Battery Powered train
Discussion
As title, just set a new record for travelling 200miles on battery power...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2l7ry7zp5po
The story is light on details like the constant speed or if there were any carriages being pulled etc or even how big the batteries are or will be needed to pull a few carriages
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2l7ry7zp5po
The story is light on details like the constant speed or if there were any carriages being pulled etc or even how big the batteries are or will be needed to pull a few carriages
There's one been running in service on Merseyrail in the North West for quite some time.
Not sure it's been massively reliable though lol
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-6...
Not sure it's been massively reliable though lol
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-6...
Saleen836 said:
As title, just set a new record for travelling 200miles on battery power...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2l7ry7zp5po
The story is light on details like the constant speed or if there were any carriages being pulled etc or even how big the batteries are or will be needed to pull a few carriages
The train was 230001, a Class 230 which is a converted former London Underground D78 stock unit. Assuming it wasn't modified for the record run, 230001 is a 3 carriage unit with a top speed of 60 mph. GWR is planning to use this train on the Greenford branch line which is too short and lightly used to justify the expense of electrification. These trains can recharge when the train is stopped at the station but the battery capacity is adequate for it to do multiple trips a day without needing a recharge.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2l7ry7zp5po
The story is light on details like the constant speed or if there were any carriages being pulled etc or even how big the batteries are or will be needed to pull a few carriages
Simpo Two said:
ralphrj said:
GWR is planning to use this train on the Greenford branch line which is too short and lightly used to justify the expense of electrification.
I wonder how much the train cost. Is it really the best answer or some PR virtue signalling?We had a battery train running past here for a bit. I thought about 5 years ago but it was actually 10!
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/batt...
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/batt...
ralphrj said:
Simpo Two said:
ralphrj said:
GWR is planning to use this train on the Greenford branch line which is too short and lightly used to justify the expense of electrification.
I wonder how much the train cost. Is it really the best answer or some PR virtue signalling?rodericb said:
ralphrj said:
Simpo Two said:
ralphrj said:
GWR is planning to use this train on the Greenford branch line which is too short and lightly used to justify the expense of electrification.
I wonder how much the train cost. Is it really the best answer or some PR virtue signalling?rodericb said:
And so it should be cheaper as it's old overhauled stuff - not a new diesel train. How much does it cost to convert these to battery versus diesel electric?
It’s complicated as the trains were initially bought from TFL by Vivarail however they went bust and were bought by GWR. Not sure who owns GWR but I suspect the work has been funded by Dept of Transport and it’s mainly a test bed fir future options.rodericb said:
And so it should be cheaper as it's old overhauled stuff - not a new diesel train. How much does it cost to convert these to battery versus diesel electric?
The diesel versions haven’t exactly been successful. West Midlands trains gave up on theirs, though Transport for Wales seem to have managed to get theirs working https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class...Wonder what the likely limit is for a “real” train, ie something built for the main line and capable of 100mph. Given the plans in Scotland for discontinuous electrification, greater range and faster charging should mean fewer miles of overhead wiring.
Edited by alangla on Monday 25th August 22:54
ashenfie said:
Over head power cables seam to work?
But installing them often involves raising/replacing bridges, lowering track in tunnels and adding new parapets to bridges that have enough clearance. They also need big substations connected to 132kV or higher National Grid lines, all of that is very expensive and becoming more so. A decent battery range means, for example, a train that runs from Manchester Airport to Barrow or Windermere, which is currently a diesel unit but under the wires as far as Carnforth/Oxenholme could instantly be replaced by something electric. Same with, for example, Liverpool to Norwich: battery from the edge of Liverpool to near Manchester, charge up going through to Stockport, battery to Sheffield, maybe some new wires on the section to Nottingham, battery to Grantham, charge up going to Peterborough, battery to Ely, charge, then battery to Norwich. Hundreds of miles of electric running but hardly any new wiring.Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff