Rail car movers are used by railroad companies to move small numbers of rail cars in rail yards, eliminating the need for a switch locomotive and its operator. They are lightweight, more convenient, and cheaper to operate. Some models have both rubber and steel wheel systems and can be powered by gasoline, diesel, LPG, or battery. Trackmobile is a popular brand.
Widely used by railroad companies and vital to the rail industry, a rail car mover moves small numbers of rail cars in rail yards. The railroad car engine eliminates the need for a switch locomotive and its operator. A lightweight vehicle compared to much larger and heavier switch locomotives, the rail car engine is more convenient and cheaper to operate.
A rail car engine is capable of traveling on road wheels to move around the yard, eliminating the need for a clear track and making it a more efficient means of moving rail cars. When moving railroad cars, the railroad car’s engine lifts its rubber tires and hooks its steel wheels to the track. The wagon’s engine is equipped with a coupler that connects the vehicle to the wagons.
Traditionally, railroad car engines draw their power from small 15-horsepower gasoline, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) engines. A new line of battery-powered, radio-controlled railroad car engines has also emerged. The battery-powered rail car engine is capable of moving 330 tons (299.4 metric tons) on a straight, level track, and has four rubber wheels, so it can also be used on the highway.
Some railroad car engines have two drive systems: a rubber wheel system for moving around the yard, and a steel wheel system for operating on rails, with the rubber wheels raised. The steel wheeled wagon transporter has to transfer the weight of the wagons onto its own wheels to gain the necessary traction due to the extreme weight of some wagons. Railroad car engines with rubber wheel drive systems produce their own traction and need the steel wheels only to guide them on the tracks.
There are a number of companies that make wagon engines. One of the first brands was Trackmobile. The name has become synonymous with all railroad car engines, but really, it’s just a brand name for them.
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