BATRACK, the newest and most innovative railway product of RELOC SA
More than half a century of experience in the design, construction, repair and modernization of railway vehicles and rolling stock, allows RELOC SA to develop a 100% Romanian railway product which is 100% unique: An innovative project on the Romanian shunting market: the battery-powered railway shunting Loco tractor – LT-REL-10-BATRACK.
The chronology of this product, designed and built in 2016, approved by the Romanian Railway Authority (AFER) in 2017, and built in series in 2018, attests to the seriousness of RELOC SA, and also to the qualities of the product and market needs for this traction unit.
Our product perfectly adapts to shunting maneuvers and can be used for the most complicated actions in depots, mines, ports, airports, steelworks, subway, tramways, tramway triages, or wherever it is necessary to operate at low speeds. It allows for more efficient maneuvering and environmental protection, while providing important economic benefits for its beneficiaries.
Equipped with an electronic control, surveillance, protection and diagnostics system with a microcontroller that allows independent control of its four-wheel drive, it makes it possible to be operated in any direction, so that it can be pulled out or put back on railway tracks at a distance maximum 6 meters. That’s why we claim that BATRACK is probably the most versatile traction vehicle in the world.
Its own source of compressed air provides for safe braking and decelerating of a 40-axle wagon assembly, while the multi-braking system: with the pneumatic brake for braking and gradual decelerating, the hydraulic service brake, and the electric energy recovery brake for battery charging and the manual parking brake increase exponentially the degree of safety in use.
The battery power provided by an accumulator battery allows for 12 hours of use without charging, while equipping the unit with a remote control radio system and an automatic coupler expands the use area where work conditions endanger the operator’s life and reduces the cost with personnel.
The guiding system provides a consistent pushing force on the railway tracks, regardless of its configuration, allowing for safe operating on the tracks. Each drive wheel is independently driven by a reducer and an asynchronous AC motor powered by a static traction inverter.
The advantages of the LT-REL-10-BATRACK Loco tractor versus the classic shunting versions using LDH 1250 CP hydraulic diesel locomotives for any rail operator who wants to perform maneuvers in a more efficient, cheaper and safer way are numerous and are significant:
– the unit can travel both by rail and by road;
– the movement between the operating lines is quick and easy by crossing the lines and thus reducing maneuvering times;
– can be reloaded on a trailer or freight wagon;
– it is silent in operation;
– it is non-polluting because it ensures electric traction;
– it is equipped with automatic coupling, with remote radio control, which does not require manual maneuvering;
– presents a low accident risk;
– has low maintenance costs due to the high reliability of state-of-the-art equipment and innovative technologies used;
– maintenance can be carried out in a regular line without the need for special service areas;
– it has adequate power for maneuvering provides high traction force at low speed;
– involves total maintenance and exploitation costs of about 1,500 lei / month (about 319 euros/month)
– it does not require a highly qualified operator, it is easy to transport, and the time for revisions is low;
– it has a very low purchase cost compared to a rail vehicle performing the same type of service;
– it is environmentally friendly, being completely non-polluting: zero CO2 emissions, noxious emissions and noise, battery use means zero fossil fuel.
– it is equipped with a dual rolling system: metal-metal and rubber-metal, which allows it to be widely used on both the railway and the road, thus having a coefficient of adhesion higher than the traditional iron- iron.
– offers significant economic benefits to the manufacturer due to the much shorter manufacturing and commissioning times than those of a classic rail vehicle, innovative solutions used and modularization.