Railway Power Solutions

Railway Power SolutionsSchaefer’s railway grade power conversion products include AC-DC power supplies, DC-DC power converters, rectifiers and battery chargers and DC-AC sine wave inverters. We specialize in custom railway power solutions for on-board and trackside heavy rail power supply applications that meet EN 50155 compliance. Our unique railway power solution design and manufacturing allows flexibility in rail power conversion for an endless combination of input and output voltages. Extra rugged construction ensures long-life, reliable operation in harshest environments and in the most demanding applications, including on-board electronics, as well as other transit vehicles, mining vehicles, and switches.

There are considerable challenges in ensuring a stable power supply system in the railway industry as there are not only strict technical and performance requirements but also the need to conform to several international standards. Schaefer offers custom engineering and manufacturing solutions for your heavy rail power supply challenges. Our experienced team can modify an existing product or design a new product and deliver the right solution for your railroad application.

  • 36VDC, 37.5VDC, 74VDC or 110VDC
  • Ultra-wide input ranges to handle extremes, such as the 74VDC bus
  • Steady output power even during start-up or cranking conditions
  • Buck, boost, or isolated topology
  • DC/DC, DC/AC, AC/DC or AC/AC
  • Custom solutions, typically with no NRE
  • High efficiency for lower cost of ownership
  • Hermetically sealed solutions
  • Natural convection or water-cooled solutions
  • Extra rugged construction for use in the most demanding and harsh trackside and on-board environments
  • Redundant configurations for longer life operation in critical applications
  • Ultra-wide temperature ranges
  • Lightweight, high power density for smaller package designs

To ensure a high reliability and quality of our power supplies, they have to pass through internal testing for high industrial requirements. Furthermore, they can be tested against increased shock and vibration resistance, as well as extreme environmental conditions. All components are selected according to criteria of durability, availability and performance. According to customer requirements national and international rail-specific standards can be tested in cooperation with external laboratories.

  • EN 50155
  • EN 50178
  • EN 60664-1
  • EN 60950-1
  • EN 61000-6-2
  • EN 61000-6-4
  • EN 55011 / EN 55022 class A
  • EN 61140

By default, all devices are designed with electronic current limiting, overvoltage protection and continuous short circuit protection. Optionally, the modules can be expanded as follows:

  • Inrush current limiting
  • Reverse polarity protection for DC input
  • Decoupling diode for redundant / parallel operation
  • Active current sharing for parallel operation
  • Hot-pluggable solutions
  • Monitoring of input and output voltage
  • Output programmable
  • Power factor correction (PFC) for single phase input
  • Temperature compensated charging voltage
  • Automatic / manual selection of charging characteristics
  • Remote ON / OFF (inhibit)

By default, all modules will be offered as a 19″ module or 19″ sub-rack according to IP20.  Optionally, the modules can be expanded as follows:

  • Wall mount, chassis mount, DIN-rail mount, 19″ rack or customized design
  • Fan or liquid cooled
  • Mating connectors, wiring and monitoring instruments in accordance to the customers’ requirements
  • Digital or analog V- and A-meters
  • Monitoring & programming via potentiometer, analog signals or RS232 / IEEE488 interfaces
  • Designed for a high level of shock and vibration
  • Tropical protection finish on all circuit boards and components to ensure an increased protection category to protect the module from extreme climatic conditions
  • Robust enclosure that can withstand wind, sun, salt water, dirt or dust.
  • Hermetically sealed enclosure for high protection category
Product Features
  • 36VDC, 37.5VDC, 74VDC or 110VDC
  • Ultra-wide input ranges to handle extremes, such as the 74VDC bus
  • Steady output power even during start-up or cranking conditions
  • Buck, boost, or isolated topology
  • DC/DC, DC/AC, AC/DC or AC/AC
  • Custom solutions, typically with no NRE
  • High efficiency for lower cost of ownership
  • Hermetically sealed solutions
  • Natural convection or water-cooled solutions
  • Extra rugged construction for use in the most demanding and harsh trackside and on-board environments
  • Redundant configurations for longer life operation in critical applications
  • Ultra-wide temperature ranges
  • Lightweight, high power density for smaller package designs
Engineering Standards

To ensure a high reliability and quality of our power supplies, they have to pass through internal testing for high industrial requirements. Furthermore, they can be tested against increased shock and vibration resistance, as well as extreme environmental conditions. All components are selected according to criteria of durability, availability and performance. According to customer requirements national and international rail-specific standards can be tested in cooperation with external laboratories.

  • EN 50155
  • EN 50178
  • EN 60664-1
  • EN 60950-1
  • EN 61000-6-2
  • EN 61000-6-4
  • EN 55011 / EN 55022 class A
  • EN 61140
Electrical Features

By default, all devices are designed with electronic current limiting, overvoltage protection and continuous short circuit protection. Optionally, the modules can be expanded as follows:

  • Inrush current limiting
  • Reverse polarity protection for DC input
  • Decoupling diode for redundant / parallel operation
  • Active current sharing for parallel operation
  • Hot-pluggable solutions
  • Monitoring of input and output voltage
  • Output programmable
  • Power factor correction (PFC) for single phase input
  • Temperature compensated charging voltage
  • Automatic / manual selection of charging characteristics
  • Remote ON / OFF (inhibit)
Mechanical Features

By default, all modules will be offered as a 19″ module or 19″ sub-rack according to IP20.  Optionally, the modules can be expanded as follows:

  • Wall mount, chassis mount, DIN-rail mount, 19″ rack or customized design
  • Fan or liquid cooled
  • Mating connectors, wiring and monitoring instruments in accordance to the customers’ requirements
  • Digital or analog V- and A-meters
  • Monitoring & programming via potentiometer, analog signals or RS232 / IEEE488 interfaces
  • Designed for a high level of shock and vibration
  • Tropical protection finish on all circuit boards and components to ensure an increased protection category to protect the module from extreme climatic conditions
  • Robust enclosure that can withstand wind, sun, salt water, dirt or dust.
  • Hermetically sealed enclosure for high protection category

On-Board Railway Power Supply System

For any system that depends on sophisticated electronics, everything begins with the power supply. Our shared objectives are to provide a safe and accessible railway power supply solution for on-board power systems. This battery charger system has been designed to operate efficiently and effectively giving maximum reliability to the on-board railway power systems eliminating unplanned stops and failures and a longer lifetime.

40kW On-Board Railway Battery Charging System

Maintaining the United States’ railway power infrastructure demands cutting-edge engineering, something US Power Networks Services have consistently demonstrated through long-term projects with partners like SCHAEFER. There are considerable challenges in ensuring a stable railway power supply system as there are not only strict technical and performance requirements but also the need to conform to several international standards.

COTS, MOTS and Custom Railway Power Solutions

With nearly 50 years of experience and thousands of custom designed power products, you can rely on Schaefer’s engineering and manufacturing expertise for your specific application needs. Our COTS power converters can be built into sealed high IP rated enclosures with increased mechanical strength and hermetically sealed MIL connectors. We can optimize our standard products by installing them into custom enclosures and adding meters, switches or any other functionality you require, with little or no NRE!

Research and testing are provided for:

  • Thermal Analysis
  • FMECA
  • Halt
  • Hass
  • Loop Stability/Optimization
  • MTBF, FIT, PDR, and CDR

Schaefer’s electrical and mechanical engineering teams are true industry craftsmen, contact us to discuss your shipboard and subsea power supply requirements or to request a quote.

Additional Examples of Schaefer’s Custom Power Solutions

Our experienced engineering and manufacturing team has delivered over 2,000 custom power solution products. To learn more about our custom railway power solutions click on the button below.