CLEVELAND —Newburgh & South Shore Railroad, an OmniTRAX short line serving the Cleveland area, has introduced its first battery-electric locomotive, the first electric locomotive operated by an Ohio short line. The locomotive, an AMPS Traction G9, is intended to reduce fuel consumption by half and NOx emission and particulate matter by 77%.
The locomotive was funded in part by a grant from the $75 million Diesel Mitigation Trust Fund, overseen by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; the railroad was one of seven grant recipients. The unit has been dedicated in memory of OmniTRAX Divisional Track Engineer Steve Ward. The company’s longest-serving employee, he over saw track maintenance and safety for 27 years until his death in 2021.
“Electric locomotives play an important role in our industry and AMPS Traction’s innovative technology is the perfect addition to our fleet,” OmniTRAX President and Chief Operating Officer Sergio Sabatini said in a press release. “We will continue to invest in technologies that help keep our communities clean and safe, and we are thankful to Gov. [Mike] DeWine and Ohio EPA for the grant program that has made this emission-saving equipment upgrade possible.”
I wonder if they could afford it if they had to pay for it out of their pocket instead of the taxpayers buying it for them.
I’m confused. If this is an electric locomotive, implying there is no internal combustion power plant, how does it only intended to “reduce fuel consumption by half and NOx emission and particulate matter by 77%”?
NYC had a small fleet of three-power locomotives that ran as straight electrics from 3rd rail, as battery electrics in places that didn’t have 3rd rail and as diesel electrics to recharge the batteries.
They ran on the West Side Freight Line NY City from 1930 into the 1970’s. Of course they used 1920’s-1930’s technology, which might explain their performance compared with the more recent equipment.
Have a healthy, clean & fruitful life dear NSR Locomotive 1234!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Isn’t battery-electric a tautology?
No. There are many types of electric locomotives; battery is only one of them.
A battery-electric locomotive can be compared to a fireless steam locomotive. Both store energy on board that was produced offboard. Both can operate only for so long until they are recharged (the same term is used for both!)
Following “battery” with “electric” It is a tautology for any practical purpose. While there could be a battery-hydraulic for instance, that would be ridiculous – a battery powering a motor that then uses a hydraulic transmission. I think we can safely say if it’s a battery loco, then calling it battery- electric is redundant.
The renowned and revolutionary Wabtec Corporation uses the “battery-electric locomotive” term for its related products.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
I hope the technology has improved with time. At the Mira Loma, CA auto facility we had a battery powered locomotive we called the big, green monster. It struggled to complete a twelve hour shift and frequently was out of service. After that we had the tri-power diesel locomotive. Since we needed substantial power to move loaded auto racks, it was constantly running on high power until one day the electrical panel burst into flames.
I pity the railroads who purchased these from the UP.