United Hydrail Nations

by guest blogger Stan Thompson This update follows much farther behind the wonderfully successful 9th International Hydrail Conference in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (June 2014) than I had intended.  The reason is one I can’t regret: the cast of international players on the hydrail stage has grown so large, and there are so many  intertwining plots, that I can hardly keep up […]

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Neumünster, Germany, Hosts 9th International Hydrail Conference

by guest blogger Stan Thompson Neumünster, in the Northern German State of Schleswig-Holstein, will host the Ninth International Hydrail Conference (“9IHC”) on 16-18 June this year (2014). This year’s registration details, presenters and agenda information appear on the Appalachian State University hydrail web site, http://www.hydrail.org. German support for the Hydrail Conference has proved so strong that, for the […]

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China: Choosing hydrail?

by Guest Blogger Stan Thompson A version of this post originally appeared January 12, 2014, in my Mooresville [NC] Tribune newspaper column. Last month, when China’s Jade Rabbit lunar explorer touched down on the moon, it may have given the world a hint about that country’s railroad vision. As the pundits observed, China didn’t replicate the American […]

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ARUBA TO DEBUT 1st HYDROGEN STREETCAR FLEET

by guest Blogger Stan Thompson Before 2014, the Caribbean island nation of Aruba will roll out the world’s first fleet of hydrogen hybrid, self-powered, rail transit vehicles. Los Angeles, CA, transit manufacturer TIG/m Modern Street Railways is building both the streetcars—resembling heritage open trolleys—and the hydrogen production infrastructure needed to power their fuel cells. Energy […]

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Hydrail: a boost from Warren Buffet?

by guest blogger Stan Thompson At first glance, Russell Gold’s March 5, 2013, Wall Street Journal story, “Berkshire’s BNSF Railway to Test Switch to Natural Gas,” looked like such a big splash that the hydrail boat might get swamped. But a closer look suggests that hydrail—the emerging hydrogen fuel cell hybrid technology for railroad propulsion—is […]

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Hydrail and Sandy: Learning the Hard Way

Posted on November 1, 2012 By guest blogger, Stan Thompson What you won’t hear, but should, in news coverage about Hurricane Sandy and transit service interruptions is that hydrail—hydrogen fuel cell/battery hybrid—subway trains would  be much less impacted by salt water flooding. That’s not to say subway service could have continued.  Signaling, switching and many […]

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“Cold Nugget” Found In Alaska: Zero-Carbon Hydrogen

by guest blogger, Stan Thompson Long before the California Gold Rush, there was a North Carolina Gold Rush. The land right under the feet of President Obama and delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention was riddled with ancient gold mining tunnels. Mine waste tailings were so plentiful that eventually they were used as construction […]

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