News

STM Trading House (part of Sinara Transport Machines Holding) has won an open tender for the manufacture and supply of a batch of series TGM8 Elephant diesel locomotives to Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia, JSC (CBK, part of the united company RUSAL). The main business of CBK is extraction and export of bauxites. TGM8 will be used in the production chain of the West African asset of the Russian aluminum company.

“TGM8 is one of our locomotives targeted at foreign customers. The locomotive has repeatedly proved its functionality and shows excellent performance parameters, – commented CEO of STM Trading House Anton Zubikhin, – I would like to note that we already have some experience in working with RUSAL and its daughter companies, however, our Holding has not previously provided supplies neither to CBK, nor Guinea. In this regard, signing of this agreement not only marks the beginning of opening up a new market for STM, but is also the next logical step to consolidate our fruitful cooperation with RUSAL.”

Within the framework of this project, STM will produce 6 locomotives, which must be handed over to the customer before the end of this year. TGM8 is a four-axle diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission, designed to perform shunting operations on 1435 mm gauge railway tracks. The power of the locomotive is 882 kW (1,200 hp), the machines perfectly fit for operation in tropical climate with pronounced alternation of dry and wet seasons. This provision is especially important given the climatic conditions in the Republic of Guinea, where the operating company is located.

The design of diesel locomotives for CBK is characterized by introduction of an innovative multiple unit operation system (MUO) – a method of operating the rolling stock in such a way when several locomotives or motor cars are coupled into one train, and traction motors are controlled fr om one station. This technology has a number of advantages, including: increased maximum acceleration, no need to re-couple the locomotive, lower axle load, and increased reliability. The latter is achieved due to the ability to continue moving even if one or more cars fail.

TGM8 is a locomotive produced at the Lyudinovo diesel locomotive plant. The first diesel locomotive of this series was built in 1972 by order of the French company “Solmer”. Since then, TGM8 has been repeatedly upgraded and received several updated modifications. The countries wh ere this locomotive can be found include: China, Vietnam, Pakistan, etc.