Gurubaran Weekly

  Let me ask you a question. In which continent is France located? This might seem like a dumb question. All of us would say, Of course it is Europe. While that is true, it is not entirely true because France is   also located in Africa and North America. In fact, it is in 6 out the 7 continents. This because of overseas territories which France holds. As you would have guessed, it is also the topic of this post. The overseas territories of France are the remnants of the French empire, one of the largest in the world. There are more than a dozen places which are overseas territories of France so let’s just jump in. All overseas territories of France are classified into two categories: Overseas Regions : These are like the Regions in Mainland France in terms of power. Overseas Collectivity : These are areas which have greater autonomy compared to Regions. North America You would be surprised to know that in the 16 th and 17 th century, large parts of North America, were und...

  This post is about how.. I know you read the title so let’s just continue. At first glance, this might seem obvious. Just look at a map and count how many countries are there, but it is not that simple. ( if it is so simple, why am I making this post ). Depending upon whom you ask, the number of countries range from 192 to over 200. What constitutes a Country? Let’s first try to define what constitutes a country. Suppose I want to create my own country, what should I do. There are few steps to do: Acquire Land of your own I should first find some land, which is not controlled by any other country. Leaving out Antarctica, there are very few areas in the world that are not controlled or claimed by any country. The most famous example is Bir Tawil, which lies between Egypt and Sudan.  Great, that means can I go and create my own country there.  Sadly, that is not enough.  Stable Population : To be a country, you need people living there permanently.   Bir Tawil...

In a metro system with multiple lines, usually a person transfers from one line to another to reach their destination. A station where one can transfer is called an interchange. In an interchange, normally the lines are stacked one above the other. This means one must use stairs, escalators or lifts to interchange between lines. A cross-platform Interchange ( CPI ) is a type of interchange, where changing from one line to another means just walking across the same platform and does not require usage of stairs, escalators, or lifts. When two lines cross each other,   there is a maximum of 8 possible ways to transfer between lines. I will look at some interesting station designs which enable easy cross-platform interchange Island platforms play an important role in enabling CPI. Full CPI or Paired stacked-island cross-platform This supports all possible interchange movements. This requires two stations. Each Station has two island platforms stacked one above the other. ...

Sorry it’s been quite a lot of time since the last post. I f you want to build a railway station { even though you   don’t need to } you need places for the passengers to wait until the trains arrive a n d board the train and de-board it . These places are called platforms and there are many types of platforms. They are: Spanish solution boarding : The term Spanish solution derives from its original use in several stations of the Madrid Metro and Barcelona Metro. The idea of Spanish solution is to maximize the boarding and deboarding capacity of a train by using the doors on both sides of the train. Basically, there are 3 platforms with two on each side of a track. Usually, the inner platform is used for de-boarding and the outer platforms are used for bo a rding.          Island platform: As the name suggests, an Island platform is a platform that is sandwiched between the two tracks. The platform, which is in the middle of the station handle...

  Most   of you must have enjoyed a train ride through a tunnel. Have you ever thought about how these tunnels are built? There are few standard methods in which the tunnels are built. Let’s have a look at them.   Cut-and-cover Method- Cut and cover is the oldest method of tunnel construction.  You dig and excavate the ground to create a hole. Build all the infrastructure you need for train to go such as tracks and signals. Then cover it up. So simple right? It is like constructing the drainage network in any city. It is mostly used for construction of Shallow tunnels, tunnels for underpasses, and in flat terrains.  London Underground (which is 100 years old) is a good example of it.  Tunnel Boring: Bored tunnels are as the name suggests made by Tunnel boring machines which do look quite boring but the method itself is quite interesting This method is used, when you need to build tunnels at greater depths and also when ground excavation is not possible. ...

  Last month, My cousin Sahana called me from Chennai, saying that she is going to a water park   tomorrow to enjoy her holidays. That night I dreamt of getting into a water slide from my home in Bengaluru and getting out the amusement park in front of her. When I woke up, I wished that the dream comes true one day.  One day I was watching on YouTube about my favourite thing in the world. Do you know what it is? Of course, its Railways.   I came across a video, where a person was packed in a box and thrown in a long tube. And it was mentioned as the next big thing in transit. ‘ Hooray!!   My dream is becoming true ‘,  I shouted.   Later I learnt that it was called Hyperloop. Hearing its name, I got hyper, and my mind went into a loop with so many questions. What is it? How does it work? Hyperloop is a proposed high speed transport system, which can travel at speeds comparable to flights.  The term was coined by Mr. Elon Musk, when he was ref...

  Once there was a Diesel Train named ` Vandi ’(வண்டி) . He had retired from his   job and was living in a railyard. One day he remembered his old friend ThiruNagar Railway Station , whom he used to visit daily before.   He wanted to pay him a visit. So, Vandi asked the Yard Master, Gurubaran for some diesel to power his engine. Gurubaran said “Which world are you in? Now everybody uses Electricity for power”.   “Ok. Give me 100 litres of electricity.  I need to meet my friend” said Vandi . Gurubaran said “ No need to buy electricity in bulk, you can pick it as you go”. Vandi asked, “Who will give it to me?” Guru said, “There are two guys, Mr. ThirdRai l and Mr. Overhead who can provide you electricity on the way. I will call them both here and you talk to them directly” Guru messaged both to come to the yard and they came immediately.  Mr. ThirdRail came crawling on the ground, while Mr. Overhead came hopping f...