Economic Aspects of Advanced Coal-Fired Gas Turbine Locomotives

While the gas turbine is not new to the railroads, there are none in freight service at this time. Increases in fuel prices, particularly Diesel No. 2, and advances in turbine technology have made it necessary to re-examine the use of gas turbine locomotives. A recently completed study by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Department of Energy has shown that a coal-fired locomotive is attractive from the fuel supply, fuel cost, and overall economic standpoints. The turbine technology appears to be adequate, but the use of coal in turbines appears to be the key problem. Advances in coal technology in the last ten years indicates that a clean, efficient coal-fired gas turbine electric locomotive is technically feasible.