WAYSIDE ENERGY STORAGE STUDY. VOLUME I. SUMMARY

Volume I summarizes an in-depth application study which was conducted to determine the practicality and viability of using large wayside flywheels to recuperate braking energy from freight trains on long downgrades. The study examined the route structures of nine U.S. railroads and identified various wayside energy storage system (WESS) configurations. The optimum means of transferring energy from the train to the wayside was by means of a high-voltage ac catenary from either regenerative electric locomotives or modified dual-mode (diesel-electric/electric) locomotives. The application of WESS was then analyzed for four specific routes of typical U.S. railroads. These routes and the annual returns on investment (ROI's) resulting from WESS deployment on existing railroads were as follows: Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe (Los Angeles to Belen), 27.1 percent; Black Mesa and Lake Powell, 17.3 percent; Conrail (Pittsburgh to Harrisburg), 22.0 percent; Union Pacific (Los Angeles to Salt Lake City) 20.2 percent.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also RRIS 04 191750; Bulletin 7902. Also available in set of 4 reports PC E15, PB-293 856-SET.
• Corporate Authors:

  AiResearch Manufacturing Company

  2525 West 190th Street
  Torrance, CA  United States  90509

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • LAWSON, L J
  • Cook, L M
• Publication Date: 1979-2

Media Info

• Pagination: 79 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Braking; Braking performance; Catenaries (Railroads); Dual powered locomotives; Economic analysis; Electric locomotives; Electric railroads; Energy conversion; Energy storage systems; Flywheels; Kinetic energy; Railroad facilities; Regenerative braking; Return on investment
• Identifier Terms: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company; Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad; Conrail; Union Pacific Railroad
• Old TRIS Terms: Grade operations; Wayside
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00191751
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/ORD-78/78, I Final Rpt., DOT-TSC-FR-79-7.I
• Contract Numbers: DOT-TSC-1349
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 30 1979 12:00AM