BruceMcF has written a bit on a subject we'd very much like to take up - the use of rail right of way to construct electric transmission corridors for wind energy and simultaneously electrify the line itself.

The most prominent article on the topic can be found over at DocuDharma:

http://www.docudharma.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4026

This is particularly interesting for several reasons. The delivery of wind turbines and installation equipment can be problematic, blocking traffic and tearing up roads. The best wind areas in the country have excellent rail but lack electric transmission lines in the size needed for the wind resources in the area. We can cut our fossil fuel usage down to about 1% of what we use now by an immediate, wholesale return to the rail transport we enjoyed before the advent of big oil.

Alan Drake has also done extensive thinking on these matters and you can find that information over at LightRailNow.

These are exciting times for wind driven ammonia and we hope to apply the principle of tonpo or 'capture in passing', collecting some wins on the rail electrification front at the same time we move on our first passion. Keep watching this space and you'll be seeing more on this topic as we sharpen our available information on this vital strategic direction for the country.