No, I’m opposed to grandstanding. I work for a state EPA - your state EPA, in fact. Emission reductions/eliminations are great. But in the words of Monty Python, “Get on with it!!!”.
1 Like
Progress only happens with innovation and allowing experimentation. There are always a lot of failures in the beginning and many naysayers including some with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
1 Like
I’m glad you edited that because I was scratching my head. But you need real world testing, and the only way to do that is to test them in the real world.
Like the gensets. I could write a long post…
1 Like
Go to the toy train side and you’ll still see that response today.
Who was that trains magazine contributor that always called them “disealsels” or some stupid childish name? Annoying as hell.
1 Like
Doesn’t need to be much longer than not having an actual railroader figure up how to fire up and provide excitation for the prime movers in advance of where the power would be (low-pollutingly) needed. Anything else is icing on the meadow muffin.
When you have dashpots or their electronic equivalent, or some academically-evaluated sort of three-slope control, the you need some way to predict when the added horsepower needs to be on tap. That was never done to my knowledge.
We had the bugs worked out of the SPV2000s by 1988. Of course by then they were a dog with a bad name that nobody wanted… and to be honest without the 8-wheel drive kits their practical use would always be limited.
1 Like
Makes me remember something completely unrelated but in the spirit: Back in the early 90s, when Chevy was discontinuing the caprice, and police departments were being forced into the Crown Vics. Local department decided to buy a pair of GMC Jimmys as patrol trucks. Pretty much unheard of to have a 4x4 SUV as a basic police vehicle (there were some - notably Amtrak and Conrail PD had K5s). But when those wore out, they were replaced by tahoes, and now it’s rare not to see a police SUV.
I’m sure the dep’t took some flak for it, (pre internet days), but honestly, they were ahead of the curve.
I could interest you in a study on lantern design?
The last run of an electric locomotive on the Milwaukee was a switcher. The crews preferred the 55 year old electrics over newer diesels as the response was “right now” with no waiting for the prime mover to load up. It seems to me that properly designed hybrid switcher would well liked with quick response keeping the crews happy and lower fuel consumption with regenerative braking keeping the bean counters happy. The challenge is a battery that will stand up to the mechanical shocks in switching service as well as a long life with the frequent charge/doscharge cycles.
Heaven knows it is long, long overdue.
What I’d do is put this up over on IxDA.org as a call for design ideas. Describe the history of lanterns leading up to what we have, then describe the practical railroader’s various uses and exactly why the design accomplished the ‘interaction design’ so poorly.
It would be interesting to see the results of the brainstorming, let alone some of the developed designs.
We could even 3D-prototype some examples and try them out…
1 Like
In those days the media, such as existed, did down play the new fangled machines. In real world use under real world conditions the new machines out performed their predecessors and save on the costs of operation besides.
Marketing sells the sizzle of the stake, the cow provides the raw material and the Chef creates the finished product - the customers do the tasting and product evaluation.
Sir, you overestimate how much I care. And really overestimate my abilities. I’m more about anecdotes.
Besides, any design I make would be claimed by my employers. Besides, lantern would take a back seat to my idea of a stick so I can turn on my wipers without having to stand up every time.
Did I ever ell you how much I hate modern lack of ergonomics or practicality in modern industrial design? Don’t get me started on sharp edges.
The well-planned ones did – Dilworth’s Fs and Geeps. Mismarketed crap like the BL2… not so much. Nearly ALL the first-generation alternatives – really not so much. Big steam after 1947 was just an even more enormous soft target.
The future of battery-electric locomotives outside niche markets (in which predecessors have already failed in somewhat amusingly predictable ways) is as part of a properly implemented hybrid consist. It’s much more likely than not to become an Edsel boondoggle otherwise… much in the way the F125 Spirits have become on the diesel-electric side.
Better ergonomics and better computer assistance will be essential parts of making proper hybrid operation (including punctuated electrification’ practical.
1 Like
Then there’s these: Haven’t seen one in the wild yet.
Make the stick multiple telescoping sections, like an antenna, with a drive to throw it to length when required. We’ll need a suitable device to engage the wiper control and turn it.
Why not a wireless rechargeable-battery device that goes over the wiper control, perhaps with a magnetic-chuck base, once you’re on the road? Small handheld device (that can also be magnetically held where desired) works them, and can include simple ways to get interval or ‘mist’ with about the same amount of work and distraction hitting an alerter whisker would…
1 Like
There were many early diesel-electric locomotives that failed badly.
IT’s the angle. Almost need a ratcheting piece.
Can’t have electronic devices per the FRA. Must be manual.
The real question is why can’t we have electric wipers (or bare minimum electrically switched air wipers), with the switch on the (imagine this) CONTROL stand?
Hmmmm. How much force is required? Can the device be electrically-assisted if it is just wired?
1 Like
I think I’ll just stand. Simpler.
You’re right. And if they adopted CANbus for some of the other controls, the remote wiper switch would need only one wire…
What are the best locations on different models of control stand for the switch to go, and how large should it be?
Sorry about the stick. I was a bit slow getting out of bed and thought you were serious for a bit.
1 Like
Gensets had electric wipers. And the knobs were on the control stand. I forget where. Maybe over above the bell.