WhyNot?

TURBO TRAINS

Category: Environment
Responses: 4 (1 in support, 1 neutral, 2 in opposition)
Number of views: 1264
Tracking: Track this idea
Community Rating:Weak WeakYour Rating:

TURBO TRAINS

Trains are the heaviest, largest, cheapest and most eco friendly of all transport mediums.

I have an idea where they can be even more useful and friendly to us.

I wish to turn them into GIANT MOBILE TURBINES.

Its very easy, scientifically simple and technologically possible.

Why I say so is that this transport medium has all the required ingredients like their size, weight, momentum, almost friction free wheel drive and fast tracks movement. Moreover, they are on the run all the time. Hence, its easy to imagine how much energy these heavy-weight champions can generate on global basis.

You do not have to develop any new technology or devices. Just you have to do is to attach the turbine boggie to the train--<PRODUCTION FACTORY>-- and wire the whole train track--<SUPPLY LINE>-- and start generating electricity.

Simple ! Isn't it?

The idea is very simple, when the train reaches a particular speed the turbine/turbines are automatically attached with the wheels and thats all.

The power house is <ON>.

Simple! Isn't it?

For smaller or slower trains a small turbine is attached to each wheel and for faster or heavier trains all the wheels of a coach are attached to a bigger turbine. In both cases, each coach is an independent transport medium and a mobile power generating factory.

Both at the same time.

This idea can be extremely usefull specially in developing countries and specifically for remote areas. Poor countries lack funds on both accounts 1.to generate and supply electricy ( in a traditional way) 2. to modernize and expand transport network.

Therefore, most of the poor population of the world will have to wait for years to avail these two birth rights. Its all because of the nature of both these projects which are large, require heavy investment and are time consuming.

In this case a mobile <wholesale supply power house> is built on the train and a <reciving and retail power house> nearby local railway station. The whole generated power is supplied to local power house and the distribution operation takes place from there to nearby towns and villages.

In this way, to produce more energy, we are not only utilizing the existing capacity of infrastructure but also posess the possibilty to multiply it just by running more trains on existing tracks. Simultaneously, by starting to build more tracks by diverting the ENERGY PROJECT FUNDS like dams, windmills etc. to development of larger rail network, we are not only going to deliver the much needed energy but a better, cheaper, eco friendly transport facility to more and more poor people of the world.

By reaching out to places not yet reached by railways and delivering them both, the most convenient way to attach with the rest of the world as well as <luxury of electricity> we can revolutionize their life.They get a wonder-tool to revolutionize their style of farming, cottage industry and other means of living. At the same time we are offering them the opportunity to sell their merchandise at much better prices by allowing them to directly approach to central market places.

I think, as on date, this is the best,cheapest and most eco friendly way to revolutionize the transport and energy sector.

Would love to hear your views.

Naresh Ahuja, Jan 20 2007

What do you think of this idea or comment?
(You can change your vote at any time)

agree I agree no opinion No opinion disagree I disagree

Users who liked this idea also liked:

Aerial pictures in flight (218 votes) Very strong
Elevator DeSelect (161 votes) Very strong
Airport charity (148 votes) Very strong
Ziploc chip bags (104 votes) Very strong
Key Number (43 votes) Very strong
worst rated ideas (69 votes) Very strong
how to get rid of loose coins. (32 votes) Very strong
Jury Duty: Let Us Choose When (33 votes) Very strong
Find My Cell Phone (31 votes) Very strong
Finding a parking space (22 votes) Very strong

Other ideas in category (Environment):

Control our environment (1 votes) Average
EcoDriver (1 votes) Average
Lightning power (3 votes) Average
solar powerd airship (3 votes) Average
Hanging Home (2 votes) Average
Solar driven car air con (4 votes) Average
Floating Farms (4 votes) Average
Farming Subsidies: Organic (9 votes) Average
The rising sea (7 votes) Strong
Tide Energy (1 votes) Average
architecture retrogreening (2 votes) Average
Free Home Energy Upgrade (0 votes) Very weak
Fight Hurricanes With Flour (2 votes) Average
NO FREE PAPERS Yard Sign (4 votes) Average
Prepare now for climate change (2 votes) Average
Herd Fish to save Chesapeake (1 votes) Average
clean sewage (1 votes) Average
Traffic Light Advisory Sign (3 votes) Average
Chuck Foreign Language Bumf (1 votes) Average
greener airlines (3 votes) Average
low cost Power Generator (2 votes) Average
Stealth Windmills (4 votes) Average
Wind Generator Funnel Mod (5 votes) Average
Endangered plants (2 votes) Average
Desalination plant salt (2 votes) Average
Brake Generator (2 votes) Average
Squirrel Energy (3 votes) Weak
Roadway Energy (2 votes) Average
Tracker Ball Road (4 votes) Weak
No Drip Gas Pump (7 votes) Average
Eco+paintball= seedball (4 votes) Average
is fossil fuel really gone (2 votes) Average
Throw stones at the greenhouse (4 votes) Weak
Atmosphereic Energy Battery (1 votes) Average
Electrical outgoing tracker (2 votes) Average
CLEAN DEPOT (1 votes) Average
Replace power poles (1 votes) Average
Cold boiling for night solar (1 votes) Average
cheap solar mills (2 votes) Average
SnowMelters (2 votes) Average
Energy Crops in median (2 votes) Average
Fish for Global Cooling (5 votes) Average
Loans for renewable projects (1 votes) Average
methane gas recovery (1 votes) Average
Fluorescent plants (3 votes) Weak
Solar Panels + Thermocouplers (1 votes) Average
Solid copper wire (3 votes) Weak
plastic bag rope (1 votes) Average
Hot/Cold Paint (9 votes) Strong
a better woodstove (6 votes) Average
cleaning oil spills on water ! (1 votes) Average
Outboard motor shroud (1 votes) Average
EWS pop up (2 votes) Average
Moon as solar cell (3 votes) Average
High volume Solar Still (2 votes) Average
Free energy (1 votes) Average
Plastic trash recycle (1 votes) Average
How To Discourage Food Waste (3 votes) Average
Benches with rotating seats (3 votes) Average
self powered generator (6 votes) Weak
Hurricane Shutters (4 votes) Average
Cheap room insulators (5 votes) Weak
Vehicle Energy Plan (2 votes) Average
Pay Trash Removal By The Pound (2 votes) Average
river-mills (1 votes) Average
Global Roll Call (2 votes) Average
Polar cities for survivors (1 votes) Average
Devastating Meteor Contingency (4 votes) Weak
Climate change?A BLESSING (5 votes) Weak
Individual use solar panels (2 votes) Average
Waterproofing roads (2 votes) Average
perpetual motion does exist (7 votes) Weak
Creating A Carbon Economy (1 votes) Average
TRUCKS WITH MAIL BAGS (3 votes) Weak
Power generation (2 votes) Average
Sailing ships (3 votes) Average
TURBO TRAINS (4 votes) Weak
Sure way to end Junk Mail (1 votes) Average
GoogleEarth vehicle range (2 votes) Average
Shark detector device - beach (1 votes) Average
Easy Battery Recycling (5 votes) Average
Pre-programmed car trip (0 votes) Very weak
Fighting back on postal spam (1 votes) Average
Home Water recycling (1 votes) Average
Energy Recovery System (1 votes) Average
Smart power adapters (1 votes) Average
non profit electricity company (2 votes) Average
Flood & Drought Balance (3 votes) Weak
Less shopping bags (2 votes) Average
bagging up sh#t (4 votes) Weak
rotation of earth power (3 votes) Weak
Create energy at the gym (5 votes) Strong
Artificial Photosynthesis (2 votes) Average
Bio degradable plastic (4 votes) Average
CFL's & other hazardous waste (5 votes) Average
Solar power & mirrors (4 votes) Average
Ludicrous new transport system (3 votes) Weak
Shopping bags (2 votes) Average
RFID Jammer and Disabler (6 votes) Strong
Earthship Homes (1 votes) Average
Create Great Photo Slideshow (1 votes) Average
watching cartoon in subway (3 votes) Average
Mudslides (3 votes) Average
GPS Bus Door Bell (3 votes) Average
Traffic Solution? (6 votes) Strong
Hurricane/tornado-proof bldgs (1 votes) Average
Hurricane/tornado-proof bldgs (1 votes) Average
Smart Roads and highways (1 votes) Average
Wind Turbines in Big Cities (3 votes) Average
electricity from lightening (3 votes) Average
Conserving Sound Energy (2 votes) Average
Air as a soruce of energy (2 votes) Average
Food Producing (2 votes) Average
Charging the unchargeable (2 votes) Average
Half-size Newspapers (5 votes) Weak
Plant radiation detection (1 votes) Average
Emergency levy plug (1 votes) Weak
charitable self-taxation (4 votes) Average
Locust plagues (6 votes) Strong
Comments from other members:

Add your comment

Here we go again. The power of the train comes from the system that makes it go, usually a diesel engine. If you draw power from the train's motion, that power will have to be replaced by the engine to keep the train moving. All the power will ultimately be supplied by the fuel. You will get no more power this way than if you used the fuel to generate the electricity directly. Actually, due to efficiency issues, you'll get more energy if you use the fuel to power a generator directly. People have rehashed this concept over and over with the "car wind turbine" idea.

Dwane Anderson, Jan 20 2007

BTW, I think you may be confusing "turbine" and "generator." A turbine converts the energy of a moving fluid into rotational mechanical energy. A generator converts rotational mechanical energy into electricity. Thus, wind turbines, water turbines and steam turbines are used to turn generators to make electricity.

Dwane Anderson, Jan 20 2007

Although, some usefull energy could be harnessed, it is correct in saying there is lots of energy there.

The energy to harness, logically, is only really available in the braking. By replacing the brakes to some extent with a generator system you can make use of what is potentialy quite a lot of energy which would be otherwise wasted.

But, i'm sorry, i'm really starting to dislike the numerous "lets turn a vehicle into a generator", their built for transportation purpose, they are generally not efficient enough to create electricity effectively.

Creo, Jan 29 2007

Re-design all the railroads so that all trains run down-hill. They won't need engines - just regenerative brakes, which will provide vast amounts of energy.

Belmont, Oct 25 2007

I think the name 'turbo trains' is misleading, when they mean 'power generating trains'. There was a turbine train, and apparently will be again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_turbine-electric_locomotive

This idea does make me think of the English engineer Isanbard Brunel that invented the 'atmospheric pressure' drive--essentially, he put a big continuous cylinder down the center of every track, with an opening seal on the top edge. The 'engines' were stationary along the track--they operated large vacuum pumps and the train held a piston in the cylinder. Essentially, the train was 'sucked' down the track. The logic was you didn't have to carry the weight of the engine or the fuel, so you could be more efficient. Also, didn't need to pump downhills. Traction uphills was independant of wheels, so they were great hillclimbers. Unfortuately, the train schedules were unpredictable, so they ended up with the engine-pumps running for too long while waiting for late trains, so it used more fuel. Still, good idea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_railway

hrench, Feb 29 2008