“Diesel Helpers” are two buzzwords associated with today’s mainline steam excursions – from short lines to Class I railroads, and even selected tourist railroads off the national network. The use of one, or lack thereof, differs between railroads, organizations, and their operating preferences. Some are comfortable letting the steam locomotive travel solo. Others would prefer […]
F40M-2F locomotives In the late 1990s, Amtrak converted a handful of its F40PH locomotives to locomotives suitable for freight service. At the time, new Genesis engines from General Electric were fast replacing its massive fleet of F40PHs in mainline service. Amtrak would produce 14 F40M-2F locomotive that featured a number of changes, including removal of […]
By the late 1930s, the Pere Marquette Railway had made a big splash in motive power acquisition. And rightly so, as the tired and second-rate fleet of steam locomotives was not enough to pull the Michigan railroad out of the hardship of the Great Depression. An order of 15 N-class 2-8-4s initially was rolled […]
Q: I am wondering why they mark a little F on the front of a diesel. I know it stands for “Front.” However, isn’t it obvious in most cases where the front is? And in the case of a center cab switcher, where it isn’t at all obvious, why does it matter? What is the practical purpose of […]
SD70-series locomotives EMD’s SD70-series is the longest-running locomotive series in railroading, spanning over three decades. There have been nine domestic new-build models. There are also many more export and remanufactured models that use the “70-series” designation. First introduced in 1992 as the successor to EMD’s “60-series” locomotives, the “70-series” locomotives were the builder’s first to […]
EMD may be the most famous locomotive manufacturer in the history of railroading. Despite that success, there are models in the the EMD history books which arrived to little fanfare and few orders. The following are six notable examples of EMD locomotives that, for one reason or another, no one wanted. EMD Model 40 The […]
GP60-series locomotives EMDs GP60 model was the last of a series of four-axle locomotives built with ever-increasing horsepower, designed to lead a railroad’s priority trains. Short, fast intermodal trains were perfect for a GP60s 3,800 horsepower V-16 to send 950 horsepower to each axle. Unfortunately, the double stack era was underway, with longer heavier trains […]
Santa Fe 3460 Hudsons had an impact on the railroad much larger than their class size would indicate. Mention the Hudson steam locomotive and the name “Santa Fe” likely won’t come up right away. To be sure, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway’s roster was light on 4-6-4s, just 16 of them. And they […]
General Electric’s U30C Up in the north woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula sits the last serviceable U30C — LSI No. 3009, dead and drained outside Lake Superior & Ishpeming’s diesel shop in Eagle Mills. This locomotive and its cousin, LS&I C30-7 No. 3073, had been filling in on ore trains when not enough LS&I AC4400CWs […]
Locomotive power 2024 Someone turned on the new locomotive faucet, but its just a slow drip right now. For several years no new six-axle freight locomotives have been built for North America’s Class I railroads. Now, there are some signs of life. Last year saw orders from Canadian National and BNSF Railway — Canadian National […]
Boise Locomotive’s MK1200Gs During the heyday of ultra-low emission liquid natural gas as an alternative to diesel propulsion, Boise Locomotive Co. [formerly Morrison Knudsen Rail Co.] produced a quartet of LNG 1,200 hp switchers for domestic use in 1994. Two were sent out into the world to be tested on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa […]
The Illinois Central’s EMD SD40A diesel locomotive resulted from the railroad’s desire to increase fuel capacity. “Customer modifications to production units aren’t all that unusual, don’t usually result in more than minor engineering and construction revisions, and seldom are dignified by a separate builder’s class,” wrote former Trains Managing Editor Wally Abbey in the January […]
