Author Topic: summery summary  (Read 18682 times)

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #30 on: September 06, 2007, 01:13:36 AM »
'Wet leaves on the line' is one of the most commonly used reasons for late trains over here....it's pathetic..

anonsi

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #31 on: September 06, 2007, 04:01:48 AM »
Really?  I've never heard of that before.  Although I've never really been on a train before, either (I've been on subways, but wet leaves on the line wouldn't really be a plausible excuse for late subways).

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #32 on: September 06, 2007, 04:06:34 AM »
They cause chaos here...
I've slipped on wet leaves before...it hurts when you go base over apex...

anonsi

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #33 on: September 06, 2007, 04:08:58 AM »
Major slipping is usually reserved for winter when sheets of ice coat sidewalks, etc.  After watching Wimbledon, I see that it rains all the time in the YUK, so I imagine that your leaves are perpetually wet and slippery.

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #34 on: September 06, 2007, 04:17:09 AM »
How very true Anonsi...this year particularly.
We don't get the ice and snow though. Living on the coast our weather is milder than the next town inland, which is only 8 miles away. And the salt air tends to keep it at bay.
Which is just as well really because we just can't cope with it. 1/2 an inch of snow brings the town to a complete standstill.

anonsi

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #35 on: September 06, 2007, 04:20:26 AM »
A half an inch of snow is like nothing here.  We get a lot of snow in the winter time.  But the worst is ice.  Sometimes we get ice storms, where everything is coated in ice.  It's v. beautiful to look at, but extremely dangerous to drive around in.

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #36 on: September 06, 2007, 04:23:27 AM »
If we get any snow at all, you cannot get into or out of Weymouth. There are steep hills on all 3 roads into the town.
They will grit..but it is so half-hearted it is hardly worth the effort.
My 2 have never had enough snow to make a decent snowball...yet alone a snowman!!!

anonsi

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #37 on: September 06, 2007, 04:35:58 AM »
How bizarre!  Sometimes I take the changing seasons for granted.  I forget that everyone doesn't get to experience all four seasons.

I found this picture online.  It is just an example of what you can see in the winter here.

anonsi

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #38 on: September 06, 2007, 04:38:49 AM »
And here's an example of what an ice storm can look like:

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #39 on: September 06, 2007, 04:40:40 AM »
I don't think i have ever seen snow like that either.

I think the most ever i have seen was about 4 or 5 inches. That was in the late 70's or early 80's.
I have got to be honest though..i'm not unhappy about that. I don't really like the stuff...except  in pictures and films!!

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #40 on: September 06, 2007, 04:41:28 AM »
It is pretty right enough...
But you are welcome to it...
I don't do COLD....

anonsi

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #41 on: September 06, 2007, 04:56:54 AM »
The funny thing is, I don't do cold either!  Sometimes I think that I would be completely happy without snow, but another part of me says that I would definitely miss it.

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #42 on: September 06, 2007, 05:01:26 AM »
I certainly don't miss it....nothing to miss really, never having been anywhere there is loads of it.
The idea of snow skiing does nothing for me at all.
The trouble is i really do feel the cold...and i don't work well in damp conditions either. It must be the Italian in me. I am only really suited to hot sunny weather. Unfortunately we don't get enough of that either.
I should emigrate to warmer climes shouldn't i?

We did consider Spain several years ago...and i would again when the girls are a bit older.

Alonzo Quixote

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #43 on: September 06, 2007, 05:54:13 AM »
Speaking of "wet leaves on the rails"—

More than ten years ago, I was a regular commuter to Manhattan from Long Island on, what else, the Long Island Railroad.

I can remember one or two instances in the autumn when the trains were delayed due to "wet leaves on the rails".  Being curious, I asked the train personnel about this and was told that the metal wheels do, in fact, lose traction on wet leaves.  This means that the wheels are having a tendency to slip due to the wet leaves and therefore more power must be applied to move the train cars.  I would think that when this occurs, probably the engineer would have to operate the train a bit more carefully than usual and this would result in delays and greater amounts of time to traverse the route.

Speaking about the icing conditions—

We can get pretty snowy and icy conditions in midwinter.  I remember once as my train was passing through a very large junction (called Jamaica), I looked outside and said:  "Omigosh, the tracks are on fire!"  I had jumped to a conclusion (erroneous).  It turns out that during very cold weather, there are flames generated to keep the switches from freezing.  If the switches were to freeze, this would greatly delay train service.

technomc

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Re: summery summary
« Reply #44 on: September 06, 2007, 07:16:55 AM »
That is exactly what happens to our rails AQ...and it is very dangerous if care is not taken.
I think they over use the reason though to cover other delays....