Earlier today, via a “tweet,” the Union Pacific Railroad’s Steam Program announced the release of a new look for their program’s web site. I called up their site on my iPad and was extremely pleased with what filled my screen:UP Steam Programs new look as seen on the iPad.
I was very impressed and it was apparent to me that this was much more than just a face lift. To me, the new site has a fresh and current look - quite unlike the previous site which was getting a bit long in the tooth.
The colors complement each other nicely and and the graphics add the perfect touch. I love the “map” element that successfully conveys the historic nature of the site’s purpose and the dual use of it as a navigation mechanism is innovative. I have been toying with a similar concept for ChasingSteel.com for some time now.
The photos and videos, which change occasionally, apparently will eventually include fan-submitted content at some point. This is a great implementation of interactivity and public involvement which is the keystone of the program’s purpose.
Beyond the good use of elements and sound execution on the overall design, the site conveys a sense of commitment on UP’s part to both, the steam program and to remaining technologically current to reach the public and fans alike in this age of new media.
On Monday, February 12, 2010, I learned from a railfan site that a special train was arriving from Fresno about the time I would be getting home. The train, known on the Union Pacific Railroad as SFRLA-12, was a special, customer unit train - the “Blue Unit” of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus!
For the uninitiated, here is a short description of this awesome and historic show from a press release:
Since its first show in 1871, the spirit of artists performing in what has become know as The Greatest Show On Earth® has fascinated onlookers and established the foundation for success of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®Circus. The all-live performances, full of comedy, grace, color, precision, athleticism, suspense, music and the harmonious interaction of humans and animals, bring people back time and time again. Ringling Bros.®is part of the American cultural heritage and is the only show business phenomenon to run in three consecutive centuries.
Ringling Bros. is a 139-year tradition that combines the classics – extraordinary animal performances, captivating clown escapades and daring high-wire acts – with contemporary surprises and thrills to make the circus-going experience memorably unique. Families can depend upon Ringling Bros. to return the same time every year with a new show, and it is a family tradition handed down from generation to generation. Ringling Bros. has three independent units, the Red, Blue and Gold.
Ringling Bros. hosts millions of visitors and travels to more than 90 cities in North America each year.
I wasn’t expecting this opportunity so I found myself trackside, on my way home from work, with only my Apple iPhone 3GS with me to record the event. I grabbed a roll of electrical tape from the trunk of my car and taped my phone to a nearby signpost to steady the shot best I could.
After a few minutes wait, she came into view. Here is the video I shot of the “Blue Unit” train going through Ontario, California:
The train is comprised of mostly very historic passenger cars from the days when Amtrak was considered a misspelled word that have been modified and extensively upgraded by the company’s dedicated staff of shop forces. For example, the first four cars of this train are where the elephants and horses are housed and maintained during the trip. There are sleeping quarters, shop cars, offices, and even a “pie car.” The pie car is circus vernacular for a “dining car.”
Extreme Trains: The Complete Season OneThere is a very interesting show that I recommend to anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating train and the dedicated men and women who maintain and live on the train. It is the episode called, appropriately enough, “Circus Train” from that awesome History Channel’s series Extreme Trains.
Truthfully, I thought that this episode of Extreme Trains would be my least favorite one of the whole season but it was not. After re-watching it to bone up on the facts for this post, I came away with a a greater appreciation of the entire Ringling Bros. outfit and for circus trains in general. I highly recommend it.
In fact, you can purchase the entire season of Extreme Trains for just $9.99 plus shipping right now. Simply click on the DVD photo on the right.
If you live in the Los Angeles area and missed the move or would like to see it again, you are in luck because the circus is scheduled to play Ontario, California next followed by Anaheim, California. Both dates will require the train to move again, not to mention when the circus moves on to the next area, the Bay Area for shows in mid-August.
Revive the magic of your childhood, go to the circus, or at least see the train go by!
Despite the long weekend, we opted to stay home and keep the pets company during this year’s 4th of July celebrations. The downtime gave us an opportunity to do some maintenance and modifications to our vehicles. One project that I am proud of in particular, that we did this last weekend, was to finally install a remote searchlight and night vision gear on our “rig.”
Some time ago I had purchased a very cool searchlight from Magnalight.com called the “Golight Radioray.” This is a reasonably high-powered searchlight that can rotate 370 degrees and tilt about 140 degrees up and down - all with the use a remote control. The remote is radio-based (433MHz) so line-of-sight is not required to control the light. The base contains a 200-lb magnet to ensure the light stays in place yet remains removable. Way cool. Yukon Advanced Optics’ Digital NV Ranger 5x42
Another item that I have had for some time and used on occasion was a digital night vision device called the Digital NV Ranger 5x42, from Yukon Advanced Optics. This device is essentially a monocular with some impressive night vision capabilities. Two nice features of the device are its capability to run off of 12-volts DC and the ability to output what the device sees to a video device.
Considering we are often out in the middle of nowhere with the complete darkness of a new moon night, I have sought to marry the two devices and find a viable mounting option that made use of the wireless capabilities. After many design considerations and testing I finally settled on a solution that should afford an effective and stable mount while still providing flexible deployment options.
Winegard RM-DM61We never watch broadcast television (or satellite TV for that matter) when we are on a road trip so I decided to leverage our Lance camper’s satellite and analog TV antenna system, which is the Winegard RM-DM61, as the mount for the scope and searchlight. By using the antenna as a mounting location it affords the searchlight to be manually elevated by a crank in order to clear rooftop obstacles and still be retracted and stowed for travel.
The antenna system had a large disc-shape analog TV antenna, which is now obsolete, that I removed to provide a location to mount the searchlight.
Here’s What I Did…
The chosen mounting location for the “PerryScope” was the location of the obsolete analog television antenna on our camper.
Here are the two main devices of the “PerryScope.” The Golight has the capability to display clear, amber, red, and Infra-red light through the use of lenses. Here, the Golight is shown with a red lense attached.
The night vision device is attached to the Golight through the use of a surplus tripod mounting head with a quick connect element that allows easy removal of the night vision monocular. The tripod mount allows the monocular to tilted and the whole assembly rotates 370 degrees with a remote control.
Here is the obligatory “action shot” with the red lense removed.
The night vision’s output is piped into the camper to be displayed on the television for all to see. It is cool to sit in the dinnete and control the unit with ease.
Prelimnary testing in our driveway suggests that there will many uses for the “PerryScope.” Obviously campsite security should benefit but also we are excited to watch the night wildlife from the “safety” our camper.
UP Steam Programs new look as seen on the iPad. 
New Web Site, 
