Rail Hire Firm set to ‘Green’ its Fleet in Project Backed by FDC

The UK’s leading independent locomotive hire firm is ‘greening’ its fleet in a £500,000 project backed by funding from Frontier Development Capital (FDC).

Harry Needle Railroad Company, which operates from sites in Worksop and Chesterfield, is trialling four different technologies as part of its mission to reduce carbon emissions from its fleet of over 50 diesel locomotives. Those that prove to be effective will be installed in its own trains and also in other companies’ vehicles as part of its maintenance and repair service.

The project is featured in a new programme by the BBC’s digital channel, BBC Click, which highlights in particular the success of one of the technologies being trialled, a novel hydrogen system. The Engine Carbon Clean system uses electricity generated on the train to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, with the hydrogen then injected into the engine.

As the hydrogen is pushed through, it removes the carbon residue that has built up over time, improving the engine’s efficiency while also generating enough hydrogen to power the train when the engine is idling. Harry Needle’s figures show it reduced CO2 emissions on a diesel shunter by 8%, carbon monoxide by 27% and formaldehyde by 39%.

The company is also trialling catalytic convertors which convert harmful compounds in the emissions into safe gases like steam; fuel preheaters which use waste energy from radiators to warm the fuel and enable it to be vaporised more effectively; and ‘green diesel’ made from recycled vegetable oil. The trials aim to identify the optimum configuration of different technologies to achieve the best balance between outcome and cost.

Harry Needle employs around 30 staff and offers locomotive hire, repair and storage services to manufacturers and rail operators including Alstom, Porterbrook and South Eastern. Frontier Development Capital has provided a total of £3.6m in debt funding over the past five years to enable it to develop its Worksop site, grow the business and to fund the latest project.

Marcus Mayers, who is leading the project on behalf of the Harry Needle Railroad Company, says: “Electric vehicles currently account for only around 38% of capacity on the rail network, with the remainder being older diesel trains. Scrapping these existing vehicles and replacing them with new trains would be prohibitive in terms of cost and makes no sense in terms of sustainability.

“By finding ways to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, we can continue to use these older assets but in a way that minimises our impact on the environment. Harry Needle aims to pioneer the use of green technologies, not only within its own fleet but also to help other companies to adapt their locomotives and demonstrate best practice within the industry.”

Jack Glonek of Frontier Development Capital added: “Companies hiring locomotives are increasingly looking to improve their green credentials by using more environmentally friendly rolling stock. However, with tight margins in the contact hire market, they are reluctant to pay more. Harry Needle aims to offer greener locomotives while minimising costs, and will also show that this type of investment can make good business sense by reducing fuel costs and extending asset life. We are pleased to have been able to support this pioneering project.”