Wabtec hits diesel rebuild milestone
1,000th D.C.-to-A.C. locomotive goes to Norfolk Southern
WABTEC HAS COMPLETED its milestone 1,000th remanufactured locomotive since beginning the rebuild program in 2015 at plants in Fort Worth, Texas; Erie, Pa.; and Contagem, Brazil.
Norfolk Southern has received 500 of the locomotives since contracting with Wabtec to take 1990s-vintage, 4,000-hp, D.C.-traction GE Dash-9 locomotives and rebuild them into 4,400-hp, A.C.-traction AC44C6M units. That includes the 1,000th unit, No. 4463, unveiled at Fort Worth.
“Our modernization program breathes new life and technological advancements into customers’ aging locomotives, while also reducing a railroad’s operating costs and carbon footprint,” says Pascal Schweitzer, president of Wabtec Freight Services. Finished units increase tractive effort by 50% with the switch to A.C. traction, improvements in truck design, an 11-ton weight increase, and new standardized control systems across all units. This allows Norfolk Southern to assign two rebuilt units to trains that would have required three older units.
The units’ 25% increase in fuel efficiency means these 1,000 locomotives have reduced carbon emissions by 1.4 million tons since 2015. All this is important to Norfolk Southern’s long-term goals, says Tom Schnautz, vice president, advanced train control: “Our partnership with Wabtec is one way we plan to achieve our target of a 42% reduction in emissions intensity by 2034. Wabtec’s program is maximizing the value of our locomotives, lowering operating costs, and reducing emissions.”