Makes PresBO's train plans look silly

[..]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7397846/Kings-Cross-to-Beijing-in-two-days-on-new-high-speed-rail-network.html

[Chrisj CMA]

But Obama can claim credit for financing much of it cant he

[MP]

Why not?  Joe Biden said last week the one of the first years main accomplishments of the Obama Admin was the winning of the war in Iraq!  Now, that takes gall!  Both he and Obama tried everything they could to derail Bush in Iraq, and, now that the surge worked, they claim credit!

MP

[Black Pearl's Captain]

How do you keep elephants and water buffalo off of a track for a 200 mph train across Asia-India?

Raymond

[Jay]

I give up.  How do you keep elephants and water buffaloes off the track?

[Black Pearl's Captain]

I have no idea but they shall soon find out.

I do think a high speed train in USA would be good. It would never save a nickel over air travel but there is always those few SmokinJoeskeerdycats that won't fly to Vegas.

Now where will our train go to and from? Of course it needs to pass thru central USA (wichita ks.) and stop here please. No trouble finding somewhere for a train to hit 250 across Kansas or Ne. or Wy or SD or ND or OK or....

Raymond

[JimL]

I like the idea of high speed trains, and there are some technical challenges to overcome in order to reduce the risk of traveling 300mph over land.  I would imagine that it would be more difficult to defeat the threat of terrorism, than the threat posed by water buffalo or elephants.

[Jay]

Yep, sounds good.  No elephants or water buffaloes in the central U.S.

[Jess from VA]

Here's an oslama train:

Camel vs Train

[Black Pearl's Captain]

Moose Hit By Train

[Black Pearl's Captain]

Tornado Derails A Train & the Train Cab View of it all

[Moonshot_1]

High speed trains might sound good in theory but in this country I can't see them being practical or economical.

In urban areas, trains can be an economical and practical form of transport. But cross country? I can't believe that you could have enough travellers to recoup the investment.
It can be done in other countries because of the lack of other kinds of transportation infrastructure. We got plenty roads and air transport infrastructure to make train travel the less attractive option. I don't see the dollars there to support the infrastructure for a high speed rail system. A 300mph train can't possibly run safetly on the current rail infrastructure.

Security would be an issue too. Derailing a 300 mph train would be quite spectacular. Securing 10s of thousands of miles of tracks (assuming we are networking urban areas) would be a bit difficult.


Then we'd of course have the engines built by the lowest bidder. Which would likely be Toyota.

[John Schmidt]

I have no idea but they shall soon find out.

I do think a high speed train in USA would be good. It would never save a nickel over air travel but there is always those few SmokinJoeskeerdycats that won't fly to Vegas.

Now where will our train go to and from? Of course it needs to pass thru central USA (wichita ks.) and stop here please. No trouble finding somewhere for a train to hit 250 across Kansas or Ne. or Wy or SD or ND or OK or....

Raymond

I can remember as a kid, my dad was working on his Masters degree at University of Colo. in Boulder during the summers. It was during the war and instead of driving out each summer, we took the Rock Island Rocket.  My folks were both teachers & we lived in SW Iowa at the time,  so we took the train from Omaha to Denver...the old steam engine back then. A later version was diesel, but it didn't have the same "mystique" as the huffer. I'll never forget going across the prairie, that sucker running wide open, trailing smoke for a 1/4 miles or more behind it and approaching 100mph at times. Just the sound of the engine throbbing up front at high speed would lull you to sleep.

[stormrider]

Yes sir, and who's gonna pay for it and who will reap the benefits or should I say, profits from it's construction? Remeber PennCentral? It got busted in two, the frieght service thrived, we got the pasenger service; Amtrak, still in the red.

[Tx Bohemian]

Then we'd of course have the engines built by the lowest bidder. Which would likely be Toyota.

In the words of Larry:
"That's funny right there, I don't care who you are!"

If that does happen with Toyota let's hope they put some kind of kill/disconnect on the motor and a good set of brakes!!