Rail systems · Autonomous

Bringing back the American railway.

We build the locomotive, the cars and the track itself — and run them as one network from the ports to every inland hub.

Phase 6 · 2033+Concept design
The network
Port-to-hub corridors, lit as they carry traffic
SeattleLos AngelesHoustonChicagoNew YorkAtlantaDenverDallasMiamiKansas City
I · The locomotive

A cab-less locomotive that drives itself.

Hydrogen fuel cells and a battery run the train off-wire; a pantograph takes over on electrified corridors. Every axle has its own traction motor.

Locomotive →
Blueprint · side elevation
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

Fuel cells, battery, wire.

Braking energy goes back into the battery. On long grades the train runs on stored energy; on flat corridors, on hydrogen or the wire.

Power bay and drivetrain →
Fuel-cell power plant — rotating view
Hydrogen from four of the twelve roof cylinders feeds three 2 MW fuel-cell banks of four 500 kW modules, their bipolar plates drawn as fine vertical lines; one of the three air compressors spins above them. The inverter and the 2 MWh braking battery sit at right on the same bus.
01Hydrogen cylinders — 4 of 12, 700 bar, 600 kg total
02Fuel-cell banks — 3 × 2 MW (12 × 500 kW), 55% net
03Air compressor — one of 3 × 100 kW, turbo
04Inverter & DC bus — 3 kV
05Battery — 2 MWh, takes braking energy back
06Catenary input — pantograph, on electrified corridors
07To the motors — 6 × 1 MW
Axle-hung traction motor — rotating view
One of six identical axle drives: a 1 MW motor hangs from the bogie frame parallel to the axle and drives it through a pinion and bull gear; both wheels spin on the rail. Its inverter sits on the frame beam.
01Traction motor — 1 MW, permanent-magnet, axle-hung
02Pinion and bull gear — 4.7:1
03Axle — 32 t axle load, two 42-inch wheels
04Bogie frame beam — carries motor and inverter
05Inverter — one per axle, 3 kV DC in
06Rail — 68 kg/m welded
07Six per locomotive — 6 MW total
08Regeneration — motor as generator on grades and stops
Naked drivetrain
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 · The cars

Four car types, one coupler.

Every car carries its own sensors, brakes and identity, so The Brain knows the state of each wheelset on the train.

Double-stack well car →Tank car →Autorack →
A · DOUBLE-STACK WELL CAR — 3-UNIT ARTICULATEDSECTION A–A53 ft container203 ft 9.75 in over couplers · 6 × 53 ft containers per carArticulated connector — shared truckLow-slung well between trucksECP valve & reservoirCar nodes · ECP brake · sensorsIBC locks top box to bottom box9 ft 10.56 in widePlate H clearanceTop container (40–57 ft)Inter-box connectorBottom container in wellSide sill — 690 MPa steelB · TANK CAR — 30,600 GAL, JACKETEDSECTION B–B59 ft 10 in long15 ft 5.6 inTop fittings — relief & motorised valves½ in full-height head shieldSteel jacketCeramic thermal blanketMotorised outletPressure · temp · level · gas10 ft 7.9 in tank dia.Shell — TC-128B, ≥ 9/16 inThermal blanketJacketFittings housingBottom outletC · COVERED HOPPERSECTION C–CContinuous trough hatchGravity outlet gate — one per baySlope sheetsWelded side sheets & postsCar nodes & ECP brake59 ft 8 in over couplers · 15 ft 6 in high · 5,161 cu ftRoof hatchBulk load — grain, plastics, sandSlope sheetOutlet gateD · AUTORACK — ENCLOSED MULTI-LEVELSECTION D–D93 ft 10 in over couplers4.95 m insideTwo-piece locking end doorsEnclosed aluminium side panelsCameras · door, deck & fire sensorsEnd-of-car cushioning unitDecks on electric screw jacksTri-level — up to 15 vehiclesBi-level setting — up to 10Vehicle on deck89 ft flatcar
IV · The track

Track that inspects itself.

Continuously welded rail on concrete ties, with fibre sensing in the shoulder that hears every train, every flat wheel and every crack.

Track system →
1,435 mm standard gaugeRail — 68 kg/m, head-hardened, weldedElastic fasteningConcrete tie — 610 mm spacingBallast — crushed graniteSub-ballastSubgradeSensing fibre — every metre
Axle rating
36 t
Line speed
130 km / h
Fibre sensing
1 m channels, 2.5 kHz
Wayside unit
every 80 km, SIL 4 interlocking
V · Specification

Design specification.

Design targets for the autonomous railway: the locomotive, the cars and the track.

Locomotive power
6 MW
Energy
H₂ fuel cells + battery + catenary
Consumption
≈ 330 kg H₂ / hr at full power
Top speed (freight)
120 km / h
Axle load
32 t locomotive · 36 t track
Train length
Up to 3 km
Metal content
≈ 90% of locomotive
Traction motors
6 × 1 MW, axle-hung
Battery
2 MWh, regenerative braking
Hydrogen aboard
600 kg at 700 bar · ≈ 6 hr at average load
Fuel-cell efficiency
55%, hydrogen to bus
Crew
0
Gauge
1,435 mm standard
Rail
68 kg / m, welded
Ties
Concrete, 610 mm spacing
Monitoring
Fibre sensing, every metre
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.
Continue
Locomotive →
Double-stack well carTank carAutorackTrack system