Natural gas locomotives, only on the horizon a few years ago are now a reality, with lowered costs and lower emissions, albeit without the smell of diesel.

My posts on that natural gas powered farm tractors and boats and an earlier one on planes created quite a bit of interest so I decided readers might also be interested in natural gas locomotives and trains. I’ve been involved with rail transportation issues for many years, having helped set up our local short line railroad in Honesdale long ago as well as several others.

I’ve never been a rail fan per se (the kind who chases train for hours to take pictures at every crossing) but I have some good, if occasionally grumpy, friends in that category who suddenly turn giddy at the mention of the four-letter word. I must also confess I do love the idea of rail and the sheer power of any locomotive. That power once came from coal and steam, of course, and later diesel, leading many modern rail fans to extol “the smell of diesel,” That smell isn’t going anywhere just yet, but more and more trains are running, or about to run, on natural gas as an alternative.

Read more:

http://naturalgasnow.org/natural-gas-locomotives-powering-trains/