Re: Re: a little oil for thought

[DMS <dmschanoes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Les,

But Les,  I'm always on my best behavior.....

Don't think I have the software necessary for an
internet call, but then I'm pretty much a novice
in these matters...

Re the papers:  Printed out the one on oil extraction,
but I have to tell you it is very difficult for me to
follow the mathematical models constructed from their
formulas.

Yes, I work with numbers all the time on the railroad
but they're simple numbers.  They were going to get
a computer to replace me until they realized how much
overkill that would be.  Brief aside:  when we had
a big project here providing what is called North End
Access, allowing people to exit NORTH of Grand Central
Terminal directly instead of walking south towards 42nd
street, we tried to figure out how many tracks could
be removed from service and not degrade rush hour perfor-
mance.  By the time the variables were organized and
assigned values, and the algorithims calculated, the
project was underway and demanding massive track outages.

The operating people stepped in, and using pencil and
paper, developed a capacity analysis of mainline operation
feeding Grand Central, impact of the slowdown from 60 MPH
mainline speed to 10 MPH GCT speed, required velocity of
platform track turnover (arrive, unload, load and clear)
[which was my specific contribution] and came up with 10
tracks out of service.  So we told them, the contractors,
the consultants, the planning people, we could support
4 tracks, thinking they would ask for 6 and we would moan
and groan and not smirk too much when we were "forced" to
agree to 6.

Well, we went to 6, and then 8, and then 10, and when we
were at 10, the simulation program was finally complete
and spit out its answer of maximum tracks out of service,
which was 6.

My working motto (RR):

It can't be that hard.  If it were, I wouldn't be any
good at it.

For capitalist economics, change to read...

"If it were that difficult, Greenspan would be flipping
burgers at McDonald's."