Humor Random Comments Thread

[Urwumpe]

So, leaves on the track is the English equivalent to "Störungen im Betriebsablauf" (Disturbances in the operating processes) in Germany?

 

[Notebook]

I would guess so, as the article suggests its a standing joke during Autumn as a reason for delays.

We are getting a lot of train stories as its coming up to the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton to Darlington railway line.

Railway 200

In 2025 Railway 200 celebrates the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. Nationwide celebrations are planned.

railway200.co.uk

 

[Urwumpe]

Oh, then the 200th for Germany shouldn't be far away, ours started in 1834.

Of course with a British train engine, from the Stephenson company. And of course, the first train cargo in Germany was beer.

 

[Notebook]

That sounds perfectly reasonable, especially the cargo.

 

[Urwumpe]

That sounds perfectly reasonable, especially the cargo.

Yes, also the fact that it was a British train engine. While Germany had build primitive cargo pulling steam engines before (like Britain), it took Germany until 1838 before they finally created their first true steam train, the Saxonia. Which was still heavily borrowing on the British Comet train engine, but already introduced a few innovations that the British train builders didn't have yet.

 

[N_Molson]

Interesting. G.W.F. Hegel never saw that train, as he died in November 1831 from cholera. Still very close.

 

[Urwumpe]

Interesting. G.W.F. Hegel never saw that train, as he died in November 1831 from cholera. Still very close.

well, newer research identifies the cause of this death of a chronic stomach disease, not cholera. Which makes sense since Hegel must have died very soon after the pandemic possibly reached Berlin then. Clausewitz and Gneisenau caught the disease at the Polish-Russian border, preventing infected Russian soldiers from entering Prussia. Most famous French victims of this even died during service in the Russian Empire.

 

[Notebook]

On train related stuff, was listening on BBC World Service to one of their reports. Der Spiegel reporter was investigating delays on DB which are causing some comments.
Allegedly if a train is cancelled, it doesn't count as a delay? So skewing the data in the companies favour.
Is this correct, BBC are usually reliable.
One route he mentioned was Hamburg to Dusseldorf , which was cancelled at Cologne when it was getting near 6 minutes late, which is the threshold for delays.

This was early morning when I wasn't sleeping well, so could be dream style recall...

 

[Urwumpe]

On train related stuff, was listening on BBC World Service to one of their reports. Der Spiegel reporter was investigating delays on DB which are causing some comments.
Allegedly if a train is cancelled, it doesn't count as a delay? So skewing the data in the companies favour.
Is this correct, BBC are usually reliable.

Its correct. The suspicion lingered around for quite a while, but they finally got the hands in internal communication confirming that such an order exists. Especially bad is, that the trains continue their journey simply empty and without following a schedule, only to be used on schedule again later in the day.

Even despite this, almost exactly 2/3rd of all long-distance trains were delayed in August, which means, they have more than 6 minutes of delay. Its terrible, the train system is full of bottlenecks that can cause of chain reaction of delays over the whole country, without any reserves available.

 

[Urwumpe]

And one more for the prejudice : Fritz Renner, Inge Kersbergen, Matt Field and Jessica Wertmann won the 2025 igNobel prize for peace with their ground breaking research work "Dutch Courage? Effects of Acute Alcohol Consumption on Self-Rating and Observer Ratings of Foreign Language Skill" that drinking alcohol sometimes improves a person's ability to speak in a foreign language.

Past Ig Winners

Ig® Nobel Prize Winners For achievements that first make people LAUGH then make them THINK Winners by year: 2025 : 2024 : 2023 : 2022 : 2021 2020 : 2019 : 2018 : 2017 : 2016 2015 : 2014 : 2013 : 20…

improbable.com

 

[Notebook]

Just watching another tv programme related to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton tp Darlington railway. It mentions the world record of the fastest steam engine of the Mallard. Taking the record from the DRG Class 05? Sorry about that Urwumpe.

 

[Matias Saibene]

Just watching another tv programme related to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton tp Darlington railway. It mentions the world record of the fastest steam engine of the Mallard. Taking the record from the DRG Class 05? Sorry about that Urwumpe.

What fond memories I have of using the Mallard in Microsoft Train Simulator.

 

[Urwumpe]

Just watching another tv programme related to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton tp Darlington railway. It mentions the world record of the fastest steam engine of the Mallard. Taking the record from the DRG Class 05? Sorry about that Urwumpe.

Well, no hard feelings there. Also we still have the 18201 in operation, that is pretty fast.

 

[Matias Saibene]

Just watching another tv programme related to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton tp Darlington railway. It mentions the world record of the fastest steam engine of the Mallard. Taking the record from the DRG Class 05? Sorry about that Urwumpe.

Well, no hard feelings there. Also we still have the 18201 in operation, that is pretty fast.

Well, here in my country there aren't even any trains left. But if that weren't the case, I'd be talking about: https://www.martynbane.co.uk/modernsteam/ldp/argentina/arg.htm

Please take care of your respective countries. We don't even have an economy anymore.
cries in perpetual economic crisis and violent governments

 

[Urwumpe]

Please take care of your respective countries. We don't even have an economy anymore.
cries in perpetual economic crisis and violent governments

Well, you can always make your own economy....

 

[Urwumpe]

Maybe some of you don't know this yet, so lets share it:

Project Vaterland

Digital reconstruction of the historical ship "Vaterland"

project-vaterland.de

A virtual tour of the middle of big Imperial Germany's oceanliners. Like each in its class, it was for a brief time the biggest ship build in the world, until topped by its sister ship Bismarck just months later. It had only a few months of passenger service, before war came to Europe.

During World War 1, the ship was moored in New York Harbour and was eventually confiscated by the USA. It then sailed under the name Leviathan for 21 years, initially as troop transport and later for the United States Line, advertised by the USA as the biggest oceanliner in the world.

 

[Linguofreak]

Its correct. The suspicion lingered around for quite a while, but they finally got the hands in internal communication confirming that such an order exists. Especially bad is, that the trains continue their journey simply empty and without following a schedule, only to be used on schedule again later in the day.

Even despite this, almost exactly 2/3rd of all long-distance trains were delayed in August, which means, they have more than 6 minutes of delay. Its terrible, the train system is full of bottlenecks that can cause of chain reaction of delays over the whole country, without any reserves available.

Two ing thirds???

DB had more delays than would have been ideal when I did my year abroad in Cottbus back in '09/10, but 2/3 is, as I heard one unhappy traveler scream when a delay was announced back then, "zum kotzen".

 

[Urwumpe]

Two ing thirds???

DB had more delays than would have been ideal when I did my year abroad in Cottbus back in '09/10, but 2/3 is, as I heard one unhappy traveler scream when a delay was announced back then, "zum kotzen".

Exactly. The situation has become so bad, they made a woman the CEO.

 

[Matias Saibene]

 

[GLS]

That A380, looks even more xenomorph-like than usual