RailPower Technologies
| RailPower Technologies | |
 | |
| Type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Founded | |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Key people | José Mathieu, President and CEO Norman R. Gish, Chairman |
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Products | Low emission diesel locomotives |
| Website | www.railpower.com |
RailPower Technologies TSX: P is a Canadian company that builds environmentally friendly hybrid yard locomotives, founded by Frank Donnelly and Gerard Koldyk. Its "Green Goat" locomotives have been purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway, BNSF Railway, Kansas City Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad among others. It is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Their locomotive models include the Green Goat (GG) and Green Kid (GK) series. Created from older locomotives, these units are deployed in services where there is a lot of idle time, such as yard switching. Below the frame they are the same as their pre-recycled locomotive. Above the frame they are new, with all new hood and cab assemblies. The units built for BNSF have virtually no cab at all.[1] A small generator and a large bank of batteries power the locomotive. The generator is used to recharge the batteries. The locomotives meet the new EPA exhaust emissions standards.
Currently on the market are the GG10B, GG20B, and GK10B locomotives for switching duties and the RP20BH (two-engine hybrid) and RP20BD (three engine diesel) locomotives for light road duties. The B indicates two-axle trucks, the 10 or 20 is 1,000 or 2,000 horsepower respectively.
The hybrid technology developed for the locomotives is also being deployed for other applications, like container cranes (RTG) used in port terminals.
Videos and picture gallery
<flickr "limit="10">green goat</flickr>
Product Recalls
MONTREAL, June 1 /CNW Telbec/ - Railpower Technologies Corp. (TSX: P), a leader in specialized energy technology systems for the transportation industry, is asking its clients to temporarily cease operating its GG-series (Green Goat) yard switcher locomotives. As a precaution, the Company is recalling 59 units from the GG-series (Green Kids, Generation I, II and III models). All affected customers are being notified of the recall immediately. This is Railpower's initial product line. The Company's new product, the Road Switcher fleet of over 100 vehicles, in operation or on order, is unaffected by this recall. The Company's recall follows a fire in a Generation I Green Goat locomotive on the evening of Wednesday, May 30, 2007.
Railpower is undertaking an in-depth analysis of the cause of the fire in Generation I and II GG-series locomotives in order to determine temporary and permanent solutions.
For Generation III Green Goat locomotives, the Company has just completed an in-depth study of any potential difficulties that could affect this fleet and believes these can be remedied within a matter of weeks. It will install a new version of software for battery pack monitoring and implement some mechanical improvements for additional protection.
"Our goal is to ensure the safety of our customers and their ability to return to normal operations as rapidly as possible," explained Railpower President and CEO José Mathieu. "We will devote the resources necessary to demonstrate our commitment to support our products and to satisfy our customers' needs."
Railpower's fleet of its new product, Road Switcher locomotives, introduced in 2006, consists of 54 units in successful operation and another 50 units under order. Market potential for this Road Switcher locomotive is estimated at 6,000 units for North America alone.
Railpower Announces Green Goat® Fleet Recall and Safety Upgrade (pdf). Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
