Mid-April 2018 Ice Storm in Ontario

[Daniel E.]

You can combine the experiences by using a blow dryer in a sauna.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

lol well played!

 

[Retired]

After the ice came snow flurries in Ottawa, and this afternoon one of the new light rail test trains was making a trial run. The light rail system in Ottawa called Confederation Line is schedule for completion this Fall, so every sighting of the trains is pretty exciting.

Here is what I saw this afternoon:

On Wednesday, April 24 the first ride on Ottawa's LRT with news media:



Apologies for the thread drift, which may be less distressing than snow drifts, so since there's no more snow and ice, at least for the next few days in the forecast in Ottawa, I thought this video would be a fitting followup to the earlier snowy ride...

 

[David Baxter PhD]

100 kmh - that's certainly faster than a bus can go.

In the video, people on the sidewalks next to the train are even walking at an unusually speedy pace.

 

[Daniel E.]

100 kmh is an impressive 62 mph (for those south of the Canadian border).

 

[Retired]

100 kmh - that's certainly faster than a bus can go.

It's unlikely the trains would get up to their maximum speed, given the distances between stations and the number of curves in the line. The only part of the line where the train might get up to a greater speed would be at the extreme eastern end, between the Cyrville Station and Blair Road (for folks who are familiar with Ottawa) where the line is straight and the distance perhaps a little over a mile. I have not seen the landscape at the west end at Tunney's pasture to determine the distance and route.

My vantage point overlooks the line between Hurdman and Tremblay Station. The snowy video I made was the train coming from Tremblay on that southern turn approaching Hurdman.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

That doesn’t explain why people on the sidewalks in the video were walking so fast though.

 

[GaryQ]

I thought the train was moving so slow in the video even I could probably keep up to it

 

[Retired]

That doesn’t explain why people on the sidewalks in the video were walking so fast though.

I missed the earlier point you were making. The trains have been operating at v-e-r-y low speed since the testing began...perhaps to test the integrity of the tracks, and perhaps to test the signalling and control functions. I believe the trains are automated, with an operator in place as an observer.

The video from the interior of the train was made during the media introduction last Wednesday, and I know that train was running at a similar low speed, because I saw it go by.

The top speed was mentioned as a point of interest, but so far they've been running at a snail's pace...evidently slow enough that Gary could probably overtake them!....:funky:....:dogrun:

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I know. The film was speeded up, hence the fast walking pedestrians. Bad dad joke.