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The last thing to electrify should be where?

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pemma

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Never ceases to amaze me , lets avoid electrification because its ugly. Regularly travel in Europe and visit Black Forest In Germany at least once a year , all is electrified and you dont even notice to mast. Imagine travelling through the Black Forest in Steam days with all the tunnels and engine working hard you wouldnt see anything but smoke.

The UK currently has 34% of track electrified while Germany has 59% of track electrified. Out of interest do the Germans have plans to electrify much of the 41% of track they haven't already electrified?
 
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Trog

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Given we have the maximum sunshine possible down here in Cornwall I think we should be looking for the world's first solar-powered trains on the branch lines, with sponsorship by the Cornish Tourist Board, and Aidan Turner lookalikes employed to do a bit of scything at the side of the tracks each time a train passes.:lol:

When going through tunnels does the guard climb on the roof and shine his Bardic lamp on the solar panels?
 

krus_aragon

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I'm sorry to have such a boring, straight answer(!) to the OP, but within Wales, the last passenger line to be electrified will surely be the Heart of Wales line. It's the longest non-mainline, and sees the least frequent service. Who'll pay to electrify 90 miles of rural railway that sees only 4 through services each way per day?
 

Busaholic

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When going through tunnels does the guard climb on the roof and shine his Bardic lamp on the solar panels?

All relevant tunnels to be lit up like Times Square thus mimicking sunlight. All trains to consist of 100% observation cars, so may as well incorporate ads in with the neon lights to help pay for it all.
 

Philip Phlopp

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Just to point out that the current F+F system is a DC system making use of dedicated charging equipment onboard the train, and not the 'standard fit' 25kV AC pantograph and transformer. They're working on an AC version, but the DC version has some significant efficiency losses.

It's unlikely that any rapid charge system will be able make use of the standard transformer and pantograph, such is the current issues that come into play charging up batteries over a very short time period.

The pantograph and transformer only come into use when charging up the batteries more slowly, as was the case with the Class 379 demonstrator, when you make use of one of the standard transformer outputs (415V etc) to power a conventional battery charger mounted on the vehicle.

The rapid charger idea though is sound, but the economics are frightening and the real engineering and science task will be to get costs down to a level where they're relatively sensible.
 

QueensCurve

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Snowdon Mountain Railway ?

That would be a good thing. Perhaps they could go for three phase like the Gornergrat Bahn?

matterhorn.jpg.2013-08-11-14-43-10.jpg
 

Mutant Lemming

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That would be a good thing. Perhaps they could go for three phase like the Gornergrat Bahn?

matterhorn.jpg.2013-08-11-14-43-10.jpg

Even if someone were to fund it I think it may well face opposition on aesthetic grounds here though - don't you need a permit to open your picnic basket up on Snowdon ?
 
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