Rube On Rails

A tongue-in-cheek “English version” of the Oslo...

ellsass — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:21:00 -0400

A tongue-in-cheek “English version” of the Oslo metro map. I’m sure many liberties were taken in the translation, but it still makes for a humorous take on Norwegian naming.

Via Reddit.

Photo

ellsass — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:00:06 -0400

Istanbul FerriesAlright, these aren’t trains, and they...

ellsass — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:00:06 -0400

Istanbul Ferries

Alright, these aren’t trains, and they don’t even travel on land. But they’re an essential Istanbuli experience, and one used daily by millions of Turkish commuters crossing the Bosphorous between the European and Asian sides.

"Empire Corridor Capacity Improvements: Final Phase Signal Improvements Hudson Line: At a cost of..."

ellsass — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:00:06 -0400

“

Empire Corridor Capacity Improvements: Final Phase Signal Improvements Hudson Line: At a cost of $18.6 million this project will replace the final 48 miles of the Hudson Line signal system between Poughkeepsie and Albany and bury the signal cable. The current system is 30 years old and outages in inclement weather account for most of the delay affecting all trains between Albany and New York City.

Empire Corridor Capacity Improvements: Final Phase 4th Track Construction at Rensselaer Station: This $35.4 million project will complete work at the new Rensselaer Station which was opened in 2002. The funding will be used to construct a new fourth track, extended platforms, realignment of existing tracks and new signal system.

”

- Good to hear they’re looking to smooth out service in my neck of the woods. From Transportation Nation, http://transportationnation.org/2011/04/04/ny-governor-andrew-cuomo-applying-for-high-speed-rail/

New York Subway 1986 NYC -directors cut- with stereo audio...

ellsass — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:00:07 -0400

New York Subway 1986 NYC -directors cut- with stereo audio track.mpg (by RailroadPacific)

(via @keepalbanyboring)

Resistance to high-speed rail in Upstate NY; meanwhile, Southern conservatives make the case for it

ellsass — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:00:06 -0400

Resistance to high-speed rail in Upstate NY; meanwhile, Southern conservatives make the case for it:

Sorry to hear this about my home!

30th Anniversary of the First High Speed Train in France

ellsass — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 08:00:07 -0400

30th Anniversary of the First High Speed Train in France

New rail tunnel linking NJ and NYC announced

ellsass — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:00:07 -0400

New rail tunnel linking NJ and NYC announced:

After a similar project was shutdown by NJ Governor Christie in October 2010, Amtrak and New Jersey’s (federal) Senators have announced a new plan — a tunnel that will carry another 13 PATH trains per hour and 8 more Amtrak trains. It would stop at Newark Penn and Secaucus Junction before crossing under the Hudson river and terminating at Penn Station, which would be expanded.

I would rather have a terminal at Grand Central, but I won’t lose too much sleep if this happens!

Passing through an Istanbul aqueduct I can’t say I feel sorry...

ellsass — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 08:00:06 -0400

Passing through an Istanbul aqueduct

I can’t say I feel sorry for the crawling cars (or myself, as I’m on a bus) having to slow down to make way for a bit of Antiquity.

Riding the tourist trolley up Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul,...

ellsass — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:00:06 -0400

Riding the tourist trolley up Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul, Turkey

It’s not all fun and trains. This old time trolley/tram (it looks like a trolley but rides along a track) still hauls tourists up and down the Europe-esque Istiklal Caddesi in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu neighborhood. It’s tourtisty as all get out, it only makes sense if you’re traveling in the uphill direction on a hot day, and it doesn’t have any stops other than the two terminals, but it’s a fun thing to do on your first visit.

Here’s a photo of the trolley from the ground:

Car-loads of German fans arrive in Vienna for the Euro 2008...

ellsass — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:00:07 -0400

Car-loads of German fans arrive in Vienna for the Euro 2008 final

If you want to see people being brought together by transit, or football (soccer), or both, look no further than the next major tournament. The Viennese U-Bahn was pulsing with fans making their way into the center of the city on the night of the final between Spain and Germany. Each car had its own raucous sing-along and the atmosphere was impossible to ignore.

If one platform was swarming with German fans, walk further down and find a band of Spanish ‘matadors’.

DOT Gives NY State $3.3 Million for High-Speed Rail | Transportation Nation

ellsass — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:47:54 -0400

DOT Gives NY State $3.3 Million for High-Speed Rail | Transportation Nation:

Two miles. High speed between Cohoes and Watervliet? (I kid, I’m thankful for anything.)

Transportation wing, Deutsches Museum, Munich The...

ellsass — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:05:07 -0400

Transportation wing, Deutsches Museum, Munich

The science-oriented Deutsches Museum is easily my favorite in the world. It has an entire building dedicated to (I hope you’re sitting down) transportation. There are even separate wings for trains (with actual train and U-Bahn cars), cars, planes, and other modes such as bicycles and funiculars. When I return to Munich I plan to set aside at least a day for this alone.

caragallardoweil: Mind the GapJohn S lens, Kodot XGrizzled...

ellsass — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:00:07 -0400

caragallardoweil:

Mind the Gap
John S lens, Kodot XGrizzled film

Inside & Out The U-Bahn, Berlin, Germany, July 2008

ellsass — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:00:07 -0400

Inside & Out

The U-Bahn, Berlin, Germany, July 2008

Photo

ellsass — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:00:06 -0400

Photo

ellsass — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:05:06 -0400

Munich S-Bahn and U-Bahn Not surprisingly, this is one of my...

ellsass — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:06 -0400

Munich S-Bahn and U-Bahn

Not surprisingly, this is one of my favorite photos that I took during my trip to Germany. It shows just how seamlessly the trains integrate with the city. Riding them is nearly as effortless as walking.

About the name

ellsass — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:49:06 -0400

“Rube On Rails” is a play on Ruby On Rails. When I’m not wishing for a more track-filled world, I’m a web designer and developer. (I don’t actually use Ruby on Rails myself, but I never pass up the opportunity for a good pun.)

There is a double meaning. A rube, of course, is an unsophisticated person. That may be me, but I really mean to apply it to my country, the United States. It’s a great country with an enviable transportation infrastructure — a canopy of planes zooming overhead, light-years of smooth highways, and yes, even some urban metros.

But America has a rube-like attitude when it comes to trains. Sure, we have some, mainly along the east coast. But their limited timetables, snail’s pace, and lack of funding cements them as second-class citizens in the realm of transit. Ask anyone how they’d make a 300-mile jaunt and 99 out of 100 will say either car or plane. Trains are just considered inferior, if they’re even considered at all.

It’s a shame, really. We have a country full of people who will spend hours each day idling their car in a traffic jam, blood pressure rising as they shoot daggers into the motionless drivers ahead of them. Most of them don’t know that their German, Japanese, or French counterparts simply don’t exist. They don’t realize how much a simple light rail system would improve their quality of life.

Most sizable towns and outlying suburbs would benefit greatly from light rail, as would cities connected by high-speed rail. Train enthusiasts know of the economic benefits brought on by such systems, and travelers to other parts of the Western world and east Asia have seen it first hand. But the powers the be — both the politicians in charge of the budgets and the citizens who elect them — remain either unaware of this or, even worse, apathetic about it.

In short, other countries have been modernized and improved by the benevolent trust in the foresight of transit experts, while my country’s progress remains stymied by the rule of rubes.

Why, hello there.

ellsass — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:48:51 -0400

I’m a rail fanatic. No, not the kind of guy who builds a miniature HO set in his garage (though I can see the appeal).

I’m a transit fanatic. All it took was one trip to Europe to fall in love with high speed trains and metros.

My dream? To sell my car and never drive again. To spend my daily commute reading instead of stressing. To think of planes as mere ocean-crossers.

But alas, here I am in suburban America. I can hop on a (normal-speed) train to New York City or Boston, but en route I will stare out the window, wistfully daydreaming of taking the S-Bahn to work.

This blog is where the inspirations of my daydreams will be physically manifested.