30 GEs for Turkey

Turkey and the United States Wednesday signed a contract for manufacturing 30 locomotives in Turkey.

The contract was signed by Turkish Locomotive and Engine Industry Corporation (TULOMSAS) and General Electric company at TULOMSAS facilities.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001 ... 48823.html

Its nice to see the USA actually *exporting* something for a change!

Scot

Movement, at last!

Something like a year and a half ago (it got mentioned about the beginning of 2009 in the string on GE's "Powerhaul" PH37ACmi locomotives for Britain's Freightliner) GE announced an agreement with TULOMSAS under which TULOMSAS would build GE-design locomotives based on the Powerhaul design for sale in Europe and the Middle East. Haven't heard anything about this since until now: perhaps this is the beginning of production under that scheme, though the present news release doesn't say what the characteristics of the locomotives to be built are. (GE can currently offer three different engines: FDL, GEVO, or the lighter weight design used on the Freightliner units...)
It also doesn't specify whether they are to be built for TCDD (Turkish Railways -- note that TULOMSAS is connected with the railway ministry in Turkey) or for export to some other country.

At a guess (let me repeat: GUESS), the engines, traction electrical equipment, and control electronics will be supplied from the U.S. -- about two thirds of the locomotive by value. And Tulomsas will join Goninan and the Kazakhs as an overseas supplier of "locomotive mechanical portions" for GE locomotives.