Electricity Shortage/Possible Short Term Help

[Anonymous]

I've noticed that one of the regional railroads was going to use part of its diesel fleet to generate and sell electricity for consumer use.

If this is possible, and apparently it is, could the Class 1 railroads do the same. Perhaps the
proceeds from the sale of electricity could be used to offset the increased cost of diesel fuel and at the same time create a postive image for the railroads.

Anyone have any comments about this?

Mike Swift

[thirdrail1]

It requires extremely uncommon economic conditions to make the generation of commercial power by locomotive practical. It is being done in Montana, and Montana only, due to the Western electrical problems caused by the drought in the Pacific Northwest and the California power fiasco. The Montana Rail Link also owns the former Northern Pacific locomotive shops at Livingston, MT, and rebuilds locomotives commercially, so is one of the few lines with a surplus of motive power. Rather than paying for the increased cost of Diesel fuel, this increase makes commercial generation of power even less practical.

[Anonymous]

just a little tidbit, when they had a big ice storm in Canada a few years back, CN or CP (i think it was CP) donated the use of a few of their engines as generators until the power lines could get put back up.
As far as the class 1's giving up engines to electricty generation goes, most of them don't have enough spare engines around to do much good. The situation out west is far to big for a few engines to have much effect. Also, it probably wouldn't pay to take engines out of service to do this. The economics of the situation probably aren't as good as one might think, otherwise they already would be doing it.