FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was unstarred
    Image of Ford Tempo Fanatic Ford Tempo Fanatic
    11/14/09

    @FTGDWolverineEdition'09: Have you seen the interior? Have you flown on the other planes in use by airlines these days? Has there been any improvements, no matter how small, to airliners in the past two, three decades? #rants
     Reply
    Ford Tempo Fanatic was starred Ford Tempo Fanatic was unstarred
    Image of FTGDWolverineEdition'09 FTGDWolverineEdition'09
    11/15/09

    @Ford Tempo Fanatic: How different will that interior be from an economy class passenger perspective? Much better than the one being offered these days? Even more than the A380? If so, I will happily welcome it. #rants
     Reply
    FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was starred FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was unstarred
    Image of FrankGrimes FrankGrimes
    11/13/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    Lets make a compromise and slap some jet engines and wings on a train and get this crap done America! #rants
     Reply
    FrankGrimes was starred FrankGrimes was unstarred
    Image of Xelmon Xelmon
    11/13/09

    In reply to Ten Most Important Features Car Buyers Want And Why
    Out of all of these, CC, 4WD, tow hitch, and maybe a sunroof are the things that I see having a point.

    DVD? Leather? F-that, it's gonna get screwed up anyways!

    And automatics? Ich... #cartech
     Reply
    Xelmon was starred Xelmon was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    11/13/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    High-speed ground transport should be done not with rail, but with magnetic levitation.

    First case should be So-Cal to Lost Wages. The I-15 corridor is barren, yet heavily traveled. Good experimental area, 'cause the worst that can happen is people are late to the tables.... #rants
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    11/13/09

    In reply to Ten Most Important Features Car Buyers Want And Why
    The kid's pointing a remote at the DVD player! It's right fucking there! RIGHT THERE! Reach a little farther ya little shit! Farther!

    God DAMN I can see why Americans are getting fat lazy and stupid the GODDAM DVD PLAYERIS RIGHT THE FUCKT THELRE;\

    GETTING PISSED CANT TIPE. #cartech
     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
    Image of aurora40 aurora40
    11/13/09

    @Elhigh: The screen is right there. Who knows where the actual player is? #cartech
     Reply
    Elhigh promoted this comment aurora40 was starred aurora40 was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    11/14/09

    @aurora40: You have a point. But not enough of one for me to retract anything I've said. If the DVD player stops working, there's a low-power emergency backup system that works as long as the sun keeps burning: books. #cartech
     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
    Image of Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing
    11/14/09

    @Elhigh:
    You're overlooking the fact that many TV and DVD functions can ONLY be accessed via the remote(s). #cartech
     Reply
    Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing was starred Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    11/13/09

    In reply to America Needs High-Speed Rail
    I did the math, once. Figure half an hour to go through security and preboard - that's a high estimate, since I'm in a relatively low-density travel area. Another half-hour to go through the car rental process where I'm going, once I've waited fifteen minutes to fetch my bags from the carousel. And about two hours in flight since the places I fly to are never far enough apart that they put me on something fast. I'm up to about three hours getting from my place to my folks' city, and I still have to contend with DC traffic once I'm there.

    An Amtrak Acela averages around 125-150mph depending on how straight and well-maintained the track, which gets me to Mom and Dad in about four hours, and drops me off a helluva lot closer than Dulles. And at no point is there a risk of falling out of the sky which I know is highly irrational but a concern of mine nonetheless.

    I've flown several times, rarely enough that each flight is an event. I completely understand the physics behind flight and that the systems involved are highly reliable.

    I don't care. Wheels continue to hold you up even if the engine stops. The power of one 757 engine is sufficient to drive a gigantic train at Ludicrous Speed, while moving the same number of people as the 757. That's a pretty good improvement in fuel economy, there.

    The one downside: the fare structure is insane. Every time I've flown, I checked rail fares first. It's always cheaper to fly. Fix that, and I'll never fly again. #rants
     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
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