As early as 1993, the management of CSX Transportation Inc., one of the largest railroads in the United States, began looking for a solar battery charging system to use on its radio-controlled ballast cars. After extensive searching, it found the solution - the Solargizer Solar Charger from PulseTech.
The battery charging system CSXT was using on its radio-controlled ballast cars at the time consisted of an alternator/air motor arrangement using trainline air. However, a solar-powered charging system had the potential to reduce downtime and maintenance costs. So, CSXT began searching for such a system that could provide the power they needed effectively.
Not long after, Team Supply Company, PulseTech’s representative in the railroad industry, met with CSXT's Engineering Materials Group in the Fall of 1994 to discuss the Solargizer Battery Maintenance System. While the ability to extend the life and increase performance of lead-acid batteries impressed CSXT, they were interested in something more for its ballast cars. "That’s the first time I came across a situation where the standard Solargizer wasn’t the perfect solution for a battery problem," states Jim Thieman, president of Team Supply. "But what they needed was a unit that would remove sulfate buildup from the lead plates and charge the battery as well. And it had to be solar-powered." Jim contacted Mark Witt, vice president of PulseTech, and explained the situation. Mark and Jim met with the Engineering Materials Group, and after determining its needs, Mark told them PulseTech would build a system to address CSXT's needs. "We pride ourselves in being able to provide a solution for whatever battery problem someone may have," states Mark. "In this case, though, we actually had to build one from scratch."
Working in conjunction with CSXT's Engineering Materials Group and Team Supply, PulseTech developed a prototype called the Solargizer Solar Charger. This unique, patented charger used the same pulse technology as a standard Solargizer system, but also included a 10-watt solar panel that would supply enough power to keep the batteries constantly charged. "We initially installed the prototype solar chargers for testing on four ballast cars beginning in June 1995," explains F. Joe Loyd Jr., Senior Manager/Engineering Materials and Scales for CSXT. "After evaluating them for several months, we were convinced we had an answer to our needs." Based on this, 20 more prototypes were built. And CSXT soon decided that the Solargizer Solar Charger would be retrofitted on every radio-controlled ballast car in the fleet.
To date, CSXT has the charging system installed on 648 ballast cars and plans to retrofit additional ballast cars. News of the effectiveness of the Solargizer Solar Charger has spread. As a result, Solargizer Solar Charger equipped radio-controlled ballast cars are being ordered by other major railroads, too. CSXT Transportation is not only pleased with the performance potential of the Solargizer Solar Charger, but also the anticipated savings this product can create through increased battery life, reduction in maintenance costs and the reduction in air demands. In fact, according to Lloyd, using these units along with solenoid-controlled valves enabled CSXT to eliminate the use of one locomotive per unit train due to the reduced volume of air required. That alone will produce considerable savings for the company every year.
These results open up other exciting possibilities for the rail industry, such as providing unlimited access to power in remote battery situations. This means state-of-the-art electronic systems such as global positioning satellite systems and electronic breaking systems can be evaluated without the fear of the batteries being drained dry. Currently, CSXT is looking at the benefits the Solargizer Solar Charger can provide in other areas as well. After three years of searching, CSXT has found a system that can help keep its battery performance and costs on track.
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