Evolution Series Tier 4 built for CN is 1,000th locomotive to roll off line at GE’s Fort Worth plant

July 8, 2016

Three years after opening it’s second locomotive production facility and despite slowdowns in the railroad industry, GE rolled out its 1,000th locomotive built in Fort Worth. GE Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly-owned entity of GE, marked a milestone on Thursday by celebrating the milestone locomotive built at the Fort Worth site. More than 700 employees attended a ceremony commemorating the achievement.

No. 3087, an Evolution Tier 4 locomotive built for Canadian National Railway, rolled off the assembly line in July as the 1,000th locomotive built at GE’s plant in Fort Worth. – GE Manufacturing Solutions

“This milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team here in Fort Worth,” said Richard Simpson, vice president and global supply chain leader, GE Transportation. “In less than four years, this team helped start up the GE Manufacturing Solutions facility and built 1,000 high-quality, competitive locomotives for our customers. ”

The 1,000th locomotive is a GE Transportation Evolution Series Tier 4 model for Canadian National Railway. Part of the ecomagination-certified Evolution Series, GE’s new Tier 4 locomotive decreases emissions by more than 70 percent from Tier 3 technology to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 standards. GE Manufacturing Solutions completed assembly of its first locomotive, a Tier 3 Evolution Series model for Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway, in early 2013. GE has built a few hundred locomotives for BNSF at the Fort Worth plant.

“Our team has accomplished a lot since delivering the first locomotive,” said Walter Amaya, locomotive plant manager for GE Manufacturing Solutions. “Thanks to the support from the community, suppliers, and other GE sites, our team has continuously improved the site’s productivity and increased the production rate to 10 locomotives a week. Those efforts positioned the site for success in today’s challenging market and a bright future for years to come.”

GE Manufacturing Solutions’ locomotive plant began operations in 2013. The one million square-foot facility is now GE Transportation’s primary manufacturing site for Evolution Series locomotives.

No. 3087, painted in red and black, is one of 50 ordered by CN and most likely will be shipped to Chicago for service. GE has invested $600 million over the last decade in the development of the Evolution Series Tier 4 locomotive. The locomotive is powered by GE’s 12-cylinder EVO engine and requires no after-treatment system.

Production at the plant began in 2015 shortly after GE received 1,355 Evolution Series Tier 4 locomotive orders to be fulfilled over the next three years.

The Fort Worth plant, on a site adjacent to the Texas Motor Speedway, complements GE’s operations at its older transportation facility in Erie, PA.

Spring is when large-scale model railroaders with their green thumbs plant and prune colorful foliage grown nearly to scale. In some areas, maintaining outdoor layouts is quite challenging because of changing weather. Nancy Norris, an author who builds garden railroads professionally, says some plant varieties have become more difficult to grow in certain Hardiness Zones. In some cases it means garden railroaders having to put more emphasis on growing native plants rather than relying on varieties more susceptible to extreme conditions. She recommends new gardeners consult with their local nurseries for the best choices for an outdoor layout. Norris also has a few recommendations of her own.

Sweeping tariffs imposed on goods imported into the United States are stirring model railroad manufacturers. As a result, model railroading and other hobbies will cost more. In February the U.S. applied a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, and the tax has since escalated. Suppliers – including Athearn, InterMountain Railway Co., Broadway Limited, Rapido Trains and ScaleTrains – have been putting dealers and customers on notice that prices will increase tariffs are implemented.

The first rule of railroading is “expect movement on any track at any time in any direction.” This may seem like an overabundance of caution, but railroading is a dangerous sport. Always expect a train when you’re around the tracks. The second rule of railroading is that there is an exception to every rule. The North American freight car fleet in 2023 consisted of 2.03 million rail cars, according to Railinc’s Umler Equipment Index. Rail car fleet management — how empty cars get dispatched to move to their next loading point — is an ever-moving process and often requires fleet car managers to be nimble.

Evolution Series Tier 4 built for CN is 1,000th locomotive to roll off line at GE’s Fort Worth plant

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