V&T to power locomotiveswith biofuels from Bently
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad will power its diesel-electric locomotive with biodiesel from Bently Biofuels of Minden.
The 20 percent blend is an easy replacement for an industrial engine, as the engine contains no rubber or plastic that can suffer from contact with biodiesel, says Carlo Luri, general manager of Bentley Biofuels.
The V&T Railroad contacted Bentley after it decided to develop its business model to be environmentally sound and to improve the passenger experience, says Craig Brinkman, director of marketing for the railroad headquartered at Virginia City.
When the heritage train carries tourists through tunnels, diesel exhaust gasses get trapped. That smells bad, especially to passengers in the open car.
Bently has been producing biodiesel for three years, and blends for two years. The blend created for the V&T Railroad needed to withstand the cold of Virginia City’s 7,000-foot elevation. While Bently doesn’t have a contract to produce any certain amount of the fuel, Luri says, “We’re committed to provide as much as they need.”
