Article and Photography By: Ken Hulsey
This is an essay that I wrote for my Railroad Operations class at San Bernardino Valley College. I did it way back in 2006, so the information may be a bit outdated, but I thought that railroad buffs might find it interesting:
No one invention has done more to revolutionize the railroad industry than the diesel locomotive. Dieselization has saved railroads money in the areas of maintenance, time and crew costs. Though the once mighty steam locomotive was a powerful beast indeed, the cost of constantly maintaining the monster in giant maintenance facilities was enormous. The size of the train crews necessary to keep the steam locomotives running were also a burden on the railroads. The diesel locomotive changed all that forever. By 1960 the steam locomotive was all but extinct and the diesel had achieved complete domination of the industry.
Oddly enough it was the lowly Texas – Mexican Railway who first realized the potential of the diesel. In 1939 it was the first Class I railroad in the United States to completely dieselize. Granted the railroad only operated seven 71-ton box cabs between Laredo and Corpus Christi, Texas, they were the first to fully abandon the steam locomotive.
A two-page spread in Life magazine announced the first “official” total dieselization when the Gulf Mobile & Ohio put their last steamer to rest. The published event took place when Alco RS1 1120 at Columbus, Mississippi on October 15, 1949 replaced locomotive 404, a 2-8-2. This was a tell-tail sign that the diesel was here to stay.
The diesel locomotive has proven to be a tireless workhorse. Both locomotive manufacturers and railroad lending institutions have estimated the average life span of a diesel locomotive to be about 15 years, yet there are hundreds of examples of units lasting far longer than that estimate. The Modesto & Empire Traction Company operate ten B140 GE end cab switchers that were built between 1946 and 1958. The Delaware & Lackawanna operate a fleet of Alco 251, M636, M630 and C636 locomotives between Scranton and Stateford Junction, PA that were built between 1968 and 1970. The Connecticut Department of Transportation still operates six EMD FL9 units in commuter service between Connecticut and New York that were built between 1956 and 1960. Those units still operate at a max speed of 89mph on a daily basis. Many diesel locomotives have indeed lasted far past their life expectancy.
There is no finer example of an old soldier that refuse to quit than the SD40 and SD40-2 diesel locomotive. There were 5,600 of these locomotives built and in 2006 thousands were still in operation. The best example of this locomotives longevity is the fact that the first prototype is still in service today Canadian National. Locomotive 6071, still painted in its Illinois Central colors, was originally built in 1964 for the Gulf Mobil & Ohio. The locomotive has switched hands three times and has been upgraded to Dash-2 standards since that time. At present the CN still operates sixteen of the original GM&O SD40’s throughout their system. These locomotives have survived due to economics. It has long been the policy of many railroads to upgrade older reliable units instead of investing money in new ones. The CN has no plans to retire locomotive 6071 anytime in the near future (Note: I have read that 6071 was finally retired in March of 2009). The railroad is aware of this locomotives history and plans to donate it to a museum after it has become unneeded. Today it still does its job operating out of the Woodcrest shops in Chicago. Not too bad for a 42 year old.
Today diesel locomotives have become far more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. General Electric has spent seven years and $250-million to develop their Tier II compliant 4,400hp ES44AC and ES44DC locomotives. The company is proud to boast that the new locomotive is “the most fuel efficient, most environmentally friendly diesel locomotive in history.” These new locomotives are about 50% brand new technology. The company has been able to design a GEVO 12-cylinder engine that can produce the same 4,400hp as the old 16-cylinder FDL while consuming 5% percent less fuel and producing 40% less emissions. So far BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern and Mexico’s Ferromex have all placed orders for these new locomotives. Presently there are 1,300 of the “Evolution” model in active service with the GE planning to produce 700 new units in 2006 and 2007. So far the future looks bright for the Evolution.
Not wanting to be left out of the railroad locomotive innovation race, GM-EMD has designed its own Tier II compliant SD70 locomotive. The new SD70 features several new electronic features including the Gen 2 FIRE locomotive management system, TechPro, which helps technicians isolate problems, Auto Engine Start/Stop which will save thousands of gallons of fuel each year due to idling and the IntelliTrain GPs monitoring system. So far the Canadian Pacific has been the largest buyer of these new SD70’s, but other railroads such as Montana Rail Link, Florida East Coast, Kansas City Southern and Ferromex have placed orders as well. GM-EMD has also been able to tap into the international market with SD70 sales to Venezuela’s GVG, Ferrominera Orinoco CA and Australia’s BHP Billiton Iron Ore Pty, Inc.
What does the future hold? Just like the automobile industry, the locomotive industry is leaning towards hybrids. Railpower, a Canadian manufacturer whose headquarters is in Vancouver, has begun to manufacture a 2,000hp hybrid switching locomotive known as the “Green Goat”. The model GG20B “Goat” is powered by 320 lead-acid batteries and a 300hp diesel engine. The locomotive is about 90% new material. The unit’s trucks and refurbished frame come from retired GE-EMD road switchers. Railpower, on the other hand, has designed a new control-stand, cab, brake system and wiring for the “Green Goat.” The diesel engine provides a continuous trickle charge while the locomotive is idling. Railpower realized that a switch engine spends most of its life idling, so the main purpose of the unit’s diesel engine is to keep the batteries topped off. This new hybrid system has been estimated to cut fuel consumption by 40%-60% and emissions by 80%. The Green Goat may be the first of many such hybrids that eventually may replace standard diesels in yard and short haul duties.
The first prototype “Green Goat” (named Emerald after the daughter of Railpower’s founder) was assembled in a local railroad locomotive shop in Westminster, BC in 2001. It was one of several demonstration units that were delivered to the Union Pacific for use in Roseville, CA and Chicago. The units proved to be so successful that the Union Pacific ordered dozens more for use in Texas. With the aide of the “Texas Emissions Reduction Plan” the railroad was able to subsidize the cost of the locomotives. It ended up to be a buy one, get one free sale for the Union Pacific. Others were quick to take advantage of the incentives. With the aide of the TEFP, and a similar program in California, both BNSF and the Kansas City Southern have subsidized their “Green Goat” orders as well. Meanwhile other railroads such as Amtrak, Canadian Pacific, US Army, BASF, BOW and Railserve have realized the potential of the locomotive and purchased units without any subsidies.
Railpower is presently designing a newer version of the Green Goat. This new RP20BH will have the same horsepower as the GG20B, but it will utilize two 667hp diesel engines to provide more battery charging power for longer service in mainline assignments, branch line, and heavier yard work assignments.
While Railpower was busy building a new hybrid, the National Railway Equipment Company was designing a switcher that was also a new innovation in railroad locomotive design known as the Genset. The Genset is a multiple engine switcher that is powered by two or three 600hp-700hp diesel engines. Each engine is part of a self contained “Genset Skid Set” that also contain an individual generator and radiator. The self contained “Skid Sets” can be individually changed out reducing maintenance time and costs. The savings don’t end there. The Genset only uses the engines needed to perform the work at hand. The extra Gensets kick in when more horsepower is needed and automatically shut down when not needed. While the locomotive is idle only one Genset is in operation cutting both pollutants and fuel consumption by up to 2/3.
The first Genset locomotive is actually a joint venture between the Union Pacific and National Railway Equipment. The unique two Genset locomotive with a center cab, officially known as UPY 2005 2GS-14B, was constructed at the NRE shops in Mount Vernon, Ill on the frame of a retired Southern Pacific MP/SDC. The unit was initially tested in Chicago before it was reassigned to Southern California for the long term.
Union Pacific has ordered 60 of the conventional 2,000hp three Genset switchers. The 3GS-21B will feature three 6-cylinder Cummins QSK091 Tier III compliant 700hp diesel engines combined with EMD D-77 traction motors. The Union Pacific plans to take delivery of 30 of the units in 2006 and the remaining 30 in 2007. All 60 units are slated for duty in Southern California. It should also be noted that the Union Pacific is playing with the idea of having NRE construct a six Genset unit built on the frame of an EMD SD40 for use on the hump at the JR Davis Yard at Roseville, CA. From this it is easy to see that the UP is in love with the Genset concept.
The competition has also seen the advantages of the Genset design. Railpower has designed their own Genset where their hybrids batteries are replaced by three skids with 667hp Tier III diesel engines. In July 2006 the BNSF railroad ordered 160 of these new RP20D Gensets under the provisions of the Texas Emission Reduction Program for use in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio. These locomotives are designed to replace the railroad’s aging fleet of GP38 and GP38-2 road switchers.
Regardless of whether it is Genset, Hybrid or Evolution the future of the diesel locomotive is destined to be a bright one. As time passes there will be more developments and innovations that will lead to more powerful and more efficient diesel locomotives to keep North America’s freight moving efficiently just like it has for the past 70 odd years .
