OAR System Provides Mission-Critical Performance Data

ATLANTA, GA—March 11, 2014 (James Street Media Services)—Railserve has rolled out a new remote monitoring system for its LEAF Gen-Set® Locomotives that provides real-time, mission-critical performance data to improve safety and operating efficiency.

Railserve, the North American provider of sustainable, economical switching locomotives, is now using Observe/Analyze/Respond™ (OAR) technology developed by Alternative Motive Power Systems (AMPS). OAR allows multiple users to track a wide range of operating data from remote locations.

Data from the AMPS Locomotive Control Unit (LCU) onboard each Railserve LEAF is processed by OAR, and then transmitted via wi-fi or cellular systems to a web-based dashboard for locomotive status and performance monitoring by on-site plant managers or operations personnel at remote locations. The data collected and displayed helps develop improved safety and operating efficiency, including:
    
•    Track speed violations
•    Man-down alerts
•    Hard couplings
•    Throttle positions and forward/reverse settings
•    Penalty applications
•    Cab entry
•    Remote control digital tracking
    
Additional OAR data can be used to develop more efficient operations, including: switching productivity; wheel slip; excessive idling; low-oil alarm; low-temperature monitoring in cold weather; and maintenance schedules.

“We are proud to launch the innovative OAR on the Railserve LEAF,” says T.J. Mahoney, LEAF program manager. “Now that we’ve seen what this technology can do for users, we are excited to begin providing data our customers can use to make service and safety improvements.”

The onboard LCU communicates with all technology on the Railserve LEAF, including power generators, traction control, throttle, reverser, brake, and the three-axis accelerometer. Data fed to OAR can be displayed in various forms including plots, charts, indicators (red/green), and histograms.

The Railserve LEAF and Dual LEAF units are powered by Cummins QSX15-L3 600 hp gensets to minimize fuel usage and significantly reduce emissions while maintaining the performance of a traditional switching locomotive. The Railserve LEAF operates across a range of industrial in-plant, commercial-yard, and short line switching applications. It maximizes tractive effort at standard operating speeds.

The Railserve LEAF surpasses conventional locomotives in many ways beyond reducing costs and environmental impact. Key to its performance is pulling capability, or higher adhesion to the rails. The Railserve LEAF proprietary traction motor control system automatically backs off current to any one of the four axles that are in danger of slipping. The unit resumes full power as soon as the danger of slipping passes, and the other three axles remain at the amp load designated by the system for the requested speed and track condition.

The Railserve LEAF and Dual LEAF are made in America, produced at the company’s Longview, Texas facility. Tractive control programming and OAR are supplied exclusively to Railserve LEAF by AMPS.

About AMPS LLC

AMPS delivers results in transforming heavy-duty mobile equipment to hybrid electric power. The company works with manufacturers’ engineers and design teams to develop new products for a growing market. AMPS assists industrial companies with specific applications in mind, then guides them toward green technology through a combination of equipment and control, transforming challenges into solutions. For more information, please visit www.AMPSonboard.com.

About Railserve

Railserve is the largest provider of in-plant rail switching and associated services—operating in more than 70 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Railserve manufactures the Railserve LEAF® and Railserve Dual LEAF Gen-Set Locomotives at its Longview, Texas facility. Railserve uses its own locomotives and employees to safely move railcars within industrial, manufacturing and production plants. In addition, Railserve provides other services including railcar loading and unloading; track maintenance, inspection and repair; and more. For more information on Railserve, visit www.Railserve.biz; for more information on the Railserve LEAF® Gen-Set Locomotive, visit www.RailserveLEAF.biz.

Railserve is a Marmon Group/Berkshire Hathaway company.

For further information contact:
Bill Fahrenwald

James Street Associates

708-371-0110 Ext.1-#

bfahrenwald@jamesstreetassoc.com