And meanwhile in the UK... You know that thing made of copper that you can string directly above a railway track, and *is proven to have worked for more than a hundred years* Ah no www.railwaygazette.com/uk/class-60-... - ThreadSky

jonworth.eu • 3 days ago

And meanwhile in the UK...

You know that thing made of copper that you can string directly above a railway track, and *is proven to have worked for more than a hundred years*

Ah no

https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/class-60-steam-loco-conversion-decision-expected-soon/68337.article

Comments

andrenascotica.bsky.social•3 days ago

I agree but there is also a point about storms, and how climate models predict we will have more of them. All you really need is a good sized plastic bag to get blown into the overhead wires and that whole section ceases to work. Alternative power sources would be a very useful backup feature.

andrenascotica.bsky.social•3 days ago

I mean I don't know enough about alternative fuels to advocate for them. I guess I'm just interested to know how we balance the obvious benefits of electrification against the fact that it seems really quite a fragile system in the context of increasing extreme weather.

jonworth.eu•3 days ago

Also look at the failure rates of other traction, and it is little better, and for hydrogen far worse. There is a case to install small batteries or even small diesel motors to get electric trains past small breaks in electrification. Storms don't justify not electifying.

jonworth.eu•3 days ago

Batteries. Done.

tallentire.bsky.social•3 days ago

I've got to say there is a certain coolness about the prospect of steam trains coming back....alas coolness is a poor basis on which to decide on transport investment.
That and fear of ugly wires hurting properly prices is probably where they got their funding

nigelbagshaw.bsky.social•2 days ago

In slightly better news:
https://www.kreisbote.de/lokales/allgaeu/akku-zuege-statt-wasserstoff-neue-plaene-auf-bahnstrecken-in-schwaben-93594212.html

jonworth.eu•2 days ago

Yes! This is all very welcome! (Read the same from another source yesterday)

billheywood.bsky.social•3 days ago

It is madness that we don’t have a fully electric rail network

cjmccabe.bsky.social•3 days ago

Three letters - 2fs and an s.

neothermic.bsky.social•3 days ago

If above isn't your thing, we have this other technology where we can take that string and place it adjacent to the rail too...

Man, VC funding for wild ideas is absurd sometimes. Just give it to NR to electrify the rail more.

I ponder if I can get VC funding for people-powered engines.. *thinks*

marsflyerpaul.bsky.social•3 days ago

Meanwhile in India
https://www.energymonitor.ai/tech/electrification/how-india-made-45-of-its-railway-network-electric-in-just-five-years/?cf-view

jonworth.eu•3 days ago

Right. The speed at which they're electrifying is amazing.

marsflyerpaul.bsky.social•3 days ago

https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/transport/world-s-first-hydrogen-powered-tram-service-suspended-amid-rising-costs-report/2-1-1705590

marsflyerpaul.bsky.social•3 days ago

https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/transport/fundamentally-unreliable-german-authorities-threaten-to-pull-the-plug-on-worlds-second-hydrogen-only-rail-line/2-1-1719331

tristramg.eu•3 days ago

Hey, steam has also proven to have worked ;)
(did I really understand the plan? generate steam by burning H₂, not even using a fuel cell to have yet another possible factor of failure?)

jonworth.eu•3 days ago

Yes, I think that's the idea.

torstenkammer.bsky.social•3 days ago

That was my understanding as well.

danielwilliams965.bsky.social•3 days ago

Why not do some research before gunning down #hydrogen at the first opportunity

Caternary is hugely expensive to both build and maintain, and is an eyesore

Hydrogen rail is everywhere, as is the use of hydrogen to replace diesel and other fuels in all sectors
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mariannelehnis/2024/09/27/spain-builds-worlds-first-high-speed-hydrail-train/

jonworth.eu•3 days ago

Nah, I have. I knew perfectly well what I am talking about, thank you. https://jonworth.eu/decarbonise-rail-diagrams-battery-trains-and-a-visit-to-stadlers-plant-in-pankow/

danielwilliams965.bsky.social•3 days ago

So; you probably think batteries will power the track then, when fossil fuels are gone? What about seasonal energy storage, steel, cement, chemicals, glass, ceramics, long haul trucking, utility vehicles, aviation, shipping, peaker plants, data centres, etc

Very interested to hear your response

jonworth.eu•3 days ago

I am a railway person, and if you had bothered reading my previous post, I see no role for hydrogen *in railways*

It might have applications elsewhere, but I do not see them in rail.

danielwilliams965.bsky.social•3 days ago

Hydrogen is now used for trams, commuter and intercity trains, switcher and freight locomotives, and now high speed rail; in Spain, China and Japan etc

Hydrogen is used throughout the rail system, globally

welshtractor.bsky.social•3 days ago

So you did read that Italy has just taken its hydrogen rail stock out of service because of the issues around maintenance of continuing a supply of hydrogen then…

steviep1.bsky.social•3 days ago

I think I'll suggest converting a short line to cable haulage. Someone's bound to fall for it and give me loads of money. 🙂

simon-bzh.bsky.social•2 days ago

Build a hyperloop line between Scarborough and Whitby?

born-to-re-wild.bsky.social•3 days ago

It was doing well until this bit.

"The loco could use green hydrogen produced using renewable energy."

To then heat water, drive a turbine, lose loads of energy on the way and drive the train?

Alternatively one could charge a battery, or power and overhead line.

adamchapman.bsky.social•3 days ago

Is this a month and a day or two early?

torstenkammer.bsky.social•3 days ago

The UK seems to be a veritable playground for startups who want to convert old rolling stock in weird ways to avoid electrification, but even by those standards this is incredibly silly.

finkm.bsky.social•2 days ago

It’s odd - we have a pretty solid engineering and tech sector, yet our policy makers seem incredibly tech-illiterate and very easily sold on all sorts of gadgetbahn nonsense.

torstenkammer.bsky.social•3 days ago

It feels like madlibs: Pick a piece of Rolling stock that’s at least thirty years old. Pick either hydrogen or batteries. Optional: Pick a way to make it weird.

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