Sierra Railroad Company members, company partners and city leaders pose in front of the hydrogen-powered locomotive prototype at Sierra Northern Railway’s ribbon-cutting event at its West Sacramento facility on Sept. 4. Photo courtesy of Sierra Northern Railway

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Sierra Northern Railway (SNR), California’s short-line freight leader known for providing efficient, cost-effective and sustainable solutions, made history by launching the nation’s first hydrogen-fueled, zero-emission locomotive during a Sept. 4 ribbon cutting ceremony at its West Sacramento facility.  

According to Sierra Northern Railway, the prototype locomotive is a four-axle switcher that was designed, built and tested in West Sacramento, running on a sustainable hydrogen fuel source that was converted from waste by Sierra Northern Railway’s sister company, Sierra Energy.

The locomotive was constructed out of a diesel switcher locomotive, removing the diesel engine and replacing it with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell and battery hybrid system.

At Fort Hunter Liggett, near the central coast of California, Sierra Energy operates a 20-metric-ton-per-day gasification facility where post-recycled waste is technologically transformed into hydrogen, providing clean electricity. An industry-wide adaptation of that model would allow for the generation of hydrogen-powered freight rails with its trademarked process, called FastOx, developed by Sierra Energy.

The Sierra Northern Railway’s hydrogen-powered prototype locomotive is at the company’s West Sacramento facility for its Sept. 4 ribbon-cutting event. Photo by Seth Henderson

“Congratulations to Sierra Northern Railway and their colleagues. The West Sacramento business community has a long history of innovation and groundbreaking development in the zero-emission transportation sector beginning with the California Fuel Cell Partnership and today welcoming Sierra Northern’s four-axle, hydrogen-powered, zero-emission switcher locomotive,” said Denice Domke, president and CEO of the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce. “This beautiful locomotive is specifically for freight rail and designed, built and tested in West Sacramento, truly home grown. Thanks for keeping it local Sierra Northern.”

Sierra Northern Railway and Sierra Energy are under the Sierra Railroad Company umbrella, which also includes Mendocino Railway and passenger services such as the Skunk Train and River Fox Train. Sierra Railroad Company CEO Mike Hart said the company has been operating rail facilities in West Sacramento for 30 years and it believes strongly in the city’s business ecosystem. 

“What we started with was premised 20 years ago, and that is that we wanted to make a zero-emission fuel,” Hart said. “So we started on the path to hydrogen with our Sierra Energy Division, which is based in Davis. Then, working here in the port of West Sacramento, we needed to build those locomotives that can operate on hydrogen.” 

The hydrogen-powered locomotive, a $23-million public investment project, was developed with Railpower Technologies, a subsidiary of Sierra Northern Railway specializing in designing low-emission locomotives across the continent. Railpower Technologies CEO Michael Faust said that an advantage for the community is the removal of 420 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NOx) per year by running the hydrogen-powered locomotive. 

A diesel engine from a switcher locomotive is on display at the Sept. 4 ribbon cutting event for Sierra Northern Railway’s hydrogen-powered prototype locomotive at its West Sacramento facility. 

“You’re looking at something that really can change the zero-emission conversation,” Faust said, “because with the hybrid model that Sierra Northern Railway, ones that they and Railpower would be building and delivering to the market, this thing will run for 80 to 100 hours before it needs to be refueled.” 

Faust said that comparatively, a battery locomotive needs to be recharged every four to eight hours, whereas a hydrogen powered locomotive could run for one to three weeks without refueling, depending on the locomotive’s duty cycle. The hydrogen powered locomotives take roughly an hour or two to fuel, Faust said, whereas the battery locomotives take six to 12 hours to charge. Faust said plugging into the grid for battery powered locomotives is still carbon intensive, similar to diesel locomotives. 

“It’s been a fantastic way of moving forward rapidly to be able to bring this cutting-edge technology into an existing locomotive platform,” Hart said, “which saves you years of the conventional crashworthiness, cab convention, all of that sort of equipment we’re using already, so it’s just changing what drives the locomotive.” 

Hart said that there are roughly 260 switcher locomotives in the state of California and that Sierra Railroad Company would be able to satisfy replacing the entire fleet’s diesel engines for hydrogen-powered, fuel cell battery hybrid systems. 

According to Sierra Northern Railway, the hydrogen-powered locomotive annually replaces about 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Switching California’s entire switcher fleet would be the equivalent of removing nearly 20,000 cars from the road, saving more than 12 million gallons of diesel fuel annually. 

Pictured are Sierra Railroad Company partners and event attendees mingling next to Sierra Energy’s FastOx gasifiers that turns waste into a sustainable fuel source.  

On display at the ribbon cutting ceremony were one of Sierra Energy’s FastOx gasifier machines and a diesel engine removed from the now hydrogen-powered locomotive. Hart said the FastOx gasifiers recycle any inert materials such as glass or metal, melting them down, leaving hydrogen and zero waste. 

Sacramento City Councilmember and Vice Mayor Eric Guerra said that he was proud to be present at the ribbon cutting ceremony as someone who grew up in Yolo County as a farm worker. He remembered having terrible air quality and said that this innovative solution is critical for not only economic development but also public health. 

“I’m excited about this and more so because I think it’s going to support all of our industries locally,” Guerra said. 

West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said that she toured the Sierra Railroad Company facilities while the diesel engine was being deconstructed and the hydrogen-powered fuel cell was being installed. The number of parts and pieces involved, mechanically, were overwhelming, according to Guerrero. 

Guerrero said it was impressive to see the adaptation take place and learn how beneficial this advancement could be for the city of West Sacramento and the rest of the nation. She said this industry-changing technology would spread to other parts of the country and the world, with West Sacramento as the epicenter. 

According to Sierra Northern Railway, diesel rail yards continue to account for a significant portion of air pollution, particularly in disadvantaged communities. The $23-million public investment features $4 million from the California Energy Commission to design and demonstrate the prototype. The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and California State Transportation Agency in 2023 awarded $19.5 million for three more units to expand the fleet. 

Sierra Northern Railway’s goal is to have four hydrogen locomotives by 2027. This locomotive and its precipitated effects complement the state’s 2050 goal of a zero-emission rail network, an investment in electric vehicle and hydrogen fueling state infrastructure totaling $1.4 billion.  

“Technology and research partners include GTI Energy, OptiFuel System, Railpower Tech, Ballard Power Systems and UC Riverside,” Sierra Northern Railway said in a statement. “This coalition brings together engineering hydrogen fuel-cell innovation, and academic research to deliver real world solutions.”

The prototype locomotive will operate in West Sacramento with future units expected across Sierra Northern Railway’s multiple divisions and the technology is designed to be replicated. The company completed testing of its prototype on March 27 and its long-term goal is to eventually commercialize its hydrogen-powered technology and convert its entire diesel switcher locomotive fleet to hydrogen power. 

“This is a milestone not only for Sierra Northern but for the future of freight in California and beyond,” Kennan H. Beard III, the president and CEO of Sierra Northern Railway said in a statement. “Hydrogen locomotives offer a proven, scalable way to deliver cleaner air while keeping goods moving efficiently.”