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Re: A mental exercise on freight train efficiency
Author: scott
Date: 02-15-2007 - 18:05
I do not like you math. I think you are mixing apples and organes.
You say the each train contains 300 truck loads of fuel. You say that each truck requires 400 hp to pull one truck. If trucks were to pull 300 loads, it would take 120,000 horses (300 trucks loads X 400 horses {one truck} = 120,000 horses)to pull the total of the loads. Now, compare the horse power required by trucks to the horse power required by a train. We already know that it will take 300 trucks to pull 300 loans, unless the loads refer to tank trailer loads. If 300 loans tank trailer loads, we can assume that each truck can pull two tanks. Then the horse power is reduced to 60,000 horses (120,000/2 = 60,000 horses).
Now compare that with the 4 engines that equal 16,000 horses.
The efficiency in this example is in horse power and not in fuel costs or trucks used. Fuel trucks normally do not go from the same point A to same point B to be able to compare horse power efficiency. In the category of efficiency between point A and point B,the competition is between train and pipe line, not truck.
The real efficiency comperison between truck and train is fuel and handling expense between point A and point B. With ethenol becoming very important, point A and point B cost analysis is very important and would tend to favor trains over trucks.
Trains cannot win over fuel truck scheduling and flexibility of time/place delivery. Can you picture a locomotive and a series of tank cars refueling your neighborhood gas station, or going down the expressway to the local delivery tank farm (delivery tank farms in my area are located at the end of pipe lines connected to the refinery) to deliver fuel?
You say the each train contains 300 truck loads of fuel. You say that each truck requires 400 hp to pull one truck. If trucks were to pull 300 loads, it would take 120,000 horses (300 trucks loads X 400 horses {one truck} = 120,000 horses)to pull the total of the loads. Now, compare the horse power required by trucks to the horse power required by a train. We already know that it will take 300 trucks to pull 300 loans, unless the loads refer to tank trailer loads. If 300 loans tank trailer loads, we can assume that each truck can pull two tanks. Then the horse power is reduced to 60,000 horses (120,000/2 = 60,000 horses).
Now compare that with the 4 engines that equal 16,000 horses.
The efficiency in this example is in horse power and not in fuel costs or trucks used. Fuel trucks normally do not go from the same point A to same point B to be able to compare horse power efficiency. In the category of efficiency between point A and point B,the competition is between train and pipe line, not truck.
The real efficiency comperison between truck and train is fuel and handling expense between point A and point B. With ethenol becoming very important, point A and point B cost analysis is very important and would tend to favor trains over trucks.
Trains cannot win over fuel truck scheduling and flexibility of time/place delivery. Can you picture a locomotive and a series of tank cars refueling your neighborhood gas station, or going down the expressway to the local delivery tank farm (delivery tank farms in my area are located at the end of pipe lines connected to the refinery) to deliver fuel?
