How Not To Organise A Piss-Up In A Brewery
This afternoon, I wanted to get some lunch and buy my food for the weekend.
I live close to the junction of Southgate Road, Mildmay Park and the Balls Pond Road.
From the four bus stops there, I can get buses to the stopping centres of Angel, Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central and Moorgate.
But not today, as all the bus stops had been closed!
As my leg was playing up, there was no way, I could have walked to the next stop.
In the end I created a fuss and a kind driver let me on a 141 bus to get to Moorgate.
Coming back, I got another 141 bus, which got stuck in the traffic jam, that the part-closure of the junction was creating.
Note.
- The 141 bus took five minutes to pass through the junction.
- Luckily, the driver was sensible and he let a lot of us out.
- As I live South of the Balls Pond Road, it was very convenient.
Obviously, the driver knew more about customer service, that the idiots who organised this megashambles.
I have a few thoughts.
Where Was The Publicity?
I use the 141 bus most days and I didn’t see anything at the bus stops and didn’t get any leaflets through the door.
The Traffic Lights At Southgate And Balls Pond Roads Are Unreliable
They were even worse, when I moved here and Transport for London replaced them a few years ago.
But they seem to have got more unreliable.
Where is John Cleese to give them a good thrashing?
The Silvertown Tunnel Effect
Consider.
- I asked a regular delivery driver, what is the gossip about the Silvertown Tunnel and he felt that it will gum up East London.
- This is my feeling, as before my stroke, I had driven all over the East End trying to save time and knew it well.
- I also feel, that a lot of heavy traffic will end up on the Balls Pond Road, trying to get to and from the M1 and A1, especially, when the Dartford Crossing is closed.
I am fairly certain, that at certain times the junction at Southgate Road, Mildmay Park and the Balls Pond Road is going to get very congested.
The Non-Availability Of Taxis
One of the reasons, I chose to live where I do, is that I am just off the route which taxis use to go back to Liverpool Street station.
But the number of taxis in the area has decreased substantially in the last few years.
- Islington’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are scaring taxis away.
- Many drivers are giving up.
- Taxis are expensive.
Consequently, I rarely use a taxi. I never saw one today, when it was needed.
The Junction Is Busy For Pedestrians
Crossing the junction is dangerous, as cyclists only consider the lights optional.
If I’d had a pound for every time, I’d nearly been hit by a cyclist or car on this junction, I could pay for a year’s electricity.
Mildmay Park Station
The area used to have its own station at Mildmay Park about 120 metres to the North of the junction.
This Google Map shows the site of the station.
Note.
- The railway is the North London Line.
- Highbury & Islington station is to the West.
- Dalston Kingsland station is to the East.
Mildmay Park station is marked by the blue arrow on the bridge over the railway.
It would be a very handy Coming-Home station, as its downhill all the way, from the station to my house.
Conclusion
Reopening Mildmay Park station would be good for the price of my house, by I doubt that anything will be done.
The UK’s Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity
This post is a simple list of the UK’s pumped storage hydroelectricity.
- Balliemeanoch – 1500 MW/45 GWh – In Development
- Coire Glas – 1500 MW/30 GWh – Under Construction
- Corrievarkie – 600 MW/14.5 GWh – In Development
- Cruachan – 1000 MW/7.1 GWh – In Operation
- Fearn – 1800 MW/37 GWh – In Development
- Dinorwig – 1800 MW/9.1 GWh – In Operation
- Earba – 900 MW/33 GWh – In Development
- Foyers – 305 MW/10 GWh – In Operation
- Ffestiniog – 360 MW/1.44 GWh – In Operation
- Loch Kemp – 600 MW/9 GWh – In Development
- Loch Sloy – 152.5 MW/25 GWh – In Operation
- Red John – 450 MW/2.8 GWh – Under Construction
Note.
- Cruachan is only 440 MW and is being upgraded.
- The storage capacity at Foyers may be wrong, as I can’t find my original source.
When fully developed the total will be 10969.3 MW/223.94 GWh.
What Will Khan Call The West London Orbital Railway?
The Mayor has the problem of what to call the West London Orbital Railway, which could likely be the next part of the Overground to be created.
As that area of London is closely associated with a former Mayor of London, it could possibly be called the Ken Line or the Livingstone Line.
But seeing that the Overground was thought up under Ken’s Mayoralty and it has greatly expanded, then perhaps it should be called the Beyond Our Ken Line.
But then it doesn’t go anywhere near the Balls Pond Road!
Decarbonising The Mid-Cornwall Metro
Although the Mid-Cornwall Metro will probably run initially using what diesel multiple units, after a year or so, the route will be converted to zero-carbon operation.
Newquay To Falmouth Docks
This map shows the Mid-Cornwall Metro.
These are current timings.
- By train can take almost three hours with changes at Par and Truro.
- By car should take 45 minutes to drive the 24.4 miles according to Google.
Note.
- The train timings are for a typical British Rail-era Diesel Multiple Unit on the branches and something smarter between Truro and Par.
- A Day Return ticket would cost £8.90 without a Railcard.
- If there was a through train, that meant you didn’t have to change trains, I estimate that the time could be as low as one hour and 35 minutes.
I feel that most travellers, who had access to a car, would use that to travel between Newquay and Truro.
Newquay To Falmouth Docks By Electric Train
I have ridden in three battery-electric trains.
- Class 379 train – Manningtree and Harwich in passenger service.
- Class 230 train – Vivarail demonstration
- Class 777 train- Liverpool Central and Headbolt Lane in passenger service.
Note.
- All were mouse-quiet.
- There was no detectable difference, when running on battery power in the trains.
It is my view that battery-electric trains are no second-class solution.
Consider.
- Newquay and Par is 20.8 miles.
- Falmouth Docks and Par is 30.8 miles.
- Newquay and Falmouth Docks is 51.6 miles.
- The maximum speed between Par and Newquay is around 30 mph
- The maximum speed between Par and Falmouth Docks is around 50-70 mph
- There are twelve intermediate stations.
- There is a reverse at Par station.
- Charging would be easy to install at Falmouth Docks, Newquay and Par.
- In Par Station – 10th February 2024, I suggested that Par station could be fully-electrified, so that expresses could have a Splash-and-Dash on their way to London and Penzance. If all platforms at Par were electrified the Mid-Cornwall Metro trains could charge from the electrification, as they reversed.
There are two main ways that the Mid-Cornwall Metro might operate.
- There would be chargers at Newquay and Falmouth Docks and trains would shuttle the 51.6 miles between the two stations.
- There would only be charging at Par and trains would after charging at Par go alternatively to Newquay and Falmouth Docks.
The first might need smaller batteries and the second would only need one charger.
Newquay To Falmouth Docks By Hydrogen-Powered Train
There is only one hydrogen-powered train in service and that is the Alstom Coradia iLint, which is running in Germany.
I feel it is very much an interim design, as Alstom has taken a diesel-mechanical Lint train and swapped the diesel for a hydrogen-powered electricity generator and an electric motor.
But Alstom are putting together a hydrogen-powered train based on an Aventra.
Note.
- The train is three cars.
- I would envisage performance of the hydrogen train would be very similar to that of a similar battery-electric train.
- I wouldn’t be surprised that refuelling of the train would not be a problem, as with all the china clay working nearby, there may well be developments to use hydrogen in the industry to decarbonise the mining.
The Mid-Cornwall Metro and Alstom’s Hydrogen Aventra could be ideal for each other.
Conclusion
I believe, that although the Mid-Cornwall Metro will start operation with diesel multiple units, it will be running in a zero-carbon mode within a few years.
Smart Train Lease Aims ‘To Make Renting Trains As Easy And Simple As Renting A Car’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette International.
These four paragraphs outline the scheme.
Siemens Mobility has established a leasing subsidiary that would enable train operators to use its Mireo Smart battery, hydrogen and electric multiple-units without needing to make long-term investment commitments.
Smart Train Lease GmbH would make available at short notice multiple-units already approved for operation. These could be short or medium-term leases, with services such as maintenance available as part of the package. The aim is to provide operators with an economical way to quickly and flexibly expand their fleets and try out more sustainable traction technologies.
‘We want to make renting trains as easy and simple as renting a car, and thus help accelerate the mobility transition’, the leasing company’s CEO Benjamin Dobernecker explained on February 14.
Smart Train Lease will initially operate in Germany, although it plans to expand throughout Europe in the medium term.
I like this idea and I think it will work.
Metier Management Systems And Artemis
When four of us started Metier Management Systems in 1977 to sell our mini-computer-based project management system; Artemis, we generally rented or leased our systems, although we did sell some as the years progressed.
- For a fixed fee per month, a company got a project management computer and all the software.
- The fixed fee included installation, first line support, training and software updates.
- We could also supply extra training and project management consultancy at appropriate rates.
- The only extra costs to the client were the electricity to power the hardware and the paper to put in the printer.
- We also allowed clients to convert leases into outright sales.
This simple sales model appealed to a lot of our clients.
- The cost of the system was easy to budget.
- Many of our clients were happy with leasing or renting computer equipment.
- As the system was desk-sized, it easily fitted the average office.
But the leasing model was very advantageous to us.
- Most of our clients were large high-value quality organisations like big oil companies, nationalised industries and engineering consultancies.
- Our Finance Director and our Bank Manager at Lloyds Bank devised a plan, whereby we bundled a number of high-quality leases together and sold the bundle to Lloyds Bank’s leasing company.
The money we received gave us a healthy cash flow.
- The cash flow was then used to fund Research and Development and to finance more sales.
- If say someone like BP or Shell should phone up or send a fax, wanting a system immediately, we were generally able to fulfil their request.
I am sure that Siemens Mobility will be using a similar model.
They will aim to have trains in stock to fulfil clients needs.
So if Deutsche Bahn phone up saying have you got a three-car battery-electric train that works with 15 KVAC and has a range of 100 kilometres for next Monday, Siemens Mobility can generally say yes.
What helps is that the modular Mireo Smart multiple unit comes in battery, hydrogen and electric versions.
Extras could include full servicing a driver.
So Siemens Mobility will plug the train together and deliver it.
How Would Siemens Use The Leasing Model In Great Britain?
Consider.
- There are a lot of routes that need to be decarbonised in Great Britain.
- Many of these routes have electrification at one or both ends.
- Often these routes terminate in a bay platform.
- On most of these routes a two-, three-, four- or five-car train will be sufficient capacity.
- In the Desiro City, Siemens have a train, that is acceptable to Great Britain.
- If routes in Great Britain are to be electrified, they must be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- Trains would be 100 mph, so they wouldn’t be limited as to routes.
- A Mireo-B has a range of between 80-100 kilometres or 49.7-74.6 miles.
I am sure Siemens Desiro City or its European equivalent; Mireo can be developed into a family of trains suitable for GB!
- The basic train would be two driving cars.
- Length would be increased by coupling trailer cars between the two driving cars.
- Hydrogen power would be in one of the trailers.
- Batteries would be under an appropriate number of cars.
Battery trains would be able to use a simple automatic charger, similar to the one, that I described in GWR Trialling Transformative Ultra-Rapid Charging Train Battery.
An Example – Mid-Cornwall Metro
This map shows the Mid-Cornwall Metro.
Consider.
- Newquay and Par is 20.8 miles.
- Falmouth Docks and Par is 30.8 miles.
- Newquay and Falmouth Docks is 51.6 miles.
- The maximum speed between Par and Newquay is around 30 mph
- The maximum speed between Par and Falmouth Docks is around 50-70 mph
- There are twelve intermediate stations.
- There is a reverse at Par station.
- Charging would be easy to install at Falmouth Docks, Newquay and Par.
- In Par Station – 10th February 2024, I suggested that Par station could be fully-electrified, so that expresses could have a Splash-and-Dash on their way to London and Penzance. If all platforms at Par were electrified the Mid-Cornwall Metro trains could charge from the electrification, as they reversed.
There are two main ways that the Mid-Cornwall Metro might operate.
- There would be chargers at Newquay and Falmouth Docks and trains would shuttle the 51.6 miles between the two stations.
- There would only be charging at Par and trains would after charging at Par go alternatively to Newquay and Falmouth Docks.
The first might need smaller batteries and the second would only need one charger.
An Example – Uckfield Branch
The Uckfield branch is in Southern England.
- It is not electrified between Hurst Green Junction and Uckfield, which is 24.7 miles.
- There are eight intermediate stations.
- The line can accommodate ten-car trains.
There is space at Uckfield station for a charger.
Charging would be at Uckfield station and North of Hurst Green Junction, where it will use the existing electrification.
Conclusions
This leasing/rental model will surely encourage train operators to replace diesels with appropriate zero-carbon alternatives on routes that need to be decarbonised.
Hydrogen Refuelling Site Could Attract Businesses To City – Meeting Told
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Yahoo News.
These are the first three paragraphs.
A hydrogen fuelling station planned for Bradford could play a key part in attracting new businesses to the city – councillors have been told.
The HyBradford facility is due to open on a former gas storage site off Bowling Back Lane in 2025, and late last year the scheme received millions worth of Government funding.
It is hoped the scheme will make Bradford a leader in the new, greener energy at a time when many companies are looking to wean themselves off fossil fuels.
What sort of businesses will the City attract?
- In Cadent’s Hydrogen-Hybrid Solar Toilet, I talked about how the sun and hydrogen backup are used to provide quiet, zero-carbon facilities for a building site.
- In Cummins Agrees To Integrate Its Hydrogen ICE Technology Into Terex® Advance Trucks, I talked about hydrogen-powered ready-mixed concrete trucks. These will help to reduce pollution levels on building sites and city streets and a local electrolyser would allow ready-mixed concrete suppliers to be located conveniently, where major contracts are in city centres.
- In £77 Million Investment For UK Heavy Duty And Commercial Vehicle Projects, I talked about a series of hydrogen transport projects being developed with Government and industry money. One project was one by Ford to develop a hydrogen-powered Transit van, which will be trialled by Ocado. If these catch on, then we will need more convenient electrolysers.
Bradford could be the first city, where companies try out ideas, that need a reliable supply of hydrogen.
It should also be noted that Bradford and Leeds are about fifteen miles apart, so Bradford’s electrolyser will probably be an ideal location for any business based in the Leeds/Bradford area.
Wylfa: UK Government In Talks To Buy Nuclear Site – Report
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK government is reportedly in talks to take control of a site in north Wales where a planned nuclear project was scrapped in 2019.
These paragraphs outline the story.
State-owned Great British Nuclear is “in early discussions” with Hitachi, which owns the land at Wylfa, on Anglesey, the Financial Times reported.
A government spokesman said Wylfa was one of many “potential sites” that could host nuclear projects.
Hitachi abandoned its plans there in January 2019.
An unnamed minister told the FT that “tentative negotiations” with Hitachi had already begun, but said a deal might not be reached until after a general election expected later this year.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association and Virginia Crosbie, MP for Ynys Môn both welcomed the talks.
These are my thoughts.
Where Is Wylfa?
This Google Map shows Anglesey.
Wylfa power station is near Wylfa Head at the top of the map, where they are indicated by the cluster of red arrows.
This Google Map shows the power station to a larger scale.
Note.
- The red arrow named Magnox marks the decommissioned Magnox power station.
- The topmost red arrow marks Wylfa Head.
- The rightmost red arrow marks Porth y Wylfa, which looks like a small harbour.
- On some maps the square building to the East of the power station is marked as Wylfa sub-station.
- There certainly appears to be an overhead transmission line leading South from the power station complex.
Virginia Crosbie, MP for Ynys Môn, also said this according to the BBC article.
The nuclear industry is unanimous that Wylfa is the best site in Europe for large-scale nuclear,” she said, adding that it would be “the largest inward investment” in Welsh history and “transformational” for the people of north-west Wales.
But I do wonder, if when you have cleared the Wylfa site leaving the sub-station, that it could be a site where renewables could come ashore and be fed into the grid.
Why Is Wylfa The Best Site In Europe For Large-Scale Nuclear?
Given the protests about putting new power transmission lines across Norfolk and Suffolk, I feel that Wylfa’s largest asset could be its high capacity connection to the UK’s grid.
According to the Wikipedia entry for Wylfa power station, this is said about Wylfa B.
Horizon Nuclear Power, originally an E.ON and RWE joint venture, bought by Hitachi in 2012, announced in 2009 intentions to install about 3,000 MWe of new nuclear plant at Wylfa. Horizon planned to build two advanced boiling water reactors (ABWRs) at a site to the south of the existing Wylfa station.
It would seem that the high capacity connection to the UK’s grid, is capable of handling a 3 GW power station at Wylfa, which could be very useful in the grand scheme of things.
This is also said in the Wikipedia entry for Wylfa power station.
On 4 April 2017, Horizon submitted a Site Licence Application to the Office for Nuclear Regulation. The scheme was extended to include a tunnel under the Menai Strait to carry the power cables to protect the conservation worth of the Strait and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Horizon certainly seemed to try hard to get Wylfa B under construction.
As I said earlier, the Wylfa site could be an ideal site to connect offshore renewables to the grid.
Battery-Electric Power Rides The Rails
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Power Progress.
These two introductory paragraphs, outline the project.
In late October 2023, transportation solution provider Wabtec and its launch customer Roy Hill, an Australia-based iron ore mining company, celebrated the debut of the FLXdrive locomotive – a production model unit that Wabtec described as the “world’s first 100% battery-powered, heavy-haul locomotive for mainline service.”
The debut was the culmination of more than a decade of R&D that started at a time when battery technology and density were far more limited. Rogerio Mendonca, president, Freight Equipment, Wabtec, labeled the company’s earliest project as “more of a science pilot than anything else.”
I feel that this conversion of a diesel locomotive to a 7MWh battery-electric locomotive will be a significant milestone in freight haulage.
In the UK, we have 480 Class 66 locomotives.
Not all are used for heavy freight and you regularly see a single locomotive hauling a load that a lowered-powered battery electric locomotive could handle.
I suspect that if Roy Hill find this a capable locomotive, that we’ll see some Class 66 locomotives converted to battery-electric operation.
The article is well worth a full read.
The Anonymous Widower 