Recent content by hwl

Given the delivery time periods being discussed e.g. Scotrail BEMUs in 5 years time, GWR kicked into the long grass, Transpennine gone very quiet and slow Northern unit delivery, the delivery rate isn't that high so most OEMs bidding could theoretically win all the orders and still deliver. The...

At Lewes using the lifting chains were the easiest way to get around coupler incompatibility issues, the EMU cars weren't being lifted, this is the only drag geometry available with the cranes with the vehicles being towed don't have the standard locomotive / freight screwlink couplers...

Gas prices are high everywhere in western Europe (outside Norway) hence lots of incentive to go for anything but gas if possible. Renewable usage in the GB is being curtailed currently due to insufficient grid capability. The high prices in GB last week were despite having an additional AGR back...

Agreed and they should probably get all their material for public release to be checked by an engineer first to avoid any raised eyebrows!

And so can the people of Belgium and Netherlands who also normally import from France who we are exporting to instead.

French nuclear output is down because of cooling issues so the norms are out the window.

About 2.2 million litres on the train on total so circa 20% lost to fire or spillage.

The pics are of the vehicle that remained upright...

Agreed, leading vehicle of the 387304

One thought: Public faith in official advice/policies to "wait in place" in many circumstances may have been damaged by how it didn't work at Grenfell Tower, so are people more likely to make their own onward travel arrangements when nothing appears to happen for several hours?

This should be the default approach everywhere, even <2 miles outside Oxenhome / Twyford / Greenford (e.g. till you get to the first problems structure would solve many challenges.) THe issue with 3rd rail is (existing) power supplies being maxed out in some places so there isn't even the head...

You are already far further along than most lay people especially given what you say next... If you get the route characteristics, battery sizing and chose the wrong battery technology/chemistry etc. then you might be doing 6 battery replacements in working life. If you do it right focusing on...

[As someone who has done lots of rail battery and wider regen performance modelling professionally in multiple countries, but I haven't been involved with Scotrail BEMU work] It is probably worth pointing out the regen energy wherever it goes (either to OHLE (or 3rd rail) or battery) is usually...

No that was 1 unit that got modifed ~ a decade ago for a trial (I forget what for, but the unit was chose becasue it had been involved in an incident shortly before hand)

There is a wonderful French phrase for this situation "pour encourager les autres", they have long history of just making a visible example that is close enough to others that the others then do the right thing on their own with out further prodding. (Then there is also a suitable casestudy if...