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Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. and the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co. recently purchased Lat-Lon L.L.C.’s Locomotive Monitoring Unit (LMU).

The 552-mile regional will install the units on 32 locomotives; the 54-mile switching carrier will install LMUs on 50 locomotives.

The LMU sends and receives signals in real time via a Global Positioning System, and can alert users when a locomotive’s status changes, such as battery voltage, temperature, fuel level, engine run status and engine hours. The LMU is designed to improve locomotive utilization and fuel management, reduce dwell and idle times, provide dark territory visibility, improve one-man-crew safety and crew productivity, and streamline maintenance.

Meanwhile, Lat-Lon announced it set a sales record in the first half for the solar-powered Damage Prevention Unit (DPU/i). The company sold 250 units during the year’s first six months and expects to sell more than 500 units by year’s end, doubling 2006’s sales pace.

Marketed to railroads and shippers, the DPU/i features sensors that provide real-time data on rail-car events while a car is moving. Data includes empty and loaded car impacts, and cushioned vs. non-cushioned impacts. Users receive the information wirelessly, and can view reports and historical data on the Lat-Lon’s Web site.