Eight Corvettes swallowed by massive sink hole at National Corvette Museum

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. "Hope the materialist owners of these gas guzzling monsters had lots of insurance"

Last edited Wed Feb 12, 2014, 12:19 PM - Edit history (1)

You know that Joe Biden owns a '67, right?

Joe Biden’s Corvette bummer

a) The cars were, for the most part, owned by the museum.
b) Cars on display in a museum don't burn a lot of gasoline.
c) If we're going to go after every preserved item that was hazardous to the environment when it was in operation, we might as well scrap this while we have the chance:

Buy one; scrap one free:

Someone take my keyboard away, please:

Steam locomotive efficiency? Ha. Make me laugh. I refer you to this post: (Disclaimer: I know this guy.)

Steam & Excursion > LNG/Propane or Kerosene to Power Steam Locomotive

Date: 03/21/12 17:20
Re: Too much heat?
Author: wcamp1472

OK, Crew....

What-on-Earth were you thinking?

Basic locomotive REALITY: 95% of usable heat energy goes up the stack as unused! The energy released in the firebox is measurable in multiplying the (sampled) BTU value of the fuel, multiplied by the quantity consumed (and the rate of consumption).
The effective usable horsepower at the draw-bar (tender's coupler) is also measurable (in draw-bar pull & ground speed).

With modern steam locomotives, the NET usable power is, typically, 5% to 7% of the total heat produced -- and that's at 'short cut-offs' and reasonable speeds. At higher power demands, the loco's conversion of heat into work is even MORE horrible! Imagine buying 8,000 to 12,000 gallons of burnable propane and then wasting 95% of that cost for 'dramatic pictures'. Even Warren Buffet would gag on 95%-investment losses!

Earlier discussions on T/O posts have described the real problem of trying to gasify huge amounts of Propane -- conversion from liquid to gas state.
The tanks absorb immense heat from the atmosphere and become ice-coated, ice clogged. I believe some of Norm Sandly's steam engine creations (Bush Gardens, etc.) burn propane; but, it has limited uses for high HP machines.

So, get off of these dream/hogwash imaginings and deal with what works. Hotwater has explained, ad nauseum, the realities of suitable fuels for oil burners.
At times, HICO had obtained oil-washed coal from the mines ----- NOW!-- talk about HOT, the 759's pops lifted even with one hand-fired scoopful!

All of these desires for 'modernized' (mechanical tinkering and exotic --expensive---fuel possibilities) steam locos is moot, unless you can bring up the HP conversion realities.
Even, today, the infernal combustion engines waste immense amounts of heat, but their ratios are in the 33% to 40% efficiency ranges -- 8 times the poor old steamers!

Enjoy and support (with labor & cash) your local RR preservation resources and admire what our fathers did in operating these 'dinosaurs' -- on a daily basis!

Overfire Jets
(We clear the air!)

It's old and in the way. Destroy the monster. Think of the children.