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RailPower Technologies Corp. continues to recruit railroads and shippers to test the locomotive builder's hybrid switchers. On Feb. 4, RailPower announced it obtained a 90-day trial lease from agricultural-product shipper James Richardson International Ltd. (JRI), who plans to test a 1,000-horsepower Green Kid™ at its North Vancouver, British Columbia, facilities.

"The JRI trial is important for us as it is yet another opportunity to gather data on [the Green Kid's] performance … under independent user conditions," said RailPower President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Maier in a prepared statement.

Featuring 130-horsepower diesel generators and long-life recyclable batteries, the Green Kid and 2,000-horsepower Green Goat™ is designed to reduce NOx and other emissions about 90 percent, and fuel use between 50 percent and 80 percent compared with a conventional switcher.

JRI provides grain handling and merchandising, canola processing, and crop input sales and services at facilities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In late 2003, petroleum-product shipper Chevron Products Co. tested a Green Kid for 30 days at its El Segundo, Calif., refinery.

RailPower also recently sold Green Goats and Kids to Railserve Inc. and CANAC Inc., and reached Green Goat lease/trial agreements with Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX Transportation and Burlington Northern Santa Fe subsidiary Los Angeles Junction Railway Co., which plan to test units during the next three to six months. Union Pacific Railroad and Pacific Harbor Line Inc. tested Green Goats last year.