This hit the news releases today.

https://www.cninnovation.ca/

You don't suppose that stuff could substitute for coal for steam locomotives, do you? I can't imagine it would as it clearly states the bitumen is mixed with it and has to be removed at destination by processing, but somebody needs to test of bucket of the stuff to prove it won't. "bar of soap" size. I've seen so many horrible results from carbon buildup using poor-quality residual fuel oil I'm reflexively skeptical, but I'll still post the news item as anything that could help out or get some thought moving here. If nothing else this is an attempt to minimize oil transportation problems by rail.

Congratulations to CN for trying to find a way to make crude-oil shipments safer, but it sounds like the oil pucks are encased in plastic. Sorry Randy, but I don't want to think about what that would smell like. Or plastic clinker.

I'm still waiting for my first shipment of the torrefacted-wood briquets that were supposed to fire ATSF 3465, and ordering lots of coal for Christmas.

Aarne Frobom
Heptane Township, Michigan

Yeah, it sounds good, but when you look at the video it reminded me of maple syrup containers at McDonalds. It sounded more like a stabilized solid charcoal briquette in the press release, but I'm not seeing that.

Remember when Santa Fe tried to ship oranges in the Pullman Standard 100-ton refrigerated covered hoppers?

The simple economics of this are awful. Heavy crude is a low price commodity anyway (marginally economic at today's prices) and then to go through the expense of mixing it with something, wrapping it in a plastic container, and then undoing the process at the other end makes it a no-brainer in the cost- benefit department, let alone on the balance sheet for the producer and the refiner.

However, it looks good to those people who don't believe in economics, like politicians.