Freightliner - Brandt R4 Power Unit

 The Brandt Group, based in Regina, Saskatchewan, operates world wide with a huge range of custom engineered products for many industries. Brandt Railroad Equipment is one of their divisions, and it produces Road Rail equipment including the Brandt R4 Power Unit, marketed as "the most powerful and versatile railcar mover on the market and the only highway-capable switching unit in the world". In other words a truck that can work as a railway locomotive.

This unit spotted today in Dartmouth, NS appears to be the "Railcar Mover" model (there is also a crane equipped model and a maintenance of way model). Using Freightliner chassis and a tridem drive axle, and with engine options up to 600 hp, can give a tractive effort of 50,000 pounds and highway speeds of 65 mph. Note the retractable coupler housed in the front bumper.

CN Rail has several scattered spurs in Dartmouth that require car sorting, but are fairly remote from their regular switcher engine locations, and so I could see this unit being dispatched over the road for a few moves in one part of town them relocating quickly to another area for a few moves. It would seem to be an economical alternative to a railway locomotive, or maintaining a small railcar mover at each location.

Brandt has an excellent web site with much interesting information: https://www.brandt.ca/

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