I recall paying 4.50 for desiel before and after 9-11 at times with no cutback in weekly average mileage. The company I was with kept it rolling. Particularly with the million plus dollar value loads we had at the time. 300 gallons and gone twice a week and the cost be damned.
The real question is what is it going to take to actually hurt the USA and everyone short of physically running out of the stuff. 200 dollar a barrel oil? You tell me.
Now I understand that our Continentail shelf holds promise and with the new Super Deep drilling being developed at sea we might have a shot at actually drilling for and selling at a profit oil that was previously too expensive to get to in our waters.
Just to note some contradictions here, there's complaining of oil companies gouging and that's the problem, not supply and demand. Then there's complaining about people driving big vehicles which consume more fuel. If supply and demand is not a problem, then big vehicles shouldn't be a problem. Some of us need those big vehicles for our work.
Considering how it is in other parts of the world, we should be greatful to be talking about how oil prices effect the cost of our little plastic trains. Personnally, that makes me feel lucky. And ,no, i'm not one of the rich ones.....
Okay I will spin this towards trains. Union Pacific's steam locomotives burn oil. Now not sure but I thought Lynn Nystrom was quoted as saying they take the oil from diesels when they change those locomotives oil and then filter it mix it with a little diesel gas and burn it in the steam engines. Not sure if they store it up in Wyoming or how much they have but I would imagine they use whatever oil company is nearyby depending on how far from home they are.
Cotton Belt's 819 down in Pine Bluff uses Oil waste in the tender. Im not precisely sure of the exact sources of this oil but hearsay indicates that motor oil from local auto shops find it's way to the tender among other items.
Personally I dont have an issue with it at all as long there is physically fuel availible at the gas station.
My wife recently spoke with a family member in Alaska and he indicates he is using about 500 dollars worth of oil montlhy just to stay warm in the winter up there with no break in sight. Im not one of the rich ones either but we have done as much as we could to bunker down and get ready. The good times these last 10 years could not last.
Falls Valley RR wrote: My wife recently spoke with a family member in Alaska and he indicates he is using about 500 dollars worth of oil montlhy just to stay warm in the winter up there with no break in sight. Im not one of the rich ones either but we have done as much as we could to bunker down and get ready. The good times these last 10 years could not last.
This is the reason that I'm glad I'm burning wood. I use wood for about 500$ every two years.
If we are going to see all of these things positive I think this will have a great bonus for train traffic. With the prices rising for individual transportation maybe rail traffic will have renaissance. Here in Sweden pretty much all passenger trains are electrified sot hey are not effected to much by this. There is of course an increase in electricity costs as well but still, trains don't use much.
There is actually a train that runs in northern Sweden that according to a norwegian newspaper article produces as much electricity going downhill as it uses up going back. Now there is the future. It's called the IORE.
Magnus
My favorite thinking is having the utility allow backwards metering and outfit the roof with solar and feed back into the National Grid any unused electricity.
If every home in the USA could do that.. I bet our energy use will drop a bit. And maybe make a dollar to boot.
I locking this thread because (A) it is, for the most part, off topic and (B) most likely going to veer off into some type of political debate before too long (trust me, experience tells me this).
Now, can we get back on the topic of model railroading and try to sprinkle a little sunshine around this place?
Bergie