Remarks: Every photo is supposed to have a story that goes with it, and this one is about an everyday event that didn't quite unfold as it normally does. // One warm summer evening, BNSF's daily garbage train from Everett to Roosevelt, WA, departed Delta Yard with its usual trio of three SD40-2s up front and a fairly long train in tow. The Seattle East Dispatcher figured the train had sufficient time to pull through Everett and clear the single track before Amtrak #516 was due, so he lined up the train to Mukilteo. But this trip wasn't like most others, and for whatever reason the train slowed to a halt while strung out through PA Jct. and Broadway, blocking not only the passenger station platform but also the single-track route under downtown. The power simply wasn't up to the task of yanking the train through the short but steep 2% grade on a 10-degree curve just north of PA; having come to the logical conclusion that they had stalled, the crew called the DS to report that supposed fact and request a shove from one of the yard jobs at Delta so they could clear up without causing too much delay to Amtrak. Before long, a light engine was dispatched out of Delta, and it trundled on down towards C-Line Jct. Coming across Pacific Ave. with the stalled train in sight, the yard crew suddenly found themselves experiencing a slightly rougher ride than normal, which shortly thereafter caused this to crackle over my radio: "Uh, Dispatcher, this is the Delta Yard job at C-Line, we're on the ground and so is the garbage train." I headed on over to Pacific Ave. to see what I could see, and was greeted with this scene of the light engine grounded between two rolled rails, double-stacks full of garbage canted to the left, and the yard job's crew pondering the scene while posed in the classic "well, what the heck do we do now?" posture.
Remarks: Two high speed trains meet each other at the fabulous relative speed of 600 km/h (372 mph). This is just routine: each day, hundreds or probably thousands of such non-events occur on the French TGV network. And still, I can’t help but staying amazed when seeing such spectacular “routine”. The 2 trains on the picture belong to the Thalys fleet. Thalys is the joint commercial operations for high speed passenger train services between Paris (France), Brussels (Belgium), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Köln (Germany). The cab signal displays a green “300” number (right in the centre of the dashboard, above the left rounded meter), meaning that the train has the highball for 300 km/h (186.4 mph). The actual speed on shooting the picture was about 297 km/h (184.55 mph), and it is displayed on the round gauge located in the center of the dashboard (the right one). The 297 km/h mark on the lower right end of the dashboard is the "imposed speed" set by the driver. It is an automated system whose function consists in stabilising the speed at the choosen level by delivering power - or electric braking - when needed (e.g. more power on grades). The other rounded meter right in front of the driver (left hand side one) actually shows that the train is delivering power to the traction motors: the meter is in the "+" zone, meaning that the train is in "traction" mode as opposed to the "-" retaining / braking. This "+" does not necessarily mean accelerating because the power delivered to the motors is probably adjusted to only maintaining the speed. The 2 levers on both sides of the front « table » control the power. They are connected together and the driver can use either of them. Pushed frontward – as they are on the picture – they allow the electrical cabinets to deliver power to the traction motors. Pulled backward, they will set the electric brakes in motion. Set in the middle on the “0” position, no acceleration or (electric) braking will happen. On the picture, the levers are on the maximum power position. However, as can be seen on the front left round meter, the power delivered to the traction motors is not at a maximum. This is because the automated imposed speed system is regulating the amount of power delivered to the motors. As can be seen, the actual speed is already close to the imposed 297 km/h speed, so there is no need to provide a lot of power to the motors. The engineer has the option to choose manual control at any time. The printed document in front of the driver is the train timetable. It informs the driver about the right timing for passing each location: km posts, sidings, stations on the line between Paris and Brussels. This paper “technology” remains the best way for engineers to keep their trains running on time. Thalys covers the 300 km / 186 miles between Paris and Brussels in 1 hour and 22 minutes.
Remarks: What looks to be a deserted King Street Station at the height of the Friday evening commute is fitting for a week in which no less than 3,400 Seattle based WaMu employees learned they no longer have a job.
Remarks: CP Rails Holiday Train drifts past a crowd of admirers at picturesque Westport on the D&H. Falling snow completes this holiday scene shot at 20:15.
