hitherto:
posted on 2004/04/21 15:17
Given that we're approaching summer, "the wrong kind of snow" won't cut it as a reason for train delays. And "leaves on the line" is kinda dubious.
But there's always atmospheric pressure around, and it can always be the wrong sort.
This is train company c2c's new rolling stock, which has an oil pressure so sensitive it's affected by the weather. For fuck's sake.
Mind you, the Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness has been roundly cursed by everyone I've ever known to travel on it. Perhaps the pressure problems are caused by a quick interdimensional trip to Hell somewhere around South Benfleet.
blech:
Er, hold up a second here. I sniff bad science.
I don't trust Ananova an inch, so I went and found the original Guardian article.
(If nothing else, at least it has a date. Oh, Ananonva, how bad can you be? No date, a link to the Guardian's front page, not the article... anyway, I digress. As ever.)
The c2c spokesman said that the rise in atmospheric pressure [...] had been exceptional.
"The atmospheric pressure in the c2c train area this morning was more than twice what it was yesterday. This led to an airlock which, in turn, led to the falling down of the pantograph which collects power from the overhead wires."
So air pressure is measured in millibars. Usually it varies between, ooh, 950 and 1050mb.
Yet c2c are saying it doubled?
I think someone would have noticed, don't you?
That's like taking your car tyres from 15psi to 30psi.
The:
explains why i felt like imploding then
blech:
The record high pressure appears to be 1081mb and the low is 870mb.
hitherto:
they could have meant "was twice as far above the average baserate for this time of year", maybe? Being charitable. Or they could just be counting on the fact that their clientelle won't really care.
Given that they choose to live in South Essex, their not caring is probably a reasonable assumption.
blech:
Perhaps what they really meant is that air pressure was changing more than twice as rapidly as usual.
The:
Whatever it is, this kind of stuff happens on new trains...
hitherto:
Yeah, heaven forbid they go through a QA process.
The:
Well they do... but all systems have bugs. it's just a little harder to release v0.9 of a train
We hate you all. Yes, especially you. Sod off and DIE