GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Locomotive manufacturing newcomer Integral dx has completed its third unit for the U.S. military, a rear-cab switcher for the U.S. Air Force.
The SWR18, a 130-ton, four-axle, 1,800-hp switcher, has been delivered to the Air Force at Joint Base Charleston, S.C., joining center-cab switchers delivered to the Navy in March 2025 and the Army in November 2025. The locomotive will be used to stage cars that serve base logistics, said David Gelhar, the company’s president.
“What an honor it has been for me and our teams to build and deliver these switcher locomotives to the United States military,” CEO Kevin Wald said in a press release. “For over 25 years we have engineered and built over 300,000 mobile industrial machines across a multitude of applications. That foundational experience enabled our entry into the short line and rail yard switcher locomotive market with our Integral dx locomotives. We demonstrate daily that American manufacturing is alive and well in rural America.”
Wald said he was told by a senior manager at the Federal Railroad Administration that no company has offered a new ground-up design for a family of switchers since 1975. “The North American fleet of switcher and short line locomotives is aging,” Wald said, “and Integral dx offers an extensive line of switcher locomotives and custom builds to meet the current and future needs of the industry.”
Integral dx is a subsidiary of Ritalka Inc., based in Montevideo, Minn. The company employs more than 350 workers at seven locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. Businesses include mobile equipment engineering and manufacturing services, wire harenesses and control boxes, and mobile equipment offerings including locomotives. Integral’s other products include concrete mixing trucks, mobile derricks, pavers, and beet processing equipment. More information is available at the company’s website.
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