CALIFORNIA DREAMING, AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY.

The California Air Resources Board has issued new ukases.  The technology-forcing effects of those ukases might involve a lot of wishful thinking.  "California has passed regulations requiring dramatic measures to reduce diesel locomotive emissions within the state — including all new locomotives to offer zero-emission operation by 2035 — although the rail industry says the rules exceed the technology needed to meet them."  The details:

“Locomotives are a key part of California’s transportation network, and it’s time that they are part of the solution to tackle pollution and clean our air,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph in a press release.That release also said emissions from one train are worse than those of 400 heavy-duty trucks. “With the new regulation, we are moving toward a future where all transportation operations in the state will be zero emissions.”

But the leading candidates to replace diesel technology — battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell locomotives — are still in their infancy. The Association of American Railroads said in a statement to the Associated Press that “there is no clear path to zero-emissions locomotives,” adding, “Mandating that result ignores the complexity and interconnected nature of railroad operations and the reality of where zero emission locomotive technology and the supporting infrastructure stand.”

In a lengthy and pointed statement, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association called the decision “an incredibly abrupt, dramatic, unrealistic, and counterproductive forced shift” of locomotives, and says the rule will place the financial viability of some small railroads at risk.

“While the spirit behind this rule is consistent with short lines’ environmental commitment, the rule itself is impractical, unworkable, and simply not feasible for most short lines,” said ALSRRA President Chuck Baker. “In addition, this rulemaking does not acknowledge the impact of the elimination of some short line rail service to Californians.”

Locomotives are not alone in facing new CARB regulations. A day after passing the locomotive regulations, the board banned the sale of new diesel trucks by 2036 and required all trucks to be zero emission by 2042. The CEO of the American Trucking Association, Chris Spear, told Reuters the state was “setting unrealistic targets and unachievable timelines that will undoubtedly lead to higher prices for the goods and services delivered to the state and fewer options for consumers.”

Let's leave aside for the moment the possibility that the deprivation is the point.  The railroaders' responses have taken some stick for neglecting electric locomotives as an option.  Just for fun, dear reader, estimate how many trees might have to be chopped down to provide poles to support the catenary on those short lines, which could use interurban locomotive technology.

The fun begins on the main lines crossing the mountains, where the railroads have concluded that serious electrification consistent with the kind of tonnages handled is not currently cost-effective.

Yes, The Milwaukee Road's Lines Electrically Operated crossed three mountain ranges in Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and, yes, some longish freight trains hauled by two Cold War era motors ran, although in later years, those motors were aided by diesels operating in multiple with the motors.  What the casual observer might not know is that the railroad arranged to be billed for power based on their peak load usage, and that toward the end, the remaining one or two freight trains a day would be held during peak load time in order to keep the power bill down.  Apparently the kind of substation capacity that would be required to keep contemporary U.S. freight trains moving is expensive even today.  A related point: the fastest train on the old North Shore Line was three standard cars, as two cars didn't have the oomph of three to overcome air resistance, whilst a fourth car would drag down the substation.  I suspect the challenge facing rail electrification is similar, there are limits to how many motors can be put on a train before the substation protests.

It's not that railroaders aren't considering mainline freight electrification, possibly augmented by hybrid locomotives using something other than diesel to recharge the batteries, and by putting batteries in electric locomotives and limiting the catenary to where recharging doesn't drag down the substation.  The ideas are a century old; the imperative, whether by technology forcing or by rising fossil fuel prices, is not yet that strong.