big heaters

I have been reading on the yahoo rail fan groups that kiwirail have been towing diesel locomotives behind the leectric locomotives through the central north island .
the reason given , to provide aheater for the single crew memebr in the event the cantenary loses power , or comes down , in the winter snow we are having at the moment .
It seems rather wasteful . though there is some speculation that it is also to allow the diesel locomotive to move the train to safety in such circumstances , i.e into a siding or off a railway crossing .
Somebody else suggested that providing a small portable gas heater would be a way cheaper means of providing heat in such circumstances .

Somebody else suggested that providing a small portable gas heater would be a way cheaper means of providing heat in such circumstances .

Health and safety? But presumably one would only set it going if the electricity went off.
Or is this part of a campaign to de-electrify that line?

That would be very foolish, like the US railway (Was that the Milwaukee?) that de-electrified just before oil price soared.
(where did rainbows and lollipops come from? I had written oil - petroleum products) Is that a sign of infiltration by hackers into the forum?)

hmm , possibly health and safety , considering they are going to the extreme of pulling a 70 tonne loco to keep one person warm . but i think the reason of been able o move the train , even though its apparently against the regulations , is actually the main reason .
I dont think theres much threat of removing the electrification while it is still govt owned . the green party would have a field day if they tried to do that .

Check my message where the word I used for petroleum products has been replaced every time I used by another phrase - rainbows and lollipops. I suspect a rightwing hacker.

Hi George , this is just a little bug with the word sensor software . no hackers inolved at all . Otto will fix it tomorrow .

David Benton wrote:Hi George , this is just a little bug with the word sensor software . no hackers inolved at all . Otto will fix it tomorrow .

Yes, it's gone now. I have tested it in the Practice forum. I wonder how it arose. I suspect at the least a joker somewhere.

just someone somewhere having a little fun . it wasnt directed at you personally , or anyone else using this forum .

anyway , back to the topic , it does seem to be that to provide heat is the offical reason for putting these diesel locomotives behind the electric locos on the main trunk trains . seems like way overkill . even a little generator running a electric heater would seem far more economical way to solve this problem .

Are you having a severe winter? Last year we had a long cold winter with quite a bit of snow - though not enough in Dorset to make a snowman - it's been a long time since we could do that.

This summer is reasonably warm with occasional hot periods.

The other thing is: is the electric supply to the electrified line unreliable, or is it just snow on the grid line that's a problem?

no very mild so far , we were getting several days of 20 degrees celcuis up until last week , which was supposed to be the start of winter . Last year was severe , which is probably what theyre reacting too . I didnt hear of this been a problem even last year , but parts of the central main trunk are very isolated . a backup heater is certainly a good idea , just using a whole locomotive to provide it seems over the top .
The weather is all over the place the last few years , long dry summer this year lowest river levels in 50 or so years .