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To reply to Swisstrains; i am a diesel loco fan, but have an interest in all railway traction.
You are not wasting your time your point has been made well. I agree that society equates progress with faster journey times and that electric trains are best placed to achieve this.
But as a 'rail enthusiast' and 'a grumpy old man' progress has to be seroiusly questioned.
- The simplistic character of the railway is lost with unsightly wires and gantries.
- You get newer trains with newer technology, but the pollution is hidden. Do we really get cleaner trains ?
- I find the idea of very fast electric trains scary. TGV's or Bullet Trains in the densely populated UK ? (perhaps i'm being irrational here )
- I just feel more comfortable that the motive power on a train should be produced on board (Again more simplistic, with less issues concerning the ever complicated politics of generating electricity)
- Talking of politics we have had patchy electrification giving some cities a so called economic advantage and status over others. Although i'm sure (diesel Sheffield) manages just as well as (electrified Leeds).
We as a society are obsessed with squeezing more and more out of life, i don't think this is necessarilly a good thing.
Railways in the UK should rebel against progress. Which company would you choose if travelling from Birmirmingham to London at 9.00am ?
Scenario 1 Chiltern trains DMU 165 2x 350 hp Perkins engines, top speed 75mph, journey time 2h 18m, return ticket £26.90.
or
scenario 2 Virgin trains EMU 390 Pedolino 5.1 MW output, top speed 140mph (restricted to 125mph), journey time 1h 24m, return ticket £61.00.
AS HUMAN BEINGS WE DON"T NEED FASTER TRAINS, BUT AS PAWNS IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY WE SURELY DO !
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