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[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

Union Pacific to partner on construction of hybrid-electric locomotives

 

October 6, 2022

 

Railroad and technology firm ZTR will build six units at UP’s North Little Rock shops

 

 

OMAHA — Union Pacific, which has already made the biggest commitment to battery-electric locomotives of any North American Class I railroad, is taking another big step into alternative forms of motive power.

 

The company announced today (Thursday, Oct. 6) that it will partner with green technology firm ZTR to build hybrid-electric locomotives at its North Little Rock, Ark., shops. The prototype unit is expected to be delivered in late 2023 with five more locomotives constructed in 2024.

 

The hybrids, like a plug-in hybrid automobile, will offer multiple modes of operation and be able to charge onboard batteries in several ways, including wayside and onboard charging. They are planned to operate in mother-slug sets, with a diesel locomotive connected to a slug unit equipped with batteries, electronics, and controls supplied by ZTR.

 

SNIP

 

The new locomotives — to be converted from older, higher-emission units — will be used chiefly in yard operations, with the mother-slug configuration increasing the traction motors available for the pulling and braking power needed for such work.   . . .

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Railway Age, 10/6/22

 

UP, ZTR Partner on Hybrid-Electric Locomotives

 

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor

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Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and ZTR, a locomotive control systems supplier, announced on Oct. 6 a partnership to build hybrid-electric locomotives. The locomotives will be built at UP’s North Little Rock, Ark., facility with the first prototype expected to be delivered in late 2023 and five additional units arriving in 2024.

 

Known as “mother-slug” sets, two locomotives are replaced with one diesel locomotive connected to an accessory or slug. In “keeping with its sustainability commitments,” UP converts older locomotives, typically with higher emissions, the Class I says. The slug unit will be converted and equipped with batteries, power electronics and controls supplied by ZTR, helping to “achieve fuel and maintenance savings and offer environmental benefits” allowing the hybrid-electric “mother-slug” to operate in single-engine, battery charging or electric only modes. UP says, much like today’s plug-in hybrid car, the locomotives can operate in multiple modes with several ways to charge the locomotive batteries, including wayside and onboard charging.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

UPRR InsideTrack, 4/29/24

 

Union Pacific Testing First-of-its-Kind Hybrid Locomotive

 

The prototype underscores Union Pacific’s push for a more sustainable future.

 

The first of six cutting-edge hybrid battery-electric locomotives designed and built by Union Pacific Railroad and its partner ZTR, a leading rail technology company, will undergo extensive testing next month in a Union Pacific facility and rail yard.

 

The first of its kind within North America’s freight rail industry, the prototype has the capacity to run on both diesel and batteries – much like today’s plug-in hybrid cars.

 

The next of the remaining five hybrid locomotives is expected to be ready for testing next year.

 

“This is an incredibly exciting pilot project with great potential to improve the fuel efficiency of our locomotive fleet,” said Beth Whited, President of Union Pacific Railroad. “It underscores our strong commitment to exploring and developing alternative energy sources while reducing our carbon footprint and advancing our sustainability goals.”

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

Union Pacific unveils first mother-slug set of hybrid switchers (with video)

 

By Bill Stephens | April 29, 2024

 

The locomotives can run on batteries or in conventional diesel-electric modes

 

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today took the wraps of its first mother-slug set of hybrid switching locomotives that can run on diesel fuel or batteries.

 

The units, SD40-2 slug set UPY No. 409 and UPY No. 309, were converted at the railroad’s Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, Ark., and will begin testing in North Little Rock next month.

 

“This is an incredibly exciting pilot project with great potential to improve the fuel efficiency of our locomotive fleet,” UP President Beth Whited said in a statement today (April 29, 2024). “It underscores our strong commitment to exploring and developing alternative energy sources while reducing our carbon footprint and advancing our sustainability goals.”

 

Depending on mode of operation, the hybrid switchers are expected to consume as much as 80% less fuel  . . .

 

 

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