BTW The Wikipedia page on train coupler designs is, somewhat unsurprisingly, very exhaustive: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_coupling …
-
Show this thread
-
Going forward is easier, although it feels really precarious, with the locomotive feeling rather wobbly? Maybe that disappears if you go faster. This one tops out at 90mph, which I’m told makes it relatively benevolent.pic.twitter.com/EJ0x80dSWQ
1 reply 0 retweets 7 likesShow this thread -
Oh, yeah, if you stop too fast you can literally flatten the wheel, which makes your boss very unhappy. (I’ve heard a lot about unhappy bosses today!)
1 reply 0 retweets 3 likesShow this thread -
You probably already noticed it is REALLY LOUD inside a locomotive. This here is actually in the engine compartment, which is even worse, and this is with the engine just idling. Also, no, that place wasn’t scary at all.pic.twitter.com/EYYBxwWbZv
2 replies 0 retweets 10 likesShow this thread -
And this is Bill doing the parking with me observing from the passenger seat. A lot of the locomotives we’re passing are also operational!pic.twitter.com/l1bvjBBoZJ
1 reply 0 retweets 8 likesShow this thread -
This is passenger view, another look at the main UI, and finally one thing I could somewhat relate to: a row of buttons!pic.twitter.com/rtEeGOexn4
1 reply 0 retweets 6 likesShow this thread -
Speaking of which, here’s a funny thing. When I was volunteering at the Computer History Museum a decade or so ago, I got certified to operate Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine No. 2. (Here’s an old photo.) It was a 5-ton calculating machine that felt unlike any other.pic.twitter.com/lk6P9XIbzE
2 replies 0 retweets 18 likesShow this thread -
But today I know exactly what it feels like, and it’s mind blowing to me, and I feel lucky to be able to have had both these experiences to compare them. Babbage’s Engine is a calculator that feels like a locomotive. (!!!!!)
1 reply 0 retweets 12 likesShow this thread -
Oh, yeah, of course there were keyboards also: one on a typewriter for some local paperwork, and another on a teletype connected to the outside world in the pre-internet age.pic.twitter.com/6mGuoprqG5
3 replies 0 retweets 11 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @mwichary
That one on the right looks like a model 15. I owned one years ago for RTTY (Ham radio) ! ;)
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
Ah, yes! BTW did you ever swap those cushioned magnetic key caps? I’m trying to figure out why they were swappable.
-
-
Replying to @mwichary
Nope. But I have done the cover floor with lots and lots of newspapers then pour oil over the innards!
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
- Show replies
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.