> Today, we have far better methods of signaling. If the lead train or > truck-train has trouble, it > can electronically warn all the ones behind it to stop NOW! I'd guess that > trucks with rubber tires > could stop a heck of a lot faster in an emergency than a train car on steel > wheels. Maybe a panic > stop would drop the truck's tires onto the roadbed.
Rubber tires could also get around the hill climbing problem that steel wheels on rails have. With electric rails you could also transfer regen energy across the way to the trucks climbing the hill. I'm a big fan of railroads, from an efficiency point of view at least. Unfortunately they are slowing going away. Every year they pull up more tracks and covert the railway to something else. I doubt they will ever be able to get them back. On the other hand we have highways going everywhere. Dedicating one lane to rail capable trucks, etc. (at least outside the cities) seems like a good solution going foward. Probably require some kind of protective baricade to keep other traffic out. > > Regarding passenger service: I recall an idea that Rick Woodbury had for his > Tango EVs. They were > short enough to sit crossways on a standard railcar. The idea was to have > ramps on each side of a > flatcar. Train pulls into station, ramps lower, and you can drive your EV > right on. Ramps raise, > and train heads to next station. You have your own "private car", with heat, > A/D, music, TV or > whatever. When the train reaches the stop for your destination, just drive > off, and you're "there", > with your own car. > > But the railroads said nope, never, no way, can't be done... > The railroad companies sure seem hell bent on destroying their own industry. Or at least on not looking to the future, which is the same thing. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
