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This thread is a tangent from a bit of a comedic remark I made in another thread talking about steam locomotives, but the reality is that this has been looked at by both the US and the Soviets (and more recently the Russians, via Rosatom, the company that produced the SMR barge that's powering a town in Siberia and runs the only nuclear powered freighter).
These are from an old Life magazine:
The Rosatom design used a breeder:
Of course, I've heard nothing about this since, and this was 11 years ago, so the odds are that it wasn't as easy to bring into production as assumed (not surprising). Of course with the war in the Ukraine, Rosatom is now toxic and the export aspirations are either on the ropes with potential clients or soundly torpedoed. An unfortunate situation for an extremely innovative company.
Conceptually of course, the idea of a nuclear-powered locomotive is quite logical. Nuclear reactors are an evolutionary step for anything that has used steam or electricity. This is easy to follow with their use in submarines, aircraft carriers, ice breakers, freighters and of course power plants. Being on land and operating in civilian space with the high likelihood of collision, of course locomotive use would require robust containment and a design that could not melt down in the event of an accident. This isn't much of an issue for ocean-going vessels, since they are surrounded by the world's largest heat sink, but it would certain pose some technical challenges for something land based.
These are from an old Life magazine:
The Rosatom design used a breeder:
Russia designs nuclear train
Sounds like a chapter in a science fiction book? Well,it’s not. Rosatom and Russian Railways are seriously developing a nuclear powered train.
barentsobserver.com
The engine of the train will be a small fast breeder reactor, and in its initial stage, the train will be a scientific exhibition complex.
The design is made by Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom.
- I looked at the design of the train, I liked it and I support the idea originally presented by Rosatom since it is a innovative way of develop nuclear energy, Gapanivich told Interfax.
The estimated cost of construction is still unclear, and nothing is yet said about the safety of such train.
This is not the first time the idea of a nuclear powered train is presented. Back in 1956, the Ministry of Transport of the USSR first time announced nuclear propulsion as a possibility for locomotives that could operate autonomously, without electricity or large amount of fuel. The Ministry then said such locomotives could be used in the High North and remote areas of Siberia, according to a back-ground article posted on the magazine Popularnaja Mehanika.
Another feature with the proposed nuclear powered train is that it can easily be converted to a mobile nuclear power plant, supplying energy to remote areas and industrial sites.
Of course, I've heard nothing about this since, and this was 11 years ago, so the odds are that it wasn't as easy to bring into production as assumed (not surprising). Of course with the war in the Ukraine, Rosatom is now toxic and the export aspirations are either on the ropes with potential clients or soundly torpedoed. An unfortunate situation for an extremely innovative company.
Conceptually of course, the idea of a nuclear-powered locomotive is quite logical. Nuclear reactors are an evolutionary step for anything that has used steam or electricity. This is easy to follow with their use in submarines, aircraft carriers, ice breakers, freighters and of course power plants. Being on land and operating in civilian space with the high likelihood of collision, of course locomotive use would require robust containment and a design that could not melt down in the event of an accident. This isn't much of an issue for ocean-going vessels, since they are surrounded by the world's largest heat sink, but it would certain pose some technical challenges for something land based.
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