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The Indiana Rail Road Co. (INRD) recently signed long-term leases with CIT Rail for 157 new coal cars and six locomotives.

The railroad will lease Auto-Flood III rapid-discharge cars, which were built in 2006 by FreightCar America Inc., primarily to serve an Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) generating station. The new aluminum cars will augment a fleet of older steel hoppers owned by IPL and enable INRD to increase train length to 100 cars.

The Auto-Flood IIIs feature pneumatically operated discharge gates that open simultaneously to ease unloading and rotary dump capabilities.

INRD also will lease six SD90MAC locomotives for heavy-haul service. Built by General Motors Corp.'s former Electro-Motive Division, the locomotives previously were in service in Canada. The units feature V-16, 4,300-horsepower diesel engines and — unlike INRD's other locomotives — utilize AC current for traction.

The locomotives will enable INRD to replace older power at a two-to-three ratio and reduce its overall fleet.

In addition, the regional announced plans to preserve two of its earliest motive-power units in heritage paint. An ex-Santa Fe CF7 and former CSX Transportation GP16 are in shops operated by National Railway Equipment Co. and VMV for mechanical overhauls and to receive a new paint design that "evokes the first scheme worn by Indiana Rail Road locomotives," INRD said. The railroad will slightly modify a 1987 paint design.

INRD operates a 500-mile route in Indiana and Illinois, and maintains terminals in Chicago; Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Ind.; and Louisville, Ky.