(The following article by Teresa Wickens was posted on the North Platte Telegraph website on November 14.)
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — A cooperative effort between Union Pacific, General Electric and UP craftspeople has resulted in a state-of-the-art locomotive maintenance and repair facility at North Platte’s Bailey Yard.
On Monday, officials from UP and GE were in North Platte to officially open the facility designed to reduce the amount of time coal trains spend at the yard. The new locomotive shop will support GE locomotives, which haul more than 95 percent of the coal handled by UP.
“Our mindset is that coal is king and a significant part of our time is spent ensuring coal deliveries are moving as safely and efficiently as possible through Bailey Yard,” said Cameron Scott, general superintendent of train services – North Platte operations.
“With the new state-of-the-art locomotive shop, our employees are better able to handle run-through coal trains with much the same intensity and efficiency as a NASCAR pit crew during a race. We have already seen significant improvements in both the number of trains we handle each day and the amount of time it takes us to inspect, repair and provide maintenance on coal locomotives.”
The new shop uses wireless technology, GE’s “Expert On Alert,” to remotely monitor the health of the locomotives to determine and plan for unscheduled repairs or maintenance. The system can follow a locomotive for the 24 hours before it comes into the yard.
The new shop is designed to perform ongoing maintenance and repair work on six locomotives each day with a capacity to handle more than 2,000 GE AC locomotives each year. The facility operates 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Overall, the facility is nearly the length of a football field and is approximately 40-feet high with a 192-foot underground inspection pit to see the underside of the locomotive. The facility employs electricians, machinists, pipe fitters, firemen and oiler technicians, a shift supervisor and a technical director.
According to Dave McGill, GE’s Transportation Systems service manager, the Expert On Alert technology can predict a failure, saving time in diagnosing and repairing problems.
Rob Wood, from GE, said the building was designed with the help of those who work in the facility.
He said the original design had employees on hands and knees replacing brake pads and shoes.
“Now, the brake pads and shoes can be replaced while the employee is standing up,” Wood said. “It is more ergonomic for the workers.”
He said the people who work in the facility did a great job in setting the work areas up like they wanted them.
On the upper floor, toolboxes and repair parts line the walls, just a few steps away from the huge locomotives.
“The employee who set it up said having the tools and parts on top saved them from walking 120 steps down and back up again,” Wood said.
Workers suggested lowering the floor four feet and adding elevated ramps.
“There were 40 craftspeople from UP involved in the design,” he said. “They have a sense of ownership in the facility. ”