China: The six-axle FXN3C locomotives have been running for several months in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
As the region features several deserts, the vehicles are fitted with a filtration system to prevent the ingress of sand into engines and other components. In addition, the locomotives are designed to cope with high wind and low temperatures.
A batch of FXN3C mainline locomotives. Source: CRRC
The FXN3C is reported to be the first diesel locomotive with a Tier 3 emissions-compliant propulsion system in the country. The vehicles are equipped with a 12-cylinder 3.5 MW 12V265C engine, also designed by CRRC, which can haul trainsets of up to 5,000 t at a maximum speed of 120 km/h. The fuel consumption is 198 g/kW·h. CRRC says that the propulsion system is fitted with remote monitoring and automated malfunction data acquisition systems. The engine had been developed for several years, with the first academic publications mentioning the propulsion system dating back to 2019.
