Best train ever

my 15 month old grandson loves trucks.

 

earplugs and oxygen are useful in many human endeavors.

 

How are we to respect an adult human who cannot repair one of these?

 

Even a non-toaster repairer might be able to manage:

 

Simple steps for simple folk:

Print this on paper suitably sized for your melon



Cut away all but edges of each black line with a sharp (eek!) knife, Now you have a stencil. With white water-colour, or something more toxic (I don't care), transfer stencil to melon surface.

Empty out edible bits from melon. Make shallow v-cuts following stenciled white marks. With illumination from behind, make them deeper where you want colours to be redder.

Replace edible bits into melon shell. Allow your tragically Sanriotified children to tragically enjoy this tragedy.

It's beyond me to imagine how any such robotic effort could be confused with artistic skill.

 

Some would same the same about cruising the ocean; the endless expanse is just a different color.

 

This unique steam locomotive was recently restored.


Norfolk & Western 611 | The remaining Class J Locomotive

 

that's a lot of black steam.

 

Looks like it is still running on coal.

 

Indeed. From the above link:

• The Class J was designed for a maximum tractive effort of 80,000 pounds. Under controlled tests, an average drawbar horsepower of 5,028 was realized at a speed of 41.03 miles per hour. This performance has not been surpassed since.
• The Class J was designed with comparatively small 70-inch drivers, allowing the riveted boiler to be unusually large in diameter with exceeding the clearance and height limits of eastern railways. The Class J had the longest combustion chamber of any 4-8-4 that burned bituminous coal.
• Mechanical pressurized lubrication systems could operate 1300 miles between refills, feeding oil to 220 points. Grease fittings were located to allow fast relubrication of 72 points.

Quite the mechanical engineering marvel.

 

Yeah, the old steam engines were more powerful, but required larger crews and more maintenance.
The diesel-electrics just beat them on operating costs.

 

Many steamers are still giving retro-tourist experiences. None on long hauls AFAIK. Train from Williams to Grand Canyon has been changed to waste vegetable oil burning. I imagine it smells like chips the entire way.

 

Norovirus provides a unique version of dull.

 

i sailed from miami to the bahamas. got up in the middle of the moonlit night to view the scenery. it was spectacular, but once was enough.

 

Cruise ships are really just fancy hotels that move around to different destinations.

 

As such, cruise ships have eclipsed luxury trains by novel reach and scarcely limited size growth. Vastly eclipsed luxury 'place' hotels that are immobile.

What's not to like? Put thousands of people in a can, and admit one with an icky virus, and see what happens. Not enough? Let passengers go ashore where icky viruses may reside, and see if incubation in that can can provide icky-virus opportunities.

Different from trains, planes, automobiles and hotels. Cruise ships mostly don't ditch human health in favor of icky viruses, but those that do, well, wow.

Think differently. Think about humans in cans going to Mars or even more remote destinations. Humans thrive when their (intestinal) microbes help, but are troubled when those assert other goals. We've no reason to suppose that microbes realize that they are in a small can, where different 'decisions' would be to their benefit.

What have humans done thus far in 'exo cans'? Two weeks and 3 guys to moon. ISS has been much more informative. Let's hope that the latter has taught us enough.