I have read several articles about Union Pacific buying green goat hybrid locamotives for rail yard duties throughout Southern Caifornia. Now I know that there is a large difference in power between these hybrid locomotives and a conventional mainline engine such as a GE C60AC which produces 6000 HP. However, if these green goat locomotives prove to be cost effective and efficient, will a more powerful version of these hybrid locomotives find their way out on the mainline?
Here is a link originally provided by Wallyworld in another thread.
I don’t see a GG making mainline service as yet. Granted this is just my opinion but they lack the ability to maintain the horsepower necessary for a long distance trains. There are enough problems with proven technology to look for more trouble on the mainlines. The dispatchers deal with problems every day and I am sure they would not like some GG20s out on the mainline for more than a few minutes.
With substancial improvements in horsepower and a proven method of maintaining that horsepower for long distances then maybe they would have a chance. Until then, don’t get your hopes up. But like I said, this is my opinion based upon what I currently see at work.
I saw one sandwiched in between a couple of SD70’s headed east a few months ago.
They maybe at some point remember NRE is working on a new style of engine that uses 3 separate engines for power 700hp each. those I can see no issue running on the road. A hybrid could be used just remember it will not have full HP all the time
Here is a GE statement about a Hybrid version of the ES44!
Hybrid locomotive
The future of rail is just around the bend.
How do you make a 4,400-horsepower locomotive more environmentally conscious? With pure ecomagination.
GE engineers are designing a hybrid diesel-electric locomotive that will capture the energy dissipated during braking and store it in a series of sophisticated batteries. That stored energy can be used by the crew on demand – reducing fuel consumption by as much as 15 percent and emissions by as much as 50 percent compared to most of the freight locomotives in use today. In addition to environmental advantages, a hybrid will operate more efficiently in higher altitudes and up steep inclines.
More information about the hybrid locomotive
GE engineers are developing a hybrid locomotive with the goal of creating the cleanest, most fuel-efficient high-horsepower diesel locomotive ever built.
The energy dissipated in braking a 207-ton locomotive during the course of one year is enough to power 160 households for that year. The hybrid locomotive will capture that dynamic energy and use it to produce more horsepower and reduce emissions and fuel use.
GE’s hybrid locomotive’s lead-free rechargeable batteries will be able to provide superior performance by allowing operators to draw an additional 2,000 horsepower when needed.
Compared to a locomotive manufactured in 2004 (meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier I emission requirements for railroad locomotives), GE’s hybrid locomotive is being designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime as much as taking 2,600 cars off the road for a year.
GE’s hybrid locomotive is being designed to emit half as much nitrogen oxide as locomotives built 20 years ago.
Replacing every locomotive in North America manufactured before 2001 with GE’s hybrid technology would, in a year, cut nitrogen oxide em
GE’s hybrid design sounds like it would work best on mountain railroads or roads that haul a lot of loads downhill and the empties uphill (DMIR?). While it looks good on paper, it may be some time before GE gets all the bugs out and puts a workable, practical locomotive on the market.
Gen-set locomotives will be seen in secondary road service. They will probably work best on locals, branch lines, mine runs and road switch jobs.
Dual-power designs like the Green Goat are probably going to be used primarily as yard switchers with industry jobs and occasional transfers. They would make terrific plant switchers.
Ask Eric Cartman would say: Mr Garrison, can I ask a stupid question…
If a GG cannot maintain horsepower over mainline usage, could a GG be used like a slug? Namely being connected to a cow engines power generation, bypassing the need for the on board diesel recharge motor, powering the traction motors while still allowing the on-board motor to continue recharging the batteries for later usage? Doing this it could be used for additional power if not necessarily for mainline usage, but for extended switching runs away from the main yards spotting cars for industry.
PS I already know Mr Garrison reply " Well you know what I always say Eric, there are no stupid questions, only stupid people"[:O][D)][(-D]
According to their website Railpower has been doing design work on a hybrid commuter locomotive, so they do feel the technology has applications other than switching/local service. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they are an engineering pconsultant to GE on the Hybrid Evolution project…A few years back the FRA and the DOE were partnering to fund work on hybrid locomotives using flywheels rather than batteries. The Bombardier jet train turbine locomotive was supposed to be part of this research. They did build a prototype flywheel system but supposedly couldn’t get enough reliability out of it for it to be practical for RR applications…
They already have “hybrid” locos operating in Europe and the rest of the world. They are powered by overhead wires.