Model Boat Mayhem

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Author Topic: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!  (Read 6251 times)

Colin Bishop

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #25 on: July 02, 2011, 07:54:14 pm »

Might be a better bet than electric maybe!

Colin
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dodgy geezer

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #26 on: July 02, 2011, 08:50:45 pm »

Might be a better bet than electric maybe!

Colin


yes - the downside of electric is the need to carry heavy batteries (though technology might improve this). The downside of a steam engine is carrying heavy water. You might get round this by condensing and re-using - but then you really can't tell that it's a steam engine at all.

Of course a small fusion reactor might use steam as a heat-exchange medium - I seem to remember one being used in a car in a film some time ago...   :D
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john s 2

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #27 on: July 02, 2011, 08:57:56 pm »

Fusion power holds great promise. What i dont understand is why theres not more research on this. John.
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pugwash

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #28 on: July 02, 2011, 11:40:12 pm »

John they have been researching fusion for years - my brother worked at Culham in oxfordshire for 10 yrs and that
is the Joint European Torus (which is the machine in which they try to produce plasma for nuclear fusion )- there
are three plants in the workd - I think Japan, here and the US and they are making very very slow progress
I believe they have to produce temperatures as hot as the surface of the sun as part of the process. I'm not
up to date with it now as he has been left for several years. I do know this is costing a fortune but will be worth
it if they crack the problems.

Geoff
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dodgy geezer

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #29 on: July 02, 2011, 11:54:59 pm »

John they have been researching fusion for years ....

It'll be good if they ever get it going - in the meantime the Thorium fuel cycle shows great promise for a chain of cheap, inherently safe fission reactors, and India has the lead on this one. Google 'Kakrapa-1'...
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Peter Fitness

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #30 on: July 03, 2011, 06:00:03 am »

Our Bluebell Line is doing well...

And a great little line it is, too, in a lovely part of Britain. I've travelled on it on 2 of our trips to the UK.

Peter.
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wartsilaone

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #31 on: July 03, 2011, 07:35:09 am »

Taking my boy for a trip on the Mid Norfolk Railway today. It mainly runs heritage diesels but they do run steam also.

 http://www.mnr.org.uk/.

Ali.
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bikerdude666

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #32 on: July 03, 2011, 11:30:57 am »

I saw a program years ago about a steam train runnin on some form of oil hat produced far less emmissions than diesel, and took hardly any time to warm up! Always wished steam would make a return, there's just something so 'right' about steam trains, especially the mallard!
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wartsilaone

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #33 on: July 03, 2011, 12:33:53 pm »

There has also been a loco fitted with a gas turbine, Obviously not that successful though.
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john s 2

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #34 on: July 03, 2011, 04:32:33 pm »

One of the turbomotives problems was to set back it needed a second turbine, which produced insufficient
power to be able to set back a train. The engine is in Essex or was. Sadly the turbine is sectioned in the
science museum. So probably will not run again unless converted to pistons. John.
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tony52

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #35 on: July 03, 2011, 10:10:56 pm »

Thursday 7 July ITV1 7.30pm (19.30) - Meltdown on the Railways - appears in the Radio Times NW/Yorks/NE, best to check in your own region though.
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sweeper

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #36 on: July 04, 2011, 11:29:14 am »

There appears to be a bit of confusion here.
The GAS turbine loco was built by Brown Boveri for the BR (W) as a trial. As they were into trying different transmissions, this one was classed as non-standard and removed when they selected diesel hydraulic transmission as their future system.
The Turboloco was a Stanier Pacific converted to steam turbine drive. From history, not a very successful effort with reliability problems and poor steaming quailities (lack of blast from the normal four cylinders providing poor steaming?).
Regards.   
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john s 2

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #37 on: July 04, 2011, 08:33:33 pm »

Sweeper . You are correct sorry. As the thread was about steam i posted about steam turbine. The Americans
built and ran big gas turbines. What a sound and what pollution. John. 
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wartsilaone

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #38 on: July 05, 2011, 04:10:43 am »

Ah I'de forgotten about 18000. I was thinking of GT3. Still the nature of jet engines do not lend themselves to locomotive traction.



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Nordsee

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Re: Oh Doctor Beeching, what did you do!
« Reply #39 on: July 05, 2011, 08:27:29 pm »

Hows this for planning? Our local Bus Service runs once an hour to the Station in our nearest town ( About 5 Miles away) There is from there an hourly Service to Duisburg, Kleve, and cologne. The Bus arrives 5 minutes after the Train departs, German efficiancy!
  Just heard this morning that Siemens has got the contract to build new Stock , beating Bombardier who are based in Derby. Bad mistake, Siemens build the ICE high speed trains, which constantly break down and are completely un reliable. Also Siemens is notorious for corruption and paying Bribes to obtain Contracts, they have been fined several Millions, more than once, together with Ferrocrete, MAN, Daimler Benz, VW,BMW,and many other German Companies.
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