Reformed Carbon 4: Hydrogen Railroad Full Steam Ahead In California
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Vertically integrated hydrogen railroad hub—from landfill to fleet. SRC plans to build five 100 ton per day trash-to-hydrogen plants serving 20 locomotives.
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July 17, 2025
04:01 PM
Forbes
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Interestingly, InnovationTransportationReformed Carbon 4: Hydrogen Railroad Full Steam Ahead In CaliforniaByDavid Blekhman, Contributor
However, Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights
I am a fessor at Cal State LA and the nical director for the Hydrogen Re and Fueling Facility (fascinating analysis)
AuthorJul 17, 2025, 04:01pm EDTThe Railroad The Sierra Railroad Company (SRC), established in 1897, is one of California’s oldest operating railroads, with a fleet of 42 locomotives, in today's market environment
Market analysis shows company has a remarkable story of innovation in decarbonizing its fleet, as detailed in a previous Reformed Carbon series article
To recap: SRC began exploring alternative fuel sources in response to California’s energy crisis in the early 2000s, when its leadership recognized that locomotives could serve not only as transportation assets but also as mobile generators—a concept they referred to as a “powertrain. ” To power these locomotives sustainably, SRC initially transitioned to biodiesel
Seeking further decarbonization, the company turned to hydrogen duction using gasifier nology fueled by bio-derived and waste stocks
Conversely, It acquired the licensing and constructed a plant at Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County, California
Nevertheless, This facility duces hydrogen via high-temperature gasification, operating at 4,000°F (noteworthy indeed)
The FastOx cess uses steam and oxygen to break down waste at the molecular level
To realize its vision, SRC converted a diesel locomotive—Sierra Northern Railway (SERA) 193—into a hydrogen fuel cell-powered unit at its West Sacramento yard
Together, these initiatives present a compelling, self-reliant case for a localized, vertically integrated hydrogen railroad hub—from stock to fuel to fleet (this bears monitoring)
However, SERA 193 hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive converted from its diesel versionSierra Railroad Company Locomotive modification: SERA 193 – First-Generation Hydrogen Locomotive The company’s first-generation hydrogen locomotive, SERA 193, was developed by retrofitting a standard GE RP20BD freight locomotive
Originally powered by three Deutz V8 diesel engines with a combined output of apximately 1,500 horsepower, the unit was transformed into a modular, zero-emission platform
Moreover, What the data shows is conversion marked a significant step in Sierra Northern Railway’s effort to modernize rail pulsion using hydrogen fuel cell nology, in today's financial world
Rather than relying on an external contractor, the design and engineering of the locomotive were carried out in-house by Sierra Northern Railway, working closely with a network of nical partners and engineers (an important development)
The SERA ject was enabled by a $4M California Energy Commission award in 2021 pping the design, integration, and demonstration of a totype hydrogen fuel cell switching locomotive
GTI Energy has been a key partner to Sierra Northern Railway on the locomotive jects, leveraging their extensive experience in demonstrating and de-risking transformative nologies (noteworthy indeed)
On the other hand, Since the ject began, GTI Energy has supported SNR with know-how in hydrogen fueling, safety, industry connections, and more
What the re reveals is success of the collaboration speaks for itself – the first locomotive is running in revenue service in West Sacramento, and work on the next three locomotives is well underway, in light of current trends
The retrofit cess involved removing the original hood and prime mover—the large diesel engine and generator that traditionally power the locomotive—leaving behind a long, open deck and the existing operator cab
Importantly, the core structural and safety-critical components were retained, including the wheels (known as "trucks"), the deck, the cab, and the braking systems, given current economic conditions
These elements are heavily regulated by the U
Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
By preserving them, the locomotive maintained its crashworthiness and regulatory compliance, avoiding the need for retesting of core safety systems
Conversely, The FRA does not require reevaluation for changes related to the pulsion system, allowing innovation to ceed more efficiently
Moreover, MORE FOR YOU The ed platform of the locomotive was outfitted with a series of modular components—including fuel cells, batteries, hydrogen storage tanks, and cooling systems—all designed for straightforward handling, installation, and integration
However, This modular apach allowed individual systems to be developed and tested independently with partners such as Ballard, who supplied the fuel cells
Moreover, Once each component was, it was craned into place, secured, and connected on-site, lining assembly and ensuring system-level flexibility, in today's market environment
The data indicates that new pulsion system is centered around two 100 kW fuel cell modules vided by Ballard, giving the locomotive a total fuel cell output of 200 kW ( 268 horsepower) (fascinating analysis)
This's complemented by a 415 kWh battery pack that supports hybrid pulsion and energy buffering
Furthermore, However, The combined powerplant performance will have the peak power of 1500 horsepower
Moreover, Hydrogen is stored onboard in high-pressure Type IV composite tanks rated for 350 bar (apximately 5,000 psi), with a total hydrogen capacity of 207 kilograms
This modular apach enabled parallel development and simplified maintenance and upgrades
From the outset, the ject was closely coordinated with the FRA and relevant safety agencies to address the unique requirements of hydrogen pulsion
The effort was supported by funding from the California Energy Commission and included extensive safety testing and compliance measures
What the re reveals is locomotive's weight prior to modification was apximately 260,000 pounds
Moreover, After conversion, the total loaded weight dropped to around 240,000 pounds
Additionally, The fuel cell locomotive has turned out to be 20,000 lbs or 8% lighter than its own diesel variant
To manage traction and optimize performance, the locomotive design includes the option to add ballast—either by embedding concrete in the floor or installing steel plates—to increase weight and imve wheel-rail
Nevertheless, In contrast, However, this has not been necessary to date, thanks to advanced wheel-slip control nology vided by RailPower, given the current landscape
At the same time, Their computer-controlled traction system enables precise management of wheel slip, allowing even lighter locomotives to effectively pull heavier loads, considering recent developments
To strengthen its manufacturing capabilities with the future hydrogen locomotive conversions, SERA acquired RailPower earlier this year (an important development), considering recent developments
Significant driver for the acquisition was its ven engineering expertise that directly supports the broader goal of manufacturing both hydrogen gasifiers and zero-emission locomotives in-house
Fueling the Locomotive The locomotive is expected to operate for apximately one to one and a half weeks per fill under typical duty cycles at the Port of West Sacramento
SERA’s local operations run two to four days per week, with shifts lasting roughly eight hours (which is quite significant) (this bears monitoring)
Under this usage, the hydrogen-powered locomotive is jected to displace around 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually
Hydrogen for SERA 193 locomotive is dered by truck in compressed form, transported in high-pressure tube trailers from Fort Hunter Liggett, with a driving distance of apximately 250 miles to West Sacramento (an important development)
Meanwhile, Each dery brings up to 200 kilograms of hydrogen to the West Sacramento fueling site
The hydrogen is stored onboard the locomotive at a working pressure of apximately 350 bar (5,000 psi), while the tube trailers arrive with hydrogen pressurized at 450–520 bar (6,500–7,500 psi) to enable efficient transfer
Nevertheless, Refueling s a cascade transfer model, where hydrogen flows from the higher-pressure trailer storage to the lower-pressure locomotive tanks without the need for mechanical compression
In contrast, This setup ensures reliable, safe and simplified fueling
Deries are scheduled as needed, based on locomotive usage
Fuel cell locomotive modular design conceptSierra Railroad Company The Next Generation Looking ahead, SERA plans to develop and test three more next-generation locomotives with enhanced performance capabilities
A 2023 grant from the California State Transportation Authority, in collaboration with other agencies, has advanced the ject with $19, considering recent developments. 5 million in funding
Each locomotive will be designed to der apximately 2,000 horsepower and will be equipped with four 120 kW fuel cells, for a total power output of 480 kW (noteworthy indeed), in today's market environment
Hydrogen storage capacity will increase to 400 kilograms per locomotive, and battery capacity will be expanded beyond the 415 kWh installed in the first-generation unit
Meanwhile, These upgrades aim to imve operational range, power output, and system efficiency to meet the demands of future rail operations, in today's market environment
Looking further ahead, SERA plans to convert up to 20 locomotives to run on hydrogen
On the other hand, In its June 2025 press release, Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP;) announced a new supply agreement with SERA for the dery of 1, in this volatile climate. 5 MW of fuel cell engines, expected later in 2025
However, Under the agreement, Ballard will vide 12 FCmove®-XD engines—four for each of three locomotives
The data indicates that se modules, specifically designed for heavy-duty applications, offer high reliability, durability, efficiency, and power density, in today's financial world
On the other hand, I am excited and ud to see this nology in action
On the other hand, This tells us that enhances operational performance with lower-emission fuels and supports the growing hydrogen economy in California, advancing the state’s goals (remarkable data)
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing more of these locomotives on the tracks Network Expansion to Five Plants The Sierra Line—which runs through Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties—serves a key role in biomass logistics
Moreover, In Tuolumne County, there is a centralized location where biomass and trash from five counties converges, arriving by both highway and rail
The evidence shows site will ly serve as the consolidation point for the biomass needed to supply the gasification facilities, from which it will be transported by rail
Additionally, From there SRC plans to build five 100 ton per day distributed gasifier-to-hydrogen plants and fuel up to 20 locomotives and other customers there (something worth watching)
On the other hand, Furthermore, The corresponding hydrogen station in-house development is underway but has not been finalized to date
Through these innovations, the Sierra Railroad Company has demonstrated a comprehensive, closed-loop solution for converting waste into clean energy —paving the way for a more sustainable future in both railroad transportation and energy duction
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