Afternoon, everyone.
Terry, thanks for that info. I knew there had to be a simple step left out by the Digitrax manual and changing the reverse handle was it. I don't know why they can't get people who write as clearly as you to do manuals.
Chris , weight is an issue with natural gas since you need a lot heavier pressure vessel than using unpressurized gasoline. In theory, if natural gas was adopted as the energy solution, you could just stop by a service station and fill up, but we don't have that kind of infrastructure available and never will unless we get some kind of agreement on a national energy policy.
Barry, natural gas would have a significant price advantage over gasoline once the infrastructure costs were paid off. Right now, we (meaning Canada and the US) are way under producing capacity because of paucity of demand. Natural gas pricing is primarily based on weather, since a cold winter drives up demand. A mild winter kills prices and usage always drops in the summer since only industrial demand remains if home heating isn't needed. By having all vehicles use natural gas as fuel, we can even out the supply/demand curve and producers will have a more reliable way to produce at a profit. A huge advantage for natural gas in vehicles, aside form the pollution reduction and overseas supply issues, is that engines last longer and stay cleaner compared to gasoline. All our patrol cars were natural gas fueled. We found that they lasted about 25,000 miles longer with the same repair costs per mile compared to gasoline. Since NG doesn't have the same energy potential as gasoline, it dropped our top speed in a Crown Vic from about 115 mph to 110 mph but, going any faster is really useless, since a car you can't catch at 110 is unlikely to be caught at 115. Now, if we all drove Ferrari's, that would be a different story, but I doubt the public wants us in 140 mph pursuits. Radios, helicopters, and spike strips work a lot better than playing NASCAR on the freeway.
Hybrid cars are a disaster. As you say, not only are the batteries expensive, but they use up tons of carbon to produce. They contain about 15 toxic chemicals, with lead being the worst. The batteries are all being made overseas, primarily in South Korea, because no North American company wants to take on all the potential future pollution lawsuits. The battery bank weighs far more than a natural gas installation and we have no way to dispose of all the used batteries or recycle them in a non-polluting way. The worst part is we aren't reducing carbon emissions, just transferring them from one source to another. As long as our power plants aren't all run on solar power or windmills, they have to burn more coal to recharge the batteries in hybrids, so the total carbon load from a hybrid is actually worse than a standard gasoline car when you include the battery problem.
Ken, too bad about the coal mismatch but it sounds like you still got something out of going. I just wish we had real trains hows down here more than once a year.
Karl, I know what you'd suggest but the Digitrax has been fine with my dinky layout. If I was starting new, I'd probably be taking a closer look at all the brands, including NCE. Did you notice that the women were way better looking and in better shape than most of the men at the reunion? We went to Dianna's 25th and the men all looked about 10 years older than the women.
Jeffrey, glad to hear the daily fevers are gone. That should be a good sign things are healing without an infection. It is awfully hard to put with being disabled and stuck sitting around the house but you really need to do it until your foot is completely healed. Like I said, I can think of one structure that needs to be built and painted and you can do all that sitting down.
Bob, I'm glad I wasn't around your methane car. The explosive forces must have been quite impressive.
Nothing of note happening here, with just partly cloud skies and mild temperatures. I feel sorry for you guys up north with frost on the pumpkin so early. The weather guessers keep saying we are going to get more rain but I can't see from where. Maybe a better chance tomorrow although I can't see it being the 100% chance the current forecast calls for. Regardless, at least I don't have to get out my parka yet.
No thanks, I continue to burn Gasoline!
Man what a reality Check.....13 years of hardly making enough to......What???? that's it!
