Samurai Hoghead

A man and a woman were expecting their first child. The pregnancy was normal all the way. The woman even went into labor on the exact day expected for the birth. All was well.

In the labor room the dutiful father to be was right as his wife’s side. Having been through the Lamaze classes together he was helping her with the breathing exercises and all was going well.

Suddenly the OB says to the expectant father, “Uh oh. We’re going to have to rush your wife into surgery. You’re not allowed in the operating room so please go to the waiting room and I will come and get you once we know what is going on.”

The father did as he was told and waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the OB shows up and said, “There is no easy way to tell you this but your new baby has a congenital birth defect.”

The anxious father was on his feet immediately. “What’s wrong? Is it serious?”

The OB says, “I think it’s better if you just follow me to the nursery.”

Once there they stood at the viewing window. A nurse picked up the baby that was wrapped in blankets and brought the newborn close to the viewing window and pulled the blanket back. What the father saw was just a big, hairy butt with one eyeball right in the middle.

The devastated father wailed, “Oh my God ! What could possibly be worse ?”

Then the OB said, “It’s blind.”

Terrible. Just terrible.

Would you do something you did not do, or would you undo something you did?

All modern trains have one source of power, and four braking systems. Engine brake that can be operated independently, the automatic air brakes that apply and release on cars, dynamic brake and finally the handbrake. Overall, if the retarding effort available could be turned into power, there would be enough to put the train in orbit.

Here is what the carriers want to do: “Reducing the frequency of safety-sensitive air brake inspections would degrade safety and would place the lives of our members and the public at risk.” BLET Journal, September 2016.

The ARR petitioned the FRA for a waiver that would allow freight trains to travel up to 2,600 miles beyond current requirements of inspection every 1,500 miles.

The AAR intends to use a technology that surmises brake application causes the wheels to heat. They want to employ heat detectors the same as we use for finding overheated journals on specific cars, only detecting wheels that are too cool indicating inoperative brakes. ON A SPECIFIC CAR.

The purpose of the air brake tests they want to curtail will tell WHETHER THE BRAKES CAN BE APPLIED AT ALL!

Write your representatives and protest these proposed changes. WE have to be our own LOBBYISTS! We can't afford professionals like the carriers can. Otherwise, when a train scatters all over hell and back in your town, remember I tried to tell you.

Sorry about the unorthodox question, but this is the only way I know that this question may not be hijacked and sent to Beauty & Style.

Merchant Marine ships of Japanese registry usually have the word (name?) "Maru" tagged on the end. So, does this word have a meaning? Is it applied to shipping alone?

Just wondering. Thanks in advance.

Many ships of Japanese registry contain the word "Maru" at the end.

Does the word Maru mean something in the Japanese language? Is it applied to shipping on other modes of transportation?

Just wondering. Thanks in advance.

I am a railroad modeler and am going to install a decoder in a locomotive for DCC operation.

The manufacturer of the decoder says to build a test track to make sure any mistake in wiring won't create damage by installing a 27 ohm resistor to limit current.

The manufacturer of the DCC unit employed for control came with a test track device, pre-built, incorporating a 120 ohm/ 2watt resistor. If memory serves, that 120 ohm voltage attenuation is more than the 27 ohm, so it should be safe.

Am I right?

Thanks in advance for the input...

The question is about the Mallet and Vauclain compound steam engines.

Cross compound engines were always in sync because they work from one side to the other.

Articulated, tandem compounds is where my understanding falls apart.

The engines found there get out of sync to reasons such as a loss of traction on one engine or the other.

How then can the steam be expanded the second time as all compounds do? Railroads went to single expansion fairly quickly as engines were shopped.

So. How does the high pressure and low pressure cylinders expand, if out of sync? Seems it would blow out the cylinder fronts.

I think the Chiel answered the first time.

Any help short of finding a mechanical engineer?

For a while, my obsolete computer wouldn't let me navigate in Answers USA, so I switched my account to Answers Canada, where it worked.

Now, I want to return to the USA site, but cannot figure out how to do it.

Any help out there?

Thanks in advance.

No matter the happenstance, if you could re-live any period of 24hrs in your past, would you do something you did not do, or would you undo something you did?

I'll start the ball rolling.

In the did not do but wish you did do department was Vickie.

Yours?

Most folks here say it's easy. Wanna know the truth? Here are some questions with easy answers:

1 With regard to the AB valve, what are the 3 stages of preliminary quick service? Hmm...

2 When the PC (pneumatic control) opens it's always bad news. What is that?

3 At what pressure does a 90lbs. brake pipe equalize? Dunno? An open PC is in your immediate future.

4 How about that Independent Pressure Switch with relation to extended range dynamic brake? We see that when?

5 What is accelerated service release, and how can that cause an unintentional release of brakes because of the air brake maintaining feature?

6 Of course everyone knows what feed valve braking is, so we'll not get into it.

That should get the ball starting to roll. Lemme know when we get to the easy part...

A wealthy traveler drives into the sleepy hamlet of Dunsmuir, Ca. looking to do some fishing in the world class fisheries along the upper Sacramento river, which also is a hotspot for rail-fanning.

The economy was in the dump and everyone lived on credit.

Only one motel with a vacancy, so the traveler puts a good faith $100 bill on the counter saying he wanted to see the rooms before booking, suspecting a flea trap.

Only room in town, and sure of a sale, the hotel owner dashes next door to pay the butcher bill with the C-note for the meat for the restaurant that served last week.

The butcher then races to the rancher and pays his bill with the Benjamin.

Rancher settles to pay off the local prostitute.

Then she runs to the hotel to pay for her room that she used last week on credit and she puts the C-note back on the counter.

The traveler then walks down the stairs saying the room wasn't satisfactory, picked up his C-note and drives out of town.

Economic woes settled in full, everyone gets a better credit rating and now can repeat the cycle.

I started working with the best conductors on the planet on SPs Sacramento and Oregon Divisions in 1972. And as razor sharp as they were, not all of them would have been good candidates for promotion to locomotive engineer. The reason is simple. There are different skill sets needed to be proficient at either.

However at present, conductors MUST take promotion to engineer or have their employment terminated. The only reason why is to continue to force the consolidation of the crafts. Because of the money they make in doing so.

So, whether or not a person is a good candidate for the position is moot. They are going to be jammed behind the throttle regardless of aptitude.

An extreme analogy, but this is like requiring air port baggage handlers to ascend to the captain's seat whether they can handle the job or not.

On what planet is this not insane?

Wouldn't you agree?

Starting in 1972, I worked with the best conductors on the planet on SP's Sacramento and Oregon Divisions. But, not all of them would have made good candidates for promotion to an engineer's position. The primary reason why is there are different skill sets needed to be proficient at either.

Today, conductors MUST take promotion to engineer or have their employment terminated. This is for one reason only. It is a part of the ongoing attempt by the carriers to consolidate the crafts.

So, whether possessed of the necessary skills or not, a person gets forced behind the throttle.

This applies to freight operations as well, and those are far more demanding than running passenger trains.

On what level is this sane? I mean, it's like requiring airline baggage handlers to ascend to the pilot seat, isn't it?

Would you agree?

Long story short. I am writing a non-fiction book.

In it I have a person whom (the person himself did not tell me, someone else did) was said to be a member of the AVG (Flying Tigers).

How can I confirm that this is true information? He will get his accolades but if not true, I don t want to disseminate incorrect info.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Of those images noted as copy right material I have tried to find the owners of this material to get their permission for use of the material.

No contacts have been made.

Having my hands tied in this matter, what is the recourse, if any. It has been suggested that I set aside a portion of the sales (if there is one) to cover any exigencies in the future.

So, what now?

Thanks in advance

With regard to an articulated tandem compound it is easy to determine which is the low pressure and high pressure cylinders.

But what about simple expansion articulated engines both under one boiler? Assuming a Yellowstone Whyte's arrangement 4-8-8-2, of which is the number one engine? Nearer the smokebox or nearer the fire?

Now, turn that around and we are talking about an SP cab-forward, a Yellowstone running in reverse. Are the number 1 and number 2 engines, as I am confident I can learn here, the same? Or, running reverse, the designation changes?

I've checked Baldwin, Lima and ALCO builder's info but I still do not know which is the number 1 engine and the number 2 engine in either case.

I appreciate the help.

... they called it "PMS" because "Mad Cow Disease" was already taken?

Thanks for helping me figure this out.

Not posted in the wrong category. The international demographics here are tremendous.

I've been locked in mortal combat with the gopher from hell and its progeny since 1986. I have a chair in the garden and last night they undermined it and I almost wound up on my butt this am.

What doesn't work:

Those smoke bombs you light and stick in a hole and cover. Just pissed 'em off and the half burnt stick was shoved out of the hole the next am. Chewing gum. Supposed to plug 'em up and kill 'em. They had it for dessert.

What else is there? But I don't want to just kill 'em. I want them to feel the agony my squash and garlic felt.

Any help?