4 ms·

Tractor/trailers, locomotives, heavy construction equipment, ships, and boilers for residential heat don’t run on gasoline. Without diesel, the economy stops.

fy20 4y ago
Locomotives than run on diesel have diesel-electric transmissions - basically the diesel engine acts as a generator, with electricity that turns electric motors. When the UK electrified a lot of its railways in the 1970s, some diesel locomotives were converted so they could run on diesel or electric. If they really wanted, US railroad companies could electrify their tracks in stages, and continue to use their existing rolling stock.
- missedthecue 4y ago
  Electrifying the US rail network sounds like a 20 year project, not an "oh shoot, diesel supply is low, let's switch" project.
  - more_corn 4y ago
    20 years. Your optimism is quaint. The US couldn’t do a major infrastructure project in 20 years if our fat asses depended on it.
  - esarbe 4y ago
    I guess that's why it should have started some 60 years ago.
    - esarbe 4y ago
      You know, like Europe.
      - wrycoder 4y ago
        It appears that German electricity is 45% fossil fuel generated. They keep shutting down their nuclear.
        esarbe 4y ago
        Even an electric train that is being provided with electricity has a better footprint than a train with diesel engines. But yes; unfortunately the Germans keep shutting down their nuclear reactors. There's a lot of education that needs to happen. France on the other hand is almost completely (80% or so?) nuclear and the Swiss have hydro and wind. So there's some wins there.
        Schroedingersat 4y ago
        > But yes; unfortunately the Germans keep shutting down their nuclear reactors. There's a lot of education that needs to happen. They elected a gas stooge who sabotaged wind development. Then went even further right wing. > France on the other hand is almost completely (80% or so?) nuclear 70% and not this year. Over half of it is offline. They at least had the sense to build about 20% renewables which is working fine.
- wrycoder 4y ago
  When the UK electrified 50 years ago, how was the electricity generated? I'm thinking, mostly from coal (67% in 1991). Currently, electricity generation in the UK is 43% renewable (I'm including hydro and "bio-energy"), 16% nuclear, and 40% fossil fuels.[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_Kingdom#Electricity_generation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_Kingdom#E...

fy20 4y ago

Locomotives than run on diesel have diesel-electric transmissions - basically the diesel engine acts as a generator, with electricity that turns electric motors. When the UK electrified a lot of its railways in the 1970s, some diesel locomotives were converted so they could run on diesel or electric. If they really wanted, US railroad companies could electrify their tracks in stages, and continue to use their existing rolling stock.

missedthecue 4y ago
Electrifying the US rail network sounds like a 20 year project, not an "oh shoot, diesel supply is low, let's switch" project.
- more_corn 4y ago
  20 years. Your optimism is quaint. The US couldn’t do a major infrastructure project in 20 years if our fat asses depended on it.
- esarbe 4y ago
  I guess that's why it should have started some 60 years ago.
  - esarbe 4y ago
    You know, like Europe.
    - wrycoder 4y ago
      It appears that German electricity is 45% fossil fuel generated. They keep shutting down their nuclear.
      - esarbe 4y ago
        Even an electric train that is being provided with electricity has a better footprint than a train with diesel engines. But yes; unfortunately the Germans keep shutting down their nuclear reactors. There's a lot of education that needs to happen. France on the other hand is almost completely (80% or so?) nuclear and the Swiss have hydro and wind. So there's some wins there.
        Schroedingersat 4y ago
        > But yes; unfortunately the Germans keep shutting down their nuclear reactors. There's a lot of education that needs to happen. They elected a gas stooge who sabotaged wind development. Then went even further right wing. > France on the other hand is almost completely (80% or so?) nuclear 70% and not this year. Over half of it is offline. They at least had the sense to build about 20% renewables which is working fine.
wrycoder 4y ago
When the UK electrified 50 years ago, how was the electricity generated? I'm thinking, mostly from coal (67% in 1991). Currently, electricity generation in the UK is 43% renewable (I'm including hydro and "bio-energy"), 16% nuclear, and 40% fossil fuels.[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_Kingdom#Electricity_generation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_Kingdom#E...