Low-tech Magazine: Planes on wheels (4)

HIGH SPEED TRAINS

Railway Technology : the website for the railway industry
All the information on high speed railway lines in operation, and the planned infrastructure. Data for every country, with a description of the suppliers of the material. Images and maps for every line. The same amount of detailed information on heavy railways (freight transport), light rails (city trams) and metrolines. The website is in English.

Hochgeschwindigkeitszuege
All the technical information for every high speed train model that ever existed. Very nice pictures. Information subdivided by country and very up-to-date (update march 2008: unfortunately, the webmaster decided not to update the site any further). The website is in German, but thanks to the clear navigation it is also accessible for non-German speakers.

TRAIN TRAVEL PRACTICAL

The man in seat 61: a very practical website dedicated to slow travel in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Information divided by country. Links to all railroad companies in Europe and on other continents. All information on Eurail, InteRail and other European rail passes. The site focuses on the question how to get anywhere in the world by train (or ship) from Londen, but is also very interesting for other itineries. In English.

TRANSPORT MAPS & STATISTICS

Eurostat Transport: news & statistics : All information on road, train, air and maritime transport in Europe. Statistics on passengers, freight and mail. In English, German and French.

Trans-European Networks : maps of existing and planned rail and road networks in Europe, and maps of ports and airports. In English and French

OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGY

Planes on wheels (real ones...)

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Article :
Page 1 : planes on wheels
Page 2 : power outage of high speed trains, compared to other modes of transport
Page 3 : trains for the rich, planes for the poor
Page 4 : more information on high speed trains, train travel and transport statistics

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READ MORE :

Green, slow air cargo : airships could become the most eco-friendly mode of transport
Solar powered cars : if racing cars can drive on solar energy, then why do normal cars still need fossil fuels?

The revival of the sailing ship : kitesurfing for cargo vessels
A world without trucks : underground freight networks
Build your own windmill : cheap, safe and musical
Water eats energy : desalination is not the solution
E-mail in the 18th century : the internet is more than 200 years old
Lego for Big Boys : habitable shipping containers
Main page
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Human powered machines

Hand powered drilling tools and machines
The drilling tools that appeared in the late 19th century were not only a vast improvement over earlier tools; they also have many advantages over their present-day successors, the power drills.
The velomobile: high-tech bike or low-tech car?
Pedalling a "velomobile" requires three to four times less energy than pedalling a normal bicycle.
Pedal powered farms and factories
Pedals and cranks could make an important contribution to running a post-carbon society that maintains many of the comforts of a modern life.
All articles on human powered machines

Low-tech Transportation

Firewood in the fuel tank
Wood gas cars are a not-so-elegant but surprisingly efficient and ecological alternative to their petrol (gasoline) cousins, whilst their range is comparable to that of electric cars.
The Citroen 2CV: cleantech from the 1940s
In spite of all the high-tech that has been squeezed into cars since then, the 2CV from 1949 is still more energy-efficient than the smallest model of the French car designer today.
Aerial ropeways: automatic cargo transport for a bargain
These days, we use them almost exclusively to transport skiers and snowboarders up snow slopes, but before the 1940s, aerial ropeways were a common means of cargo transport.
All articles on transportation

Energy Production

The bright future of solar powered factories
To power industrial processes like the making of chemicals, the smelting of metals or the production of microchips and solar panels, we need a renewable source of thermal energy.
Wind powered factories: history (and future) of industrial windmills
More than 900 years ago, medieval Europe became the first large civilisation not to be run by human muscle power.
Medieval smokestacks: fossil fuels in pre-industrial times
Almost all of the leading economies in Western Europe during the last millenium relied on a large-scale use of fossil fuels such as peat and coal.
All articles on energy production

Energy Consumption

Insulation: first the body, then the home
Modern thermal underclothing offers the possibility to turn the thermostat much lower without sacrificing comfort or sex appeal.
The monster footprint of digital technology
The embodied energy of the memory chip alone already exceeds the energy consumption of a laptop during its life expectancy of 3 years
The age of speed: how to reduce global fuel consumption by 75 percent
Engineers treat velocity as a non-variable, while in fact it is the most powerful factor to save a really huge amount of energy - with just one stroke, at minimal cost, and without the need for new technology.
All articles on energy consumption

Lost Knowledge

Recycling animal and human dung is the key to sustainable farming
If we recycle our own waste products, fertilizer production would automatically keep up with population growth.
Tiles as a substitute for steel: the art of the timbrel vault
The "timbrel vault" allowed for structures that today no architect would dare to build without steel reinforcements. The technique was cheap, fast, ecological and durable.
Ropes and Knots
Ropes and knots are among the most ancient and useful technologies ever developed by man, predating the wheel, the axe and probably also the use of fire.
All articles on lost knowledge

History

Sunbathing in the living room: oven stoves and heat walls
Oven stoves are greener, more efficient, healthier, safer and cosier than all modern heating systems. Why are they gone and how do we get them back?
Email in the 18th century: the optical telegraph
More than 200 years ago it was already possible to send messages throughout Europe and America at the speed of an aeroplane – wireless and without need for electricity.
Trolley canal boats
For many centuries, canal boats were propelled by men, horses or mules on the towpath beside the water. Before diesel power took over, engineers developed several interesting methods powered by electricity: trolleyboats, floating funiculars and electric mules.
All articles on history

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Planes on wheels (4)

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