There is now a comecially avalible grade of Biodeisal…B-20 and B-80
Could Railroads trade transportation of grain for fuel? XYZ railroad runs 100 cars of grain to ADM and gets credit for X amount of Biodiesal from ADM?
Did Steam Railroads do the same thing?
Only one railroad, Minnisota Prairie Railroad runs the fuel. New York just opened its first biodeisel station, but because it’s in Troy, it will be New York’s first biodeisel station to get stuck up.
An arrangement like this sounds a lot like a rebate from the published rate, which is slightly illegal under the Elkins Act.
Quote by GP-9_Man11786:
Keep us posted. [;)]
CC
GP-9 is right, MPL is the only railroad to run biodiesel in road locomotives. Sierra Railroad in California used biodiesel to run locomotive engines it used to generate electricity. But with MPL, they only use a 5% blend in 2 of their CAT powered locomotives.
As to trading off with ADM, the only way I see that happening would be discounts for bulk. ADM shipping unit trains would get a discount for that, the railroads buying millions of gallons of fuel would get a discount for buying that much product.
However, railroads are quite opposed to biodiesel becuase it tends to gel up and warmer temps than #2 ruby diesel. When Minnesota passed legislation requiring a 2% blend in all diesel sold in the state, it exempted the railroads, mining equipment, and a couple other things.
-Tom
hope biodiesel does well, we need to stop our addiction to expensive oil!!!
will there be enough corn to feed our cars and cows?
The Gelling issue is not a problem as long as the railroad uses heaters in the tank not ulike that of heaters that are used in your Aqaruiam…What is the Elkins Act. Up here in Plattsburg they hope to try Biodiesal in the Lake Champlain Ferrys
Elkins Act: Passed at the turn of the last century (I’m never going to get used to saying that), it made rebates illegal. There was favor in the RR industry, since it would help prevent price wars for large shipper’s business and from other shippers that couldn’t get discounts themselves and felt at a competitive disadvantage because of it. With the rate deregulation post-Staggers, I didn’t know if/when/how it still applied.
I believe one of the narrow railways in Germany runs its steam locos on bio-diesel. In Wales the newly re-opened 2’ 3" Corris Railway runs its diesel locos on bio-diesel (see http://www.corris.co.uk/ and also www.cat.org.uk - the neighbouring Centre for Alternative Technology).
Wouldn’t a locomotive lose a lot of its horesepower running on biodiesel?
Considering that locomotive horsepower is a component of overall railroad productivity, wouldn’t the lower power content of biodiesel increase its price on a per gallon comparison to regular diesel for the same amount of overall railroad productivity?
When you factor in that price increase for the lower B.T.U. content, what is the cost of biodiesel compared to conventional diesel?
Assuming that biodiesel cost more than conventional diesel, why would a railroad company choose to use biodiesel?
govt. would give em tax breaks and incentives[:)]
Not sure about biodiesel, but cars running E85 gain horespower. They do lose a lot in MPG area.
Bert
My thought on that is that yes, there always will be due to simple economics. If it gets to the point where we’re running out of farmland, it will become more valuable, and then it’s possible that buildings could get torn down in favor of farmland if it gets super valuable.
Although I have my doubts that it’s going to the point where a plot of farmland is worth more than a plot of land with a big ol’e Wal-Mart.
That is interesting. I did not know that E85 increased horsepower. I have heard that it contains less B.T.U.s than gasoline, and therefore, takes more of it to do the same work as gasoline. So it takes more E85 to move a car one mile than it would take gasoline to move it a mile.
I saw the oil executives on NBC Tim Russert show on Sunday. Tim asked one of them if they were going to put in ethanol pumps for E85. The executive said that it is not clear whether there is a market for E85 because the lower m.p.g. will make the price considerably higher than gasoline.
Bio-diesel comes from soybeans, not corn.
The only way farmland has become/is becoming more valuable is because of development. The value of farmland just for farming has gone up as a result of farmers near the 'burbs selling land at astronomical prices and in turn 1031 exchanging for land out in the boonies. Basically buying 100 acres of land for each 25 sold.
There are a lot of investors buying on speculation in my area…very near where interstates 80 and 39 intersect. The ease of major highway and rail transportation to go in either 4 directions and the Rochelle hub (other intermodal terminals are in the works supposedly) being fairly nearby are going to turn this area into a big effing warehousing complex for Chicago. Yay.
Back to the original point…farmers are far more productive nowadays than in years past. The amount of corn grown per acre has at least doubled in the last 40 years or so. So with all the prime farmland being gobbled up by the walmarts and the upper middle class eternally indebted family in their cheesy everything looks alike subdivision, the leaps made in production have more than kept up with demand.
Yer pretty funny for thinking that buildings will be leveled in favor of cornfields. I chuckled in amusement over that one. Besides, if that were the case
We are running B11 in our units on the Burlington Junction Railway in Quincy Illinois. We have it blended in the winter time to prevent gelling. We have not noticed any horsepower loss but then it is only 11 percent. We are still running regular diesel in the C415 across town but the geeps don’t mind it.
I was thinking along the lines of recycled retaurant grease
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by farmer03
Bio-diesel comes from soybeans, not corn.
The only way farmland has become/is becoming more valuable is because of development. The value of farmland just for farming has gone up as a result of farmers near the 'burbs selling land at astronomical prices and in turn 1031 exchanging for land out in the boonies. Basically buying 100 acres of land for each 25 sold.
There are a lot of investors buying on speculation in my area…very near where interstates 80 and 39 intersect. The ease of major highway and rail transportation to go in either 4 directions and the Rochelle hub (other intermodal terminals are in the works supposedly) being fairly nearby are going to turn this area into a big effing warehousing complex for Chicago. Yay.
Back to the original point…farmers are far more productive nowadays than in years past. The amount of corn grown per acre has at least doubled in the last 40 years or so. So with all the prime farmland being gobbled up by the walmarts and the upper middle class eternally indebted family in their cheesy everything looks alike subdivision, the leaps made in production have more than kept up with demand.
Yer pretty funny for thinking that buildings will be leveled in favor of cornfields. I chuck
As for the geling issue, wouldn’t it be a moot point for railroads operating in warm climates like Florida East Coast, Seminole Gulf, Tri-Rail or LA Metro-Link?
Well if they pay me enough, they can use my yard to grow crops, I will not have to mow the lawn anymore.[:D]
Bert