Everett Railroad Testing Complete

| The Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR), working in conjunction with the Natural Resources Research Institute of the University of Minnesota – Duluth (NRRI), have been making substantial progress in the development of sustainable solid fuels for use in boilers, including those of historic steam locomotives. The latest advancement in this multi-year project was the test of a wood-based biofuel known as “torrefied biomass” in a 1920-built steam locomotive at the Everett Railroad (EVRR) in Hollidaysburg, Penn., earlier this Summer.

Following a few months of data processing, we are pleased to announce the results of the Everett Railroad Biofuel Testing. The overall progress is positive, and we are well on the way to having a usable product.

Everett Railroad Testing Postponed

The testing of torrefied biomass fuel in Everett Railroad steam locomotive No. 11 has been postponed until later this summer.

Why the date change?

As we mention on our Everett Railroad Testing page,  primary research comes with twists and turns that are sometimes unexpected. In the case of this rescheduling, a large rotary densifier that NRRI intended to use for densifying the fuel into usable pellets had to be taken out of service for retooling. Until that machine is back online, we have no way to properly prepare the fuel for testing in the larger locomotive.

Current time estimates for the retooling of the machine indicate it might return to service in June, but we will wait to reschedule the testing until we know that we can properly condition the fuel. Once that is determined, and we are able to arrive upon viable test dates with our collaborators at the Everett Railroad, we will set the test date. More info will be provided as it is available.