TVT - The Mule with No Name Part 2

[ge_rik]

There does seem to be some sort of snobbery in certain circles, but at the end of the day I believe we all gain our own satisfaction from doing what we enjoy most about our hobby.

I really admire the ingenuity and skill of fellow modellers regardless of their chosen power source. I am equally impressed by those who construct a live steam loco entirely from scratch as I am by someone who creates a battery powered loco from plastic or someone who realistically weathers an off the shelf track powered model.

Incidentally, I came across these figures for the relative thermal efficiency of full scale railway locomotives. Not sure how the figures are calculated, but interesting nonetheless.

Steam typical best circa 12%
Diesel typical best circa 36%
Electric typical best circa 92% (excludes grid transmission losses)

Does make one wonder why successive UK govts keep kicking their heels about electrifying sections of our railways.

Rik

PS Sorry, Graeme, I seem to have drifted your thread somewhat. Your Mule is a prime example of what I admire about fellow modellers capabilities in our hobby