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  • Discussion relating to the past and present operations of CPR. Official web site can be found here: CPR.CA. Includes Kansas City Southern.
Discussion relating to the past and present operations of CPR. Official web site can be found here: CPR.CA. Includes Kansas City Southern.

Moderators: Komachi, Ken V

 #1610372  by NHV 669
 
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... venue-run/
NEW YORK — Canadian Pacific’s experimental hydrogen-powered locomotive made its maiden revenue run last month in Calgary, Alberta, taking the first step in determining whether the technology could one day replace diesel-electric locomotives.

“I’ll tell you, the excitement around it, the potential of it, is real,” CEO Keith Creel told the RailTrends conference on Tuesday. “And to see it two weeks ago, running down the main line at main line speed pulling a load behind it, I mean it made the hairs on my arm stand up because I would have told you two years ago it’s a pipe dream … Well, it’s not a pipe dream. It’s a reality. Still a lot of work left to do, but it’s super, super exciting.”
 #1611250  by trainiac
 
Engineer Spike wrote:I agree, It's like the environmentalists who buy electric cars. Most of the electricity in the grid is produced with fossil fuels, but they feel like they are doing something good.
Very much depends on where you are. In Quebec 95% of the grid is hydroelectric. (Ironically, winter issues mean that there are still fewer electric cars here than in parts of the US).
NotYou wrote:The never aging secret to better fuel mileage on a vehicle is putting it in neutral going downhill; regardless of fuel or transmission type. No idea why railroad locomotives waste energy on dynamic braking going downhill when they could just pop it into neutral and let gravity do the work: faster and major fuel savings.
This has already been answered, but just to expand a bit: Trains do coast down hills - when it's safe to do so. But the rolling resistance is so low that it doesn't take much of a grade for the speeds to become dangerous. Many of the worst railway disasters on domestic freight lines have involved runaway trains down grades. Lac-Megantic involved a train going 63 mph around a 10-mph curve, and that was on a train with several handbrakes applied and only a 1% grade.

Coasting in neutral in a car makes sense because air resistance is so high that even a 5% grade won't result in anything more than typical highway speeds.
chrisf wrote:Modern fuel injected engines in cars or trucks use no fuel when the throttle is closed and the vehicle is above idle. It actually takes more fuel to idle an engine than to let it stay in gear and spin at higher speeds, holding the vehicle back to a safe speed.
While it's true that the fuel is cut when in gear, it's only a net fuel savings to remain in gear if you actually want to slow down. If you're on a very gentle slope where coasting in neutral simply maintains speed, the fuel energy used to idle at 800 rpm is less than the kinetic energy that's lost forcing the engine to remain at 2000 rpm in gear - after which more fuel is required to regain the momentum that was lost compared to coasting in neutral.
 #1620860  by Engineer Spike
 
eolesen wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 5:55 pm This feels like window dressing. Sure, the locomotives are zero emissions but the upline production is nowhere near zero.

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I agree. It's just like the Tesla drivers who are proud of their stewardship of the environment. The catch is that every night while on the charger, a coal or natural gas poser plant is turning out kilowatts used to charge the Tesla.