Remote Control Marketing: Canac may be threatened by upstart in the remote control business. (RAIL).(Brief Article)

Canadian Pacific Railway recently signed an agreement to upgrade its fleet of 40 locomotives equipped with remote control devices. The deal helped solidify Canac's status as the premier North American locomotive remote control manufacturer. But that status may be threatened as the competition looks to take advantage of a market that's gaining steam from demand by U.S. Class 1 railroads.

Canac, a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway, calls its Beltpack remote control device the "established locomotive remote control system of choice for Class 1 railroads." The device allows engineers on the ground to operate locomotives via radio link and an onboard computer using a portable operator control unit. With over 125 units on its system, CN is the largest Class 1 railroad user of the devices. Canadian …