The decommissioned hydro electric power station on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls looks like the sort of place that would be interesting to visit in its own right.
The operators of the site have recently added a new attraction to the site – a walk through the former outflow tunnel culminating in a balcony below the Falls. CBC News have an article about it.
One of the few items where Irish Rail and I see eye to eye is the belief that level crossings are dangerous.
As an example (albeit overseas), this video (trigger warning – not for the sensitive) on Independent.ie shows a police car being hit by a train in the USA.
Colorado’s finest police officers had parked their car on the crossing during a traffic stop, in the dark and had placed a suspect in the car before it was hit by a train.
Not for the first time, I link to a YouTube video by Tom Scott – in this case, he is demonstrating the use of a replica treadmill crane, which is believed to have been in use in Continental Europe in the early part of the 2nd millennium.
I was in Cambridge last Saturday, for the express purpose of taking a ride on the town’s guided busway.
Always a believer in the concept of don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, I went there to see the guided busway (one of two in England) and was greatly underwhelmed.
Whilst seeing the bus driver drive handsfree on the guided busway section (majority of the guided sections north and south of Cambridge are on former railway alignments) was interesting, I haven’t changed my view of guided busways. They are a poor man’s LRT and a full light rail system would be better.
The Texas Railroad Commission regulates things – just not railroads (railways in proper parlence). From their website:
The Railroad Commission of Texas (Commission) is the state agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry, pipeline transporters, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, and coal and uranium surface mining operations. The Commission exists under provisions of the Texas Constitution and exercises its statutory responsibilities under state and federal laws for regulation and enforcement of the state’s energy industries. The Commission also has regulatory and enforcement responsibilities under federal law including the Surface Coal Mining Control and Reclamation Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Pipeline Safety Acts, Resource Conservation Recovery Act, and Clean Water Act.
https://www.rrc.texas.gov/about-us/
What has them in the news is the interesting campaign launched by a prospective candidate, Sarah Stogner, for the forthcoming election for the post of commissioner.
Using the tagline “I have other assets”, this 37 y.o. lady stripped down to her underwear and donned cowboy boots and hat and had a photoshoot conducted with her atop an oil well.
They said I needed money. 🤣 I have other assets. pic.twitter.com/OI9z9EDRRG
— Sarah Stogner (@Sarah4RRC) February 14, 2022
you can buy anyone.
The BBC reports that a bridge in Rotterdam will be “temporarily” dismantled to allow a yacht built for Jeff Bezos’ to pass through.
Funny how they didn’t consider the height of the yacht before building it.
Trains hitting road vehicles on the line is, unfortunately, not uncommon, especially at level crossings.
RTE reports on an incident involving a light aircraft crash landing onto a railway line in Los Angeles in the USA and being hit by a train shortly afterwards.
Per RTE, the original footbridge which inspired A. A. Milne to include the concept of Poohsticks in his Winnie the Pooh books, is up for sale by auction.
The bridge was located in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex and was dismantled and put in storage, due to having been worn down by visitors, with a replacement bridge installed.
The auction takes place on October 5th with an expected sale price of £40-60k.
Spain has the Caminito Del Rey, Switzerland has the Torrent Neuf.
The latter is a 15th Century, suspended water leat system which was used to divert water from glaciers to otherwise dry valleys. Per the BBC, some 200 such systems spanning 1,800km in length still operate. One such systems is the Torrent Neuf. Initially put out of service in 1935, it was restored in 2013 as a tourist attraction.
Not in Ireland (but I am genuinely surprised that CIE haven’t tried this as an excuse).
Thankfully, the local council have stepped in and demanded that they apply for retrospective planning permission (I hope that this is to allow the council to refuse such permission).