Someone mentioned KLW (Knoxville Locomotive Works).

These people have come up with a rather... neat package. I think it has potential.

Someone at KLW realized that MTU has come up with a Tier 4 diesel motor that needs no after-treatment. This already puts them ahead of the curve. But what they have done with it, is rather ingenious.

The MTU diesels they use, run at 1800RPM max. However, what they have done is gone to ZF and procured a 2 to 1 gearbox. Yes you heard me right a GEARBOX. Now it doesn't shift. Its a fixed 2 to 1 reduction. Why is this important? Well it means they can reuse a high degree of the electrical equipment found on your EMD locomotive. Yes I mean the AR-10, and everything on down the line.

So what KLW has come up with, is a Tier 4 rebuild, that uses a high number of reused components, with a diesel that doesn't need any special treatment or exhaust. Its got your standard boring straight pipe to the outside.

If KLW can make this reliable, they may have a winner here.

Yes, a baby step in the right direction. However, until the OEM's offer a 4,400 hp 100% natural gas prime mover they're only nibbling around the edges.

Today's Class 8 ng trucks are magnitudes cleaner than a Tier 4 railroad locomotive and when the carbon tax takes effect the class 1's ( whose total locomotive fleet averages about Tier 2 ) will be spending a fortune paying for those dirty diesel burning machines.

At that point the race will be on to convert to ng.

IMHO-Ross Rowland

If an NG turbine will even satisfy those pushing these regs.

There are many calling for full on electrification. Ive seen more then a few videos from those outside the railfan community calling for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI1ctMHnrfY

Now you and I both full well know the massive capitol cost of this, and the doubt that the grid can even handle this load.... but the calls still come.

"If you haven't worked closely with modern class 8 trucks, you have NO IDEA how complicated, cantankerous, unreliable and EXPENSIVE these systems are."

Oh yes I have! I have had to have them reset with a laptop! Thirty years over the road! But that's just the tip of the iceberg! The Battery went dead in our new car, it was defective. We drove it 100 miles at forty miles an hour because it went into limp made and had to be reset at a dealer and they are not open on a Sunday. WE have a kitchen range that locks the ovens when the power goes out, I had to go online to find the reset code, its a $400 service call to reset it! If a component in our dishwasher fails, the computer needs to be sent in to be reset $125.
The problem is the manufacturers do not have diagnostic software built into their systems, if you can reset the system with a laptop most of the time than why can't it do it its self?
Yes sensors are a problem, 90% of the time you see an older auto that looks nice but doesn't run, its sensors.
Sorry for the off topic rant but it's not strictly the technology, it's the stupid ways they program things.