Last week I sent you all a video of the Japanese "Toonerville
Trolley" and received a number of comments in response, pointing out
that this hybrid technology saves only 10% on Diesel fuel. I should
have commented more about why it was interesting. Yes, you all are
correct that 10% is not big deal.

Here is what is a big deal. Apparently, the Japanese are
aggressively pursuing new technologies for urban mass transit. Their
cars, which many of you now drive, like the Prius, represent Japanese
efforts at greater fossil-fuel efficiency. The US auto industry,
already in deep doo-doo, is emulating Japanese technologies. This
train of theirs is also a developmental effort.

Where is our innovation and entrepreneurship? Why don't we have a
mass transit "Silicon Valley" in the US? Why are we desperate to
build hugely costly technologies, like the high speed train project,
in attempts at emulating the success of Europe and Japan? Caltrain
wants to replace their Diesel locomotives with electric locomotives.
Underwhelming! (Forget about EMUs; that's only PR talk.) By the
time we obtain workable train solutions, they will be obsolete in a
world that is undergoing rapid energy development and transformation.
It's becoming more and more the case that all we can do in the U.S.
is throw money at problems rather than solve them.

You need to see that Japanese train as a clever first attempt at
making mass transit better. When they get it really working
efficiently, maybe we can copy it.

M

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Martin Engel
1621 Stone Pine Lane
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650:323-1670
martinengel@earthlink.net
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