In June, Tractive Power placed its TP56 prototype in demonstration service at a grain facility in British Columbia.
Designed by Founder, Chairman and CEO Frank Donnelly, the three-axle unit is constructed from existing rail components wherever possible.
Donnelley previous created of the Green Goat hybrid locomotive.
Perched on a single Electro-Motive Division HT-C truck – the same one under many of EMD’s six-axle road-switchers – the 80-ton, 375 hp turbocharged locomotive can produce 56,000 pounds of tractive effort. The unit can be customized to produce up to 70,000 pounds tractive effort.
The company has designed the TP56 to be jacked up in the field for easy servicing. The power plant meets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 emissions standards. A Tier 4 compliant engine can be installed. Fuel consumption is a miserly half gallon per hour when idling.
Tractive Power’s headquarters are in North Vancouver, B.C., while its manufacturing facility is located in Squamish, about 50 miles north, in a former BC Rail locomotive shop.
No doubt about it this little beauty needs some speed stripes. Hard to find a loco today that does not have a paint job indicating speed or what have you.Obviously an Aristocraft Design.Anyway guys wish you all the very best, hope you do great.
I wonder if they'll have Mu capability? Regardless of that, it looks like something that will be fun to kitbash in HO Scale!
Anytime a product can be developed to help out smaller industries, I'm all for it. ( If Bachmann wants to put it out, I'll have one on my layout!)
Make the center axle "blind" or flangeless… many steam locomotives were built this way
This locomotive does indeed look like it was cobbled together from an assortment of odds and ends found in a scrapyard. It's going to have to compete with a fair amount of full-size switchers available on the resale and lease markets, which makes me think that this is going to be little more than a demonstrator that won't find any customers.
How nice.There is a market for this little snookems out there somewhere.Half the size of a ALCO RS1-3 & EMD SW1200/1500
Actually this might have more market than you would think, it doesn't compete with 4 axle switchers, it competes in industrial applications with shuttle wagons and track mobiles. For the same or less money, this has more tractive effort and is much simpler to maintain. You give up the rubber tires, but in many applications they aren't needed and just add to system complexity and maintenance.
I've had a similar idea for a plant switcher using EMD's HTCR radial truck, which is more nimble and easier to rerail than a four-axle Blomberg truck. HTC trucks are not easy to rerail. Curves on plant trackage can be pretty tight. Here on the East Coast, the Central Railroad of New Jersey in the 1970s had a battery-powered switcher made out of a four-axle locomotive truck that it used at the Elizabethport Shops. After the merger, Conrail painted it blue and used it for years.
so now the Bachman h.o. scale 3 axel locomotives are real yes!
Almost a PRR B(B) class switcher. Without the pantographs.
Not sure that this will track well….
Up to 70,000 pounds of tractive effort. What a strong little beast !
Even an EMD-like "snoot" hood! Clever little unit–hope it catches on.
Bet you could clone it into a SD45!
Neat little 'Critter". Reminiscent of an Athern Hustler (with one more axle)
Sarcasm: Wow, they sure went "all out" on that "snazzy" all black paint job didn't they?
I have a new favorite "mule!"
Without that center axle snubber that thing is going to ride rough.
Good to see there's still life in Squamish!
It's really true ! Eventually there is a prototype for everything. This baby could handle some pretty tight curves on a layout.
Have to give the guy credit – he isn't afraid to go in a different direction. I wish him success.
Great idea. Cool looking little locomotive.
Model Railroader had a story about this loco being a real life "kit bash." A neat way to recycle, also.