-> Don't know whether it's the dreaded Global Warming, improved  
-> reporting or both,  but its seems there's more poo than posies  
-> going on around the planet... 
 
-> Generally, NZ flood defences are too flimsy to be saved by parked  
-> trains or happenstance dams;  the last rail bridge to be lost here  
-> was made of wood that had been undetectedly riddled by marine  
-> worms,  and took an engine out when it collapsed.... 
  
In parts of Canada, railway lines rarely last long. In the Rockies, for 
example, they're often swept away by avalanches. There are some hairy 
tracks that are laid on ledges on the cliffs on both sides of the 
Fraser Canyon, a narrow defile with the Fraser River at the bottom. 
It's the best way to Vancouver from the rest of the country. Down by 
the river, there are plenty of remains of trains that didn't make it. 
Looking down on them from a train passing through is not encouraging. 
  
The weather this summer in North America seems to be very static. Some 
places have been getting persistent rains. Others, such as here in 
Toronto, have been experiencing droughts. 
  
A lot of rivers here freeze solid in wintertime. In spring, the ice 
often breaks up suddenly, releasing torrents that drive huge chunks of 
ice onto the river banks. Buildings nearby have to be constructed to 
cope with that, which makes a simple flood seem trivial. 
  
                        dow 
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