On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:04:52 +0000
David Cantrell wrote:
On Thu, Dec 06, 2012 at 10:12:07AM +0000, d wrote:
And its really not that hard to fit trains with some brushes and de-icing
fluid to keep the 3rd rails clear
Have you done any sums to figure out how much de-icing fluid would be
needed? And have you ever tried clearing ice off your car's windows
with just a brush? No, you need rather more than just a brush.
If I was brushing it all night it wouldn't frost up in the first place.
and if it really becomes a problem I can't
see why they couldn't just cover the 3rd rails and use a US style slat
contact
instead of shoes. I suspect a lot cheaper than converting to overhead.
So you want to modify all the trains, all the track, and all the
lineside equipment that the modified trains will now bash into? Yeah,
that'll be cheap.
Why would anything need to be modified other than the pickups? Instead of a
shoe sitting on the rail you have a slat poking out onto it. Nothing else
apart from the 3rd rail cover would be needed and until they put that on
then trains with old style shoes and trains with slats could interoperate.
ITYF it'd be a damn site cheaper then erecting catenary throughout the
southeast, adding transformers and pantographs to 3rd rail stock and binning
the ones that can't be converted. And thats before the problem of bridge
and tunnel clearances raises it ugly head.
B2003