need help on sumthing

[cxsroch07]

hello all my question is. " WHAT IN THE WORLD DO THESE LETTERS MEAN" ect GMD,FT,RS,GP,FP,SD,FL, and so on. please help is there by chance a book or mag that explains these letters. im confuse any help would be helpful

[KingConrail76]

I think it really depends on the context the abbreviations are used in. Example FT could stand for Foot in measurements, or FullTime as in an employee. The GP is probably General Purpose, and the SD is probably Severe Duty, as in locomotive types. reply with more info on how they are being used.

[cxsroch07]

they are right before the locos name like EMD GP-40 Union Pacific,F7 A Amtrak,SD 40-2  CSX  hope this helps

[concretelackey]

Basically it is the make and model of the unit, kinda like a ford f-150 and a ford f-350.

[Anonymous]

here is the best source...

Rather than list them all here, go to Wikipedia which has great articles on the major locomotive producers of the world.   EMD, General Electric, Alco, Fairbanks Morse etc.  In the course of reading those great articles, you will learn all the meanings.....and have illustrations to boot.

for a start GP means General Purpose....you will be able to learn more

SD refers to Special Duty

etc. etc.  

Hope that helps.

[dehusman]

They are the model numbers.  I suggest "The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide" by Jerry Pinkepank, published by Kalmbach, as a starting point.

There were 5 major locomotive builders in the US:

EMD = ElectroMotive Division of General Motors

GE = General Electric

ALCO = American Locomotive Co.

BLW = Baldwin Locomotive Works (also called BLH, Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton)

FM = Fairbanks Morse

They all had model designations for their products.

F (as in F7) is a 4 axle EMD freight unit.

E (as in E8) is a 6 axle EMD passenger unit.

GP is a 4 axle EMD hood unit.

SD is a 6 axle EMD hood unit.

SW, NW are EMD switchers.

FA (as in FA1) is a 4 axle ALCO freight unit.

PA is a 6 axle ALCO passenger unit.

RS is an ALCO hood unit.

C is an ALCO 'Century' hood unit. C4xx are 4 axle units, C6xx are 6 axle units.

S (as in S1, or S2) is an ALCO switcher.

VO is a Baldwin switcher.

RF is a Baldwin carbody unit.

DRS, AS are Baldwin hood units.

CFA is a FM carbody unit.

H are FM hood units.

U series engines are GE hood units.

C series engines are also GE hood units.  ALCO engines a a C followed by 3 digits (C628).  GE's are usually a C followed by 2 digits and some letters or a dash number (C44-9 or C44AC).

There are exceptions to all of this, of course.

Dave H.

[cxsroch07]

thanks for the info i thought it would be easy to remember all of this i didnt know it was going to be so complicated but il try to remember all of this thanks again

[Texas Zepher]

thanks for the info i thought it would be easy to remember all of this i didnt know it was going to be so complicated but il try to remember all of this thanks again

Don't try to remember it all at once.  I still have to look stuff up in the references.  For things like the Baldwin DRS-4-4-15 vs the AS-16, I can never remember which is which.

Once you start getting used to these then you can start learning the steam locomotive designations.  For example a GN 4-8-4 class S2 is a big steamer rather than a small Alco diesel. 

[Texas Zepher]

thanks for the info i thought it would be easy to remember all of this i didnt know it was going to be so complicated but il try to remember all of this thanks again

Don't try to remember it all at once.  I still have to look stuff up in the references.  For things like the Baldwin DRS-4-4-15 vs the AS-16, I can never remember which is which.

Once you start getting used to these then you can start learning the steam locomotive designations.  For example a GN 4-8-4 class S2 is a big steamer rather than a small Alco diesel. 

[loathar]

dehusman -I think you named em all except one. What does B stand for? As in B-23-7.

[twcenterprises]

The B23-7 is the successor to the GE U23B after about 1977.

And, we can't forget the EMD BL2 (BranchLine).  Only one BL1 was built, 58 BL2's were built.

Brad 

[ndbprr]

Nobody has suggested the obvious source to help you.  Kalmbach publishes a book called,"The Diesel Spotters Guide"  that will not only help you understand the designations but allow you to identify nearly every model ever made.

[wjstix]

dehusman -I think you named em all except one. What does B stand for? As in B-23-7.

This is a GE (General Electric) engine. In general B and C are used in describing diesels by the axles or wheels, the same way a steam engine (regardless of builder) could be a 4-6-0 or a 2-8-2. A means one axle that is powered. B means a diesel's truck has two axles, both powered. C means the truck has three axles, both powered. So a GP or an F-unit is B-B, an SD is C-C. A number means an axle that isn't powered, so for example A-1-A means the truck has three axles, the two outside ones are powered but the middle one isn't - this was done on some passenger diesels like GM's E-units.

Anyway, in GE's naming system, they use B or C to indicate the trucks the engine has, so if I remember correctly "B-23-7" would mean an engine with two two-axles trucks, 2300 horsepower, and "-7" is the...well let's say "generation"...the "dash 7" line was replaced with the "dash 8" then "dash 9", like the C-44-9W (W meaning "wide" or comfort cab.) Sort of an improved model of the line.

BTW GMD was GM's affiliate in Canada, building GM diesels under license - even some GM engines made for the US market were made there.

[cxsroch07]

ok i found these books on ebay witch 1 do i buy : THE DIESEL SPOTTERS GUIDE  updated by jerry pinkepank, THE SECOND DIESEL SPOTTERS GUIDE by jerry pinkepank,THE CONTEMPORARY DIESEL SPOTTERS GUIDE by george drury (2nd edition) an THE CONTEMPORARY DIESEL SPOTTERS GUIDE by george drury. i like the 2nd edition let me know

[ndbprr]

Second diesel spotters guide and the contemporary 2nd edition for all of them

[Anonymous]

dehusman -I think you named em all except one. What does B stand for? As in B-23-7.

This is a GE (General Electric) engine. In general B and C are used in describing diesels by the axles or wheels, the same way a steam engine (regardless of builder) could be a 4-6-0 or a 2-8-2. A means one axle that is powered. B means a diesel's truck has two axles, both powered. C means the truck has three axles, both powered. So a GP or an F-unit is B-B, an SD is C-C. A number means an axle that isn't powered, so for example A-1-A means the truck has three axles, the two outside ones are powered but the middle one isn't - this was done on some passenger diesels like GM's E-units.

Anyway, in GE's naming system, they use B or C to indicate the trucks the engine has, so if I remember correctly "B-23-7" would mean an engine with two two-axles trucks, 2300 horsepower, and "-7" is the...well let's say "generation"...the "dash 7" line was replaced with the "dash 8" then "dash 9", like the C-44-9W (W meaning "wide" or comfort cab.) Sort of an improved model of the line.

BTW GMD was GM's affiliate in Canada, building GM diesels under license - even some GM engines made for the US market were made there.

This is a quick and neat source of wheel arrangement information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAR_wheel_arrangement

Not only were/are GM locos built in Canada, but as of 1991 the large EMD producer stopped loco production in the USA....and all EMD locos are now built in London, Ontario in Canada....and the company now owned by an investment group and has nothing to do with the old GM ownership...see wiki article below.  There is not much romance left in the railroading industry.

General Motors sells the Electro-Motive Division

In June 2004, The Wall Street Journal published an article indicating that EMD was being put up for sale. On January 11, 2005, Reuters published a story indicating that a sale to "two private U.S. equity groups" was likely to be announced "this week".

Confirmation came the following day with a press release issued by GM. General Motors has agreed to sell its Electro-Motive Division to a partnership led by Greenbriar Equity Group LLC and Berkshire Partners LLC. The newly spun-off company is called Electro-Motive Diesel, Incorporated, which retains the EMD brand that is so widely known in the railroad industry. The sale closed on April 4, 2005.

[cxsroch07]

Second diesel spotters guide and the contemporary 2nd edition for all of them

   thanks ndbprr i will buy both of them thanks all for ya help