The Romanian factory that made the locomotives that go to the Arctic Circle, “at temperatures of -40 degrees”. “Pull 3,000 ton trains”
Transmontana Locomotive Photo: Softronic.ro
25 years ago, on the western industrial platform of Craiova, Softronic was born – a startup that aimed to make electronic components (speedometers) for locomotives in operation. Since then, the small Softronic brought experienced engineers and, after Romania's accession to the European Union, accessed European funds that led to its development, writes StartUpCafe, in a report made in the factory.
Softronic has made a new, very powerful and modern locomotive, which is now in demand in foreign markets, the quoted source writes.
It is about the Transmontana locomotive, which transports goods in extreme conditions in the north of Scandinavia, close to the Arctic Circle.
“For a locomotive to pull a freight train or a passenger train it mainly needs two strengths: power and traction. The power is arch-sufficient, each locomotive has 6,000 kW (6 MW) of power. It also has six axles, so 12 wheels – traction is maximum. In Sweden, there is a dramatic operating regime, in that they go to the Arctic Circle, in temperatures of 15-40 degrees below zero and pull 3,000 ton trains”, said Cristian Prundeanu, engineer at Softronic, for the quoted source.
He also talked about the effort Softronic had to make to compete with other giants in the industry.
“The rolling stock market is very competitive. People must have a level of training, knowledge and access to technology similar to our colleagues in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden. If you are not like them or possibly over, you are “out of the game”, the engineer emphasized.
In addition to the locomotive that goes to the Arctic Circle, Softronic also produced a new electric train, called Hyperion, which runs today from Craiova to Bucharest, Brașov and Constanța.
More details about the only manufacturer of electric locomotives in Romania, on StartUpCafe.
