I think you can rest assured that diesel locomotive power will be around for some considerable time, at least on steam heritage railways. There always be a need to run engineering trains, and there are many advantages in hiring in mechanical plant such as JCB diggers, dumper trucks and diesel locos to do the work. It will save wear and tear on our prestigious steam engines. :)


The first coal trains were hauled by children and pit ponies. I like your idea. It will create a source of employment for many school leavers. :rolleyes:

Chris

Ah well I dont think It will ever die out completely.
Steam didn't and is actually making a comeback. Mabe the same will happen with deisel.
I do agree that It won't happen for at least 30 years though.
If you are a diesel enthusiast then why not go down to your local depot or shed. There is usually disposing sidings with a few 31's, 47's and 37's in there which could well be bought for scrap prices. If people do this like what happend a barry scrapyard, deisel will not die.

Diesel was meant to be a relitively short stopgap between steam and electric !

Is electrification the answer anyway ?

Extra infrastructure to maintain (gantries and wires)

It is not a clean technology (power stations use all sorts of polluting fuels)

Risk of power cuts /industrial action/ security issues

Weather problems particularly high winds.

I like a railway where the power is held within the engine not from an outside source

I would like to think it is possible to have a cleaner, efficient, cost effective railway which isn't electric.

Modern diesel engine technology should make "dirty diesels" a thing of the past.

I agree completely about self propelled locomotives !:D

Electrical power supplies can fail, maybe not on a nationwide scale, but the risk is enough to warrant the provision of a fair number of 'self-propelled' locos to come to the rescue in the event of such events (he says confidently!)
If the wires come down during a storm, for instance, then EMUs would have to be moved from A to B to allow for repairs to be made; obviously electric locos wouldn't be able to perform such tasks, so diesels will have to be retained for such occasions.
How long before a nuclear or solar powered train threatens the existence of electrics, I wonder.....

"The 14:20 Solarsupervoyager to London Euston is running 6 minutes late due to overcast conditions in the Wigan area":)

"The 14:20 Solarsupervoyager to London Euston is running 6 minutes late due to overcast conditions in the Wigan area"
Will any tunnels need the bores in the direction of travel modified so they run 'downhill'? No light no power and apart from tunnels daylight use only.
John (G)

Rather than power the train directly we could have the solar panels charge up a battery which the train runs on. We could then have tunnel use and limited night use. :)

I like steam locos and even have a soft spot for some diesels but as far as modern day traction goes it is hard to better electrics.
Electric trains, with fewer moving parts, are much cheaper to maintain than diesels, which more than compensates for any costs involved in servicing the overhead line equipment.
Although it’s true that most power generation at present does cause pollution this can’t be used as an argument against electrification because the technology exists to rectify the matter and most governments are actively working towards that end. Even in today’s situation diesel fuel isn’t any better as it still has to be produced and oil refineries are amongst the biggest polluters on the planet.
It has also been suggested that further railway electrification shouldn’t take place because of the risk of power cuts and industrial action. Why? Using the same logic we would have to go back to gas lighting and candles just in case.
As for potential weather problems it has to be said that many countries with far harsher climates than ours cope perfectly well with electrified railways. Overhead line equipment when properly installed is pretty robust.
The preference for a loco to carry its own power supply no doubt stems from a liking for steam and diesels but it’s this feature that helps make these locos so inefficient. Because it doesn’t have to carry round a steam boiler or diesel engine and tons/gallons of fuel an electric loco has a much better power to weight ratio. A Class 91 electric has more than twice the power of a Class 67 diesel yet weighs 6 tonnes less.

it seems to me that every source of power has its faults. Looks like clockwork will have to developed?
Richard