4 ms·
It's not the engine that makes difference. Internal combustion engines don't vary by orders of magnitude in efficiency. It's less friction, higher scale and con
by raquo 17y ago
It's not the engine that makes difference. Internal combustion engines don't vary by orders of magnitude in efficiency. It's less friction, higher scale and constant speed that make trains more efficient. Diesel or electrical, does not matter. They spend less energy per ton per mile.
// I'm not entirely sure that what I said is 100% truth, so take it with a grain of salt.
- tocomment 17y agoThere should be a lot of things that make trains more efficient. Here are some of my guesses: Hard tracks and wheels = less rolling friction? Less air resistance since one leading car breaks the air for 100+ other cars? Engine can run at a constant speed Less changes in speed Less starts and stops Slower acceleration
- potatolicious 17y agoDramatically less labor per ton hauled also - how many employees are on a freight train pulling 100 cars? vs. how many drivers in 100 semis?