Time for creative thinking: How about sending some locomotives?

[Redstone]

Those big GM diesel-electrics can put out a hell of a lot of electric power, even at idle.

I don't know the specifics of their electric-generation capability, but I do know that it's been done before...anyone here have a line in to FEMA to make the suggestion?

Redstone

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. You still need the wiring/power line infrastructure to deliver

the power. Locomotives have been used before for such things. There was a pic a couple years ago during an ice storm in the northeast where a small town had a Locomotive brought in to do just that.

[CottonBear]

2. Amtrack line stations in Slidell and NO. I think the train lines are out

Can anyone confirm this? I've ridden the Amtrack Crescent from Birmingham to Slidell, LA. Slidell is destroyed. I doubt the train station fared well. I don't know about trains traveling west from NO. I've heard nothing about the NO train station.

Are there any locomotives at the NO stations or train yards now?

[MadHound]

3. Trouble with that is how are you going to get the locomotive there?

Given the number of bridges that are gone, and that the tracks are washed away, or too unstable to take the load.

[ThoughtCriminal]

4. Yes - except RR service to NOLA is out

washed out roadbed and damaged bridges will have to be repaired. Not sure about service from west over Huey Long Bridge.

If there are any locomotives left in the city, maybe they could be used, but I suspect that they pulled out as much as they could before the storm hit.

Locomotives as emergency generators:
http://www.sierrarailroad.com/powertrain/powertrain.html

[FSogol]

5. To much of the grid is gone.

BTW Did you know there is a shortage of emergency generators in this country? The companies that make them have been shipping them to China as fast as they can be built. China is expanding so quickly that they operate buildings, schools, and neighborhoods off of emergency power until the permanent infrastructure can be built. Generators for all our projects here, just keep getting delayed.

[Redstone]

7. If they'll send a truck to pick it up and take it down there,

someone can have my generator.

I bet of some agency (a reliable one) asked for people to donate generators, and provided the trucks, they'd get a hell of a response.

Redstone

[Redstone]

6. You all raise good points about the problems, but I was talking about

using them where there are tracks available and some portion of the grid that's up but severed from the normal power plant.

There must be at least a few places like that.

Redstone

[SoCalDem]

8. tracks are probably undermined and people to come and inspect

them are probably deployed elsewhere.

It would have been nice is 2 or 3 days BEFORE the storm, the rail service had set up special evacuation trains..and offered a "pet car" ..Lots more might have taken them up on the evac..

They could have even hauled a car per person/family..Less cars left bobbing around banging into stuff...

Planning ahead is the name of the game..

Announcing the "commandeering of vehicles" when all the roads are already gridlocked doesn;t solve the problem.. advanced planning does.