Re: humor: tesla power supply

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "David Rieben" <drieben@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Drake,

Funny that you should mention that as I was watching the History
Channel special on freight trains last night with a fellow co-worker
and I brought up that very question myself (the one about why
trains use diesel motors to turn generators to run electric wheel
drive motors). Seems like a lot of oppurtunity for loss of energy
efficiency, dosen't it? The only possible explanation that I could
come up with is that the required power transmission to deliver
that much power directly from the huge locomotive engine to
the wheels would be impractically massive.? Any other possible
explanations?

Actually, I think Greg Leyh of Lightning on Demand has built a
coil that equals or surpasses what the Master himself built at
Colorado Springs - Greg's biggest one has produced 55 or
60 ft point-to-point arcs, I believe. I'm sure Greg could offer
better details. Contrary to popular belief, Tesla did NOT
produce 100 ft+ arcs during the Colorado Springs experiments
in 1899 - probably more like 30 to 35 ft. arcs, but still very
impressive never the less for 1899 technology!

David Rieben


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 10:58 PM
Subject: Re: humor: tesla power supply


> Original poster: "Drake Schutt" <drake89@xxxxxxxxx>
>
> hey,
> perhaps this is off topic, but ive never understood why huge machines
> such as submarines and trains use diesel engines to turn generators
> to charge batteries to power motors? also, what is the most high
> powered tesla coil (biggest) of all time?  it was tesla's right?  if
> thats the case whats the biggest one of modern times?
>
> thanks, drake
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