I saw a few trees, a couple rivers, etc. and towns and cities broke the monotony of grain fields, too.
Should canada have high-speed rail?
- Thread starter countryboy
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I'm wondering if frost heaves would be negated by a raised track situation, at least for some of it. At the speeds we're talking, I don't think things like level crossings would work either...."Martha, did you hear someth..." crunch.
That would be my solution for frost heave. Curves would be another problem. Topography in Northern Ontario and through the Rockies doesn't allow for two mile easements.
Oops, I should have known you (and Ron) would pick up on that one! Ha, ha...just having a little "prairie fun" there. Hey, I'm so prairie I still have traces of cowpies on my boots and wheat chaff in my underwear!
(And that tree east of Regina is a nice one!) :lol::lol::lol:
A combination of high speed rail in the flatter more navigable areas, and dome cars for the mountains. The idea of riding a bullet train takes the all the magic out of railing in the mountains.
I think the prairies are best seen and appreciated by car, but then I'm a prairie chicken. Bullet trains with all the kinks worked out would be a great way to cross the prairies for those disinclined to view prairie scenery.
It's just a thought. :smile:
I think the prairies are best seen and appreciated by car, but then I'm a prairie chicken. Bullet trains with all the kinks worked out would be a great way to cross the prairies for those disinclined to view prairie scenery.
It's just a thought. :smile:
Actually, you might be surprised at how much scenery you can take in at those high speeds. On certain stretches, Japan's bullet trains can be annoying at they shoot through lots of tunnels, but on the flat stretches, it's actually quite nice. You'd still see the prairies no problem...you'd just see them faster.
You have that right... the faster part I mean. I don't know of many cars out there that can travel at 300+ miles or kilometers an hour. :lol::lol::lol:
Yup. If a tiny little country like Japan can have both sorts of railway traffic, the wide open spaces of Canuckville could, too.
Explain the joke to me then, please.
OK, let's see...Well, many parts of the country except for the much of the far north have trees. Quite a few trees. And, parts of southern Saskatchewan don't have very many trees. Therefore, having "the tree" on the north side of Hwy1 east of Regina is quite a thing to behold.
I think it's within sight of the current rail line thus making it a possible "point of interest" if a passenger train went by. Mind you, it must be in sight because I recall if you step up on a tuna can in roughly the same location, you can see Winnipeg!
(I know, that's old but still sorta' funny)...
East bound about 10km from Regina you see plenty of trees all the way to Halifax. West bound is a different story. We complain about Yanks not knowing Cdn geography....
Back on track to original post.
I like traveling by rail as much as possible. Just not in Canada.
We can easily add High Speed Rail using good old existing lines and existing Cdn technology and equipment. The Jet Train
Bombardier makes a jet turbine train that is very efficient, needs no wires and can run on existing tracks.
Believe it or not VIA gets up to 160km/h on the prairie which is about all the diesel electrics can handle. The track isn't the limiting factor.
The JetTrain is an experimental high-speed passenger train built by Bombardier Transportation in an attempt to make European-style high-speed service more financially appealing to passenger railways in North America. It uses the same LRC-derived tilting carriages as the Acela Express trains that Bombardier sold to Amtrak in the 1990s and a similar locomotive, but instead of being powered by overhead lines as is the Acela and most other high-speed trains, it is powered by a combination of small diesel engine for low speed and turboshaft engines for high speeds.
I did the train trip from Montreal to Vancouver and back in the '70s. One big party both ways. What a way to travel. The train even stopped at a couple of lookouts in the rockies for passengers to get out and take photos.
We just travelled from Halifax to Prince Rupert by rail.
We stopped for short stays a few times, to break up the
trip and see some sites.
The train trip is awsome. I loved every minute of it.
Slows life down, you can see everything, and I loved
everything I saw, including the prairies and the boreal
forests. A bullet train would be good for those needing
to save the time that a train usually allows. Probably
never will happen in the west, unless it was just in the
fraser valley/vancouver area.
Maybe in the east 'corridors', can't imagine anywhere else.
We stopped for short stays a few times, to break up the
trip and see some sites.
The train trip is awsome. I loved every minute of it.
Slows life down, you can see everything, and I loved
everything I saw, including the prairies and the boreal
forests. A bullet train would be good for those needing
to save the time that a train usually allows. Probably
never will happen in the west, unless it was just in the
fraser valley/vancouver area.
Maybe in the east 'corridors', can't imagine anywhere else.
The high-speed rail that China has needs special stations and most are located 1 hour outside the cities, traveling 300 KPH at ground level may not be exactly enjoying the scenery for everyone, make sure you have a little plastic bag with you.