"Extreme Trains" TV show on Acela

[ALC Rail Writer]

Being on the West Coast here, what is the proper Acela pronunciation?
Also, I really hate the walking low angle shots of him waving his arms around.

(short) "A" Cell (short) "A"

Bob

My midwestern shows through when I ask for the neck 'Ack-cell-uh'

However this guy was holding onto the 'ce' sound... he also struck the first syllable hard to make it 'Ass-el-auh'

 

[the_traveler]

Being on the West Coast here, what is the proper Acela pronunciation?
Also, I really hate the walking low angle shots of him waving his arms around.

(short) "A" Cell (short) "A"

Bob

My midwestern shows through when I ask for the neck 'Ack-cell-uh'

However this guy was holding onto the 'ce' sound... he also struck the first syllable hard to make it 'Ass-el-auh'

I prefer to pronounce it "AE" - much easier!

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

on an extreme railroad

The extreme part is that Amtrak continues to operate on the limited budget it has received for the past 35+ years - and even tries to improve! :lol:

"The fastest train... on the continent..."

The only cool part about it was Penn's Central Control Room.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

The Acela is, by no straight of the mind... an 'Extreme Train'...

Oh yes it is, I worked on the NECIP and when we were starting we asked the Japanese, Germans, and French to come and offer suggestions, they all said the same thing, "it couldn't be done" but it was do it or no high speed on the North East Corridor.

all other high speed railroads in the world are two tracks one in each direction, exclusively for the high speed trains, one track goes in one direction the other goes the other direction, and mostly all built from the ground up.

the NEC has an average of three tracks, all bidirectional, there are commuter trains, regional trains, freight trains and high speed trains all running 24/7. This runs and works something that no one else has been able to do. and it was done without ever shutting the railroad down.

But the BOS to DC average speed for the Acela Express is about 69 MPH. I believe the French have achieved more than double that, and I suspect they're not the only ones.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

I thought it was funny that they called the Acela 'green' because during dynamic braking, it puts power back onto the catenary 'for the next train to use'. Nevermind how much it uses to get up to that speed. Not that it's inefficient, but I would not call it green for that reason. Though compared to other modes of transportation, it is green-er.

Braking for curves and then speeding up is probably also less energy efficient than a train running on track that never requires the train to slow down.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

The Acela is, by no straight of the mind... an 'Extreme Train'...

Oh yes it is, I worked on the NECIP and when we were starting we asked the Japanese, Germans, and French to come and offer suggestions, they all said the same thing, "it couldn't be done" but it was do it or no high speed on the North East Corridor.

all other high speed railroads in the world are two tracks one in each direction, exclusively for the high speed trains, one track goes in one direction the other goes the other direction, and mostly all built from the ground up.

the NEC has an average of three tracks, all bidirectional, there are commuter trains, regional trains, freight trains and high speed trains all running 24/7. This runs and works something that no one else has been able to do. and it was done without ever shutting the railroad down.

But the BOS to DC average speed for the Acela Express is about 69 MPH. I believe the French have achieved more than double that, and I suspect they're not the only ones.

The only thing 'extreme' about the Acela is that it does what it does with that little money and on the NEC with all of the bad spots of tracks, the curves, grade crossings, and bridges. I give them credit, the TGV and ICE don't have to deal with near as much crap.

But still, I have never taken the Acela for a reason-- between my most common city pairs (NYP-WAS, PHL-WAS, PHL-NYP) it rarely cuts more than 10 or fifteen minutes off my trip time.

Its an express train, if you made her take all local stops like any other regional train she probably wouldn't be a whole lot better than any other train on the corridor. It has the ability to go fast, but those regionals can match her speed in many sections of track.

I'll stick to my regionals.

 

[spacecadet]

But the BOS to DC average speed for the Acela Express is about 69 MPH. I believe the French have achieved more than double that, and I suspect they're not the only ones.

The fastest scheduled service in the world between terminals is Japan's Nozomi service between Shin-Osaka and Hakata, which averages 152mph.

(This isn't the fastest average between *any* two stations, but I thought it would be best to compare terminal to terminal stops.)

So yeah, kinda puts Acela to shame.

 

[sechs]

However, this guy is supposed to be a huge railfan and has some sort of job on the rails where he lives.

There is no passenger rail service in Central Maine. The nearest station would be a couple hours away in Portland.

I guess that you didn't catch that he was going to take the Downeaster "back home."

I was wondering if he knew that he needed to get from South to North Station....

 

[sechs]

Being on the West Coast here, what is the proper Acela pronunciation?

(short) "A" Cell (short) "A"

That's not what the conductor on my train said.

Most people with whom I've spoken say something like:

uh-sel'-uh

The difference between a short "a" and a schwa in the English language being so slim, it would be hard to casually tell if someone was pronouncing that first letter one way or the other.

 

[spacecadet]

Being on the West Coast here, what is the proper Acela pronunciation?

(short) "A" Cell (short) "A"

That's not what the conductor on my train said.

Most people with whom I've spoken say something like:

uh-sel'-uh

The short "a" would seem to be more technically correct, given the roots of the name. But I've only ever heard it with the schwa sound.

 

[Trogdor]

The guy on the show kept calling it the "Acellar." What with his New England(er) accent(er) and all(er).

 

[VentureForth]

But the BOS to DC average speed for the Acela Express is about 69 MPH. I believe the French have achieved more than double that, and I suspect they're not the only ones.

The fastest scheduled service in the world between terminals is Japan's Nozomi service between Shin-Osaka and Hakata, which averages 152mph.

(This isn't the fastest average between *any* two stations, but I thought it would be best to compare terminal to terminal stops.)

So yeah, kinda puts Acela to shame.

With a max speed of 186 MPH.

I agree that it is rather extreme that the Acela can run as fast as it does on such busy bi-directional track. What tones that down a bit is that the Shinkansen can run as many as SIX trains an hour, including 2 Nozomi (Super express), 2 Hikari (Express) and 2 Kodama (stops at every stop).

The Kodama is pretty slow for a bullet train, averaging a mere 75 MPH on that route from Shin-Osaka to Hakata (622 km, 5:08) That's only 5 MPH higher than Acela between WAS and Providence, RI (414 Mi, 5:53).

So, I suppose that if the originally designated, world renowned, "Bullet Train" in Japan can be called such when they average 75 MPH between two terminals with their slowest trainset even after 40 years of service, the almost-there Acela can be called... the .22 of Bullet Trains.

Maybe the cork in a pop gun?

 

[spacecadet]

The Kodama is pretty slow for a bullet train, averaging a mere 75 MPH on that route from Shin-Osaka to Hakata (622 km, 5:08) That's only 5 MPH higher than Acela between WAS and Providence, RI (414 Mi, 5:53).
So, I suppose that if the originally designated, world renowned, "Bullet Train" in Japan can be called such when they average 75 MPH between two terminals with their slowest trainset even after 40 years of service, the almost-there Acela can be called... the .22 of Bullet Trains.

Well, they never called it a "bullet train"

And we only called it that because the 0 series looked like one:

The newest models (700 and N700) look more like a duck than a bullet.

So I guess if these had been the first shinkansen instead of the newest ones, we'd all be calling high speed trains "duck trains" instead of "bullet trains".

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Did he call the Acela a bullet train? I forget--

Because if it is...

It is more of a hammer train to me

 

[sky12065]

The Kodama is pretty slow for a bullet train, averaging a mere 75 MPH on that route from Shin-Osaka to Hakata (622 km, 5:08) That's only 5 MPH higher than Acela between WAS and Providence, RI (414 Mi, 5:53).
So, I suppose that if the originally designated, world renowned, "Bullet Train" in Japan can be called such when they average 75 MPH between two terminals with their slowest trainset even after 40 years of service, the almost-there Acela can be called... the .22 of Bullet Trains.

Well, they never called it a "bullet train"

And we only called it that because the 0 series looked like one:

The newest models (700 and N700) look more like a duck than a bullet.

So I guess if these had been the first shinkansen instead of the newest ones, we'd all be calling high speed trains "duck trains" instead of "bullet trains".

O< AFLAK!

 

[VentureForth]

Well, they never called it a "bullet train"
And we only called it that because the 0 series looked like one:

That's not entirely true. The original project name for the Shinkansen (新幹線, meaning "New Trunk Line") was "daggan ressha" (弾丸列車, meaning "Bullet Train"), so named for both the appearance and the speed of the train. Since the "0" Series lasted for nearly 20 years without major modification, the moniker stuck. Almost all Shinkansen in Japan have an aerodynamic shaped nose. Most are now the duck nose. The 300 series "storm trooper" wasn't aerodynamic nor bullet shaped (oldest JR design in service). No one knows how that guy got into service... :huh:

Note on the de-nationalization of Japan's state-run rail service. As mentioned, only the 100-series Shinkansen was developed under the old JNR - nearly 20 years after Shinkansen started. Not gonna mention the 200, 'cause it has nearly the same shell as the "0". After privatization, now in its 20th year, JR has introduced 12 new models, and managed to turn a profit.

 

[spacecadet]

Well, they never called it a "bullet train"
And we only called it that because the 0 series looked like one:

That's not entirely true. The original project name for the Shinkansen (新幹線, meaning "New Trunk Line") was "daggan ressha" (弾丸列車, meaning "Bullet Train"),

Learn something new every day.

Still, they definitely do not call it that anymore, and I haven't heard a Japanese person say *either* "daggan ressha" or "bullet train" in, well, ever.

 

[Bierboy]

I thought it was a good show. I really enjoy the extreme host.
I didn't know that was a bullet train till I watched the show.

I loved the show but found the over-the-top host a bit too much. He could tone it down a few notches.

 

[Bierboy]

I still like when they always say "AE goes 150 MPH!" - when the truth is it only runs 150 MPH for a short stretch!..

IIRC, they said "...reaches speed of up to 150 mph..." or something similar. I don't ever recall them saying "...AE goes 150 mph..."

 

[Kevin L.]

It would be nice if there was an "extreme" train out there, but I haven't seen one, and if there was, it'd be some novelty non-passenger train that we couldn't ride anyhow.

 

[spacecadet]

Sadly, I'm not seeing anything "extreme" about anything featured in this show
It would be nice if there was an "extreme" train out there, but I haven't seen one, and if there was, it'd be some novelty non-passenger train that we couldn't ride anyhow.

I'd say maglevs are still pretty extreme, in the real definition of that word (not the "eXXXXtreme!!!" TV definition, maybe).

I think the shinkansen trains are also pretty extreme, maybe not so much in their raw speed (a lot of high speed trains are similarly fast) but when you take the high speed and combine it with frequency (the last time I rode, they were coming every six minutes!), the extent of the network and stations, the number of different train types and the efficiency with which they run. It is truly an impressive sight in person - I had no idea what it was really like before I saw it and rode it. I have never seen a TV show that does this system justice.

If you mean "extreme" in terms of a train that does loop-de-loops or barrel rolls or something, well yeah, you're gonna need to just go to an amusement park for something like that. But there are trains out there that do things other trains don't do, and that are pushing the envelope of rail travel. And that's really what "extreme" means.

Acela is not that, though. It's extreme in North America, maybe - there's no other train like it here. But that doesn't mean much.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I hope that host realizes he set railroading back a few years with that--

"Oh my God I can't believe how powerful this thing is!!"

You been working round trains your entire life-- I have a VERY had time believing you find any of what you're doing in the least bit surprising, impressed, maybe.

Although I have to admit it was a little funny to see him keep derailing in the simulator... heheh

 

[Crescent ATN & TCL]

I hope that host realizes he set railroading back a few years with that--
"Oh my God I can't believe how powerful this thing is!!"

You been working round trains your entire life-- I have a VERY had time believing you find any of what you're doing in the least bit surprising, impressed, maybe.

Although I have to admit it was a little funny to see him keep derailing in the simulator... heheh

The best I can tell the railroad he works on shuffles a few cars along at very low speeds with and outdated diesel that has maybe 2000hp so being in an Acela pulling 6 cars with 2 6000hp locos is probably very different to him, although I agree he's still over the top. At least he's not half-dead like most History Channel hosts.

 

[access bob]

Sadly, I'm not seeing anything "extreme" about anything featured in this show
It would be nice if there was an "extreme" train out there, but I haven't seen one, and if there was, it'd be some novelty non-passenger train that we couldn't ride anyhow.

I think the shinkansen trains are also pretty extreme, maybe not so much in their raw speed (a lot of high speed trains are similarly fast) but when you take the high speed and combine it with frequency (the last time I rode, they were coming every six minutes!), the extent of the network and stations, the number of different train types and the efficiency with which they run. It is truly an impressive sight in person - I had no idea what it was really like before I saw it and rode it. I have never seen a TV show that does this system justice.

Acela is not that, though. It's extreme in North America, maybe - there's no other train like it here. But that doesn't mean much.

I always have thought of the Shinkansen as the worlds fastest subway........ just about as packed too.

mostly ride the Joetsu line which is about 50% underground.

12 car "MAX" trains at sub 15 minute headways at 150mph.

Bob

 

[spacecadet]

I always have thought of the Shinkansen as the worlds fastest subway........ just about as packed too.
mostly ride the Joetsu line which is about 50% underground.

12 car "MAX" trains at sub 15 minute headways at 150mph.

Getting a little OT here, hope nobody minds...

From what I've seen, different lines and fare bases will give you a pretty different experience. I know from my own experience that non-reserved cars are entirely different from reserved cars. Non-reserved can feel like a commuter train - there is almost no legroom between seats, and there are often a lot of standees during rush hours. Reserved cars never have standees and they have more legroom - even at 6'4, I could cross my legs easily. (And there aren't many 6'4 guys in Japan!) My wife was able to put a big suitcase in front of her knees and still be comfortable.

I'm not sure if the Joetsu line has "green cars" either, some lines do, some don't. I've never ridden in one, but with 2+1 seating (in some trains) and more legroom than reserved coach, I can't imagine it would feel very subway-like.

The Tokaido line also goes through the mountains, as do some others, so it doesn't feel like a subway.

It's too bad they got rid of the "restaurant cars", though... but I guess they're not really needed when the average trip is about 2 hours or less.

Look at this schedule board from the last time I rode: http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/bl...00/_MG_2492.jpg

Shinkansen to Tokyo at 10:26, 10:32, 10:35, and 10:39! Then you start to get into off-peak time. But that's crazy, every 4-5 minutes during rush hours for a train that goes almost 200mph. That's pretty "extreme". They must have some pretty amazing signaling and train control.