Tuesday, April 12

Shots fired at Fort Sumter this morning.. WAR


The 150th Anniversary of the Civil War is here with a bang as the first shots of the war were reenacted this morning in Charleston Harbor.

Here is a great article from Reuters about the festivities!


The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns



Monday, April 11

Discovering StumbleUpon

There are those times when I feel like I'm "out of it".  I recently was introduced to StumbleUpon which is a search engine which gives you recommended sites based on your interests.

For example, I can put in Trains/Railroads and get a selection of websites which usually have something to do with Railroads. If a site doesn't have anything to do with Trains, such as programming language RAIL sites, you can easily let them know so they can reclassify the site.

I've enjoyed StumbleUpon as it has shown me a number of photography and railroad sites which I would of never known about without it.

Check out my profile at http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/genebowker/ and see what I've seen.

Friday, April 8

Improving locomotive safety through ban on personal electronic devices

Following the Metrolink collision in Los Angeles and similar accidents resulting from the use of electronic devices in the cab or along the tracks, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a new rule which bans the use of personal electronic devices on locomotives.

Surf Line Commuters DVD


Do you think this will be effective? Read the rest of the report here!

Thursday, April 7

New Tech: Bladerunner

The Bladerunner is a concept which would allow for dual-mode (rail/road) for both passengers and freight within a self-contained unit.

Read more about it on the Washington.edu site.


Looks cool to me... practical?

Rails Across Canada

Rails Across Canada by Tom Murray gives a great recap of the history and operations of Canada's two biggest railroads Canadian Pacific and Canadian National. I learned a lot about the history of the lines. Being an American, I think at times I forget about how hard it was to connect Canada.

Rails Across Canada: The History of Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways

Read more of the review here

Wednesday, April 6

Union Pacific's Big Plans in New Mexico

The Union Pacific Railroad has gotten a special tax break on locomotive fuel from the state of New Mexico. What is that worth to New Mexico?
Union Pacific - Retro Logo Tin Sign , 12x16

Probably $500 Million long-term, 3000 short-term construction jobs, and 600 long-term jobs at the new yard which UP will build in Santa Teresa, NM.

The loser? El Paso, Texas where the yard will be "downsized" and most of the business moved to the new facility when it is completed.

Read more here

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