Recent Custom Products

Custom Products built to for the Passenger Railroad Industry by Northwest Rail Electric

Phone: (503) 231-4808 Fax: (503) 230-0572 E-mail
See where our equipment is located on a typical passenger car

Constant Voltage Transformers

A particular customer wanted some constant voltage transformers in order to protect their equipment even when voltage sagged. These transformers will do just that: if the voltage drops as low as 400 volts or as high as 550 volts the output will still be 240 volts. They demand a relatively cool and dirt-free enclosure and so the package also included a temperature activated fan and air filters on the air input and output.

Locker Package Variation:

  • This locker package was a variation of a package we already had in production for a different customer. It features generator input and two head end power systems. The generator is able to power just the car, or feed either HEP system. When receiving HEP, it is possible for the car to receive HEP from either of the two HEP systems.

    Double-Stack Generator Package:

  • This double-stack generator package includes two Stadco Railgen generator sets stacked on top of eachother, with a custom control package. The generators are special twelve-wire systems that can produce 208 volts 3 phase, 480 volts three phase, or both at the same time. One generator set acts as the back-up generator for the other. The control system was custom as well.

    Air Conditioning Equipment:

  • This package provides air conditioning in a particular dome car design. The unit sits in a closet in the car, and air intake is through the door of the closet. We have built at least eight of these for various dome cars.

  • Once again we have produced a two-direction blower system with air conditioning evaporator and HEP-powered electric heat. This unit required two evaporators and two heaters due to the air intake being on both sides, and the blower output being on the two ends.

  • These roof-top condensers were built for a passenger car that simply has no space underneath for such equipment.

  • Several of these small capacity, low-height condenser units were built for air conditioning on some narrow gauge passenger cars.

  • These stainless steel evaporator units were built for service in a climate where there is a lot of humidity, and therefore the customer wanted high resistance to corrosion.

    Custom Locker Packages:


    480 volt (left) and 120 volt (right) circuit breakers on a pair of panels designed by Northwest Rail Electric to serve the needs of a complex passenger car system.

    The unit pictured here is a fairly typical example of the complex locker packages that Northwest Rail Electric custom-designs for the railroad passenger car market. The two big circuit breakers and contactors at the bottom right of the panel on the left are what determines the source of power: HEP or generator power. The small equipment on the far left is part of the HVAC control system, and some of the other components are part of current control (such as phase detection and overcurrent protection) that helps protect the system on the passenger car. Above the large grey contactors is a 480 volt circuit breaker panel for several of the large loads on this passenger car. This includes 480 volt to 120/208 volt transformers, HVAC equipment, and several dining car kitchen loads (such as a large hot water heater and oven) that require 480 volts, 3 phase to operate. The panel on the right includes some switching equipment, with the vast majority of the space taken up with 120/208 volt circuit breaker panels, which provide power to all of the household voltage loads on the various parts of the passenger car.


    A Very Condensed Locker Package was recently built for a passenger car with very limited control needs and only a very small amount of electrical loads. The package pictured above is only about 20 inches wide and 40 inches tall, and includes 480 volt breakers for air conditioning, 120 volt breakers for lightling loads, and a very simple HVAC control system.

    Recent custom locker packages have included several multiple-zone HVAC control systems for passenger cars with complicated control requirements. At right are controls built to fit the narrow locker found inside a number of business cars.

    A More Condensed Modular Package was also developed to fit an electrical locker in a car with less space. Note that in the package picutured below the HVAC control panels are mounted on a door, and the contactor sets are mounted behind these on the rear wall of the electrical locker.


    Other Molular Packages have included special indicator systems to fit the customer requirements. In the package pictured below, from top to bottom there is the bottom edge of the generator control, two sets of HVAC control panels, and at the bottom a tank level indicator that shows the level of the diesel fuel tank, the water tank, and the sewage tank.


    Direct Current Control Panels have been built for several cars that have complicated direct current needs. On the panel below, there are emergency light circuits, marker light circuits, generator charging circuits, and several other circuits. There are three basic groups of batteries: marker lights, emergency interior lights, and generator starting. Battery separators on the panel are designed to allow the batteries to be charged as a simultaneous group, but it also allows all three battery banks to be drained separately.

    Examples of several other custom DC control panels are located on our Custom Small Control Units page.


    Yard Power Units:

    Our most recent custom yard power unit was this dual feed unit. A remote enclosure (the smaller of the two enclosures seen in the photograph) will be mounted at the end of a second passenger car storage track. This will allow one yard power unit (the larger enclosure) to feed both tracks.

    Dual Yard Power System

  • Custom Products Index

  • Custom Locker Packages for entire passenger car electrical lockers

  • Custom Small Control Units

  • Custom Generator and Power Packages

  • Custom HVAC Units, Parts, and Systems

  • Custom Yard Power Packages

  • Passenger Car Services - sometimes we get involved in more than just providing electrical and air conditioning parts.

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