November 2006 - Posts

Now This is Intelligent Transit

Unmanned Light Rail Vehicles being built for Vancouver, BC.  Bombardier again rocking the design of these vehicles.  Talk about lower tax requirements.  Portland could cut costs massively on large segments of the lines here with unmanned Read More
posted Tuesday, November 28, 2006 2:49 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Trimet Needs Improvement

Tri-met I have noticed has had some serious service frequency issues as of late that could have been much more troublesome than merely someone being late.  Someone could have died.  But then of course that is why no one should expect transit Read More
posted Monday, November 27, 2006 6:54 PM by adron | 2 Comments
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Portland Electric Vehicle Power Sources

The argument goes that an LRV produces about as much waste as a car carrying 1.2 people, or something roughly there of.  So with that somewhat general observation I decided to look up some information on what percentage of electricity in Portland Read More
posted Monday, November 27, 2006 1:28 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Monday Meanderings

I rose this Monday morning in need of some real breakfast.  I didn't want some pasty pastry from a coffee shop and didn't want just coffee.  I wanted something with some sustenance.  To put it simply, I want some meat.  With that I Read More
posted Monday, November 27, 2006 12:51 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Saturday Stint

Gettin' Goin Woke up this morning and figured, if I'm going to go and trek about then I ought to just go do it.  With that I slipped into my new leather coat and headed for the Streetcar & Bus stop at 18th and Lovejoy. Before I could make way Read More
posted Sunday, November 26, 2006 1:06 AM by adron | 0 Comments
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Turkey Trains and Chaos (TAC, PDX)

So I rode the Turkey Train yesterday.  Extra #511 out of Seattle to Portland, I of course boarding in Tacoma. My adventure started right on time at 2:40pm in Tacoma with the arrival of extra number 511.  There where about 60 or more people waiting Read More
posted Thursday, November 23, 2006 12:24 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Turkey Train

So tomorrow I'll be taking the official "Turkey Train".  Myself, my father, and several train crew have been guessing at what equipment this train will be made up of.  I'm guessing the consist will be the 50+ year old cars being pulled by a Read More
posted Tuesday, November 21, 2006 1:50 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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France puts the hammer down on SNCF

A fellow "straighten out the passenger railways advocate",Joseph Vranich , has posted an interesting bit about France and the SNCF, with mention of the interesting fact of $500 Million in profits last year.  It really bores home the abhorrent Read More
posted Tuesday, November 21, 2006 9:11 AM by adron | 1 Comments
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News Entry Gone Away...

So I'm posting some new news on my right hand bar... but I thought it somewhat important for longevity that I keep the info that is there in an entry. BNSF is almost finished double tracking the transcon route! What a task, what an accomplisment, and Read More
posted Monday, November 20, 2006 10:41 PM by adron | 0 Comments

Traversing Portland on Monday

So I've been completely carless today.  Not that I would have driven anywhere today anyway, I was forced to be carless by someone else's crass, unobservant, and rude parallel parking behavior.  Somebody parked in front of me by approximately Read More
posted Monday, November 20, 2006 10:30 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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DMV Round Two, First Tracking Implant Failed

So now I'm back at the DMV again waiting with Joleen this time to see if we can get licensed to drive in Oregon.  We both rode the Streetcar over (the irony continues) with our good Streetcar Driver Fred at the helm.  As we sit here it looks Read More
posted Monday, November 20, 2006 3:05 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Skipping Fare

It's really not fair, skipping fare.  Already people receive an unprecedented subsidy on their public transportation fares and so many people skip out on them anyway.  Portland being the honest and caring city it is needs to realize this problem Read More
posted Monday, November 20, 2006 1:38 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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PDX-TAC Japanese Travelers

So I'm riding the Cascades train #500 toward Tacoma today and behold, Japanese travelers on the train.  In somewhat broken english I heard them asking about the delay because of the previous days derailment.  The look on their faces when they Read More
posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 11:13 AM by adron | 4 Comments
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My Goverment Issued Tracking Mechanism (AKA a Driver's License)

So ok, the above is said with a slight bit of tongue in cheek sarcasm.  But only so much, because in all reality, DLs are more tracking (for ticketing and revenue purposes) than actual verification of being able to competantly drive.  The reason Read More
posted Monday, November 13, 2006 2:56 PM by adron | 1 Comments
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Portland's Aerial Tram

So I discovered the tram ran its first test "flight" recently.  I can't say I think it's the finest idea or even remotely intelligent from an economic and financial perspective but it definately is an awesome piece of transportation technology.  Read More
posted Friday, November 10, 2006 5:40 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Smart Travelers (sarcasm)

Someone boarded the south bound #507 Cascades out of Seattle, Washington.  This person rode behind me on the train.  This person stated toward the end of the trip (just out of Kelso) while the train is only about 5 minutes late at best Read More
posted Friday, November 10, 2006 5:21 PM by adron | 2 Comments
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Manned vs. Unmanned

So transportation is often provided with vehicles that require a driver.  Of course this is a no brainer when a vehicle has to navigate streets, pedestrians, and other obstacles.  It has been proven that on dedicated right of way there isn't Read More
posted Monday, November 06, 2006 11:39 AM by adron | 2 Comments
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PDX, TAC

So once again on the train I sit ready for departure.  One major difference is I am using a Sprint Vision Wireless Internet card so thus I shall be a productive member of my team all the way from Portland to Tacoma today.  Usually I'm stuck Read More
posted Thursday, November 02, 2006 11:07 AM by adron | 0 Comments
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