WAY MORE STUFF about the airport adventures!
Hey look, I made a thing about the thing.
I realize I described this as "vlog-like" in the lead-out from the last video, and it is in some parts, but it's also just a ton more trivia using the bucketloads of B-roll I have lying around. So if you're into a chill video about Airports and Transit, then you should definitely watch it because it will hit those marks, I'm sure.
Comments (14)
Great video! Please don't apologize for having more content and making an extra long video, totally worth it! As you seem to be interested in transit systems, I want to invite you to Germany to discover two systems you will surely enjoy! The (driverless) H-Bahn (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-Bahn)" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-Bahn)</a> and the more nostalgic Schwebebahn from 1901 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Suspension_Railway)." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Suspension_Railway).</a> Both are not far away from each other and I am happy to give you a tour!
I love your "off topic" content - especially the nerdy Disney trivia and insight. Keep'em coming!
That was fun! I appreciate your willingness to look suspicious to the TSA for us. ;) I also enjoyed seeing the ride to the International terminal in O'Hare - I took that ride in a desperate effort to get to the Intelligentsia past TSA in the Int'l terminal. They didn't let me in, so I had to go back to Terminal 1. Sad day. There's no good coffee anywhere else in the airport. I did eventually find a Starbucks, which was better than nothing. (wearing a carpal tunnel brace makes typing hard! hit that enter key a bit early.)
Seeing all these different peoplemover systems reminded me of the strange Mobile Lounges at Dulles airport just outside DC, made in the 60s before airports got as huge as they are today (and the system is now only used to go to one terminal)
Mobile lounges are still used to transport international arrivals to the main entry facility in the main terminal.
Regarding uniqueness of VAL at O'Hare, the mass transit system "BART" in the SF Bay Area has a similar issue. "Rather than stick to the standard rail track width of 4 feet, 8.5 inches, BART engineers debuted a 5-foot, 6-inch width track, a gauge that remains to this day almost exclusive to the system. Industry experts say the unique track width necessitates custom-made wheel sets, brake assemblies and track repair vehicles. The agency also debuted a flat-edge rail, while other systems tilt slightly inward. That BART design requires more maintenance and is noisier, experts say." <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/03/25/has-barts-cutting-edge-1972-technology-design-come-back-to-haunt-it/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/03/25/has-barts-cutting-edge-1972-technology-design-come-back-to-haunt-it/</a>
The 5.5 foot gauge is actually not unique to BART. It's the main gauge used by the railroads in India, and is as such also known as "Indian gauge". As such, there are quite a lot of supplies being created for that gauge, and many of those being used by India can also work with BART. (In fact, American company GE Transportation recently made a new locomotive for freight trains on Indian gauge, the WDG-4G.)
I stayed because I like trains of any kind. A couple of years ago, I took my grandson to Chi-town and while he was busy, I road the train/El from Evanston to downtown and back, riding in the front so I could get the engineers perspective. It was nice view of the system. It was a good video, even if it was adlib. That's cool. By the way, O'Hare sure could use some corrosion control and paint on some of the buildings along the track. Not real attractive.
As a rule, O'Hare is just kinda dingy. But, considering how long the system will be down for (and the fact that they have to re-do the control system so lots of trackside infrastructure is likely getting replacement) I would be surprised if they don't tackle the rust on the parking garage and other places. I will give them credit for keeping the actual ATS stations quite clean. Most of what makes O'Hare seem dingy to me is the high amount of wear on everything, not that it's dirty.
Also re Orlando, my guess is that technically the airports probably require a permit to film there... and security is probably still a bit paranoid about “random” filming in airports (because: Movie Plot Security). Having your bag / boarding pass, and a convenient excuse (“I just really like people movers so I wanted to film it while I waited for my flight time”) probably helps with the “these are not the droids you’re looking for” approach... :-) Glad it worked out. And yes, challenging their right to question you is a quick way to experience lots of escalation! Ewen
Re: Filming permits--the "manager" did ask what I was filming, but it seemed like she was concerned that I was getting some sort of secrets of the airport's security protocol or something... I don't really know but it wasn't like "you can't film in here". Ultimately the TSA doesn't represent the airport, and I would bet that, if anything MCO, will be happy to have some free publicity. The TSA is just overly paranoid but that is kinda their job so in a way I'm glad they were paying attention!
Thanks for sharing the B roll. It’s got a bunch of additional interesting detail. BTW, I’d guess the A and B lights (Huston people mover?) just indicate the A and B power are good. Since the powers units were clearly labelled A and B (and its a common convention). The vertical indicator lights could be seen at a distance which would help with “remote” diagnostics (the lights on the power supply require bring right above them to see). Ewen
I would have assumed that to be the case were it not for the other indicators stacked below A and B. Though it's possible they're old relics at this point and aren't functional...
Awesome! Looking forward to seeing this once it finishes processing! Thanks.