Lake State Railway Company (LSRC), a Michigan-based regional freight railroad, is purchasing four SD70ACe-T4 locomotives from Progress Rail. LSRC received an emissions grant to replace five older locomotives with four newer tier 4 locomotives. The railroad chose the SD70ACe-T4 built by EMD successor Progress Rail due to several factors, including delivery timing, parts commonality, and after sale support. Locomotives being retired include four SD50-3 locomotives and an SD40-2, all of which are over 40 years old. LSRC’s 32 locomotive roster is all EMD and includes MP15, GP38, GP40, SD40, SD50 and SD70 variants. With the new locomotives, the LSRC locomotive fleet will be one of the newest rostered by a shortline or regional railroad and the SD70 modal type will represent 40% of the fleet. The locomotives will be numbered LSRC 6451 through 6454 and are former demonstrator units which have been thoroughly reconditioned and updated. The locomotives are expected to be delivered by the end of 2025.
LSRC chief mechanical officer Roger Fuehring noted the support offered by Progress Rail helped make the decision on which locomotive vendor to use.
“I have managed several projects in my career which upgraded locomotive fleets for better emissions,” said Fuehring, “and I feel very comfortable we will be receiving a great product. We especially value the support Progress Rail has offered after the sale, which is critical given how much more complex these locomotives are compared to the older generation locomotives.”
LSRC president and CEO Mike Stickel says the new locomotives will be helpful in supporting future growth. “The new locomotives will be helpful as our train sizes and carload volumes continue to grow. These are not only the first tier 4 locomotives on our railroad, they are also the first AC traction locomotives.” Stickel added, “we appreciate the team at Progress Rail going the extra mile to put together a deal that worked for us within the parameters of our grant. They listed to what was important to us as a shortline and were also able to meet critical delivery timelines” LSRC has a dedicated team of mechanical professionals and maintains the diesel fleet in the modernized locomotive facility in Saginaw.
Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) is an award-winning regional railroad, providing innovative rail transportation solutions since 1992. LSRC operates on a route structure of approximately 375 miles of track with six connecting railroad interchanges. The company maintains headquarters and shop facilities in Saginaw and terminals in Plymouth, Flint, Midland, Bay City, Gaylord, and Alpena. Annual freight volume is approximately 60,000 carloads and serves a diversified mix of end markets, including automotive, aggregates, cement, agriculture, forest products, metals, chemicals and others. Since 2022, the company has been owned by Antin Infrastructure Partners, a leading private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments in Europe and North America, with offices in New York, London, and Paris.
—via press release
