Castle Aching

[TurboSnail]

1 hour ago, sem34090 said:

Steam locomotives... those things that produce mostly steam, with intermittent smoke? Not like these diesels which produce toxic fumes at all times...

 

Both run on various forms of dinosaur power though. My mind has immediately started thinking about some kind of third-rail system powering an enormous kettle in the place of a firebox...

[Nearholmer]

It’s been done, in both real and model form, although the real ones took their juice from the overhead line.

 

Grossly inefficient, but all conventional reciprocating steam locos are, the inefficiency manifesting itself as heat, steam, smoke, noise, and general romanticness. Efficient locos, electric ones, just hum, whine, and whoosh, in an understated sort of way, and even those noises betray their minor inefficiencies.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Annie]

2 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

It’s been done, in both real and model form, although the real ones took their juice from the overhead line.

 

Grossly inefficient, but all conventional reciprocating steam locos are, the inefficiency manifesting itself as heat, steam, smoke, noise, and general romanticness. Efficient locos, electric ones, just hum, whine, and whoosh, in an understated sort of way, and even those noises betray their minor inefficiencies.

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Annie
added a picture

[Donw]

Ah thermodynamics heat engines the canrno cycle and all that stuff. If I remember correctly even the theoretical heat engine cycle cannot be 100% efficient and the  best are not up to the theoretical cycle.  however to be fair to Steam engines the electric motors were not available and neither were the generating stations when steam was a revolutionary wonder power. I think the Volks Railway was the first public electric railway in 1883. I would have been surprised if it could have been adapted for the mainline railways at that stage.

Of course the issue with electricity is the inefficiencies in the generating . Renewables are probably not that efficient  Wind turbines cannot run with no wind or too much. Solar panels would need to be tracking the sun for maximum efficiency. The difference of course is the energy source is free. It matters not what proportion of the energy is captured. Nuclear often has a different problem it runs best producing a continuous supply hence it is favoured to met the base load.  If you live near a fast flowing river water is a great renewable source until of course the is an excess of water which can cause a lot of problems.

I saw something the other day about an experimental modern sailing ship which would not need any fossil fuels. It may have some practical use. One of the most efficient machines in my mind is the byicycle, not possibly in engineering terms of work input to output, but the fact that you can go a lot further on a bike that you can walking for the same effort particularly in flattish areas.

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

A decent rider is about 25% efficient at converting energy intake into work done, which is actually very respectable when compared with other engines.

 

The main limitation of cycling is that “engine power” is pretty limited. A red-hot super-cyclist might have an hourly rating of  over 400W, a good club cyclist c300W, and I know that as a regular, but by no means super-fit, cyclist I have an hourly rating c150W, and a  continuous (until I have to refuel after 90-120 minutes) rating of maybe 100W. The typical figure cited for easy leisure cycling is 60W.

 

So, by the time the rider has heaved themself and their bike along, there isn’t much spare power to move any load at a decent speed, which is why when you see third-world cyclists pulling vast amounts of stuff along, they will be going really very slowly indeed.

 

But, for simply self and a bit of shopping, you can’t beat a bike ....... until the hills get long and steep!

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Compound2632]

3 hours ago, TurboSnail said:

 

Both run on various forms of dinosaur power though. 

 

 

When George Stephenson was asked what made his locomotives go, he is said to have replied, "sunlight".

[nick_bastable]

 

 

DOTD  been far to much Railway content recently

 

Nick

[wagonman]

I'd show you a picture of our local ditch, but someone was found dead in it a few years back...

 

 

 

[Hroth]

4 hours ago, Annie said:

 

Electric kettles!

 

Wheeeee!!!!!

 

[Donw]

4 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

A decent rider powering a decent bike is about 25% efficient at converting energy intake into work done, which is actually very respectable when compared with other engines.

 

The main limitation of cycling is that “engine power” is pretty limited. A red-hot super-cyclist might have an hourly rating of  over 400W, a good club cyclist c300W, and I know that as a regular, but by no means super-fit, cyclist I have an hourly rating c150W, and a  continuous (until I have to refuel after 90-120 minutes) rating of maybe 100W. The typical figure cited for easy leisure cycling is 60W.

 

So, by the time the rider has heaved themself and their bike along, there isn’t much spare power to move any load at a decent speed, which is why when you see third-world cyclists pulling vast amounts of stuff along, they will be going really very slowly indeed.

 

But, for simply self and a bit of shopping, you can’t beat a bike ....... until the hills get long and steep!

 

 

I was thinking more that a journey say of 4 or 5 miles to work  wouldn't be much on a bike but walk it and you would probably want a rest when you arrive.  As you say a bit of shopping no problem. If you live and work in the same town the bike is very practical. If life was arranged along those lines it would be much better.

 

Don

[Andy Hayter]

5 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

 

But, for simply self and a bit of shopping, you can’t beat a bike ....... until the hills get long and steep!

 

 

 

 

Well I think that applies to us.  Nearest supermarket is 11km away - so already a 22km round trip and a bit of a slog back with the shopping.  The nearest supermarket is also 600m lower down than us - a nice easy ride down and a nightmare back up fully loaded.

 

I will stick with the car until they install a bus service.

[Nearholmer]

But, you live in France, the cycling capital of the universe; surely, everyone is required to be able to cycle up 1:18 from dawn 'til dusk, with only a croissant and a bowl of coffee for sustenance.

[Andy Hayter]

You're right.  BUT the coffee and the croissant are only available in the valley and I have breakfast at the top of our little mountain. 

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

The typical figure cited for easy leisure cycling is 60W.

I generally manage about that during my occasional half hour on the exercise bike but it doesn't always feel like easy leisure cycling.

[runs as required]

Apologies  for this post being relevant to to about 8 pages back (but probably not at all to pre Grouping )

I found yesterday that my (just 15) granddaughter had dicked off school in Newcastle to attend the Climate protest, had made her own placard, been near the front of the march and that a classmate friend  had been one of the speakers in Eldon Square.

She reported the she had been puzzled by one, much photographed placard proclaiming:

Quote

 

DIET CHANGE

NOT CLIMATE CHANGE

EAT THE RICH

 

!!

dh

[Compound2632]

DIET CHANGE

NOT CLIMATE CHANGE

EAT THE RICH

Not a solution. Not enough of them to go round.

[corneliuslundie]

But they are too rich. They would give (a few of) us terrible indigestion.

I saw the procession through Newtown and afterwards regretted not joining it to show my support.

In my more recent experience a bicycle is something  you push slowly uphill and ride down in a fraction of the time. So here in mid Wales one spends about 10% of a cycle trip actually riding the bike. I still enjoy it, though.

Jonathan

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, runs as required said:

Apologies  for this post being relevant to to about 8 pages back (but probably not at all to pre Grouping )

I found yesterday that my (just 15) granddaughter had dicked off school in Newcastle to attend the Climate protest, had made her own placard, been near the front of the march and that a classmate friend  had been one of the speakers in Eldon Square.

She reported the she had been puzzled by one, much photographed placard proclaiming:

!!

dh

Try the Diet of Worms.

[Nearholmer]

New political insult coined.

 

 

[St Enodoc]

1 minute ago, Nearholmer said:

New political insult coined.

 

 

Almost but not quite:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witch_Queen_of_New_Orleans#/media/File:Witch_Queen_of_New_Orleans_-Redbone.jpg

[Compound2632]

7 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Try the Diet of Worms.

 

That was an Imperial Diet. Martin Luther suffered from chronic indigestion.

[Annie]

Until I had to finally give up cycling due to narcolepsy I used a bicycle almost exclusively to get around the rural town where I now live.  In the time it took for neighbours to mess about trying to find a place to park their car handy to the shops I would have done my shopping and be back home again.  For heavier loads I had my Hercules tricycle, but I cheated a little with that since it had a 250 watt electric 'helper motor' installed.  I loved cycling and I loved my collection of interesting 50 + year old bicycles, but unfortunately I can't do that anymore 

[Donw]

1 hour ago, Annie said:

Until I had to finally give up cycling due to narcolepsy I used a bicycle almost exclusively to get around the rural town where I now live.  In the time it took for neighbours to mess about trying to find a place to park their car handy to the shops I would have done my shopping and be back home again.  For heavier loads I had my Hercules tricycle, but I cheated a little with that since it had a 250 watt electric 'helper motor' installed.  I loved cycling and I loved my collection of interesting 50 + year old bicycles, but unfortunately I can't do that anymore 

 

That would be a much better model for the world . Now if the climate change protesters were to ask for town and city streets to be cleared of vehicles to make it safer for walkers and cyclists that would be something.

 

Don

[Northroader]

At Old Oak Common, on the retaining wall that’s stopping the Regents Park Canal from flooding out the fifty odd nice new TfL sets waiting patiently for Crossrail to be completed, there’s a piece of graffiti “Eat da rich”. I’m afraid that I’ve gone off the climate change protesters, one of the leading lights is an anarchist who has the aim of overthrowing capitalism.

[Compound2632]

45 minutes ago, Northroader said:

 I’m afraid that I’ve gone off the climate change protesters, one of the leading lights is an anarchist who has the aim of overthrowing capitalism.

 

One could make the case that an effect of climate change will be the collapse of capitalism anyway.

 

On a marginally less dreadful note, and closer to the WNR, my ongoing trawl through the BoT Accident Reports turned up one on the Eastern & Midlands Railway at Martham in 1884. A mere derailment, the villain of the piece being an overloaded Midland ex-private owner coal wagon - or as Maj. Marindin described it, "bought by the company from some trader, and no record exists of the date when it was built." 

 

The head of the train was made up of seven loaded Eastern & Midlands wagons, all dumb-buffered. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that WNR wagons at this date were also dumb-buffered, even though most railway company construction had been sprung-buffered for at least a decade before.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Compound2632