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Preserved Diesels & Greta.


SamThomas
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Please excuse the tongue in cheek title, but are the days of some preserved Diesel locomotives limited ?

 

We are now in an age where we are being effectively forced towards Electric Vehicles, replacing gas boilers & so on.

 

It it only a matter of time before the environmental axe falls on locomotives/starting proceedures like the locomotive in the YT clip - the beloved clag of some diesel enthusiasts will probably have to go if they are to continue in use.

 

I am aware that diesel fuel has changed in recent years & part of the problem may be that many older diesel engines (not just in locomotives, road vehicles also) were never designed to run on todays fuel.

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Whilst waiting alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal for Bahamas last Saturday a guy came along walking his dog.  The sight of Bahamas in full cry sent him apoplectic.  For him it was nothing short of an assault on the environment!  “No wonder the planet’s facing catastrophic climate change when things like that are allowed to pollute the atmosphere” he raged along with many other adverse comments.


For once I was speechless, but on reflection I should have pointed out that the tens of thousands of miles covered by diesel trains daily in this country (because the climate-obsessed government won’t electrify the railways) do far more environmental damage than the occasional steam-hauled jaunt from Paddington to Somerset.  Plus, of course, almost all that was being thrown skyward by Bahamas was nothing worse than water-vapour and no more environmentally damaging than the contents of the adjacent canal – possibly less!

 

Today's WNXX news page features pictures of 66004 which has been modified to run on a more environmentally friendly fuel (and painted green to match) emitting a cloud of clag that would embarrass a veteran ALCo!  Progress... ?

 

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47 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

Whilst waiting alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal for Bahamas last Saturday a guy came along walking his dog.  The sight of Bahamas in full cry sent him apoplectic.  For him it was nothing short of an assault on the environment!  “No wonder the planet’s facing catastrophic climate change when things like that are allowed to pollute the atmosphere” he raged along with many other adverse comments.


For once I was speechless, but on reflection I should have pointed out that the tens of thousands of miles covered by diesel trains daily in this country (because the climate-obsessed government won’t electrify the railways) do far more environmental damage than the occasional steam-hauled jaunt from Paddington to Somerset.  Plus, of course, almost all that was being thrown skyward by Bahamas was nothing worse than water-vapour and no more environmentally damaging than the contents of the adjacent canal – possibly less!

 

Today's WNXX news page features pictures of 66004 which has been modified to run on a more environmentally friendly fuel (and painted green to match) emitting a cloud of clag that would embarrass a veteran ALCo!  Progress... ?

 

 

You should have given him a practical demonstration of what was being emitted from the exhaust by pushing him into the canal!

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As the thread has already drifted to include steam locomotives I have to say that watching recent videos of steam locomotives returning to the main lines I'm impressed by how clean burning the exhausts are - plenty of white vapour (which of course is what clouds in the sky sonsist of & is harmless) & very little sign of unburnt fuel.

 

Cue the enevitable example of a "kettle" upsetting the Greta's from an oil burner fan 1, 2, 3.............

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Heritage activities are unlikely to be affected, other than by the massive reduction in demand for diesel pushing the prices up as it becomes less economic to refine (The same goes for digging coal up).

 

Steam or diesel, it's such a tiny drop in the ocean that by the time the emissions are enough to be worth counting the problem will have been solved anyway.

 

Incidentally, most of that smoke from the 50 is unburnt fuel, so whilst it's not good to stand in it, it isn't carbon dioxide. The same with the black puffs that you see when Sulzer turbos spool up, that's soot and unburnt fuel. They're producing just as much or more CO2 when the exhaust appears clean.

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On 31/07/2021 at 10:36, SamThomas said:

Please excuse the tongue in cheek title,

 

No, I won't excuse it. You intend it to be provocative which results in the inevitable. You are earning a bit of a poor reputation with a number of people. Next step is the moderation queue if this carries on. 

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