HydroFLEX: the UK’s first mainline hydrogen powered train

Ralph Swaney is the Principal Development Engineer (Electrical) within Porterbrook’s Innovation & Projects team. He has 20 year’s Traction & Rolling Stock experience of build, operations, maintenance, fleet engineering & development of rolling-stock gained at Bombardier, Network Rail, Northern Trains, and now Porterbrook (a Rolling Stock Owner or ROSCO).

Ralph is currently leading Porterbrook’s work on Hydrogen & Traction battery technology development, he has managed two projects in this field: - ‘HydroFLEX to mainline’ project, and was also lead engineer for the traction & train control aspects of this project - An EMU battery retro-fit project - design complete, but as yet unannounced due to DfT/COVID delays to unit release agreement.

Originally from Edinburgh, Ralph now lives in Derby with his wife and 12-year old son. He also volunteers at the East Lancashire Railway, where he restores & maintains slightly more conventional traction power!

Ralph Swaney
Principal Development Engineer (Electrical)
Porterbrook

Dr Stuart Hillmansen
Senior Lecturer
University of Birmingham

[johndunbar]

This invention is arguably the most important of the century. As one of your speakers pointed out, it solves problems associated with electrification of routes. For my country Canada it means that we can avoid the horrifically expensive and lengthy process of electrifying our enormous rail system and (to use the words of one of your presentors) `leap frog' in to the future.