josephbloggs

37 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

Thai railways are metre gauge (1000mm), Japanese conventional railways (not the bullet trains) are "Cape Gauge" 1067mm (3'6").

It is a relatively simple engineering exercise to jack up the carriage, roll out the bogies, lift the bogie, roll out a wheelset and roll in a new one.

 

The bigger limiting factor is the loading gauge - the dimensions of the overhead structures, bridges and tunnels. Looking at the high mounted driving cabs, and the amount of stuff on the roofs, I would not be surprised if they were "out of gauge" for a lot of the network, which would limit their usefulness. I am pretty sure, for example, that they would not fit through the tunnels at the northern end of the Chiang Mai route.

 

It is not being used as a normal commuter train, but as a tourist train on tourist routes.

One single individual train is pretty useless on a commuter route.

33 minutes ago, konaboy said:

donated?

Yes, donated.

10 minutes ago, hansnl said:

I wonder......

Thailand has a gauge of 1000 mm.

JR Hokkadoi has a gauge of 

1067 mm.

Don't think that will fit nicely.

Or maybe the wheels can be repositioned on the axles?

For all the wags saying the Thais won't have thought of that, from the article:  "The trains will be shifted to the Makkasan maintenance centre for inspection before modified bogeys are added. The entire operation is expected to take about four months."

Quote

Yes, indeed.

As soon as any country builds a high speed rail net the existing lines will generate a loss.

Two rail systems in a country is a recipe for disaster.

Eh?  Every single country in the world - including Japan - has multiple rail systems as well as high speed.

5 hours ago, feasantplukka said:

So yesterday I got my Thai pass, to return to Thailand after 2yrs away from my wife and family, fully vaxed & boosted  1 day quarantine booked January 5th, staying 30 days, I now have to stay 7 days in quarantine,  ??????????

People get confused really easily here and I suspect it is because they don't read the full article.

If you enter under Thailand Pass you do one day quarantine while you wait for the result of your PT-PCR test.

If you are coming from a country that is not eligible for Thailand Pass then you do 7 days.

So basically it is the same as it is now.

8 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Suspect it is more Thai politeness rather than not have a problem with it.

I'm not sure about that - the sense and spirit of community in rural Thailand is very strong.

1 hour ago, aussienam said:

It's all about being a showoff show pony.  "Look at me, look at me I'm rich!"  

So if you can afford nice things you shouldn't have them?  You should just buy a Corolla if you can afford a Ferrari because, erm, TVF geezers think you are showing off otherwise.  It really is a horribly jealous comment, a horribly jealous attitude.

If I have a nice house is it because I want to show off?  Or maybe I just like living in a nice house and having my creature comforts.
If I have nice car is it because I want to show off?  Maybe I just like nice cars and I can afford them.

If I dress in nice clothes is it because I want to show off?  Maybe I just like feeling good in how I dress.

Some people can afford nice things, get over it.  

If he is dripping in gold then I might agree with you.  How does he look?  Is he flaunting his wealth?  Oh, you have no idea do you.  He just has a nice car that you can't afford, hence the jealousy.

1 hour ago, smutcakes said:

Of course this is all been scripted. When you have gullible people even on Thai Visa Forum @josephbloggs who were adament yesterday that this was the end and he was to late to get out of it.

Thanks for mentioning me.  I was replying to people saying he has his plane waiting and will be escorted to the airport to flee the country.  I said that can't happen and it hasn't - if they were going to let him off it would have happened before trial or alternatively the Supreme Court could have overturned the lower court.  They didn't.

None of that has changed.  He is trying to weasel himself in to a hospital, he is not being allowed to flee the country.

23 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Status.

Perhaps they like cars and can afford it.
 

Never understood comments like "why would anyone buy a Ferrari here".  It's obvious - because you love cars and you can afford one.  Plenty of good places to drive it.  I have always bought fast cars because I enjoy them.  I can't afford a supercar here but if I could I would buy one without a doubt and it would not be because of "status".

Comments like that come from jealousy in my opinion.

On 12/7/2021 at 10:29 PM, spidermike007 said:

Good park, good name, good man. Bangkok should have dozens of these parks. They don't, due to the lack of planning, and the lack of regard for the public. Developers and their money are given greater regard than people. And a never ending series of weak, timid, non-visionary politicians are responsible for this atrocity. 

I have been here 26 years.  There has been more park building (seems like an oxymoron) in the last 3-4 years than in all the 23 years previous to that.  By a long way too.

The Thailand Tobacco Monopoly land could have been given to developers but wasn't, it was turned in to a huge park.  Same with other new public parks.

It's not enough and will never come near somewhere like London which is full of green spaces, but Bangkok has taken huge strides in the right direction in the last few years and it is to be welcomed.

9 hours ago, peterpaintpot said:

In the UK the Inter City 125 was first introduced on the Western Region in 1976, it had an operating speed of 125 mph (200 kph). more than one was recorded at speeds around 140 mph (224 kph) Although they no longer on what was the Western Region they are still in use on other tracks in the UK today.

By the time the High Speed Trains are operational in Thailand they will still be approximately at least 50 years behind the UK.

Not sure why you're holding the UK up as an example (other than a misguided feeling of superiority).  The UK is at least 40 years behind Europe and other advanced nations like Japan, and light years behind China when it comes to rail networks.

The fact that the 125s are still in use is an embarrassment, not something to be proud of.

45 minutes ago, Robin said:

If I was a betting man, I would be putting money on him not spending any time in  general prison cell.  Limo waiting to take him to the airport?

No escape once you've been sentenced in person. If he was going to be allowed to escape abroad it would have been before sentencing, or they could have overturned his sentence.  Why would they uphold the sentence, have him carted away and then let him go??  

So all these people who think he's got a limo or plane on standby are wrong - he's going to jail. 

.....as opposed to the PT party who accomplished essentially nothing whilst in power other than trying to pass resolutions to get Thaksin pardoned. 

Why does anyone care what this guy has to say exactly? 

It's all a bit lamp shady.

12 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

Two doors on each side of the ferry.  Also 2 emergency doors at each end leading to the decks.

 

Video here:

 

Nice one, looks amazing.

I really hope the people who made the ridiculous comments about a single door and no emergency exits mean an evacuation would take an entire day will watch this and see how wrong they were (but we know they won't - they bash and run).

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Up or down stream? With or against the tide? It is a gimmick for the benefit of a few. 

Actually they give a range of, erm, ranges.  They say a charge can last between 2-4 hours "on the water" which obviously depends on tides.  So what are you talking about?  No one is trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, they are just giving some average facts and figures about the boat.

Really not sure why everyone is getting their knickers in a twist and picking holes in sentences.  There is a large fleet of these boats that will be introduced and over one billion baht invested in this project already.  The same company is also investing $3 billion dollars in battery factories (their 800kwh lithium-ion battery packs are designed in house) and will introduce electric buses, trucks, taxis.  The company has been around since 2006 by the way so it is not an overnight pop up.  It is publicly listed and has foreign investors, being 20% owned by UBS Switzerland - the second largest single shareholder (we know foreigners are smarter than Thais so maybe they sorted out the doors).

But TVF geezers know better - small doors, they haven't thought about going against the tide, emergency evacuation will take an entire day, Somchai will run out of charge in the middle of the river, brake failure (ooooh this one is a hilarious TVF favourite) blah blah blah.  So boring and predictable, really small minded gripes by small minded people, whilst other people are investing the money in future technologies and actually making it happen.  This is to be applauded.  The negativity and snide remarks in this thread are pathetic.

 

2 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

This video shows the interior. They claim an 80km on-water range with a 20 minute recharge.....

Yes, and?

13 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

In an emergency? Er....all day?

There are two fairly wide doors (one one either side) plus four emergency exits.  Do you really expect everyone to file out one tiny door?

(Yes of course you do)

2 hours ago, sungod said:

I bought one last year, cant remember if it was Toys r Us Central World or the toy department in Central Chidlom.

I bought normal old school monopoly in Toys r Us.

2 hours ago, Nemises said:

You have now. Mega Plaza. 6 floors of them. 

Yeah, interesting.  Lived in BKK 26 years and had never heard of this place.  Thanks.

1 hour ago, bojo said:

.........................still doesn't make it right though

No it doesn't.  My post was sarcastic.  Anyone that believes the US has ever invaded a country to spread freedom and democracy needs their head testing.

3 minutes ago, Tropposurfer said:

Ahh .. how the thought of no longer being the preeminent race on the planet unsettles ... For the historically uninitiated China has never first-striked anybody not in over 8000 years of known history.  The current, and rapidly waining world power that to date has presided over us certainly can't claim one iota of a record such as that in its short 400 years history. Quite the opposite to be factually accurate is the case.

Very true and difficult for many to stomach.  But the US only invades countries to spread democracy and freedom don't forget.

I never found a good toy shop here.  There are a few ToysRUs dotted around but mostly selling plastic <deleted>.

Central Chidlom has a not bad toy section in their department store but that's about it.  Those were my two go to places, but a little underwhelming compared to London for example.

30 minutes ago, digbeth said:

it's like the early days of the london underground with different company battling each other, how long till we get TfL style corporation? 50-80 years away?

Sorry for off-topic but I read the other day that TfL is about to go bankrupt and they may even have to close down a full line and maybe 100 bus routes, plus overland services and maybe the DLR.  It actually sounds pretty serious:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/tfl-financial-crisis-tube-line-closed-bankruptcy-b968230.html