Empty Blue Train derailed at Union station

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Sad stuff.

I remember doing a project on it in the mid-2000's, trying to get coach-to-coach Wifi working for point of sales since the thing was basically a huge faraday cage so outside antennas wasn't a good idea.

That trip from CPT to PTA was less "work" and more whisky and cigars.
Good times.

thats in interesting job,

did you eventually just give up and get drunk,
and tell everybody to just get a powerful repeater and call it a day?

 

[RaptorSA]

thats in interesting job,

did you eventually just give up and get drunk,
and tell everybody to just get a powerful repeater and call it a day?

haha no
So it was still the early days of WiFi so we worked with a company in Vereeniging that did custom 2.4Ghz Antenna flat panel designs that we mounted in the corners between coaches, pointing down the "walkway/hallway".

Was basically a "leave laptop to log ping requests to a file" exercise so we could see if tight mountain turns would block the signal. The rest was booze time... I mean, what else was I supposed to do?!?!

I'd never have done that trip on my own money though, was expensive as hell (I think R12K at the time) and the problem is the train keeps going at night so by the time you wake up the next day you're already in Potch.
Train rides are epic though, I could spend days on train.

 

[Grant]

SA’s luxury Blue Train temporarily suspended over ‘safety concerns’

SA’s world renowned Blue Train has been temporarily suspended due to “safety considerations” after recent “unfortunate incidents”.

www.sowetanlive.co.za

Things are getting better...

I suspect the safety concerns are more related to the disappearing infrastructure on which the train has to operate, that safety concerns related to the actual trains.

This may be a case of mitigating reputational damage in the event a bunch of brits, germans and Japanese get injured when the trains try cross the orange river, but the bridge is already in the furnace of some scrap metal dealer

 

[Kodi]

What a circus...

 

[Supervan II]

What a circus...

 

[Solarion]

I suspect the safety concerns are more related to the disappearing infrastructure on which the train has to operate, that safety concerns related to the actual trains.

This may be a case of mitigating reputational damage in the event a bunch of brits, germans and Japanese get injured when the trains try cross the orange river, but the bridge is already in the furnace of some scrap metal dealer

You only discover how bad the infrastructure really is when you catch a Metro every day to work and back. The breakdowns, minor derailments every other week which never make news, signals sabotaged and faults, train sitting on tracks for 2 hours in the heat every other week, delays of trains every week due to signal or problems with the tracks or another train broken down. Your own train breaking down and having to disembark onto another. Seats and windows missing, doors not opening or closing or just completely missing, holes in the floors. Its a **** show.

 

[Vrotappel]

Apartheid built ANC destroyed.