by philipmartin
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Railroad Forums
Moderators: Komachi, David Benton
philipmartin wrote:Thank you for telling us about England during and shortly after the war years. I suppose that all the European belligerents suffered similarly, although my impression is that Germany got more of a pasting than the UK. I was ten in 1945, in New York, and for me there was no war. Life was normal, just as it is today. We had a little rationing, but that didnt bother me. U-boat commanders appreciated us keeping our shores lit up as normal. We North Americans won't be as lucky next time.Clearly Amtrak and other American railways would benefit by standardising on up to date electrical systems. And for the benefits of world ecology they should phase out the oil driven locomotives and install far more electrics, as was done in the Soviet Union - just to remind Americans that long distance electrification is possible. If the trans-Siberian can be electrified there is no American line where it would be impossible. Moreover if electric lines were much more extensive it would be suitable to phase out trains with separate locomotives and replace them with trains where wheels are powered throughout the whole length of the train. In most European countries locomotives as such are becoming rarer for passenger trains.
I understand that Amtrak was going to upgrade its former PRR electrification to 25kv. So NJ Transit upgraded its former Lackanawa electrification to 25kv, and then Amtrak didn't do it.
David Benton wrote:I can't help but think what a terrible waste war isAbsolutely. I have spent most of the last 35 years living and working in a nation at war, and it is indeed a terrible waste at every level. Violence is still seen by far too many nations, groups and individuals as an acceptable method of resolving difficult problems. That mindset needs to be changed and a great deal more time, energy, thought and resources need to be devoted to exploring nonviolent methods of resolving conflicts, so that violence really does become an exceptional last resort after all other means have been exhausted (which in fact is one of the classic criteria for a "just war" but which is rarely observed).
philipmartin wrote:As for EMUs being the best kind of passenger train, that may be, but personally I rather look at a train with a loco in it somewhere.I definitely think EMUs are better than DMUs, where you get the engine noise and vibration in all (or most) of the vehicles. But it is nice to see a loco at one end of the train!
David Benton wrote:I think the railway modernization plan was made in 1955, which ties in with George's timeline. Or was that Dr.Beeching's infamous plan??? perhaps they were interwoven.Beeching came after. First, British Rail started building and ordering diesels. Actually the very first thing they had done was to build a lot of steam locomotives to new standardised designs. These were to replace the locos worn out during the war when very few new ones had been built. There was an immediate and urgent shortage of power. They then ordered a large number of different types of diesels, many of which proved unsatisfactory. They began planning some electrification, but that went rather slowly. The early electrifications tended to be of lower voltage than the present. I remember the lines from Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street to Southend which had overhead but at a low voltage. Partly I think they were tests of what was possible. Of course the higher voltage electrification needed more modification of overhead bridges and tunnels, whereas the lower voltage could often leave bridges unmodified. Some of the new electrifications were to the Southern third rail system - again to eliminate the steam sections.
Yesterday was ANZAC day (our rememberance day )here, and while I will always honour the men (mostly in those days)that served, and especially those that died, I can't help but think what a terrible waste war is . Aside from the human suffering, the European railways took 15 years to basically get back to where they were before the war. And then the improvements came in the sixties, with high speed (100 - 125 mph )coming in the seventies.