LTAWACS Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I'll get working on the following mashup for your next vid...Ozzy - Crazy TrainMegadeath - Train of ConsequencesO'Jays - Love trainNever heard of these bands... Are they Indie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Track is going in the ground. Between Lockwood and Milby. Good news. Also, I noticed during the excavation phase, that they pulled up really old railroad ties from under the ground, can anyone tell me a story (preferably accurate ) about how those got there? The most likely (and accurate) explanation for this is that there used to be a railroad track of sorts there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intencity77 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Track is going in the ground. Between Lockwood and Milby. Also, I noticed during the excavation phase, that they pulled up really old railroad ties from under the ground, can anyone tell me a story (preferably accurate ) about how those got there? These may have been from the old Houston Electric streetcar system from the early 1900's. It was a pretty extensive system and lasted until the 40's I believe. One of the previous lines, was the Harrisburg line, which ran down Harrisburg Blvd. The line started at Union Station and ended at the Turning Basin, with eight stops in between. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Never heard of these bands... Are they Indie?Yeah.. Indie punk from Prague.. Go check em out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Yeah.. Indie punk from Prague.. Go check em out.Interesting. They have a very retro feel to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 (edited) Good news. The most likely (and accurate) explanation for this is that there used to be a railroad track of sorts there. Ahhh!!!! that makes sense!! These may have been from the old Houston Electric streetcar system from the early 1900's. It was a pretty extensive system and lasted until the 40's I believe. One of the previous lines, was the Harrisburg line, which ran down Harrisburg Blvd. The line started at Union Station and ended at the Turning Basin, with eight stops in between. kinda what I was figuring, interesting how deep down under the current road height it all was. Yeah.. Indie punk from Prague.. Go check em out. Of course, they were all classically trained at the New England Conservatory. Edited September 1, 2011 by samagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPHous Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Didn't want to start a new thread for this so I figured this was close enough...Obama last night mentioned Houston and how this new stimulus will fund a public transportation project here. He didnt go into detail or anything but it has to be promising for the other lines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Any pics of the new track in the ground? Good news btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Any pics of the new track in the ground? Good news btw.Unless someone beats me to it, I'll try this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Any pics of the new track in the ground? Good news btw.there's a short strip by the old Maxwell house coffee factory where the tracks on one side have been fully laid down, and concrete has been poured.no pics though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Thanks guys, I would go see for myself but I'm not in Houston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Here are two of the photos that I took. The tracks laid out for the south east line wasn't very accessible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Thanks for the pics, looking good! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 awesome. thanks for poasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Wow just imagine if Congress were to magically pass Obama's Jobs Bill in tact. These lines would have enough money to get finished! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Wow, great to see some actual new rails! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPHous Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Texas Ave. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Swamplot posted a timelapse video of track being laid along Harrisburg. See above link for full size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Pretty neat! Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Re: the video posted above where they laid rail in an intersection in a 72 hour period... It is looking like they are about to do the same thing in the intersection of Fulton and Cavalcade on the North (Red) Line. They have been intensely preparing the space where the rails will be laid on either side of the intersection and have removed all of Cavalcade going through the intersection except for 2 narrow lanes of asphalt. Looks like the intersection will be completely re-done with rails by the end of this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Here is the last of the videos for this time frame. Will probably wait 6 months for the next shoot.http://youtu.be/nsRfn42Y2eM 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks for the videos. I'm impressed with the amount of rail I see so far. I can't wait to ride on these new lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrLan34 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 more videoshttp://www.ridemetro.org/CurrentProjects/METRORailExpansion.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Thanks for the videos. I'm impressed with the amount of rail I see so far. I can't wait to ride on these new lines.It is pretty impressive, I think all the track is down between 59 and dumble, minus the bit under the real railway. Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 (edited) Seems like someone has a personal vandetta they wanted to air out on the comments of the latest video. I was stunned that it would go that way.And another update, they are just now starting work on the underpass near dowling under the railroad tracks. I'm still a bit bummed by that, but whatever. I'm starting to wonder if perhaps I should do this again in three months.Thoughts?EDIT: ADD. Edited January 18, 2012 by ricco67 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citykid09 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 A few things just hit hit me while watching those videos.1. Main street won't be the only F***ed up street in downtown with one lane in each direction.2. There will be a plethora of more collisions with the trains.In my own opinion I beleive that METRO is making a mistake by placing the rail on the streets. The rail should have its own right of way or be below or above ground away from the pedestrian and auto traffic. Houston is too big not to have the space for a slim right of way for light rail trains. I just don't think its a great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 An above- or below-grade line would seem to have made more sense in areas such as downtown and the TMC, although, admittedly the obliteration of pre-existing skywalks and tunnels would've been an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerloop Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 2. There will be a plethora of more collisions with the trains.Unfortunately that's true. But it's a train on a track, it's not like the train is jumping the rails to gobble up innocent cars. And I agree that it's a valid debate whether the trains are on-grade or not. But that is a separate issue. We can't let our city's transportation future be held hostage by bad drivers.And frankly, if a collision with a train gets a bad driver off the road before they have the chance to crash into me or my family, then I don't have a problem with that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) We can't let our city's transportation future be held hostage by bad drivers.And frankly, if a collision with a train gets a bad driver off the road before they have the chance to crash into me or my family, then I don't have a problem with that.This x eleventy billion.being both a bicyclist, and motorcyclist I rejoice every time someone 'doesn't notice' a red light, or a train, or a clearly marked sign signaling imminent collision with a train. Hopefully the very costly mistake they made will open their eyes and make them more cautious when driving.If they can't notice a 14' tall, 90' long, 8' wide train with lights and horns blaring constantly, they sure as hell aren't going to notice me on my bicycle or motorcycle. There is absolutely no excuse for the lackadaisical attitude people have when piloting their 2 ton frigate of death, I hate to be a mean spirited person, but I think it's good that there's dangers present on the roadways that might just help people make a decision to pay attention.Lord knows the government isn't going to give up the opportunity to collect gasoline taxes from someone just because they don't pay attention when behind the wheel!edit, yes I realize mistakes happen, and with the high number of drivers that multiplies the chance for something to happen, however, it's good to point out that most accidents could have been avoided. typically with vehicular accidents it could have been avoided by someone paying better attention to driving, or following the posted rules of the road. Edited January 19, 2012 by samagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) A few things just hit hit me while watching those videos.1. Main street won't be the only F***ed up street in downtown with one lane in each direction.2. There will be a plethora of more collisions with the trains.In my own opinion I beleive that METRO is making a mistake by placing the rail on the streets. The rail should have its own right of way or be below or above ground away from the pedestrian and auto traffic. Houston is too big not to have the space for a slim right of way for light rail trains. I just don't think its a great idea.Funny that you would say these things "hit" you while watching the video, when you have posted the exact same thoughts about Houston's rail plans on multiple previous occasions. We get it already, citykid -- you think everyone should have rail just like Atlanta's. Edited January 19, 2012 by Houston19514 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eiknujrac Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) In my own opinion I beleive that METRO is making a mistake by placing the rail on the streets. The rail should have its own right of way or be below or above ground away from the pedestrian and auto traffic. Houston is too big not to have the space for a slim right of way for light rail trains. I just don't think its a great idea.Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't getting funding for the current plan already difficult enough? How much more would it have cost to build above or below grade rail?It seems to me like this is one of the common complaints of people that have or will never use the rail frequently. And then they turn around and complain about how much money Houston is wasting on building rail. Edited January 20, 2012 by Eiknujrac 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't getting funding for the current plan already difficult enough? How much more would it have cost to build above or below grade rail?It seems to me like this is one of the common complaints of people that have or will never use the rail frequently. And then they turn around and complain about how much money Houston is wasting on building rail.Don't forget that people will complain that above ground rail would be too ugly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryDierker Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 couldn't they add a few crossing arms to lessen collisions from idiot drivers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 That was done years ago, and presumably there will be crossing arms at key intersections on the new lines as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 was driving by looking for pictures to shoot late last night, and saw they are finally doing work under the harrisburg tunnel. Harrisburg/Texas/Dowling intersection is going to be a nightmare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) That was done years ago, and presumably there will be crossing arms at key intersections on the new lines as well.key interesections: intersections that have a high proportion of people who don't pay attention, and need more things blinking at them to make them pay attention to what they should be doing.they've been working on the Harrisburg tunnel part for about a month now, or at least, the eastbound traffic was directed to the westbound lanes about a month ago. Edited February 15, 2012 by samagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Went walking a few weeks ago on Harrisburg where the old shopping area was. Seems it's not nearly as easy to walk as it once was. Sidewalks are no longer wide. The street is about 12 to 18" below the sidewalk depending on where you are. While the trees are nice, manuevering a wheelchair between the tree and street will be challenging. This was taken in front of a furniture store, hence the mattress out front. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Except for the tree, that sidewalk looks just fine. It's hard to imagine that the sidewalk was wider before the street was re-done, do you have any before pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Personally, I don't think the tree belongs on that particular spot.. I'm sure it meets at least the ADA standards, but I wonder if the business would get a citation fort blocking the sidewalk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 He's right, the sidewalk right there was wider.Except for the tree, that sidewalk looks just fine. It's hard to imagine that the sidewalk was wider before the street was re-done, do you have any before pics?He's right, it was wider and less encumbered by obstacles. You can see for yourself on Google Streetview. The block in question is the north side of Harrisburg, immediately east of 67th Street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 He's right, it was wider and less encumbered by obstacles. You can see for yourself on Google Streetview. The block in question is the north side of Harrisburg, immediately east of 67th Street.Yes, it does look to be slightly wider. I don't know why they would try to force a tree there, but again, the sidewalk looks wide enough to me. It's not like the area is bustling with pedestrian activity, lol. But they are pushing it a bit, just not enough space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Except for the tree, that sidewalk looks just fine. It's hard to imagine that the sidewalk was wider before the street was re-done, do you have any before pics?Why is it hard to imagine? I would say it was 15 ft or so to support the businesses in the area. in my youth i remember walking in the area frequently with many other pedestrians. Sears had a large store in the area which was a neighborhood staple for decades. if i remember i'll take a pic from across the street this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Why is it hard to imagine? I would say it was 15 ft or so to support the businesses in the area. in my youth i remember walking in the area frequently with many other pedestrians. Sears had a large store in the area which was a neighborhood staple for decades. if i remember i'll take a pic from across the street this weekend.It's hard to imagine because generally sidewalks in Houston suck. It looks like this was a rare exception, and I've already admitted that I was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I was out and about experimenting with RAW photos, and I thought I'd snap a pic or two. Still trying to get the hang of editing them, so they might appear amateurish. actually, several, but here are my faves. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHB2 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 nice pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) great pictures, it's hard to get WB right in RAW for night shots, takes a lot of PP, I used to shoot only RAW, but have moved away from it, the image processing in camera has gotten so good, I hardly ever have to do any PP after shooting.anyway...I guess the 20 million for infrastructure didn't include putting in a new streetlight to replace the one that is cantered at a 15 degree angle... Edited February 29, 2012 by samagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I'm starting to shoot RAW to take care of some issues I have, particularly since I love shooting at night (see previous photos), so I'm hoping to correct some errors. Believe it or not, there is very little post done on the photos. I'm about to get Photoshop Elements....but anyway....I'm sure the lamp will eventually be replaced once construction in that area is done. That thing has been tilted in one direction or another for months. I'm assuming things keep bumping into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) Yeah, didn't think of that, wouldn't make much sense to replace that lamp post now, and have someone bump it, making the new one lean too! My only comment on your photo, is I would personally set the Aperture a little tighter (like F11, or F16), a tighter aperture at night will create 'crisper' shots, that and (it's personal preference) it will give those neat lines coming off the light sources (http://famouswonders...e-colesseum.jpg) hard to explain what they are. Anyway, since photography is an art, try shooting the same scene using all sorts of different settings, see what the differences are, and use the settings that gives you the best chance to take the shot that best represents what you want to show people that and I would have included the top of the stadium in the frame. at any rate, I prefer the BW you took, but they are both great shots, imo. Edited February 29, 2012 by samagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I shoot with a 28 2.8 at night because of speed, which is a bit of a necessity of where I shoot at night. It was shot with a 2.8 because I don't like the "starring" effect I get with a higher aperture number. I'm hoping to get a new 50mm 1.7 in a few weeks, though. If I have time, I'll give it another shot tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I am so confused with the aperture, shutter speed and ISO. They all deal with light but I'm having a hard time differentiating between them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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