Great Western Coffee Shop

The transport secretary has said roscos considering buying diesel trains should take a "long, hard think".

Chris Grayling made the remarks to the Daily Rail, which said the government was considering a scrappage scheme for older diesel trains.

Concerns over nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from diesel vehicles have been raised in recent years.

The transport secretary has said drivers considering buying diesel cars should take a "long, hard think".

Chris Grayling made the remarks to the Daily Mail, which said the government was considering a scrappage scheme for older diesel cars.

Concerns over nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from diesel vehicles have been raised in recent years.

Concerns over nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from diesel vehicles have been raised in recent years

Newer diesels like mine that use AdBlue to counter the NO2 emissions at least partly deal with this issue, or so we are led to believe.

Diesels are an abomination in the sight of the Lord for the reasons now being given.  I remember the late great LJK Setright, hero of James May among others, writing articles to that effect in Car magazine in the 1970s and 80s.

"Unlike petrol, which evaporates very quickly, diesel oil is persistent in its liquid form. When it is spilled on the filling-station forecourt, it remains where it falls, spreading in puddles which soil the shoe-soles of all who pass by and notably making slippery the soles of the driver when he gets back in his car and addresses the pedals. When it is spilled on the road, it remains there for ages, and when it eventually sinks into the pores of the tarmac it will be floated up to the surface again by the next rainfall. So long as it persists, it is the most dangerous skid-inducer of modern times, having in particular killed a multitude of motorcyclists and maimed many more. Spilt diesel is indeed the most criminal of noisome emissions, but not the only one for which the engine can be blamed: there is much evidence that its exhaust fumes are strongly carcinogenic, but because early emissions legislation was aimed only as such exhaust ingredients as aggravated smog, this accusation was largely ignored. Efforts to revive it [emissions legislation, presumably] have been actively resisted not only by the engine manufacturers but also by the transport industry whose heavy goods vehicles rely on diesel to the exclusion of all else."

writing articles to that effect in Car magazine in the 1970s and 80s

As an aside, I note that the Daily Mail online is linked to from time to time on this forum. If, as may be the case, you do not support the Daily Mail and its particular viewpoint, you should be aware that every time you click a link on that website you generate advertising revenue for them.

I am a great admirer of Setright, but he was writing in the '70's and '80's and modern diesels are a lot different. Even in the '80's diesel cars (the few that there were) were agricultural at best.

People above referring to filters are I assume referring to the DPF, which all modern diesels (as far as I know) have.

AdBlue is a completely different technology and more diesels are starting to adopt it aswell, in order to meet "Euro6" compliance levels.

Additionally, I tow a caravan (brick-bats awaited!), and the torque and low-down power of a diesel is way-better suited to those rigours.

Interesting - does it generate advertising revenue for them if you have an adblocker on?

Going back to Grahame's original post, what can the ROSCOs do about this? Shame the high-output electrification train didn't manage to accelerate electrification the way we thought it had...

Interesting - does it generate advertising revenue for them if you have an adblocker on?

Regarding particulates, tyres and brake pads are a significant source and both have had very little attention paid to them for their reduction. Tyre wear rubber dust can be up to 60% of air pollutant in some cities.

Doesn't change the dangers caused by spilt diesel.

Regarding particulates, tyres and brake pads are a significant source and both have had very little attention paid to them for their reduction. Tyre wear rubber dust can be up to 60% of air pollutant in some cities.

How many particulates do you get from regenerative braking systems?

The size of the particles is very important.  I have not seen anything about the size of particles from Tyre wear.

Newer diesels like mine that use AdBlue to counter the NO2 emissions at least partly deal with this issue, or so we are led to believe.

As an aside, I note that the Daily Mail online is linked to from time to time on this forum. If, as may be the case, you do not support the Daily Mail and its particular viewpoint, you should be aware that every time you click a link on that website you generate advertising revenue for them.

The new Cornish busses (& Park for Truro) all use AdBlue with diesel.  Start/stop on the deckers; not on the P&R.

There is also the issue of how reliable the reporting is. I'm sure you will already have seen that Wikipedia has banned the Daily Mail as an unreliable source. (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/08/wikipedia-bans-daily-mail-as-unreliable-source-for-website)

Regarding particulates, tyres and brake pads are a significant source and both have had very little attention paid to them for their reduction. Tyre wear rubber dust can be up to 60% of air pollutant in some cities.

CAMPAIGNERS have called on rail bosses to end the use of older diesel trains after a study found excessive air pollution at Edinburgh’s Waverley station.


The research, led by academics at Edinburgh University and King’s College, London, found the Capital’s main railway station exceeded annual limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in just two weeks.


Average levels of toxic particulate matter were also found to be higher inside the station than outside, although not breaching legal limits.

The study said a “strong positive association was observed between the number of diesel trains and the concentration” of NO2. The gas irritates the eyes, nose and throat and has been linked with breathing problems.

Waverley has 491 trains a day running on diesel, about 59 per cent of the total.

The study said average NO2 levels were 86.5 micrograms per cubic metre of air, 57 per cent higher than the level directly outside the station and more than double the average annual legal limit of 40 mcgs.

From the Edinburgh Evening News (https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/traffic-and-travel/old-diesel-engines-increase-pollution-levels-at-edinburgh-s-waverley-station-1-4958092)
What percentage of trains at Temple Meads run on diesel and how many is that per day?