Shipping.

 Greatest developments so Far!

Shipping is now slowly moving from electro-diesel to all electric power, with more ease than expected, Norway, and South-Korea are leading the way from island ferries to container shipping. It is kind of ironic that a crude oil tanker be powered by an electric engine?

Governments are desperate to cut the elusive carbon emissions, but this is a world political choice that all are following at this time and so much is seemingly appearing to be done, while it is not known how much carbon is burned every time a rocket is launched into Space?

Icebreakers, military warships and submarines continue to be built and powered along with aircraft carriers by nuclear engines, which produce steam to drive conventional engines that remain semi-Diesel and no changes are being planned for the rest of the fleet smaller vessels?

Ferries.

Improving and new power Sources!

Ferries in the shipping world are growing demand, new power propulsion and comfort more than many are lead to believe, despite the many new bridges being constructed around the world?

Island communities still need shipping and tourism to keep their local economies going and the roll on/off ferry is that vital link. Electric propulsion is now leading the way as far as we know to improve the environment as others forms are withdrawn.

Meanwhile comfort on these boats are being improved all the time and this is encouraging both their demand and use and this will be the more so as Diesel is replaced and newer designs for stability and endurance come to the fore?

Many older ferries that sink around the world, is more due to ignorance and maintaining rusty vessels!  Where many corrupt officials and governments turn a blind eye, instead of enforcing safety and declining licences to unscrupulous people!

Electric Locomotion!

Lack of investment?

Electricity costs and the infrastructure needed to build and maintain is not affordable to many countries around the world, in some cases even in the U.K. money is being held back in Wales to undercut the future of business and trade for unknown reasons?

Meanwhile the Diesel engine continues to rule the roost in the haulage of freight world-wide, because it is cheap and easy to work. Locomotive engines are improving all the time and the data on pollution varies from region to region worldwide, leaving one to wonder what is the real truth to the whole global warming situation!

Perhaps the taking off the road of trucks on to rail might cut the burning of fuel and relieve road traffic in towns and cities, but it is unknown if this is viable as it would logically seem to be?

No long term Replacements?

Diesel to Remain!

It is great to hear that many nations are trying or they claim to be trying to cut down on their carbon emissions, with the introduction of electric and battery powered or hybrid vehicles?

But they still have to make that power from the burning of fossil fuels, if they have no nuclear power it is a catch 22 situation or political hypocrisy!

For the foreseeable future the Diesel engine will remain the mainstay of all types of heavy transport, but the developments are progressing amid costs being too high for the man in the street and the farmer to purchase these limited use machines.

Battery and Electrics?

New Technology not for Everyone!

The British capital London is introducing charges to cars entering the city that are over fifteen years old or are powered by diesel! But nothing has been mentioned as yet about rail freight that daily passes through the capital power by mighty fuel guzzling locomotives?

Much work is being done to introduce more battery powered trains and improve the electrification of the capital, but this will not be for everywhere and outside London some areas will remain as they are!

Electric power 3rd rail is extensive in urban areas of the U.K., while 4th rail is part of the underground systems in London and Glasgow! Cost was originally the problem, but since the electrification of the Channel Tunnel work is continuing to improve a smoother cleaner train travel!

But most freight locomotion remains operated by diesel, rather than electric and one does not know what or when this will be changed or if it will ever be changed?

Longevity of the Diesel?

With us for sometime Yet!

With the many modern designs and inventions with trains, the Diesel has not yet seen its end? Most of the world uses these types of engines which are still viable as recovery and for shunting, despite battery and electric power!

The Diesel is one of the most active forms of engines and they remain reliable is many more duties than meets the eye. Some countries are still building them as a back-up to their railway infrastructure despite the reports that the emissions are dangerous?

The problem with electric and battery is we do not know yet how they will effect future generations? Another issue that has come to the fore is that battery engines burn the same amount of fuel as say Diesel or petrol, but they do have the advantage today of no emissions?

E190518.

Electric is the Future.

Prince Harry/Duke of Sussex has made a statement in relation to London's pollution issues in that cars of any vintage can be converted to electric! Currently Poland's lithium battery powered vehicles are coming on to the streets of the British capital and so are the proposed trains in the years to come!

We really need to wake up to what pollution in our cities are doing to public health, brain damage and many other breathing problems? What has been started needs to be developed and people need to start getting their motors converted with the new technology!

At this time there does not seem to be any side effects from electricity, but who knows perhaps in fifty years something like the effects of Diesel may be discovered? But we already know from electric trains, the Underground system and trams that they are cleaner and quieter which is a plus, plus, plus!

Railways Infrustructure!

Investment well overdue?

Britain is seeing a revolution in its railways from newlines to stations and ticketing, but the older stock is still a problem to shift on as new trains are being introduced? Line re-building and repair is taking up valuable time and cutting in to shedual but it is hoped that there will be enough equipment purchased to cover the long term investments being now in place?

London despite much new ideas, Cross rail and extensions, new stock and planning, still is suffering from lack of investment! Brexit is not helping the economic climate and there is a lack of initiative by the London Mayors to ask for the money!

The other cities in the U.K. are pressing on with trams as the future, we can be critical that they should not have stopped but the new lines are far more versatile than what was in place before? The introduction of electric vehicles will be an ever needed factor in our future transport needs, cutting carbon emissions from fossil fuels now in the advent of the end of the Diesel engine!

What is happening to our Railways?

Commonality of Stock?

The British government claims that by 2020 all old stock and the Diesel fleet will be gone forever, but is this the whole truth or just a claim? One does fear that our railway stock will become so similar as our aviation has in recent years, that all will be so boring and there will be a loss of interest to filming the same trains?

Much is promised as each year their continues to be a hike in the fares, Wi-Fi on all trains, new track and signalling, new card reading machines and improvements of various types? One has to wonder will some of these rail companies end up like Carillion and bankrupt the nation of many promised projects?

Electric battery powered trains will be one future, if they work and so we will have to wait and see? The other interesting thing is that some companies are introducing locomotive hauled trains again, they claim for training purposes but perhaps not all the new stock is really working as well as hoped!

Electric Vehicles. Part-Two.

Everything Electric?

There is now a great push into the development of electric, because it is cheaper and much cleaner than burning fossil fuels? Perhaps one could say that electric is the new Diesel without any long term effects, that we yet do not know of?

By 2020 Britain and the EU hope that they will be at least 90% electric, wither this will happen is really uncertain, but the big cities will see more electric battery powered vehicles for delivery and possibly even taxis?

It is the development of aircraft, were we will see the biggest changes many designs along the with the American X-57 will appear this year and there will be improved changes to pollution levels? It is still not clear what will happen to the petrol engine and aviation fuel or how the conversion to neo will happen?

Rail and Tram Options. One.

Road-rail and Trams.

The introduction of the tram in nearly every city in Britain, has been a welcome sign of something that was lost in the 1950's. The tram was very much part of British culture in relation to its cheapness and popularity, and for many a sad loss to see go?

Today urban planning is dominated by the car, bus and coach, because they are not limited by track or overhead wiring. Many conversions are now being introduced from petrol/diesel to electric engines, which for now are claimed to reduce carbon emissions?

There is still the alternative in between form of transport, which for some unknown reason has not been tried and that is the road-rail vehicle which could offer the best of both worlds?

Alternative Energy.

Diesel and bio-Fuel.

Most of the machines that are working today around the world are operated by Diesel engines, until recently this was thought to be the best performance fuel over that of petrol?

Many nations want to use alternative energy over that of the fossil fuels of coal, gas and oil, but two factors come to the fore?

One cost and two much of what we have in alternative energy will not power the plethora of machines in existence around the world?

When Diesel invented his first engine it was powered by peanut oil and this has lead to much research into various forms of bio-fuel mixtures, lead by the aviation industry! Cost is the main factor in the production of hybrids other than motor cars and it may be some time before we will get over our new pollution problems?

Electric engines are and can be made across the board in relation to the railways, the main problems is again cost as in the GWR Padding to Swansea plan being cancelled in the U.K. The other is that third rail is susceptible to the weather from slipping leaf fall to frost, ice and snow fall?

Happy New Year?

New Technology!

2017 Promises the demise of the faithful and cheaper Diesel engine in automobiles, because it seems to be the cause of Global Warming and carbon monoxide poising in our urban environments? NASA claims that the new electro engine will replace the jet engine in all aspects when it is introduces (No dates given)?

There is much debate about the digital age entering every aspect of our lives from the Amazon Echo Dot to automated driving and the first robots for domestic service? But Amazon has been caught out by its Echo Dot, after it recorded a murder in the U.S. This has put off sales of the device, because of its eves dropping ability and that instead of storing information within its self, the data goes to a central computer the United States for analysis and processing!

It will be design that will again shape visually what we see in the machine world, from vehicles to trains, aircraft and shipping. It is unclear at this time why China has dropped its mass transit 300 seat mover, perhaps the need to turn a corner may be one of many factors as well as the cost and limited sales potential?

Construction and farming machinery are being revolutionised by cutting the need for less human activity. One man operation covering a whole host of tasks, instead of having several different machines for each one?

Speed remains the target market in the luxury car and motor-bike world, but it is China who have developed the fold-away electric bike as seen in the recent Guy Martin in China programme!

The new U.S. Administration is promising not only a new arms industry race, but new exploration and development in Space? Reaching for the stars to mine the Asteroid belt is also now back on the cards?

Much of what we take for granted in our homes today from gadgets to medicine, were developed in space over the last twenty years or so!

Army Transportation. Part-One.

Unipower Commander.

This has been the replacement to the Thornycroft Antars of the heavey lift transports such as the Challenger Mk-I and II Main Battle Tanks. 

The Unipower started life as a Scammel in concept from 1976, but has changed over to the present with main production starting in 1983, with an order for 125 vehicles.

Two types of Diesel engines are available the Cummins KTA 600 and the Perkins Rolls-Royce CV12.

As time has moved on and Britian being part of N.A.T.O. there is a wider choice of heavey transportation available with civil haulage types such as the Germany Mercedez and Swedish Scania trucks. I think that both of these types where unloading and uploading before and after the Wales National Air Show WNAS16 in Swansea.

Apart from the acceptance and procurement of the German MAN trucks the U.S may be providing some of its Oshkosh MTVR units for the movement of heavy weight requirments of tracked armour and refulling tankers.

North American Railroads. Part-Two.

1930's to the 1950's Boom Time.

Despite the depression of the 1930's passenger travel across the United States was improving year by year and the standards were too. The transition from steam to diesel was more to do with clean air and speed, but the rail cars where becoming more comfortable even for the ordinary passenger.

Black people were still segregated to poorer standard of travel, which even today despite the many changes and civil rights there is a return in many areas to the white dominated past.

In these years of prosperity for the U.S. something of the grandeur was lost to the more sleekness of the Art Deco designed cars. In fact the railroads were more luxurious than automobile and air travel, it was in a way on par with the cruise liners, but on a smaller scale.

By the 1950's many of the pre-World War-II (1940-45) trains still retained their names, but as time has progressed this has been lost to more of a standardisation.

British Diesel Class 08.

'A Survivor.'

No matter where you travel across the United Kingdom mainland, Scotland, England, Wales and Kernow/Cornwall you will find this little locomotive in some corner of a yard on the mainline or in industrial use.

The BR/English Electric 0-6-0/Class 08 was built between 1955-62 by BR at Crewe, Darlington, Derby locomotive, Doncaster and Horwich works. 

She was fitted with an English Electric 6KT of 289 KW giving 400hp at 680 rpm. Continues traction was at 8.8 mph, weight between 49.6 to 50.4 tonnes. Her design speed was 20 mph, but she was restricted to 15 mph. Originally numbered D3000 to D 4192, now 080___

Initially three engines were given a reduced cab height at their conversion in Landore 1985-87, 08993, 08994, 08995.

Later on we will look at the Class 09 which was an off shoot version.

The Class 66/1-9.

General Motors Locomotive.

The Class 66 Locomotive (12N-710G3B-EC) has been perhaps the best ever to have entered service in Britain. This Canadian built engine is the backbone of most freight operations in the UK. 

(Northern-Ireland Translink jointly owns their Class 201's with the Republic of Ireland. Thirty-four were delivered to Ireland from 1994-95, but most of these are now withdrawn apart from the Dublin to Belfast Enterprise service and the Dublin to Cork service. Ireland has replaced them with state of the art South-Korean DMU's).

Over four-hundred locomotives have been purchased since they were first introduced in 1998-2008. They have proved to be an invaluable asset, working all types of freight duties from coal trains to container freight. You will see them nearly in every part of the country, working day and night.

Two versions were built for the UK, the JT42CWR and JT42CWRM low emissions engines. Some of the British loco's were sent to France to work in the Channel tunnel crossings, but I think all these have now returned. Meanwhile the first delivered have been withdrawn for servicing and assigned to other workings. 

Speed and weights vary between the Irish and British versions. IR locos worked 90-100mph and weighed 112 tonnes. British version had a top speed of 87.5 mph, but were restricted to 60-75mph. their weight was heavier at 127 tonnes.

The Automobile, Car. Part-One.

Horseless Carriage.

The automobile/car is the most prolific vehicle that humanity has yet conceived! The car started off as a steam powered machine, but with the advent of the petrol engine it has never looked back. For the first time, as far as we know humanity had a carriage, without the need of a horse.

Today there are hundreds of types, makes of cars and vans across the globe. Nearly every country in the world is able to build some form of the car, from a very basic model to the very advanced hydrogen version.

What I intend to do is split this subject in to three parts, first the conception of the car and its uses and developments. Then move on to its construction and design and last of all it negative aspects.

The car is like a carriage or trap, it conveys a small number of people 1-5 from A to Z, it has a effective range and is comfortable. The advantages of the car is one of protective covering and the other of speed and no need to have an animal. 

But petrol and later diesel and LPG gas became available for more economic reasons, to do with world conflicts and the price of petroleum.