Railroads - Revision history

Strangelv: Edit about smaller worlds and removing stub tag

2019-04-24T23:26:26Z

Edit about smaller worlds and removing stub tag

Farred: spelling, addition

2013-05-31T04:11:59Z

spelling, addition

Farred: removed nonfunctioning link

2010-02-25T16:48:09Z

removed nonfunctioning link

Farred: added link, improved precision of language

2010-02-25T16:43:35Z

added link, improved precision of language

Farred: /* Bulk Iteration */

2010-02-25T16:29:22Z

Bulk Iteration

Strangelv: /* External Link */ added Lunar Rails board game

2009-09-16T23:28:06Z

External Link: added Lunar Rails board game

Farred: fixing typo

2008-10-21T21:21:16Z

fixing typo

Farred: minor edit

2008-09-15T04:32:13Z

minor edit

Strangelv: Adding new section with items discussed in NSS Space Chat yesterday evening.

2007-09-21T08:07:32Z

Adding new section with items discussed in NSS Space Chat yesterday evening.

Strangelv: /* Types of Railways */ renamed and slightly restructured. More work is needed.

2007-09-21T07:59:53Z

Types of Railways: renamed and slightly restructured. More work is needed.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Railroads are one of best methods of moving materials over landscapes.  In the short run they are expensive to build yet over the long run they prove to be very valuable.  Your other options are to go over the rough or paved surface in a vehicle or to mix your material with a liquid or gas and send it through a pipe.
@@ Line 8: / Line 7: @@
 One solution to this problem is an elevated railroad supported above what the dust can reach. The costs of building elevated railroads and other structures on Luna as compared to Earth are less because of the 1/6 g [[gravity]] on Luna, metals such as [[magnesium]] and [[calcium]] can be used as electrical conductors without corroding, lunar soils provide a firm base, and weathering will not damage the structure so it ought to last a long time.  The costs are greater because of the general difficulty of operating in a vacuum, the necessity for dust control techniques during construction, the radiation environment preventing the direct presence of human laborers for any routine outdoor tasks, the inability to use any fossil fuel burning air breathing engines, and the lack of infrastructure in general on Luna.  This last problem might be reduced until at some future time all desirable infrastructure is available.
-'''Mars'''
+===Mars===
 With such a thin atmosphere and no [[oxygen]], [[Mars]] has essentially the same dynamics as the moon only with more [[gravity]] (better cornering).
-'''Asteroids'''
+===Smaller Worlds and Asteroids===
 ==Cargo Type Iteration Development Model==
 ===Bulk Iteration===
 In the soil of the moon there is metallic nickel iron (as opposed to oxides) that can be collected and is a strategic resource.  At a concentration of only a few kilograms per cubic meter, it makes sense to build a railway to open up new regions once the local soil has been processed.  This need not be a major railway as the amount of material that can be passed over even a model gauge can be hundreds of tons a day. The rails can be made from local iron.  Operating costs would include interest on the capital investment, maintenance and electricity to power the system.
 ===Freight Iteration===
 Once you have a sizable base and need higher volumes of material, you simply leverage the existing facilities to build a larger railway.  Railroads are suitable for automated delivery and could conceivably be launched like carrier pigeons to far off secondary bases.  A lunar railway of about a meter wide would be able to transport virtually any freight.
 ===Passenger Iteration===
 ==Design Issues==
@@ Line 36: / Line 31: @@
 :Vestibulation issue
 :Gauge
 ==Rail System Solutions==
@@ Line 47: / Line 43: @@
 A toothed rail and wheels might be able to provide some additional stability.
@@ Line 73: / Line 68: @@
 ==External Link==
 *[http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6663 Lunar Rails] (board game)
 [[Category:Power Supply]]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 ==Lunar Environment==
-The [[Lunar Soil|Lunar Regolith]] consists of extremely fine crushed rock. This acts like abrasive powder and will [[electrostatically]] adhere to anything in contact with it. Vehicles travelling over the open surface will experience wear at an accelerated rate. Paving a road with dust free materials does not solve the problem because the sunlight will cause the dust to climb up and over structures to about a meter in height.
+The [[Lunar Soil|Lunar Regolith]] consists of extremely fine crushed rock. This acts like abrasive powder and will [[electrostatically]] adhere to anything in contact with it. Vehicles traveling over the open surface will experience wear at an accelerated rate. Paving a road with dust free materials does not solve the problem because the sunlight will cause the dust to climb up and over structures to about a meter in height.
 One solution to this problem is an elevated railroad supported above what the dust can reach. The costs of building elevated railroads and other structures on Luna as compared to Earth are less because of the 1/6 g [[gravity]] on Luna, metals such as [[magnesium]] and [[calcium]] can be used as electrical conductors without corroding, lunar soils provide a firm base, and weathering will not damage the structure so it ought to last a long time.  The costs are greater because of the general difficulty of operating in a vacuum, the necessity for dust control techniques during construction, the radiation environment preventing the direct presence of human laborers for any routine outdoor tasks, the inability to use any fossil fuel burning air breathing engines, and the lack of infrastructure in general on Luna.  This last problem might be reduced until at some future time all desirable infrastructure is available.
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 ===Bulk Iteration===
-In the soil of the moon there is metallic nickel iron (as opposed to oxides) that can be collected and is a strategic resource.  At a concentration of only a few kilograms per cubic meter, it makes sense to build a railway to open up new regions once the local soil has been processed.  This need not be a major railway as the amount of material that can be passed over even a model guage can be hundreds of tons a day. The rails can be made from local iron.  Operating costs would include intrest on the capital investment, maintenance and electricity to power the system.
+In the soil of the moon there is metallic nickel iron (as opposed to oxides) that can be collected and is a strategic resource.  At a concentration of only a few kilograms per cubic meter, it makes sense to build a railway to open up new regions once the local soil has been processed.  This need not be a major railway as the amount of material that can be passed over even a model gauge can be hundreds of tons a day. The rails can be made from local iron.  Operating costs would include interest on the capital investment, maintenance and electricity to power the system.
 ===Freight Iteration===
-Once you have a sizable base and need higher volumes of material, you simply leverage the existing facilities to build a larger railway.  Railroads are suitable for automated delivery and could conceivably be launched like carrier pidgeons to far off secondary bases.  A lunar railway of about a meter wide would be able to transport virtually any freight.
+Once you have a sizable base and need higher volumes of material, you simply leverage the existing facilities to build a larger railway.  Railroads are suitable for automated delivery and could conceivably be launched like carrier pigeons to far off secondary bases.  A lunar railway of about a meter wide would be able to transport virtually any freight.
 ===Passenger Iteration===
-For passengers and large more fragile freight, you will need protection from radiation as well as the extremes of the solar insolation.  A railway with tracks several meters apart (wider than on earth) should have the desired characteristics of fast travel in secure accomodations.  Once you have a developed network of railways the need for vehicles to drive on the surface is reduced to a local level.  Railways are far less to maintain and last significantly longer.
+For passengers and large more fragile freight, you will need protection from radiation as well as the extremes of the solar insolation.  A railway with tracks several meters apart (wider than on earth) should have the desired characteristics of fast travel in secure accommodations.  Once you have a developed network of railways the need for vehicles to drive on the surface is reduced to a local level.  Railways are far less to maintain and last significantly longer.
 ==Design Issues==
@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 ==See Also==
-*[[Solar Power]]
+*[[Covered Roads]]
 *[[Power for Settlements]]
 *[[Power Wires]]
+*[[Solar Power]]
 ==External Link==
 *[http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6663 Lunar Rails] (board game)

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:48, 25 February 2010
Line 71:		Line 71:

	==External Link==		==External Link==
−	*[http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6663 Lunar Rails] ~~[[Lunar Rails~~ (board game)~~\|board game]]~~	+	*[http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6663 Lunar Rails] (board game)

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ===Freight Iteration===
-Once you have a sizable base and need higher volumes of material, you simply leverage the existing facilities to build a larger railway.  Railroads are exceptional for automated delivery and could conceivably be launched like carrier pidgeons to far off secondary bases.  A lunar railway of about a meter wide would be able to transport virtually any freight.
+Once you have a sizable base and need higher volumes of material, you simply leverage the existing facilities to build a larger railway.  Railroads are suitable for automated delivery and could conceivably be launched like carrier pidgeons to far off secondary bases.  A lunar railway of about a meter wide would be able to transport virtually any freight.
 ===Passenger Iteration===
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 ::[[Maglev]]
 ::Conventional
-:[[Nuclear]]
+:[[Nuclear Power|Nuclear]]
 :[[Fuel cell]]
 :Lunar fuels

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 ===Bulk Iteration===
-In the soil of the moon there is elemental nickel iron that can be easily collected and thus a strategic resource.  At a concentration of only a few kilograms per cubic meter, it makes sense to build a railway to open up new regions once the local soil has been processed.  This need not be a major railway as the amount of material that can be passed over even a model guage can be hundreds of tons a day.  The rails are easy to make from the iron so the real cost is in electrically powering the system.
+In the soil of the moon there is metallic nickel iron (as opposed to oxides) that can be collected and is a strategic resource.  At a concentration of only a few kilograms per cubic meter, it makes sense to build a railway to open up new regions once the local soil has been processed.  This need not be a major railway as the amount of material that can be passed over even a model guage can be hundreds of tons a day. The rails can be made from local iron.  Operating costs would include intrest on the capital investment, maintenance and electricity to power the system.
 ===Freight Iteration===

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:21, 21 October 2008
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	Railroads are one of best methods of moving materials over landscapes. In the short run they are expensive to build yet over the long run ~~the~~ prove to be very valuable. Your other options are to go over the rough or paved surface in a vehicle or to mix your material with a liquid or gas and send it through a pipe.	+	Railroads are one of best methods of moving materials over landscapes. In the short run they are expensive to build yet over the long run they prove to be very valuable. Your other options are to go over the rough or paved surface in a vehicle or to mix your material with a liquid or gas and send it through a pipe.

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 :Vestibulation issue
 :Gauge
 ==Motive power==