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By July’s end, Union Pacific Railroad will be using several more environmentally friendly switchers in the Los Angeles area. The Class I plans to replace most switchers at its Commerce, Calif., yard with 10 Generator-Set locomotives.

Supplied by National Railway Equipment Co., the 2,100-horsepower N-ViroMotive™ switchers feature three 700-horsepower diesel engines that meet the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 emission standards. N-ViroMotives are designed to reduce emissions between 50 percent and 80 percent, cut fuel usage between 35 percent and 50 percent, and improve tractive effort adhesion efficiency between 50 percent and 65 percent compared with a conventional switcher.

UP plans to acquire 60 N-ViroMotives for its California yards. The power will replace most of the 95 older low-horsepower locomotives UP currently operates at L.A. Basin yards.