Manufacturing line/Rail systems/Locomotive
Autonomous · Rail systems

Locomotive

Six megawatts on six axles from hydrogen, battery and wire. No cab, no crew.

Phase 6 · 2033+Concept design
Power
6 MW
Energy
H₂ + 2 MWh battery + wire
Top speed
120 km / h
Crew
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
SIDE ELEVATION · PHANTOM CUTAWAY130510011711071406040315081202091622.7 m (74 ft 6 in) over couplers · 192 t on six axles3 axles per bogie · 32 t axle load3 axles per bogie · one traction motor per axle53 ft well · 2 × 53 ft containers, double-stackedSECTION A–A · FUEL-CELL BAY, LOOKING FORWARDDETAIL B · THREE-AXLE BOGIE, TRACTION DRIVE1,435 mm gaugeH₂ cylinders — roof rackRoof fan · radiator plenumCarbody shell — cab-lessFuel-cell stack (left bank)DC link bus barCentre sill · underframeSecondary suspensionJournal box · primary springsWheel · flange inside railFuel-cell stack (right bank)Service aisleTraction motor — axle-hungBull gear on axlePinionRail — 68 kg/mBogie frame — cast steelBrake cylinder · shoe on treadPrimary springs · journal boxCentre pivot · bolsterCarbody underframe (hidden)Gear caseNose suspension linkWheelsetBull gear on axlePinion on motor shaftTraction motor — one per axle
01Automatic couplers & draft gearStructure
02Bogies × 2 — 6 axles, 32 t axle loadTraction
03Fuel-cell modules — 12 × 500 kW in 3 banksPower
04Hydrogen cylinders — 12 × 50 kg at 700 barPower
05Carbody — cab-less, energy-absorbing noseStructure
06Battery — 2 MWh, 6 MW, regenerativePower
07Pantograph — 25 kV catenaryPower
08Radiators & fans — 3 × 55 kWPower
09Traction motors — 6 × 1 MW, one per axleTraction
10Forward sensors — cameras, lidar, radar, thermalStructure
11Double-stack well car — 2 × 53 ftFreight
12Axle inverters — 6 × 1 MWPower
13Train computers — 2 AI modules, SIL 4 controlStructure
14Line converter — catenary to DC linkPower
15DC link — 3 kV, every source on one busPower
16Pinion & bull gear — 4.7:1, every axleTraction
17Air reservoirs & ECP brake riggingStructure
II · Power & drivetrain

Hydrogen, battery and wire on one DC link.

Twelve fuel-cell modules, a 2 MWh battery and a pantograph feed one 3 kV DC link. Six inverters draw from it, one per axle. Braking energy returns to the battery before any reaches the grids.

Power bay — rotating view
Three fuel-cell banks of four modules, each with a turbo air compressor spinning on top; the 2 MWh battery and the six axle inverters at right; three radiator fans on the roof block. Four of the twelve hydrogen cylinders ride above. One 3 kV DC link bar runs under all of them.
01Hydrogen cylinders — 4 of 12 drawn, 50 kg each at 700 bar
02Fuel-cell modules — 12 × 500 kW net in 3 banks, 55%
03Air compressors — 3 × 100 kW turbo, one per bank
04Radiator fans — 3 × 55 kW, 4.4 MW of stack heat
05Battery — 2 MWh, 6 MW (3 C), lithium iron phosphate
06Axle inverters — 6 × 1 MW, silicon carbide
07DC link — 3 kV, 2,000 A at full power
08Underframe — carries the bay on two bogies
Traction motor & wheelset
Motor1 MW permanent-magnet, axle-hung
Gear4.7 : 1 pinion and bull gear
Wheel1,067 mm (42 in)
Motor speed2,800 rpm at 120 km / h
Torque16 kN·m at the adhesion limit
Rim force141 kN per axle, 850 kN starting
Naked drivetrain — energy to motion
Transformer +line converterCatenary · electrified corridorsPantographH₂ tanks≈ 330 kg / hr at full loadRegulatorAir inWater outFuel-cell stacksBatterydischargeregen chargeDC linkregenInverters —one per axleTractionmotors · pinionBull gear →wheelsets6 MW total
III · How it is put together

Frame, drives, power bay, body, sensors.

The underframe and bogies are built in parallel. Motors hang on the axles, the power bay drops in as modules, and the carbody closes over it. Sensors go on last and the locomotive is tested under load on track. The loop replays the build order.

UNDERFRAMEFCFCFCBATINVCOOLING
I
Underframe welded, bogies built
II
Traction motors and gears hung on the axles
III
Power bay: fuel-cell banks, battery, inverters
IV
Carbody, roof tanks and pantograph
V
Sensors calibrated, tested under load on track
IV · Specification

Design specification.

Design targets for the autonomous road locomotive.

Power
6 MW
Traction motors
6 × 1 MW, axle-hung
Fuel cells
12 × 500 kW, 55%
Hydrogen aboard
600 kg at 700 bar
Consumption
≈ 330 kg H₂ / hr at full power
Endurance
≈ 6 hr at average load
Refuel
20 min at hub stations
Battery
2 MWh, 6 MW regenerative
Catenary
25 kV AC via pantograph
Starting tractive effort
850 kN
Top speed
120 km / h
Axle load
32 t · 6 axles
Weight
192 t
Length
22.7 m over couplers
Metal content
≈ 90%
Crew
0
Onboard compute
Two AI modules watch two kilometres ahead; a SIL 4 computer holds the train
Modules2 AI modules (module 1: forward path and driving; module 2: train, cars and verification) + 1 SIL 4 train-control computer
CPU32 cores (2 × 16) + 4 lockstep real-time cores per module
AI throughput10,000 TOPS total (2 × 5,000, INT8 / FP4 sparse)
Memory2 × 128 GB LPDDR6 at 600 GB/s per module; 4 TB solid-state event recorder
Power draw236 W compute; ≈ 0.5 kW with cameras, lidars, radars and switches — 0.01% of the 6 MW plant
Process node2 nm-class SoC; SIL 4 computer on a mature 16 nm node, 15-year supply. Compute is a line-replaceable unit, swapped at mid-life
RedundancyEvery sensor is wired to both modules. Each module is primary for its zone and hot standby for the other; both must agree to keep speed. The SIL 4 computer (three safety controllers voting two out of three) holds speed, braking and signals, and stops the train with no AI module running.
Sensors8 long-range cameras (6 visible 4K, 2 thermal; 2 km), 3 long-range lidars, 2 radars, aggregated over automotive Ethernet into both modules; bearing, wheel and brake data from every car over the ECP trainline
Safety sensorsThe SIL 4 channel reads its own: 2 axle tachometers, a Doppler ground-speed radar, brake-pipe and brake-cylinder pressure transducers, GNSS and wayside transponder readers, a safety-rated obstacle radar
LinkTrackside radio, corridor 5G and low-orbit satellite, ≈ 1 Mbit/s used; the train plan comes from The Brain and is held aboard
A freight train at 120 km/h needs about a kilometre to stop, so the modules watch two kilometres ahead and must agree to keep speed. Commands pass from the train agent through the SIL 4 channel to the axle inverters and brakes, and reach them no other way. Each axle inverter closes its current loop at 1 kHz on its own. A software fault can never drive the locomotive outside its certified safe envelope.
Today vs IC
Power and operation: today’s road locomotive beside the IC design
Today · six-axle diesel-electric road locomotiveIC design
Power4,400 hp (3.3 MW) V12 diesel → alternator → 6 AC motors of ≈ 540 kW6 MW: 12 fuel-cell modules, a 2 MWh battery and a pantograph on one 3 kV DC link → 6 × 1 MW motors
Fuel5,000 US gal of diesel; ≈ 210–220 gal/hr at full power600 kg of hydrogen at 700 bar; ≈ 330 kg/hr at full power; water is the only exhaust
Endurance70–100 hr on a full tank≈ 6 hr at average load, refuelled in 20 min at hubs; no limit under wire
BrakingDynamic brake up to 98,000 lbf; the energy is burned in gridsRegenerative: up to 6 MW back into the battery; grids only when it is full
CrewCab; two crew required by federal ruleNo cab. Zero crew: 2 AI modules and a SIL 4 train-control computer
Size22.7 m (74 ft 6 in), 196 t (432,000 lb)22.7 m, 192 t
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
Every train is planned by The Brain’s orchestration layer, mirrored in the network’s digital twin, and re-planned the moment reality drifts.
See how it works →
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Double-stack well car →← Extra-large unmanned undersea vehicle