5/23/09

• http://www.public.coe.edu/~theller/soj/now/betsey.htm
• I like it because:
• It includes a trip to a worlds fair by train, including hitching a ride
• I know it's 1876
• The principals are like some wonderful women I know
• Reference to Maine's marine/trade heritage
• Spoiler alert:
• Betsy gets a bit of cash from a vistor. She sallies forth, walking to the station but before she get there she hitches a ride on a frieght. At the Philadelphia Centennial she befriends everyone, buys gifts for here friends and comes home.
• This looks like a great site for all things Sarah Orne Jewett

"# The Telegraph---History of the Electromagnetic Telegraph; Telegraph and Telecommunications Lore # Egypt, Greece and Rome---Latin and Greek Lessons, Geometry and Egyptian Notes # Railways---Railway History and Engineering, Especially Signalling and Operation # American History---Historical Notes of All Kinds; William Henry Harrison; Heraldry # Physics---Physics and Chemistry; Electromagnetism; Quantum Mechanics; Group Theory; The Hodograph # Mathematical Physics---Physics Through Mathematics, from Analytical Mechanics to Relativity "

This map is a helpful companion to the "Railroads of the Metroplex" article in the June 2008 issue of Railfan & Railroad. via http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=tower+55+fort+worth&ie=UTF8&latlng=32744700,-97321271,5845553647745185964&ei=oMJfSPuxG6XCigHQm8TgDw&sig2=R5oQ7ogcogX_LWjajCai5w&cd=1

"It is happening on the client. SQLite seems to be everywhere. Your operating system, phone, browser, applications, everywhere. I bet I have around 20 SQLite engines on my system right now, and growing. Why is this happening? Well, instead of coming up with your own data format, parser, and search engine, why not just use SQLite and be done. It is very faster, perfect for single user mode, so everyone is a winner. So, SQL has a looooong future ahead of it, but it will be interesting to see how the RDBMS"

LEV2 - Leyland Experimental Vehicle 2

"# Morgantown GRT - Updated Description. TRB 2005 paper. 1.3MB, morgantown_TRB_111504.pdf. Explanation of A) demand, schedule, and circulation modes, B) station design, C) moving point synchronous control, D) fail safe redundancy. # 100 page Morgantown System Operation Manual. 3.9MB. MPMsysOp.pdf. The most thorough engineering system description ever provided in the public domain for PRT or GRT systems. Permission to release provided by Robert Hendershot, Morgantown PRT Systems Engineer "

"The Mark VI trains have eight 100hp, 600-volt DC electric motors. These motors also act as brakes by turning the motors into generators and dissipating the power into resistor banks between each car. This is called regenerative braking. Each of the twelve load tires has an 18-inch mechanical disk brake, but the mechanical system generally accounts for less than 1/4th the braking required in normal operation. The dynamic braking slows the train to about 13 mph. Top speed of the Mark VI trains is 55 mph, but the standard operating speed at Walt Disney World is 40 mph. The propulsion system is called the "Propulsion and Dynamic Braking (P/DB) System." There are two redundant P/DB systems per train, and either is capable of running the train. Each train consumes 138 KWH (kilowatt hours) per operating hour. This translates into a per-train mile of 10.78 KWH, or 0.13 KWH per passenger mile. Power is applied to the traction motors in steps to keep current consumption within the proper limits. Acceleration is 1 mph/s, deceleration is 0.44 mph/s. The Bombardier M-VI iteration of the trains use a 750VDC primary power source. The power is inverted into alternating current for the traction motors. AC traction motors, also known as VVVF (Variable-Voltage, Variable-Frequency) motors, are more controllable than DC motors. These are the same types of motors used in the latest Japanese Shinkansen "Bullet" trains. Maximum operating speed is 53 mph (85 km/h) and nominal cruise speed is 45 mph (75 km/h). Acceleration rate is 2.2 mph/s (1.0 m/s2). Normal braking rate is the same. The minimum horizontal radius has been reduced to 175' (53.3m). Maximum sustained gradient is 6%. This design has been proposed for Las Vegas, Houston, and Seattle. This class of trains have been designed to work without an operator by using a moving block train control system (mbtcs) made by Alcatel Canada SEL Division."