(Railpower Technologies issued the following news release on April 20.)
MONTREAL — Railpower Technologies Corp., a leader in specialized energy technology systems for the transportation industry, today announced that Norfolk Southern Railway purchased two Railpower RP-series multi-engine, low-emission, fuel-efficient kits to build yard locomotives, for delivery in 2007. The purchase order includes an option for Norfolk Southern to purchase additional units in the future.
Under the terms of the purchase order, Norfolk Southern will complete the conversion of two conventional locomotives using SW1500 platforms with Railpower-supplied kits for the model RP14BD, the Company’s newest yard locomotive. The kits will include all components, drawings and necessary engineering support. The work will be performed by Thoroughbred Mechanical Services (“TMS”), at Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Locomotive Shop located in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
“We are very pleased that Norfolk Southern has selected again our RP-series locomotive technology and components in support of their initiative to adopt robust, cleaner energy solutions and achieve reduced fuel costs,” said José Mathieu, President and CEO of Railpower. “This purchase order is in line with our strategy of expanding our multi-Genset locomotives product range and positions us well for future orders.”
“Norfolk Southern recognizes the promise of multi-engine, or genset, yard locomotives to significantly improve emissions while reducing fuel consumption,” said Tim Heilig, Norfolk Southern’s Vice President Mechanical. “This purchase supports our strategy to evaluate different configurations of horsepower and powered axles to optimize this new technology for our yard and local operations.”
Railpower’s RP14BD model’s design aims to significantly improve the efficiency of the yard operations. This model is expected to provide fuel savings of up to 70 percent and reduce NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) and other particulate emissions by approximately 80 percent. With this order, Railpower’s order backlog currently stands at 65 units.