Brookville Equipment gets SFRTA order
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefSouth Florida Regional Transportation Authority’s (SFRTA) governing board has approved a contract for the construction of 10 passenger locomotives by Brookville Equipment Corp. for its Tri-Rail regional rail service serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in southeastern Florida.
SFRTA said Brookville was the lowest responsive and qualified bidder. SFRTA has awarded the base contract for 10 Brookville BL36PH locomotives, which are scheduled for delivery starting in the second half of 2012. An American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant totaling $16 million will help aid SFRTA in the purchase of these locomotives. SFRTA has the ability to execute any of the options up to the beginning of 2013.
The contract also includes an option to purchase up to 17 additional locomotives, of which up to four are earmarked for purchase by Sound Transit in Seattle. Brookville Equipment President Larry Conrad stated, “We are pleased with the opportunity to supply SFRTA with the cleanest, lowest emission commuter locomotives operating worldwide.”
The new locomotives will be manufactured in the company’s Brookville, Pa., facility. The aerodynamic locomotives, designed by Cesar Vergara, principal of Vergara Studio, are equipped with an MTU 3600-hp EPA Tier 3 engine. The locomotives will substantially reduce emissions compared to SFRTA’s existing locomotive fleet while providing opportunity for growth in the future with the additional horsepower.
Brookville engaged Vergara to provide a design concept for the streamlined locomotive. By working directly with the engineering staff at Brookville, Vergara produced a design based on a cross-section that Brookville had already established. The design carries the three facets to a simple, functional and elegant slope to the front. The locomotive’s all-steel design allows for the use of flat stock shaped in sections of cylinders and cones, thereby avoiding the application of FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) in the nose, yielding a sophisticated, contemporary appearance that is easily maintained.
