The following story by Robert McCabe appeared on The Virginian-Pilot website on October 5, 2009.)
NORFOLK, Va. — Railroad geeks will get a charge out of this.
Norfolk Southern Corp. unveiled a prototype of a 1,500-horsepower switching locomotive last week that relies exclusively on rechargeable batteries for power.
Dubbed the NS 999, the all-electric, plug-in locomotive uses a lead-acid energy storage system made up of 12-volt batteries – 1,080 of them.
With the help of a system provided by Brookville Equipment Co., the locomotive is able to recharge its batteries while braking.
Because there is no diesel engine, there are zero exhaust emissions.
“We strongly subscribe to the view that sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint are solid business objectives that also provide enormous benefits to the communities we serve,” said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern’s CEO. “By utilizing regenerated kinetic energy of the train and with no diesel exhaust emissions, NS 999 achieves those goals.”
Moorman attended the roll out of the prototype on Monday at the company’s Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, Pa. He was joined by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa.
Shuster secured $1.3 million in federal funding for the NS 999 project, according to Norfolk Southern.
Other partners include the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Railroad Administration and Penn State.
“Today, the transportation sector currently accounts for just under a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, more than half of nitrogen oxide emissions, and almost three-quarters of our petroleum consumption,” said LaHood, as cited in a Norfolk Southern statement. “We need to change that. By working together to develop alternative energy sources and innovative technologies like this electric locomotive, we will make transportation more sustainable and energy-efficient.”
The batteries in the prototype locomotive are monitored and controlled through an elaborate battery-management system to ensure safety and maximum battery life, Norfolk Southern said.
When fully charged, it can go three shifts before recharging is needed.