Robert Pence

...yet.

You did it quite well! Great photo tour of a great city.

Hmmm! Maybe I've missed something, but I always thought that on virtually all residential service, downloads are much faster than uploads. To make sure we're using the same terms, downloading involves transfer of information from the host to your computer; you click a link, and the photo thread or whatever is downloaded to your system. Uploading involves sending information from your computer to a host, like sending an email or posting a reply on a forum. If FIOS is available in your area, you probably would have heard about it. After Verizon had everything in place, I received at least one mailing per week promoting it. I think they advertised heavily to every household, and they offered $5 monthly discounts and free installation and router for customers who already have DSL. If Verizon is your local phone provider, just Google Verizon FIOS and you'll find a page that lets you enter your phone number to see if the service is available where you live.

Beautiful and interesting. Thanks for the excellent tour.

Fascinating! Great photo tour!

No kidding! I thought that was to keep out illegal immigrants who might want to come there to take advantage of the fabulous economy and quality of life! :wink:

Fort Wayne has decent, well-utilized public pools in some of the parks, but they open late because the staff, especially lifeguards, are recruited from among college students who aren't available until school lets out for the summer and who leave before labor day.

It looks like something out of a frightening futuristic film! Then, when I think of a country like that as a nuclear power -- <<shudder>>

Some rather charming neighborhoods still. Great piece of detailed research, Jeff; it makes me look forward to the day when that ROW will be reclaimed for rail.

I agree that the old viaduct is pretty impressive in its longevity, and it was an amazing thing when it was completed in 1878. Keep in mind, though, that it was only 40 years old when it was replaced by the Detroit-Superior High Level Viaduct (Veterans' Memorial Bridge), long before trucks reached today's weights, before traffic reached today's volume, and when traffic speeds were on the order of 10mph and slower. During most of its life, it carried horse-drawn vehicles and streetcars that weigh much less than contemporary light rail vehicles. The vibration and load stresses from today's traffic, combined with the heavy doses of salt now used for snow and ice removal, almost certainly would have had their effects on the masonry. Even under those conditions, though, it might have held up better than contemporary construction does. Incidentally, brick or cobblestone pavers, when frost-coated or wet, can be slicker than snot, especially for rubber tires. Try riding a bicycle on a brick street right after a heavy frost! :-o

And proud of it! :-D

Electrification, itself, can increase the capacity of an existing rail line. Electric locomotives drawing power from catenary can deliver much higher peak horsepower, especially for short periods, than diesel-electrics that have to carry their own power source. More than seventy years ago Pennsylvania Railroad electrified its high-density commuter lines in the northeast to gain faster acceleration out of stations and shorten the headways between rush-hour trains. The magnificent 1934-1943 Raymond Loewy-styled GG1 locomotives were rated 4,620 continuous horsepower at 100mph, 8,000 peak at 100mph, and 9,500 peak at 49mph, figures still unmatched by diesel-electrics, and I read that in 1937 a GG1 prototype attained 135mph on specially-prepared track and was still accelerating, when they ran out of test track and had to shut it down. GG1s continued in service until the early 1980s, still capable of making hundred-mile-per-hour speeds. :clap: :clap: We've had the technical capability for years; we just need to make it a priority.

When I read "solar-powered steam locomotive," I thought, "Hah! You're rolling down the track and a cloud passes in front of the sun, and the train slows to a crawl or stops. There's no explanation from the crew as to what's going on." Then, I realized that it wouldn't be too much different from some of my experiences riding Amtrak! :-D Seriously, though, fireless locomotives sound like a viable option for the proposed purpose. At least into the 1960's, Indianapolis Power & Light used a fireless locomotive to pick up coal hoppers from the rail yard and bring them onto the property. I think the round trip might have been as much as seven miles, and they recharged the locomotive from the power plant's boilers. . . . and one result of that $400 billion may well turn out to be increased political instability and ideological shifts in the middle east, further jeopardizing the availability of the region's oil.

Interesting neighborhood. Those porches are delightful. Neat photos and super informative thread!

I'm sorry. Don't make me cry. It was all in the name of art, namely this photo:

Spectacular! I love this one:

Very pretty! The outhouse adds a charming accent! For total authenticity it should have a phone book or catalog in place of the toilet paper roll. :-D

I passed through there on the way to and from the Columbus meet. There used to be a sign outside of town along the highway, marking the highest point in Ohio, but I watched for it and didn't see it this time.

Cincy-Rise made all three.

:-D Hah! I've been very aware of how much I resemble the farmer in Grant Wood's American Gothic. As I've aged, my appearance has become similar to my dad, and I'm the image of one of his uncles. I grew facial hair to set myself apart, but I guess I need to grow it out a little more so it will show up.

Good photos! I found Columbus more pedestrian-friendly than many places I've been. Turning drivers seem pretty conscientious about yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, and fairly courteous in general. Where I live, drivers behave as if they expect to be awarded points redeemable in cash for terrorizing pedestrians. While crossing the street at unsignaled intersections, it's not uncommon to hear drivers a block away accelerating, and one morning walking to work, I found myself on the hood of a driver so intent on her right turn on red that she didn't look for pedestrians coming from the other direction.

Sheesh! What a grouch! :x Despite your best efforts to run the place down, Columbus looks great in your photos. :wink:

It's lying down, off to the right of the area in the photo.

Excellent photos! I love the dusk-to-dark skyline shots.

I smiled all the way home. Thanks, everybody, for a very good day! My hotel experience this time was quite good. I stayed at LaQuinta, on Brice Road just off I-70. Clean, comfortable, quiet room and courteous, friendly staff. Overall, Columbus left me with a very favorable impression.