A greener locomotive will make its official California debut in Sacramento Wednesday. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will present the locomotive during a press conference at the Sacramento Valley Rail Station, which holds a prestigious spot in railroad history as the western starting point for the Transcontinental Railroad. Caltrans and Amtrak are partners operating "Amtrak California." Caltrans owns this locomotive, plus 16 others and 88 train cars. Amtrak operates ... Suzanne William Burg comment-10935 2009-07-18T17:27:54Z 2009-07-18T17:27:54Z An unusual irony is that "Electro-Motive Diesel" was, until, 2004, the "Electro-Motive Division" of General Motors! They spun off the locomotive company to concentrate on cars...and we can see how well that worked out for them. Even a conventional diesel-electric locomotive, pulling a full train, is far more fuel-efficient than trucks for carrying long-haul freight. Diesel locomotives use an electric transmission, the disel engine powers a generator that drives electric motors attached to the wheels. This locomotive is part of a large-scale shift to even more fuel-efficient locomotives, like the General Electric "GEVO" and the Railpower Technologies "Green Goat." The "Green Goat" is a switching locomotive, intended for light-duty chores in yards. It is essentially a giant hybrid car, with a comparatively small diesel engine (about the size of that in a Ford F-350) and a big battery bank. The body is built from reconditioned 1950s era locomotives like the EMD GP-7, so it's not just fuel-efficient, it is also recycled! William Burg 2009-07-18T17:27:54Z Bill Burgua comment-10928 2009-07-18T14:57:19Z 2009-07-18T14:57:19Z What time is the press conference? Can the public attend? Bill Burgua 2009-07-18T14:57:19Z