I read in a newspaper that the recent edition of the 'Hot Off the Wire' podcast contains a report on 'long trains', their strengths and their dangers. This is very much my subject area because I am a railfan and worship trains as the greatest human invention next to radio. So I went searching on the web for 'Hot Off the Wire', and find that its bound up within podsites that offer no way of grabbing the mp3 file for use on KDX.
Some main points I expect to hear include the fact that railroads earn more on freight transportation by stacking trains up to three miles long rather than running more smaller trains. But contrast this with the fact that rail companies want to reduce crew size from two men to one. That would put one man in charge of a three mile long train. What could possibly go wrong?
I'll now waste part of the day looking for 'Hot Off the Wire'.
I found it!
How?
I kept looking.
This string thread ends up being more about trains than search engines, but I will comment on what I found:
The reporter told us that long trains are more apt to derail because of physics.
And I would add: put one man in charge of putting a three-mile long train back on the tracks and it will be a lot like putting one person in charge of re-erecting a fallen 2,000-foot radio tower.
Carl, what was that story you told (about 15 years ago here) about the guy who broadcast part 15 from a old train car? A caboose I think. I thought that was so cool. Can't remember the details, but the train car was sitting by a parking lot or something and not connected to a train.. Does this ring any bells?
@ RichPowers Yes, there is a Low Power Hour with a guest that operated a licensed radio station from a railroad passenger car that was parked somewhere.
I think that grew out of a blog I wrote about the idea of putting a part 15 station on a train car, maybe a caboose.
The railroads sell off old rolling stock and I once toured some Amtrak passenger cars for sale at $3,000 each. It would be up to the buyer to get it moved. My wife talked me out of the idea.