'Lets do the Locomotion?

 U.S. tariffs will mean for Trains!

It seems a good idea to the U.S. to bring home jobs for heavy industries, but will it really work in 2025 or be the cause of more problems and broken promises as last time around to the Ohio dust belt?

The building of locomotives is not what it was and now with many nations going electric, there is no demand for Diesel and the dirt that they produce, meanwhile Africa is looking to China for conventional engines, because they are cheaper!

In the U.K. we face loosing our Scunthorpe Chinese owned steel mills and many rail projects may go under or come to nothing?

When these import taxes hit, we may need to start to look to Europe or the far-east for a Class 66 replacement, since many were built in Canada

Tecnam P2012T Traveller.

 Electric powered testing Halted.

This new Italian and U.S. based innovation P-Volt technical aircraft based on the successful P2012T, traveller has been halted after the power capability of the two new electro engines has run in to issues of loss of power or cut off in mid-flight with not being enabled to control the aircraft.

Last year many believed we were on the beginning of a electric revolution. but now we know that much of what was thought possible is not going to work, as well as land and sea and so conventional power will be staying for some time yet.

Helicopters may see that possibility and many concepts are coming to the fore, but the reality is that the drone is to replace the need for some helicopters since they are more versatile in how they can be deployed.

Truckers n Trucking.

The current life-Line?

Road transport remains the essential way of moving goods around the place, between the rails and the sea ports! We may joke about white van man or woman, but much of what is being sold on-line at this time is coming through these poorly paid self-employed workers?

Throughout each country there are a host of distribution centres, some handle dry goods, electricals, while others are supermarket factories that turn out their branded products? There are also many regional medical and pharmaceutical centres that process or store essential medication and equipment!

At this time our motorways and roads are busy with the fleets of trucks that usually travel at night but now all the time. With the introduction of more electric vehicles, one supposes that in the next few years the familiar will be withdrawn and maybe even road trains might become more popular, currently one occasionally might see a funfair convoy of truck and mobile home and the Dutch truckers use split trailers?

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?

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?

African Technology. Two.

Licence building and improvisation?

These already exist and they will continue, but their are many lesser known homegrown models of adapted vehicles? While Nigeria, RSA and Kenya have developed their own drones for field reconnaissance work and helicopters play a key role in anti-terrorism, pouching and other criminal activities!

Money remains an issue and many continue to try to do their best with what they have, keeping it flying for as long as possible or buying second hand! China is todays largest supplier of trucks, trains and other equipment and it has so many mining interest that this looks like it will continue for some time yet?

Technology is now all over the continent of Africa, through computing, solar panels and mobile telephones! So it will not be hard to improve avionics on all types of aircraft and helicopters with night-vision and other? Many nations have also developed their own missiles and rockets, but from all this has come some good ideas to improve living standards, transport, road and rail!

Landrover and Range Rover!

The demise of another British Institution?

Since it was decided to end the production of the most successful Land rover Defender, much disappointment has been expressed! Despite the current projections of the new products, Brexit has put a spanner in the operations a surprise that no one expected, but here we are again with the Germans?

The Land-Range rovers have a long history for practicality in both farming, off road and police/military and other civil defence and private usage! The Defender was the out come of good design and hard work that improved a product that was for a long time lagging in the vehicle market with the Germans taking it through Mercedes?

When Land rover had got it right, it would be taken by the overtake of the company for some more modern concepts, despite great design and potential only the Range rover now brings in the money! But the Defender and all of its variants will live on since their are so many who love the landies and there is talk of it continuing under a different guise?

As for the military Britain has opted for the Range rover, but world-wide the Land rover is still a good option for a huge variety of roles and abilities including rail adaptions and amphibious use? 

Despite the Evoke being a good design, it so far has as one knows only attracted interest from the police forces across the U.K.

The Armoured car and small APC versions will continue to keep this going for some considerable time?

The Conventional?

Stuck with Now!

What we have today in technology, engineering and transport will still remain around for some time yet? Teething is always a problem with new technology, it works fine until its out trying to what is demanded of it?

Recently the U.K. has suffered from a railway cock-up failure which has not as yet fully resolved itself, yet shipping, aviation and vehicles all over the years have suffered a similar fate with breakdown, crack failures and engine problems!

Movement is big bucks today, ships provide coal, ores and grain along with chemicals, fertiliser and when things are late windows are missed and monies are lost? Many people do not understand that we cannot sow crops anytime of the year, steel has to keep rolling in the supply of sheet materials for car plants, timed foods!

Aviation is not just about moving people from A to B/Z, its also the military and specialised cargo from live produce to, flowers, horses and mail, packets that also share some of our aircraft! New Tech is promised and it will gradually come in the shape of machines may not radically change mush, but the way they are powered will!

The Elizabeth Line. Part-One,

Cross Rail.

This ambitious railway project is near completion, but it is already out of date due to the even higher demands on the rail, under and over ground for London! It is estimated that by 2040, even with all the planned extensions of existing lines this will still not meet the requirements for travel?

What is needed is business with vision as was the case in the 19thCentury, but perhaps if Brexit happens we will not get the proper allocation of E.U funding that is being combined now?

The Elizabeth line facilitates east to west travel, but the idea of a north to south is also being considered?

It is only with time that we will see all the pitfalls and good points of this new project, London has so much to offer with existing out of service lines that could be brought back into service and it has much potential if only the greedy could see a way forward instead of bickering?

Rail and Tram options. Two.

London Overloaded?

Currently the capital of the United Kingdom is overloaded in relation to pressure on transport needs? Millions is being spent on Cross rail, planned extension's to the Bakerloo Line and the DLR, but this still will not stop the problems of overloading?

Plans are a foot to replace the diesel bus fleet with new Italian Electric buses, some are already in service. But what they lack is capacity and this short term ploy will not really help the situation that worsens daily?

Thames link  has purchased a fleet of plug trains that are walk through, and these are much longer than previous stock, thus much work is underway to make station platforms longer!

The opportunity of extending the tram network in London would help, even if it was based on the original layout?

Cost is not a problem for the capital, but lack of vision is and until some really good city Mayor comes to the fore, things will only get slower and tempers frayed??

Container Shipping is Changing?

Framed Supported.

The problem with container shipping is that boxes can be lost in rough weather conditions and so a new framed structure system has been adapted to compensate for this. All vessels will have to be updated to this new design and many more vessels will now be on the market for sale?

The new ships will restrict size and capacity for the first time, this will be a sort of standardisation? These vessels will be the largest built and will remain in service until technology demands what is to come next?

Another reason is the demise of smaller container ships is China's plan to build railways networks across Asia, Russia in to the Europe and the U.K. via the channel tunnel.

Also into the Middle-East, Arabia and on into the African continent. It is not clear if they also want to build a tunnel from Eastern-Russia into Alaska and on down through N-America into S-America?

Rail would now dominate land routes and call for less need of shipping, being restricted to Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands, and the Caribbean?

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?

Never seeing the light of Day. ONE.

Bores.

Boring machines come in various sizes and uses, we tend to associate them with tunnel construction as in the London Tubes, Channel Tunnel and the new London Cross rail project?

But there are as many used in a variety of roles from water well sinking to the present day need of fracking. Many of the surface drillers are set up for short-term workings, where as the boring machines are constructed under ground and when the jobs are completed they are buried or encased.

Smaller boring machines where developed for the mining industry to take men off the coal face, but today many are no longer used.

Despite computer or robotic automation, humans are still required to clear obstacles and this has lead to some very serious and devastating accidents in China, Russia and South-America.

Trams for Wales.

Cardiff Proposed.

The return of trams to the capital Cardiff is under consideration, wither it will happen or not who knows? But trams for Swansea and many other large towns with hills would be a viable transport need worth looking into.

Since it was Swansea where the concept of the first tram and tramway were born! Today the re-introduction of light rail across the United Kingdom and the British isles has been very profitable as has world wide. 

Simple to run and attractive to the eye, they fill the gap between buses and mainline trains or metro/tube systems.

Rail Engineering. Part-Two.

Easter Weekend Nightmares.

This is the time of the year where the opportunity arises to get those yellow engineering trains out of their various depots or holding areas to repair the rails. Many train enthusiasts don't really bother with them, its more the freight that takes their interest.

But like a few out there, they fascinate me because of their technical innovation and the ability now to lift and replace rail tracks in whole sections with very little human activity. There are so many different kinds of machines employed in railway building and demolishing that it can leave one wondering.

Many of the manufacturers of these new complex machines, just specialise in these types and their locomotives. These trains come in various sizes and gauges and are deployed all over the world under and above ground.

It's Christmas. Part-Two.

Ice Vehicles.

There is a whole plethora of tracked, sled and four plus wheeled drive vehicles across snowy world to come with both permanent snow and winter conditions. But it amazes me that still the U.K. is not able or wants to be able to operate normally in snow.

Back in the 1970's British Rail always excused its stock problem delays with its the leaves on the line or I once hear on a train 'its the BR pork pies.'

It is claimed by many experts that snow varies from country to country and that is why it's not worth investing here in the complex machinery needed. Airlines and rail enjoy making money out of the traveller and it would seem sensible to not cause them delays.

Anyway Happy Christmas to you all.

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.

Light Rail.

Metro to Docklands.

If you ever pop up or are on a visit to London, please make to effort to ride the DLR from Bank to Greenwich. It will be worth your while and an interesting experience.

Light rail is that sort of in between railway, it is neither a tram or a train, but it fills a needed gap in urban transportation requirements. The movement of people, especially in rush hours is a vital aset to ones transport system and is a alternative. 

The Dublin DART, Liverpool and Newcastle METRO perhaps are the best examples of this system along with the east-London DLR.

I hope to cover this subject in closer detail in the next few months.

Multiple Units.

Diesel and Electric.

The multiple unit in the railway world is described as a people mover, it has been designed for that sole purpose. Initially the idea was for a clean and smooth operation into and out of suburban areas, work on rural lines with a rail/auto coach, railcar.

Some auto coaches had the facility to carry light loads, mail, small boxes, milk churns and they appeared in the steam era. But it was the electrification of east/north-east and southern lines to overhead and third rail that introduced the first trains.

Today we have a plethora of types operating in the U.K and Ireland, from single railcars to two, three and four units trains, some are made up of two four unit trains that can split up to form two trains.

The introduction of the diesel powered units allow extensive operation across any part of the country. I hope to cover individual types and their operational working in the months to follow.

Trains.

Life Lines.

They say that nations without a coast are doomed, but you could say the same, if they have no railways either with laid track or none. Nearly every country on the planet has a railway of some kind, from a narrow gauge to wide track. 

The railways are an essential life line, especially in trade, wither it be cross border or not. The history and development of the locomotive is a backbone to any network. Trains of course come in all forms, some are used just for freight, while others for passengers. Trains can cover great distances such as in Russia, China, India, Australia, Canada, Brazil and the United States.

In these fore mentioned countries trains can be up to four miles in length for freight cars, some now double decked. While passenger trains can be 25+ carriages long. Some trains are built for speed, such as in Japan, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, where the rail lines have very few curves.  

So you kind of see the picture and their value. Later in 2014 we will get down to the ''nitty gritty'' of these starter blogs.