[Newfie]

Just installing the radio, on board computer and screens for PTC is often a challange.

[Newfie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '?')...

Actually you are only half right with your pessimism. I personally have spent much of my life working for a sustainable future, personally, on the ground, with my own money and time. Collaborative housing, paperless office (as a programmer), organic food industry, city living, and now a suburban doomstead (only possible in Humboldt). If we as a nation had half the commitment and imagination that I do, then we'd be halfway to salvation.

[Subjectivist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('toolpush', 'T')hanks Sub,

I finally got around to watching. There is a lot of familiar equipment there. The EMD V16 engine, are very similar to what we are running on the rig I am currently on. Though ours have been upgraded with turbos and are hooked up to 2,250kw generators. We have three of which two normally gives us enough power for drilling.
An amazing thing about these old EMDs, is the fact they burn so much oil during operation, they don't actually require oil changes, due to the fact of the top ups are greater than crankcase volume. Also If there are any problems with a cylinder, then you can change out the complete "power pack", Cylinder, piston and rod plus the top end in a few hours, and the rest of the engine stays intact. They are bullet proof engines, but gobble fuel,and are not real eco friendly.
I was disappointed they didn't mention the anything about the drive motors apart from the fact they existed. At 1700 hp and built in the 1950, I would presume 2x GE 752 DC traction motors. These motors put out about 800hp each.
They didn't mention any details of the new gensets that were being installed, but they must still be governed by the fact there are still only 2x 800hp drive motors, so this loco has improved fuel and pollution, but not upgraded in anyway power wise, and still using DC, rather than AC.
As for your comment about duel fuel, electric/diesel. You will notice there was very little wasted or spare space in the loco. Any HV equipment will take a fair bunch of room, just for insulation reasons.
Big toys for big boys?

[KaiserJeep]

Once you understand that the planet's ecology cannot be saved as long as the population that is 6.3+ billion humans in overshoot remains present, you are approaching the end of your philosophical journey.

Now you must choose. You can knowingly become a champion and advocate of either Humanity or of the Earth. You cannot serve both goals, they are mutually exclusive.

Realize also that YOU didn't do this. Your fate was sealed by the 200-odd years of joyful population overshoot that was perpetrated on this globe by your ancestors. The only difference between you and them is that - thanks to that single massive surge of productivity and the resulting gleeful gluttony that is brought about by modern technology - primarily the implementation of artificial intelligence engines and massive online databases - you are a member of that generation that has both the availability of the data and the leisure time to reflect upon the fundamental tragedy of our existence.

There are now two possible outcomes resulting from our present situation, both about equally likely in my estimation:

1) The continued presence of 7.3 billion humans completes the ecological destruction that began around 1805 when that sustainable population number was passed. The number of species extinctions continues to grow, and the Earth suffers mightily as every exploitable resource is depleted to the max. All accessible supplies of clean water, arable soils, and fossil energy are exploited at greater and greater cost and with greater and greater impact, in an accelerating death spiral of gleeful human consumption. The Earth becomes even more of a dirty, smelly, and overcrowded hellhole than it is today. Then everybody dies. The highest form of life left are small mammals, the evolutionary remnants of rats, now no bigger than tiny mice. All of human knowledge remains intact, our complete and brief existence as a self-aware technological race remains present in a secure and complete archive, a cautionary tale that very likely nobody will ever see.

2) All of the above happens, and mankind survives the end of the Earth as the first extra-planetary species, evolving into the virtually endless spaces and virtually endless resources off of the Earth's surface. A select few individuals - an insignificant tiny fraction of one percent of the humans, are the ancestors of all the survivors. As long as there are 3500+ carefully selected individuals, we preserve the DNA of the entire race, even those who deny to their last breath that survival off the planet is possible or desirable.

Either way, in a few million years the Earth heals, new minerals are exposed by geological forces, and an entirely new set of species populates a renewed globe with a new planetary ecology. There may or may not be records of human civilization remaining, off of the Earth's surface in space. The new intelligent species may be mammalian, reptile, amphibian, or insect in nature - or a pattern for which present humans have no name.

The age of humans on Earth is ending. A new chapter of the Earth's story is beginning.

By the way, I have loved trains since I was a boy. Live steam rules!

[Newfie]

If you want to have a discussion on electrification then yu need to break things down into catagories, some make more sense than others.
Class1 freights
Short lines
Heavy, long distance commuter
Local commuter rail
Subways and elevated lines
Interurbans, trollies and the like

Gas,

In the US lines are goverened by the Federal Railroad Administration (some commuter operations are here) or the Federal Transit Administration, most commuter, subway, trollyies, bus stuff. FRA has a hands on role and inspects and monitors. FTA requires states to set up agencies, who farm out the regulation to the transit authority. Works as well as you would expect.

[toolpush]

Sub,

I have had a quick look around. You are correct with the 4 drive motors. Obviously a bit smaller than we use on the rig. I found a workshop manual you maybe interested in. I will look at it tomorrow.
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/manual/gp9-master.html
I see most JP9s are being used as switchers. So the idea of 3 gen sets makes a lot more sense now. Run empty between jobs on one genset, hook up, and use the number of gensets that are required.

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'S')orry about that vtsnowedin, got my east & west confused !!

[vtsnowedin]

I am not so doom obsessed that I think the world will be inherited by rats or cockroaches. I think the real peak in oil production and the decline over the next decades will bring an end of population growth and start the die off of billions but it will take a couple of decades which puts it past my own personnel horizon. In the US that will mean an end of oil imports and having to get by on our own production which will also be declining. So some year in the future we will get by on six million barrels a day instead of the nineteen mbd we waste now. That would not be the end of the world for us by any measure. Freight moved by truck would be reduced to , back and forth between source and the nearest rail head and single occupancy auto commuting would be as rare as hens teeth. Agriculture would continue much as it is today with the exception of corn to ethanol which will finally be realized as a net loss.
Species in the forest and jungles of the world would see easing in the pressure against them as human populations decline and environmental damage will wind down to a stop.
Once the decline is understood by the majority the competition will be in planning ahead and seeking alternatives that use less energy but accomplish the same task. Insulation of buildings vs. oil burned just for heat. Buildings built next to generating stations to use the cooling water as a heat source etc. We will explore and build out to the limits of wind , tide and PV power and get what we can from them.
Once we stop importing oil we will return to isolationist policies and let wars in Asia and Africa and even Europe run their course without getting involved and we will prevent refugees from these wars from immigrating into the US.
We will live in interesting times.

[Revi]

It would be nice to have a train to take from most places. Here in Maine the train stops at Brunswick now, but could be extended to Augusta, the capitol at least. There are weird things like the fact that everyone has to get out at North Station in Boston and take 2 t subways to get back on the train at South Station. What is up with that? Meanwhile they spent billions to get cars through with the Big Dig. Go figure!

[Tanada]

I am a mostly lurking member on a rail fan board, http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/ so I asked the real deep in the knowledge people over there what they think of Electrification for USA/Canada Railroads. Some think it is highly likely because the cost of moving freight with electricity has only gone up 150 percent compared to the 250 percent increase in diesel rates over the last decade. Others state it is far too expensive to maintain on spurs where businesses bare the costs of rail for their interchange with the networks. Now a third group has piped up predicting that Tesla battery technology will make it possible for spur operations to operate on battery slugs where having cantenary wires is impractical.

Will we ever become electrified? Beats me, I think a great deal depends on who can afford to do what over the new quarter century. But the conversation is, as always, the interesting part. As Pops quote says, Planning is everything, the plan is nothing. By planning you make yourself look at any problem from many different angles and come up with solutions for all the angles you can see. Then whatever plan you make can be adapted or replaced if circumstances change.

[dashster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'S')ome think it is highly likely because the cost of moving freight with electricity has only gone up 150 percent compared to the 250 percent increase in diesel rates over the last decade.

[Subjectivist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dashster', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'S')ome think it is highly likely because the cost of moving freight with electricity has only gone up 150 percent compared to the 250 percent increase in diesel rates over the last decade.

[ROCKMAN]

sub - "...so the tail is very long in those fields." In deed. There are New Albany Shale wells in KY still producing after many decades. Some are selling as much as $30 of NG every day. LOL.

The big shales, like the Haynesville in E Texas, suffer the same high decline rates as the oil shales. When prices again get high enough they get drilled again. But just like the Eagle Ford the NG prices will have to stay high so rapidly depleting NG wells can constantly be replaced. Boom...chicken...egg...crash...repeat.

[Newfie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')lass1 freights
Short lines
Heavy, long distance commuter
Local commuter rail
Subways and elevated lines
Interurbans, trollies and the like

[dashster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Subjectivist', '
')
IMO better to burn the trash in a municipal power plant and put the energy into the grid. That way you can use it for anything electrical, not just as a point power source.

[Newfie]

So here's a suggestion that takes no technology at all. It could be done tomorrow, and is very progressive.

Make mass transit FREE.

Transit is a public monopoly, which should be employed for the mutual benefit.

Transit fares amount to an extra tax on the poor, for they are the most common riders. You want to put the poor to work? Let them ride for free. God knows, the ride is log enough, why then force them to pay? Upon a minimum wage part time job, transit becomes a significant burden.

Also, from a capital point of view it makes sense. We spend a lot of money building infrastructure, but then charge money which keeps that infrastructure from reaching its full potential. To get the best return we should be looking how to maximize its use.

Also, fare collection itself is very expensive, something like 30% of the fare box goes for collecting the fares. Automated card systems claim to do marginally better. Still a dollar loss in fare is only 70 to 80 cents lost in revenue.

In Philly the School District (the City) has to pay SEPTA (the City for the kids to ride the bus. How stupid is that?

The list of benefits to making transit go far beyond what I have listed, and run the list of green and Progressive agendas. It requires only political will.

Yet we see no movement in this direction. Why?