DANVILLE, Ill. – During a ceremony here, FreightCar America delivered the 100,000th aluminum railcar produced by the company.
The milestone car, a BethGon II railcar for carrying coal, was part of an order totaling 2,695 cars for NRG Energy, Inc. of Princeton, N.J. Executives from NRG and FreightCar America attended the ceremony along with state and local officials.
“The first new railcar we ever built in Danville was for an NRG predecessor company,” said Kenneth D. Bridges, FreightCar America’s senior vice president of operations. “Remarkably, NRG is now accepting the 100,000th aluminum railcar here.”
Since 1997, NRG has acquired over 4,500 aluminum coal cars from FreightCar America, all of them built at the Danville facility.
Virginia Farrow, NRG Energy’s manager, rail fleet, christened the 100,000th car as she accepted it during the ceremony. NRG Energy, Inc. owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power-generating facilities, primarily in Texas and the Northeast, South Central and Western regions of the United States.
“We are very happy to accept this history-making coal car from a builder whom we look to for timely delivery of cars that meet our high standards of durability and quality,” said Dirk Cook, manager, coal transportation for NRG Energy.
FreightCar America manufactures railroad freight cars, with particular expertise in coal-carrying railcars. In addition to coal cars, FreightCar America designs and builds flat cars, mill gondola cars, intermodal cars, coil steel cars and AVC aluminum vehicle carriers.
Headquartered in Chicago, FreightCar America also has manufacturing facilities in Roanoke, Va., and Johnstown, Penn.
– Business Wire
