New Union Pacific ?green? engines head for Los Angeles area

New Union Pacific ôgreenö engines head for Los Angeles area The first two production 'green' locomotives from Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific Railroad finished with their shakedown trials and headed for Southern California.
   The new 2,100-horsepower locomotives are called 'Generator-Set,' or 'Genset,' switchers and are designed to reduce emissions of both nitrous oxides and particulate matter by up to 80 percent over current low-horsepower locomotives. Each Genset engine is powered by three 700-horsepower ultra-low-emission diesel engines. The new engines also use about 16 percent less fuel than older models.
   Union Pacific began studies and tests of the prototype Genset switcher locomotive in 2002.
   The new locomotives will be used to serve customers and sort railcars for outbound trains, and will replace many of the 95 older, low-horsepower locomotives being used in Los Angeles Basin ports and rail yards.
   Manufactured at the Janesville, Wis. General Motors plant, the two locomotives have been put through test and trial runs around Janesville for the past week.
   A team of technical experts will follow the new locomotives, testing and collecting a variety of technical information.