ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has installed five hybrid overhead gantry cranes at intermodal terminals in Chicago and Atlanta, part of an ongoing effort to replace existing cranes with hybrid or electric-powered units across its network over the next decade.
The 60-foot-tall cranes are diesel-electric hybrids, which use battery power in normal use and battery and a diesel-generator together during peak periods, reducing fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. They work over one or two tracks, as well as one or two truck lanes, at the Landers terminal in Chicago and the Austell terminal in Atlanta. They join five Konecrane hybrids installed in 2021 at the 47th Street intermodal facility in Chicago.
“We initially sought hybrid-powered cranes for their fuel efficiency, and, in turn we experienced not only sustainability gains, but found they are far more reliable as well,” Jeff Heller, NS vice president of intermodal and automotive, said in a press release. “… we found the high-tech hybrids also minimize the need for repairs and require less down time than traditional cranes. This helps minimize delays related to cranes being down, and in turn improves reliability for our customers.”
By replacing the 58 remaining conventional cranes at facilities across its 22-state network, NS estimates it could save approximately 30 million gallons of fuel and reduce 300,000 metric tons of emissions, compared to the previous 20 years.
IINM, these cranes burn through 1200 gallons a day. Wow. Isn’t that close to a C44-9W in Notch 8 for 12 hours?