How does a core exchange program work for railroad equipment?

Here is the process from start to finish.

1. Your equipment fails. A traction motor goes down. A main generator needs to come out. Your locomotive cannot run.

2. We ship you a rebuilt unit right away. Independent Electric maintains an inventory of rebuilt, tested, shelf-ready railroad components. We ship that unit to you so your downtime is measured in hours, not weeks. For customers in the Kansas City region, same-day delivery is often possible. For customers outside our immediate area, truck shipment gets units moving fast.

3. You send us your failed unit. The failed component you pulled out of service is called the core. You send it to us after you receive the working unit from us.

4. We evaluate and repair your core. Every incoming core goes through a thorough inspection. Baseline repair pricing covers disassembly, cleaning, component testing, and replacement of standard wear items like bearings and seals. If our evaluation turns up additional damage, such as a failed field coil or winding issues, we contact you with adder pricing before any additional work begins. No surprises.

5. The repaired core goes onto our shelf. Once repairs are complete, the core becomes part of our inventory. That rebuilt unit supports the next exchange for another customer. The cycle is what makes the program work.

A note on what we stock: Our railroad inventory focuses on the components that matter most to locomotive reliability: AC and DC traction motors, main generators, auxiliary generators, and cooling fans. All repairs follow AAR standards and EASA AR 100 guidelines.