Hello,
I was wonder what is the avg. fuel efficienct of modern locomotives and how can it be compaired to other modes of transportation. I mean that MPG is usually used, but a heavly loaded locomotive will consume more fuel than a lightly loaded one.
How much more fuel efficient can they get?
The other thing is, is there any use of, or testing on the use of biodiesel in locomotives? For those who don’t know what biodiesel is, it is simply new or used cooking oil converted in to fuel that unmodified diesel engines can use. Using pure biodiesel can cut pollution over 90%, compaired to regular diesel, thus it’s use would be good pr in heavly polluted areas. It’s use would help the farmers, and thus probally the railroads. It can be blended with regular diesel.
A 13,000 gross ton freight train will consume about 8 gallons per mile, regardless of the number of units, i.e. 6 1500 HP, or 3 3000 HP. The amount consumed will be much greater where grades are involved. There is really very little similarity between the Diesel engines used in automobiles and trucks and those in locomotives. EMD’s prime movers, for example are two cycle engines, and each cylinder has a cubic inch displacement twice that of all eight cylinders in an automobile engine. Since Class I railroads buy Diesel fuel in the millions of gallons and generally take delivery by pipeline, they are very price sensitive. I doubt that cooking oil could compete in price. Remember, since railroads don’t operate on public right of way, they do not pay fuel taxes, only a "deficit reduction’ tax of 4.5 cents a gallon of all things!
I forgot, you asked about a comparison. Assume 25 ton loads per truck, it would take at least 400 trucks to haul the equivalent of a 10,000 net ton (13,000 gross ton - cars and locomotives in weight). If the trucks got 8 MPG (high), they would consume 50 gallons per mile or 625 percent of the fuel the train used.
Well I was thinking it would of helped, to cut emissions in high pollution areas. Good PR.
2nd it would help the farmer, by the increased demand for their product.
3rd corn, other raw material, and the finished product has to be transported somehow.
It doesn’t matter, as long as it is a diesel engine. Biodiesel can be blended with regular diesel. These new low sulfur diesel formulas are hard on diesel engines, because they don’t lubercate as well. By using 2% biodisel blended with 98% diesel, you end up restoring the lubercating properties. www.biodiesel.org
On the intermodal side, a typical train will average between 10 and 20 trailer miles per gallon versus 4-6mpg for a truck. Train fuel efficiency is usually measured in gross ton-miles per gallon. Typical averages run between 500 and 1000 GTM/gal - with slow speed, high tonnage trains doing better than high speed lower weight trains.
Back in the late 80’s the AAR did quite a bit of testing on “alternate fuels”. They had a 12 cyl EMD and a 12 cyl GE engine installed in test cells at Southwest Research in San Antonio. Vegetable oil was on of the fuels tested. In general, the 2 stroke EMD was quite fuel tollerant and the 4 stroke GE was not.
Thanks. I emailed to the National Biodiesel Board, and they mailed me some info on biodiesel/soydiesel useage in locomotives. There is a switch engine in St. Joseph, Missouri that is using a blen of 20% Soydiesel, 80% diesel at the Bartlett & Company. Also the Indiana State Fair uses a mix of biodiesel and diesel in it’s “monon F-Unit” started at the 1993 Fair. I will post more info later.
**Five Years Later…**We have hybrid power engines, actually being sold in quanties greater than orders for one each. AC and DC Locomotives working all over the country, and so called “Green Diesel” has now been mandated to replace diesel fuel in commercial and consumer markets. Bio diesel now on its way to being the norm. Interesting!