Union Pacific Railroad – Des Moines, Iowa
The largest freight hauling network in the United States, the Union Pacific Railroad covers 23 states west of Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. It operates 8,500 locomotives, which run on over 32,100 route-miles of track. Safety in its railyards is paramount to operations, and robust equipment is vital for withstanding the tough conditions.
Blue safety flags have been used for decades to alert trains of workers on or near the track. In 2008, the Federal Railroad Administration (USA) began requiring that the blue flag be paired with a light. For one Union Pacific railyard in Des Moines, Iowa, its selected compliant lights constantly required bulb and battery replacements—time-consuming maintenance that proved costly. Railyard staff recognized that the railyard required something more robust and looked to solar lighting to minimize costly battery replacements.
Requirements: To provide an efficient, low-maintenance blue safety light to complement blue flags used in the railyard
Our Solution: OL2A solar safety light
I have been a Class 1 railroad employee for almost 39 years and, for the last 30 years, worked in the train yard and locomotive service track area. I have seen and used a lot of blue lights, and Flash's are top of the line. Their lights work flawlessly through heat, rain and freezing cold weather. They also take a beating, being lifted, lowered and sometimes dropped. But they never quit working. We use Flash Technology's lights at both ends of our service track protecting our derails, and they have been in service for over five years, trouble-free. They are my first choice in blue lights; one less item to worry about.
– Brian Sinram, Union Pacific
