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Conrail had many F-units when it first started off. They were all in the 1600-, 1700- and 1800-series. The majority of these units were F7A's, with a handful of F3A's. Here's a breakdown for you:
Unit Former RR Amount ------------------------ F7A PRR 2 F7A NYC 96 F7A DL&W 5 F7A Erie 6 F7A D&RGW 2 F3A Erie 4 F7B DL&W 6 F7B Erie 5 F7B PRR 1 F7B NYC 7 F7B D&RGW 2 F3B Erie 4 FP7A PRR 18 FP7A Reading 3Notable amongst this roster are a few things:
Locomotive manufacturers:
Baldwin Locomotive Works was named after the "founding father" Mathias(?) Baldwin. In 1928 the Baldwin works moved from Philadelphia to nearby Eddystone, Pa. For a complete story of "the works", check the book "The Locomotives that Baldwin Built" by Fred Westing, 1966 by Superior Publishing Co., Seattle Washington, also re-printed by Bonanza Books.
The successor to MLW was Bombardier who built some MLW designs for a while in Canada. The Montreal MLW/Bombardier plant is now run (owned?) by GE-Canada. Bombardier still manufactures railroad passenger cars in Barre, VT.
Also note that FM and Baldwin designs were built in Canada under license by CLC - Canadian Locomotive Company.
Abreviations
EMD Electro-Motive Division of General Motors GE General Electric Alco Americal Locomotive Works Baldwin Baldwin Locomotive Works Lima Lima-Hamilton BLH Baldwin, Lima, Hamilton MLW Montreal Locomotive Works FM Fairbanks-Morse and there were a few other small ones.Only EMD and GE are still producing railroad locomotives EMD's first main model was the FT which I'm sure stood for freight. It had 1350 hp(horse power) They were designed to be semi-permanently coupled and sold usually as sets. They came in both A and B. An A unit is one with a cab and controls, a B unit is an engine without a cab, or with a cab with the controls removed. This was followed by the following engines:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- F2A,F2B 1350 F3A,F3B,F7A,F7B 1500 F9A,F9B 1750 -------------------------------------These are all cab units. (no walkways, and the outer shell is built as part of the frame, to give it strength) They also had B trucks, which means that they had 2 axles on each truck each with a traction motor. (which drives the axle using electricity from the generator).
There was also the E unit, which is like the F unit, except it has 3 axle trucks, called A1A since the center axle is not powered. They also have 2 engines in them, to give them more hp. Here are the models:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- EA, EB 1800 E1A, E1B 1800 E2A, E2B 1800 E3A, E3B 2000 E4A, E4B 2000 E5A, E5B 2000 E6A, E6B 2000 E7A, E7B 2000 E8A, E8B 2250 E9A, E9B 2400 -------------------------------------These also are cab unit style.The model number on both of these changed usually when EMD made a change - either externally or internally.
Before making the F7, EMD introduced a new model type, called the BL1 It stood for Branch Line, had 1500 hp, and had the same motor as the F7 and GP7. (which I will explain later) They followed this by the BL2, although it is argued what the change was. This engine had most of the cab style, with notches along each side, that would allow the engineer to see behind him better.
This was followed by the GP7, which was concurrently produced with the F7. The GP series stood for General Purpose, and had walkways along each hood. It came in passenger and freight versions. Passenger versions had a steam generator in the short hood (typically called the nose) to heat the passenger cars. This engine had B trucks and 1500 hp.
Here is a list of GP style engines:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- GP7 1500 GP9 1750 GP15 1500 GP18 1800 GP20 2000 GP28 1800 GP30 2250 GP35 2500 GP38 2000 GP39 2300 GP40 3000 GP40X 3500 GP50 3500/3600 GP60 3800 -------------------------------------The EMD currently builds is the GP60.
The next frieght style is the SD series, which stands for Special Duty. These have C trucks, instead of B trucks, and are typically a lot heavier then their GP counter part.
Here is a list of their models:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- SD7 1500 SD9 1750 SD18 1800 SD24 2400 SD28 1800 SD35 2500 SD38 2000 SD39 2300 SD40 3000 SD45 3600 SD45X 4200 SD50 3500/3600 SD60 3800 SD70 4000 -------------------------------------The SD 60 is the current model, the SD70 is the next model they are introducing. They have built 2 demonstrators, and one railroad has ordered 6 (#2501-2506) of them (Norfilk Southern). There are also 3 demonstrators (#7000-7002). Most of these engines were used for freight, but they could be purchased with steam generators(usually located in the short hood) for passenger service. EMD also produced a couple with the steam generator in the rear. These were the following models: SDP40, SDP45, GP40P and GP40TC. The GPs are a 2 axle configuration. Then there is the later F series, which were basically like the GP and SD, but had a cowling over the engine, instead of walkways. This cowling is not part of the structural support, unlike the earlier F series.
These engines include:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- F40PH 3000 <- standard Amtrak engine everyone knows and loves :) SDP40F 3000 later rebuilt into F40s F45, FP45 3600 the FP had a steam generator in it -------------------------------------We also have the SD40F,SD50F and SD60F which are SD40,SD50/SD60's with cowling over them instead of walkways. These were all bought by Canadian railroads's.
Now to the switchers, another long list! A switcher is typically, small, lightweight, and has a cab at one end, and no nose, instead it usually has large windows for visibility. EMD started out with the NC which had 900 hp, and was experimental, and then followed with the following models:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- SC,SW 600 (SC stood for cast frame, SW stood for welded frame) NC, NC1, NC2, NW 900 (c for cast, w for welded) NW1, NW1A 900 -------------------------------------Originally, "S" stood for 600 and "N" stood for 900, but that was changed later.
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- NW2 1000 NW4 900 SW1 600 NW3,NW5 1000 SW8 800 SW600 600 SW900 900 SW7 1200 SW9,SW1200 1200 SW1000,SW1001 1000 SW1500, MP15 1500 -------------------------------------The MP stands for Multi Purpose, still looks like a switcher though. The MP is the current production model. The other odd model EMD produced was the DD series, which had DD trucks (4 axles, 4 traction motors per truck) These were double ended diesels, and were roughly like 2 engines put together in one.
They had the following:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- DD35A, DD35B 5000 DDA40X 6600 -------------------------------------Only Union Pacific had the DDA40X and the DD35A. Both UP and Southern Pacific had the DD35B.
GE's roster is a bit easier to describe. They started with the U series, which stood for Universal. They are either B or C, depending on whether they had B trucks or C trucks. The U series had the following models:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- U18B 1800 U23B,U23C 2250 U25B,U25C 2500 U28B,U28C 2800 U30B,U30C 3000 U33B,U33C 3300 U36B,U36C 3600 -------------------------------------x There was also a U50 and U50C which was a double U25, with either 2 sets of B trucks on a span bolster (U50) or on C trucks (U50C).
All GE models use their hp in hundreds as part of the model designation along with the type of trucks and the engine series.
Sometime in the late 70's (1977 I think) they dropped the U series, and went to the -7 series. All further models looked like this:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- B23-7, C23-7 2300 B30-7, C30-7 3000 B36-7, C36-7 3600 -------------------------------------I don't believe they carried the C232 or U33 into the -7 line. In the mid 80's, (around 1984) they dropped the -7 line and went to the -8 line, which is the current production line. These are the following models:
------------------------------------- Unit Horsepower ------------------------------------- B32-8, C32-8 3200 B36-8, C36-8 3600 B39-8, C39-8 3900 B40-8, C40-8 4000 -------------------------------------The B40-8 and C40-8 are the current model in production. They have also flipped the designation to DASH-8 40B and DASH-8 40C, although many railroads retain the older designation.
There is also a modification on the current production of engines, that being a cowl (like described before) or a safety cab. For EMD's, the wide nose is designated by adding an M after the model name (like SD60M or GP60M) on GE is is a W, (Like CW40-8,DASH-8 40BW). They also have the full width cowl with a W (DASH 8-40CW) bought only by Canadian National and BC Rail (British Columbia Railway).
Most of this information is in the "Second Diesel Spotters Guide" or "Diesel Spotters Update". I won't go into the other RR's, since I'm not rewriting their books, but this gives you a general description of the two most prominent locomotive makers. GE currently is producing more than EMD, EMD had been on top since the beginning. (of mass-produced diesel locomotives)
Actually, this is a trick question. Locomotives come in:
Diesel-mechanic locomotives are those that work just like a diesel car or lorry, they have a motor, gear box, etc. Their power is limited because the mechanical parts cannot stand even a thousand hp.
Diesel-hydraulic are those which use a hydraulic gear box. The principle can be illustrated this way: imagine a lake and put there a mill at the margin, now imagine a big fan driven by the motor that makes the water in the lake go round in circles. The result is that the wheel off the mill starts turning also. This is roughly how hydraulic transmission works. [or you can think of an automobile's automatic transmission...]
It turns out to be very difficult to build these to handle the large loads involved, so all modern locomotives [in the United States - see below] are of the diesel-electric variety.
Until 1980, there were still modern diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in West Germany (three major series: the good old two- motored 220/221 (V200), the light 211/212 with one motor and the cab in the middle and the 215/216/217/218/219 with one motor/two cabs for mixed service). Today there are no diesel locomotives built in Germany, because there are so many Russian or Bulgarian diesel-electric engines from the Deutsche Reichsbahn (East Germany). New diesel locomotives will be built in the diesel electric technology with 3-phased AC transmission.
Finally we have the steam-electric. I don't have the references in front of me, but I believe the New York Central experimented with an engine which looked like an F3 but which had a coal-powered steam boiler which as used to run a generator, with the rest of the system as in a diesel-electric. This is even more speculative than the diesel-hydraulic description, so don't bet any money on it.
There is also a electro-diesel engine in the UK. That strange beast is a diesel-electric locomotive wich can also pick up power from an overhead wire.
A units have a cab with controls for the engineer. B units are basically A units with no controls. Slugs are a cut-down frame filled with concrete. They have only traction motors, and receive power from an attached engine.
A slightly different convention is used in Europe, possibly due to the wider range of designs employed. The european version is as follows:
The number of non-driven axles is determined by an arabic number: 1 = 1 axle, 2 = 2 axles in one frame, and so on.
The number of driven axles is determined by an uppercase letter: A = 1 driven axle, B = 2 driven axles in one frame, and so on.
A small 0 (or o) after an uppercase letter means that each axle is driven by its own motor.
Parentheses () around letters and numbers indicate they are built into one frame or bogie.
An apostrophe (') after a number, a letter or a parenthesed expression means that these axle(s) are situated in a bogie, independent from the frame.
Independent vehicles are separated by a plus (+) sign. If you see something like 2'2'2'2'2'2'.... this is probably an articulated train.
Examples:
2'C2' = a bogie of two axles, three driven axles in the frame, and
another bogie of two axles
Bo'Bo' = two bogies, each with two axles, each axle driven by its
own motor
(1'C)'(C'1)' = two bogies, each with three axles driven by one
motor and one independent axle
In Britain, the convention is slightly different again. The brackets and apostrophes are not used. A normal locomotive with two independent two-axled bogies will be a Bo-Bo. However a few older classes, notably class EM1 (later class 76), have (or rather had) a link between the bogies to avoid transmitting the entire tractive effort through the bogie/body joint. These locomotives are referred to as Bo+Bo.
Electric locomotives receive power at anywhere from about 500 to 25,000 volts. At up to about 1,500 volts, a third rail is typically used. At higher voltages, more separation is needed around the conductor for safety, but the current is reduced and so the conductor can be lighter, and hence the overhead wire is preferred. Power from overhead wires is conducted to the locomotive via a pantograph.
In general, lower voltage locomotives use direct current, while higher voltage ones use alternating current, but this is by no means the rule.
Traditional electric engines work in one of two fashions: either the motors are directly supplied with full voltage or the current is transformed to lower voltage by a transformer in the locomotive, then it may be directly transmitted to the motors or rectified if DC motors are used.
The earliest electric locomotives had one or two large motors in the middle of the frame, which drove the wheels mechanically, similarly to the transmission of steam engines. Since 1940 or so, each axle has its own motor; usually a modern locomotive has two or three bogies with two or three axles each.
AC locomotives transform the current to lower voltage with a transformer, control is provided by transformer taps, or in some modern designs, by choppers. Many modern AC Locomotives use DC traction motors, others use asynchronous (induction) motors.
The newest engines have a DC circuit which is either fed by the DC from the overhead cable or by the transformed and rectified AC. The electricity from this circuit is then converted electronically into three phase current of variable frequency and voltage, by which the motors, which can be built very simple, are fed. This new technology allows the engines to feed the electrical energy back into the overhead cable while braking.
DC locomotives traditionally controlled the current and voltage by changing the motor connections, from series to parallel and by adding resistors during starting. Recent designs use solid state "choppers" to control the current, some use AC (induction/asynchronous) motors, even if the supply is DC.
Most of the fast trains of the world have electric traction. It is expensive to build transformers and overhead cables above the railway lines, but the engines are much more powerful and less heavy than Diesel engines because they don't have to carry their fuel around. For example, a modern four axle engine (80 t) can easily have a power of more than 6 MW. The electric engines don't need a mechanical transmission because the motors can develop high power at all speeds. This is particularly true for the new three-phase current technology. Electric locomotives are "clean": they don't pollute the local environment, although the power plants may depending on how they generate the electricity.
Electrical transmission from the power source is best done at high voltage since this reduces losses due to resistance and can be accomplished with lighter cables (since the current is reduced). Alternating current is the preferred method since AC can be easily converted to DC and AC will travel further along a cable before it needs to be transformed.
There are a wide variety of current systems, including:
50kV AC 50Hz is used on the Sishen-Saldanha (?sp) iron ore railway in South Africa, which runs across the Namib desert and where there must hence be unusually long intervals between substations. [Actually it may be in Namibia now - I don't know where it runs in relation to the border]
1200V DC is now sadly demised in Britain :-(
The european railway companies have several types of locomotives that are compatible to two or more of these systems. For example in France, all the TGVs (Train a Grande Vitessse = high speed train) have two or three systems. There are plans to reduce the number of electric systems in Europe, but this seems to become very expensive.
Electric locomotives, TGV
What can anybody tell me about the TGV?
The TGV (Train a grande vitesse) is an electric, high speed train of
the SNCF (Societe nationale des chemins de fer francais). It consists
of two locomotives (each with only one cab) and an articulated
passenger train between them.
The TGV holds the world speed record:
In 1981, a TGV Sud-Est reached 380.4 km/h (236.4 mph).
In 1988 the German InterCity Experimental reached 406.9 km/h (252.8 mph)
but two years later the French got their record back, with a TGV
Atlantique at 515.3 km/h (320.2 mph).
The TGVs circulate on two high speed lines: Paris--Lyon and Paris--Le Mans/Tours. New lines will be built to the North (Paris--Sangatte/Lille/Bruxelles) and to the East (Paris-- Baudrecourt). The existing high speed lines are going to be extended to Bruxelles and Marseille.
The TGV roster includes:
Since 1990, they are equipped with pneumatic suspension and more comfortable seats. The interior seating is arranged in rows (open plan area only).
Two trainsets can be coupled together. The pantographs for DC are those mounted in `front' of each locomotive, the standard type Faiveley AM is used, in the DC system both of them are raised. The pantographs for AC are a new, complicated two-level development. For AC operation, only one of them is raised, usually the one on the second locomotive, or at double trainsets on the first and last loco (to keep the maximum distance between them).
Capacity: 368 seats. Speed: 270 km/h. Length: 200.1 m. Weight: 418 tonnes. Power: 6.95 MW.
There are several versions of the TGV SE:
The TGV-A trains are painted silver, with a blue window area. The doors are marked with colors: ocean blue-green for 2nd class, cherry red for 1st class and bright yellow for the bar. There are 3 first class sections, one bar and six 2nd class sections. There are open plan areas (with the seats arranged in rows), but also face-to-face groups (Club duo and Club quatre in 1st class, Carre in 2nd class).
There are rooms for travelling groups (Salon in 1st class, Kiosque in 2nd class) at both ends of the passenger consists.
Two trainsets can be coupled together. The pantographs are the new type GPU, only one of them is used per trainset.
Capacity: 485 seats. Speed: 300 km/h. Length: 237.6 m.
Weight: 444 tonnes. Power: 8.8 MW.
Models: Jouef H0, Lima H0.
Capacity: 329 seats. Speed: 240 km/h. Length: 200.1 m.
Power: 8.8 MW.
Model: Jouef H0.
The trainsets are painted in light grey, sun yellow and dark blue. Their unusual shape is influenced by the small loading gauge in Britain.
Unlike the TGV, the Eurostar has no electric cable on the roof, so both pantographs need to be raised. The trains are compatible with four electrical systems, including side rail DC as used in southern England (each locomotive has eight retractable contact shoes). 38 trains are built: 31 trains with 18 passenger sections + locomotives, 7 trains with 14 passenger sections + locomotives.
Capacity: 710 seats. Speed: 300 km/h. Length: 393.7 m.
weight: 752.4 tonnes. Power: 12.2 MW.
Model: Jouef H0 (announced)
The pantographs are the new computer-controlled pneumatic type CX ones.
These trains will have 547 seats in 8 passenger sections, 45 trains are ordered for 1996.
General Electric produced several species of gas-turbines, as did Baldwin. These locos were basically the same as a diesel-electric, except that the prime mover was a gas turbine. The only successful production models came from GE, all of which were sold to the Union Pacific. These came in essentially two types:
Gas-turbines were in revenue service roughly from 1950 to 1969. None of the first generation turbines remain. At least one of the second generation turbines is on display (in Ogden, Utah).
Gas-turbines have also been used in Europe. The SNCF (French National Railway Society) introduced its Turbotrains ETG (Element a Turbine a Gaz) and RTG (Rame a Turbine a Gaz), very noisy passenger units of four to five wagons, in the sixties. They can reach 180 km/h and are still in use as fast trains on the non-electrificated lines today.
The Canadian turbine train is the United Aircraft Turbotrain. This was operated by CN, then VIA, in the 1970s, but was retired between 1979 and 1983. There are no more Turbos in Canada. (Amtrak also tested a version of this train between Boston and New York).
The other European companies have stopped their tests with gas turbine traction, because gas turbines consume large amounts of fuel and produce a very loud high frequency noise.