Mostly about my backyard chickens. (Boring, I know), but there are a lot of us out here. Mine are only kept as pampered pets. I could eat a neighbor's chicken, but not MINE. There may be a comment on current events only if I get riled up enough. And there will always be a cartoon or a joke to cheer us. I promise to try my very best to respond to comments. Now I have to figure out how this blogger thingy works....
It's over in the blink of an eye. Well, OK, 50.6 seconds to be exact
-- but what an exhilarating not-quite-a-minute. It's Kingda Ka,
the record-shattering rocket coaster that New Jersey's Six Flags Great Adventure
unleashed in 2005. When it debuted, it took top honors as the fastest
and tallest coaster on the planet. Since then, it has elicited scads of
screams, abundant adrenaline spikes, hordes of horrific gasps, and at
least a few wet undergarments.
Let's examine this wild coaster and engineering marvel, starting with its wildly impressive stats:
Type of coaster: Hydraulic launch rocket coaster
Height: 456 feet (world's tallest in 2005)
Top speed: 128 mph (world's fastest in 2005)
Coaster elements: 456-foot tall top hat tower, with 90-degree ascent and descent
129-foot second hill designed to provide free-floating airtime.
Ride time: 50.6 seconds
Minimum height requirement: 54 inches
Is It Still the Fastest and the Tallest?
When
it first launched, Kingda Ka took the tallest and fastest coaster
trophies from rival Cedar Point and its essentially similar Top Thrill Dragster. It held both records for many years, but another coaster, Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi,
has since bested Kingda Ka in the speed department. It is still the
fastest coaster in the United States and the second fastest coaster on
the world. You can see how the speed demons rate in my updated listing
of the world's 10 fastest roller coasters.
As of 2014, Kingda Ka is still holding on to its height record.
Kingda
Ka (Swahili for "Omigod, what a ride!" Just kidding.) uses a hydraulic
launch to blast off horizontally and reach 128 mph -- yeah, you read
that right, 128 freakin' mph -- in 3.5 seconds. How in the world does it
accomplish this amazing feat? You can get the lowdown in my article, "Kingda Huh? How Kingda Ka Works."
To
meet huge demand, the rocket coaster accommodates four trains and has
two loading platforms in its station. Manufactured by Swiss ride
manufacturer Intamin, the thrill machine uses an over-the-shoulder
safety restraint system.
Like Ohio's Dragster, Kingda Ka climbs a
top-hat tower at 90 degrees. In this case, the apex of the tower reaches
a staggering 456 feet, or 36 feet taller than Cedar Point's former
champ. We're talking over 45 stories in the air. Riders don't have much
time to either appreciate the view or get freaked out, however. The
trains crest the tower and plummet 418 feet straight down the other side
before entering into a 270-degree vertical spiral.
Kingda Ka uses some of its incredible height and speed to deliver a hint of airtime.
After the top hat, it climbs a 129-foot tall hill designed to induce
weightlessness. Then, after the proverbial blink of an eye, it's back to
the station. (Come to think of it, it's likely that there isn't any eye-blinking going on among passengers while experiencing Kingda Ka's all-out assault.)
They usually sit in opposite trees waiting for the squirrels to come down out their nests.
They are very, very patient and will stay there until they catch breakfast!
Not a good photo, but you jut make out the hummingbird on top of the yellow plastic flower on the right. This one is irredesent green and comes for a drink severl times a day.
However, I think that Laverne's fluffy butt is still the best picture!
The Charts were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s, most famous for their recording "Deserie".
The group formed as The Thrilltones in Harlem, New York
in 1956, and comprised teenagers Joe Grier (lead), Stephen Brown (first
tenor), Glenmore Jackson (second tenor), Leroy Binns (baritone), and
Ross Buford (bass). They acquired a manager, Les Cooper, who had previously been a member of various R&B groups, and who changed their name to The Charts.
They were signed to the Everlast label, owned by Bobby Robinson's
brother Danny, who released their first single "Deserie" in May 1957.
The song's authorship was credited to Cooper and Johnson, although
singer Joe Grier later claimed that he had written the song along with
the group's other material. The record was #3 on the national R&B
charts, and was later featured on many compilations of doo-wop classics.
After a few more singles for Everlast, the original Charts disbanded
in 1958 when Grier went into the service. On his return, he took up the
saxophone, and featured on the 1962 instrumental hit by Les Cooper and
his group the Soul Rockers, "Wiggle Wobble" (# 22 pop, # 12 R&B).
Brown and Binns kept the group's name going for several years with
new members. They released an updated version of "Deserie" in 1967,
retitled "Desiree", and continued touring and appearing at doowop
revival concerts with various versions of The Charts until around 1983.
Binns continued to perform with later versions of The Coasters and The Del Vikings.
"Deserie" was later recorded, as "Désiree", by Laura Nyro on her 1971 album Gonna Take a Miracle.
In 1985, the group was Grier, Alex Augustine, Mickey Collier, and Jim Moschella (former member of The Elegants). The group appeared on the PBS special Red, White, and Rock in 2002. The group was Grier, Binns, and two then-current members of the Del-Vikings, Dickie Harmon and Butch Phillips.
Union Pacific 844 is a 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in December of 1944 for the Union Pacific Railroad. Constructed as a member of the FEF-3class
of 4-8-4's, the 844 was the last steam locomotive delivered to Union
Pacific. Originally built for high-speed passenger work the 844, along
with the other FEF class Northern's, was pressed into a variety of
dual-service work. While commercial Union Pacific steam operations ended
in the late 1950's, the 844 was retained by the railroad for special
activities. Today, it is one of UP's oldest serving locomotives and is the only steam locomotive never retired by a North AmericanClass I railroad.[2]
No. 844 was one of ten locomotives that were ordered by Union Pacific in 1944 and designated as class FEF-3.
The FEF-3 class represented the epitome of dual-service steam
locomotive development; funds and research were being concentrated into
the development of diesel-electric
locomotives. Designed to burn coal, they were converted to run on fuel
oil. Like the earlier FEF-2 class, FEF-3 locomotives were designed as
passenger engines. They pulled such trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.
Union Pacific 844 hauling the Pony Express in 1949.
From 1957 to 1959, UP 844 was reassigned to freight service in
Nebraska when diesel-electric locomotives took over passenger service.
Union Pacific 844 on display in 2009.
Saved from scrapping in 1960, 844 was chosen for restoration and is now used on company and public excursion trains, along with revenue freight during ferry moves.
Built and designed in a joint-effort between the Union Pacific and
ALCO, the 844 and the rest of the FEF-3 class could safely handle
120 mph. On one occasion, one of the engines of the FEF-3 class pulled a
1,000-ton passenger train at a 100 mph. All FEF classes were considered
by the Union Pacific to be capable of producing between 4,000 and 5,000
drawbar horsepower.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Union Pacific 844
UP 844 at Painted Rocks, Nevada, on September 15, 2009
Union Pacific 4014, or UP 4014, is a four-cylinder articulated4-8-8-4Big Boy-typesteam locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad. 4014 was retired from service on July 21, 1959 and donated to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in Pomona on December 1961. The locomotive reached its destination in January 1962 and was displayed in Fairplex until November 2013. Union Pacific 4014 is currently in Union Pacific's Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming,
undergoing extensive restoration work which is intended to return the
engine to operational status. When 4014 officially returns to service,
it will displace UP 3985 as the largest, heaviest and most powerful operational steam locomotive in the world.
History
UP 4014 was one of 25 4-8-8-4 class locomotives developed by Union Pacific and Alco to overcome issues with the preceding 4-6-6-4
Challenger class locomotives. It was determined that the goals that
Union Pacific had set for its new class of locomotive could be achieved
by making several changes to the existing Challenger design, including
enlarging the firebox to approximately 235 by 96 inches (5.97 m
× 2.44 m) (about 155 sq ft or 14.4 m2), lengthening the
boiler, adding four driving wheels and reducing the size of the driving
wheels from 69 to 68 in (1,753 to 1,727 mm).
The Big Boys are articulated, like the Mallet locomotive
design. They were designed for stability at 80 miles per hour
(130 km/h). They were built with a wide margin of reliability and
safety, as they normally operated well below that speed in freight
service. Peak horsepower was reached at about 35 mph (56 km/h); optimal
tractive effort, at about 10 mph (16 km/h). The locomotive without the
tender was the longest engine body of any reciprocating steam locomotive
in the world.
Alco delivered No. 4014 to Union Pacific in December 1941 and it was fully retired on December 7, 1961. 4014 traveled 1,031,205 miles (1,659,564 km) for Union Pacific during its 20 years in service.
The last revenue train hauled by a Big Boy (No. 4015) ended its run in the evening of July 21, 1959. 4014 completed its last run earlier the same day at 1:50 in the morning. Most were stored operational until 1961, and four remained in operational condition at Green River, Wyoming until 1962. Their duties were assumed by diesel locomotives and gas turbine-electric locomotives (GTELs). Of the 25 built, 8 were preserved at various locations around the United States.
4014 was donated by Union Pacific to the Southern California chapter of
the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in 1961. It did not reach
its destination of Pomona until January 8, 1962.
Union Pacific "Big Boy" Number 4014 on static display at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, United States
