[Vwdiesel] Varta Blue Battery Blues

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/5/2009 6:03:18 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
mark at shepher.fsnet.co.uk writes:

> One unanswered question on the internet asked how can a calcium battery 
> be used on any traditional system without dieing quickly?
> 

I was thinking the railroad uses/used some calcium based batteries 
for signal backup and such.  We had one at one time.  May have 
been NaOH though.  Certainly different and kinda big/boxy, SS case.
I guess they drain, clean and refill every so often as well but they 
last for YEARS.  Then they went to NiCad I believe, now not sure.  
Seems like the potential per cell would be lower with a calcium 
battery than with a lead/acid cell.
  Sounds like the plates in a cell or two may be shorted, coated or 
broken so that the amout of energy released is much more limited.
    Loren