Thread: 4 feet 8 1/2 inches

Back in the 70's I worked for an outfit that built a large storage warehouse, between the buildings were two sets of rail lines laid that would hold 50 odd wagons, the rail siding was concreted and the first rail wagon shunted in derailed as the concrete had been laid to the wrong side of the wheel flanges...took a lot of cutting and jack hammering to get it right.

Brilliant


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I'll tell you what's stupid. Queensland and Nsw in oz dont have a proper connecting rail link between states as they run different gauges.
If you want to run it by rail it has to be swapped to different rolling stock.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

I'll tell you what's stupid. Queensland and Nsw in oz dont have a proper connecting rail link between states as they run different gauges.
If you want to run it by rail it has to be swapped to different rolling stock.

I’ve been to the station where those heading from one state to the other had to get out of one train, walk across the platform and get into the other train to continue their journey...

The famous engineer of engineers Brunel designed railways with a broader gauge.

Just think of what better trains we could have nowadays if it had been adopted everywhere. No more walking sideways through a train.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-gauge_railway

More rail funfacts; Qld, NSW and Victoria all run different gauges. Widest in Vic, narrowest in Qld. Wider gushed is more expensive to construct but rides better, less swaying and probably better payloads. Australian towns are generally about 60 miles or 100-110 kms apart. The distance a steam train can go before it needs a refill of water and coal in flat country.

Diesel Electric is a great combo. Diesel generates the efficient power and the electric motors develop amazing torque from zero revs.

Fun, but not actually true.

The tale is a good one, but it’s embellished. There’s a couple of myth busting / fact checking websites that quote this exact text, and then pick it apart with analysis of each of the steps in the story. It’s one of those ones where parts are founded in fact, other parts are maybes and might have beens, and the rest is conjecture. I think Snopes described it as “Mixture” which means it’s part truth, part myth, and then explained why. Worth reading up on, provides plenty of interesting stuff there.

Well that’s killed it, was a nice story.
Did my time as a Fitter in the old NZR Addington Workshops, enjoyed my time at the Ensors Road Loco depot and Addington Loco repair and overhaul workshops but to much of an old mans home for me. Worked on some big arse machinery, was an excellent place to do a trade.

Originally Posted by 300winmag

Well that’s killed it, was a nice story.
Did my time as a Fitter in the old NZR Addington Workshops, enjoyed my time at the Ensors Road Loco depot and Addington Loco repair and overhaul workshops but to much of an old mans home for me. Worked on some big arse machinery, was an excellent place to do a trade.

Brother in law told me of his time in loco workshops doing electrical apprenticeship first day on job was told to pick up some big-arsed compacitor and put it on the bench, unit had been charged with a zillion volts, when he picked it up it discharged and put him in bed for a month...staff were told to stop playing that joke on newbies.

I started my apprenticeship when I was 15, certainly had my fair share of practical jokes, some bloody dangerous ones to.