Industry News
LEDtronics Innovative LED Bulb Design Improves CLCX Process Locomotives Ground Lighting By 200%
April 10, 2011
CLCX, LLC (DBA Chattahoochee Locomotive Company) had a problem that needed addressing. Incandescent lights on the outside of its locomotives were wasting too much power and were not providing sufficient bright light to effectively illuminate the steps, couplers, and trucks of the locomotive.
Lighting around a locomotive is very important to the safety of the train crews. Poor lighting can result in injuries from missteps when walking, stepping onto or off of a locomotive, and when making couplings or hooking up train line air hoses. Poor lighting is an industry–wide concern, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
CLCX, LLC Process Locomotives use the latest technologies to provide very safe low emissions locomotives. To promote better safety, efficiency, and reduce maintenance costs, the company decided to use LED ground lighting manufactured by LEDtronics. That improved the light output, changed it from a pale yellow light to a daylight bright light, increased the bulb life by more than five times, and reduced the power draw by 90%.
LEDtronics is a pioneer in the design and manufacturing of direct incandescent bulb replacement and in eco–friendly LED technology since 1983. Today, the Torrance, California–based company is still the innovative leader in LED technology. CLCX, LLC says LEDtronics’ LED bulbs improved the lighting on the company’s locomotives by “200 percent.”
LEDtronics’ engineering created a LED bulb that fit the existing fixture of the old incandescent, saving re–configuration costs. The bulb replaced was the industry standard “A19.” The LED bulb reduced the power draw from 25 watts for the A19 bulb down to 2.3 watts with the Ledtronics' Custom Part# BSD-1981-003.
CLCX, LLC has been rebuilding and repowering locomotives since 1978. Its third–generation, eco–friendly Process Locomotives use the very latest in innovative open architecture technologies, according to the company. The Process Locomotives are in applications from Alaska to Mexico and at various locations in 48 states. The locomotives offer low emissions, low noise, excellent fuel efficiency, and high adhesion traction control. They are practical to operate and maintain for 30 or more years in industrial switching and short line operations.
Beyond the safety and maintenance/labor costs successes, CLCX, LLC indicated that with the U.S. Government mandate to phase out traditional incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) bulbs, it believes all locomotives will be switching to LED bulb usage in every aspect of lighting due to the many positive business and safety benefits.
