Embarrassing Mothers

[whole diary]

[John R]

http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/140mph-virgin-train-set-for-hertfordshire-lines-is-dangerous-says-the-mother-of-one-of-the-drivers/story-30241431-detail/story.html

It is not just my son, it is all of the drivers that I am concerned for, I am really concerned. Sometimes when I am at Hitchin station I see my son as the train comes through, he gives me a beep and a wave.

"When you see the trains going 125mph through the stations it is fast enough. I think they should stick at 125mph, it puts enough of a strain on the drivers already.

I wonder does she tuck him in at night and read him a bedtime story. 

[grahame]

The danger of high speed has been well described for many years, but not proven yet to be an issue

Critics of early steam-spewing locomotives, for example, thought "that women’s bodies were not designed to go at 50 miles an hour," and worried that "[female passengers’] uteruses would fly out of [their] bodies as they were accelerated to that speed"—which, for the record, they did and will not.* Others suspected that any human body might simply melt at high speeds.

See [here]

[trainer]

On another forum some years back, I became embroiled in a tetchy exchange with a Canadian after an accident in Canada involving a train doing 90mph. He felt that that was much too fast and unnecessary and maintained that 75mph was an absolute maximum needed by passenger trains.  On informing him that we had 125mph trains running around in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) and much faster ones on mainland Europe, he became very exercised and thought that we were mad. I think he wondered why he had not heard about the carnage that must inevitably be occurring.

Clearly, like Graham's example, it was a foolishly ignorant fear.  Let us not forget, though, that cows near HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) will probably deliver curdled milk...unless the nests where they lay their milk are very well protected.

[TonyK]

She said: "I am quite concerned that the trains will go 140mph. It takes more than a minute to stop if you are going 125mph. How long will it take at 140mph?"

Answer: More than a minute, and a little bit longer.

I recently returned home at around 530 mph (relative ground speed) with little by way of ill effects beyond the usual slight bloating, similar to what happens to a packet of crisps at altitude. That is best dealt with by leaving the aircraft by the rear steps. With the APU running, no-one will hear. Be careful, though, not to confuse this with post-curry syndrome. You still have immigration to clear.

[chrisr_75]

It's not the speed that's the problem, it's the stopping (and immediacy thereof) that messes your insides up!

[JayMac]

not to confuse this with post-curry syndrome. You still have immigration to clear.

PCS could quite easily clear immigration. A bad bout can clear quite a large area.

[Western Pathfinder]

Happens to the best of us!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-s3RTKE2QV8