Do you love trains? Like really love trains? Like totally would love to sleep with a train set in your room? I know, right? Absolutely. A new hotel in Akihabara offers just that service. Presumably the trains are sanitized after each guest leaves. → Read More
I’ve personally taken Amtrak’s high-speed Acela line between Boston and New York more times than I can remember. At 3.5 hours, it’s roughly the same amount of time you’d spend jumping through hoops at the airport but it’s a far less abrasive experience overall. The inclusion of free Wi-Fi ought to add yet another compelling reason to choose trains over planes. → Read More
It looks like the U.S. is well on its way to becoming a modern Western country after all. Congressional leaders are trying to find funding for high-speed passenger trains, one of which would take people from New York to D.C. in just two hours. Other big lines would take people from Seattle to Portland; all around the midwest with a hub in Chicago; about Florida; about California; and connecting… → Read More
A commuter rail company in the UK will install cellphone signal-blocking film on train windows in order to keep the peace. The film, which was developed in America, prevents cellphone signal from entering (and leaving) the train. With no signal getting through, people won’t be able to talk, loudly or otherwise, on their cellphones. While some people may be all, “this infringes on my rights… → Read More
Current Japanese “bullet trains” can travel at an average speed of 300 km/h (188 mph). Recent proposals could mean that we’ll be looking at trains with average speeds of 500 km/h (310 mph). That’s approaching commercial airline speeds. The trains would run between Tokyo and Nagoya and would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of ¥5.1 trillion ($51.3 billion) to construct. At such a… → Read More
Reuters is reporting that text messaging may have had something to do with a recent train crash in California that killed 25 and injured 135. Cell phone records show that the train’s conductor received a text message at 4:21:03 PM, followed by the crash at 4:22:23 PM. The idea is that he got the text message, looked down to read it, and missed the trackside signal. The commuter train then… → Read More
http://www.liveleak.com/e/a0c_1222057090 Now, this isn’t something you’d want to give your kid, becuase the engine is a superconductor cooled to hundreds of degrees below zero by liquid nitrogen. And you thought the tire swing sounded dangerous! Still, if you’re the proud mom or dad of a budding physicist or materials engineer, this might be the perfect supervised plaything. The… → Read More
If you have kids or have seen kids, you’ll know kids like them some toy train rails. Three companies are selling bits specifically designed to create tracks that are compatible with Thomas the Tank Engine sets. The original tracks and toys are amazingly and disgustingly expensive but obviously building your own could cost you more in heartache and pain than going to Toys’r’Us ever… → Read More
For awhile I live in Olympia, WA, and commuted to Seattle every day. I know, I’m an idiot, but I did it the smart way and took public transit. One leg of my daily trip involved a train ride, and the last car in the train was a designated “No Cell” car; phones off, no calls, no texts. I never went near it, but I can understand the sentiment. Austria, too, is getting in on the act… → Read More
Dear Satan: Thanks for thinking of us this Easter. We purchased your Imaginarium Spiral Train Set on sale at Toys R’ Us and our wee one — you’ll feast on his soul soon enough, my old friend, just as you did on his mothers and mine — opening it this morning. Let me tell you about the fun we’ve had trying to keep it together! The tracks rarely stay put, the motion of… → Read More
We’ve all heard the addage “Hang up and drive, assface!”, but I would like to remind our readers to hang up and walk. In San Leandro, CA, a man was tragically hit and killed by an oncoming train that he was oblivious to, thanks to his cellphone conversation. And this is the second time in as many months that this has happened. Apparently he’s not a CrunchGear reader. Be… → Read More
Part of being a gadget owner is being responsible. You should know your cellphone etiquette, like not talking while driving wihtout a handsfree kit, remembering to mute the ringer in a theater, and keeping your voice low when in public. These Dear, Abby hints can keep you from personal injury at the hands of the pissed off rest of the planet. Another to add to you personal collection would be… → Read More
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