IT’S ELECTRIC By Erin Madison
Mystic Hydroelectric crew converts an old diesel train to electric. Reaching Rowe Dam at Mystic Lake is no small task for our crews who work at the remote hydroelectric facility. The Mystic Hydro Plant is nestled below the rugged snow-capped peaks of the Beartooth Mountains, 75 miles southwest of Billings, Montana. The powerhouse sits at the valley floor, while Rowe Dam is perched on a mountain side, 1,130 feet above the powerhouse.
to run on electricity. It’s hard to reach the upper train, but it was even harder to get the train down to the powerhouse where the crew could work on it. “We had to helicopter it out,” Joe said. Since there’s not a premade electric conversion kit to turn an old diesel mining train into an electric train, Joe and the crew had to get
For crews to reach the dam, they take a tram up a steep slope.
creative. They worked with an electric motor sports company to pur-
Then they transfer to a train that contours around the mountainside.
chase an electric motor and battery bank, and then fabricated parts to
That train ends at a gully where the tracks once washed out. From
make the new motor and battery fit into the train’s frame.
there, they get on another train that takes them the rest of the way to Rowe Dam. The second train was originally installed in 1978 or ’79 and was an old mining locomotive that ran on diesel fuel. “It was noisy, smelly and hard to start,” said Joe Ruprecht, Journeyman Maintenance Operator at Mystic. This past winter, the Mystic hydro crew converted the diesel train
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“We all brainstormed on how to put it together,” Joe said. The train now has an onboard generator to charge the motor. They also installed a solar charging system. Joe estimates they can run the train for about a week without needing to charge it. The retrofitted train is about 25 to 30 decibels quieter than it used to be, plus it’s easier to start and can haul more passengers and cargo. “It makes it way more convenient to get up to the dam,” Joe said.
