With all talk about new locomotives EMD, GE, etc, is anyone making new switchers (if that’s what they are still called) never see the excitement about a rumour of a new loco and haven’t seen any new concepts or announcements about " The new revolutionary concept in switchers" Just what are they using for switchers today? or are they still using 1950’s equipment?
Right in front of you
Genset’s are the ‘new’ switchers. 4-axle’s are the current day Class I multi-purpose switchers. The Class I’s, for the most part, have weeded out the customers whose trackage was light duty and required the smallest of power. If the customer’s trackage is not able to handle what was 1970’s road power, they most likely won’t get service.
Locally, customers whose trackage required service using a 44 Ton GE have long since been swallowed up by Urban Renewal…where tracks existed then and just urban streets today. Time marches on!
Everything you wanted to know about the Genset but was afraid to ask
http://www.fasterfreightcleanerair.com/pdfs/Presentations/FFCACA2008/James%20Wurtz.pdf
What ever happened with the revolutionary NS #999 battery powered switcher unveiled a couple years ago? I can’t find much with a casual search. I thought they would be blazing a trail by now.
I caught video of it sitting at Rose Yard in Altoona a few months ago. Probably not venturing far from shops.
Now I would like to know where the cab less RP14BDs are? “Beeps” as I heard being described by others.
Wabtec-MPI and Brookville locomotive both offer medium horsepower single engine BB units in the 1500-2000 HP range for switching and other applications so yes, there are companies offering switchers (although compared to the older EMD SW series the current offerings probably should be called roadswitchers). I wouldn’t be surprised to see Progress Rail/EMD offering new build locomotives in that category as well…
Umm, there are more than 1 switch manufacturer out there.
NRE is the biggest supplier of gensets, but Wabtec-MPI also has a genset, RJ Corman-Rail Power makes Gensets.
Brookville makes Gensets and Medium HP switchers and finally Progress Rail/EMD makes Gensets , medium HP 710ECO and Cat powered Road switchers along with ECO and Cat powered semi-high HP road switchers (3000HP)
It’s a big market.
Somewhere I read there are still issues with it, primarily getting all the batteries to charge and discharge at the same rate. Batteries - the intersection of chemistry and electricity. Blech. (in the opinion of a Mechanical Engineer)[:)]
Now now, Chemistry and Electricity are one in the same…A specific way of looking at Physics.[:D]
I didn’t think it was a couple years old, I thought it was at most 1 year old.
Demand is a tiny fraction compared to what it once was. Hand me down road locomotives are commonly used now. The Twin Cities which I am most familiar with there is like only 10% of the number of switch crews that used to work here in the '60s, still working. In my mind I just visualized the Twin Cities metro area, and I can’t think of one single carload customer for BNSF within the two cities and the first tier of suburbs. At the time of the BN merger, the three local partners had at least 18 yards in the Twin Cities, now only three remain, and two of those do not have regular switch crews working. Only Northtown Yard has regular switch crews working around the clock
YoHo1975,
You are right. It was just over a year ago that they unveiled the 999. I was rather skeptical then about the practcality, but the verdict may not be in yet. But considering all the promise at the time, and the fact that we have heard nothing about the test, it suggests that all did not exactly pan out according to expectations.
I understand Don’s point about chemistry and electricity. Perhaps a lesson has been learned that it is not as easy as just connecting 1080 truck batteries together. Right off the bat, that seems like asking for trouble, even though I can’t cite a precise reason.
There is a lot of fanfare these days about the promise of electric vehicles to satisfy the green movement. It tends to make it sound like the idea is new. NS clearly seemed to be on that bandwagon with the 999. I think what they will need is to replace those 1080 truck batteries with about 100 Chevy Volt batteries.
My dad (RIP) and I have had a Solar array in our Cottage in NE Wisconsin for 20+ years now, Chemistry and Electricity have been working in concert there non-stop for those 20 years. Every time I turn on a flashlight, Chemistry and electricity interact. Every time a ww2 submarine dove beneath the surface, Chemistry and electricity interacted.
Actually, the Submarine reference is telling. Battery driven motors on large scale equipment are not new at all. Tailoring it for the size and run time are the issues.
But, to the specific comment of being skeptical of Chemical and electrical interaction in general…We’ve gone well beyond that and did so the better part of 100 years ago.
Anyway, last news I can find on 999 is from September when it was on display at a family days event in Ky.