A Cute Refuse Truck
I took these pictures on Moorgate.
Note.
- This truck was built on a DAF LF chassis.
- It normally has a Cummins B-series diesel engine.
- It looks like it was registered in late 2022.
Some DAF LF chassis have a hybrid transmission.
I have a few thoughts.
Cummins B Series Engine
The Wikipedia entry for the Cummins B Series engine starts like this.
The Cummins B Series is a family of diesel engines produced by American manufacturer Cummins. In production since 1984, the B series engine family is intended for multiple applications on and off-highway, light-duty, and medium-duty. In the automotive industry, it is best known for its use in school buses, public service buses (most commonly the Dennis Dart and the Alexander Dennis Enviro400) in the United Kingdom, and Dodge/Ram pickup trucks.
Since its introduction, three generations of the B series engine have been produced, offered in both inline-four and inline-six configurations in multiple displacements.
Note.
- It is a very versatile engine.
- When I did some data analysis work for Cummins about twenty years ago, they told me, that they are happy to create a new configuration of their engines for a new application.
- Engines for the UK are made in Darlington.
- A version of the B series engine is used in London’s New Routemaster buses.
Cummins have made a lot of these engines.
Cummins And Hydrogen
Cummins realise they have a lot to lose, as the world decarbonises and doesn’t need diesel engines anymore.
Cummins have adopted the hydrogen route to zero-carbon with a large degree of enthusiasm.
- In 2019, they took a majority stake in hydrogen company; Hydrogenics.
- In Cummins Fuel Cell Technology Powers Coradia iLint Fleet In Germany, I described how Cummins supply the fuel cells for Alstom’s hydrogen trains in Germany.
- In Electrolyser System To Linde For Green Hydrogen Production In Niagara Falls, New York, I describe how Cummins are providing a 35 MW hydrogen electrolyser .
- In Cummins Shows Hydrogen Internal Combustion-Engined Concept Truck At IAA Transportation Exhibition, I describe how Cummins have developed and released a powerful hydrogen internal combustion engine based on the B series.
I believe that in Ricardo Supports Industry Leaders To Develop Innovative Dedicated Hydrogen Engine, I talk about the most significant development involving Cummins and hydrogen.
This is how I started the post.
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Ricardo.
This is the sub-heading.
Ricardo, a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, has delivered a hydrogen-fuelled research engine to global engine specialist Cummins and automotive supplier BorgWarner, as part of Project BRUNEL part funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)
These four paragraphs outline the project.
Cummins is a global specialist in diesel and alternative fuel engines and generators, and related components and technology. BorgWarner is an automotive tier 1 supplier and specialist in the design and manufacture of systems for electrified and conventional propulsion types, that includes injection equipment for conventional and renewable fuels. BorgWarner recently announced the intention to spin off its Fuel Systems segment. The intended company name is PHINIA Inc. PHINIA is expected to be a product leader in fuel systems, starters, alternators and aftermarket distribution.
The project aims to support internal combustion engine (ICE) sub-system suppliers to increase their use of hydrogen as an alternative zero-emissions fuel solution across the light commercial vehicle market.
The engine is specifically designed to burn only hydrogen – with no supporting fuels that could give rise to any carbonaceous, or excessive air quality emissions.
Experts in hydrogen technology and integration, Ricardo has provided an engine based upon its world-renowned series of single cylinder research units, which can help the research teams evaluate a wide variety of fuels. The engine is designed to help engineers evaluate a variety of injector types and will support increased fuel efficiency, reduced air quality emissions and the move towards carbon-free heavy-duty propulsion.
Reports of the death of the internal combustion engine are greatly exaggerated.
Cummins already have larger sizes of the B series engine that will run on hydrogen, so are BorgWarner, Cummins and Ricardo going to fill the gap in the range?
Are the companies going to develop B series hydrogen engines for the DAF LF trucks, Dodge RAM pickups and the New Routemaster buses?
North Korea: Residents Tell BBC Of Neighbours Starving To Death
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
People in North Korea have told the BBC food is so scarce their neighbours have starved to death.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Exclusive interviews gathered inside the world’s most isolated state suggest the situation is the worst it has been since the 1990s, experts say.
The government sealed its borders in 2020, cutting off vital supplies. It has also tightened control over people’s lives, our interviewees say.
How long are we going to let Kim Jong Un starve his people?
Battery Wagons To Lower Mining Railway Emissions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These two paragraphs introduce the concept of the wagons.
Intramotev is to supply three ReVolt battery wagons to enable regenerative braking on a industrial railway.
The battery and automation technology company said this would be the first deployment of self-propelled battery-electric wagons in a traditional freight train, with regenerative braking and battery technology used to reduce locomotive diesel consumption and thus costs and emissions.
It may seem an unusual concept, but it’s one of those ideas, where if the maths and the costs stack up, it will work.
Intramotev’s web site gives more details on their Product & Technology page, where this is said.
Combining the low energy usage of steel wheels on steel rails with the efficiency of electric drivetrains to create the most energy-efficiency overland transport.
This article on electrek is entitled A Company Is Developing Self-Propelled, Battery-Electric Railcars You Can Control With Your Phone has two paragraphs, which describe their two current products.
In a few short years, the company has been able to develop unique freight solutions using software and battery-electric propulsion technology. This includes the TugVolt battery electric railcar (seen above and below), which can decouple from the consist (the group of railcars as a whole) and operate independently for first and last mile legs.
The company has also developed a ReVolt railcar that can be positioned to stay within the train’s consist and capture energy using regenerative braking to reduce diesel consumption from the line’s locomotive.
As a Control Engineer, I feel strongly, that this technology would work very well in the UK.
East West Rail: Could A New Rail Link ‘Tear Apart’ A Village?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A new £5bn railway line connecting Cambridge and Oxford will transform much of the area between the two university cities. It could see one Bedfordshire village grow from a population of about 600 to more than 44,000. What would that change mean for people living there and how do they feel about it?
This Google Map shows the village.
Note.
- On the West side of the map there is the Great North Road and the Great Ouse.
- On the East side of the Map, there is the electrified East Coast Main Line.
- The village is strung along the East-West lane in the middle of the map, which is inevitably named Station Road.
It appears to have a surgery, a playing field and a Methodist church, but not much else.
I have some thoughts.
Bedford And Tempsford
This Google Map shows Bedford and Tempsford.
Note.
- Bedford is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Tempsford is in the North-East corner of the map.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the East West Railway take an East West route to Tempsford, that skirted to the North of Bedford.
In East-West Rail: Through Bedford, I discuss how the East West Railway could branch away to the East from the Midland Main Line.
Tempsford And Cambourne
The next station to the East is Cambourne station.
This Google Map shows Tempsford and Cambourne.
Note.
- Tempsford is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Cambourne is in the North-East corner of the map.
- St. Neots station can be picked out on the Northern edge of the map.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the East West Railway take a North-Easterly route from Tempsford.
The Possible Station Site At Tempsford
This Google Map shows where Station Road crosses the East Coast Main Line.
Note.
- There are a few industrial businesses on what was probably the old station site.
- There doesn’t appear to be any housing.
I flew my virtual helicopter lower and took this image.
Note.
- It is a level crossing.
- There is a car waiting to cross on the Eastern side.
- There is also a bus stop on the Western side.
This must be an accident waiting to happen as the speed limit on the trains through here is 125 mph. Remember Upton Nervet, where seven were killed and sixty-six were injured!
Hopefully, the new design of Tempsford station will incorporate a combined rail and road bridge or tunnel.
The Route Of The Railway At Tempsford
I think it is more likely that the railway would go roughly East-West to the North of Station Road.
UK Offshore Wind Pipeline Now At 98 GW, Second Only To China – Report
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK’s pipeline of offshore wind projects has reached 97,944 MW, up from 91,287 MW a year ago, while the global pipeline topped 1.23 TWh, an increase of nearly 400 GW in the last year, according to RenewableUK’s latest EnergyPulse market intelligence data report.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The pipeline includes projects at every stage of development, including operational, under construction, consented, or planned.
The UK total pipeline was second globally at 98 GW, second only to China with 157 GW, followed by the USA in third place with 82 GW, Sweden is fourth with 75 MW, and Brazil fifth with 63 GW.
These is also a pie-chart saying in which part of the UK, wind energy is being developed.
- North Sea (Scotland) – 41,977 MW
- North Sea (England) – 33,845 MW
- Irish Sea – 8,659 MW
- North Atlantic Ocean – 7,435 MW
- Celtic Sea – 4,428 MW
- English Channel – 1,600 MW
As Cilla would say. “What a lorra, lorra lot of wind!”
Tevva And ZF Develop A 4x More Efficient Regen Braking System
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International.
This is the first paragraph.
British electric vehicle manufacturer Tevva has successfully completed development of the regenerative braking system on its 7.5t battery-electric truck. Part of this involved working with global Tier 1 supplier ZF to integrate its electronic brake system (EBS) for use in zero-emission Tevva electric trucks.
I like what I read about Tevva and I suspect, if I still had horses, one of their trucks would make an ideal chassis for a non-HGV horse box.
Worcester – 11th June 2023
On Sunday, I took a train to Worcester Foregate Street station and then walked across the City Centre to the other station; Worcester Shrub Hill station.
I took these pictures of Worcester Foregate Street station.
Note.
- There are no lifts.
- It had one of the worst set of stairs, I’d seen in a station.
- Wikipedia doesn’t list any improvements to the station in the future.
The station is an utter disgrace.
I took these pictures, as I walked between the two stations.
Note.
- It was not a particularly long walk.
- The last section was up a steep hill.
- There was virtually no signage.
- The roads were dominated by private cars.
- I didn’t see a sign to the cathedral or the bus station.
- There was even a crude handrail on the pavement to help people up the hill.
- The only good thing I saw was a defibrillator half-way up the hill, which was where you might need it.
No-one in their right mind would spend a few days in Worcester, unless they drove a car. In which case, it would probably be better to stay in a friendlier nearby town.
I took these pictures of Worcester Shrub Hill station.
Note.
- There is no sign outside to indicate it’s a station.
- There are no lifts to get across the tracks.
- Both clocks are showing the wrong time.
- The station needs a deep clean.
- Wikipedia doesn’t list any improvements to the station in the future.
The only thing in good condition was the Victorian waiting room. But it was locked.
Conclusion
Worcester is not a town, I could recommend for anything.
It has two dreadful, disabled-unfriendly stations, no working signage or maps and is dominated by private cars.
I also would have liked some refreshment, as I walked across the City. I didn’t see anything I fancied, but that often happens when you’re coeliac.
A Fraught Journey Between Worcester Shrub Hill And Reading Stations
My train home from Worcester Shrub Hill station didn’t make the most impressive of starts to my journey back to Reading.
- The five-car train was supposed to leave at 15:15.
- It was also supposed to arrive in Reading at 16:58.
- But the relief driver was delayed.
Eventually, we left at 15:31.
The train didn’t appear to be running at full speed and around Moreton-in-Marsh, staff started distributing water, which in my view is always a sign that all is not well.
I measured the temperature and humidity at 26.7 °C and 40% respectively, so the water was welcome.
I asked one of the staff what was up and was informed, that two of the engines were overheating because of the heat, so were we effectively running on the remaining cool engine?
Eventually, we were informed that the train would terminate at Charlbury station, where we would all be picked up by the following train, which would have nine cars.
After Charlbury, things didn’t get much better.
- The rescue train eventually left Charlbury at 17:38, which was twenty-six minutes late.
- The train wasn’t full and I had a table to myself, but after Oxford, there wasn’t a seat anywhere.
- We missed out the stop at Didcot Parkway station because of flooding, caused because of a violent thunder storm.
- The rescue train didn’t even make Paddington and it was terminated short in the bi-directional Platform 7 at Reading, because of an unwell passenger.
Eventually, when I arrived in Reading station at 18:55, the rescue train was fifty-five minutes late.
As my original train, should have arrived at 16:58, I was actually, three minutes short of two hours late.
By the time, I got to Platform 14 for the 16:59 Elizabeth Line train to Central London, it had gone, so I had another thirty minute wait.
I finally arrived home at 21:00, after a nearly 5¾ hour journey.
I have a few thoughts.
Changing At Reading
Part of the reason, that I missed my Elizabeth Line train, was that the escalators to Platform 14 were out of action and I had to wait for the lift, as I don’t trust myself going down stairs.
I have said before that if you need a ticket in your change a Reading, there should be a ticket machine on the bridge.
As Reading station is managed by Network Rail, perhaps, they should examine the operation of the station with a good dose of old-fashioned time and motion in more detail.
The Elizabeth Line Frequency To London
The Elizabeth Line only runs two trains per hour (tph) between London and Reading.
This may be fine when everything is going well, but on days like Sunday, when trains aren’t performing well and the weather is not behaving itself, would four tph be better?
Perhaps, the two extra trains would run between Reading and Abbey Wood, and only stop at say Twyford, Maidenhead, Slough, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Ealing Broadway, Old Oak Common, Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House and Woolwich.
Great Western Railway Trains Between Oxford, Reading and Didcot Parkway and London
The three terminals get the following services to and from London
- Didcot Parkway – 4 tph
- Oxford – 4 tph
- Reading – 11½ tph – 8½ fast and 3 slow
Consider these questions.
- How many travellers between Didcot Parkway, Oxford and Reading and Paddington, now use the Elizabeth Line for onward travel from Paddington?
- How many of the endless visitors to Oxford start their journey on the Elizabeth Line?
- How many visitors to Oxford combine a trip with one to Bicester Village?
- How many travelling by train between Oxford and Cambridge will use part of the Elizabeth Line for the journey?
- Is it fair, that Cambridge is connected to four London rail terminals; King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge and St. Pancras and Oxford is connected to just two; Marylebone and Paddington?
I suspect there’s considerable scope to reorganise services between the three stations and London to provide a better service.
GWR’s Paddington and Didcot Parkway service, which has a frequency of two tph, could be moved to the Elizabeth Line and possibly extended to Oxford, once Didcot Parkway and Oxford is electrified.
This would give.
- Didcot Parkway would have two fast tph to Paddington and two stopping tph on the Elizabeth Line with all its connectivity and delights.
- Oxford would have two fast tph to Paddington and two stopping tph on the Elizabeth Line.
- Reading will have a much-needed Elizabeth Line frequency of four tph.
Note.
- Terminating the Elizabeth Line at Oxford, means that there are services connecting Oxford and Cambridge, with a single change at either Farringdon or Liverpool Street.
- Oxford would also get one change connectivity to Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports.
- The slow lines between Oxford and Maidenhead typically have operating speeds of 90-100 mph. So if the Class 345 trains on the Elizabeth Line and the track were upgraded to 100 mph, this might save a few minutes in the outer reaches of the Elizabeth Line.
- The Elizabeth Line could terminate in one or two South-facing bay platforms on the East side of the station. This position would reduce passenger traffic on the crowded footbridge.
- If all the bay platforms were on the same East side of the station, this would simplify and ease passenger flows.
- Chiltern and East West Railway services could be timed for an easy interchange.
- The proposed Cowley Branch could also use the South-facing bay platforms.
The more I look at it, the more I like the idea of running the Elizabeth Line to Oxford.
The Heat Problem On The Class 800 Trains
The Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 trains has this paragraph on the overheating of the engines or generator units (GUs) on the trains.
The GU is installed on vibration-isolating mountings, and fitted with side-mounted cowls to reduce external noise. Heat management measures include thermal insulation around key areas such as cable ducts. According to Modern Railways magazine, the limited space available for the GUs is responsible for them being prone to overheating. It claimed that, on one day in summer 2018, “half the diagrammed units were out of action as engines shut down through overheating”.
That was in 2018, which was five years ago. But it appears to be still happening.
Would Overheating Happen With Battery Units?
One of the reasons, I went to Worcester was to assess the feasibility of battery-electric trains on the route.
This article from EV-Lectron is entitled Electric Cars in Hot Weather – What You Need To Know, gives a detailed set of answers.
But it probably comes to the conclusion, that cold weather with the extra heating load might be more of the problem.
I suspect, that if you were running battery electric trains on a route of over fifty miles, the best thing would be to have electrification at both ends of the route.
If, as I have calculated in Reading And Oxford – 10th June 2023, that to run battery-electric trains to Hereford needs a length of electrification between Worcester Shrub Hill and Great Malvern stations, then when they leave the electrification, they should have the interiors at the right temperature for staff and passengers.
I also suspect that battery-electric trains need to be well insulated to cope better with cold weather.
Reading And Oxford – 10th June 2023
Yesterday, after breakfast on Moorgate, I went for an explore at the Western end of the Elizabeth Line.
My aim was to change at Reading for Oxford and then have a bit of an explore in the University City.
These are my observations and thoughts.
Changing Trains At Reading
There are two trains per hour between Liverpool Street and Reading station, but at the Moorgate end of Liverpool Street station, there is no way of buying a ticket, that would get me between Reading and Oxford. To make things more complicated, I needed to be quick with my change at Reading, as I only had a few minutes before the next Oxford train left Reading.
In the end I had to leave Reading station and walk across the concourse in front of the station.
O then bought a ticket in a machine and then re-entered the station.
Great Western Railway can do better.
In Germany, there would be a ticket machine inside the barriers for those changing trains. But we never do that!
In the end, I missed my train and had to wait thirty minutes for a very crowded London Paddington to Oxford train.
Electrification At Oxford
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the planned electrification at Oxford station.
Note.
- The four through lines are shown in dotted red-and-black, which indicates, that they will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The proposed electrification continues all the way to Didcot Parkway station on the map.
- The two black tracks are the unelectrified platforms for Chiltern and East West Railway services.
But the proposed electrification stops just outside the station. Why?
Great Western Railway Services Beyond Oxford
Great Western Railway run an hourly service to Great Malvern, which according to Wikipedia terminates as follows.
- 4 trains per day continue to Hereford calling at Colwall and Ledbury.
- 1 train per day terminates at Worcester Shrub Hill.
- 4 trains per day terminate at Worcester Foregate Street.
So what are the distances of these stations from Oxford?
- Great Malvern – 65.6 miles
- Hereford – 86.3 miles
- Worcester Foregate Street – 57.6 miles
- Worcester Shrub Hill – 57.2 miles
I suspect that one version of the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is shown in the infographic below
could handle all these distances.
After the Oxford and Didcot Parkway electrification is complete, trains will arrive at Oxford station with a full battery.
But how would the batteries be recharged for the journey back to Oxford?
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks at Worcester.
Note.
- Trains to and from Oxford, use the tracks in the South-East corner of the map.
- Trains to and from Birmingham, use the tracks in the North -East corner of the map.
- Trains to and from Great Malvern and Hereford, use the tracks in the South-West corner of the map.
I suspect that some selective electrification would be able to charge the trains.
Trains take around twenty minutes to go between Great Malvern and Worcester Shrub Hill via Worcester Foregate Street.
Electrifying this 8.5 mile section would surely enable the following.
- Trains to leave Worcester Shrub Hill for Oxford with a full battery.
- Trains to leave Great Malvern for Hereford with a full battery.
- As Hereford and Great Malvern are only 20.7 miles apart, I suspect a return trip without a recharge is possible.
- Trains terminating at Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street to be fully recharged before travelling back to Oxford.
Other services to and from the Worcester stations could also be run by battery-electric trains.
As Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford stations are only 57.2 miles and well within the capabilities of most battery-electric trains, there would be no need to electrify the route.
I may of course, be wrong about the length and position of the electrification at Worcester, but this could be just one of many solutions using partial electrification.
Does this explain the stopping of the proposed electrification at Oxford?
In addition, there must be marketing opportunities in running a battery-electric service to Hereford and Worcester.
The Bay Platforms At Oxford Station
These pictures show the two North facing bay platforms 1 and 2 at Oxford station.
Note.
- The platforms are not electrified.
- They appear to be easily updated with electrification to be able to charge Chiltern and East West Railway trains.
- Marylebone is only 66.7 miles from Oxford.
- Milton Keynes Central is just over 40 miles from Oxford.
- Bedford is just under 60 miles from Oxford.
I suspect that services from Oxford to Bedford, Marylebone and Milton Keynes can all be run by battery-electric trains.
Battery-Electric Trains On The Henley Branch
As I keep mentioning battery-electric trains on the Henley branch line and I was in the area today, I thought I’d pop in and take a trip to Henley-on-Thames station.
These are my thoughts about the Henley branch line.
The Branch Line Was Busy
The two-car Class 165 train coped with the traffic today, but I suspect that on some days more capacity is needed.
The Branch Line Is Only 4.6 Miles Long
Battery-electric trains of a length of three- or four-cars are typically showing battery ranges of upwards of fifty miles, so I am fairly certain, that several battery-electric trains could handle the route, with charging at Twyford station.
- Conversions of Class 321, Class 379 and Class 387 trains would probably be possibilities.
- The Class 379 and Class 387 have a very handy 110 mph operating speed.
- Alstom, CAF, Hitachi and Siemens could probably offer new trains.
- All are four-car trains.
Because of the length of the branch, I doubt there wouldn’t need to be any infrastructure changes at Henley-on-Thames station.
Charging A Train In Platform 5 At Twyford Station
These pictures show the Class 165 train, that worked the branch in Platform 5 at Twyford station.
Note.
- The two-car Class 165 train in the station is 46.50 metres long.
- I suspect that a three-car or even four-car train, that would be eighty metres long, could be accommodated in the platform.
- The last picture shows a Class 387 train in the adjoining electrified Platform 4 in Twyford station.
It looks to me, that installing a three-car length of overhead electrification in the bay platform would not be the most challenging of projects.
Longer Trains To Henley-on-Thames
The Wikipedia entry for the Henley branch line says this about services.
The current (2022) passenger train service pattern on the line provides trains at about 30 minute intervals off peak. The first train out from Henley is at 06:05 and the last train back at 00:18. The Saturday service is also half-hourly until around 20:15, after which a largely hourly service is operated. This is also the case with the Sunday service, with half-hourly services until 19:15.
Additional services are provided during Henley Regatta at the beginning of July, with longer trains. All services are operated by Great Western Railway (GWR), using Class 165 and 166 Turbo diesel multiple units. Upon completion of electrification, Class 387 trains will be used, while the Turbos will be displaced to other parts of the GWR network.
The map from OpenRailwayMap shows the platform and track layout at Henley-on-Thames station.
Note.
- The Henley branch line is shown in yellow.
- The scale in the bottom-left corner of the map.
- I would estimate that the platform is around 200 metres long, which means it will take an eight-car train.
The second map from OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout at Twyford station.
Note.
- Both maps are to the same scale.
- The Henley branch line is shown in yellow.
- The slow lines of the Great Western Main Line are shown in orange.
- The fast lines of the Great Western Main Line are shown in red.
There is a cross-over between the two slow lines to allow trains from London to access the branch line.
It looks to me, that the line will be fully-electrified or battery-electric trains could be used.
Ticketing
I can get to Twyford by using my Freedom Pass on the Elizabeth Line, like probably a large number of those over sixty, who live in London.
I had started my journey at the Moorgate end of Liverpool Street station, where there is no ticket office or machine capable of selling an extension ticket.
In the end, I bought my ticket for the branch in the ticket office, but you can buy tickets on the train.
Transport for London and Great Western Railway can do better.
The Anonymous Widower 