Identifying 'Modern' Diesels

[Andrew Falconer]

www.rrpicturearchives.net  has listing of locomotives referenced by model and railroad to compare the differences.

The CN Freight Cars with SIlver Roofs are most likely rebuilt or newly built CN Auto Carriers. M.T.H. has offered two different CN Auto Carriers. Look up CN and Premier on the www.mthtrains.com website Product Locator. The yellow auto rack with black lettering is not one they have been able to get to yet, since there are so many variations. Walthers has offered them, because HO Scale has a bigger demand for roadnames.

Andrew

[servoguy]

In Winter Park, Florida, there is a street named Fairbanks Ave. and another street a few blocks away named Morse Blvd. I think these are named for the founders of Fairbanks Morse. Bruce Baker

[runtime]

Thank you gentlemen.

 I do most of my observing in and around Reading, PA.

There is a yard where trains are broken down and assembled, and there is a thru line that passes just north of the city. Usually I'm too far away to see any nomanclature other than 'NS'. The thru trains are usually lead by 2-3 engines, occasionally by 4, and pull ,on average, 60+ mixed freight cars.

Sometimes I see trains, headed by NS power,  consisting largely of yellow with silver roof CN cars, which I am inexplicably attracted to. I think I've seen these modeled in 'O', but I don't remember who made/makes them or when. I'd really like to get some of these cars.

runtime

[lionelsoni]

By the way, the Train Master that Lionel modeled was the H24-66, which used the 38D8-1/8x10 12-cylinder opposed-piston engine.  This engine is still being made:  http://www.fairbanksmorse.com/file_system/opposedpistonmodel38techspecs.pdf

If you should find yourself in San Francisco, you can see examples of the earlier submarine application of this engine in the USS Pampanito at Fisherman's Wharf.  The engines have a chain drive between the crankshafts that was replaced by a jackshaft in the locomotive engines: 

 

[wjstix]

 General Motors GP and SD lines that started with the GP-7 (1949) and SD-7 (1952) are still around. The SDs are up to SD-90 now, I believe GPs go up to GP-60. In recent years, the trend has been more towards buying new six-axle diesels like the SDs.

General Electric diesels use B or C in the name to indicate two-axle or three axle trucks, then the horsepower of the engine, then use a "dash" number to represent the generation. For example a C-44-9W is an engine with two three-axle trucks (C), 4400 HP (44) and 9th generation (-9, pronounced "dash 9"). The W means Wide cab by the way.

FM is/was a company, not a type of engine line. Fairbanks-Morse made scales (hence their logo) and other railroad appliances and structures (like coaling towers) and diesel motors that were used successfully in ships, particularly WW2 submarines. After the war, their plant in Wisconsin began using the motors for a line of diesel locomotives, like the H-10-44 switcher (H for Hood diesel, 10 for 1000 HP, and 44 for four axles / 4 motors (that is, all four axles were powered)).  

[phillyreading]

I have seen some of Norfolk Southern's diesels here on FEC tracks in Stuart FL. The train was going slow enuff to see that the four engines had GP-60 stencilled on the side of them. Also FEC runs a few differant engines, mainly rebuilt GP-38's and SD-70's bought from the Union Pacific.

There are books on diesel engines, but sometimes if you get close enuff to the train(like at a railroad crossing)you can see what the engine is.

Lee F.

[runtime]

Thanks for the reply Doug, I'll check it out.

I see Diesels on the real railroads in my area almost daily (NS), and I'm always wondering what they are.

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[challenger3980]

There is a series of books called "The Diesel Spotter's Guide" that should answer most of your questions. Google it for some stores that have it, there are some on ebay, and maybe not the most cost effective, but a Great source, check your LTS (Local Train Shop).

Doug

[runtime]

There have been so many diesels modeled since the Postwar days of GP7s. GP9s, F3s, FMs, etc,

but I don't know the  type designations of most modern diesels, in model form or on the road.

Is there a site or other source where I can match pics with descriptions, either for the real, and /or for the models?

runtime