WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sierra Northern Railway has unveiled the design for the hydrogen-powered switcher it is developing through California funding awarded in 2021.
The $4 million project will replace an older Tier 0 diesel with a zero-emission locomotive integrating a hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen storage, and advanced battery and system-control technologies.
Sierra Northern President Kennan H. Beard III said in a press release that the railroad is “pleased to present this new look … as we continue to refine our design and prepare to build and test the locomotive. This new look combines the future of hydrogen (dark blue) with California’s green future (dark and light green) with Sierra’s strong tradition of switching locomotives for the goods movement sector.” Beard said the railroad is “more convinced today than ever” that the project will help provide a zero-emission solution for the switching locomotive industry.
The railroad says it will provide additional information “in the coming years” as it builds, demonstrates, and validates the technology.
Sierra Northern Railway is the project’s technical lead, partnering with GTI Energy as the formal applicant to the California Energy Commission. Other technical partners are Railpower Tech LLC, Optifuel Systems LLC, UC Riverside Center For Environmental Research and Technology, Velocity Strategies, Valley Vision, Ballard Power Systems, WHA International, Southern California Gas Company, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative.
The California Energy Commission awarded the funds for the project in March 2021 [see “California Energy Commission awards …,” Trains News Wire, March 18, 2021]. At that time, the announcement noted most switchers use an average of 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year, and widespread use of hydrogen technology could lead to a reduction of more than 12 million gallons per year.
Share this article
