What is current state of CNGmotive testing on NS?

[Overmod]

I have not heard any recent reports of NS experience in its testing of the CNGmotive 'tender' and natural-gas-compatible road power.  Who has knowledge either of technical findings or operational details?

For background on CNGmotive, see this Railway Age story (with pictures):

https://www.railwayage.com/news/cngmotive-moves-to-the-next-level/

I'm not a fan of CNG as locomotive fuel, but the credentials of this team are as exemplary as anything you'd want to present to an investment-banking firm, and they seem to have an accurate handle on important detail.  (It occurs to me that Dave Goding probably knows some of these people or knows their prior work, and might be able to confirm or deny that they are so well qualified.)

In particular they recognize the importance of relatively fast refueling under safe conditions.  Here is a paper from 2018 with further details on the system they use, which is interesting:

https://sites.psu.edu/rrix/files/2018/10/1.4_CNGMotive-230736s.pdf

The testing was to have started, as I recall, in the same area of the former Norfolk Southern that produced the remarkable time/load/fuel operations with 15,000-ton trains behind A-class 2-6-6-4s with auxiliary tenders in the '50s.  It may have been affected in some ways by evolving COVID-19-related issues.  Surely someone knows, or has taken video of the operation.

 

[bogie_engineer]

Overmod

(It occurs to me that Dave Goding probably knows some of these people or knows their prior work, and might be able to confirm or deny that they are so well qualified.)

 

In fact I do know the majority of the people working on the tender, most who retired from or left EMD, as well as the one from GE, who I worked with on the MPI/GE MBTA HSP46's. I have a lot of respect for their collective knowledge and experience.

But I haven't spoken to any of them for at least 5 years and don't have any current knowledge of the CNG program.

Dave

[caldreamer]

From the Loconotes forum.  Shawn Graham White reported that the BNSF has leased the pair of SD70ACe LNG engines to the NS for testing.

    Ira

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    Ira

[samfp1943]

The 'fuel tender' car pictured in the 1st link provided by Overmod .  The BNSF's cylindrical 'fuel tender' is pictured in its configuration with the two mdified BNSF  SD70ACEs #9130 &#9131.    I have seen photos of the BNSF cylindrical CNG tender in use on the FEC RR;