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Welcome to 4rail.net Timeline Main Page! We will refurbish our Timeline pages during the winter period 2011 - 2012. More content will be added almost weekly. Welcome back later! |
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 Todays Railways Timeline archives |
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Todays Railways Timeline
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BNSF to receive a hydrogen fueled locomotive One of the largest railways in the world the U.S. BNSF Railway has received its first hydrogen fueled locomotive for testing from the Vehicle Projects Inc. The hydrogen is fed to the fuel cells to provide electricity for the traction motors. Platform for the experiment is one of the recent Genset/Green Goat looking locomotives. The hydrogen locomotive has a distictive wide radiator looking section on top of the whole long nose making it easy to spot. (This is a bit like another veranda locomotive after the experimental Union Pacific turbine decades ago, only smaller). The vehicle was at the time of the news on the way to California. According to the builder "one thing people commonly ask is what kind of sound the locomotive makes while the prime mover is missing: the sound is similar to electric locomotives, you can hear blowers, smaller engines, sounds from the momevement, but no engine sound always associated with railroading in the U.S.!" The search for alternative fuel sources has recently been quite active as it's widely acknowledged that the sea level might rise even 1,5 meters till the end of the century. This rising is the effect of the greenhouse gases, rising levels of carbon dioxide, methane and other warm conserving gases in the atmosphere. The BNSF Railway has always been active on researching alternative fuel sources. As the diesel fuel accounts for 25% of the total operating costs of a typical railway, any savings on this has a signifant economical impact. Currently BNSF is using its newest locomotives to pinch the fuel bill as low as possible. BNSF also operates a few locomotives fueled by natural gas in Los Angeles U.S.A. Recent studies have been made on electrifying the main lines, common in other parts of the world except the North America, but decisions remain to be made as the capital costs are prohibitive for Americans. One benefit of the electric locomotives is that they can feed the extra energy during the dynamixc braking back to the electric networks. Plus of course you can make electricity any way you wish. - - - - - - Later it was found that the fuel cell hydrogen technology was not ripe for the every day locomotive use and the unit was withdrawn. But this definitely was worth a try! The locos with the battery did not catch acceptance either but many caught fire, but the gensets were and are definite success. |
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