GE Transportation Systems

History
GE Transportation Systems originally started as GE Harris Railway Electronics in 1995 with the joint venture between General Electric Company and Harris Corporation.

In 2000, GE Harris Railway Electronics purchased Harmon Industries, thus bringing their defect detector line on board.

In 2001, Harris Corporation chose to divest their minority ownership in GE Harris Railway Electronics, selling their share to General Electric Company. With Harris' exit, the company was renamed GE Transportation Systems.

GE Transportation Systems itself sold their Inspection Products (defect detectors) division to Progress Rail in 2010.
Products
Defect Detectors (Heat Sensing)

MicroHBD
The MicroHBD unit is a hot bearing detector that was released in late 2001 by Harmon Industries, and continues to be produced today under the Progress Rail brand. By 2001, Harmon was a subsidiary of GE Transportation Systems, and the MicroHBD was officially rebranded to GE Transportation Systems in late 2002. One of the most popular defect detectors today, they can be heard on all 7 North American Class I railroads, as well as many regionals & short lines. Their advanced filtering systems have significantly reduced false alarms when compared to older models. Available upgrade kits allow many existing sites to be reused. They feature modems to connect to railroads' back office servers to record the results of each scan.


Defect Detectors (Non-Heat Sensing)

Micro Talker
The "voice" of the MicroHBD is itself available as a stand-alone unit for sites not requiring heat sensing. These versatile units can be used with dragging equipment, high car, wheel impact load, and other detectors. They can also monitor temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and more through optional inputs.

Photo Gallery

MicroHBD

Chris Baldwin, Southern California Railway Museum