To help Vancouver reach its goal of reducing its carbon emissions and transitioning to an all-electric city, the City of Vancouver has decided to look for an alternate method to run the Stanley Park train. A previous capstone team called the Stanley Park Railway Revitalization Collective, (SPRRC) has designed an electric motor assembly powered by lithium ion batteries to replace the original diesel powered engines. EvoLoop is a team of senior undergraduate Sustainable Energy Engineering students from SFU who have carried on the work of SPRRC. Starting in Fall 2022, the team has assembled this electric motor prototype and will be testing it to ensure that all of the mechanical and electrical components are working together as intended. EvoLoop will also be testing the motor assembly’s power output to ensure that it can produce enough torque required for the train ride. To test the torque output of the prototype the team has designed and built a rope brake dynamometer which is assembled on a custom built steel mounting plate.
This prototype will provide a proof of concept for Stanley Park to retrofit their original locomotives. Not only will this electric motor design provide environmental benefits by not producing carbon emissions, the iconic train ride experience will become more comfortable by eliminating pungent fumes and being much quieter than the original engine. Furthermore all this will be achieved while still maintaining the original exterior look of the locomotives. The project story was also featured by the Vancouver Sun and CTV News 

Next Steps:
The prototype will be dismantled and returned to the City at the conclusion of the project. The prototype was designed for a specific locomotive and the City plans to carry on with further engineering, assessments and safety certification for a design that can be retrofitted in all the locomotives. 

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