ZTR gives locomotive batteries a new KickStart
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
The newest, lighter-weight version of the ZTR Control Systems KickStart locomotive battery assist uses supercapacitor technology to augment the power required to start the locomotive engine, minimizing the drop in battery voltage during start.
KickStart has been redesigned with functional improvements that reduce this drop even more, so that electronics stay on and the strain on the batteries is diminished. The new hardware design is lighter, weighing only 45 pounds, and more compact for easier installation and requires no regular maintenance after installation. (Editor’s note: In the April issue of Railway Age, p. 44, a typographical error erroneously listed the unit as weighing 451 pounds. The correct figure is 45.)
Other benefits include reliable cold weather performance, and intuitive diagnostics.
“We work with railroads every day and are aware of the challenges they face, specifically with respect to starting issues,” says Amarjit Soora, Manager of Engineering, Railway Business Unit at ZTR Control Systems. “We’re proud of this new design.”
For more information, visit www.ztr.com.
