The Worldwide
Transporation Library FAQ
(Version 1.05, 29-Oct-2008):
Sections 1-4
(1) Index
Rail
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(2.1) What is
the Worldwide Transportation Library?
The Worldwide Transportation
Library (WWTL) is an online collection of media that classifies, defines, and
provides trivia for transportation mediums. It is an organic project that owes
its existence to indepedent contributors from three continents.
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(2.2) How did
the WWTL come to be?
Click here for the site's
history.
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(2.3) What
country is your specialty?
No country
is. Our mission is to provide
objective information that's fun and relevant to the region you're looking up
-- no specific country gets our preferential treatment.
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(2.4) Does the
WWTL have any affiliations with official transportation ministries?
No, we do
not. The goal of our site is to be
an independent source of information that often transcends strict
interpretations of government code.
In other words, we do not officially support nor endorse any governing
body. At the same time, we have
received helpful feedback from ministries like the Ohio Department of
Transportation, an American entity whose trivia has complemented this site.
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(2.5) How can I contact the WWTL? I'd like to offer help or insight based
on my personal experience.
We provide a
contact form here.
All forms must be filled completely for a submission to occur.
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(2.6) I see
several flags on the top lefthand corner of the page. What are these?
The WWTL is proud
to support four official languages:
English, French, German, and Italian. Click on the corresponding flag for the language of your
choice!
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(2.7) Do you
officially support Spanish?
We do not
officially support Spanish, however we're close to meeting this goal! Today, highways are classified by
Spanish title, while videos are spoken in Spanish natively. We do not yet provide text descriptions
for photographs "en espa–ol".
Once this has been done, Spanish will be an officially supported
language.
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(2.8) To what
extent do you support Chinese and Japanese languages?
The Republic of
China (中華民國), People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国), and Japan (日本国) have their country names listed in
native tongue. We also plan to
convert city and provincial names to their respective languages. There are no pending plans to translate
photograph descriptions to Chinese or Japanese, but we're open to the idea w/
the help of a few right minds.
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(2.9) It seems
insensitive that Poland and its highways are classified in the German language,
considering the hideous acts of the 20th century and the Second World War. Why on earth are Polish road photos
shown in German by default?
Our coverage of
Poland is presently limited to Zgorzelec, which is a border town of German
influence. As we do not speak
Polish officially, and since German is considered a second language in
Zgorzelec, it seemed more appropriate to classify Zgorzelec's highways in
something localised as compared to something non-localised, e.g., English. We do provide English translations too.
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Yes. If you see geographic coordinates listed under a photograph (e.g., 43.793119, 7.605), just click on them. You'll then been forwarded to Google Maps where you can see exactly where the photographer was at the time of the shoot!
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(2.1
We're proud to boast 66% coverage for our road photos, and a growing, yet significant amount, of railroad photographs. That said, some photographs were originally taken in rural areas (several years ago). Current mapping technologies blur accuracy, so it's difficult for us to (post-hoc) come w/in a 20 metre radius the actual location. As technology improves, more rural photos will support map location. Also, if we happen to revisit the original location of the photograph, we'll make GPS notation of it.
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(2.12)
Yes. To resize the photographs, first
(3) Roads:
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(3.1) Why do
highways have different numbering-systems than my country? This makes no sense because my
country's system has a logical order that lets me know where I am.
Many countries
employ unique numbering systems based on their own logical criteria. A classic example is the Irish motorway
system. Route numbers are classified
by the number of the old national highway is has overtaken (e.g.,
"M7" vs. the original "N7"). The United States has a different scheme where its
Interstate motorways ("highways") use odd numbers for north-south
highways of an interregional nature, and even numbers for east-west highways.
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(3.2) In some
Canadian provinces, TransCanada highways have a number designation, e.g.
"TransCanada 1". In
other provinces, there are no number designations. What gives?
A number designation
is decided on the provincial level.
That's why you'll see TransCanada 1 in Alberta, and a simple
"TransCanada" highway in Ontario or Québec.
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(3.3) Why do some
countries list international cities by local spelling?
The real name of the city should be in the international country's language, as far as I'm concerned! Why is there such a discrepancy -- the road signage is wrong!
Simply put,
language is the barrier -- not the border itself! Due to linguistic traditions, it may not be possible to make
a perfect pronunciation for a city that is in a different tongue. That's why you'll see Ventimiglia called
"Vintimille" along France's Autoroute 8, or find Montréal advertised
as "Montreal" along Interstate 87 in the United States.
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(3.4) Do all German autobahns permit
limitless speed?
No. Only certain stretches of autobahn allow unlimited speed. These designated stretches are usually in rural areas, where the leftmost lane gets the sole privilege.
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(3.5) Are foreign cars allowed onto Swiss motorways?
Yes. Be prepared to pay a fee at the border. In return, you will receive a temporary decal that allows unlimited usage of Switzerland's motorway network.
(4) Rail:
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(4.1) I have a
Swiss Rail pass. To get from
Lugano to Brig, I must go travel through northern Italy. Does that mean Swiss Rail owns track
inside Italy?
No. Swiss Rail has special agreements w/
Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato. This
agreements grants you the privilege of passing through Italy, by way of
Domodossola, w/o having to pay extra for it.
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(4.2)
Historically, the Union Pacific Railroad did not pass through my American
city. Why are some of your
photographs showing that the UPRR does?
Presently, the
Union Pacific Railroad takes advantage of regional railroads through
cross-company agreements.
Visit http://www.uprr.com for more information.
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(4.3)
How did the
term "railroad" come to be?
The word "rail" comes from the Middle French term "raille", which means
bar. So a railroad is essentially
a road consisted of bars. Though the Middle Frenchmen had never seen the like
of railroads, they can be credited for the coinage of the term!
Yes, a notable example is the Santa Clara County VTA system. Their light-rail trains, serving the California Silicon Valley, may at certain locations yield to automobile traffic during rush hour.