#railroad-track-equipment

[edwincannan]

Chooisng Efficient & Reliable Railway Track Maintenance Equipment

Vancer is your trusted partner in ensuring smooth and efficient rail operations with our cutting-edge railroad track equipment. Our comprehensive range of advanced tools and machinery is specifically designed to enhance productivity, safety, and reliability in the rail industry. From innovative track maintenance solutions to state-of-the-art inspection equipment, we provide the tools you need to optimize your rail operations. For more information, visit Vancer.com.

[trainz99]

Found these in a junkyard once a few years ago! They don't seem to exist online, and unfortunately playing them through an 8-track yielded nothing.

Cool stuff nonetheless!

[badolmen]

Marijuana Walter White where are you…

[ltwilliammowett]

Old naval slang

A small collection of terms from the 18th - early 20th century that were and probably still are known among sailors.

Admiralty Ham - Royal Navy canned fish Batten your hatch - shut up Beachcomber - a good-for-nothing Cape Horn Fever - feigned illness Cheeseparer - a cheat Claw off - to avoid an embarrassing question or argument Cockbilled - drunk Cumshaw - small craft - Chinese version of scrimshaw Dead Marine - empty liquor bottle Donkey's Breakfast - mattress filled with straw Dunnage - personal equipment of a sailor Flying Fish sailor - sailor stationed in Asian waters Galley yarn - rumour, story Hog yoke- sextant Holy Joe - ship's chaplain Irish hurricane- dead calm Irish pennant - frayed line or piece of clothing Jamaican discipline - unruly behaviour Knock galley west - to knock a person out Leatherneck - a marine Limey - a British sailor Liverpool pennant - a piece of string used to replace a lost button Loaded to the guards - drunk Old Man - captain of the ship One and only - the sailor's best girl On the beach - ashore without a berth Pale Ale - drinking water Quarterdeck voice - the voice of authority Railroad Pants - uniform trousers with braid on the outer leg seam Railway tracks - badge of a first lieutenant Round bottomed chest - sea bag Schooner on the rocks - roast beef and roast potatoes Show a leg - rise and shine Sling it over - pass it to me Slip his cable - die Sundowner - unreasonable tough officer Swallow the anchor - retire Sweat the glass - shake the hour glass to make the time on watch pass quickly - strictly forbidden ! Tops'l buster - strong gale Trim the dish - balance the ship so that it sails on an even keel Turnpike sailor - beggar ashore, a landlubber claiming to be an old sailor in distress Water bewitched - weak tea White rat - sailor who curries favor with the officers

Sailors' Language, by W. Clark Russell, 1883 Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Edward Fraser and John Gibbons, 1925 Sea Slang, by Frank C. Bowen, 1929 Royal Navalese, by Commander John Irving, 1946 Sea Slang of the 20th century, by Wilfried Granville, 1949 The Sailor's Word Book, by Admiral W.H. Smyth, 1967

[bluebellowl]

Made this back when I just posted my submas fnaf crossover art and yall started making headcanons and I got inspired again

You know, I almost thought I was slowly catching up but nooo, this was shortly after New Years. There's so much to come!

Anyway here‘s the context:

The twins run a railroad going through the Pizzaplex. The player has to defeat them by breaking through the instabile floor, ripping a hole into the tracks, and letting the twins, who are on board the train, fall and crash down said hole. During the landing impact, Emmet only gets damaged, but Ingo gets impaled, destroying his memory card (a reference to his pla era amnesia).

Later when the player themself gets dragged down the trash compactor by Chica and wanders the underground to find a way up, they stumble upon the ruins of the totaled train carts. The carts are so broken that the Subway Bosses are trapped inside, and Emmet can be heard and seen trying to claw his way out but failing. Here, the player can make a choice. Do they leave the twins down there to rot, or do they open the door with their conveniently equipped Fazwatch, risking being killed but also having the chance to make allies?

Time laps under the cut:

[catenary-chad]

AC/DC is a VERY smart song, one of the reasons it’s my favorite lyrically in the show is that it’s so explicitly about electric trains and has multiple references to super interesting issues/traits with them. This doesn’t go into the broader electricity puns (which are shockingly versatile), just the ones most relevant to trains

“Feel my magnetism”

I’m still trying to figure out if this is an issue with remotely modern electric trains and motors, but I have heard a claim about a turn of the century New York Central S-motor (one of the very first mass produced electric locomotives!) basically “picking up and stealing” some tools left near the track this way and then dropping them when switched off.  Basically the whole “pulling in things with magnetism” has at least some real life precedent with trains.  

“AC/DC it’s okay by me/ I can switch and change my frequency”

This was perhaps the defining feature of the CC 40100 Electra’s helmet was based on.  Due to inconsistent electrification systems (due to early 20th century tech limits) it’s very common to have 2,3, even 4 voltage locomotives and EMUs since it’s cheaper and easier than replacing all that infrastructure.  Having both AC and DC compatibility is actually super old, the New Haven Railroad had one of the first AC-powered lines ever and the very first AC locomotives there had to be equipped for both it and the existing DC third rail in other sections.  But being able to run on multiple AC frequencies is much more recent, and the CC 40100 was an early example of it.  The Northeast Corridor in the US actually requires trains capable of running on THREE different AC voltages/frequencies, being able to “change your frequency” is an important requirement there (and in continental Europe)  

Basically, silly 70s-80s era bi allusions are just how electric trains are.  It’s so out there but so on the nose.  It’s probably the single smartest writing decision of the show because it works so well and talking train media otherwise NEVER talks about these aspects of electrification.  

“I can shock you, I can set you on fire”

The history of diesel and electric trains involves so, so much spontaneous combustion.  Exploding is almost exclusively a steam engine thing, but if they wanted to dramatically kill Electra or Greaseball or any of the Nationals, this is always an option and weirdly underused.  

“I can reach up and pluck down the lightning/watch the conductor, see the live wire”

Direct reference to overhead electrification and how pantographs are raised to make contact.   Also fun play on train conductor/electrical conductor, which is popular in trolley/train jokes.  This system is something almost exclusive to trains and part of why they are so established, efficient, widespread and convenient as electric vehicles.  They’re genuinely absurdly OP vs basically all other forms of traction since they don’t have to carry their own fuel/power supply and can have ridiculously high single-unit power since the only limit is how much capacity the power grid has (and how much can be practically used without wheelslip).  Due to their fixed paths they can run this way vs needing batteries and totally bypass the decades of density limits those had.  Even today batteries are not really practical as a main power source for anything bigger than commuter EMUs and switchers.  

(Trolleybuses are a thing and there’s been attempts at sticking pantographs on trucks… and I guess bumper cars technically count too lol) 

Shoutout to Stexico for having a very different chorus with somehow the exact same sentiment. 

“Macho/Hembra es mi conector” (Male/Female is my connector)

This is just a hilariously matter of fact statement about the electrical connections on AAR standard passenger engines and coaches, which I think Mexico uses since their rail system is so US-based but I could be wrong (privatization axed basically all their passenger services around the time Stexico came out and there’s very little even today).  The stuff about “with my switch I connect you” is also incredibly matter of fact because there’s usually a separate switch or dial to turn on head end power on locomotives.  

Electra is based on this very 70s bi stereotype/trope that lumps in the botanical definition of “bisexual” and makes characters “both male and female” in a way that’s inconsistently trans, GNC, and/or literally being 50/50 both in a way that doesn’t work that way in humans.  Velvet von Ragnar from Never Too Young to Die is almost IDENTICAL in this regard as another example.  But the hilarious thing is that it’s just… incredibly matter of fact and literal when applied to electric trains because so many of them are able to run on both AC and DC power because rail electrification is so messy and many of them are technically “both male and female” going off electrical connections.

Anyways, tangent aside

I do not know enough German to appreciate the intricacies of stuff like word choice or idioms in the translated lyrics but these ones are fun because they’re explicitly about overhead wires

“Steh unter Spannung”

I’ve seen the translation given as “I’m a live wire” but the more literal one seems to be “stand under tension/power/voltage” which I honestly like more no matter which one “Spannung” means here.  I know voltage is sometimes called “pressure” as in water pressure in English, which this might be a case of.  The allusion to voltage/power in overhead wire is obvious, but  literal catenary wire tension is also SO important specifically in rail electrification.  The wire has to be tight and straight enough to make proper contact with the pantograph (and getting the upwards pressure on those is also important).  Europe has mostly reasonably modern lines with adjustable weights to keep wire tension constant but the northeast US has HUGE issues with outdated systems with fixed wires that sag in the heat (then get snagged on pantographs and torn down) or snap in the cold when they shrink/expand.

“Ein Griff von mir” (A grip of mine)

“Holt den Blitz aus der Leitung,” (Takes the lightning out of the wire)

Also seems to be a direct reference to pantograph pressure/contact with overhead lines, similar to the English version of this line.  There’s a strong hand/arm association with pantographs in general due to their design, modern ones bend in arm-like ways and “touch” the wire in a very particular way.

Also this is probably just wild coincidence but “Griff” makes me laugh because Zaine Griff was the workshop Electra.  

[thelastspeecher]

Stanuary '25 - Week 3: Supernatural

Week 3 babey! Here it is! After some debate, I went in possibly a controversial route, by not choosing one of my many AUs where Stan is something supernatural. Instead, I went with the modern version of my Stanley McGucket AU (appropriately called Modern Stanley McGucket AU), and had Stan doing something supernatural. Or, er, supernatural-adjacent. You'll see.

(You'll also see why I opted for a modern AU.)

Enjoy.

———————————————————————————————————–

              Stan panned his flashlight around, trying to make sure he didn't trip over a railroad tie and faceplant.

              “Remind me why we're cosplaying as hobos in the middle of the night?” he said dryly. He and the youngest McGucket son, Lute, were walking along the railroad tracks that ran on the outskirts of town. Stan only had his phone and flashlight, but Lute had a backpack full of equipment designed by his older brother Fiddleford. Lute huffed impatiently.

              “The railroad tracks are the most haunted place in Gumption! Other than the bridge, but rumor is that's a demon, not a ghost. I don't want to mess with that.”

              “...Right,” Stan muttered. “And why did I agree to come?”

              “Somethin' 'bout makin' sure I don't get run over by a train.” Lute looked over his shoulder at Stan. “But that ain't a problem. These tracks have been closed since 'fore I was born. And even when they were in use, Pa says they never ran at night.”

              “They didn't run at night? Why not?” Stan asked. Lute stopped walking and fully turned around, excitement on his face.

              “It has to do with why the tracks are haunted,” Lute said fervently. Stan stifled a sigh. He recognized that tone from Ford. Lute might never shut up now. “Apparently, there was a nasty accident decades ago. It was rainin' hard and late at night. Visibility was horrible. The conductor didn't see the truck stuck on the tracks.”

              “A truck?”

              “A feller was rushin' his wife to the doctor. She went into labor. But he turned the wrong way and went over the tracks. And the truck got stuck. Both of 'em died on impact. Multiple cars were derailed. They fully fell off the tracks. One destroyed a house-”

              “Okay, no, hold up,” Stan interrupted. Lute stopped, looking disappointed. “That's bullshit! It's got to be!”

              “What? No, Harper told me-”

              “And where'd he hear it?”

              “Oswald's big brother.”

              “Uh-huh. And where did that guy get his information from?”

              “I- I don't know.”

              “I like a good ghost story as much as the next guy, but this has fake written all over it,” Stan said firmly. “If you can't track down where it came from, can you believe it?”

              “You sound like Angie,” Lute muttered sourly. His younger sister had refused to come. She didn't believe in ghosts, but in case they did exist, she didn't want to disturb any potential spirits from their slumber. This was in contrast to Fiddleford, who didn’t come because he was too afraid of the ghosts he fully believed existed.

              “Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you get what I mean, right?” Stan said. Lute nodded, still looking like he was sucking on a lemon. “And this story, it's just- it's too perfect! A lady giving birth? A house getting destroyed? Come on. That's something you’d see in a movie.”

              “Then you explain why the tracks didn't run at night 'fore they got shut down.”

              “I don't know! I didn't grow up here!” Stan exclaimed. Lute took off the backpack he was carrying. “You're not gonna make me carry that now, are you?”

              “I was gettin' the EMF reader out,” Lute said. “We're near where folks say the crash happened.” He grinned at Stan. “But now that you mention it...” Stan rolled his eyes.

              “Fine.” He waited for Lute to dig through the bag, pull something out, and then zip it back up before he shrugged it on. “Geez! This thing weighs a ton!”

              “Fidds doesn't use lightweight materials when he's workin',” Lute said idly. “I'm just glad he was able to figure out how to build this stuff. It would've been expensive to buy.”

              “Don't those ghost hunting guys you watch on YouTube get sponsored?”

              “Sometimes. But I think the company they work fer pays fer their equipment,” Lute said idly. He flipped a switch on the side of the brick-shaped device he'd taken out. It made a soft humming sound.

              “Now what?” Stan asked. He adjusted the bag on his back to be slightly more comfortable.

              “Now we walk 'round and wait fer this to-” Without warning, multiple bulbs lit up on the EMF reader, from green to red. The soft hum turned into a high-pitched keen. “Um.”

              “Is it supposed to do that?” Stan asked. He stepped closer so that he was right next to Lute and peered down at the device.

              “Well, yes? But not- this is the highest it can go. It's weird that it jumped so high right away.”

              “Did ya test it before we left?”

              “Yes! Plenty of times! Nothin' above a two back home, and Fidds said that two was probl'y interference from the TV.” Lute stared at the EMF reader dumbly. “A five is- I wouldn't expect to see that even at the demon bridge.”

              “Do ghost hunting things work on demons?” Stan asked. Lute frowned at him. “Genuine question! They're different things, right?”

              “Yes, they are.” Lute pursed his lips. “Them YouTube ghost hunters use their equipment on demons.”

              “Yeah, but has it really worked?” Stan asked. Lute and the siblings that he'd convinced to watch the YouTube ghost hunters had strong opinions on the validity of the data collected. Sometimes these opinions contradicted each other, resulting in long arguments that Stan enjoyed watching from the sidelines.

              “Unclear. At least, that's what I think from what they've shown.” Lute turned the EMF reader over in his hands. It continued to squeal and light up. Stan heard a faint whistle in the distance and looked over. He felt the blood drain from his face. “I don't know why-”

              “Uh, Lute?” Stan said hesitantly.

              “Yeah?”

              “You said these tracks aren't in service.”

              “They aren't.”

              “Then why the hell is there a train comin’?” Stan demanded. Before Lute could even look up from the EMF reader, Stan grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him off the tracks. The two stumbled back, ultimately falling on their butts just as a train hurtled down the tracks they had been standing on seconds ago. Wind gushed past them, tossing their hair.

              “There- that-” Lute gasped. He turned to face Stan, eyes as big as saucers. “That ain't possible! No train has gone on these tracks fer twenty years at least!” Stan stared at the train, ice spreading through his body. It didn't look fully in focus, which, given he didn’t wear his glasses, happened a lot. But it was blurrier than things usually were. It was almost gaseous in appearance, like it had been made from smoke or fog or mist. If Stan squinted, he could see the trees on the other side of the tracks through the train.

              “I think that's still true,” Stan said, unhappy with how his voice shook. “This isn't a regular train.” Lute turned to look at the train as well.

              “No. It ain't,” he said in a small voice. They sat on the damp grass, watching the ghost train rush by. Only when it was gone did they finally get to their feet. After a few moments, Stan cleared his throat.

              “At least that thing finally shut up,” he said, nodding at the EMF reader Lute was holding. The lights were off and it was again making the faint humming sound.

              “Yeah...” Lute ran his hand through his hair with a laugh. “A ghost train! I can't- holy- them boys on YouTube ain't got somethin' near that nice and how many haunted places have they been?”

              “A lot,” Stan said with a grin. Now that the ghost train was gone, the initial surge of fear was beginning to fade, leaving behind an adrenaline high. Stan grabbed Lute roughly and noogied him. “You found a better ghost than those guys that do it for a living!” Lute laughed.

              The jovial moment was broken up by a voice.

              “You boys doin' all right here?” Stan and Lute turned. A middle-aged man holding an old-fashioned lantern stood on the other side of the tracks, watching them.

              “Oh, uh, yeah, we're fine, sir!” Lute said, pulling free of Stan's headlock. The EMF reader began to sing again. Stan looked down at it in Lute's hand. All lights but the last were lit up. Stan looked at the man. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something seemed…off. The hairs on the back of Stan's neck stood up.

              “Do you recognize this guy?” Stan whispered into Lute's ear. Lute shook his head. “But you know everyone in town, right?” Lute paused.

              “Yes,” he whispered.

              “Think this guy is a ghost?” Stan prompted. Lute squinted, then went pale.

              “Probl'y.” Lute swallowed. “Wanna go back home?”

              “Thought you'd never ask.”

              Stan turned around and began to sprint back to where the Stanmobile was parked. Due to the weight of the backpack slowing him down, Lute caught up quickly. Stan unlocked the car, tossed the backpack in the back seat, and jumped into the driver's seat. Lute slid into the passenger's seat as Stan was starting the car. As they sped away from the tracks, their shoulders began to relax. Once they were on the dirt road that led back to the farm, Stan turned his head and grinned at Lute.

              “So next weekend, I'm thinkin' we should go to that demon bridge,” he said idly. Lute laughed and punched Stan's shoulder.

              “Shut up!”

              “What? That thing works on regular ghosts, we have to see if it works on demons!”

[twerkyvulture]

thinking about the lyrical genius of Lemon Demon's "My Trains", specifically the bit where he details the incident that got him banned from the local model railroad club

I laid track on his ass with a styrofoam bat

But the president never did let me back after that

First of all we have the cheeky and likely self-aware train-inspired lingo here; the use of the term "laying track" to describe physical violence. He punctuates the words in that first line with a measured vigor, the sounds matching up-- "track", "ass", "bat"-- the speaker is giving us an impression of an epic beatdown, blow after blow. The clarifying word word "styrofoam" contrasts in terms of both sound and meaning with his intended brutality, creating humor by grounding his outburst in this banal setting and robbing our would-be badass of the ability to do any real harm. Probably the model railroad club meetings are held in either a community rec center or another hobbyist's home; both places where you're likely to find childrens' sporting equipment lying around. It creates this very clear and absurd mental image.

The mid-line rhyme created from "president" and "never-did" is just so sublime, such a tricky little turn of phrase in my opinion, and the speed with which this whole second line is delivered is awesome not only because it turns that rhyme into almost a miniature tongue-twister, but because it flows along much quicker than the previous line, giving the impression that the speaker wants to emphasize his badass beatdown but quickly talk past the ensuing consequences. The onus here being on the club president obviously demonstrates that our guy thinks he did nothing wrong.

idk man I just fucking love songs from the perspective of a guy that is just such a specific type of insane they're so damn fun

[whirligig-girl]

To Eaurp - infodump anything you want about the railways on your homeworld? Everything I've seen about Mellanoid (I think that's the demonym?) trains seems really cool so I wanna know whatever you think is interesting about them :))

Lt. J.G. Guz here. I was just reading some old Xindi model railroad catalogues that Lt. Boimler picked up planetside (we're in the former Delphic Expanse doing infrastructure work, and next we've got to deliver our decadal reparations package to the Illyrian homeworld). And it reminded me of how the way model railroading standards work for other species is really different to how it works on Mellanus.

Historically, Xindi had standard gauge, but multiple of them--every single Insectoid Railway was built to 1,332mm, every single Arboreal Railway was built to 1,090mm, etc. And because that era in their history was marked by interspecies war, there were very few interchanges. And since most Xindi colonies were single-species, the industrial railways they built on other planets just kept the same gauge. So more modern Xindi model railroaders essentially have a small handful of gauges to choose from, with the engines accurately scale for the gauge. So for instance, in this old catalogue from the 2140s, you could get D gauge (30mm), O gauge (12mm), or K gauge (7mm) models, but if you tried to put an Avian engine next to a Reptilian one, they'd be totally out of scale.

I promise I'll talk about mellanoid trains in a bit, just bear with me.

Human model railroad gauges are like, a little bit of a mess, which is funny to me, because they have a standard gauge which was a proper standard for a large part of the world. Standard gauge is actually a United Earth standard these days and gets used on most Earth colonies. And, uh, new build electric railways on Mellanus. Hmm. Ok I know how that sounds, but to the Mellanoids reading at home, I promise Mellanus isn't a Federation colony it's more nuanced than that.

So the main Earth model railroading standards are in decreasing order, F scale (1:20), Gross/garden scale (1:32), 0 scale (1:48), Sixty-fourth scale (1:64), Half-0 scale (1:87), TableTop Scale (1:120), Nine millimeter scale (1:160), Z scale (1:220), Three millimeter scale (1:450). At one point, O, HO, and N were by far the most popular, in addition to regional variants like British 00 scale which were not accurate, but died out during WWIII to be replaced by S scale and H0 scale.

Of course things get more complicated when it comes to modelling narrow gauge equipment. It used to be that manufacturers would fudge things a little to mix and match scale and gauges (HOn3 for HO scale models running on N gauge track... which doesn't quite work out for most of the narrow gauges but it's close enough), but since replicators have become household appliances on Earth, narrow gauge (or broad gauge) modelling has largely become fine-scale, so you have constant scale but any gauge you want. Some modellers have given up on gauge scales altogether. If you're replicating your own equipment anyway, why not? But I'm told this is a railway modelling faux pas.

Larger scales than 1:20 are usually specified by Gauge, not scale, since those are almost always outdoor club-owned railways hauling non-prototypical passenger benches, like the model railway club I got to visit in Sauce-o-lito, Earth.

So, what I've learned is, for the most part aliens have either a specified gauge (track width) or a specified scale (size factor compared to the prototype) in their model railroading standards.

Mellanoids do it better.

At least, in my opinion. See, we specify both, separately. Every single piece of rolling stock you could buy on the market is going to have a specified scale and a specified gauge. We have to do it this way because there is no standard gauge on Mellanus. Narrow gauge and broad gauge and even mixed gauge modelling can not be an afterthought!

The reason is that mellanoid slime model railroading was never all that highly commercialized. Most things were either kit-built, with the ability to change the gauge when building, or scratch-built. The economy in my country at least never really supported large scale hobby model production. A model train was an heirloom that somebody had hand-made, not something you got off the shelf. Manufacturing has taken off during my lifetime, so now you can mail-order ready-to-run models. The cheapest ones are built to a common gauge regardless of scale, but that gauge varies per manufacturer. So the cheap models are usually a common gauge, but the expensive ones are usually a common scale (sometimes requiring hand-laid track and kit-built turnouts).

Ok, I know this is seeming a little bit like we just. Don't have any standards. But this is way better, because you get more information about the product you're getting. You know at a glance if what you get is going to work on your layout, and if it's going to fit in size-wise. For some people, who just want to set up a loop of track and watch a train go around it, the gauge is what you care about. For serious modellers it's the scale that matters, and it just means you'll have to do a conversion kit to change the gauge as needed.

[edwincannan]

Selecting a Leading Railway Equipment Company

When it comes to selecting a leading railway equipment company, look no further than Vancer. With our unrivaled expertise and dedication to innovation, we offer a wide range of cutting-edge solutions for the rail industry. From advanced track maintenance equipment to state-of-the-art inspection tools, our products are designed to enhance efficiency, safety, and reliability in rail operations. For more information, visit Vancer.com.

[nmnomad]

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad was originally constructed in 1880 as part of the Rio Grande’s narrow gauge San Juan Extension, which served the silver mining district of the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. The inability to interchange cars with other railroads led the Rio Grande to begin converting its tracks to standard gauge in 1890. However, with the repeal of the Sherman Act in 1893 and its devastating effect on the silver mining industry, traffic over the San Juan Extension failed to warrant conversion to standard gauge. In the decades that followed, the railroad was mostly stagnant, although its last major upgrades in equipment and infrastructure happened in the 1920s. Through the combined efforts of an energetic and resourceful group of railway preservationists and local civic interests, the most scenic portion of the line was saved. In 1970, the states of Colorado and New Mexico jointly purchased the track and line-side structures from Antonito to Chama.

[wheretrains]

I don’t know who tumblr’s ad system thinks I am, but god do I love getting ads for large industrial equipment.

Best part is, I’ve been getting these types of ads my whole life because I have watched so many videos about trains on YouTube, which made the ad algorithm assume I’m some kind of railroad operator who needs to buy railcar movers and such. Would I buy a track mobile? Absolutely. Can I? Absolutely not. Way better than ads for crypto scams and stuff though.

[abboudlawfirm-omaha]

How Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help with Railroad Accidents?

Railroad accidents can lead to devastating consequences, ranging from severe injuries to the loss of life. If you or a loved one has been affected by such an incident, seeking justice and compensation may seem overwhelming. This is where the guidance of a skilled personal injury attorney becomes invaluable. With their expertise, you can navigate the complexities of the legal system and focus on your recovery while they handle the intricacies of your case.

The Role of a Personal Injury Attorney in Railroad Accidents

A personal injury attorney is your advocate in seeking justice after an accident caused by negligence. Railroad accident cases often involve dealing with large companies and complex regulations. An experienced attorney ensures that victims are not overwhelmed by these organizations' resources and legal teams.

Understanding Railroad Injury Cases

Railroad accidents can occur due to various factors, such as equipment malfunctions, track defects, or human error. Attorneys specializing in these cases have in-depth knowledge of railroad laws and regulations, allowing them to build and present a strong case effectively. They will:

Assess Your Case: A detailed review of your accident, including gathering evidence and witness statements, is critical for determining the viability of your claim.

Determine Liability: Establishing who is at fault is key to a successful case. This could involve the railroad company, equipment manufacturers, or other parties whose negligence contributed to the accident.

Navigate Regulations: Railroad cases are governed by a mix of state and federal laws, making it essential to have a legal expert to ensure compliance while advocating for your rights.

Guiding You Through the Legal Process

The legal journey after a railroad accident can be daunting, but a personal injury attorney provides the support and guidance to navigate it effectively. They handle:

Insurance Communications: Dealing with insurance companies can be challenging, especially when they attempt to minimize payouts. Your attorney will manage these interactions, presenting your claim accurately and fairly.

Settlement Negotiations: Attorneys are skilled in negotiating settlements that reflect the full scope of your injuries and losses, drawing on their experience in similar cases.

Court Representation: If a fair settlement cannot be reached, your attorney is prepared to represent you in court, advocating for your rights before a judge and jury.

Pursuing Compensation for Your Damages

A key aspect of a personal injury claim is seeking compensation for your damages. This can include:

Medical Costs: From emergency care to long-term rehabilitation, your attorney will account for all related expenses in your claim.

Lost Income: Injuries that prevent you from working can lead to significant financial strain. Compensation for lost wages ensures you’re not left in financial jeopardy.

Emotional Distress and Pain: Accidents often have emotional and psychological impacts. Your attorney will seek damages for pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life.

Lifestyle Adjustments: If your injuries have permanently altered your daily life, your claim can include compensation for these changes.

Timing is crucial when pursuing a personal injury claim. Statutes of limitations set a deadline for filing lawsuits, so it’s essential to consult with an attorney as soon as possible. Acting promptly allows your attorney to gather evidence, secure witness statements, and build a solid case before crucial details are lost or forgotten.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a railroad accident, you don’t have to face the aftermath alone. Consulting with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney can help you navigate the challenges of the legal process while focusing on your recovery. With their expertise, you can confidently seek the compensation and justice you deserve, empowering you to move forward with your life.

[digidesignsbynicole]

teal train tracks

Bring a cool urban vibe to your space with this unique fine art photography print. Featuring a teal monochrome palette, this image captures the raw beauty of a city intersection with a network of traffic lights, power lines, and the railroad crossing. Add some character and a POP of monochromatic color to your walls!

Perfect for modern or industrial decor themes, this high-res digital art print is ideal for home offices, living rooms, or creative studios.

EQUIPMENT: Canon Rebel T series DSLR edited in Lightroom

want this fine art photography print for your gallery wall? find it here or buy me a coffee on kofi

find me on IG: nikrayphotography

[catenary-chad]

My concept for an Americanized reimagining/revival of Starlight Express, based on actual US passenger rail history painfully relevant to the entire region around Broadway (the northeastern US)

ft. sacrilegious things like totally rewriting Starlight Sequence, roleswapping major characters, and cutting Rusty entirely (while also bringing Trucker Caboose and a heavily modified OLC Belle back) 

(long post btw)

I already made a whole long post about how a lot of “stupid and unrealistic” things about Electra (and Rusty) unintentionally take on a very different, deeper meaning in the context of US railroad conditions (and politics) of the 70s-80s.  But tl;dr, applying US rail context to the show bizarrely turns it into a colossal “immer pünktlich” sweater that you’ve snagged your nail on and the whole thing unravels into a weirdly specific and compelling allegory for US politics and railroads of the era in a way it was never intended to.  

Electra reads as a bizarrely specific conservative slander of Amtrak and the liberal policies that benefit it. And there’s weirdly convenient parallels for the social themes the original show tried to do. Electrified rail isn’t futuristic and bashing it isn’t punching up in the US, it’s actually been around since the turn of the century and perhaps the most visible and vulnerable symbol of how rail has been disadvantaged and “left behind” by the government in the US for DECADES.  And there’s actually a number of other things the show has attempted to do that click into place really nicely when you put them in this context.  Like Greaseball’s “coach sexism”- US railroads’ relationship with passenger services pre-Amtrak actually make a pretty good allegory for how “women’s work” is treated.  It had become monstrously expensive to run them without government subsidies and railroads tried to cut or downgrade them wherever possible- which is a solid parallel for how the likes of childcare and teaching are treated in the US.  

So you could actually do some really smart and meaningful things with an Americanized version of the show, it doesn’t have to be clunky pop culture references.  It’s almost kind of sad how well it works because most of the concepts are only relevant in the US, which has never taken to the show as much as the UK/Germany. 

While this is presented as an early 80s-era period piece, you only need to change some references to Control’s Grandpa and a few characters’ basis (Greaseball, Pearl, and Electra’s parental figure) to make it close to modern-day because 40+ year old rail equipment is so common in the US and a lot of the same problems exist on the modern rail system.  

If the theater is anywhere near NYC, there’s a high chance visitors will firsthand experience how old and ROUGH the surrounding rail infrastructure is and it doesn’t get more immersive than that.  There’s a major chance they ride in on a subway or NJT train old enough to have remembered the original Broadway Starlight run, and a considerable chance they deal with delays or cancellations due to aging infrastructure issues.  It’s like how Ruhrgold being “always timely!” is hilarious to anyone who sees the show in Bochum because they probably had an ICE run late just trying to get there, even if they’re a tourist.  

-Control is now used as a stand-in for the government/other rail authorities, whose complaints and praise about their toy trains mirror real-life sentiment.  Their “grandpa’s old trains and tracks” represent the oooold equipment and infrastructure Amtrak inherited/acquired at the beginning.  

-Greaseball is… unchanged lol he’s a solid representation of the conservative establishment hostile to rail investment and electrification.  Him being abusive to the coaches parallels US railroads’ mass downgrading and dropping of passenger services after WWII until Amtrak came in.  Him pulling passenger trains with UP’s livery in the 80s actually works out if you make him one of the corporate E9As in the Heritage Fleet.  Alternatively, just pretend Amtrak’s Rainbow Era (where everything had their chaotic original liveries) took a decade longer to end… it’s less anachronistic than literally everything about Rusty anyways.  

-Electra is now an actual threat to him he has actual reason to play dirty against.  As opposed to a switcher/shunter that would have a completely opposite skillset as him (engines like Greaseball went out of favor on US freight railroads specifically because they have no rear visibility for switching).  Not to mention the political divides associated with dieselization/electrification in the US and associated rural/urban divide. He should also be more deliberately group-oriented with his Gang- the first gen carbody diesel engines he’s based on were designed to run as several units attached together (and that’s still how diesel locomotives are used now). 

-Momma (now maybe just McCoy) is now the high-maintenance celebrity (Poppa would also work but I’m in favor of giving older women more roles). THAT is spot-on to the actual role steam engines had in the US (and UK) in the 80s, and still do today. She’s there to race to find out just what she’s truly capable of, since the real top speed of a lot of big late-era steam engines was never officially verified. She is not malicious, just accidentally causes constant confusion and delay based on actual mainline steam excursions’ issues in the 70s-80s US that led to them being heavily restricted (though you can probably use a lot of stuff from more recent ones elsewhere because it still happens a lot).  She can even get chased by paparazzi because people getting on the tracks to photograph famous engines has caused all kinds of problems!  Turn the components into the entourage railtours would have (head end power car/engine, various old coaches).  Give her Engine of Love. 

-She’s “Grandpa’s old choo choo and friends… ugh come on, you guys used to be great!  You were my favorite!  Why do you keep derailing and messing stuff up!”.  

-She’s far less politically written vs Electra and Greaseball, and mostly railfanservice, which fits how steam was pretty much off in its own preservation world by the 80s and not relevant in the much more bitter mainline revenue train politics.  Greaseball could be moderately hostile towards her to represent railroads becoming fed up with excursion incidents, but it’s for pretty legitimate reasons.  Electra probably just doesn’t care about her presence either way, unless she gets in the way.  As additional historical context for why Electra is steam neutral- the Pennsylvania Railroad, who built 41% of surviving electric lines today, phased out steam engines from the newly electrified southern Northeast Corridor in a relatively peaceful way, just moving them to other lines and not replacing them with more.  It’s a way more pleasant scenario than most irl jobs that have been outmoded and faced with mass layoffs.  And basically the hard opposite of what British Rail did in the 50s-60s (which is substantially featured in the Railway Series and probably where the original show got the “steam oppression” idea from… but it just was NOT that way by the 80s and when it did happen, diesel engines were a much newer and more experimental thing than electric ones… this is why I have so much beef with the original show’s premise as someone familiar with the RWS, which was generally really realistic) 

(I have my own idea of how to make a REALLY hateable Reagan figure steam engine but the above would be more palatable to a broader audience and require less modification)

-Pearl is also largely unchanged.  Make her a then-new Amfleet coach, maybe a converted Metroliner.  Now she can be both new and naive and indecisive and REALLY want to go fast.  As a bonus, the Amfleets were among the first coaches to be electric vs steam heated and she would not be directly physically compatible with steam or older diesel/electric engines without head-end power.  Perfect fit for a reverse Cinderella. 

-Since Electra isn’t a terribly romantic character, I think it’s more compelling to frame Pearl’s arc as being about discovering your real orientation after years of the media saying what you should be attracted to.  She’s had steam romanticized her whole life but it just physically isn’t compatible or appealing to her.  Tbh this is a possible reason to make McCoy male instead.  

-Bonus: style Pearl like a flight attendant and have her make passive aggressive jokes about air travel (there are no middle seats!  Please leave your tray tables down and seats in the reclined position) in reference to the Amfleets being deliberately styled after planes, and Amtrak ads of the time mocking airlines

-Dinah needs very little change herself, other than being aged up to 30s-40s to reflect being an older car.  Pearl Twirl makes a lot of sense with Pearl being clueless about the depth of such things and reflecting how older passenger cars were replaced with new Amfleets around this era.  Rather than get back with Greaseball at the end, she runs off with McCoy’s entourage in reference to old cars like her getting a second life in museum settings. 

-Lotta Locomotion is less demeaning in the context of Amtrak’s motive power crisis of the 70s-early 80s.  They had oooold stuff and struggled to get functional new engines so it really is something coaches would be concerned with.  

-Freight as an argument perfectly suits the tensions between freight and passenger service in the US since WWII (relevant in the 80s, still relevant now outside the NEC).  Tl;dr passenger trains got painfully deprioritized because freight made way more money, and freight trains becoming absurdly long and physically unable to move over and let passenger trains through has wrecked arrival times in more recent decades.  I don’t have really hard ideas of how I’d tweak most of the Freight characters, I think you could mostly carry over the originals, but you could also work in aspects of industrial decline or unions’ relationships with railroads at the time. Honestly you could do a whole separate musical about the woes of US freight rail, they go deep, just not in ways that work into the other themes in this rewrite.

-Power cut before AC/DC- Control complains that “the new train I got for Christmas sucks!  It doesn’t even work!” and their mom interjects “No, it’s your grandpa’s tracks and wiring from the 30s causing problems, let’s try and clean them up.  Maybe you can ask for some new ones for your birthday instead of more toy cars.”

-Electra is now the new AEM-7s Amtrak ordered in the late 70s-early 80s.  Make them as aggressively small as possible for maximum realism, those things were infamously tiny (~50 feet long).  Making Electra genderblind would be very appropriate for this version.

-Rather than unconfident, Electra is incredibly defensive, yet smug about knowing what they could do in proper conditions and kind of a bitch.  Self centered and prone to changing their mood on a whim.  Actually not that far off their canon personality, but now in a light that explains just why they make such a big deal of being electric and seem so short-fused- they’re a minority that’s been overlooked and screwed over for years.  Greaseball also treats them as hysterical over any legitimate complaints and dogs them for constantly asking for money.  There’s an almost endless well of “damn liberals” jokes for him to use against Electra.  It’s a bitter, much more even rivalry compared to Greaseball vs Rusty.

-Other than making the Japanese Engine less egregiously offensive, the Nationals can be largely unchanged, I think they’re all electric models anyways and at the time, all from nationalized rail networks.  

-Have Electra fail in the first heat due to powerline failure, Greaseball’s sabotage, or McCoy’s genuine bumbling, and go full No Comeback and blame themself for it when it was due to outside factors

-How do the comparatively mediocre US engines win?  Mix of Greaseball/McCoy doing the above, and the race being on tightly curving tracks in notably bad condition that a lot of the Nationals wouldn’t run well on. Cue Control being in constant dismay at how many trains keep derailing or failing and getting mad at them too.  

-Also made a previous post about this, but in place of where Momma/Poppa usually is… bring back the general concept of OLC Belle the Sleeping Car, and turn her into Belle the GG1.  That was the nearly 50 year old electric loco class that largely ran the NEC until the AEM-7s.  The Ella Fitzgerald angle aligns perfectly with them working out of NYC starting in the late 30s and being known for a sense of effortlessness.  The “fallen star” narrative also works with their full history, they were the symbol of what US electrification was posed to become- and got cut off by WWII and the railroads’ fates afterward.  They also ran their absolute last excursions in 1984 and her blowing a transformer after her win exactly matches what happened to one of them.  In a much more morbid twist, there’s no question of her faking it, the GG1s were on their absolute last leg and so trashed physically at the end that they’re one of the least likely engines to ever run in preservation.  

-This is a BOLD choice (that would NEVER work in Bochum), but turn Dustin into a uranium flask (concept art here).  I’ve gotten the impression that Hydra wanted to be nuclear-coded because he’s alternative energy, green, and seen as scary and untrustworthy.  But while nuclear submarines and boats are long established, nuclear steam engines are far less practical on rails so you can’t really go that route… unless you make it about nuclear power plants supplying electrified lines.

-Uranium flasks are HEAVY and being quiet is a main PR policy of the nuclear industry, so Dustin’s size and shyness is a super fitting trait.  They also have a really fun history of being crash tested to play with.  They smashed a whole diesel loco into one in the UK and it was totaled but the flask was fine.  You can even give them There’s Me because “I may not be the one you want to see” and “I am always there” are a funny double entendre for nuclear power’s negative rep but constant generation.  Also free opportunity for a female or genderblind freight role if you call them Curie.  

-Slick and/or OLC style trucker Caboose would both work really well as saboteurs.  The oil industry sure doesn’t want to move away from diesel engines.  And road vehicles are the #1 enemy of ALL trains in the US.  Also, while Caboose acting like a British brake van gets laughed at, cabooses were and still are used to remote control trains irl (Locotrol), so there IS some justification for him to control an engine’s braking!  And even better/worse?  What do you get when you combine one of those with a bunch of oil tankers?  The Lac Megantic Disaster.  

-Greaseball and those two deliberately destroying powerlines and other infrastructure to sabotage Electra and basically any of the Nationals both works on a practical level and a symbol of “government not investing in things so they fail” just like irl Amtrak

-Bring back Dinah’s Disco but with lyrics explicitly revealing that the “whistle” thing Electra lacks is… steam heat to keep her warm at night because she’s an older style car!  That mismatch was a legitimate issue at the time.  An earlier passenger diesel engine like Greaseball would have a heating boiler so it’s still compatible with him not being an actual steam engine.  Slick/Caboose can still attack Electra and throw the uphill race riding with Greaseball or McCoy.  McCoy could think Slick will get her but the tanker goes after Electra instead, because she “could be converted to an oil burner… remember the Big Boy on the Union Pacific” and is therefore not her enemy.

-Right Place Right Time also works on a much deeper level when the Rockies are turned into SEPTA Silverliner I/II/III EMUs, they’re from the infamously underfunded transit system of… Philadelphia, which fits the movies.  Being mean but genuinely helpful is also kind of a Philly stereotype too.  You’d have to reshuffle the freight/components a bit for this version so eh, throwing in some quick-change costumes for this isn’t out there.  

-Yeah, the Starlight Sequence’s lyrics need a massive redo.  I go into it in the initial Electra post, but it just inherently preaches themes associated with the politics that repeatedly hampered electric rail in the US.  Make the new lyrics be about that “you alone are an engine, not a train”, joining together as a group is how you actually make systemic change, not bootstrapping and individualism,  One of the major advantages of rail IS how much you can link together and move at once.  Which is a nice segue to Electra reaching out to uranium flask Dustin for the final.  

-As a nod to Jeffrey Daniel, a shortened version of this song is a perfect Electra/Pearl duet instead of the ballads. 

-Instead of the control and conversion speech, the trains all get together as Control discusses what to ask for their birthday “Slot cars?  Tanks? Planes?” and the group together yells “TRAINS” and Control goes “yeah TRAINS!”

-Belle the GG1 miraculously comes back as Control’s mom whispers “don’t tell anyone I just stuck the old shell on a whole new motor and frames, they were beyond saving” as a snarky reference to what would be needed to actually run one again.  

-How to make Light At The End Of the Tunnel mostly work: return the duet aspect, where McCoy starts praising steam and the newly revived GG1 Belle finishes the lines to be about… steam power plants and electrification.  

[20th-century-railroading]

Penn Central ex PRR GG-1 4877 with its head end heavy eastbound passenger train crosses the former New Haven Railroad Saugatuck River Bridge at Westport, Connecticut, 1969

Penn Central ex PRR GG-1 4877 with its head end heavy eastbound passenger train crosses the former New Haven Railroad Saugatuck River Bridge at Westport, Connecticut, 1969. This train which is operating on an express track has an interesting consist in that after the first four passenger equipped boxcars, there is a coach followed by a REA-baggage car, then another coach that is followed by another REA-baggage car bringing up the end. Straight ahead after the bridge end, there is a commuter passenger station and a parking lot to the left.