BNSF Railway and
Vehicle Projects converted a GG20B to an experimental testbed, for the use of
hydrogen fuel cells. The new locomotive is designated HH20B. The locomotive was publicly demonstrated for the first time on June 29, 2009, at
Topeka, Kansas. The locomotive, BNSF 1205, was originally built in 1957 as
Canadian Pacific 8637 (renumbered 1544 in the 1980s), a
GMD GP9 locomotive. In 2006, it was rebuilt into a GG20B for the Canadian Pacific, but was not delivered, due to the cancellation of the order. It was sold to BNSF in 2008, and shipped to the railroad's shops at
Topeka, Kansas for conversion. The diesel generator set was removed, and the fuel cell power unit was installed in its place. Hydrogen storage is in a set of tanks installed in a heavily vented enclosure on top of the locomotive's
long hood, above the batteries. To date, it is the largest land vehicle on earth to be powered exclusively by hydrogen fuel cells. In 2023, the locomotive (without its hydrogen components) was donated to the
Oklahoma Railroad Museum, which plans on using it as a
control car and for electricity generation on the end of its
excursion trains. ==See also==