America is a Pastoralpunk Dystopia
@pastoralpunk.bsky.social
Let's be honest here, I mostly post about trains. Well, cities too.
I currently work in the Japanese education sector but I'd rather work with trains.
I'm a proud Philly expat so expect to see lots of stuff about PA and Pennsylvania too.
I currently work in the Japanese education sector but I'd rather work with trains.
I'm a proud Philly expat so expect to see lots of stuff about PA and Pennsylvania too.
Kiba might be Japan's earliest deep-bore tunnel station, and it shows, with its narrow access shafts and this--steel tunnel lining instead of the usual concrete
November 24, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Kiba might be Japan's earliest deep-bore tunnel station, and it shows, with its narrow access shafts and this--steel tunnel lining instead of the usual concrete
American traffic engineers would NEVER
November 16, 2025 at 7:37 AM
American traffic engineers would NEVER
One of the weird things I've noticed about Enoden is that (unless I'm very much mistaken) it's the only Japanese railway that uses Jacobs bogies in its rolling stock, where its usage seems to be mostly about maximizing capacity given a very restrictive physical plant
November 15, 2025 at 2:35 PM
One of the weird things I've noticed about Enoden is that (unless I'm very much mistaken) it's the only Japanese railway that uses Jacobs bogies in its rolling stock, where its usage seems to be mostly about maximizing capacity given a very restrictive physical plant
Get you zoning laws that let you turn your 94-year-old family estate halfway up the mountain into a nice little café
Café Gula, Kamakura, Japan
#yimby
Café Gula, Kamakura, Japan
#yimby
November 15, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Get you zoning laws that let you turn your 94-year-old family estate halfway up the mountain into a nice little café
Café Gula, Kamakura, Japan
#yimby
Café Gula, Kamakura, Japan
#yimby
In Japanese that kanji is used a lot to describe the sciences, with tons of vocab, like on this word list
November 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM
In Japanese that kanji is used a lot to describe the sciences, with tons of vocab, like on this word list
Wow, there's an easy way and a hard way and the thing is evil enough to choose the Hard Way
November 8, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Wow, there's an easy way and a hard way and the thing is evil enough to choose the Hard Way
The first one I grabbed makes it look more eviler than it should, let's try this one
November 8, 2025 at 7:11 AM
The first one I grabbed makes it look more eviler than it should, let's try this one
Kinda reminds me how the Quaker star vaguely looks like an Evil, Inc. logo
Other Friends should know what I'm talking about here
Other Friends should know what I'm talking about here
November 8, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Kinda reminds me how the Quaker star vaguely looks like an Evil, Inc. logo
Other Friends should know what I'm talking about here
Other Friends should know what I'm talking about here
雰囲気が良くて美味い油そば食堂で速い晩ご飯を食べた。今甘い物が欲しい、、、
November 2, 2025 at 7:17 AM
雰囲気が良くて美味い油そば食堂で速い晩ご飯を食べた。今甘い物が欲しい、、、
Well they do the same thing in Sweden--famously cold Stockholm!--and you, sir, are a racist asshole
Good day and see you never
Good day and see you never
October 19, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Well they do the same thing in Sweden--famously cold Stockholm!--and you, sir, are a racist asshole
Good day and see you never
Good day and see you never
This is the JR Hokkaido 735 series, responsible for commuter & regional services in and around Sapporo, a city well known for being as cold as Chicago and snowier to boot
October 19, 2025 at 2:29 AM
This is the JR Hokkaido 735 series, responsible for commuter & regional services in and around Sapporo, a city well known for being as cold as Chicago and snowier to boot
Wendell Cox has been right all this time
October 16, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Wendell Cox has been right all this time
Earlier this week there was a serious accident on the Tokyo Den-en-Toshi Line. This accident took place late in the evening, when a local train inbound to the Hanzomon Line sideswiped an out-of-service train parked on a tail track at Kajigaya station, not far from the major junction at Mizonokuchi
October 11, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Earlier this week there was a serious accident on the Tokyo Den-en-Toshi Line. This accident took place late in the evening, when a local train inbound to the Hanzomon Line sideswiped an out-of-service train parked on a tail track at Kajigaya station, not far from the major junction at Mizonokuchi
Most PA counties are already part of an MSA or μSA, or else we can use the state "regions" for this, but the bottom line is that, if Harrisburg can't come to consensus on funding priorities, then those priorities have to be met at a level between county and state
September 15, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Most PA counties are already part of an MSA or μSA, or else we can use the state "regions" for this, but the bottom line is that, if Harrisburg can't come to consensus on funding priorities, then those priorities have to be met at a level between county and state
For (2) the state Constitution is uh also a pain to amend but is probably our best chance at securing the tax environment we need to devolve control of mass transit to its service area
September 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM
For (2) the state Constitution is uh also a pain to amend but is probably our best chance at securing the tax environment we need to devolve control of mass transit to its service area
This guy looks about it
September 13, 2025 at 3:08 PM
This guy looks about it
If you say "jif" I think this:
September 13, 2025 at 12:40 AM
If you say "jif" I think this:
This is the most important line in this article. IMO this is one of the greatest failures of the New Deal & Reaganite political orders--excessive focus on Federal capacity at the expense of state capacity
Trump's gleeful destruction of the former forces the pendulum to swing back to the latter
Trump's gleeful destruction of the former forces the pendulum to swing back to the latter
August 24, 2025 at 1:55 AM
This is the most important line in this article. IMO this is one of the greatest failures of the New Deal & Reaganite political orders--excessive focus on Federal capacity at the expense of state capacity
Trump's gleeful destruction of the former forces the pendulum to swing back to the latter
Trump's gleeful destruction of the former forces the pendulum to swing back to the latter
Love this concluding graf btw
August 19, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Love this concluding graf btw
Lots of blah blah blah, stuff most of us who've been fighting these battles awhile already know, but this poison pill definitely caught my eye
In other cities (ah-hem, Seattle) those users are used to undermine safe infra for non-motorists
In other cities (ah-hem, Seattle) those users are used to undermine safe infra for non-motorists
August 19, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Lots of blah blah blah, stuff most of us who've been fighting these battles awhile already know, but this poison pill definitely caught my eye
In other cities (ah-hem, Seattle) those users are used to undermine safe infra for non-motorists
In other cities (ah-hem, Seattle) those users are used to undermine safe infra for non-motorists
I mean this primary source quote sums it all up nicely
![According to Robert Blust, the Formosan languages form nine of the ten primary branches of the Austronesian language family.[39] Comrie (2001:28) noted this when he wrote:
"... the internal diversity among the... Formosan languages... is greater than that in all the rest of Austronesian put together, so there is a major genetic split within Austronesian between Formosan and the rest... Indeed, the genetic diversity within Formosan is so great that it may well consist of several primary branches of the overall Austronesian family."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2cqn44nit2iqkogqmsgsmiyg/bafkreihtr3xk2bc5uoduis4sm5yzttfhclzuxiax5sof2kb6xi5ez5ra3a@jpeg)
August 17, 2025 at 4:50 AM
I mean this primary source quote sums it all up nicely
Historically a lot of Filipino operators have had their own private terminals, but a few years Parañaque (a constituent city of Metro Manila) opened a gigantic integrated bus terminal, seen here
I suspect this will be a Filipino multi-modal mobility model moving forward
I suspect this will be a Filipino multi-modal mobility model moving forward
August 14, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Historically a lot of Filipino operators have had their own private terminals, but a few years Parañaque (a constituent city of Metro Manila) opened a gigantic integrated bus terminal, seen here
I suspect this will be a Filipino multi-modal mobility model moving forward
I suspect this will be a Filipino multi-modal mobility model moving forward
...for Cebu, *not* either Bacolod or Iloilo
This is a little older but it's my basic strategy for the Philippines: medium-speed networks to build up a market and then the HSR line to link up the main pop centers
This is a little older but it's my basic strategy for the Philippines: medium-speed networks to build up a market and then the HSR line to link up the main pop centers
August 10, 2025 at 2:11 PM
...for Cebu, *not* either Bacolod or Iloilo
This is a little older but it's my basic strategy for the Philippines: medium-speed networks to build up a market and then the HSR line to link up the main pop centers
This is a little older but it's my basic strategy for the Philippines: medium-speed networks to build up a market and then the HSR line to link up the main pop centers
...to the Pink and Green lines at Clinton.
(Incidentally, a Blue Line infill station should also be built at Clinton)
Likewise IMO an Ohio Street Tunnel station centered at or just east of Ohio & La Salle would be able to make transfers to *all* of the El lines without difficulty!
(Incidentally, a Blue Line infill station should also be built at Clinton)
Likewise IMO an Ohio Street Tunnel station centered at or just east of Ohio & La Salle would be able to make transfers to *all* of the El lines without difficulty!
August 2, 2025 at 3:53 PM
...to the Pink and Green lines at Clinton.
(Incidentally, a Blue Line infill station should also be built at Clinton)
Likewise IMO an Ohio Street Tunnel station centered at or just east of Ohio & La Salle would be able to make transfers to *all* of the El lines without difficulty!
(Incidentally, a Blue Line infill station should also be built at Clinton)
Likewise IMO an Ohio Street Tunnel station centered at or just east of Ohio & La Salle would be able to make transfers to *all* of the El lines without difficulty!
While access is important I don't necessarily agree it's worth sacrificing speed over to the extent you're suggesting. IME a half klick is about the most transferring passengers are willing to walk, and a well designed Clinton St tunnel station should also create a direct path from Union Station...
August 2, 2025 at 3:27 PM
While access is important I don't necessarily agree it's worth sacrificing speed over to the extent you're suggesting. IME a half klick is about the most transferring passengers are willing to walk, and a well designed Clinton St tunnel station should also create a direct path from Union Station...