Application: Dual-Winch Railcar Positioning Winch System
Customer: Union Pacific Railroad (UPR)
Location: Roseville, CA
Winch Model: Columbia WR40000-4A17-L-01
Line Pull: 40,000 pounds per AC electric winch
Line Speed: 5 feet per minute
Wire Rope Capacity: 128 feet x 3/4” diameter wire rope
Power Source: 460 VAC / Three Phase / 60 Hz
Special Features: Cable tension roller, Custom control panel.
Why APPI: Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) is the largest railroad network in the United States, with nearly 32,000 miles of track crisscrossing 23 states in the West and Midwest. Moving untold tons of product through their system are some 8,000 diesel-electric locomotives in the UPR fleet. Each of them requires regular maintenance and inspection at several UPR repair facilities around the country.
At their JR Davis Yard in Roseville, CA, one of their most prominent locations, technicians work around the clock to keep the locomotives in their section available for duty. However, after an out-of-service “lokie” is delivered to the repair barn, using another locomotive to move it is expensive, complicated, time-consuming, and potentially hazardous. Hence, UPR engineers decided to source a railcar positioning winch system for this task.
They decided on a two-winch system, with one mounted halfway down each side of the repair barn, next to the track extensions that run through it. Using this pair of winches (in addition to a third mounted between the tracks leading to the repair station) would be possible to pull the locomotives in and out of the barn and position them exactly as required. Ultimately, they chose Allied Power Products Inc. (APPI) in Beaverton, OR, to provide the winches and controls for this system.
The railcar positioning winch model they selected was a Columbia WR40000 AC electric winch. It met all of their requirements for design, line pull, line speed, wire rope capacity, and installation space. The winch was provided with free spooling to enable wire rope to be pulled off the drum when making a hook-up with a locomotive. A spring-loaded cable tensioner was also specified for each winch to ensure the wire rope was held tightly on the drum during slack line conditions. The IP66 motor and NEMA 4X controls offer protection against moisture and dust. APPI also delivered a pair of 20-ton snatch blocks mounted on raised concrete pedestals to provide a convenient method to change direction when pulling a locomotive in or out of the barn.
Although their importance may seem relatively insignificant in the larger supply chain picture, these Columbia winches from APPI are critical in keeping the UPR locomotives operational and “on track.”
Please contact us if you would like more information about this particular railcar positioning winch system or any of our other products and services.
