Category Archives: rail

Riding the rails of interstellar discovery at the Very Large Array

It’s hard to fathom that a mere 39 miles of railway track could deliver the entire galaxy to astronomers around the globe. But, when the cargo is limited to 230 ton radio telescopes being moved into position, then such a … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, aerospace, Astronomy, distribution, education, engineering, fun, geography, history, infrastructure, land use, logistics, Maps, Outer Space, planning, Radio, rail, Railroads, Science, shipping, Skies, spatial design, Statistics, technology, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

India’s tallest bridge towers and pylons

The following list identifies the tallest bridge towers and pylons in India. Such support structures are principally found on cable-stayed and suspension bridges and the height is measured from ground or water level to the top of the tower/pylon. The … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, Asia, Cars, cities, commerce, economic development, engineering, geography, highways, history, India, infrastructure, land use, Maps, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, rail, Railroads, rivers/watersheds, skylines, spatial design, Statistics, technology, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Las torres y pilones de puentes más altos de América del Sur (South America’s tallest bridge towers and pylons)

La siguiente lista identifica las torres y pilones de puentes más altos de América del Sur. Estas estructuras de soporte se encuentran principalmente en puentes colgantes y atirantados y la altura se mide desde el suelo o el nivel del … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, bridges, business, cities, commerce, Communications, culture, economic development, engineering, geography, highways, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Latin America, logistics, Maps, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, rail, Railroads, rivers/watersheds, skylines, South America, spatial design, Statistics, technology, topography, tourism, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

North America’s tallest bridge towers and pylons (Las torres y pilones de puentes más altos de América del Norte)

The following list identifies the tallest bridge towers and pylons in North America. Such support structures are principally found on cable-stayed and suspension bridges and the height is measured from ground or water level to the top of the tower/pylon. … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, architecture, bicycling, bridges, Canada, Caribbean, cities, economic development, engineering, geography, highways, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, Latin America, North America, Passenger rail, planning, product design, rail, recreation, rivers/watersheds, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, States, Statistics, technology, topography, tourism, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Three superb and fresh reads about Los Angeles

“These three books will certainly introduce readers to the width and breadth of mighty Los Angeles. If that entity, however you define it, resists a simple explanation, then so be it. For that may be one of the LA’s most endearing and enduring qualities.” Continue reading

Posted in art, book reviews, books, business, Cars, cities, culture, diversity, downtown, economics, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, government, Highway displacement, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, immigration, inclusiveness, industry, infrastructure, injustice, land use, literature, mountains, movies, Music, natural history, nature, new urbanism, placemaking, planning, pollution, racism, rail, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, skylines, social equity, songs, spatial design, sprawl, Statistics, sustainability, technology, Television, third places, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, trucking, urban design, urban planning, walking, weather, Wildlife, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finding “Los Angeles” amid the aura of “LA”

Downtown Los Angeles with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background – Source: unsplash.com Every city is unique unto itself. Just like human beings, cities have their own character, appearance, identity, flaws, attributes, and aesthetics. As a result, no single … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, Biking, books, branding, business, Cars, cities, civics, commerce, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, engineering, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, film, fun, geography, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, homelessness, Housing, humanity, inclusiveness, land use, literature, Love, mountains, movies, Music, nature, new urbanism, Passenger rail, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, rail, Railroads, recreation, skylines, skyscrapers, songs, spatial design, sprawl, technology, Television, theaters, third places, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, walking, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Confessions of a recovering freeway nerd

Source: wired.com I’ll admit it. In my younger days, I was a certified freeway nerd. Growing up in Indianapolis, I was in awe of the Interstate Highway System. Lucky for me, Indy had plenty of them, including my teenage and … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, bridges, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, climate change, commerce, culture, density, distribution, downtown, economic development, electric vehicles, energy, engineering, environment, EVs and hybrids, fun, futurism, geography, health, Highway displacement, highways, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, nature, new urbanism, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, politics, pollution, poverty, product design, racism, rail, Railroads, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, scenic byways, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, trucking, tunnels, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Working list: North America’s largest rail yards

Trains moving in the UP Bailey Yard – photo by author June 2021 Below is a working list of the largest active rail yard facilities in North America comprising 200 acres or more in acreage. Included are classification yards, rail … Continue reading

Posted in business, cities, commerce, distribution, economic development, engineering, geography, history, industry, infrastructure, land use, logistics, planning, rail, Railroads, shipping, spatial design, Statistics, Trade, traffic, transportation, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“All aboard”: Ten planning lessons from riding USA railways

Moonlight over Fort Madison, Iowa After completing a long-distance trip across much of the United States this week, it seemed appropriate to list those planning lessons learned from this and previous rail travel experiences. While much of my ridership has … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, advertising, air travel, Alternative transportation, art, books, Canada, Cars, cities, commerce, downtown, economic development, engineering, entertainment, environment, Europe, fun, geography, government, highways, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, rail, Railroads, spatial design, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Snapshots of Chicago in geometric black & white

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, art, cities, civics, Cuisine, culture, downtown, entertainment, Food, fun, futurism, geography, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, new urbanism, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, product design, rail, Railroads, revitalization, skylines, skyscrapers, spatial design, technology, third places, tourism, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment