OmniTRAX short line inaugurates new Tier 4 locomotive

OmniTRAX Inc. and the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad yesterday unveiled a new environmentally friendly locomotive at the railroad's depot in San Joaquin County, California.

The KLW SE10B T4L unit built by Knoxville Locomotive Works in Tennessee complies with the Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 4 emission standard. It was purchased with the help of a grant from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Central District, according to an OmniTRAX press release.

The grant was part of the district's locomotive program, which provides incentive funds for the replacement of older locomotives with new, energy efficient models. It's one of several voluntary incentive programs targeted at reducing emissions throughout the San Joaquin Valley that the district administers.

"This new state-of-the-art locomotive is the result of hard work by many individuals from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Central District, OmniTRAX, KLW and other stakeholders, and will enhance the quality of life in Stockton and nearby communities," said OmniTRAX Chief Executive Officer Kevin Shuba. "The Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad wouldn’t have been able to replace its old locomotive without their determined effort."

The new locomotive replaces a 60-year-old SW1200 class switcher.