Once we get over our fear of

Once we get over our fear of nuclear, it'll all be electric.

I was thinking...

When technology permits, possibly a small mobile fission or fusion reactor in place of the Diesel engine under the hood. But knowing the current company I work for, they shall remain unnamed, all the reactors would be leaking and spewing radiation across the countryside within a year of purchase because they chose to not have shielding for “Safety” reasons. Or they will overload the reactor trying to get too much power out of it in the interest of fuel savings. 

Powered rails

Just kidding

If there are some breakthroughs in battery tech a battery powered loco might be useful for local use locomotives.

Natural Gas ?

Natural gas seems to be doing a pretty good job on some of these trains in Florida. It can be burned in the existing engines, and it burns pretty clean as I understand it. And I think we have a pretty good supply of that in this country for now?

Natural Gas Fuel Tenders
https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/natural-gas-fuel-tender-12208180

@railandsail, gas iis a momentary replacement

Yes indeed, but this implicate the use of thermic motors.

I try to look further,  around 2060 were probably thermic motors will be prohibited and fossils carburant too.

Without the use of thermic motors, what can we use; electrical and catenary is probably not usuable in extremly  long run such has they are in US and Canada for example.

The question is, first it was steam, after diesel and after diesel ???

Wabtec's GECX 6000 battery-powered locomotive shown in a consist

There is a solar powered MU in Australia.

A lot depends on battery technology that hasn’t been invented yet. The old joke was that intermodal containers are the future and always will be. Now trains, ships and trucks carry iso containers everywhere. I was small child when LED and fiber optic technology was touted as in the ‘near future’  at a public library demonstration. Twenty years passed and both technologies started to become commercially viable. Ten years later I have installed both technologies at work. 
 

You never know when or if the next thing is coming, ask the genius who invented CFL lamps, unfortunately his invention barely paid for itself when LEDs entered the high end of the market and started taking over. 

Depends where you are

I think the technology used will be highly dependent on your location.
I live in NZ. We have a lot of hydro power and even some geothermal. Conversely, our natural gas supplies are slated to run out in the near future. We import the majority of our fossil fuels.

The central portion of the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) line is electrified including the Raurimu Spiral. This is via over head catenary wires. Current proposals are to extend this between Auckland an Hamilton at the northern end. Auckland already has electric MU local trains so it kind of makes sense. The use of battery based engines will allow this to be phased in. (However - please don't ask about the politics regarding this....)

But other nations with less abundant electrical power but more resources of CNG may go in a different direction. I suspect that Hydrogen whilst being very clean, is a long way off due to production and storage costs. But I could be wrong.

What about vast tracts of Solar Panels feeding the rail grid? This could work for Australia, especially in places like the Nullabor Plain as well as in other desert countries.

SO - if your railroad moved forward 50 years - what would you power it with?
My Kayton Shortline would go electric with small box-cab like units that could easily be MU'ed if the tonnage ramps up or if I ever get that coal mine built. Of course, my back story suggests that the line will be abandoned by 1980......

food for thought

old-time compressed air locos?

Saw something like this a few decades ago in Jim Thorpe PA...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireless_locomotive#/media/File:Kaukas7.jpg

Power transmission and storage

Hi,

this is an interesting subject... Electric power is a good choice, however there is the issue of transmission.

Overhead lines are going to be a solution only for main lines, (sub-)urban networks, high-volume lines and mountain lines (electric traction is especially efficient in the mountains!).

Battery-powered multiple unit trains were operated by Deutsche Bahn from 1907 through 1995, but there has not been any replacement in 25 years. Even on rather hilly lines.

Modern batteries, as used for example in cars, are dangerous when they fail. They still lack the capacity for "real railroading".

Hybrid systems have been introduced successfully. A tram that has overhead power at the stops and in steep places but runs on stored energy in between is the most promising concept I've heard of.

What is missing is a development of the fuel cell. It should use some inert liquid fuel like gasoline but use a "cold" conversion process. Store enough power for a full branch line run but avoid the danger of lithium batteries...

Finally, if they electrified the rail lines in my (small) area and upgraded the rail services, there would be a lot less road traffic. And a lot less diesel exhaust from trains. Which would reduce overall emissions from traffic by 30-50% with currently or historically available technology. Instead the rail service has been reduced by 30%. Go figure.

Have fun!

Hydrogen

Hydrogen power could be part of the answer, possibly with electric overhead and battery and others.

One problem is producing the hydrogen/electricity/battery/solar panels/etc. in a "clean" way.  If electricity is used from coal fired generating plants you haven't really gained anything.

Paul

Just read in a scientific magazine

It's obvious, diesel is going to dissappeaer as power, banished for many reasons and this not the place to open the debate to know if it's a good decision or a bad one.

So research and technology evolve day after day, thermic motors are probably going to dissappear generaly in a next short future meaning around 50 years.

An European consortium is already on the way to look at new propulsion power.

Even if real fear exist about it, they look at the use of a very small nuclear plant using the future nuclear fusion.

We all know the project ITER is not already workable, but already, research is on the way to use the future fusion process as a power move and especialy where high power is needed.

This fusion power is destinated for ships but also future locomotives and power plant.

But fusion is not on the way to controled even to be executed; ITER project is a very complicated process and far to work until now.

But I feel extremly interesting, even if the fusion is not ready to be used , there are already  research and project to make it usuable for powering our needs, including trains.

Energy density

A lot of the issue is with energy "density", how much energy per lb can the fuel source provide, and then cost.

Hydrogen and LPG are clean but it takes a lot more of it (volume) to power a locomotive the same distance as diesel.  One of the reason hydrogen and LPG powered engines generally have tenders.

Electric engines are very flexible as far as power source, but the infrastructure is very expensive.

Solar power has a very low energy density.  Thousands of sq ft of solar panels to generate enough power.

Too soon to say what technology will take over.