Archive for May 23rd, 2005

Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket

Monday, 23rd May 2005 by James

Home to the AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox (the Pawtucket Red Sox or “PawSox”) is McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Leo Caisse says

It looks like the photo was taken during a game since the parking lots are full and the exposed bleachers on the third-base side appear to be full.

McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket

Biosphere 2

Monday, 23rd May 2005 by Alex

This is Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert. Constructed between 1987 and ‘89, the ill fated ’self-contained environment’ experiment was supposedly intended to explore the possible use of closed biospheres in space colonisation (you know, like in Total Recall!). The name comes from the idea that it was modelled on “Biosphere 1″, the Earth. Unfortunately it seems that the first inhabitants argued constantly and nearly starved.

It looks like Biosphere 2 is currently available for redevelopment if anyone’s interested… but they also seem to do tours if that’s a little out your league…

Finally, Biosphere 2 featured in the 1996 film Bio-Dome with Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin, but David Hill asked me not to mention it. ;-)

Biosphere 2

Thanks to (deep breath) Jon Anderson, Why Law, Colin Marquardt, Yablo, Roy Tanaka, Jered, Matthew, Chris, Parker, Douglas T. Allbright, David Hill and finally Papapenguin. Phew! Thanks guys :-)

Incredibly Long Trains

Monday, 23rd May 2005 by Alex

Looks like these trains are stopped at a level crossing on the Burlington Northern railroad track in Wyoming. The Northern one is chopped off by some low-res imagery, but scroll south to see just how incredibly long they are! Amazing.

Long Trains

Thanks: tamat

Update

In the comments, Eric Smith said:

These are unit coal trains, typically 100-115 cars long. These were probably going from/to the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, which is just north of the photo you found. Here is the loading loop, large enough to run one of these trains in a circle.

You can see that the image was taken just after the two ends of the train passed each other, as the black carts are fully loaded with coal.

Passing Train

State Capitol, Baton Rouge

Monday, 23rd May 2005 by James

As the tallest state capitol in the United States the Louisiana State Capitol is 450 feet high with 34 floors. Twenty-five hundred rail cars were needed to bring in the limestone used on the exterior and the interior marbles which came from distant places, including Vermont and Italy.

State Capitol 2

Thanks: noj