Quote:
Originally Posted by Reiwa
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Let's go back a sec. What makes either train itself, without cargo, heavier?
Why would a train designed to carry, as you say "several dozen passengers" weigh over double that of a train designed to carry freight by the tonnes?
I have to think you are arguing in bad faith, because you cannot actually be this stupid.
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Don't believe me, why don't you look it up yourself? Yes, passenger equipment in the U.S. is absurdly heavy for what it carries due to a combination of factors. Partly it's because humans are low-density cargo, people like space, and space means weight. Partly it's crash regulations, your passenger coach has to hold together and not telescope if it comes off the rails at 120 MPH, nobody much cares if a coal hopper tears apart when it tips over at 30 MPH. It is possible to achieve some degree of weight reduction by use of composite materials and less stringent crash resistances, as done by some of the very high-speed trainsets used in other nations, but passenger equipment is always going to be very heavy for what it hauls due to the nature of the business.
Danth