justsicktrains

This is very cool footage of a very old western flick from 1903. The Great Train Robbery.

In the United States, there is an increasing need for mass transportation systems due to the growing figures of population. Traveling by train, therefore, is the fastest yet convenient option for the commuters when it comes to conveyance. Across the country, there are more than 600 railroads and hundreds of thousands miles of rail tracks most of these are being used for freight transport. On the other hand, only a part of these railroads have been utilized for mass transportation. Moreover, due to the expansion of California’s Metro Link, the number of the commuting public utilizing it has greatly multiply and so as the unfortunate incidents of train disasters which resulted to a large number of injured victims and casualties.

These days, train accidents are regular occurrences in the United States. According to the statistics, two train derailments or collisions happen every three hours which is about 3,000 train accidents each year. Furthermore, there are around 1,000 passengers and bystanders who will be injured and die due to these disasters. In a well-known event which happened last January, 2005, a suicidal attempt of a man who stopped his truck on the train track caused a tragic train crash which left at least 11 casualties and around two hundred injured.

In most cases, train catastrophes resulted from the railroad management and employees’ failure in performing their duty of providing the commuters a safe means of public transport. These consist of inadequate rail maintenance and incompetent train operators among others. Railways obstructions such as vehicles crossing unexpectedly are also common contributors to train accident occurrences. Thus, if these grounds will not be given full attention by the proper authorities, the people’s are still expected to be endangered whenever they aboard a train.

Then again, the Federal and California laws have certain provisions which give the victims an avenue to get even with the negligent party. They may also file the necessary charges against the railroad management and demand for adequate amount of damages as prescribed by the statutes of the law. In this legal undertaking, a credible and trusted lawyer who has the expertise in handling court cases involving personal injuries is indeed a great help. This is because of the long and complicated court proceedings which may add to their sufferings. A competent legal defender likewise can acquire the largest possible amount of damages for the victims at the shortest period of time. Last, the future still relies on how a person acts in response to his or her experiences. As for the train accident victims, filing a petition in court with the aid of a lawyer is an advantage which they can lawfully utilize.
“Rainier used to work in a publishing company as a writer and eventually became an associate editor. He dealt in writing instructional materials for secondary and tertiary students. His passion in writing inspired him to read a lot and subsequently enabled him to gain more

I remember a time when my son Marc asked me about the history of trains. I explained to him that the first trains were used in ironworks and coal mines. I then explained that a Cornish engineer named Richard Trevithick had constructed the very first steam powered train locomotive. It operated out of the city of South Wales in 1804. I told Marc, that in 1825, another engineer named George Stephenson formed the first commuter railway, which ran from Darlington to Stockton, which is in the northern part of England. By today’s standards, it may not seem like much but that first steam powered engine traveled at a speed of 24kph for a distance of 65 kilometers.

The excitement over the new railways was now set in motion. In 1829, a new railway line was planned between the city of Manchester and Liverpool. To add a little spice to the situation a competition was organized to decide which locomotive would be purchased for the proposed line. Rainhill, which was near Liverpool, had a carnival atmosphere as huge crowds gather in anticipation of the upcoming competition. Troubles seemed to plaques each entry as one by one they dropped at the wayside. The Perseverance was simply to slow for the competition while the San Pareil developed mechanical difficulties during the complete competition. Finally, it narrowed down to George Stephenson winning the 500-pound prize with his steam engine called the Rocket. The Rocket traveled the distance of 113 kilometers at a rate of 24kph. Amazingly, during the competition the Rocket reached a maximum speed of 46kph, not bad for the time. Needless, to say George Stephenson engineered the Manchester to Liverpool Railway system. The new system was operation by September of 1830 and the first passenger to travel on it was the duke of Wellington.

When the Railroad fever struck across the Atlantic in America, it was Christmas day of 1830 when the South Carolina Railroad opened for business. It was South Carolina Railroad’s locomotive, nicknamed the best friend of Charleston that transported the first passenger coach in the U.S. It was later in 1837 that the Philadelphia built Lafayette saw its initial service with the famous Baltimore and Ohio Railroads.

Engineering was not always the best with the early locomotives as they often were constructed with fixed wheel mountings. This type of wheel design had a tendency to derail the engines. In an effort to resolve this dangerous problem, the designers decided to mount the front wheels on a trolley or what they called a bogie.

A century ago rail construction lacked the powerful bulldozers as well as the giant diggers, thus all the necessary rail cutting and embankment construction was completed by manual labor only. It was through the hard sweet and toil of the rail workers that created the maze of rail lines that we have today.

America came through with flying colors when the largest of the steam engines was built in the U.S. The 4000 class freight locomotive steam engine manufacture by Union Pacific Railroad was designate the name of the Big Boys.

As I glanced over at Marc, I had hoped that I did not bore him to sleep but his eyes were sound shut. Hum, I thought, did I bore you.

copyright @2008 Joseph Parish
Joseph Parish is the owner and operator of an Internet Service website. He owns several sucessful sites including:

http://www.abovenbeyond.com
http://www.wordwriter.info
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