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Mike, I like a lot of your posts but this whole thread rubs me the wrong way. I just want our transportation modes to be determined primarily by free market economic forces. I think most of what is proposed concerning Amtrak interferes (sp?) with that. I am an engineer. A structural engineer, but I was taught a little about energy, and work and power and so on. One thing that you have to understand is that you don't get something for nothing and that is never more evident than with energy. Regarding nuclear powered steam engines, I like nuclear power, but I don't live where they are likely to dispose of the spent reactor fuel. It is the public perception that will never permit operation of nuclear powered engines. If you think I am wrong thats fine. Go ahead and spend your money trying. Regarding hydrogen powered locomotives, this doesn't sound practical. I haven't done the calculations but I could to determine the amount of energy it takes to liberate the hydrogen atoms from the oxygen in water. I would expect to find that the amount of energy would exceed the energy produced when 'burning' the hydrogen to produce the power in the locomotive. In both the release process and the 'burning' process you have to expect some losses. But, the primary reason I don't look highly at this is because they have other types of 'gas powered' locomotives and they don't use hydrogen in those. Engineers are pretty ingenious and if hydrogen offered real promise, I believe they would have looked at it. I can't take seriously an argument which includes a fundamental theorum that a big oil conspiracy controls all transportation policy in the country. I don't think they could be that powerful. I believe, bottom line, that we use oil because it is the cheapest method of getting the job done. I'm not saying that the oil companies and automobile companies don't exert influence. I'm just saying that if there were promising technologies out there I wouldn't be hearing about them on an obscure internet site discussing things like 'promising news that such and such paint scheme will be used by CSX soon.' I agree that you don't have to be educated to have a good idea, but I think the probabilities go down fast. I hope we all keep thinking, just not thinking that we are smarter than everyone else. - Ed
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