(The following story by Erik Robinson appeared on The Columbian website on March 18.)
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Locomotives operating day and night in the Vancouver switching yard will soon become quieter and the air cleaner.
With $85,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Southwest Clean Air Agency will retrofit three switching engines with devices that heat engine coolant and lube oil while charging batteries.
The equipment allows the engines, owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, to be shut off while not in use and easily restarted.
In addition to the three engines covered by the grant, BNSF has agreed to pay for retrofitting another two switching engines here.
“This is the first test of this type we’ve provided in the Pacific Northwest,” railroad spokesman Gus Melonas said.
The city of Chicago recently participated in a similar experiment, helping to retrofit seven locomotives in the Windy City’s massive rail yards.
A locomotive uses about 26,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually during idling, compared to 3,100 using the fuel- and emissions-saving device, according to the clean air agency.
“Companies don’t like to turn those engines off because they’re hard to get restarted,” said Bob Elliott, executive director of the Vancouver-based air agency. “So they tend to let them idle even when they’re not being used.”
Residents of west Vancouver are accustomed to the constant thrum of diesel engines idling in the switching yard. Elliott said he believes the new technology will allow a considerable reduction in railyard air pollution. Elliott said the EPA recently has emphasized the importance of reducing diesel emissions, believed to be toxic and potentially cancerous.
He expects the new engines will be retrofitted by early June with technology supplied through a Washington-based company, Kim Hotstart of Spokane.
“It’s going to be a significant benefit to Vancouver, while promoting Washington-based innovative technology,” Elliott said. “It’s a win-win for the environment, Washington business and Burlington Northern.”