On 5/24/07, Chris W. Parker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On Thursday, May 24, 2007 11:29 AM Jonathan Sharp <> said: > Sir, in regards to your comments about jQuery being a car as opposed > to a train I desire to set you straight! jQuery is definitely more > like a train than a car! [snip] > The tools we're developing are at an > enterprise level for mission critical applications and jQuery is at > the heart of it! I bet this answer is a no but can we see some screenshots? Sounds pretty awesome. And now for some questions about trains. :) 1. The engines that are facing backwards, are those running in reverse to help pull the load or are they just being towed like the other cars?
Yep, they are being powered. The first engine typically has the crew (typically 2-3: engineer, conductor, breakman). All engines are MU'd (multiple unit) which means the engineer controls all of them as one. HUGE electric motors are what actually turn the wheels and diesel generators are what power them. Thus they function equally in either direction.
2a. If so, why don't they just face forward like the front engine?
This is so they don't have to turn the power. Trains opperate like the airlines somewhat in that there are fixed schedules and routes. So a Chicago to Omaha would run M-F leaving Chicago around 10AM. Then the power would be refueled and run back. So there's typically a pairing of power as one has to be facing forward per regulations. 2b. If so, does the engine work exactly the same forward as it does
backward?
Yep! 3. How many tons per engine can be moved? Oh boy, it really depends, your typical over the road engine is around 6,000 hp. Don't hold me to this but one stat said 1.1hp per loaded ton. One train I just looked up is 15,428 tons and 12,092ft in length (just over two miles long) 4a. What's the longest train ever? Oh, I think it was in the 90's around 8 miles long. I don't remember for sure though... 4b. What's the average train length? ~100 cars or 1.75 miles. 5. How many conductors are on each train? Crew of 3 (sometimes 2) 6. What's the shortest and longest a train runs for one shipment
(distance and continuous operating hours)?
Crews are limited to 12 hours on the engine and then the crew "dies" and they have to physically get off the engine. So if a train gets held for 4 hours and their destination is 10 hours away they'll call a recrew before that train can leave. Crews typically are on call and have 1.5 hours or so to show up. As for distance run, it all depends. Some trains (such as fruit/vegetable/perishible) will run from California to New York in 4 days (multiple crews). Others will run shorter distances from say Chicago to Des Moines and then they'll break the train apart and make new trains which run elsewhere. North Platte, NE has the largest railyard in the world (about 10 miles long!) (http://tinyurl.com/2wev7c) I guess that's enough for now. :)
Chris.
