CONTAGEM, Brazil — Wabtec will build three C23EMP locomotives for Uruguay’s Grupo RAS, a multinational logistics company entering the Uruguayan railway market, the manufacturer announced Wednesday.
“This deal with Wabtec is a cornerstone for Grupo RAS,” Ruben Azar Scarone, president and founder of Grupo RAS, said in a press release. “It allows us to integrate rail transportation into our portfolio for the first time, offering unmatched efficiency and competitiveness to our clients. Not only will this boost Uruguay’s position as a gateway for Mercosur markets [the Southern Common Market], but it will also significantly improve connectivity within the region, facilitating faster and more cost-effective export and import operations.”
The C23EMP locomotives are designed for reliable light-axle-load operations on narrow-gauge track. The locomotives are equipped with fuel-efficient, electronically-fuel-injected 12-cylinder FDL engines. Wabtec will manufacture the locomotives at its plant in Contagem, Brazil. More on the C21-25 series of DC locomotives is available here. The locomotives are expected to deliver by late 2025, marking the commencement of Grupo RAS’s rail operations in Uruguay.
“We are thrilled to support Grupo RAS in this ambitious endeavor,” said Danilo Miyasato, president and regional leader of Wabtec for Latin America. “These locomotives will provide Grupo RAS the performance and reliability needed to be successful. This order also allows us to expand our presence in Uruguay, where we have a longstanding history, and further solidify our commitment to the Latin American market.”
The article is a bit vague. “The C23EMP locomotives are designed for reliable light-axle-load operations on narrow-gauge track. …… The locomotives are expected to deliver by late 2025, marking the commencement of Grupo RAS’s rail operations in Uruguay.”
According to the online research I just did, Uruguay’s railroads are standard gauge 4’8.5″ (1435mm), but there is also a narrow-gauge line on the 75 cm (2 ft 6 in) gauge, the Piriapolis Railway, with only twenty-eight miles. Is that what this above article is all about or did I miss something??? A bit more clarity would be helpful. https://www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/trains-uruguay.html
Seems like these might work well on the old DR&W narrow gauge railroads.