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Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes, brakes on every wagon which could be controlled by the driver, made this role redundant, although the name lives on, for example, in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions both on the track and within trains. By country Germany In Germany, the brakemen occupied brakeman's cabins on several or even all wagons in a train and would operate the wagon brakes when signaled by the engine driver. It was a dangerous and uncomfortable role, especially in winter when it was not uncommon for brakemen to freeze to death in the unheated cabins. The implementation of air brakes led to the phasing out of brakemen who previously operated manual brakes from brakeman's cabins. While the construction of brakeman's cabins ceased around 1925, existing wagons with such cabins remained in use for several ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brakeman's Cabin
A brakeman's cabin (also brakeman's cab) or brakeman's caboose (US) (German: Bremserhaus) was a small one-man compartment at one end of a railway wagon to provide shelter for the brakeman from the weather and in which equipment for manually operating the wagon brake was located. They were built in the days before railway air brake, continuous braking was available and the locomotive brake needed to be augmented by brakemen applying the wagon brakes individually. History In the early years of the railway, brakemen just had an open seat. The first cabs appeared around 1880. The number of brakeman's cabs occupied in a given train depended on the conditions of the route and the speed of the train; on some trains all the cabs might be occupied. Communication between engine driver and brakemen was by train whistle signals which required the design of the brakeman's cab to be partially open to the elements. Risk Working in brakeman's cabins was dangerous, especially in winter because th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmie Rodgers (country Singer)
James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive yodeling. Rodgers was known as "The Singing Brakeman" and "America's Blue yodeling, Blue Yodeler". He has been cited as an inspiration by many artists, and he has been inducted into multiple halls of fame. Originally from Meridian, Mississippi, Rodgers was the son of railroad worker Aaron Rodgers. During his early childhood the family moved according to the needs of his father's employment, or Rodgers' own poor health. As a teenager he was musically influenced by the diverse vaudeville shows that he often attended. At the age of 13 he won a local singing contest, and then traveled through the Southern United States with a medicine show. After his father took him back home to Meridian, Rodgers dropped out of school and joined the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conductor (rail)
A conductor (North American English) or guard (Commonwealth English) is a train crew member responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve actual operation of the train/locomotive. The role is common worldwide under various job titles, although on many railroads the role has been discontinued. The ''conductor'' title is most common in North America. In Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, the conductor (also sometimes known as ''train manager'') is someone who sells and/or inspects tickets. The responsibilities of the role typically include the following: * ensuring that the train follows applicable safety rules and practices * making sure that the train stays on schedule starting from the stations * opening and closing power operated doors * selling and checking tickets, and other customer service duties * ensuring that any cars and cargo are picked up and dropped off properly * completing en-route waybill, paperwork * directing the train's moveme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault, it has an elevation of . Located in the Mojave Desert, the pass is an important link from the Greater San Bernardino Area to the Victor Valley, and northeast to Las Vegas. The Cajon Pass area is on the Pacific Crest Trail. Cajon Pass is at the head of Horsethief Canyon, traversed by California State Route 138 (SR 138) and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Improvements in 1972 reduced the railroad's maximum elevation from about while reducing curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass, but rather the nearby Cajon Summit, , The entire area, Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit, is often referred to as Cajon Pass, but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit. In 1851, a gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caboose
A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting; as well as in keeping a lookout for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo, and overheating axles. Originally flatcars fitted with cabins or modified box cars, they later became purpose-built, with bay windows above or to the sides of the car to allow crew to observe the train. The caboose also served as the conductor's office, and on long routes, included sleeping accommodations and cooking facilities. A similar railroad car, the brake van, was used on British and Commonwealth railways outside North America (the role has since been replaced by the crew car in Australia). On trains not fitted with continuous brakes, brake vans provided a supplementary braking system, and they helped keep chain couplings taut. Cabooses were used on every freight train in the United ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luna Park, Melbourne
Luna Park Melbourne is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria. It opened on 13 December 1912, with a formal opening a week later, and has been operating almost continuously ever since. History Luna Park was built by American showman J.D. Williams, together with the Phillips brothers Harold, Leon and Herman. Not much is known of their background, but they were involved in the building of picture theatres in Spokane, Washington and Vancouver before coming to Sydney in 1909 and quickly establishing a chain of luxury cinemas in that city and then Melbourne. They then took the lease of the Dreamland site, a failed amusement park on the St Kilda foreshore, and reputedly brought out experts directly from the birthplace of the amusement park, Coney Island in New York, to build an up to date attraction. It was to be named Luna Park, perhaps after the first park of that name, the 1903 Luna Park on Coney Island, or Lu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Side Friction Roller Coasters
A side friction roller coaster is an early roller coaster design invented by Edward Joy Morris. The design introduced side-friction wheels to help prevent trains from derailing during curved portions of the track. In addition to weight-bearing wheels traditionally located on the underside of each train car, friction wheels were added to both sides, which roll perpendicular along the inner edge of the track. The first side-friction coasters appeared in the late 19th century and were mild in comparison to modern-day roller coasters. They declined in popularity several decades later as newer coasters began incorporating a third set of underfriction wheels, which further improved safety and allowed for more thrilling track designs. History The earliest gravity railways in the United States were used primarily to transport coal down mountains, often to the nearest river or canal. The Mauch Chunk Railway (MCR) in eastern Pennsylvania was constructed in 1827 and was the second of its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brake Van
Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Ireland, Australia and India for a Rolling stock, railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the Conductor (transportation), guard. The equivalent North American term is caboose, but a British brake van and a caboose are very different in appearance, and use because the former usually has only four wheels, while the latter usually has bogies, as well as American Cabooses not being used to provide braking on a train, and instead serving as a mobile office for the Conductor_(rail), conductor and the Brakeman, brakemen who helped monitor the train. German railways employed brakeman's cabins combine car, combined into other cars. Many British freight trains formerly had no continuous brake so the only available brakes were those on the locomotive and the brake van. Because of this shortage of brake power, the speed was restricted to . The brake van was marshalled at the rear of the train so both por ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railroad Engineer
A train driver is a person who operates a train, railcar, or other rail transport vehicle. The driver is in charge of and is responsible for the mechanical operation of the train, train speed, and all of the train handling (also known as brake handling). Train drivers must follow certain guidelines for driving a train safely. Naming British English terms for a train driver include engine driver, engineman, and locomotive driver. The term in North American English is railroad engineer, but the simpler term engineer is more commonly used. Terms for a train driver in other English dialects include locomotive handler, locomotive engineer, locomotive operator, train operator, and motorman. In American English, a hostler (also known as a switcher) moves engines around rail yards, but does not take them out on the main line tracks; the British English equivalent is a shunter. Career progression For many American railroads, the following career progression is typical: assistant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roller Coaster (Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach)
Roller Coaster – also known as Scenic Railway or The Scenic – is a wooden roller coaster at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, Great Yarmouth, UK. The ride was built at the park in 1932 and has been operational since. It is one of only two scenic railways still in operation in the UK (the other being the Scenic Railway at Dreamland Amusement Park, Margate) and one of only seven in the world. In common with most scenic railways, an operator rides the car. Traditionally referred to as a ' brakesperson’, the operator applies brakes on the car to control its speed and to stop it at the end of the ride, as there are no brakes on the track. It is the second tallest and second fastest wooden roller coaster in the UK. It is also a Grade II listed building. History In 1931, Pat Collins, then owner of Pleasure Beach, and his son John, who was managing the park, were on the lookout for a large attraction to install at the park. The Collins' visited the Colonial Exhibition in Paris whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
