Thoughts On Very Light Rail
The article on Railway Gazette International, which is entitled Very Light Rail Research On Track, a list of thirty-five rail lines, that could use the technology are given.
These are some of my thoughts.
Multiple Working
These are some examples of branch lines, where very light rail my be used.
- Cromer to Sheringham – 226,000
- Liskeard to Looe – 118,000
- St Erth to St Ives – 750,000
- Twyford to Henley-on-Thames – 771,000
- Maidenhead to Marlow – 300,000
- Slough to Windsor & Eton Central – 2,024,000
- Watford to St Albans Abbey – 167,000
Note.
- The first station is on the main line and the second is the terminus of the branch line.
- The figure is the number of passengers, who used the terminal station in 2018-2019
The numbers have quite a range and I’m sure that a single eighteen metre vehicle carrying 56 seated and 60 standing passengers, will not be big enough, even if it runs at a frequency of four trains per hour (tph) on some routes.
So I am convinced that the vehicles must be able to work in multiple.
One picture on this page on the Transport Design International web site, shows the vehicle with a coupler.
Increasing Passenger Numbers, Festivals And Sporting Events
Forecasting passenger numbers on a new rail service, is a very inexact science. I talk about London Overground Syndrome, which seems to occur regularly.
There are also the problems of festivals and sporting events of various kinds, where perhaps for a week or so traffic is much higher.
Extra very light rail vehicles can be added to the trains as required or even drafted in at times of high demand.
Automatic Coupling And Uncoupling
They must also be able to couple and uncouple quickly and automatically, as needs vary throughout the day and to rescue a stranded unit.
Transit Mode
Suppose a large event, like say the Open Golf was taking place near a station with an inadequate train service and for the duration of the event, a dozen very light rail vehicles were to be running a shuttle to the nearest major rail hub.
A method must be developed to bring the vehicles to the event. I suspect Rail Operations Group, who are the experts in rolling stock movements would have a simple solution, perhaps by using a diesel locomotive to tow them to and from central warm storage.
It could probably be argued, that a capability to build temporary stations is needed.
Automation
These very light rail vehicles are prime candidates for automation.
I can envisage a lot of routes being run automatically, with the driver in a supervisory role, very much as the Victoria Line has been run since it opened in 1968.
- At each station, when they had ascertained that the passengers had all left and boarded the train safely, they would close the doors and activate a control to start the vehicle.
- It would then move to the next station and stop in the right place.
- The doors would then be opened automatically or by action of the crew.
Dear old Vicky has been doing this for over fifty years!
I also think, that with automation and CCTV, a system could be devised, where the driver stays in one cab all the time.
This would speed up operations.
Procedures For Running On Shared Tracks With Freight, Private And Heritage Railways
These suggested routes for very light rail are either freight, private or heritage railways.
- Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin General
- Kidderminster to Stourport
- Ashington to Blyth
- Sheffield to Stocksbridge
- Paignton to Brixham
- Totton to Hythe
I’m sure procedures can be devised, so that all traffic can run safely.
Very Light Rail Research On Track
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette International.
It details the progress on very light rail, which is defined as a vehicle with a weight of less than one tonne per linear metre.
It is a thorough article and very much a must-read.
It also details thirty-five rail routes in the UK and several cities, where the technology could be employed.
Some of the routes mentioned include, ones that I’ve covered on this blog, including.
- Cromer – Sheringham – Part of Greater Anglia
- Saxmundham – Aldeburgh – Part of Greater Anglia
- Coventry – Nuneaton – Part of West Midlands
- Liskeard – Looe – Part of Great Western
- Plymouth – Tavistock – Part of Great Western
- St Erth – St Ives – Part of Great Western
- Henley-on-Thames – Twyford – Part of Great Western
- Maidenhead – Marlow – Part of Great Western
- Slough – Windsor & Eton Central – Part of Great Western
- Truro – Falmouth- Part of Great Western
- Watford – St Albans Abbey – Part of London Midland
- Ashington – Blyth
- Fleetwood – Poulton-le-Fylde
Note.
- On reading the full list, I wondered why Greenfood – West Ealing and Southall – Brentford weren’t included, but it’s probably because freight uses the lines.
- I particularly like the inclusion of Saxmundham – Aldeburgh and Watford Junction – St. Albans Abbey.
You can understand why the rail leasing company; Eversholt, has got involved, as they must see quite a few possible sales.
There is more information on the concept call Revolution on this page on the Transport Design International web site.
Some points that can be gleaned from this page.
- One picture shows a coupler on the front of the vehicle. So can they work in multiple?
- Vehicles will have low axle weights (around 4 tonnes),
- Self-powered vehicles, with energy recovery and storage systems as standard,
- Reduced infrastructure costs for installation, operation and maintenance.
The consortium is also aiming for a sub million pound price tag.
Conclusion
It is a bold plan, which is backed by some large companies and organisations with deep pockets.
Digital Displacement Project On Track To Reduce Rail Emissions
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the introduction paragraph.
With challenging targets to radically reduce railway CO2 emissions, Artemis Intelligent Power is looking at the potential of Digital Displacement® hydraulics as a novel route to lower emissions for freight locomotives, shunters and on-track plant.
Artemis Intelligent Power are an Edinburgh-based company, who are owned by Misubishi and claim they are global leaders in digital displacement technology.
The company has a section on their technology on their web site.
Effectively, they have designed a very efficient computer controlled hydraulic pump. When used in an application, there is often a fuel saving of several percent.
How Good Is ‘Freezing Air’ The Solution For Electricity?
The title of this post is the same as that for this article on Energy News 24.
The article discusses Highview Power’s proposed 400 MWh installation in Vermont, where they are installing lots of renewable power sources and need a way to store the energy, which is partly wasted.
Read the article and especially the last sentence.
Vice President Jason Burwen Energy Storage Association said the capacity of the plant would be “on par with today’s largest grid energy storage projects under construction.” He said it would be the equivalent electricity needed “to power maybe 50,000 homes for eight hours.”
Are the British coming?
The Highview Power system to me is a blindingly obvious simple idea, based on proven technology, that has been used for many decades. Add in clever computing technology to control it and blend it with renewable energy and every wind or solar farm, tidal power station and sizeable town or city should have one, where there is a site the size of a football pitch.
Eco-Friendly Party Bag Wrapping
I usually do the party bags for Christmas Day and these pictures show how I wrap the goodies.
Note.
- The cotton drawstring bags come from The Clever Baggers.
- I found the little plastic pots called Mini Bites in Robert Dyas.
- The Mini Bites have a screw lid, which is easier to open than most packaging.
They have lots of reusable possibilities.
- Last night, I found that the capacity of one Mini-Bite is ideal for frozen peas for one.
- I keep shoes in the cotton bags.
- I shall be using a Mini Bite to hold a selection of my daily pills.
- As the pictures show, they hold a sensible portion of nuts, sweets or chocolate.
- Are they a daily pack of forbidden foods, like chocolate and sweets?
We need more packaging ideas like these!
The Power Of Battery Storage
This article on Fastmarkets is entitled Neoen To Expand Li-ion Battery Capacity at Hornsdale Plant.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Australia’s Hornsdale Power Reserve, the world’s biggest lithium-ion battery plant, is set to expand capacity by 50% to 150 megawatts, according to Neoen SA, the French power producer that owns and operates the site.
If you read the article and the Wikipedia entry for Hornsdale Power Reserve (HPR), you’ll see why it is being expanded.
This paragraph is from Wikipedia.
After six months of operation, the Hornsdale Power Reserve was responsible for 55% of frequency control and ancillary services in South Australia.[11] By the end of 2018, it was estimated that the Power Reserved had saved A$40 million in costs, most in eliminating the need for a 35 MW Frequency Control Ancillary Service.
Somewhat surprisingly, the power is mainly generated by the associated Hornsdale Wind Farm.
These are some statistics and facts of the installation at Hornsale.
- There are 99 wind turbines with a total generation capacity of 315 megawatts.
- HPR is promoted as the largest lithium-ion battery in the world.
- HPR can store 129 MWh of electricity.
- HPR can discharge 100 MW into the grid.
- The main use of HPR is to provide stability to the grid.
HPR also has a nice little earner, in storing energy, when the spot price is low and selling it when it is higher.
It certainly explains why investors are putting their money in energy storage.
Wikipedia lists four energy storage projects using batteries in the UK, mainly of an experimental nature in Lilroot, Kirkwall, Leighton Buzzard and six related sites in Northern |England. One site of the six has a capacity of 5 MWh, making it one of the largest in Europe.
But then we have the massive Dinorwig power station or Electric Mountain, which can supply ,1,728-MW and has a total storage capacity of 9.1 GWh
Consider.
- Electric Mountain has seventy times the capacity of Hornsdale Power Reserve.
- Electric Mountain cost £425 million in 1984, which would be a cost of £13.5 billion today.
- Another Electric Mountain would cost about £1.6 billion per GWh of energy storage.
- Hornsdale Power Reserve cost $ 50 million or about £26 million.
- Hornsdale Power Reserve would cost about £0.2 billion per GWh of energy storage.
So it would appear that large batteries are better value for money than large pumped storage systems like Electric Mountain.
But it’s not as simple as that!
- There aren’t many places, as suitable as North Wales for large pumped storage systems.
- Omce built, it appears pumped storage system can have a long life. Electric Mountain is thirty-five years old and with updating, I wouldsn’t be surprised to see Electric Mountain in operation at the end of this century.
- Battery sites can be relatively small, so can be placed perhaps in corners of industrial premises or housing developments.
- Battery sites can be built close to where power is needed, but pumped storage can only be built where geography allows.
- Pumped strage systems can need long and expensive connections to the grid.
- I think that the UK will not build another Electric Mountain, but will build several gigawatt-sized energy storage facilities.
- Is there enough lithium and other elements for all these batteries?
- Electric Mountain is well-placed in Snowdonia for some wind farms, but many are in the North Sea on the other side of the country.
In my view what is needed is a series of half-gigawatt storage facilities, spread all over the country.
Highview Power looks to be promising and I wrote about it in British Start-Up Beats World To Holy Grail Of Cheap Energy Storage For Wind And Solar.
But there will be lots of other good ideas!
Electric-Powered Passenger Aircraft To Launch By 2022
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
In the past few months, two serious electric small airliner projects have emerged.
- The Eviation Alice is a futuristic nine-cheater, designed from scratch around electric propulsion.
- Harbour Air are converting a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver to electric propulsion and aim for a complete electric-powered fleet.
And now Cranfield University are launching Project Fresson, which aims to convert Britten-Norman Islanders to electric propulsion.
- There are hundreds of Islanders in service.
- They were designed in the 1960s and are still in production.
- They can carry nine passengers for nearly 900 miles.
In some ways, they are the Ford Transit of the small airliner industry. Unspectacular they may be, but they do what it says in the specification.
I’ve only flown in an Islander twice and that was between islands in the Caribbean.
There are several things to like about this project.
- Cranfield University have an excellent reputation in aerospace design.
- The project is well-backed by the British Government, Rolls-Royce, the University of Warwick and others.
- The batteries appear to be coming from motorsport.
- The Islander doesn’t have a reputation as a difficult or unsafe aircraft.
- Over the years, the aerodynamics seem to have been improved.
- There must be a large number of airlines around the world, who are satisfied with their current Islanders and would look seriously at an electric version.
- The Islander is still in production.
I don’t think it carries any high level of risk.
- The current aircraft structure will be virtually unchanged, but possibly uprated for a higher payload because of the weight of the battery.
- The electric motors must meet a power output, energy consumption and weight.
- The battery will probably be made from lots of standard small cells from a well-respected manufacturer like Hitachi, Samsung, Leclanche or others.
- The battery must hold enough energy, fit in a defined space and not be too heavy.
I suspect Cranfield have already written the specifications for the motors and the battery.
Conclusion
In some ways this project has a lot in common with Harbour Air’s project to convert a Beaver.
- Simple engineering with little risk.
- Proven airframe.
- No expensive airframe to certify.
- A lot of engine and battery testing can be done safely on the ground.
- Electric motor technology seems to be improving rapidly, with new ideas cropping up in trains, cars, boats, ships and planes.
- A waiting market.
- I think pilots and passengers will like the idea of an electric aircraft.
- Pilot conversion to the electric plane will not be a long and expensive process.
- Good green credentials.
I think both projects will succeed, if they go well in the next year or so.
Boris Johnson Vows New Life For High Streets And Axed Rail Lines
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Boris Johnson is promising to revitalise “left behind” high streets through tax cuts for pubs and shops and reversing some of the Beeching rail cuts to branch lines.
The article gives a map of the lines and here is a list of them.
- Newcastle and Ashington/Blyth.
- Bristol and Portishead
- Camp Hill Line
- Willenhall and Darlaston
- Thornton-Cleveleys and Fleetwood
- Okehampton and Exeter
- March and Wisbech
- Uckfield and Lewes
- A new station he building of a station at Skelmersdale.
I will suggest other possibilities and add them here.
- West Hampstead and Hounslow – Part of the West London Orbital Railway
- Brent Cross and Kew – Part of the West London Orbital Railway
- Cirencester – See Could Cirencester Be Reconnected To The Rail Network?
There could be several!
The Technology Is With Us!
Anyone who follows railway technology, as I do, knows that technology coming on stream will ease the creation of these routes.
- Modern digital in-cab signalling, as already used on Thameslink.
- Battery-electric trains.
- Innovative charging for battery-electric trains.
- Hydrogen-powered trains.
- Tram-trains
- Automatic train control
- Remote services in simple depots.
- Better bridge-raising and other construction techniques.
Many of these new routes will be able to use a standard train.
Nationalised British Broadband
Labour’s plans to nationalise broadband and provide it free to homes and small business is a cracker!
Advantages For Labour
It would have one big advantage for Labour!
It’s a great way of listening in to all their political opponents. They only have to ask the Chinese how to do it!
How for instance, would another political party, with a radical agenda organise?
But!
Consider these points.
- Mobile phone traffic uses the same Internet backbone as broadband.
- Internet tech giants like Amazon, Facebook and Google wouldn’t pay up without a fight
- Everybody’s pension fund would suffer, as BT is often there and shares would be replaced by junk bonds.
- Virgin Media and other broadband suppliers would be nationalised as well or could become worthless.
- A lot of American Internet companies would go running to the US President and just as Trump has applied tariffs willy-nilly in his trade war with China, a future President wouldn’t take it lying down.
- The high-tech industry has already said they don’t like it.
The biggest problem is that Internet usage will grow exponentially with 5G broadband and all the connected devices, like
- Driverless cars.
- Automated warehouses and delivery systems.
- Connected smart household and other appliances.
- Connected massive screens, which every business, school or home will have.
- Every child watching content on mobile devices.
- Collectinbg operating data from cars, trucks and trains to make them more reliable.
- Automated care assistance for the ill, frail and elderly.
Can any government afford the cost of continual upgrading of capacity, which will not be like anything seen before?
It certainly, is a cracker!
And if it is implemented, it will blow up in the ultra-Marxists’ faces.
The Anonymous Widower 