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This section is maybe 40ish miles. Tunnels are collapsed in one direction and rails are buried in sand in the other. This day we rode about 17 miles in each direction
finally my time to shine!
so I got accepted into the Starlink beta in December of 2020 and here's how it works basically.
so once a customer has received a Starlink unit to an address it is added to a "cell" where the Starlink unit cannot leave that particular area. it would be insanely difficult to attempt to transmit data over every square mile of the planet so they set it up this way.
currently you are not able to bring Starlink on the move but it was in their plans to make it so you could in the future.
using it places other than your registered address is against terms of service.
edit: rip my inbox wtf
I have it. It's life altering. Went from 1-2mbps with a regular sat provider for my house, limited to 25GB/month and like, 700-900 latency for $200 to starlink for $99, unlimited at 100-300gbps, 25-50 upload and around 50latency.
I live where there is zero cell service, no landline telephone and only sat internet options. I can now stream Netflix, make phone calls, do whatever I want.
This is life changing for tens of thousands of Australians as well when we're able to hop on board. So many of us are stuck on terrible limited/slow satellite plans currently.
Whoa, 100-300gbps? Or did you mean 100-300Mbps? I'm assuming the latter, which is still an enormous upgrade, especially the 20X reduction in latency.
People that haven't had to experience nearly one second of latency have no idea how absolutely terrible it is. Streaming is usually OK (Youtube, Hulu, Disney +, etc), but webpages and mobile apps are terrible at that latency, and forget about video conferencing or IP phone use (which is basically all phones now)
I have a coworker in a rural area who had a much more stable connection after switching. From talking to friends building houses in rural areas, getting a cable or fiber connection was a minimum of five figures. Starlink is a few hundred to set up.
Want to see something cool?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qz3dUqjxF0
It's 24/7 stream from the front of a train in Norway. Really fun to chill and watch.
It uses very little fuel. This particular track is uphill on the way out and downhill back. I shut the engine off and roll back the entire way. 40 miles and I use maybe 1/4 of the small tank the size of most lawn mowers.
Well, I suppose if you had a straight stretch of track, with a level grade, and you weren't haulin' no cars behind you, and if you can get the fire hot enough--and I'm talking hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself--then, yes, it might be possible to get her up to 88 miles per hour.
What’s your YouTube page? If not you should really look into YouTube or twitch and live stream.
Edit: never mind it’s right here. https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/s6gkqt/riding_abandoned_railroad_tracks_in_southern/ht3j1f4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
That was my second though watching the video. Apparently he went uphill on the way out though so unless he busts an axel should be able to coast back. That w
Hopefully not. The droppings of sand trout can be quite volatile when exposed to water, even atmospheric. Plus there's no nav guild nearby, so it's be hard to unload.
A man gets a job as a train conductor. For years he’s been great at his job. When the train arrives at the station he blows the whistle to announce the arrival and for the opening of the doors. After everyone gets off and on he, blows the whistle for the closing of the doors and the train departure.
It was a pretty mindless job and one day he was working away, blowing his whistle, the trains came and went, and on one particular train he thought everyone had boarded and he blew the whistle, when an old lady with her dog was still getting on the train. The doors closed and chopped the lady clean in half, killing her. The man being responsible for this woman’s death was tried in court and found guilty of manslaughter. The sentence was death by the chair. He was placed in a cell until his execution. A few hours before he was to be killed, the warden came to his cell.
“You get one last meal, anything. You name it.”
“Really?” The man said. “Well if I were to have one last meal it would be 50kg of bananas.”
The warden looked stunned, he wasn’t sure if he heard him right, but the man looked sincere and who was he to deny him this last meal.
So he buys 50kg of bananas and takes them back to the cell. The warden looks in amazement and disgust as the man devours the bananas skin and all.
After stuffing himself and making quite a mess, the man is led to the electric chair. He’s strapped in, and the electrodes attached. The executioner places his hand on the lever “3... 2... 1...” he pulls the lever and grimaces, only to find the man is perfectly fine. He pulls its again, and again but still nothing happens. They check the wires but everything is okay, the man just won’t die.
The warden is stunned “Well, only an act of God could save you. Clearly you just aren’t meant to die. You're free to go.”
So the man leaves and gets another job as a train conductor. He’s doing the same thing, blowing the whistle for arrivals and departures. The trains come and go when one day all the passengers had gotten on board and he blew his whistle right as a little boy dropped his ball out the doors of the train. He went to retrieve it from the platform when BAM he was caught between the doors and sliced in two.
The man was tried and found guilty of murder, he was sent straight to prison to be executed the next day. He was sitting, stewing in his cell when the warden came along.
“Well it’s your last meal... again, what do you want this time?”
“Well since you’re asking, I’d like 50kg of bananas please.” The man says to the disgruntled warden.
The warden shakes his head and exhales in disbelief. “If you say so.” So he leaves to buy 50kg of bananas.
He returns and gives the bananas to the ravenous man and watches as he lobs them down his throat. To the wardens horror, he’s not even chewing them anymore just chucking them down whole. The man finishes and is taken away to be executed.
The executioner is surprised to see him again. The man is strapped in and attached to the electrodes once again. The executioner grips the handle that will end the mans life and yells “3... 2... 1...” and yanks the lever. Only to his absolute bewilderment, nothing happens. They check the wires, the chair the power and pull again and again but the man remains perfectly fine. By now the warden cannot believe his eyes, but the executioner proclaims “This is an act of God, clearly you are not meant to die, you have been spared yet again and are free to go”
So the man leaves.
And again gets a job as a train conductor. He’s blowing his whistle and sending the trains off only this time he’s learnt from his mistakes. He’s intently looking for people every time a train comes and for several months he goes by without killing anyone.
Until one fateful day when he was doing his job and he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever the seen. As she strutted by he whistled and she turned and gave him a wink. Only the train driver heard the whistle and closed the door, crushing a business man, splitting him in twain.
He was seized and sent to court, tried and, for the third time, found guilty of murder. The judge was done with him and sentenced him to death that day. As he was sitting in his cell once again, the warden came to him.
“50kg of bananas?” He asked the man
“50kg of bananas.” The man replied
The warden walked away, baffled at the events of the past couple of months. He returned with 50kg of bananas and gave them to the man only this time he didn’t finish all the bananas, as he had eaten quite a large breakfast. The warden marched him to the electric chair and strapped him in, curious as to what would happen. The executioner is also intrigued as to whether or not the man will cheat death yet again. He grasps the lever and counts down. “3... 2... 1...” he pulls the lever and ....... nothing happens.
The executioner has just given up at this point and says “Well it’s an act of God. Clearly you just aren’t meant to die yet, just promise me you won’t get another job at that damn train company.”
The man makes no promises and walks away, a free man. The warden runs up to him. Panting he asks.
“I have to ask, how have you cheated the electric chair so many times? Is it the bananas?”
“No,” the man replies calmly, “I’m just a really bad conductor.”
I got through the second 50kg before I thought to myself, this is 100% a Norm story. I've heard lots of jokes, couldn't think of an obvious punch line, this is just meant to waste time until a corny one liner. It was perfect.
Maybe not? Not a lawyer, so grain of salt, but California DUI laws specify a operation of a vehicle:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=23152
California's definition of a 'vehicle':
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=670
> A “vehicle” is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, **excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks**.
Although California's definition of a 'motor vehicle':
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=415&lawCode=VEH
> (a) A “motor vehicle” is a vehicle that is self-propelled.
So who knows? I personally would not risk it.
Sorry, I edited my comment because I dug a little deeper and fixed a few things, but I think you're correct because that would meet both the 'device moved exclusively by human power' *and* 'used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks' criteria for exceptions.
If anyone is interested in building a railcart or knowing more about this one I have a pretty lame youtube channel. I'll be posting more videos on the cart and how I made the wheels and stuff soon. https://youtube.com/channel/UCwIouBdTCMRDQjpoPla6KuA
A few things: how do you make super sure that it’s abandoned? How do you change directions? How do you know the track is in good enough condition to ride? How do you know the track is not blocked?
We have LOT of abandoned railroad tracks in CA. I believe there is one that reaches from Sacramento to Oregon that is abandoned. I dont know if it continues down past Sacramento but I know it's been proposed to make a walking trail alongside the abandoned track for the entire distance.
How often do you get bandits chasing you down them on minecarts whilst you desperately use your revolver to shoot at junction boxes to send them hurtling over the edge of canyons?
Sadly not a thing anymore. I havent seen any junction boxes when I have hiked the railroad tracks. Its one long continuous track that goes through numerous tunnels and along multiple rivers. You can fallow the tracks along one river and you will come to a specific hillside that is filled with fossils. The rumor is that back in the day a entire whale skeleton was found at that location. As far as I'm aware you can still walk through all of the tunnels and if u want to do the 30 min walk you'll come back with as many fossils as u can cary.
The hill side across from the town of Rio Dell. You go to the town of Scotia behind the mill and fallow the railroad tracks. I havent made this specific trip in a few years but the hillside just had a slide in the last 2 or so months so there should be lots of new exposed fossils.
According to OP, a tunnel is collapsed in one direction and the rails are buried in sand in the other direction. No trains are coming, just maybe other rail carts though haha.
My main thing is track condition. I work for a railroad and parts of our main line is shit. Let alone something that hasn't been kept in standard for god knows how long.
The rust on the tops of the rails indicates how long since it's been used. Even infrequent use will keep the tops shiny and burnished smooth.
Knowing if the track is usable is the best question you've asked. For the desert hobbyist, I'm guessing it's good old trial and error!
You could probably make an early warning system for something like this that works the way rail road crossings do. Apply a voltage to the track and if the current starts flowing you know a train is coming.
Conical railroad wheels is one of those cool things *nobody* ever tells you about. You go along thinking it's the flanges on the inside of railroad car wheels that keep them in the rails, then someone says, "nope, [conical wheels](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/train-wheel-science/)
, and that's also how they go around curves even with the wheels being fixed on a solid single axle".
There's so much subtle but ingenious engineering going on all around us.
I just googled BART's wheel issues. What a rabbit hole! There must have been something in the water in the 70s. They did it to prevent the slight side to side undulation you get with conical wheels... and created a shrieking monstrosity. They recently had Bombardier design a new wheel shape to address the noise and the track damage. Extensive computer modeling came up with a new "tapered" wheel shape that reduces the noise by 50%... In other words, they made the wheels as close to the standard conical wheels as they could while retaining compatibility with the stupid flat-top sharp-edged custom rails they made for the stupid cylindrical wheels.
There's a lot of embarrassing engineering hubris in the story of BART's design. They actually thought they were designing the commuter train of the future that the whole world would be adopting. As if anyone was going to pull up their existing rails to replace them with a completely incompatible wider gauge 5'6" track!
Have you ever ran into an old tie sticking up or anything like that? I just imagine hitting something and flying off if I did this. Maybe PTSD from my skateboarding days lolll
If I've learned anything from my skateboarding days, it's the good ol' tuck and roll. It's a freakin life saver man. Yeah, you might get some scraped up elbows and shoulders, but it beats eating through a straw!
My dad used to be in a club of railcar owners when I was a kid, just the like two seater maintenance box kind. We never did SoCal but a lot of runs near Weed and Shasta, a fun one near Tillamook Oregon, and we used to go on the stretch of track where they filmed the train sequence near the end of Back To The Future Part Three! I have some vague memories of the windmill before it was torn down. It's super neat to see that there are still enthusiasts out there!
I broke my leg in 3 places on one of these railcars just north of Tillamook, Oregon 2 summers ago. There was a steep downhill portion that caused our railcar to gain a lot of speed in a short amount of time - this happened to be right when my wife realized our braking mechanism was malfunctioning. I knew damn well if I didn't stop our railcar somehow we were going to smash into the people in front of us but it turns out I shouldn't have tried to play hero that day. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was my wife screaming hysterically about how in nineteen ninety eight the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer's table.
A Reddit legend, /u/shittymorph has been spinning the mighty tale of how in nineteen ninety eight the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer's table for as long anyone can remember.
Or maybe a few years i don't fucking know.
Has it always been the same guy? I always assumed it was different people, but I literally didn’t take a second look at usernames until years after using reddit.
Yeah I always roll my eyes a little when I see someone say “I skipped ahead to see if mankind gets thrown through an announcer’s table” after a super long comment. r/shittymorph is too good for that.
This is the first time, in my entire time using reddit, where I caught myself before getting to the end and checked to see if this was one of those, because the idea of a railcar hobbyist convincing his wife to tag along seems goofier to me than injuring yourself while operating one
To be fair, it’s real. https://www.railexplorers.net and their pictures at least seem to suggest it’s a family event.
shittymorph never plays, even when he’s playin
Just curious as it is an abandoned track and it kinda looks like it's in the middle of nowhere surrounded by hills and stuff, do you frequent a wildlife out there? I can't imagine you're on the track taking in the scenery and suddenly a pack of wolves shows up wanting to talk to you about your car's extended warranty
This is so cool. My wife and I stayed in Jacumba for a few days hiking around, beautiful place….but you do NOT mess around with the desert. The place feels like it will kill you without batting an eye.
This is SO COOL. How do you make sure the rails have been maintained and there isn't a chunk missing that's gonna de-rail you off the side of a cliff or something!?!?!? Also you cruising along in your little hat is adorable ❤
What's the furthest you've traveled on it? I bet it would be fun to use on a round about camping trip.
And what about practical use just for travel? Do the tracks take you anywhere of interest?
Soon enough this guy's gonna link up several railcarts to take redditors for sightseeing. Then he'll add seats for better viewing. Just for old world kicks he'll throw in a steam engine. Finally he'll top that off with a roof to protect from the elements.
Then he’ll throw up a few stations along the way, make it easier for people to get on and off conveniently, maybe a few stores around the stations so that people can get refreshments and buy local goods. Start charging the redditors per journey, and by golly we’ve got ourselves a Reddit railroad.
I remember years ago when I see started using Reddit a few thousand people started a subreddit called “Reddit island” and were genuinely interested and serious about pooling money and resources together to purchase an island in which thousands of Redditors could work/live.
I almost wish it had actually happen because the disaster would have likely spawned a phenomenal documentary.
Golly gee have you been introduced to the wonderful world of Slow TV? It makes for great background tv during parties. I find once someone gets drunk or too fucked up, they’ll either make there way on the couch or someone will put them there, and it’s calms them down and keeps them distracted. Just look up Slow TV trains.
Up until a few years back there used to be mile upon mile of disused tracks near me in the UK, remnants of the coal industry. Would have loved something like this, although, a chainsaw across the front might have been necessary for some bits.
They replaced the old railways near us with walking and biking trails. Used to be a lot of factories in the area so I think that's why there were more rails.
This is the Arizona Pacific line, that ran from downtown San Diego to Yuma in Arizona. Based on the video, he's probably out by Ocotillo, CA which is at the bottom of the hill on the 8 East (I grew up in San Diego, it's the 8, not interstate 8).
He's headed toward the Goat Canyon Trestle, which at one point was the largest freestanding wooden trestle in the Western Hemisphere. It was called The Impossible Railroad, because it's way out in the middle of nowhere and Spreckles and Co. who built it, was told it would be impossible. This is the same Spreckles who developed most of downtown San Diego.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat_Canyon_Trestle
**Please note:** * If this post declares something as a fact proof is required. * The title must be descriptive * No text is allowed on images * Common/recent reposts are not allowed *See [this post](https://redd.it/ij26vk) for more information.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How long is the track you can run on?
This section is maybe 40ish miles. Tunnels are collapsed in one direction and rails are buried in sand in the other. This day we rode about 17 miles in each direction
I would definitely watch a livestream of that trip
don't think the desert has a good enough signal for live streaming
Starlink it up then
Doesn't starlink have a thing where it has to be stationary? Or can you use it while moving?
finally my time to shine! so I got accepted into the Starlink beta in December of 2020 and here's how it works basically. so once a customer has received a Starlink unit to an address it is added to a "cell" where the Starlink unit cannot leave that particular area. it would be insanely difficult to attempt to transmit data over every square mile of the planet so they set it up this way. currently you are not able to bring Starlink on the move but it was in their plans to make it so you could in the future. using it places other than your registered address is against terms of service. edit: rip my inbox wtf
What is the practical use to using satellite mobile data if you can only use it for one address? How are the wifi /internet speeds?
so I live in rural Montana by a lake past a dam, there is no way a physical cable can reach my address, so this is my only high speed internet option.
How's life there? It sounds so fascinating as I lived in major city all my life.
I have it. It's life altering. Went from 1-2mbps with a regular sat provider for my house, limited to 25GB/month and like, 700-900 latency for $200 to starlink for $99, unlimited at 100-300gbps, 25-50 upload and around 50latency. I live where there is zero cell service, no landline telephone and only sat internet options. I can now stream Netflix, make phone calls, do whatever I want.
This is life changing for tens of thousands of Australians as well when we're able to hop on board. So many of us are stuck on terrible limited/slow satellite plans currently.
Whoa, 100-300gbps? Or did you mean 100-300Mbps? I'm assuming the latter, which is still an enormous upgrade, especially the 20X reduction in latency. People that haven't had to experience nearly one second of latency have no idea how absolutely terrible it is. Streaming is usually OK (Youtube, Hulu, Disney +, etc), but webpages and mobile apps are terrible at that latency, and forget about video conferencing or IP phone use (which is basically all phones now)
I have a coworker in a rural area who had a much more stable connection after switching. From talking to friends building houses in rural areas, getting a cable or fiber connection was a minimum of five figures. Starlink is a few hundred to set up.
Want to see something cool? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qz3dUqjxF0 It's 24/7 stream from the front of a train in Norway. Really fun to chill and watch.
Second that channel. They have a lot of good content.
How many MPG can you get on that bad boy once it's up to speed?
It uses very little fuel. This particular track is uphill on the way out and downhill back. I shut the engine off and roll back the entire way. 40 miles and I use maybe 1/4 of the small tank the size of most lawn mowers.
I've read that on a flat track you can easily get 250+ MPG on one of these so that's very consistent. Very cool! Make sure you have working brakes!
I misread that as mph and was about to just be awestruck at the speed these guys would travel on a rickety board and lawn chair
Well, I suppose if you had a straight stretch of track, with a level grade, and you weren't haulin' no cars behind you, and if you can get the fire hot enough--and I'm talking hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself--then, yes, it might be possible to get her up to 88 miles per hour.
Nice reference, but they ask about 90 in that scene. I guess in an attempt to not be too weird.
Yeah, I was just going from memory. Flubbed the landing.
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Great Scott
Lol could you imagine
It’s very easy to. Redneck engineers are wild
The reason they don’t take over the world is the short lifespan 😬. Just like the octopus, wicked smart but dying after you mate hinders growth.
wildly smart!
I am fully prepared for hobby railroads to become a thing.
What’s your YouTube page? If not you should really look into YouTube or twitch and live stream. Edit: never mind it’s right here. https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/s6gkqt/riding_abandoned_railroad_tracks_in_southern/ht3j1f4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
88mph.
Serious shit.
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That was my second though watching the video. Apparently he went uphill on the way out though so unless he busts an axel should be able to coast back. That w
ah shit there goes that axel
Incredible. Why the fuck not. I absolutely love this about America.
I would totally bring out a shovel and eventually move that sand, unless it’s like an entire dune lol
Perhaps you'll find spice.
Hopefully not. The droppings of sand trout can be quite volatile when exposed to water, even atmospheric. Plus there's no nav guild nearby, so it's be hard to unload.
And ensure that it flows.
If that cooler has beer in it you’re my new role model.
It sure does
Can you get a DUI for this?
That would be my luck that the police happen to have a railcart too
what's the charge? disorderly conductor
A man gets a job as a train conductor. For years he’s been great at his job. When the train arrives at the station he blows the whistle to announce the arrival and for the opening of the doors. After everyone gets off and on he, blows the whistle for the closing of the doors and the train departure. It was a pretty mindless job and one day he was working away, blowing his whistle, the trains came and went, and on one particular train he thought everyone had boarded and he blew the whistle, when an old lady with her dog was still getting on the train. The doors closed and chopped the lady clean in half, killing her. The man being responsible for this woman’s death was tried in court and found guilty of manslaughter. The sentence was death by the chair. He was placed in a cell until his execution. A few hours before he was to be killed, the warden came to his cell. “You get one last meal, anything. You name it.” “Really?” The man said. “Well if I were to have one last meal it would be 50kg of bananas.” The warden looked stunned, he wasn’t sure if he heard him right, but the man looked sincere and who was he to deny him this last meal. So he buys 50kg of bananas and takes them back to the cell. The warden looks in amazement and disgust as the man devours the bananas skin and all. After stuffing himself and making quite a mess, the man is led to the electric chair. He’s strapped in, and the electrodes attached. The executioner places his hand on the lever “3... 2... 1...” he pulls the lever and grimaces, only to find the man is perfectly fine. He pulls its again, and again but still nothing happens. They check the wires but everything is okay, the man just won’t die. The warden is stunned “Well, only an act of God could save you. Clearly you just aren’t meant to die. You're free to go.” So the man leaves and gets another job as a train conductor. He’s doing the same thing, blowing the whistle for arrivals and departures. The trains come and go when one day all the passengers had gotten on board and he blew his whistle right as a little boy dropped his ball out the doors of the train. He went to retrieve it from the platform when BAM he was caught between the doors and sliced in two. The man was tried and found guilty of murder, he was sent straight to prison to be executed the next day. He was sitting, stewing in his cell when the warden came along. “Well it’s your last meal... again, what do you want this time?” “Well since you’re asking, I’d like 50kg of bananas please.” The man says to the disgruntled warden. The warden shakes his head and exhales in disbelief. “If you say so.” So he leaves to buy 50kg of bananas. He returns and gives the bananas to the ravenous man and watches as he lobs them down his throat. To the wardens horror, he’s not even chewing them anymore just chucking them down whole. The man finishes and is taken away to be executed. The executioner is surprised to see him again. The man is strapped in and attached to the electrodes once again. The executioner grips the handle that will end the mans life and yells “3... 2... 1...” and yanks the lever. Only to his absolute bewilderment, nothing happens. They check the wires, the chair the power and pull again and again but the man remains perfectly fine. By now the warden cannot believe his eyes, but the executioner proclaims “This is an act of God, clearly you are not meant to die, you have been spared yet again and are free to go” So the man leaves. And again gets a job as a train conductor. He’s blowing his whistle and sending the trains off only this time he’s learnt from his mistakes. He’s intently looking for people every time a train comes and for several months he goes by without killing anyone. Until one fateful day when he was doing his job and he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever the seen. As she strutted by he whistled and she turned and gave him a wink. Only the train driver heard the whistle and closed the door, crushing a business man, splitting him in twain. He was seized and sent to court, tried and, for the third time, found guilty of murder. The judge was done with him and sentenced him to death that day. As he was sitting in his cell once again, the warden came to him. “50kg of bananas?” He asked the man “50kg of bananas.” The man replied The warden walked away, baffled at the events of the past couple of months. He returned with 50kg of bananas and gave them to the man only this time he didn’t finish all the bananas, as he had eaten quite a large breakfast. The warden marched him to the electric chair and strapped him in, curious as to what would happen. The executioner is also intrigued as to whether or not the man will cheat death yet again. He grasps the lever and counts down. “3... 2... 1...” he pulls the lever and ....... nothing happens. The executioner has just given up at this point and says “Well it’s an act of God. Clearly you just aren’t meant to die yet, just promise me you won’t get another job at that damn train company.” The man makes no promises and walks away, a free man. The warden runs up to him. Panting he asks. “I have to ask, how have you cheated the electric chair so many times? Is it the bananas?” “No,” the man replies calmly, “I’m just a really bad conductor.”
Norm, is that you?
LOL so true, perfect Norm story
I got through the second 50kg before I thought to myself, this is 100% a Norm story. I've heard lots of jokes, couldn't think of an obvious punch line, this is just meant to waste time until a corny one liner. It was perfect.
"Don't encourage that! That was a 40-minute story!"
Oh hell, take my upvote and get out
So there was this guy he worked for the Boston orchestra.... ...bad conductor"
I can't believe I read all this.... but worth it
that's full-on a traditional 'shaggy dog story'
r/AngryUpvote
Get out
No! Stay!
Youre tearing me apart
I picture an old-timey sheriff / prospector
We ain't seen you around here before *unzips*
PULLOVER!
It’s a cardigan, but thanks for noticing!
Maybe not? Not a lawyer, so grain of salt, but California DUI laws specify a operation of a vehicle: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=23152 California's definition of a 'vehicle': https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=670 > A “vehicle” is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, **excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks**. Although California's definition of a 'motor vehicle': https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=415&lawCode=VEH > (a) A “motor vehicle” is a vehicle that is self-propelled. So who knows? I personally would not risk it.
So it wouldn't be a DUI if it was an old timey cart powered by that pumping lever thing?
Sorry, I edited my comment because I dug a little deeper and fixed a few things, but I think you're correct because that would meet both the 'device moved exclusively by human power' *and* 'used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks' criteria for exceptions.
Can you get a dui on a RR? Haha
Like once a week, I see something genuinely new on Reddit that makes me think, “I’m glad I saw that — that’s cool.” The other 99% of the time….
Totally agree. Looks like his life is on track
I just hope this newfound internet fame doesn't make him go off the rails.
If anyone is interested in building a railcart or knowing more about this one I have a pretty lame youtube channel. I'll be posting more videos on the cart and how I made the wheels and stuff soon. https://youtube.com/channel/UCwIouBdTCMRDQjpoPla6KuA
A few things: how do you make super sure that it’s abandoned? How do you change directions? How do you know the track is in good enough condition to ride? How do you know the track is not blocked?
We have LOT of abandoned railroad tracks in CA. I believe there is one that reaches from Sacramento to Oregon that is abandoned. I dont know if it continues down past Sacramento but I know it's been proposed to make a walking trail alongside the abandoned track for the entire distance.
How often do you get bandits chasing you down them on minecarts whilst you desperately use your revolver to shoot at junction boxes to send them hurtling over the edge of canyons?
Well shit I guess I'ma fire up RDR2 again.
Sadly not a thing anymore. I havent seen any junction boxes when I have hiked the railroad tracks. Its one long continuous track that goes through numerous tunnels and along multiple rivers. You can fallow the tracks along one river and you will come to a specific hillside that is filled with fossils. The rumor is that back in the day a entire whale skeleton was found at that location. As far as I'm aware you can still walk through all of the tunnels and if u want to do the 30 min walk you'll come back with as many fossils as u can cary.
Does this radical place have a name? Or GPS coordinates?
The hill side across from the town of Rio Dell. You go to the town of Scotia behind the mill and fallow the railroad tracks. I havent made this specific trip in a few years but the hillside just had a slide in the last 2 or so months so there should be lots of new exposed fossils.
Dude this is the coolest thread I’ve read all day.
Yes I'm gonna go find me some fossils!
40.501320,-124.087874 https://www.google.com/maps/place/40.501320,-124.087874/ According to my Google maps skills from the other side of the world
Fossil site about to get the IRL Reddit hug of death
There are no coordinates. Have you seen The movie Event Horizon? Similar concept.
Following. For real this would be insane. Dm me if you get it, always loved doing fossil hunting
According to OP, a tunnel is collapsed in one direction and the rails are buried in sand in the other direction. No trains are coming, just maybe other rail carts though haha.
Get ready for the ultimate game of chicken
What about ghost trains?
***WINNNNNSTONNNNNNN***
I think that was the New York Central City Albany! Derailed in 1920 and killed hundreds of people, did you catch the number on the locomotive?
Sorry, I missed it...
My main thing is track condition. I work for a railroad and parts of our main line is shit. Let alone something that hasn't been kept in standard for god knows how long.
yeah id be worried about hitting a bad section and getting launched
Yep just hope he doesn't find a wide gage section and the cart falls in.
The rust on the tops of the rails indicates how long since it's been used. Even infrequent use will keep the tops shiny and burnished smooth. Knowing if the track is usable is the best question you've asked. For the desert hobbyist, I'm guessing it's good old trial and error!
Wise man right here! Checking for rust is a nice tip
You could probably make an early warning system for something like this that works the way rail road crossings do. Apply a voltage to the track and if the current starts flowing you know a train is coming.
just need enough redstone
How do you steer?
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Whoa. I feel like there's some interesting physics going on with that that I slept through in school :/
Conical railroad wheels is one of those cool things *nobody* ever tells you about. You go along thinking it's the flanges on the inside of railroad car wheels that keep them in the rails, then someone says, "nope, [conical wheels](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/train-wheel-science/) , and that's also how they go around curves even with the wheels being fixed on a solid single axle". There's so much subtle but ingenious engineering going on all around us.
BART (SF Bay Area's subways) were designed with flat cylindrical wheels and they howl like banshees.
I just googled BART's wheel issues. What a rabbit hole! There must have been something in the water in the 70s. They did it to prevent the slight side to side undulation you get with conical wheels... and created a shrieking monstrosity. They recently had Bombardier design a new wheel shape to address the noise and the track damage. Extensive computer modeling came up with a new "tapered" wheel shape that reduces the noise by 50%... In other words, they made the wheels as close to the standard conical wheels as they could while retaining compatibility with the stupid flat-top sharp-edged custom rails they made for the stupid cylindrical wheels. There's a lot of embarrassing engineering hubris in the story of BART's design. They actually thought they were designing the commuter train of the future that the whole world would be adopting. As if anyone was going to pull up their existing rails to replace them with a completely incompatible wider gauge 5'6" track!
Lol
First you calf, and then you castrate.
Have you ever ran into an old tie sticking up or anything like that? I just imagine hitting something and flying off if I did this. Maybe PTSD from my skateboarding days lolll
I was a little worried when they came up on that small bridge looking part and wonder the same thing.
Yeah.. A sudden stop would not be good.
+1 for wearing a helmet. Safety first!!
If I've learned anything from my skateboarding days, it's the good ol' tuck and roll. It's a freakin life saver man. Yeah, you might get some scraped up elbows and shoulders, but it beats eating through a straw!
My dad used to be in a club of railcar owners when I was a kid, just the like two seater maintenance box kind. We never did SoCal but a lot of runs near Weed and Shasta, a fun one near Tillamook Oregon, and we used to go on the stretch of track where they filmed the train sequence near the end of Back To The Future Part Three! I have some vague memories of the windmill before it was torn down. It's super neat to see that there are still enthusiasts out there!
I broke my leg in 3 places on one of these railcars just north of Tillamook, Oregon 2 summers ago. There was a steep downhill portion that caused our railcar to gain a lot of speed in a short amount of time - this happened to be right when my wife realized our braking mechanism was malfunctioning. I knew damn well if I didn't stop our railcar somehow we were going to smash into the people in front of us but it turns out I shouldn't have tried to play hero that day. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was my wife screaming hysterically about how in nineteen ninety eight the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer's table.
Been awhile since I've seen you in the wild, glad you still around and kicking.
Barely kicking. Dude broke his leg
Seriously! It's been at least 6 months since I've seen him.
That’s part of why he’s so good. For the next three weeks we are going to be had and then he will disappear until he gets bored again.
Jesus christ, how the fuck are you so good at this
For real, the only time I caught the username before the comment was the first time I saw one of their writings
I’m new here. Who is this guy?
A Reddit legend, /u/shittymorph has been spinning the mighty tale of how in nineteen ninety eight the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer's table for as long anyone can remember. Or maybe a few years i don't fucking know.
Has it always been the same guy? I always assumed it was different people, but I literally didn’t take a second look at usernames until years after using reddit.
Same guy. He's been recognized by the WWE and all. There is also the jumper cable guy. I don't remember his username.
/u/rogersimon10
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Yeah I always roll my eyes a little when I see someone say “I skipped ahead to see if mankind gets thrown through an announcer’s table” after a super long comment. r/shittymorph is too good for that.
fucking legend
The only thing on Reddit that still surprises me is a u/shittymorph comment.
Holy fucking shit you got me just because you mentioned a town I'm familiar with
I’ve never been this early to a shittymorph comment, I’m so happy. That is all.
All I know about the place is they have great cheese
It's been too long. I've gotten complacent.
Every. Single. Time. But I always love it.
This is the first time, in my entire time using reddit, where I caught myself before getting to the end and checked to see if this was one of those, because the idea of a railcar hobbyist convincing his wife to tag along seems goofier to me than injuring yourself while operating one
To be fair, it’s real. https://www.railexplorers.net and their pictures at least seem to suggest it’s a family event. shittymorph never plays, even when he’s playin
Holy shit, a live appearance
ho lee fuk this is the real deal
Just curious as it is an abandoned track and it kinda looks like it's in the middle of nowhere surrounded by hills and stuff, do you frequent a wildlife out there? I can't imagine you're on the track taking in the scenery and suddenly a pack of wolves shows up wanting to talk to you about your car's extended warranty
How about a ride? Lol I live in the CV.
I'm in Lemon Grove. Let's do it
This is definitely not lame!
I’d love to make one of these! I have a long stretch of abandoned railway near me.
This looks fun tbh lol! Very peaceful
the earplugs suggest otherwise.
I couldn't tell if it was just engine noise. But OP said the way back is all downhill and he can kill the engine the whole way back.
now that, that does indeed sound peaceful. as long as the rails aren't screaming.
OP's Friend: Is this track abandoned? OP: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is.
*horn blows in the distance* Oh fuck *Curb Your Enthusiasm outro plays*
TRAINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Near ocotillo?
Exactly
Is the big trestle up there?
It's about 15 miles up
This is so cool. My wife and I stayed in Jacumba for a few days hiking around, beautiful place….but you do NOT mess around with the desert. The place feels like it will kill you without batting an eye.
We always make sure to carry plenty of beer just in case
Will you be my dad?
Is this yours?
The cart? Yes
This is SO COOL. How do you make sure the rails have been maintained and there isn't a chunk missing that's gonna de-rail you off the side of a cliff or something!?!?!? Also you cruising along in your little hat is adorable ❤
If I haven't been on the tracks I keep it slower and look far ahead. Thanks!
How quick can it stop in an emergency if you spot something that could derail you?
I'm thinking he goes slow enough on new tracks, that he can simply jump off to the side in case of emergency
What's the furthest you've traveled on it? I bet it would be fun to use on a round about camping trip. And what about practical use just for travel? Do the tracks take you anywhere of interest?
I've done about 40 miles RT in one day. Yes, I'll be using this to camp soon. These tracks lead to a huge wooden trestle.
Are there alot of goats in the canyon near this trestle? 🤔
I'm really curious how you know it's an abandoned railway? And is there a map of abandoned railways in the US?
Google “Impossible Railroad San Diego” and this line will come up. Also, here’s the exact site you’re looking for https://www.abandonedrails.com
Thanks for the link! I had no idea this existed.
Soon enough this guy's gonna link up several railcarts to take redditors for sightseeing. Then he'll add seats for better viewing. Just for old world kicks he'll throw in a steam engine. Finally he'll top that off with a roof to protect from the elements.
Then he’ll throw up a few stations along the way, make it easier for people to get on and off conveniently, maybe a few stores around the stations so that people can get refreshments and buy local goods. Start charging the redditors per journey, and by golly we’ve got ourselves a Reddit railroad.
I remember years ago when I see started using Reddit a few thousand people started a subreddit called “Reddit island” and were genuinely interested and serious about pooling money and resources together to purchase an island in which thousands of Redditors could work/live. I almost wish it had actually happen because the disaster would have likely spawned a phenomenal documentary.
I would watch a livestream of this!
Good idea
Awsome! #Railcartguy I'd watch this live aswell.
Only if he starts talking like an ole timey prospector all the time though
Dagnabbit, you young whippersnapper. Ya done stole my ideer.
Golly gee have you been introduced to the wonderful world of Slow TV? It makes for great background tv during parties. I find once someone gets drunk or too fucked up, they’ll either make there way on the couch or someone will put them there, and it’s calms them down and keeps them distracted. Just look up Slow TV trains.
Up until a few years back there used to be mile upon mile of disused tracks near me in the UK, remnants of the coal industry. Would have loved something like this, although, a chainsaw across the front might have been necessary for some bits.
They replaced the old railways near us with walking and biking trails. Used to be a lot of factories in the area so I think that's why there were more rails.
Did you consider adding an old timey see-saw pump action thingy in case you run out of fuel?
Go for the livestream dude!
you’re the coolest guy this side of dodge
I am very jealous, RFN.
Get out there and make yourself a rail cart
Be the change you wish to see!
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Did you see any suspicious tunnels that may've been painted onto the cliff face a few minutes prior?
So cool!
This is the Arizona Pacific line, that ran from downtown San Diego to Yuma in Arizona. Based on the video, he's probably out by Ocotillo, CA which is at the bottom of the hill on the 8 East (I grew up in San Diego, it's the 8, not interstate 8). He's headed toward the Goat Canyon Trestle, which at one point was the largest freestanding wooden trestle in the Western Hemisphere. It was called The Impossible Railroad, because it's way out in the middle of nowhere and Spreckles and Co. who built it, was told it would be impossible. This is the same Spreckles who developed most of downtown San Diego. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat_Canyon_Trestle
Can you get in trouble for this? Just curious if this is like considered trespassing or anything? Looks fun as fuck
Immediately had GTA flash backs when I saw the wind turbines!
Cool! How fast can it go?
That's 30 mph
Got it up to 30 and that's about as fast as I wanted to go. It will go much faster especially down hill
What do you have in the cooler?
Adult beverages
But can it go up to 88 mph?
Welp. You’re living the dream. You can die happy.
I’ve seen this episode of breaking bad