Language changes. If “racetrack” has evolved beyond its older meaning along the lines of “NASCAR oval,” then today it can also mean something like “a technology-intensive rail corridor under centralized or compuerized traffic control, consisting of three or more parallel lines that must carry freight, commuter and inter-city passenger trains of varying speeds and stopping points.” Surely most of the NEC is a racetrack as well? It’s the idea of the third lane being what highway engineers call “a reversible” that gets the idea of “racing” (i.e., speeding express). Maybe the UP-Northwest line qualifies, too; I’m not sure. Probably the Metra-Electric would although I think that freight remains separated on what used to be called the “steam” (i.e., non-electrified) line.
An Englishman of fifty years ago would be shocked to hear what’s being called a “tram” these days, such as those horizontal-cable or monorail-like shuttles that run between several Las Vegas Strip hotels. But it’s easy to pronounce and comprehend. Maybe twenty years ago “people mover” would have worked, too, but it’s less understandable to the non-English-speaking and besides, “people mover” has been evolving along the lines of “a small rapid-transit-like line of limited duration that may be elevated, at ground, or subterranean, whose major purpose is to carry people between and among various fixed points such as exist in a defined area like an airport campus or a congested downtown business district.” Detroit, O’Hare Airport, and other communities have “people movers.” Hartsfield (Atlanta) Airport’s is virtually a mini-subway. Can we do better than “people mover”? Apparently not. - a. s.
i guess one could make the same case aginst the shop owner. He probably tells people he has a ‘train store,’ which is a term that identifies him as a avid model railroad ‘foamer’ like in that article posted here a few weeks ago about the guys who do Europaen layouts and call themselves foamers. Carls shop owner friend doesn’t sell trains.he sells toys.[(-D] Must have been a slow day at the toystore.Long live the racetrack!
Charlie is undoubtedly technically correct to call the line from Aurora to Chicago the “East End” (i.e. when a dispatchers might say “BNSF East End Dispatcher calling BRCGAL”, etc.), however I will still reserve the right to call it “The Racetrack” as I will forever recall the many times I have seen two (sometimes, but rarely, three) trains “racing” down the triple track (more or less) side by side in either direction, which certainly evokes the name “Racetrack”. Come to think of it, many of our Chicago metro transportation routes could easily be nicknamed “racetracks”, such as I-88, I-90, I-355, etc. (take it from one who travels them all frequently, you ARE on a racetrack when you are going the legal 55 mph and almost get run over by cars and trucks going 75-80 and more, sometimes much more).
Truth to tell, it wasn’t a slow day when I walked in. Charlie was one of three employees working at the time. All stuff pertaining to trains are in a store separate from the rest of the hobby business (next door). And it isn’t just a toy store–my purchases are almost always printed material. Except for the time we bought a brass caboose, which we put on the hind end of a train–my daughter’s, when she got married.
Yes, Charlie visits on occasion, but is too busy to post.
What a mental picture — I know exactly what you are talking about as I have seen these “races” even only while riding the NCL or EB back in the '60’s – it’s how you said it. An implied “at the same time all at once”
You may tell your wife you’re going to the hardware store, but Charlie hides out at Al’s Hobby Shop, on Addison Avenue in Elmhurst, one block west of York, and in the first block north of the UP’s triple-track Dragway (oops, sorry again, Charlie!–the Geneva Sub).
There once was a Future Farmer of America who was a former foamer… .
I can think of at least two Trains articles that referred to the BN line west to Aurora as “the Racetrack.” Gary Dolzall’s article on August 1988 trains, and Rob McGonigal’s article in the December 1995 issue. Both are excellent articles. Stand on the platform at Hinsdale sometime and tell me it’s not a racetrack! And then let me tell you about the days when the Metra trains were powered by E8s in BN colors … (sigh)