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EMD SW9 Prime mover

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EMD SW9 Prime mover
Posted by Guy Papillon on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 12:07 PM

Some sources say that the EMD SW9 was equipped with the EMD 567B prime mover.  Other sources say 567C.  Which is the good information?

Guy

Modeling CNR in the 50's

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Posted by SSW9389 on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 12:23 PM

This is from the 1959 EMD Product Data. There were three types of 12-567s used to build the SW9s. The majority of the units were built with the 12-567B. Starting in October 1953 some 52 SW9s were built with the 12-567BC engine. And the very last SW9 built, Weyerhauser #305 was built with a 12-567C engine in advance of the SW1200 being offered in early 1954.

Ed in Kentucky

Tags: SW9
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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 6:20 PM

The early 567 series engines had a water leak problem that was fixed in the 567C. EMD offered an upgrade kit for 567A and 567B engines and apparently incorporated it in the last 567B powered units built

"The 567AC and 567BC Engines

The water leak problem resulted in many of the 567A and 567B engines being remanufactured into 567AC and 567BC engines. These engines have a modified crankcase with the water deck eliminated and have a 567C type water manifold and jumpers installed in its place. Of these two the 567BC is far more common, since the 567B engines were mostly used in road locomotives. The conversion has very little visual impact on the external appearance of the engine, the outside flange of the water manifold is barely visible on the engine. EMD originated the conversion, and parts for the 567BC are shown in EMD Parts Catalog 301. Most of the AC conversions were done during engine rebuilding, and no parts list is provided in Catalog 301.

The modified AC and BC engines use 567C cylinder liners rather than the earlier style components. From a standpoint of restoration for limited operation of a locomotive originally built with a 567A or 567B engine, having a 567AC or 567BC engine installed is very highly desirable if one can be located that is in good condition.

With some additional modifications the 567AC and 567BC engines can use 645 engine cylinder liners and reciprocating components. This requires changing the camshaft counterweights as the piston weight is different and has to be correctly counterbalanced. The horsepower rating of the engine is not increased as a result of this type of upgrade. If the engine is upgraded to use 645 power assembly parts, the limiting factor for continued operation of 567AC and 567BC engines in the future is the availability of the correct type of cylinder heads and the corresponding gasket kits."

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Posted by M636C on Thursday, July 15, 2021 10:20 PM

Starting in October 1953 some 52 SW9s were built with the 12-567BC engine.

Were these engines built new as 567BC engines?

52 is quite a large number. I had understood that most 567BC engines were rebuilds of engines that had started life as 567B engines and were rebuilt at a heavy overhaul. On the other hand, if a number of new 567B engines were in stock, these could have been modified to 567BC when still new. It is also possible that a number of 567B crankcases were in stock, and these were completed new as 567BC engines.

There were ten cab units built for Pakistan by Clyde Engineering in Australia that were built with 16-567BC engines, but I understood that these were rebuilt unit exchange engines. They were the first engines in Australia with C series components.

Peter.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, July 15, 2021 10:52 PM

I cannot say for sure about the EMD 567, but I do know that when the engine manufacturer I worked for made a major design change to the cylinder liners in one of our high horsepower industrial engines, they came in many versions.

Engines under the base, BCE, or PP7 warranty period were modified in the field to the new design standard.

Engines on the warehouse floor were modified before they were sold.

Engines on the assembly line were modified at the factory.

That gave the same engine model four different subtle variations. Field Modified, Factory Modified, Line Modified, and Production Modified. Some service parts were different for each variation, but all had the same service model name.

All of these engines in the service model designation were "bridge engines" to the final design that took about two years to fully integrate into production.

Something similar might have happened to the 567BC engine model.

-Kevin

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Posted by SSW9389 on Friday, July 16, 2021 2:59 AM

M636C

Starting in October 1953 some 52 SW9s were built with the 12-567BC engine.

Were these engines built new as 567BC engines?

52 is quite a large number. I had understood that most 567BC engines were rebuilds of engines that had started life as 567B engines and were rebuilt at a heavy overhaul. On the other hand, if a number of new 567B engines were in stock, these could have been modified to 567BC when still new. It is also possible that a number of 567B crankcases were in stock, and these were completed new as 567BC engines.

There were ten cab units built for Pakistan by Clyde Engineering in Australia that were built with 16-567BC engines, but I understood that these were rebuilt unit exchange engines. They were the first engines in Australia with C series components.

Peter.

 

Yes brand new production engines. All my information is from the January 1, 1959 EMD Service Department Locomotive Refrence Data. The 567BC was a production engine from September 1953 to April 1954, with the last new 567BC blocks installed in May 1954. There were 8, 12, and 16 cylinder 567BCs installed in brand new locomotives. EMD installed new 567BCs in types SW8, SW9, F7A, F7B, FP7, a GP7M, GP7, SD7, and E8A. Some 243 new units were completed with 258 567BC blocks used, fifteen of the units were dual engine E8As.

What appears to be largely unknown is that EMD also began installing 567Cs in new locomotives as early as February 1953. There were 32 EMD locomotives completed with 567C engines in 1953 and another six by GMD. A total of 44 567C blocks were installed in these 38 new locomotives. Locomotive types were SW900, SW9, F7A, F7B, GP7, GP7B, SD7, and E8A. Additionally two SW8s and 28 GP7s were completed with 567C blocks in 1954. 

My opinion is that EMD was cleaning house to use up excess 567B stock before 567C production launched full scale.  

 

Ed in Kentucky

 

 

Tags: 567BC
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Posted by Guy Papillon on Sunday, July 18, 2021 5:21 PM

Thank you everyone for the information. 

Guy

Modeling CNR in the 50's

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Sunday, July 18, 2021 7:06 PM

Turns out that the last SW1 built (Cleveland Quarries #2) in November 1953 had a 567AC engine - likely the only locomotive ever built (as opposed to rebuilt) with that prime mover - and the last two SW900's built (BC Hydro #910 and #911) in 1967 and 1969, respectively, had 645E's and were rated at 1000 hp, making them, in effect, SW1000's in the previous generation's carbody. I've got a hunch that was because the SW1000 had clearance problems that BC Hydro wanted to avoid and which led to the tight clearance SW1001. 

"The SW1001 was developed because EMD's SW1000 model had proved unpopular among industrial railroad customers, as the heights of its walkway and cab eaves were much greater than those of earlier EMD switcher models. The overall height was similar, but the SW1000's roof was much flatter in curvature. Industrial railroads that only operated switchers often had facilities designed to the proportions of EMD's earlier switchers.

The SW1001, in essence, placed the hood and powertrain of the SW1000 with the underframe and cab of the earlier SW1200. The EMD 645-series diesel engine had a deeper crankcase and oil pan than the SW1200's EMD 567-series engine. The engine had to be mounted on risers for sufficient clearance, raising the whole hood about 6 in (152 mm) above the walkway compared to the SW1000, and requiring a spacer under the hood. The cab was similar to that of the SW1200, but not identical; it is longer, and has a different window arrangement. The SW1001 uses the same pilot plates as the SW1000; given the lower frame height, these protrude above the walkway deck height, giving the most obvious SW1001 spotting feature."

 

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