The nostalgia for steam trains is all very well and is still an earner of tourist revenue. As an engineer I have to remember that a steam loco is only about 27% efficient. Sorry, but it goes into room 101.
And a car is 28-30%!
Well, that's just the thermal efficiency of the engine running off its tank/bunker. Is there a study of the overall journey efficiency, taking into account construction costs, etc. Even that doesn't account for pollution, accidents, etc.
The nostalgia for steam trains is all very well and is still an earner of tourist revenue. As an engineer I have to remember that a steam loco is only about 27% efficient. Sorry, but it goes into room 101.
And a car is 28-30%!
Well, that's just the thermal efficiency of the engine running off its tank/bunker. Is there a study of the overall journey efficiency, taking into account construction costs, etc. Even that doesn't account for pollution, accidents, etc.
