Article "Sustainable Steam" Published in Steam Railway Magazine

The final issue of Great Britain's Steam Railway Magazine in 2012 featured a three-page article written by CSR Executives Davidson Ward, Shaun McMahon, Rob Mangels and John Rhodes.  Thanks to the generosity of editor Gary Boyd-Hope, CSR is able to offer that article to view here on the CSR website. Take a look by clicking this link or the image at right.

Steam Railway was also the magazine who featured an article about CSR when the project was announced in May of 2012 labeling locomotive 3463 as a "biofuel-powered monster."  Biofuel-powered it will be; monster it certainly will not!

Memories of Warmer Weather

It's been eight months since CSR announced its project to bring 3463 back to steam... with modernizations and a change of fuel that will make it a world's first.  As part of its preparations prior to announcing the project, CSR sent a crew out to Topeka to scrape rust, chip paint and cover the locomotive in a layer of paint to stop further corrosion prior to its journey to Minnesota for reconstruction.  While that move planning is in full force at this time, CSR thought showing a little timelapse of its efforts in Topeka would be a nice break from the monotony of winter.

CSR Slated to Present at Two National Industry Fora

It appears January will be a busy month for CSR.  Davidson Ward, CSR President, has been invited to speak at two industry-level functions this month.

On January 15, he will be representing CSR and its partners in a “Six Minute Pitch” competition before the Transportation Research Board at its annual convention in Washington, D.C. Five transportation entrepreneurs were selected to perform succinct presentations on a new technology that can revolutionize the transportation industry.

Later that week, Ward will represent CSR at the American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA) annual convention in West Palm Beach, Florida as a speaker to its Alternative Energy Product/Market Group. The hour-long presentation will deal with the fundamentals of modern steam locomotion, with specific attention paid to boiler systems, combustion technologies and torrefied biomass.

CSR is thrilled to have been selected to present at both venues, and welcomes others to consider hosting it to continue to educate the public on its project and the technologies it is promoting. Combined with the “White Paper Program,” CSR is working to spread knowledge of modern steam technology and refocus the conversation to a technology that has yet all but been ignored in the modern transportation dialogue.

Want greater detail? We've got it!

CSR is pleased to announce its new "White Paper Program." Working with the University of Minnesota (U of M), the Porta Family Foundation Archives, and other not-for-profit rail and biomass research organizations, CSR's White Paper Program aims to bring scholarly works pertinent to biofuel, modern steam locomotive and transportation research into the public discourse.

As its first White Paper, CSR chose "The Case for a Better American Steam Locomotive," written by foremost modern steam mechanical engineer L.D. Porta in the mid-1970's in response to the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo and two articles published inTrains Magazine during the 1960's .  Originally intended to be published in Trains, this paper deals with aspects U.S. and European locomotive design and the need for alternatively-fueled motive power (coal was popular at that time).

Of specific interest today, at a time whenUnion Pacific is discussing the possibility of rebuilding one of their "Big Boy" locomotives, this article discusses how, through careful thermodynamic design, a Big Boy could produce in excess of 10,000 drawbar horsepower.  Not simply a "pie in the sky" argument, similar engineering principles were applied to the South African Railways 4-8-4 No. 3450 a few years after this article was written, resulting in 40% higher drawbar horsepower, a 30% reduction in coal consumption and a 30% reduction in water demand, not to mention decreased maintenance cost.

So, enjoy this paper and look forward to other technical documents CSR will post on its website over the coming months.  And, if you have yet to join our email list or sign up as a supporter, please consider doing so in the closing days of 2012!  As with other not-for-profits, every bit of support helps CSR meet its goals and continue to provide innovative research and compelling papers.

CSR Announces New Technical Advisors

CSR is pleased to announce that Alejandro Dante Porta, the youngest son of Ing. Livio Dante Porta, and Wolfgang Fengler have been appointed to its Advisory Committee.  Their inclusion and in-depth support of CSR will help further the organization's technical goals.

Alejandro Porta traveled the world with his father, Ing. L.D. Porta, who did more to advance the application of modern steam thermodynamics to the steam locomotive than perhaps any other engineering practitioner in the Twentieth Century.  Working closely with friend and L.D. Porta protege Ing. Shaun T. McMahon, CSR's Director of Engineering, Alejandro is excited to develop a close cooperation between CSR and the Porta Family Foundation Archives, a collection of technical papers and research created by Porta over his 60 year career.  An example of the collaboration between the Porta Family Foundation and CSR is evidenced in the publishing of never-before-digitized "Case of the Better American Steam Locomotive," written by his father at the height of the Arab Oil Embargo.  The collaboration between the two entities will also facilitate a preservation and promulgation of research that has yet-to-be released, allowing CSR engineers access to real world test results from the Red Devil, Rio Turbio Railway, FCAF [above right] and other railroads that have employed steam locomotive modernizations successfully.

Wolfgang Fengler is no stranger to the world of large Santa Fe steam locomotives and modern steam locomotive mechanical engineering.  He is currently assisting, on one level or another, the overhaul of A.T.&S.F. locomotives 5000 and 2926, and has served on the board of the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society, owners of A.T.&S.F. 3751. Having corresponded extensively with Ing. L.D. Porta and Ing. D. Wardale, as well as having applied and tested modifications to both scale model steam locomotives and 3751 (e.g. high tech, low resistance coatings on one main crosshead pin), Wolf is excited to be a part of the Coalition.  In specific, his expertise in computer modeling and thermodynamics will be of great help as the engineering phase of Project 130 begins in earnest in 2013.

Torrefied Biomass on TV

In the NBC news clip below, viewers are introduced to the future fuel behind CSR Project 130: torrefied biomass. Tim Hagen, a chemical engineer with the National Resource Research Institute (NRRI), has been a key partner of CSR in developing the clean fuel to power locomotive 3463.

NRRI and CSR are confident that torrefied biomass will play a significant role outside passenger rail as well. As described in the clip, the fuel can be densified and processed to meet various needs, including pellets for use in home heaters or briquettes for use in modern steam locomotives. NRRI and CSR are actively pursuing options to begin production of torrefied biomass on a pre-commercial scale and are well on the way to having a viable, commercial fuel product.