Like the little engine that could, Quebec-based Railpower Corp. continues to build back momentum after past setbacks. The company announced this week that its RP20BD locomotive, a multi-purpose hybrid used for road and yard switching, got top grades from five California shortline operators after several months of demonstrations.

“With a 3-to-2 replacement ratio, the RP20BD units can perform almost twice the work of a conventional locomotive, depending on application and horsepower requirements, all the while reducing fuel consumption by up to 45 per cent,” Railpower said in a statement.

Modesto & Empire Traction Company said the Railpower locomotive “easily performed the work of three of our GE 600 horsepower locomotives” and offered average fuel savings of over 40 per cent compared to their existing GE fleet. Central California Traction Company saw 47 per cent fuel savings compared to the combined operation of two older diesel locomotives (SW1500) built by General Motors. Fuel savings of 56 per cent were achieved when compared to another General Motors locomotive (GP18). In general, NOx and particulate matter are reduced by more than 80 per cent.

Railpower said shortline operators, which have rapidly aging fleets and limited budgets, can see big savings by replacing those older locomotives with its hybrid model. This is particularly true as the price of oil inches toward $150 a barrel. Now, all Railpower needs are some orders (See previous post on plans to build manufacturing facility near Montreal).