Why can't we have these? Japanese train hit 501kmh

[Biggsy]

If you make a typical stock OO model train go at full speed, what does the speed translate to when scaled up to real size?

[Regulator]

Why this demand for getting everywhere increasingly quickly?  I actually like train travel on the whole and wouldn't want it to go too quickly.  Eurostar is handy but in some ways disappointing - it goes too fast for you to really enjoy the countryside through which you are travelling.

[Biggsy]

Those commuting long distances every day may be more interested in spending time at home rather than looking at countryside.

I'm suddenly reminded of an idea proposed several decades ago: a tunnel under the Atlantic with trains travelling at extremely high speed thanks to something involving a vacuum.  I was promised this as a little boy, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen in my lifetime. 

[Valiant]

If you make a typical stock OO model train go at full speed, what does the speed translate to when scaled up to real size?

I believe tis 100mph

[mrcharly-YHT]

Those commuting long distances every day may be more interested in spending time at home rather than looking at countryside.

I'm suddenly reminded of an idea proposed several decades ago: a tunnel under the Atlantic with trains travelling at extremely high speed thanks to something involving a vacuum.  I was promised this as a little boy, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen in my lifetime. 

You need to read "A transatlantic tunnel, hurrah!" by Harry Harrison, I believe

[Regulator]

Those commuting long distances every day may be more interested in spending time at home rather than looking at countryside.

They could try living closer to work... (the same argument applies to those who claim they just *have* to drive long distances to work).

And these trains, such as HS2, won't be commuting trains, as they'll be too bloddy expensive.

[Mr Larrington]

I'm suddenly reminded of an idea proposed several decades ago: a tunnel under the Atlantic with trains travelling at extremely high speed thanks to something involving a vacuum.  I was promised this as a little boy, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen in my lifetime. 

I saw a TV documentary on this quite recently but it was definitely off in pie-in-the-sky territory.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Those commuting long distances every day may be more interested in spending time at home rather than looking at countryside.

They could try living closer to work... (the same argument applies to those who claim they just *have* to drive long distances to work).

And these trains, such as HS2, won't be commuting trains, as they'll be too bloddy expensive.

That's a nice idea.

It just falls down when you have children in a school, they are doing fine, then you lose your job and have to find another one - which could then be some distance away.

[Biggsy]

Another thing that we were promised in the past was that people doing office jobs would be working at home and linked by computer.  It's interesting how this hasn't happened, by a large degree, even now we have the technology for it, and that many office workers are commuting many tens of miles, sometimes even hundreds of miles.

[Mr Larrington]

Not so sure about that.  I've been working here five years now and there are still some application developers I've never seen.

[Biggsy]

But working from home is still the minority for office workers, when it was thought to become the norm long ago.

[Exit Stage Left]

I can see the point of high speed trains for journeys of up to 300 miles. But beyond that planes are a better idea.

[Bledlow]

And these trains, such as HS2, won't be commuting trains, as they'll be too bloddy expensive.

And don't connect residential areas to places where people work. How many people would commute between London & Birmingham city centres?

[Hello, I am Bruce]

Another thing that we were promised in the past was that people doing office jobs would be working at home and linked by computer.

I do it:  I live in Edinburgh and work in Iceland.  Instead of having a short commute every day I have a very long commute a few times per year. 

Teleworking lets you have much stronger working relationships with people very far away, encouraging long distance travel that cancels out the benefits of not commuting.  In my case the environmental impact and cost of working from home is greater than commuting to an office, because I've swapped a regular cycle for an occasional flight.  I suspect that high speed rail could have similar paradoxical effects (an environmentally friendly and fast transport causing more environmental damage and travel woes).

[Bledlow]

A friend of mine used to work from home in Reading - except for the trips to California to visit the office.

[Biggsy]

I can see the point of high speed trains for journeys of up to 300 miles. But beyond that planes are a better idea.

A train potentially could save energy, and be quicker if/when the science fiction of vacuum magnetic assisted trains in a tube becomes fact.

I do it:  I live in Edinburgh and work in Iceland.  Instead of having a short commute every day I have a very long commute a few times per year.

You are an exception when it was expected to have become the norm.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Not so sure about that.  I've been working here five years now and there are still some application developers I've never seen.

Is this not a good thing? Given the level of personal hygiene of most geeks?

[ScumOfTheRoad]

BTW, vacuum trains are nothing new.
There was a pneumatic railway at the Crystal Palace.

Also in the early days of railways, it was not at all obvious that the low powered steam engines of the day could haul a heavy train behind them.
The original London to Croydon railway had a pneumatic system beside the tracks - which used greased leather to make the vacuum seal.
Rats ate the leather so it was abandoned.

[Cudzoziemiec]

But working from home is still the minority for office workers, when it was thought to become the norm long ago.

Perhaps because the only bit of work that people can do from home is the work bit? They don't get the social interaction, which means they also don't get the indoctrination into the company's values(!) and it's harder for the boss to bollock them.

[rower40]

BTW, vacuum trains are nothing new.
There was a pneumatic railway at the Crystal Palace.

Also in the early days of railways, it was not at all obvious that the low powered steam engines of the day could haul a heavy train behind them.
The original London to Croydon railway had a pneumatic system beside the tracks - which used greased leather to make the vacuum seal.
Rats ate the leather so it was abandoned.

Similarly the South Devon Railway, which is why there are such steep gradients between Newton Abbot and Plymouth.  Brunel was going to use the Atmospheric principle to save money on earthworks.  One of the original pumping engines is still standing at Starcross (the only bit they actually got it working on was the flat bit from Exeter to Dawlish.)

[Jaded]

One of the reasons that companies do things like move offices is because it is cheap for the staff to travel distances and so they do. Once staff tell them they cannot move because of fuel costs, they will reconsider moving offices for less rent (or whatever other financial reason they give.)

Plus, surely the HS2 is actually unwittingly preparing for when there is bugger all airplane fuel left.

[LEE]

Builld more, slower, cheaper, trains that go to more rural towns and villages.

What we don't need is the ability for the rich few to commute to London from even further afield.

[Canardly]

Yep would much prefer that each village in uk has ready access to a rail station albeit slow,  which was the situation before we stupidly and short sightedly blew it all away after a hundred years. Ps. the major ports are still on the east coast.......how's about east west links I saw at least 3 Irish artics on their way East bound on  the A14 today its bonkers.

[Peter]

Has anyone thought about what would happen if one of these things hit, say an errant landrover, or, say, a piece of Jarvis-ed track, at 500kph?  I think the Potters Bar might be considerably raised.