CHICAGO — The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway recently held a one-week operational test of a three-engine 2100 HP (3GS-21B) N-ViroMotive GenSet locomotive at their Gary, Ind., switch yard.
The new unit is EPA certified and CARB recognized as an ultra-low emitting GenSet locomotive.
“We have the objectives of fuel conservation, protecting the environment and operational efficiency on our railroad,” said Gerry Carr, senior road foreman of engines in Gary, Ind. “We performed an operational test of a National Railway Equipment Co. (NREC) N-ViroMotive unit to see if it would meet our objectives.
“We were pleased with the result, as well as its significant power and outstanding tractive effort,” Carr said. “Also during the test, we discovered that its operation is very user-friendly, and to our surprise, it is significantly quieter than any of our existing units.”
The operational advantages of the N-ViroMotive locomotives are dramatic:
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80%+ reduction in nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions
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50% to 65%+ improved tractive effort adhesion efficiency
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Over 50% fuel savings capability in switching and road switching service
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N-Force microprocessor-based electronic controls and modularized mechanical platforms which decrease maintenance requirements by 35% or more
- Achieves the most stringent noise level requirements for off-road capital equipment
“These fuel-efficient road switcher locomotives have industrial engine NOx emission levels that are best in class worldwide,” said Jim Wurtz, NREC’s vice president marketing and sales said. “Already proven in service, N-ViroMotive locomotives are over five years ahead of anticipated EPA emissions regulations for new switching locomotives.”
Through Chicago’s metropolitan area, from Waukegan, Illinois, to Gary, Indiana, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway serves steel mills, oil refineries, other heavy industries and transportation centers.
The EJ&E is a unit of Pittsburgh-based Transtar® a nine-railroad transportation company providing rail transport services throughout the nation’s industrial heartland. Transtar is a wholly owned subsidiary of U. S. Steel.
National Railway Equipment Co., headquartered in Mt. Vernon, IL, is the designer, developer and manufacturer of the industry’s first ultra low emitting GenSet locomotives. The world’s largest independent locomotive rebuilder and remanufacturer, NREC is also a locomotive lessor. It has locomotive, diesel engine and parts facilities in fourteen locations throughout the United States and Canada.
— Business Wire
