Metra issues RFP for F40 battery conversions

Yep, and not to be harsh or critical, but it's a cheap way to pretend to be doing something versus a serious investment.

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Engineer Spike wrote: ↑Thu Sep 21, 2023 7:14 pm Maybe METRA should get in on the CP's Hindenburg II hydrogen powered locomotive program. lol

Yep, that would be a wise choice.

Engineer Spike wrote: ↑Thu Sep 21, 2023 7:14 pm Maybe METRA should get in on the CP's Hindenburg II hydrogen powered locomotive program. lol

we've somehow normalized the exploding dinosaur juice locomotive program for close to 100 years, best not throw stones when you live in glass houses

Yeah, sorry but no, you can throw a match into a bucket of diesel and literally nothing happens. Compress diesel to 15x or so, and it's dangerous.

Bunker fuel.... that's another story.

I'll be curious to see what the power output is on the CP experiments. When Ford and others tried various hydrogen options, you wound up with 80% of the power vs. gas in an internal combustion engine.

The H fuel cells are even less promising. Cost for hydrogen cells is 5x higher than just a regular battery-electric.

eolesen wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 3:02 pm Yeah, sorry but no, you can throw a match into a bucket of diesel and literally nothing happens. Compress diesel to 15x or so, and it's dangerous.

My father in law uses diesel as weed killer. His whole driveway would be flammable (it's a barn in the woods - lots of gravel) if diesel were volatile.

Combined Hydrogen + battery locomotive can be the solution. The fuel cells keep the batteries to a certain level. And on end stations charging stations can charge the locs batteries and keep the train warm/cold and save the hydrogen for the ride.

Even Amtrak is exploring the option for long distance that the ALC-42 will be a hydrogen - battery locomotive with an tender for the range.

That sounds better than batteries only. There was a story on the news about Tesla owners complaining that it is taking much longer to charge their batteries in the cold and they aren't holding the charge as long.

Irish Rail intend to trial direct burning of hydrogen in a 12-645. I’d love to get the real story behind that one, it feels more like “how to get EU grant money to pay for a 1970s locomotive refurb”

https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/iar ... ial-europe