Steam (NW Mailing List)

NW Mailing List nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Sun Jun 1 17:12:08 EDT 2008


Exactly; if you want a coal-powered railway today, build a coal-fired
power plant with the requisite pollution-control equipment (which
could never be accommodated on a loco anyway) and hang some wire.

I'm no expert, but I think that a lot could be done to come up with a
more economical-to-build style of electrification for medium-speed
heavy freight service. Recent electrification design has been in the
context of dense or high speed passenger operation which requires
robust OH line construction and electrical infrastructure, running up
the expense.

I understand that there is a variety of reasons (overall thermal
efficiency, high but intermittant electrical loads and "unbalanced"
AC loads) why electrification has been problematic in recent years
for modern heavy-haul operations based on the concept of a small
number of extremely heavy trains running at relatively low speeds,
i.e., the Australian iron ore roads. The high price and perhaps,
future unavailability, of Diesel fuel should warrant some new
thinking. High voltage DC allowing for fewer OH line losses, lighter
overhead line construction - maybe even simple trolley wire, etc.
Think of the interurbans of many years ago. Also, you wouldn't have
to buy new locos every ten or fifteen years! However, one might have
to go for more, lighter trains to spread out the electrical loads.

pete groom


On May 31, 2008, at 7:46 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

. . .

The Virginian Ry. had the answer over half a century ago -
electrics. A large steam driven power plant can feed an electric
locomotive much more efficiently than any self contained locomotive.
The peak tractive effort is limited only by weight and factor of
adhesion, and max power is limited by the size of the traction
motors. Dynamic braking becomes regenerative braking, feeding back
into the grid. And for those that complain of the high capital costs
of an electric system, what will it cost to introduce a totally new
type of locomotive, or to reintroduce reciprocating steam?

Kenneth Rickman

. . .
________________________________________
NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
To change your subscription go to
http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/



More information about the NW-Mailing-List mailing list