Union Pacific will hold the distinction of being the first Class I railroad to order freight locomotives with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts as part of its Tier 4 emissions equipment. SCR, which uses urea, has generally been found on passenger locomotives and other non-Class I railroads. To date, the Class I railroads have insisted that Tier 4 freight locomotives are designed without it, citing the additional cost of the material, ground storage, and pumping facilities to accommodate it.
The 10 locomotives are scheduled to be numbered in the UPY Nos. 1000-1009 series when delivered.
This will be Progress Rail’s first order for the EMD24B. The company constructed PR24B demonstrator No. 24 in late 2016 and has been testing in California on the Pacific Harbor Line in the Los Angeles basin.
Is this the new GP?
Thank God its all EMD
I can not say about railroad applications.
My experiences are with trucks.
In trucking there was a 20% reduction from SCR to urea. In addition the SCR equipped engines proved to be unreliable(in my experiences one failure every 2-3 months). In 2 years the trucking industry had abandoned SCR engines. In many cases removing those trucks 1-2 years before normal.
Today practically every truck stop has Urea available either in 1gallon containers or from a bulk dispenser. (Wal-Mart carries in in their automotive section).
The GP is dead. Long live the GP.
The class I railroads may want to reconsider the urea thing. Yes, it would cost money to build the facilities to handle the urea. However, using urea improves the fuel economy of a Tier 4 locomotive.
Mr. Jones…the answer to your question is definitely yes. The DEF (urea fluid for SCR) needs a central location, which is why commuter railroads are using it but not class 1’s for long distance routes.
So, I’m guessing these units will be assigned to local operating areas, like yards or transload facilities. Yes? No?