Switching Tracks from the Cab

L M G I F Y 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram_controls

See para entitled "Point Switching"

L M G I F Y     Took me a minute, but I figured it out.  G=Google

Interesting question and answer. I guess you really do learn something new every day.

Got another acronym to add to the list and learned something about streetcars, fascinating. I find it really interesting how they accomplished things back in the day before modern electronic sensors and things we have today were invented.

In a way I think that was more ingenious than what we have today. Certainly a lot simpler. I have always loved the old mechanical ways of doing things. When I get to see this old stuff in person I could stand and look at it for hours. Different times, when a lot of thought and detail went into building things and they were built to last a lifetime - and they did.

In my working life I was very fortunate, got to see a lot of old stuff similar to this being torn out of old buildings and replaced by more modern and more efficient equipment. I thought about what the people must have gone through to design and then install it without modern equipment like we have today. I was always very sad when it had to go, probably to a landfill somewhere.

Apologies for getting sidetracked (so to speak) here...

If you're just going to answer "google it" then why bother having the forum?

99.99999999% of questions can be answered by google. It takes all the fun out of it.

How about someone FIRST obtaining the "generic" information from Google, and THEN coming here for more detailed/technical information from us forum members? Is that really asking too much?

You do not have to "Google it" or get "generic information" first.  It is a FORUM.  Some Forumite may have info you can't find on Google based on personal experience.  Many times, many people contribute to an answer.  It's not a matter of "asking too much."  THAT IS WHY IT IS A FORUM AND NOT GOOGLE.  People on the Forum that have answers to a person's question can answer it...that's what makes it a wonderful Forum.  And...we all learn something.  People who don't have an answer...or don't like the question... can just leave it alone and read a different thread.  

If you're just going to answer "google it" then why bother having the forum?

I didn't say "google it" I said "L M G I F Y". Lots of times the poor slob who asks a question never gets to read the truth, owing to the fact that many contributors like to hear themselves talk, but never say anything remotely substantive, or in some cases, even remotely correct.

I believe in good old-fashioned Yankee self-sufficiency, and that includes making oneself aware of answers, so that a truly helpful dialog will then ensue.  Google has leveled the playing field and allows even the person with no research material at hand to get the answer, then think about it, hit a few related links, and really get an education.  In the old days, it would take from a week to "never," to find the answers that we can get now in seconds.  When was the last time anyone here picked up a Webster's or a Hagstrom's?

Believe it or not, there is a large segment of our population  (I have corresponded with many of them personally) who do not initially think of Google when they wonder about something. Using Google is a benign addiction that pleases my thirst for knowledge. I highly recommend it, before just asking the man on the street how street cars work.

How about someone FIRST obtaining the "generic" information from Google, and THEN coming here for more detailed/technical information from us forum members? Is that really asking too much?

HotWater has the answer. I could have googled it myself, then copy & pasted the info, and pretended that I knew the answer. Since the question intrigued me personally, I googled it. Then I presented the findings. Now we know the answer.  Now we will hear from all the experts who disagree.

Sitting back, munching on the popcorn, I remain,

Cordially yours for the New Year,