| Forum Home | ||||
| PC World Chat | ||||
| Thread ID: 93836 | 2008-10-02 20:35:00 | How To Save Recources When Building An Electric Railway | Roscoe (6288) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 709393 | 2008-10-05 21:27:00 | Part of the line travels beside the French Motorway (what do the French call their motorways?) and it is surprising to see the train moving much faster than the motorway traffic. The motorway traffic has a limit of 130kph so it shouldn't be that surprising. Even speedsters would have trouble doing 300k for long. What is surprising is that it's only passing the motorway traffic that gives you any impression of how fast the train is going. |
PaulD (232) | ||
| 709394 | 2008-10-05 21:43:00 | The motorway traffic has a limit of 130kph so it shouldn't be that surprising. Even speedsters would have trouble doing 300k for long. What is surprising is that it's only passing the motorway traffic that gives you any impression of how fast the train is going. Very true. I was very impressed. 300kph and the train is quiet, steady and very comfortable. There is no impression of movement or speed (unless you look out the window) and the ride has no comparison with any other type of train. I understand that one of the reasons for the great ride is the position of the bogies. Bogies on normal carriages are underneath each end of each carriage but the bogies on high speed trains such as the Eurostar are half under one carriage and half under the next. Much smoother. I also think that it may have been a Kiwi idea, or at least some Kiwi involvement, to place the bogies in that position. I would recommend the Eurostar to everyone. Much more fun than flying and only two hours London to Paris.:) |
Roscoe (6288) | ||
| 709395 | 2008-10-05 21:56:00 | And God help anyone who's on it when it crashes. 300kph is crazy for a train! | wratterus (105) | ||
| 709396 | 2008-10-05 23:09:00 | And God help anyone who's on it when it crashes. 300kph is crazy for a train! Much the same effect as an aircraft crash I would assume.. |
paulw (1826) | ||
| 709397 | 2008-10-05 23:11:00 | Rather. :eek: I have crashed trains at 250 kph into buffers in a train simulator. I imagine the real life effects would be similar. The front 6 carriages get compressed into the space of one, then the rest go flying into the air. Utter carnage. I'd rather drive. European motorways ftw. :) |
wratterus (105) | ||
| 709398 | 2008-10-05 23:36:00 | I'd rather drive. European motorways ftw. :) In 2006 there were 3300 deaths on EU motorways, 8% of total EU road deaths. Take care. |
PaulD (232) | ||
| 709399 | 2008-10-05 23:59:00 | In 2006 there were 3300 deaths on EU motorways, 8% of total EU road deaths. Take care. Lies, damn lies and statistics. Statistics are often (mis)used to prove that part of a picture is true of the whole picture. Andy Knackstedt and his cronies at LTSA (or whatever the Marketing idiots call it these days) are masters of data manipulation... The number of road deaths (or EU motorway deaths) as a statistic is relevant only when you also consider the combined total EU population, the total number of vehicles being driven and the total number of kilometres covered by those vehicles. As a percentage of population/kilometres travelled/total vehicles, the number of road deaths for the EU is tiny when compared to NZ. Mainly because the roads/motorways are actually designed for vehicles to travel at the speeds they actually travel at - in the main... Not that I'd be happy to be one of those statistics (not that I'd be aware of it if I were)... In 2006, I drove around Central Europe, mainly on the motorways and saw only two wrecked vehicles (I travelled approximately 3500 kilometres in 20 days). Courtesy and just plain common sense on the roads is the norm there. Unlike NZ. [Sorry for the hijack, Roscoe] |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 709400 | 2008-10-06 01:53:00 | i always understood that statistically speaking, trains/planes/rollercoasters were safer than cars might have something to do with qualified operators and no intersections rather than speed |
motorbyclist (188) | ||
| 709401 | 2008-10-06 03:04:00 | And God help anyone who's on it when it crashes. 300kph is crazy for a train! All the high speed lines are dedicated high speed lines, that is, they have no road crossings but use over or under passes. The lines are very straight with gentle curves where required. So, usually, quite safe. Train travel is incredibly safe compared with other forms of transport and that safety record applies to NZ Rail. Sometimes it does appear otherwise because railway accidents are so infrequent, and usually so spectacular, that they receive maximum coverage in the media whereas car accidents don't as they are commonplace. |
Roscoe (6288) | ||
| 709402 | 2008-10-06 03:44:00 | SWMBO and I travelled over the Napier/Taihape road to visit rellies near Ohakune over the weekend. I stopped at Tangiwai for a look. I am not a believer in spirits or suchlike, but had quite a feeling of sadness come over me while there. I remember when it happened and the sorrow throughout NZ. A total of 153 deaths on 24th December 1953. Ken |
kenj (9738) | ||
| 1 2 3 4 | |||||