ZTR Smartstart Technology

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twa904

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Has anyone every heard of this system called ZTR Smartstart Technology. Is it something that Amtrak uses or could benefit from for fuel savings? It is supposed to help in shutting down and restarting locomotives an save 20,000 + gallons of fuel per year per locomotive. I believe it can be retrofitted into any locomotive and supposed to pay for itself in a year, or so I've been told.
 
Amtrak locomotives usually are moving many more miles per day than the freight locomotives that benefit to that tune of fuel savings. I don't know that Amtrak would ever be able to justify putting it on the road locomotives, but the switcher and local ones should have this installed.
 
Amtrak installed GE's version of ZTR Smartstart- called AESS- into all the P40s when they were rebuilt. I'm not sure if the 500s have been getting it as they are getting overhauled or not.

All the genset switchers already come with it, too.

I'm sure if they had the money they'd gladly install it on all the power that doesn't yet have it.

That being said, Amtrak's power doesn't idle around nearly the amount thay freight engines do. There is no way they'd save anywhere close to 20,000 gal per unit per year. An idling P42 uses only about 2 gallons of fuel an hour, assuming HEP is turned off.
 
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All current road units (P42s and P40s) have AESS (Automatic Engine Stop/Start) installed.
 
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