Another post mentioned that VIA Corridor trains can run at 90 mph or faster.
Did VIA (or the preceding CN) impose a cab-signalling requirement for the trains to go faster than 79 mph, as our ICC did?
Regardless of whether or not there was a requirement, do current VIA Corridor trains use cab signalling? And has the corridor been largely “sealed-off” to ground crossings as the NEC has been? - al
To my knowledge no on all questions. I live on the corridor and have used the trains to Toronto many a time.There is alot of grade separation, but there are still many level crossings. remembering both freight and VIA use the corridor.It’s not passeneger only like the Northeast corridor on Amtrak.The only cab signalling I can remember being used up here was on the TH&B when they ran onto NYC trackage on the passeneger runs to Buffalo.
Rob
No cab signalling that I’m aware of.
Likewise, I know of no cab signalling system or requirements.
I can tell you that the corridor has not been sealed off to grade crossings at all. I live along it in the Brcokville ON area, and through there major and rural grade crossings show up practically every couple of miles, often more frequently.
It was speculated in a different thread last year that Canadians are just inherently more law-abiding than Americans; and when the crossing gates start to come down, Canadian drivers stop on the road just as they should. I don’t think all Americans by any means are reckless drivers, we do seem to have a screwball element that either doesn’t look after itself or enjoys playing risky games with their cars and other people’s lives. Don’t get me started. - a.s.
There is a certain streak of non-conformity and disdain for authority in American culture. If people in Canada are bit different on that score, well, I had known an older generation of people from Ontario who considered themselves more British than anything else, and we in America are the people who rebelled against the British, leaving the people who were comfortable with British rule to move to Canada.
My mother was a naturalized U.S. citizen who came here from the Near East, and I had asked her if the “protest” aspect to U.S. politics was a recent happening. Her remark was that protests and other forms of non-conformity go back a long way in American history, all the way back to the Founding in her estimation. She also related how she and Father were stranded in French Canada owing to a car breakdown and there was not a hotel room to be had owing to a visit by the Queen of England of all people on Dominion Day, near the time of 4th of July. A French-accented hotel clerk asked with a sneer “So, what are you Americans celebrating on the 4th of July.” Without missing a beat, my mom answered in her even thicker accent “it was when WEE threw out the EENGLISH!” with just that emphasis – my parents were given a room.
This last week I am giving a lecture in my electronics class to about 140 Mechanical and Chemical and other non-Electrical Engineering majors – students who are not in Electrical Engineering are required to learn some circuit theory, just as students in Electrical Engineering have to take out-of-area courses such as Thermodynamics or Mechanics.
I perform the mathematical derivation of the stopping time for the current in an electrical inductor when connected in a circuit to a resistor. I explain that there is a close analogy between the inductance L and the mass M of a moving train, and analogy between the current i and the velocity v of the train, and between the resistor R and the braking force applied to
[quote user=“Paul Milenkovic”]
There is a certain streak of non-conformity and disdain for authority in American culture. If people in Canada are bit different on that score, well, I had known an older generation of people from Ontario who considered themselves more British than anything else, and we in America are the people who rebelled against the British, leaving the people who were comfortable with British rule to move to Canada.
My mother was a naturalized U.S. citizen who came here from the Near East, and I had asked her if the “protest” aspect to U.S. politics was a recent happening. Her remark was that protests and other forms of non-conformity go back a long way in American history, all the way back to the Founding in her estimation. She also related how she and Father were stranded in French Canada owing to a car breakdown and there was not a hotel room to be had owing to a visit by the Queen of England of all people on Dominion Day, near the time of 4th of July. A French-accented hotel clerk asked with a sneer “So, what are you Americans celebrating on the 4th of July.” Without missing a beat, my mom answered in her even thicker accent “it was when WEE threw out the EENGLISH!” with just that emphasis – my parents were given a room.
This last week I am giving a lecture in my electronics class to about 140 Mechanical and Chemical and other non-Electrical Engineering majors – students who are not in Electrical Engineering are required to learn some circuit theory, just as students in Electrical Engineering have to take out-of-area courses such as Thermodynamics or Mechanics.
I perform the mathematical derivation of the stopping time for the current in an electrical inductor when connected in a circuit to a resistor. I explain that there is a close analogy between the inductance L and the mass M of a moving train, and analogy between the current i and the velocity v of the train, and between the resistor R a
Hello all ;
Judging by VIA’s timetables, maximum operational speeds must be something between 90 and 100 mph in the corridor.
There is also another doubt I have. Some time ago I saw a picture of a canadian freight car, in wich all the indications were written in both the imperial and metric system, wich leads me to another doubt ; wich system is used in canada, the first or the second ? In case it’s the second, trains will be operating at maximum speeds of 145 to 160 kmhr.[:)][:D]
Also in terms of behaviou, I know canadians are a little different, and the fact of some of them consideriring themselves is closely related with the fact of Canada being a Commonwealth member, wich also lleads to another situation, wich is the fact that the Queen (of England), being seen as the chief of state, hence the situation related with the Queen’s visit stated some posts back.
But also another question emerges in my mind. If Canadians are so close to europeans in terms of behaviour, especilly brith, how aren’t they applying a bunch of restrictive limits everytime a train faces a grade, or a bunch of grade crossings ? I mean, we, europeans are pretty ‘horrified’ with crossings, and tend to apply limits in lines where they abound. For istance, there’s a UIC rule stating that lines with lots of crossings must have a maximum allowable limit of 140 kmhr (I guess not all countries apply it). And if you want high speed, absolutely no crossings
When the Turbo train was getting ready to enter service between Toronto and Montreal in the 1970’s on the Press Run from Montreal the train struck a meat truck at a crossing and other than damaging the clamshell doors the train was unscathed, not so the meat truck. The clamshell doors were designed to absorb impacts and did exactly as they were supposed to do. You can probably find photos and the movie clip on the internet somewhere.
Al - in - Stockton
In terms of measurement systems, all Canadian trains operate in MPH, not kilometres per hour.
Now, in terms of freight cars, both systems are there mainly because all of the RR’s themselves still operate on the imperial system, but some of the industries they serve/government regulations/maintenance, etc, work in metric, so bo
I should just make one correction to my last comment…
The “LRC” posting on speed limit signs indicates the allowable speed for LRC consists ONLY WHEN the TILTING mechanisms on the LRC coaches are activated.
Around 1996 I used some frequent flyer miles to fly to Winnipeg (in January, mind you) and from there I drove to Portage La Prairie to photograph action on the CN & CP through town, and VIA Rail (that used the CN main), and to drink the hotel bar out of Moosehead beer (all of which I accomplished splendidly).
While driving out to P-L-P, I chased and caught a westbound freight, even though it was twilight by then and too dark for pictures. I was very surprised that there were no whistles at the rural crossings (I think it was CP that I chased, but can’t recall for certain). Even there in P-L-P, there were no train whistles except for VIA just to signal the train’s departure.
BTW - that beautiful, frigid Canadian air was a tonic to me (I’m a northern Midwesterner and I like the cold temperatures). It actually cured my hangover while I was running through knee-high snow between the CN & CP depots to snap pictures! But with the sun setting at about 2:30 in the afternoon, it didn’t offer a lot of picture time.
In the U.S.A. the FRA regulations requiring Automatic Train Stop, Cab Signals, &c have nothing to do with grade crossings. Those requirements exist to keep trains from ignoring signals and then crashing into other trains.
The way to deal with grade crossings is to STOP people who are hit on railroad tracks from suing the railroad. If the Feds., a state, or a locality want to insure such people against injury or death, let them do so. Just let the railroad continue in commerce notwithstanding local impediments–e.g., trespassers, drivers in a hurry, &c.