talk-line: trains

I have only just discovered the ASCII art groups, and would like to 
contribute some trains.  I was reminded of these trains by reading what 
Bob Allison said in FAQ: "Before computers, ASCII art was made on 
typewriters ...".  I wonder if all ASCII artists realise that they are 
heirs to a long tradition of typewriter art, going right back to the 
early days of the typewriter in the nineteenth century?

ASCII artists might even get some hints or inspiration from this book: 
Typewriter Art, edited by Alan Riddell (London, 1975) ISBN 
0-900626-99-2.  My original typewriter version of "Train Types" appears 
in this book, and now, over twenty years later, I have transformed it 
into ASCII art!

(Here is an interesting fact.  Among the other contributors to the book 
was a little known writer from behind the Iron Curtain.  Now Vaclav 
Havel is President of the Czech Republic!)

So here are the trains.  (1) a four-track railway (or railroad as you 
say in the USA); (2) and (3) two passenger trains; (4) and (5) two 
freight trains; (6) the trains on the tracks, the passenger train 
speeding from right to left, the freight train heaving laboriously from 
left to right.



1    _____________________________________________________________
    //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    _____________________________________________________________
   /_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_
   _____________________________________________________________
  //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  _____________________________________________________________
 /_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_



                __
2       _n_____/o ]  ___________   ___________   ___________
  ____ [__________]=3D[__|__|__|__]=3D[__|__|__|__]=3D[__|__|__|__] _____
 /////  (-)-(-)-(-) (=B7)(=B7) (=B7)(=B7) (=B7)(=B7) (=B7)(=B7) (=B7)(=B7=
) (=B7)(=B7) /////



                 __
3        _n_____/o ]   _________    _________    _________
  _____ [__________]<>[____|____]<>[____|____]<>[____|____] _____
 _/_/_/__(=3D)=3D(=3D)=3D(=3D)__(=B7)_____(=B7)__(=B7)_____(=B7)__(=B7)__=
___(=B7)_/_/_/



                                                  _
4       ____          ____          ____         [ ]_____
  ____ [____]=8B[____]=8B[____]=8B[____]=8B[____]=8B[____]=8B[_______] __=
__
 ///// ()  () ()  () ()  () ()  () ()  () ()  () ()-()-() /////



                                                  ___
        ______                                    |  \____i_
  _____ \____/~\____/~\____/~\____/~\____/~\____/~\________/_____
 _/_/_/__o__o___o__o___o__o___o__o___o__o___o__o___OO-OO-OO_/_/_/






                   ___
6          _n_____/o /  __________   __________   __________
     ____ /_________/<>/____/____/<>/____/____/<>/____/____/ _____
    ///// (-)=3D(-)=3D(-)   (=B7)   (=B7)    (=B7)   (=B7)    (=B7)   (=B7=
) //////
    _____________________________________________________________
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   ______________________________________________  __ __________
  /////////////////////////////////////////////// / /______ ////
  ____ /____/=8B/____/=8B/____/=8B/____/=8B/____/=8B/____/=8B/________/ _=
__
 ///// ()  () ()  () ()  () ()  () ()  () ()  ()  ()-()-() ////


      Andrew Belsey                        Train Types 18 April 1996

         [Based on original typewriter version 1971, published in
             Typewriter Art, ed. Alan Riddell (London, 1975)]



The trains look better in some monospaced fonts than others.  They were=20
written in Courier, but TTY is all right.  I expect someone can do=20
better trains, and I look forward to seeing them.  I have a problem: I=20
normally do the lower rail of the railtrack with the underline function,=20
but in ASCII this disappears.  That's why most of the tracks above look=20
one-sided!  It is possible to replace the underline function partially=20
with the shift-hyphen (see 3 and 5) but does anyone know a better way=20
round this problem?

Andrew Belsey

My trains have not appeared as they should.  I think some non-ascii 
intruders were responsible.    Sorry, it was my first posting to a 
newsgroup.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  I'll try to repost and do 
better.