Economic Evaluation Fuel and Energy Sources for Railway Motive Power

The trend towards widespread utilization of diesel-electric motive power in main-line operations continues unabated with some authorities predicting complete dieselization in the relatively near future. There can be no denying the physical superiority of diesel-electric locomotives over the fast disappearing steam locomotives that have dominated the American motive power scene for over 100 years. There are, however, economic questions of some importance raised by the phenomenal speed with which the change-over is being accomplished and the consequent demand imposed on the nation's middle distillate capacity and the petroleum resources upon which this capacity depends. Locomotives with electric traction motors are probably here for the long pull, but there may be reason to believe that the electrical energy to supply their traction motors can be produced at lower cost in ways other than with diesel-electric prime movers. Under certain circumstances of petroleum product demand and supply the gas-turbine electric locomotive may be found to have an economic justification. Similarly, the trolley-electric locomotive can undoubtedly be justified in situations where hydroelectric, and perhaps other low cost electric generating facilities create a competitive price differential sufficient to overcome the initial cost handicap occasioned in providing the fixed facilities required to bring energy to the pantographs of trolley-electric locomotives. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, it can be demonstrated that on the basis of present prices of electric energy and diesel fuel the extra investment required for operation of trolley-electric locomotives can be recovered from operating savings in about ten years.