[PRCo] Re: quick reply...Proof of Payment in Germany

[Fred Schneider]

I've heard some wonderful stories of the AC getting mixed up with the  
DC or the high voltage getting mixed up with the low voltage and the  
circuit breakers going ker bang.   In spite of the exemplary job they  
do, mistakes do happen in Europe.   But I am still amazed that they  
run trains from country to country to country and mix three or four  
of five voltages and frequencies and sometimes the only thing that  
suffers is an inability to have food service until they get to the  
border and can use the stoves.

I am most amazed at the ability today to use lightweight technology  
with high voltage alternating current.   We had 6600 volt AC  
interurban cars in 1907 and most of those systems lasted only a few  
years.   The Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis was probably the  
best know and it only lasted something like 18 months before  
conversion to 1200 volts DC.   Those AC systems were horribly  
impractical because the cars weighed so much.   However, today we can  
build high voltage AC / low voltage DC streetcars and think nothing  
of it.   They are running in both in Karlsruhe and in Saarbrucken,  
Germany.  Run them over city streets downtown and then over the  
national railroad system as commuter trains.   And they don't get  
agitated with buff strength requirement like or FRA does.   They mix  
trolleys and 150 mph trains on the same tracks!   I remember reading  
that when Saarbrucken received their cars, they simply left the  
factory with a train crew and were run over the Deutschebahn under AC  
to Saarbrucken and put in service.   By the time they got there, they  
were broken in!

Bob, we've got to take some of these other people over there and show  
them how the rest of the world does it!

On Aug 27, 2007, at 7:15 PM, robert simpson wrote:

> Made a big error - just received an E-mail from an acquaintence in  
> Germany who informed me that the railway voltage is 15,000 volts  
> A.C.  - a far cry from the 660 which I mentioned.
>
>   Sorry about that - should have checked.
>
>   Bob Simpson
>   from California
>
>
> Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net> wrote:
>   Right on, Ken.
>
> On Aug 26, 2007, at 4:48 PM, Ken & Tracie wrote:
>
>> "But General Patton...I vuz only following orders...." ;-)
>>
>> K.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Fred Schneider
>>
>>> Nice commentary. In his comment about the Germans not thinking
>>> about boarding if the fare machine was broken it shows the  
>>> discipline
>>> of the Germans. You will not find this in the Brits or the Dutch or
>>> the French.
>>
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