Trucking and Trucks.

 90% of support both civil and Military?

It has been observed that during this Pandemic our roads and motorways have been swamped with trucks supplying food and essential goods from medical supplies to machinery, that is required in the need to maintain power supply and other utilities!

It is the same in a war situation, we like to see the armor and the tech, but behind it all is a vast array of logistics, trucks pulling wagons and trailers for MBT, APC, missile and navigation tracking systems for drones and control,  ammunitions supply, medical, food and other essential units under communications and engineering?

Most civilian models today are used by the military, because they are easier to access and cheaper to run than those former dedicated types!

We see that many nations like North-Korea and the peoples republic of China operate Saab trucks, while most nations have their own industries many copy and develop on from older U.S., Soviet, British, German and French type?

The truck is the most common vehicle on our planet today and as we reach for the stars it will also be the rover supply of the future on the Moon, Mars and many other places, even our nearest neighbor one day?

M113, MOWAG and BTR-60/70 Logistics.

Every army needs support!

Recovery, ambulances, engineering, bridge layers, ammunition supply, communications, and missile systems support radars.

Trucks are fine on roads of nearly all types because of four, six, and eight drive chassis, but when we come to mud and wet ground things change a bit?

The U.S. and its allies used the common components of the tracked M113 in all guises and this was the same for both Soviet/Russia with the mass build of the BTR-60/70 and a host of conversion variants. 

Being amphibious was a great breakthtough for the military cutting out the need for bridges and this has proved sufficient for some situations and not all, that is why armies have engineering corps?

But in recent years the MOWAG has become the new vehicle on the block and is now used by a whole host of nations perhaps more so than Russia and America put together?

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?

Roads? Part- Two.

Dual carriage to Motorways!

The automobile still rules the world with other carbon burning vehicles and road building continues to be the most costly infrastructure building programmes around the world! With the improvement of steel and concrete more ambitious projects are being undertaken such as high-level motorways in China and Bridges in Sweden-Denmark!

The movement of goods is essential over difficult terrain and the road seems to be one of the best options over that of railways? Roads can get through most of the weather conditions and elements thrown at it, since metal will crack in the cold and melt in the heat!

Humanity is resourceful in that vehicles can be used in mining, many trucks are opting now for road train ability and can be fitted into specialised trains! Even the prospect of living on the Moon and Mars in this Century will still call for roads to be constructed to move from A to B/Z?

The negatives with roads is the cost of up keeping them and the problem with speed and it being broken by reckless drivers who kill others out of selfishness or irresponsible fun? 

The electric car will not change our need to keep what we have in the future, things will change in relation to speed control, robotic driving and many other areas, but the road is here to stay?

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!

'Thats another fine Mess?

Govia and the Great British rails muck-up!

Britain is suffering not only with rail union strikes, but also with the mess-up of a failed time-table on passenger routes and it not being thought out for freight also! Money will be lost if freight is delayed and one has to wonder about yesterdays incident at Loughborough Junction in SE-London in which three young men were killed by a freight train?

Many locomotive allocations are now in the wrong place and multiple-movements are to be seen across the network, one expects that Govia and Network rail with government help will get it right? The early trains for the cities are to short, causing packing and too much standing, while through the day they are long and empty!

Many other areas have lost their connections and a unwanted bus services have been implemented, while many people are either trying to get different shift hours or are just getting a taxi! It is not clear how this real mix-up is effecting engineering trains and the various works on the rails, which are both needed and essential to keep everything safe and moving?

Tractors. Part-Two.

Construction, Engineering and Mining.

This is perhaps not the place one would think to find the need for the tractor, but some of the machines we use today came first from these uses. Caterpillar is one of several companies that developed tracked machines for working in heavy soils, this was the same in Soviet Russian Steppes where land was not intersected by ditches as in the west.

Today many giant machines working in all of the titled areas are tractors, limited by speed and used to move loads about in tight spots even underground. These machines do not look like our idea of the farm machines but they are mechanically the same, the Bulldozer is in fact a converted tractor for the road and building construction industry.

The future for the tractor of all types will be there Robotising into unmanned piloted vehicles, from vast area farming to construction, tunnelling and mining. May be the only human contact in the near future will be for repairing and cleaning?

Engineering, Maintanance and Building. Part-Two.

Differing Requirements?

Because there are so many different gauges around the world and types of systems from mainline, to metro and tubes there is need for the same types doing the same jobs at differing scales. This has been tried on the London Underground, who purchased smaller Class 66 locomotives.

In days gone by steam cranes and open waggons carried material and crew gangs to build, but today a whole section can be laid by machine as we have already seen. It is the complex electrics overhead that cause expense and delays, computer systems have to be accurate with signal commands.

This new requirement when in place allows high-Speed travel and less point switching for passenger trains, but freight remains a different matter. Most recovery over the last forty years has been carried out by a second locomotive, but in the years to come this with under floor motors as on both tube and metro stock will overcome all of the old problems.

Much of the maintenance of the old days may be carried out more by robotic controlled vehicle based on the current stock with video equipment. Not every nation will be able to afford this so depending on where they are many older methods will remain.

Engineering, Maintenance and Building. Part-one.

Railways need cared For!

Every railroad or way around the world has a dedicated fleet of rolling stock to cater for all engineering types work, from general maintenance to rebuilding sections that are outdated. 

Millions is spent each year on the upgrading of rail track, signals and preventing flooding? Every country has many different situations in realtion to climate from ice and snow to desert!

Much humour is made about wet leaves on the lines in the fall, but to some systems this is serious in relation to wheel slippage. Older trains are more prone to this problem, but it is hoped that the newer types of rail alignment and layout of the track sleepers willin the future not happen again.

Engineering trains were once the speciality of each company or country meeting the local needs or costs, but now that a standard fleet is available such as Bombardiers and Plieser's track machines and they can be exported around the world.

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.

Rail Engineering Trains. Part-One.

Railways and Metros.

Railways world-wide need to be maintained, because of weather and vandelism but also daily wear and tear. To do this type of work some very high tech machines have been developed over the years to make life more easier for the railway engineers and work men to get on with the job.

Railway engineering has made leaps and bounds since the days of wagons full of gravel and navies doing all the hard labour.Navies were once the but of humour. The Irish and Scots in Britain, have now been replaced by the host of Eastern-Europeans. 

Take some consideration when you see those familiar yellow machines trying their best to get off the system in the early mornings and wonder how many men over the years were killed trying to get your train journey safe, fast for you to work and school.

The Automobile. Part-Three.

What is a Motor car and how will it progress?

Despite energy problems around the globe, I do not think the car/automobile has seen its day just yet. The car is basically a metal carriage with a mechanical powered engine and all that is required to maintain power and wastes, fuel and fumes.

Since the conception of the car in the 19th century, it is still built on the same mechanical engineering principles. Engines may be more powerful, new fuels developed and new deigned body shells with fancy comfortable interiors. But they are all the same in that everything is similar to what was.

The future of the car will depend on the public response to those people who drive like idiots, kill innocent people, break the speed limits and are reckless. Otherwise the car still has so much going for it, operations in remote areas. The ability to be adapted for invalid use, emergency vehicles and delivery usage.