Battery powered shunt locomotives introduced in UK

[Rail Announcement]

DB Schenker has announced that it has introduced battery powered shunters at Crewe and Toton following the decommissioning of the class 08 fleet and an interim measure of using main line locomotives to carry out shunt moves.

The company claims it is the first freight operator in the UK to use such traction and that the Zephir 1800e CRAB machines will reduce CO2 emissions by 649 tonnes each year.

[mrp]

Going to be tough to make one of those in N-scale.

 

[kvp]

Too bad these are not locomotives only rubber wheeled road railer tractors. The improvement might be there, but it's the same as replacing a train service with a battery powered microbus. Might be more economic, but really not the same.

 

ps: The 1800e is either a new model, not on Zephir's website or it's really an 1500e or a 2100e. Anyway there is not much information about the change from other sources. Can we get a link to the original announcement?

[HantuBlauLOL]

Battery shunters have existed in 1930ish in Indonesia (still named east indies back then).

 

Its named ESS 4000 class. ESS stands for electrische staatspoorwegen.

 

I have never seen it's picture yet. Afaik those survived WW2 and sent to Bangil area after Indonesia gained independence.

[Rail Announcement]

Too bad these are not locomotives only rubber wheeled road railer tractors. The improvement might be there, but it's the same as replacing a train service with a battery powered microbus. Might be more economic, but really not the same.

 

ps: The 1800e is either a new model, not on Zephir's website or it's really an 1500e or a 2100e. Anyway there is not much information about the change from other sources. Can we get a link to the original announcement?

 Press release was sent out to journalists, including myself, this morning.

[kvp]

 

Battery shunters have existed in 1930ish in Indonesia (still named east indies back then).

Yes, it was quite common for old trams (especially freight versions) to be used as battery electric shunters back then. Today battery electric shunters are in use on the london underground and even in Japan at various industrial locations. They are great in tunnels and where internal combustion engines are not allowed. Unfortunately roadrailer tractors above are not real railroad locomotives. I would like to see this 1800e on a photo, since what i found from the various products on the website of the manufacturer it either looks like a large pallet lifter or an oversized golf cart. The most advanced version resembles an airport baggage tractor.

 

 

Press release was sent out to journalists, including myself, this morning.

This means you are faster than anyone else. I'm just surprised the manufacturer didn't update their website with the new type. I would really like to see a picture of it.

[Sacto1985]

While these little shunters work for moving one car at a time, they're primarily for operating inside industrial leads. I wonder are there YouTube videos of these battery-powered shunters in action in the industrial leads near Nagoya.

[kvp]

I accidentally found a picture of the rail tractor used for shop movements at the Keleti railway station in Hungary. This vehicle is in the same role as the british battery shunters. You can imagine how much developement work went into this design:

http://www.mastertape.fw.hu/2009.03.11%20Keleti%20Pu.%20067%20.jpg

 

(before anyone start to wonder, the rail wheel lifter mechanism was part of the stock design and it's originally used to lift the plows and other front and back mounted farm equipment that is usually attached to this kind of MTZ tractor, the cars are moved with drawbars)