March 2008 - Posts

TriMet MAX Derailment Kills 18, Injures 423

"Today a Gresham bound MAX light rail train traveling at approximately 45 mph entered the Banfield area along I-84 near the 42nd Street stop.  When it entered the curve, slightly slowing, the rail buckled under the heat of the sun and pressure of Read More
posted Friday, March 28, 2008 10:29 PM by adron | 4 Comments
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North East Gets Real Market SErvice....?

Ok, not really.  But The Invisible Hand has a great write up on what we'd have if the market was operating the railroads in the north east. So go read, "If I Ran The Railroad". Read More
posted Friday, March 28, 2008 8:28 PM by adron | 2 Comments
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http://feeds.feedburner.com/TransitSleuth

Just a techie update for all of my readers.  Some of you might have noticed that I have a feedburner icon on the right hand side of the blog.  If you read the blog via RSS please unsubscribe from anything that isn't feedburner mapped.  Read More
posted Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:01 PM by adron | 0 Comments

Trains Beat out Planes

Where the corridor is king.  A news blurb from Railway Age just about says it all (With spelling corrected). "Harrisburg-New York air service ending, attributed in part to AmtrakNonstop air service between Harrisburg, Pa., and New York City will Read More
posted Wednesday, March 26, 2008 12:03 AM by adron | 1 Comments
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People Hate Successful Passenger Rail

I'm sitting here and it hits me.  Sure some are doubtful, some just not sure, but underlying all of those people it appears that there are those that despise the idea that passenger rail can be financially sustainable, successful, or even brought Read More
posted Tuesday, March 25, 2008 7:40 PM by adron | 6 Comments
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People Hate Light Rail... ?

Linked from Progressive Railroading.  In February, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) recorded its highest-ever single-month ridership in almost 60 years, at more than 2 million trips, up 34.4 percent compared with February 2007’s total. Ridership Read More
posted Monday, March 24, 2008 12:39 PM by adron | 2 Comments
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Not Particularly Transit Related, But Important

The Soviets and western betrayal of Poland was cowardly and horrid. Recently while traveling in Newark I jumped on the PATH and ended up jumping off the PATH just shy of downtown New York.  I came up from the PATH system at Exchange Street where Read More
posted Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:31 PM by adron | 1 Comments
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Good News All Over These Days

At least for transit and transit related ridership and such.  The really good news though is the amazing benefits of freight rail service. I quote, "The American Trucking Associations (ATA) says that based on current forecasts it's projecting that Read More
posted Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:43 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Private Fund Raising for Rail

So you guys who say, "rail never supports itself", "passenger services can't operate at profit", "people just don't value it enough", "blahg blagh, rail is so great but we MUST beg for money for operations and capitol" are going to hate me pointing this Read More
posted Sunday, March 16, 2008 10:03 PM by adron | 7 Comments
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134 mph This is Not

So day before yesterday when riding down to Philadelphia the Acela ran up to a smooth 134+ mph.  Today heading north to Stamford I however did not get anywhere near that speed.  It was almost as if we where back on the ole' north west Cascades Read More
posted Thursday, March 13, 2008 4:43 PM by adron | 0 Comments

110.17 mph at 40.025 lat and -75.033 long, Heading 33 Degrees

At least according to my new Sprint PCS Wireless card with GPS, that's how fast I am traveling and where I'm at.  Right now I'm sitting aboard the Acela in the quiet car.  I have one word to say.  Thanks.  At least we have a train Read More
posted Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:07 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Some More Newark

Grabbed some shots form stations, to NEC trains, to a few platforms, some architecture of downtown New York and Newark, NJ Transit Buses, Light Rail, Penn Station in Newark, and more. Technorati Tags: New York,Newark,Penn Station,WTC,WTC PATH Station,Light Read More
posted Monday, March 10, 2008 9:26 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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A Quick Blurb of Pictures

I made an entry over on Dogcaught, finally, since I had some decent pictures.  Go check it out. I'll have more of a write up coming here and more pictures here and over there shortly.  So stay tuned...  I'm being slightly overwhelmed with Read More
posted Monday, March 10, 2008 6:55 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Morally, Ethically, Devoid, Absurd, Government Induced Market of Fear!

Clear. flyclear.com has come into business working off of the faux security of the TSA, the artificially induced demand by an incompetent TSA, a falsely induced fear by the Government, and an inability for a Federal Regulation on airports, airlines, and Read More
posted Monday, March 10, 2008 6:08 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Launch to Newark New Jersey

March 7th, 10:12pm - Contemplations Start As always, here I am wishing I had a few days to take the pending travel instead of needing to HURRY across this beautiful land to the east coast.  It would be an amazing trip to hit up the Empire Builder Read More
posted Saturday, March 08, 2008 8:26 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Unions Keeping the Wages Down

I really, just don't get, the bad math of unions sometimes.  Way back in the day (circa inception thru 1955) there was definite reasons that unions needed to exist, simply put, the Government wasn't being the protector of people that it is supposed Read More
posted Thursday, March 06, 2008 11:45 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Jersey Trip Itinerary

This trip is shaping up to be super hectic, but awesome regardless!  I should be getting some great camera time with the PATH System, Light Rail in Newark, Acela, and of course the Amtrak Regional Trains and the dozens of commuter trains in the area.  Read More
posted Thursday, March 06, 2008 1:04 AM by adron | 2 Comments
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New TriMet Communication

I'm not sure if I'm 100% for this level of communication, but any improvement from TriMet is a good improvement.  It seems a bus operator had a medical emergency and they posted that.  My well wishes go out to him. Has anyone else seen this Read More
posted Monday, March 03, 2008 7:43 PM by adron | 0 Comments
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Airport and Station Naming - Who Gets Credit?

I'm really disgusted by some of the names that stations and airports get named after.  Such as Reagan International.  Reagan never built a damn airport in his life.  He never had any particular business building one, never operated one, Read More
posted Monday, March 03, 2008 12:29 PM by adron | 2 Comments
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