Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, best, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


           

Tube Sewer

 Make trains watertight and use the tunnels for sewage.
  (+1, -3)
(+1, -3) 		  [vote for,
against]

Everyone knows that underneath cities there is not much space left for cables/pipes/tunnels etc. And everyone knows that trains smell of urine anyway. So why not convert trains into submarines and fill the tunnels with sewage ? Then there'll be no need for new sewer pipes, and more importantly the new submarine (sub-urban ?!?) trains would potentially be able to go along any road that has an existing sewer pipe - which is virtually everywhere. People may even want to buy a small private train and park it in their own septic tank.
—lubbit, Apr 29 2001

Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.
Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee
Destination URL. E.g., http://www.coffee.com/
Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)






       The cost would be tremendous.   

       They wouldn't go very fast.   

       Sewage would be constantly gumming up the propellers.   

       It would smell vastly worse than even the seediest public transit system today.   

       Stations would have to be egregiously complicated affairs.   

       How would the trains be powered?   

       Most existing sewer pipes are way too small for trains, filled with all sorts of sudden turns and spillways that are no good for transportation, and don't run quite where you'd want them.
—egnor, Apr 29 2001
   

       Well, if it was sealed good enough, and never had to go above ground, I don't see a problem with the cleanliness factor. The trains could be powered by cables or tracks with wheels that grip all the way around, like a roller coaster. It would take extra power, but maybe the motion of the trains could account for some of the pumping and processing of the sewage system. +
—fogfreak, May 20 2003
   

       What about when the passengers disembark and it's drooling raw sewage on them and the stink is so bad they can't see their way out? Not to mention all the points you didn't rebut...
—snarfyguy, May 20 2003
   

       Trains could be powered by all the methane kicking about...   

       With no smoking allowed and stinky boggin subways, new yorkers would feel right at home...
—MikeOliver, May 20 2003
   

       Is there ANY sewer ANYWHERE with a diameter greater than 4 feet, realistically? Underground pipes, I'm not counting processing channels or holding tanks.
—fogfreak, Jan 26 2004
   


 

back: main index
business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle