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GAIA Host Collective
2004 numbers were $2 million/mile for single track and $2.5 million/mile for double track.
Labor is a significant component. Cheap electrification can be done with wooden poles (Ed Tennyson used 18" diameter treated poles that may still be in service for SEPTA).
Typically the carrier wire is stranded aluminum & steel (Al for conductivity and Fe for strength) and only the contact wire is copper (a very low % silver alloy# is preferred for wear resistance and additional mechanical strength). Other train trolley wire designs are in common use as well.
# Measured in troy ounces of silver per ton. 1 troy ounce has exactly the same electrical properties as pure copper, but improved physical properties. From distance memory I liked 3 or 4 troy ounces of silver per ton.
Best Hopes,
Alan
That's really cheap in the bigger scheme of things. Electrify double track 3000 miles from coast to coast for $7.5 billion.
Any idea what price of diesel makes electrification cost justified for at least some sections of freight track? When (I originally typed "if") we start seeing $6, $8, $10 diesel will we see track electrification?
I assume Warren Buffett knows when he'll want BNSF to start electrifying.