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With respect to the idea that coal fueled locomotives are a thing of the past, a good analogy to consider is the fuel debate regarding power generation for the nation's electricity grid. Just a few years ago it was thought that coal was a thing of the past, that all new generation would come primarily from natural gas, due to the efficiency of combined cycle technology and the fact that natural gas only cost around $2.00/mmBtu. For "clean coal" technology to compete, the price of natural gas would have to be over $3.50/mmBtu, and that just wasn't going to happen in our lifetimes, right? <br /> <br />Now look at what has changed. Natural gas now costs over $5.00/mmBtu. Coal has once again become the primary fuel feedstock of choice for electricity generation, even with the added costs of clean coal technology and the added capital costs, manpower costs, etc. <br /> <br />Whose to say that the same won't happen in the transportation field? It may not necessarily be rod driven steam, but some new form of coal powered prime movers. If oil prices are projected to stay high for the long term future, a new coversion back to coal may not only become a reality, it may become a necessity!
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