jhall@ihuxu.UUCP (John R. Hall) (12/23/83)
There's an AP article in the Dec 21st Chicago Tribune titled "Savings seen in new coal-fired locomotive". Reprinted without permission: Washington [AP] U.S. inventors have a coal-fired locomotive on the drawing boards that will save money and won't belch smoke. They just need the money to build one. Experts told a Senate subcommittee Tuesday that the new technology would allow railroads to save money because coal is cheaper and more abundant than diesel fuel used to power trains. An inventor, William Withuhn, told the Senate Energy Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources that $50 million to $70 million is needed to build a prototype so railroads can see that the new technology works. He said simple economics would lead them to buy the locomotive for the 1990's. Withuhn, a railroad consultant in the nation's capital, said he had used figures for the least efficient coal-burning system and the most expensive coal in making his calculations that the new locomotive could bring railroads a 20 to 30 percent rate of return on their investment. Sen. John Warner [R., Va.], subcommittee chairman, said that if trains could run on cheaper fuel, the cost of getting coal from mines to power plants could go down, perhaps reducing the cost of coal and the price of electricity generated at coal-burning power plants. --- Anybody know any more details or have any interesting conjectures? -- --John R. Hall, ihuxu!jhall
friedman@uiucdcs.UUCP (friedman ) (01/04/84)
#R:ihuxu:-22500:uiucdcs:20600005:000:100 uiucdcs!friedman Jan 3 11:50:00 1984 Total conjecture: I wonder if these will involve a steam generator, with electric traction motors?
chaltas@uiuccsb.UUCP (01/21/84)
#R:ihuxu:-22500:uiuccsb:11100001:000:380
uiuccsb!chaltas Jan 20 10:55:00 1984
more on the ACE 3000:
Also proposed is an eight-coupled version, s
essentially, two identical engines (as described in the previous
response), one under the boiler and one under the tender ("support unit").
Burlington Northern has expressed interest in such a machine, but as far
as I know has not offered any financial backing.
George Chaltas, Champaign, IL