1. 14 PowerSource
Ifyouseeapieceofrailway-maintenance
equipmentworkingonaCSXrailroad,there’s
ahighprobabilitythatit’seitherpoweredbya
JohnDeeredieselengine,or,willeventuallybe
repoweredbyone.
Since 2008, CSX Transportation of Richmond,
Virginia has been on a mission to standardize
its fleet with John Deere engines. Today,
John Deere engines drive 95 percent of CSX
maintenance equipment. These include spike
drivers, spike pullers, rail adjusters, rail pickups,
high-rail tie handlers, paint buggies, ballast
regulators, anchor applicators, tampers, and
tie-bore machines, to name a few.
Thisequipmentkeepsbusymaintainingmore
than33,800kilometers(21,000miles)oftrack
in23states,theDistrictofColumbia,andthe
CanadianprovincesofOntarioandQuebec.
CSXisthelargestrailroadcompanyeastofthe
MississippiRiverandaleadingsupplierofrail-
basedfreighttransportationinNorthAmerica.
Ricardo Cortes, Work Equipment mechanical
systems engineer for CSX Transportation,
cites several main reasons why the company
is standardizing with John Deere engines.
He says John Deere offers power in a
compact package and offers a wide range of
horsepower options that fit the diverse array
of machines they maintain.
“The most important characteristic for us is
the size of the engine,” says Cortes. “There are
other engines made that may generate enough
John Deere rules the railCSX Transportation prefers John Deere engines for its fleet of rail-maintenance equipment
A Plasser GRM-3000
installs up to 20
railroad ties a minute
on a railroad track. CSX
Transportation ordered
the tamping machine
with a PowerTech Plus
9.0L engine.
power, but they are too big and don’t fit into
the frame of the machine.”
Cortes works closely with Bell Power Systems to
develop complete power packages that fit into
the frame of each machine. In many cases, the
John Deere engine distributor supplies a custom
power package that includes the engine, Funk
pump drive, and transmission.
Lastyear,CSXbeganmanufacturingitsown
ballastregulatorcalledtheRhino.BellPower
SystemssuppliesCSXwithaPowerTechPVX6.8L
InterimTier4/StageIIIBenginethatpairsupto
aFunk28000triple-pumpdriveandFunkHMD
transmission.“It’smuchmorecost-effectivefor
ustobuyallofthepowertraincomponentsfrom
thesamecompany,”Cortes says.
Cortessayssourcingenginesfromone
manufactureralsoeasesmaintenance.“Abig
advantageforusinbuyingDeereenginesisthat
we’vebeenabletostandardizemanyoftheparts
andcomponentsinallofourmachines.Soifa
partneedsreplacingononeofourmachines,we
canpulloneoffanothermachineattheworksite
tokeeprunning.WereallyappreciatetheDeere
technologyofinterchangeablecomponents.
That’sahugebenefitforourcompany.”
Interchangeable components mean so much
to CSX that they even require that John Deere
engines be placed in machines they buy from
other equipment manufacturers. For example,
Plasser American makes a Plasser GRM-3000
switch-and-production tamping machine.
Although normally powered by a competitive
engine model, CSX specified a PowerTech Plus
9.0L engine in a sound-attenuated enclosure.
Cortes says John Deere engines stand up to
harsh working conditions. Weather oftentimes
is harsh and the rails are sometimes quite rough.
However, Cortes says John Deere engines run
reliably on the rail.
“These machines can vibrate at a high frequency,
which can be hard on engines,” explains Cortes.
We get a lot of feedback from the field. Our
operators are very satisfied with the power and
performance of John Deere.”
FunkPumpDriveModel 28000
Numberofpads 3
Maxinputpower 268kW(360hp)
Maxinputtorque 1017Nm(750lb-ft)
Inputconfiguration Directdrive
EmissionsCert. InterimTier4/StageIIIB Tier3/StageIIIA
EngineModel PowerTechPVX6068HFC93 PowerTechPlus6090HF485
Displacement 6.8L 9.0L
RatedPower 129kW(173hp)@2400rpm 242kW(325hp)@2200rpm
Cylinders 6 6
Aspiration Air-to-airaftercooled Air-to-airaftercooled
Distributor
BellPowerSystems,LLC
Essex,Connecticut
(860)767-7502
www.bellpower.com
CSX Transportation recently began manufacturing the
Rhino, a ballast regulator powered by a PowerTech PVX 6.8L
Interim Tier 4/Stage III B engine.