In article <g50ndc$f01$2@leverton.org>, nick@leverton.org (Nick Leverton)
wrote:

> In article ,
> Tom Anderson   wrote:
> >On Tue, 8 Jul 2008, Roland Perry wrote:
> >
> >> In message , at 14:31:28 on Tue, 
> >> 8 Jul 2008, Paul Scott  remarked:
> >>
> >>> and an order for new units for the Stansted Express (although that 
> >>> has gone a little quiet).
> >>
> >> East Midlands news today crowing about a Bombardier order for South 
> >> Africa that they've just started to deliver; also mentioned they 
> >> were building new trains for London "for the Olympics". What line 
> >> are they for (not Crossrail or Javelin, obviously).
> >
> >No, no - they're for the 500 metre train pull.
> 
> This being the DfT's latest plan for how trains should propel
themselves
> in the event of power failure :)

Not exactly. They have no clue how trains should propel themselves in the
event of power failure. They are just specifying it as an essential
requirement in procurement and expecting suppliers to answer the question
for them.

:-)

-- 
Colin Rosenstiel

On Tue, 8 Jul 2008, Colin Rosenstiel wrote:

> In article <g50ndc$f01$2@leverton.org>, nick@leverton.org (Nick Leverton)
> wrote:
>
>> In article ,
>> Tom Anderson   wrote:
>>> On Tue, 8 Jul 2008, Roland Perry wrote:
>>>
>>>> In message , at 14:31:28 on Tue,
>>>> 8 Jul 2008, Paul Scott  remarked:
>>>>
>>>>> and an order for new units for the Stansted Express (although that
>>>>> has gone a little quiet).
>>>>
>>>> East Midlands news today crowing about a Bombardier order for South
>>>> Africa that they've just started to deliver; also mentioned they
>>>> were building new trains for London "for the Olympics". What line
>>>> are they for (not Crossrail or Javelin, obviously).
>>>
>>> No, no - they're for the 500 metre train pull.
>>
>> This being the DfT's latest plan for how trains should propel 
>> themselves in the event of power failure :)
>
> Not exactly. They have no clue how trains should propel themselves in 
> the event of power failure. They are just specifying it as an essential 
> requirement in procurement and expecting suppliers to answer the 
> question for them.

I've just seen the latest update to that specification - apparently, they 
also want a pony.

tom

-- 
secular utopianism is based on a belief in an unstoppable human ability
to make a better world -- Rt Rev Tom Wright

"Roland Perry"  wrote in message 
news:x4L9rtGRjodIFAnZ@perry.co.uk...
> In message , at 
> 23:24:00 on Tue, 8 Jul 2008, Colin Rosenstiel  
> remarked:
>>They have no clue how trains should propel themselves in the
>>event of power failure.
>
> Apparently the plan is to have some trapdoors in the floor, and hope that 
> Fred Flintstone is aboard.

One of Roger Ford's mates suggested a Spearfish Torpedo power pack, running 
on all sorts of 'not very green at all' fuels, but producing 1 MW from a 21" 
diameter tube.

Probably waterproof as well, so you could hang one under each carriage...

OTOH the DfT probably fancy roof mounted solar panels (complete with 
impossible levels of efficiency) and gauge cleared wind generators.

Paul