Watch this short video to understand why train wheels are conical instead of cylindrical and why they have rigid axels. Read the rest

A train station in Japan is apparently unique, in that it has no exit or entrance other than the platform. Get off the train, check out the beautiful scenery, and get right back on again.

清流みはらし駅全貌駅出口という概念がない、展望専用駅とは…w pic.twitter.com/JPdx4ajvrm

— Gota.del.Vient-SH1-1 (@Gota_Kaze_SH11) March 11, 2019

Called Seiryu Miharashi Eki, which translates to “Clear Stream Viewing Platform Station“, this station has been built so that passengers can stop off and admire the surrounding scenery.

山口の岩徳線にとんでもねぇ駅が出来上がってるし……改札無し、出入り口無し、トイレ無し……イベント列車しか止まらない「清流みはらし駅」気になるな pic.twitter.com/bgkvwZIX0w

— hikaru_wpf (@hikaru_wpf) March 17, 2019

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An Australian locomotive engineer is very embarrassed.

Via Newsweek:

For around 50 minutes, the 1.2-mile locomotive sped along with 268 wagons in tow until authorities decided to remotely derail it from BHP's operations center almost 1,000 miles away in Perth.

The locomotive got free when its driver stepped out of his cab to check on one of the wagons. However, before he could get back in, the train had already set off on its unplanned journey. "While the driver was outside of the locomotive, the train commenced to run away," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) explained.

No one was injured in the accident, though the ATSB said the train was badly damaged along with around a mile of track, The Guardian noted.

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Having a great time, wish I was there!

This video produced the NRK TV-program "Nordlandsbanen Minutt for Minutt", which shows ride on the train cabin driver's view through beautiful Norwegian landscape.

(via Kottke) Read the rest

City Hall Loop was one of the terminus stations for the first subway line to be built under New York City. Opened to the public in 1904, it was beautiful, featuring brass chandeliers, glass tiling and sky lighting to fill it with a warm glow during the day. Unfortunately, the station was closed to the public back in 1945.

Happily, it's still possible and totally legal to catch a glimpse of this wonder from a bygone architectural era. All it takes is a little patience and a ticket to ride the MTA.

Image: by Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link Read the rest

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the world's largest model train set. It's so large—including airports, cityscapes and even seas—that to even call it a train set seems a good example of the German sense of humor. It covers 1,500 square meters, has 260,000 figurines in it , 9,250 cars, 1,040 trains, 42 planes, 385,000 LEDs, and cost 21 million Euros to construct. Read the rest

Thwarting Darwinism, or, more likely, a pair of earbuds, a cop from the Perth Amboy Police Department in New Jersey, hauled ass to save a man from being smooshed by a train--and it was all caught on the officer's body camera. Why anyone, unless they were in some emotional distress, would decide that walking down a set of train tracks oblivious to an oncoming locomotive was a good idea is beyond me. Fortunate for the fella in the video, the police officer that came to his rescue was in good enough physical shape that he was able to sprint with the 20 pounds of gear that most cops wear, without slowing him down. Read the rest

Watch below as a stumbling man falls on the train tracks at Sydney's Berala station. Fortunately, a passer-by acted quickly. Very quickly. From 9News:

Sydney Trains boss Howard Collins, a former driver, told 9NEWS that incidents like those “stop the hearts” of train operators who are unable to avoid a collision.

“You might say a few expletives under your breath, you’re waiting for that impact,” he said.

The driver in the incident did activate the vehicle’s emergency brakes when the man came into vision however, at full speed, a train takes about a kilometre to come to a complete stop.

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I'm not sure of the technical specifications going on here, but this calmed me down after seeing the latest from the Malabar Front this morning.

Here it is YouTube-doubled with "Biggie Smalls the Tank Engine". You're welcome. Read the rest

This unbelievable video was reportedly captured earlier this month by CCTV cameras in Inner Mongolia's Baotou Railway Station. From Mysterious Universe:

Is this a video of a ghost train? The comments run the gamut from definitely ghost train to an image from a parallel universe to a secret military cloaking train to a reflection in a window of a nearby train to a hoax. The Daily Express online says the last scenario is supported by debunker Scott Brando, who claims it’s a merger of two videos and dates back at least to 2012 to a railway station in not the Baotou Railway Station in Inner Mongolia but the Polezhaevskaya station in Moscow.

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Rotary car dumpers (aka wagon tipplers) are used for quickly emptying coal and ore from hopper cars. Traditionally, hopper cars emptied from the bottom.

Enthusiast Chester Hill praises Pittsburgh-based Heyl & Patterson, who build these behemoths:

This is the Single Rail Car Dumper that has been in operation over 15 years. Drummond Coal purchased Heyl & Patterson Equipment, and are now building the the first Quad Car Coal Dumper at the Drummond Port in Santa Marta, Colombia.

Here's a longer clip from a different type that shows the entire process, not just the dumping:

• Heyl & Patterson - Single Coal Rail Car Dumper - Santa Marta Colombia (YouTube / Chester Hill) Read the rest

This dizzying display of drone-piloting skills is not only impressive, but the locale is simply gorgeous. Watch as NURK FPV takes a sunset flight through a scenic river valley as a train passes through. Read the rest

Set the brake on your baby carriage, wheelchair, or wheeled luggage if you plan to take your hands off it. Don't want this to happen. Luckily, this one was empty. Read the rest

I don't know what is funnier - the things Amtrak passengers whine about, or the way the complaints have been redacted as if they were state secrets.

In her what? C'mon, why won't Amtrak tell us?

I'm trying to imagine what was censored here. Sure there's more to it than "no snack car."

Finally, one that the censor with the black pen didn't catch, about a slow, not-friendly, screaming, laughing, smiling, lady with no name tag.

Muckrock has the full, 112-page report. Read the rest

The fine folks at Super Deluxe mounted a camera on a train traveling through the desert, and it's as relaxing and scenic as it sounds. Read the rest

At the new Magic Touch Bullet Train Sushi restaurant in Cerritos, California, you order off an iPad menu and the rolls arrive via model bullet trains. I can't wait for them to upgrade to maglev trains. (via Laughing Squid)

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I ride trains whenever I can, even though they can be expensive. The San Francisco Bay Area BART, for instance, charges over $20 for a round trip between Oakland and San Francisco. That's a lot of money for a daily commuter. (It's better to hitchhike instead.)

Why are train tickets so expensive, especially compared to airline tickets? The largest expense is staffing. Amtrak employs one person for every 4 passengers daily, and the average salary of an Amtrak employee is $75,000. This video by Wendover productions takes a look at this expense and the others that go into running a passenger rail company. Read the rest