Intercity 225 Documentary 'Running to time' Part 2 of 4.

[1ns4ne1d10t]

@9:36 - Anyone notice the terrible lack of health and safety back in the 1980's with the rail worker on the ladder? Leaning a tall ladder against pylons and swinging it over like that with your body weight to move across the pylons near a pair train rails is never a good idea...

[rickerbycourt]

High Voltage AC Electrification by overhead catenary is the international standard. Sure it can fail, but 99.99% of the time it works just fine. If you threw a bike frame onto a non-electrified line it would bring trains to a halt! Amazing the things that go through some peoples minds. Never ceases to amaze me the things I read on You Tube - makes you fear for the human race.

[thehoff1982]

Where is that at 3:16? Looks like a british steam train with an indian or canadian diesel!

[soundseeker63]

For a film that was about the new class 91 locos, they include a lot of the previous traction that came before it like the APT, HST, deltics, 86 and 87 and even a few "roarers" which is nice. Gives it history and interest as well as modernity.

[colliecandle]

OLE - A backwards move. 1/ Highly vulnerable to damage and interference deliberate and otherwise. 2/ Not as green as they like you to believe - electric MAY be 'clean' at point of use (loco) BUT the electricity STILL has to be generated BY oil or coal! 3/ Very unsightly and retrogressive catenary system using much steel and 'air space' in it's operation. Ugly and intrusive

[soundseeker63]

@colliecandle Yes well if everyone thought like you we'd likely still be riding around in steam trains, choking our lungs out in the clouds of smog, soot and sulfur they spew out. The whole reason electrification originally came about was to reduce pollution and improve efficiency, which is exactly what it does.

That it offers higher speeds, quicker accelerations, less noise, easier and cheaper maintenance is also worth while. Can't say I'm aware of damage to catenary being a real issue either.

[colliecandle]

@soundseeker63 Anyone with the mindset could bring any OLE supply 'crashing' down metaphorically OR literally!

It takes just one old pushbike frame lobbed over a bridge parapet, and I'll garantee the whole system will come to a grinding stop

[soundseeker63]

@colliecandle Maybe, but how often does that actually happen?

The same could be said of virtually all electrical infrastructure and telecommunication systems. Much of our infrastructure is relatively easy to sabotage. It sounds like you live in a state of permanent paranoia about everything being attacked, which in reality very rarely happens so your argument that we shouldn't build any of it because of this very small and far fetched possibility is rather weak.