A Class 60 diesel locomotive is to be converted to a modern form of steam power as a potential alternative to electrification for zero-emission heavy freight operations.
The Brush Traction loco dating from the early 1990s will be converted into a 2 MW steam locomotive by replacing its heavy diesel engine with a lighter system of 20 modular high pressure steam generators which burn hydrogen, along with four steam turbines and 140 kg of gas storage. Operation will produce no emissions, and it could use green hydrogen produced by electrolysis using renewable energy.
The project is named New Dawn, a nod to ‘Evening Star’, the last steam locomotive built for British Rail. It is being undertaken by scale-up company Steamology, which is also developing the technology for the industrial and marine sectors and previously supplied a 100 kW ‘range extender’ demonstrator for a Vivarail Class 230 multiple-unit.
Read full article: Class 60 diesel locomotive to be converted to steam turbine operation