Why is Europe goin' to Hell in a hand car?

Can't afford a tea?

See . . . see what i mean ? ! ? ! ? Them boys is goofy . . .

They love life.

Yer just a wabbit . . . whadda you know about it?

I'm a Wabbit who just got back from Europe.

Uh huh . . . was it snowin'?

Nope.

I rest my case . . .

You couldn't HANDLE the case!

Last year it snowed so much in the Stockhom area, that the modern snowplows for railroads couldn´t handle it. So a snowplow - 70- 80 years old in a museum was taken out, but a modern locomotive could not pull it so out came another old one. Now it worked.
So there you see - being old does not mean you are not useful.

That's cool . . . so, apparently, the railway guage hadn't changed. If it was a steam engine, what did they burn?

I think it's supposed to be "hand cart" or "hand basket" Jes' sayin'.

Set, I've read some of the BBC/guardian articles on the mess, and what the powers that be say re Heathrow. The BAA (I've not memorized all the parties and their titles) admitted making a mistake by allowing flights to keep landing for much too long given the forecast - which then made deicing the areas near the planes extra difficult.

Then there was the generality spoken by several that England/Britain rarely gets this kind of onslaught, so that plows and salt stores are not at the ready as they might be if the country had different weather patterns... adequate plows not purchased. To ramp up on all this is expensive in a troubled economy.

Then there was talk about protecting (shielding) the rails at the points trains stopped (which would then ice over fast, such the trains were stuck).

Dunno - seems a particularly bad set of storms even in, say, Germany, which is more used to these situations.

Haven't read about the continuing scene at Heathrow in about a day - I can imagine some chaos happening.

Vulture farts. Hmmm, I hadn't given much thought to that before.

We have problems all over Europe.
Sweden has problems with the trains....hours delayed, roads slippery and icy.
Denmark has problems with trains and roads.
The rails are freezing so the trains cannot go, snow is piling up and trains in Germany which can go 250 km (150 miles?) and more an hour have to creep now.
The roads are cleaned, but the melted snow freezes, trucks slide and block the traffic, some even drive with summer tires.
South of England is not used to this kind of weather at this time of the year just before Christmas .- not only England I must admit.
Why should airports have plows for a winter like this which happens maybe every 15th year?
Frankfurt is doing its best, but the runways are covered up faster than they can clean them and the planes have to leave within a short time after the runway is cleared.
The same in London/Paris.
Denmark expects snowstorm and icy weather.

When you start your own thread about how lame the Yer-a-peein's is, you can use your version. I like mine . . .

Thanks for the report. Aaack.

I cannot find a link and as it is a year ago I cannot remember the details.
But found this which might interest you.
In February 1972 there were 20 snowplowlocomotivs on different stations in Sweden. They were used for snowplowing when needed.
In February 2010 there were only 2 left to be used. Of the 20 11 have been used for scrap and the rest are waiting to be scrapped or repaired. No new locomotivs excists only smaller machines which are no good in real snowstorms.
Do I have to add - modern times are not always so good.

Hurrah, I found the old one. See pictures here

http://www.dn.se/blogg/epstein/2010/02/21/gammal-ar-aldst-i-snovadret-6402/