CSX and Energy Efficiency

I'm not sure what this is. It is at the end of the tracks above Peace St., and looks to be some sort of bridge over a cylindrical pit. It was kind of eerie.

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Several times I've driven down Peace St. and wondered what exactly the CSX engines were doing on the bridge near the Archdale building. This past weekend after going to the Oakwood dog park, I decided to find out after spotting it again. What surprised me the most was that there were only two engines on the tracks, and nothing else. The engine was idling, and the sound was really interesting. It was futuristic sounding, and a blowing off of air every now and then. Very menacing sounding, but also remarkably silent considering the power behind them.
Today, while driving my gas guzzler Toyota Solara and listening to NPR, I heard something interesting.

Trains can move a ton of freight 423 miles on a single gallon of fuel.

This, in my opinion, is truly remarkable. Hearing it (an advertisement for CSX) made me remember the pics I took of two of their engines, so I decided to use them and offer my praise.
The CSX web site goes on to say that

Moving freight by rail is three times more fuel efficient than other over-the-road alternatives. ... Since 1980, through technology and innovation, the railroad industry has improved locomotive fuel effieiency by around 80%. In 2006 alone, U.S. freight railroads consumed 3.3 billion fewer gallons of diesel fuel and emitted 37 million tons of carbon dioxide less than they would have if their fuel efficiency had remained constant since 1980. ... According to the EPA, freight railroads account for just 2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources and well under 1% of greenhouse gas emissions from all sources.

Capitol Tire Service

I realize the sign on the building says Co., but everywhere on the internet it is referred to as Capitol Tire Service. The internet is always correct.

Capitol Tire Service
502 S West St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 828-8293

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If We Quit Voting Will They All Go Away?

These aren't my words, but those of an ironic vandal that slapped this bumper sticker on a utility box across from the Capitol building. Personally, I am one of those folks who distrusts and dislikes the federal government, but I am optimistic about local and state governments. Those are the elected officials that have a chance of actually improving and changing the events that take place in our day to day lives.
I may agree with this sticker at the national level, I certainly don't at the local level. I say hurray for local government, even if their priorities seem different than your own.

Biscuit Station Restaurant

I guess it should come as no surprise that this place has no web presence. About all I can find are directory listings and a few review sites. I've often wondered if the place was still open, but similar to Finch's Restaurant, I am rarely on that side of town early in the morning. I finally did go to Finch's and it was an amazing breakfast and a unique experience.
Similar to that post, I'll vow to visit the place sooner or later. In the meantime, does anyone have any opinions on this place?

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Raleigh Skyline From The Boylan Ave Bridge

It's easy to see why this is one of the most popular spots in Raleigh to take pictures from. The streaks in the first photo were caused by the crane being in motion.


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More Of The Train Station

To be more precise, it is the Raleigh Amtrak Station. Fairly soon I'm going to give trains their own category on this blog, as I've photographed them enough. And God bless Wikipedia:

The Raleigh Amtrak Station, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, is served by three passenger trains, the Silver Star, Carolinian and Piedmont. The street address is 320 West Cabarrus Street, and is located just to the southwest of downtown Raleigh.

Southern Railway built the station in 1950 after leaving Union Station. The station was not used for passenger trains from 1964 to 1985, when a pending abandonment of track by CSX Transportation forced Amtrak to move there from the former Seaboard Air Line station north of downtown.

The station is Amtrak's second busiest in the southeast (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky). Transportation agencies are studying a replacement station, possibly in conjunction with SEHSR or commuter service.

I really hope the idea of commuter rail travel takes off. I really do not like driving automobiles at all. I'm not just saying that because I spend a solid 20-25 minutes on the civil engineering disaster known as the Harrison Ave/Wade Ave split. Several local blogs have covered the possibility or idea of light rail travel or streetcars, so read up on it. It will take a hot load of consumer demand to bring about something as big as rail service.

Am I being delusional in thinking it has a shot? Am I a hypocrite because I normally dislike government subsidization of business and development projects? Maybe and definitely yes. Rail is one of those things like highways that will never happen as a result of free market economics. It just cannot come to fruition without the assistance of state and local governments. I would be willing to pay higher taxes if the money went directly into a fund to create more rail service. Anything that reduces the dependence of petroleum on a day to day basis is a very good thing. If it means less noise and less congestion, and less damage to the environment, that's good as well. Throwing more money at adding more lanes of traffic isn't going to solve the congestion issue--which really isn't that bad here, especially in contrast with so many other cities. If freaking Charlotte can have service, why can't Raleigh?

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View Of The City From The Station

This is a a view from the train station. I took many more shots from this place, and will be making a more thorough posts with those photos shortly. I've been out of town the past 4 days, so I need to get caught up in other areas before I get caught up here.

In The Shadow Of The Convention Center

I hadn't given it much thought up until this point, but other than my first blog post, I'm not sure I've ever posted a pic of me on the blog before. Here is where I was goofing off with my back to a street lamp near the Convention Center construction.

Convention Center Construction

Convention Center construction is moving right along. It is shaping up to look very much like airports and other towers I made with Legos as a kid. The giant glass part looks just like the inverted 3 x 4 x 5 windshield that was popular in many Lego sets. The rooftop above it looks exactly like a white 6 x 10 plate, especially with the writing on the insulation. This isn't an insult, far from it. I find it fascinating, as well as inspiring.

The Tunnel Across From Reynolds Coliseum

These two tunnels are shorter than they appear in the photos. When walking through them I often wondered how many paint jobs it would take to lower the height 3 inches. Weird, I know. It's also unique for me in that it's the only dual, separated, and opposing lane pedestrian tunnel that I've ever traveled through.
Does anyone have any unique memories, stories, or associations with it?

The Archdale Building

This is another one of those buildings that I know very little about but respect highly. I know that it houses state government departments/agencies/etc. It is also the first building I discovered/photographed not long after I moved here from the western part of the state. I'm not sure why I love it so much.
Can anyone clue me in on its history, current usage, trivia, etc.?

First Night Traffic

The blue streak in this photo is caused by a police officer on a motorcycle. His buddy directing traffic was kind enough to halt both directions for a good bit of time so he could squeeze his bike through with ease.

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I decided to take advantage of the heavy traffic to get a few cityscape shots from the Sheraton. If you are having deja vu, maybe it's because I made a similar post back in September.

The Witherspoon Student Center

According to the NC State website,

The Witherspoon Center is the location of the NC State African-American Cultural Center. A key building in the new student services courtyard, the student center annex is part of a student services core that includes Harris and Pullen Halls. These buildings house services available to students or created by students, separate from the solely academic activities on the main part of campus. Along with a planned student health services building, Pullen Hall and the Witherspoon Center form a landscaped courtyard.

The center was intended to replace and expand several facilities in the existing Student and Cultural Center. The Witherspoon Center was completed in the fall of 1990, and offices for student government and campus publications were soon relocated to the building. On the first floor is a 500-seat theater used as a multi-purpose space for the cultural center and student center offices. A gallery, library, study area, and assembly rooms for student government are located on the second floor of the building. More offices for student government are on the third floor, along with the cultural center, WKNC, and publications offices for the Technician, Windhover, and the Agromeck.

Skateboarding at NC State

Alex, Eric, and Travis

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No, unfortunately it isn't a class that is offered. Although it would be difficult to give number grades, it seems much more worthwhile than say water step aerobics or squash. That's just my opinion though.
I started out skateboarding when I was 14 or 15, but never really got any good. I could so stuff like boardslide, grind, 180, and shovit over some gaps, rails, and ledges. That was about it.
Unfortunately my flash batteries were dead when I saw these kids out skating, so I couldn't get any good pics of them doing various tricks off the platform.

The West Morgan Street Bridge (Again)

A bit over a month ago, I made a post about the Morgan Street Bridge. I walked to Fayetteville St. for First Night 2008 as I was sure parking would be a nightmare with 40,000 predicted to be in attendance. The walk there provided me the opportunity to get a good cityscape image from the bridge.

Veterans for Ron Paul on First Night

One of the first groups of folks that I ran in to while approaching the giant acorn for First Night 2008. Pictured are: Alex, Frank, Jamey, Ryan, and John. All except John are US veterans, and they are all supporting Dr. Paul. What was interesting is that at least two of them discovered Ron Paul while bravely serving our nation in Iraq. What other political figure has ever stirred such passionate interest for people to wave signs on street corners and overpasses?
I'm going to step outside of the normal scope of this blog (Raleigh) and broach a national topic. In the interest of disclosure I am one of those internet nuts in support of Ron Paul. Regardless of whether or not you agree with his positions, it is refreshing to hear someone speak with conviction and to not tell any particular group what they want to hear. He is brutally honest and that simply doesn't exist in politics.
I don't agree with everything Ron Paul stands for, but when I look at the other presidential candidates I'm left scratching my head and trying to figure out exactly what they believe in other than rhetoric. Unfortunately it won't really matter locally, as whatever plays out in North Carolina won't matter as the major states will have already begun the primary process in determining the next candidate from each party.
Whether he wins or (most likely) loses the primary, you can't deny that he is injecting much needed attention to very important but not often talked about subjects into the political debate. Topics such as the federal reserve's role in housing and investment bubbles, federal income taxes, the rule of law at the executive level, personal privacy and liberty all need to be examined and evaluated. He is showing the U.S. and the world that there are enough U.S. citizens that care about these topics and think that they deserve attention before it's too late.

First Night Raleigh 2008 (Abstract Edition)

Here are a few shots where I let the shutter stay open for a few seconds.

UPDATE: I have uploaded these are several more in the original resolution from First Night Raleigh at my fotki gallery.

First Night Raleigh 2008

This was the first time I attended First Night Raleigh, and it was exciting. I was sad because I couldn't be with my girlfriend as the new year rolled in, but we still got to talk and all was not lost. There was a huge crowd of people and everyone was extremely jovial and loud as 2008 rolled in.

UPDATE: I have uploaded these are several more in the original resolution from First Night Raleigh at my fotki gallery.