MONTREAL – Canadian National today unveiled its first new medium horsepower hybrid electric locomotive, a Q19-2.4GH developed in collaboration with Knoxville Locomotive Works.
The 3,200 horsepower unit, No. 7100, includes a modern control system and is powered by a 2.4MWh-700HP battery-diesel engine that is 100% biofuel ready. Former BNSF Railway Genset 3GS21B No. 1259 was used as the core for the hybrid unit.
The hybrid system targets up to approximately 50% reduction in fuel consumption compared to a typical locomotive used in yard and local switching service. CN expects this initiative will help drive the advancement of hybrid technology in locomotives and contribute to immediate emissions reductions.
“This CN-led pilot represents another milestone in our sustainability journey and focus on emerging technologies. We believe that this hybrid system, if successful, could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our yard operations, while maintaining our commitment to customers and communities across our network,” Patrick Whitehead, executive vice president and chief network operating officer, said in a statement.
The hybrid locomotive will be deployed in phases over the next six months across several CN yards and branch lines, including locations in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Testing will also eventually include operations in cold weather conditions in Western Canada.
This phased approach will enable CN to evaluate efficiency and operating protocols for the locomotive, the railway says. The project is part of CN’s program to meet the deep decarbonization required to achieve net-zero emissions, with the other previously announced locomotive pilots such as its order of a Wabtec FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive for use on the former Bessemer & Lake Erie in Pennsylvania.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX are piloting hydrogen fuel cell battery electric locomotives, primarily for yard and local service.
Union Pacific and ZTR are partnering on hybrid electric switchers. UP also has ordered 20 battery-electric locomotives from Wabtec and Progress Rail for testing in yard service; the railroad expects delivery of the locomotives in late 2025 or early 2026.
BNSF is working on a hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive with Chevron and Progress Rail.
Norfolk Southern is partnering with Alstom on two hybrid switching locomotives.
If I understand the story correctly, the unit is capable of delivering 3,200 horsepower using the diesel engine without help from the battery. So, can the traction motors and drive electronics handle more? If additional power is available from the battery can the locomotive operate at, for argument’s sake, 4,000 horsepower? The technology exists as there are high power 6 axle units with only 4 axles powered. Additional power would be helpful when starting a long cut of cars when assembling a train.
Another possible operating mode when switching would be battery-electric with the diesel shut down until the battery required recharging. The diesel could operate independently of the throttle with the speed optimized for efficiency, minimum pollution and low noise when recharging.
How the locomotive actually uses the battery and the diesel engine will be a very interesting story.
Agreed. That begs the question, can both the diesel generator and the fully charged battery bank combine to provide even more HP, or do they only provide HP separately???
I’m a little lost on this. A hybrid car the ICE is used to directly power the car when needed along with charging the battery for the electric motor. Isn’t this locomotive just what we have now, a diesel electric locomotive.
This makes sense if it uses regenerative braking to also recharge the battery. Or does it recharge the battery while idling? And is the diesel always operating or shuts down while stopped? Is this a Genset 2.0? And while it may use less diesel fuel, it uses the same energy to do work; it seems to be shifting the energy demand to the power grid if it does not have regenerative braking.
Ugly, but Interesting… As to performance… We’ll see…
Diesel Electric Locomotives have been around for many decades. This is a Diesel Battery Electric Locomotive. Just like an “EV” is really a Battery Electric Vehicle. The Battery is the limiting factor.
mainly a hybrid
Note that the middle section appears to be made out of a 20′ shipping container. Someone else had to point that out to me. I wonder if that’s to make removal of parts easier (they can quickly swap a new set in and out) or if they just had one lying around?
One of these days a genset will be rebuilt into a real locomotive. Baby steps.
All they had to do was complete the long hood instead of having that stupid chopped end piece..it’s not like it helps with visibility, just makes it look like a bad design.
EMD lives on… sort of. The Gensets were a good idea. The starting systems for the on/off of the additional units were just not up to the rigors of heavy railroading…