Why don't trams/streetcars have a front bumper that almost touches the street, and slants out like a plow, so that if they hit a pedestrian they'd knock them aside rather than running them over? In fact, why don't trains have this, or even cars?
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posted by pete_22
on Apr 27, 2013 -
12 answers
Okay, you know that "On Top of Spaghetti" song? Can someone cleverer than me think of a second verse for that song that involves the poor meatball and A TRAIN?
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posted by logic vs love
on Feb 20, 2013 -
17 answers
Can I know in advance when a train will pass by a location? How do trainspotters do it?
I'm in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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posted by RobotHero
on Nov 18, 2012 -
5 answers
(UK) Southwest trains advanced tickets - Ashurst or Brockenhurst to London
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posted by richb
on Oct 12, 2012 -
5 answers
Considering the huge amount of oil/energy expended driving trucks full of food all over the country, would it make more sense to increase our train infrastructure (is that even possible?) to move more food? That's the question, but not why I've come to Metafilter.
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posted by kestralwing
on Aug 14, 2012 -
10 answers
I'm in Eindhoven, I have a train ticket from "Any Dutch Station" to Brussels tomorrow. From then I need to get to London.
Is there any fun or interesting detour I can make?
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posted by Just this guy, y'know
on Jun 26, 2012 -
10 answers
I need recommendations for books to give my nephews for their 2nd, 4th, and 6th respective birthdays!
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posted by Kpele
on Jun 20, 2012 -
7 answers
I need to figure out what to do at night/early morning in Italy. Special snowflake details inside.
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posted by Tamanna
on Feb 3, 2012 -
10 answers
There's a story I've long accepted as fact, that when the railroad train (or possibly the automobile) was introduced, some people opposed them in the belief that their hair would catch on fire from air friction if they traveled over a certain speed (maybe 35 miles per hour). A while back, I tried Googling this story to find the source, and was surprised to find I was completely unable to locate any reference to this. Did I just dream this one night and forget that it wasn't true?
posted by El Sabor Asiatico
on Oct 19, 2011 -
5 answers
I'd like to use this photo on my website, but would like to get permission from its owner first.
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posted by konig
on Sep 20, 2011 -
5 answers
WoodenToyTrainFilter: What is the difference between all the different brands of wooden toy trains? Are some significantly higher quality than others?
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posted by kenliu
on Jun 18, 2011 -
14 answers
What would be the most streamlined/cheap/quickest way to get to go between Rochester, NY and Port Jefferson(Long Island), NY on a semi regular basis?
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posted by lettuchi
on May 5, 2011 -
19 answers
I loathe Ryanair. I need to get back to London from Berlin next Friday, and I don't want to fly Ryanair, but all the flights on other airlines are hideously expensive. Before I succumb, I was thinking about catching a fast train from Berlin to somewhere in Germany not too far away with an airport, then catching a flight to London from there. Any suggestions on airports within two hours of Berlin on the fast train that have regular flights to London?
posted by curious zoe
on Jun 29, 2010 -
6 answers
I heard the Oil Barons destroyed trains in the 70s in the US. Should I let this get in the way of a trip by train from NYC => Washington DC and back (just one night in DC)? Or are flights + security + not-dodgy company better?
I have no idea. A previous AskMeFi thread suggested that in 2008 trains were slow but reasonably enjoyable.
What's the Q2 2010 view?
posted by kiwi.es
on May 28, 2010 -
31 answers
So we're arriving in Rome at 6:50PM, is it reasonable to expect to get to Florence that same night by train? We're also considering a side trip to Stockholm, any secrets to getting there and back?
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posted by advicepig
on May 8, 2010 -
15 answers
Me and a friend are both taking the Amtrak Empire Builder from Minneapolis to the Northwest in late May. However, she is heading to Wenatchee, WA. and I am heading to Portland, OR. We haven't bought any tickets yet, and we are wondering if it is possible to be on seats next to each other even though we are heading to different locations. Is this possible? The train we both need to take splits off in Spokane, WA. which is why we can't simply buy the same tickets and one of get off early.
posted by Corduroy
on Mar 24, 2010 -
13 answers
Traveling in Tokyo filter: My nephew, who is in the U.S. Air Force, is traveling to his first posting at Misawa AB, in Aomori Prefecture, in Japan. He will arrive at Narita at 2:55 pm local time on March 17, and needs to get to Haneda airport for a 7:55 am flight to Misawa the next morning, March 18. He'll have one afternoon and evening in Tokyo to do a little sightseeing. Suggestions and travel help?
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posted by toodleydoodley
on Mar 12, 2010 -
5 answers
Yet another children's book ID request: I had a children's book with intricate black-blue-and-white-only diagrams illustrating internal combustion engines. It was unusually scientifically detailed for its intended age range (I was about 5 when we owned it, but my very fuzzy memory suggests the description of the engine cycle would not have been out of place in freshman physics). It may, additionally, have been about trains. More details are inside.
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posted by dorque
on Dec 30, 2009 -
7 answers
Name that song: CW, popular around the same time as Some Fools Never Learn, based on images of trains, running on the same track or something similar. Thanks!
posted by dpcoffin
on Dec 10, 2009 -
9 answers
Travel trips? I have read the Amtrak archives for some great advice but I have some different detailed questions!
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 7, 2009 -
13 answers
Is there any official source of DVDs or digital copies of Tony Eberhardt's 2003 film "
Long Gone" available in the US? The goal is for personal use, not presentation.
posted by Science!
on Nov 7, 2009 -
1 answer
It's a lovely Fall day. Where's a good place to take some young 'uns train watching in Philadelphia? The priority is on lots of trains, up close. I don't mind paying to get on a platform. Proximity to West Philly a bonus. Thank you!
posted by carter
on Oct 25, 2009 -
6 answers
TorontoFilter: I have a ticket to go to
this event on Friday, at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. I live in Rochester, NY. What are my options for getting there on time?
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posted by agentmunroe
on Oct 20, 2009 -
11 answers
Where online can I find historic audio of train conductors or platform announcers calling out the coming stops on a train and then saying "all aboard"?
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posted by Mo Nickels
on Oct 14, 2009 -
2 answers
[Chicagofilter] Is it possible to search for businesses near an entire El line, rather than just an individual stop?
posted by nayrb5
on Jun 16, 2009 -
7 answers
What's wi-fi like on trains? I need to work on the 5hr London to Scotland rail journey, and both National Express East Coast and Virgin are offering wi-fi. Are either of these services good enough to work on? The work I have to do is updating a US intranet via VPN (Nortel Contivity).
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posted by forallmankind
on May 28, 2009 -
6 answers
What's the easiest way to determine which train car I should ride in so that I arrive nearest to the station exit I want on Japanese trains?
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posted by phaedrus441
on Nov 17, 2008 -
9 answers
Rail trips across France and Italy. Any recommendations, experiences, sights, travel wisdom for an over 30 couple who like to see the world from their window without too much hassle and in as much comfort as possible?
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posted by vizsla
on Nov 17, 2008 -
9 answers
Why does the MBTA Worcester/Framingham CommuterRail trains switch from the inbound tracks to the outbound tracks between certain hours?
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posted by lizzicide
on Oct 27, 2008 -
2 answers
Can anyone recommend a Brio Toy collector website that has complete set lists? (I'm basically looking for a site like
This Old Toy but for Brio trains.
posted by anastasiav
on Oct 26, 2008 -
1 answer
It's MBA hiring season. I have been selected to attend second round interviews with three different companies in three different cities on three consecutive days.
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 24, 2008 -
5 answers
I want to travel from Wroclaw, Poland to my family in Seattle, with less than 1000USD, without flying, within five weeks.
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posted by Galen
on May 17, 2008 -
18 answers
Please recommend me some day/weekend trip destinations from NYC, especially if they involve trains and don't require renting a car.
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posted by doift
on Apr 30, 2008 -
20 answers
