ZTR turns 30

On Dec. 4, ZTR Control Systems marked its 30th anniversary. The company was founded in 1987 by five coworkers who “suggested an idea for a new product that was ultimately rejected by the company they worked for at the time.”

ZTR gives locomotive batteries a new KickStart

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.

New control module from ZTR

ZTR Control Systems has introduced the NEXSYS™III-i MD Module, a new version of its NEXSYS™ locomotive control system designed for “mother-daughter” (traditionally known as “cow-calf” or “mother-slug”) locomotive applications.

ZTR Control Systems expands to Berlin

ZTR Control Systems will soon be launching a new office in Berlin, Germany, a major European logistics hub, adding to existing facilities in Minneapolis and London, Ontario.

ZTR offers locomotive overhaul technologies

ZTR™, a leading supplier of control systems for locomotive modernization and equipment monitoring, offers “flexible upgrade solutions for older locomotives to improve tractive effort, reliability, and locomotive health information, allowing customers to quickly upgrade their fleet performance,” according to General Manager Matthew Scott.

ZTR wins SmartStart® contract in Germany

DB Schenker Rail, Germany, has awarded ZTR Control Systems a contract for more than 300 SmartStart® AESS (Automatic Engine Start-Stop) systems.

From ZTR, a locomotive schematic outsourcing resource

Positive Train Control retrofits and complex locomotive upgrade programs are among the factors that “have put tremendous pressure on railroad drafting departments,” says ZTR Rail Division General Manager Matthew Scott. ZTR’s new Locomotive Schematic Update Service “is helping to take some of that load off.”

ZTR introduces low-profile axle generator

ZTR now offers its Locomotive Axle Generator™ in a PCD (pitch circle diameter, also known as BCD, or bolt circle diameter) 6 X 4.5 bolt pattern. The new device is designed for non-Timken bearings, and complements ZTR’s Locomotive Axle Generator™ for Timken bearings, launched in late 2013.

ZTR BOA™-WS has no constrictions

ZTR Control Systems’ new BOA™-WS (Bolt-on Adhesion™-Excitation/Wheel Slip Control System) is designed to boost tractive effort on EMD Dash-2 locomotives without replacing the entire Dash-2 control system.

Load controllers: Out with the old, in with the new

ZTR has introduced its Locomotive ELC (Electronic Load Controller), which the company describes as “a low cost way for switcher locomotives to improve reliability and adhesion.”