Recently developed 9900 series locomotive is the Union Pacific’s first attempt at meeting upcoming EPA Tier 4 locomotive emissions standards.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Aug 23, 2012
While lower emissions are the headline, history is the real story. This year the Union Pacific is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a timeline looking back into its history and the history of the United States as both the railroad and our nation came of age together.
150 Years – The History of the Union Pacific
On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 officially naming and directing the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific to construct the transcontinental railroad.
On January 9th, 1863 the CP broke ground for the Transcontinental Railroad in Sacramento, CA. Later that year on December 2, 1863 the UP broke ground for the same in Omaha, NE. Due to the ongoing Civil War; the UP’s first tracks were not laid until July 10, 1865.
The UP completed the first lengthy leg of the Transcontinental Railroad when it completed the first tracks across all of Iowa on January 17, 1867.
By November 13, 1867 and less than 10 months after reaching Nebraska, the UP reached Cheyenne, WY.
On April 16, 1868 the UP reached Sherman Summit, the highest point of the Transcontinental Railroad over the Rocky Mountains.
The celebration of a nation occurred it was connected by two thin metal rails from East to West at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 9th, 1869. The ceremonial golden spike ceremony was held the following day.
For more on how this company began, grew, collapsed and rose again to become what it is today, the UP at 150 celebration timeline linked above is an interesting if not excellent light read I highly recommend.
Lower Emissions Locomotive Development
The Union Pacific Railroad unveiled an advanced experimental locomotive at its J.R. Davis Yard in Roseville that will test three emissions-reducing technologies we have all come to intimately know from the automobile discussions of such over the past few years. These technologies include high flow exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC), and diesel particulate filters (DPF). Surprisingly the UP 9900 did not include the simpler SCR with DEF?
The UP 9900 will be used for operations in northern California ranging approximately 200 miles from its base in Roseville. According to Union Pacific, the UP 9900 is the first in a series of 25 locomotives that the company is analyzing as part of a broad test of various emissions-reduction techniques in northern and southern California. This is the latest step in the company's ongoing effort to design, build and test technologies that reduce emissions.
Union Pacific engineers worked closely with locomotive manufacturer Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) to reduce the standard freight locomotive engine size in UP 9900 to create the space needed to install EGR piping, DOC, and DPF.
These technologies will be used in UP 9900 and are expected to help the Union Pacific eventually develop a long haul locomotive that can meet the U.S. EPA's Tier 4 emission standard.
To create the space needed to install the aftertreatment technology in the body of the locomotive, engineers reduced the engine size of a long haul locomotive used to move a train cross-country. Union Pacific and EMD expect UP 9900 to move toward the Tier 4 standard with a 45 percent reduction in the oxides of nitrogen emissions compared to the Tier 2 standard and an 85 percent reduction in particulate matter emissions based on preliminary analysis. Union Pacific and the California Air Resources Board will jointly analyze the locomotive's emissions-reductions capability over the next 18 months.
And do consider reading the Union Pacific's sesquicentennial year timeline. I think you may find it fascinating.
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