Trains

Full collection https://imgur.com/a/trains-netherlands-2024-7Khumf2

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/31762027

Signatures is at 22,853.

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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were briefed on Wednesday on the dangerous chemical leak from a railcar near Cincinnati, Ohio, that has prompted evacuations of school buildings and homes.

The White House announced that the US president had been briefed on the leak of styrene from a parked railcar in Whitewater Township, near Cleves, on the outskirts of Cincinnati, on Tuesday, saying: “Federal Railroad Administration and Environmental Protection Agency officials are on the ground assisting with hazmat operations and air quality testing.

“The president has directed his team to provide any resources that may be needed. We urge residents to heed the warnings of emergency personnel, especially those instructed to evacuate,” it added.

And a White House official said that Harris, the US vice-president and the Democratic party nominee for president in this November’s election, was coordinating with officials and she and Biden “urge residents to heed the warnings of emergency personnel, especially those instructed to evacuate”.

Aerial video showed firefighters spraying down the car, which was sitting upright on tracks between a highway and an asphalt plant.

Authorities said a pressure release valve on it was leaking styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical used to make plastic and rubber. It can cause headaches, nausea and respiratory issues, and long-term exposure can lead to more serious health problems including organ damage.

Anyone within a half-mile of the area was advised to leave immediately. Residents just outside the evacuation area were told by the authorities to stay inside and keep their windows closed.

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Vancouver West Coast Express EMD F59PH

This shiny locomotive carries commuters in and out of the heart of #Vancouver every weekday. It has 5 inbound trips in the morning and 5 outbound in the evening, past Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge to as far out as Mission, #BritishColumbia. It's quite fast compared to rush hour driving, and the views of the Fraser River are a treat. I just wish it went the non-rush directions at least a couple times a day.

#train #railway #transit @trains

so get it while you can

Example: If you bought the HHR route for Train Sim World 2, clicking on the "install game" button on Steam for the TSW5 free starter pack (no, you don't have to install it) will automatically give you the TSW5 version of the HHR route with no further steps; if you're on PlayStation, you do need to do the same process for TSW4 first.

Any model railroad enthusiast want to expand their 1:1 scale collection?

https://www.caltrainstore.com/special-items

#Caltrain will be auctioning their diesel EMD F40PH-2 in the next month or two, with the engine removed. These engines were replaced by the new electric locos. Transport and storage will be buyer's responsibility.

#Train #railroad #railway @trains

There’s a new train pulling into the station in San Bernardino, a southern California city about 60 miles from Los Angeles. From the outside, it looks like any other commuter train, with three passenger carriages, blocky windows and a colourful blue exterior.

But inside, it’s unlike anything the region – or the country – has seen before. The $20m Zero-Emission Multiple Unit, known as Zemu, uses a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery system to propel the train and run other onboard electrical systems. The only byproduct of the fuel cell is water vapour, a welcome change in an area known as the Inland Empire that suffers from some of the worst air quality rates in the country.

The new technology will make Zemu the first hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions passenger train in North America to meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements when it goes into service early next year.

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I just moved and I live literally window to a freight train line, unfortunately it scares the crap out of my cats and so I'm trying to find out what the schedule is so that I can close the windows for them, and maybe put a little raspberry pi display screen saying something like "next train arriving in...." Next to my window

CN and CPKC locked out employees across Canada on Thursday 22 Aug 2024, due to a labour dispute between them and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

I got this picture a few weeks ago coming home from my morning hike with my dogs.

It had I think two flat cars one of which had a crane mounted to it. I do not recall the cars past those flats, I was too focused on the engine.

I saw it again yesterday coming home from my dad’s house.

6:10 if you're into kinky train sounds :D

Using an old 'gravity slate train' and an engine, he uses the tracks in the timetabled trains downtime. What a time to be alive. And gravity trains too: https://youtu.be/-A7sZVgct3E

Although US coal consumption has fallen dramatically since 2005, the country still consumes millions of tons a year, and exports tons more—much of it transported by train. Now, new research shows that these trains can affect the health of people living near where they pass.

The study found that residents living near railroad tracks likely have higher premature mortality rates due to air pollutants released during the passage of uncovered coal trains. The analysis of the San Francisco Bay Area cities of Oakland, Richmond, and Berkeley shows that increases in air pollutants such as small particulate matter (PM 2.5) are also associated with increases in asthma-related episodes and hospital admissions.

"This has never been studied in the world. There's been a couple studies trying to measure just the air pollution, usually in rural areas, but this was the first to both measure air pollution and trains in an urban setting," said Bart Ostro, author of the study and an epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis.

Persistent coal pollution

Trains carry nearly 70 percent of coal shipments in the United States, leaving a trail of pollution in their wake. And coal exports will have a similar impact during transit. Ostro explained that when uncovered coal trains travel, the coal particles disperse around the railroad tracks. Levels of PM 2.5 "[spread] almost a mile away," he added.

As a result, the mere passage of coal trains could affect the health of surrounding communities. Ostro was particularly concerned about how these pollutants could harm vulnerable populations living near the coal export terminal in Richmond. Previous census data had already shown that those in Richmond who live around the rail line have mortality rates 10 to 50 percent higher than the county average. Communities in Oakland could be at risk, too, since discussions are underway to build a new coal export terminal in the region.

But before researchers could study the health effects of these air pollutants, they first had to understand how much was spread by passing trains. This was a challenge in itself because coal trains aren't scheduled like regular passenger trains.

To ensure that researchers could measure all trains and pollutants, Ostro and his team developed a monitoring system with three main components: a weather station to provide meteorological parameters, an air quality sensor to track air pollution levels, and an AI-trained camera to recognize coal trains. The trained cameras were critical to the entire project, identifying different types of trains: full coal trains, empty coal trains, freight trains, and passenger trains.

With the system in place, Ostro's team measured pollution levels and was able to attribute them directly to coal trains. Their results, published last year, showed that coal trains and terminal operations added a significant amount of PM 2.5 pollution to urban areas, more than other freight or passenger trains. Passing coal trains added an average of eight μg/m3 to ambient pollution. This is two to three micrograms more than freight trains contribute. Even empty coal cars contribute to increased pollution levels due to traces of coal dust.

Particulate problems

This year, in a follow-up study, researchers combined these findings with US Census data and health studies to understand how this increase might affect local communities. They estimated that more than 260,000 people would be exposed to some increase in annual PM 2.5, and that such exposure was associated with significant mortality and morbidity.

Health effects were quantified for three different scenarios based on different wind conditions. In the worst-case scenario, where there’s an increase of about two μg/m3 near the railway line, modeling suggests that premature mortality would increase by 1.3 percent. Hospital admissions for conditions such as chronic lung disease, pneumonia, and cardiovascular disease would also increase by 4.7 percent, 6.2 percent, and 2.2 percent, respectively. Although these are relatively small numbers in a small population, Ostro points out that they could be extrapolated to larger populations in other countries.

"The way I see it, this is a microcosm of what could be happening globally," he added. While coal use—and the transportation of that coal—is declining in the US and the European Union, the same isn't happening everywhere. In countries like China and India, for example, coal use is increasing, and populations living near the railroads that transport that coal could be at risk.

"These findings have major implications beyond San Francisco and the US," said Michel Abramson from Monash University in Australia, who wasn't involved in the study. The researcher thinks Ostro's assessment "fills an important gap" by looking at the health effects of transporting coal in uncovered rail cars but doesn't think there are any solutions to mitigate the problem other than stopping the use of coal.

"Covering the coal cars might not solve the problem, because it could increase the risk of fires," he added. "Ultimately the world needs to phase out the mining, transport, and combustion of coal, not only to reduce the risks of climate change, but also to improve the health of the population."

Some transit vehicles on "The T" in Boston recently received googly eyes, spurred on by a local campaign.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/boston-trains-googly-eyes-1.7253577

@trains #Boston #trains #mbta