Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
Dear wabash1 and kevinstheRRman, I am happy that someone finally brought evidence into this arguement, in this case wabash1. However, I feel that I have even more convincing arguements in favor of Alco and GE. I will begin with Alco. Currently, I see before me the Trains Magazine October 2002 and 2003 editions. In the October 2002 edition, Jack Wheelihan ranks the S1 and S2 locomotives in the 10 Best Locomotives article. Wheelihan, a 36 year veteran of the locomotive industry, says of the S1 and S2 thus: "Truly a great switcher design. Maintainable by anyone in the shop, they took a beating as long as you kept their lubricants topped off. They had high tractive effort for their size and weight. Any railroad big or small could rely on them for any assignment." He also descrribes them as "bullet-proof." This is in complete contradiction to generalizations of Alcos as unreliable. In the October 2003 edition of Trains, Dorris Campbell, a former Erie Railroad engineer and fireman. said of the RS3s the following: "We all thought the Geeps were wonderful when they arrived in Chicago, smooth and quiet...until we discovered how slowly they built up amperage for the traction motors when the throttle was opened and the diesel engine revved up. Apparently they were set up this way to ensure they wouldn't pull trains apart when starting, but it made them too slow for switching. The Alcos, in contrast, practically leaped to attention when we opened their throttles. The reminded me of a hot-rod Ford. And talk about pulling power! Three RS3s would sprint off with almsot anything the Erie chose to couple to them." These statements show that at least some railroaders liked Alcos. Now as for GEs, Jack Wheelihan says of the GE U25B: "Thus started the high horsepower race with a customer-driven design backed by GE's first-rate engineering and marketing team." And of GE's DASH 9-44CW, Wheelihan (himself a former employee of EMD) says: "Thd DASH 9-44CW is usually significantly less expensive than the equivalent EMD SD70M. It's a solid locomotive that delivers consistently where large blocks of D.C. traction are desired, such as in high-speed intermodal or general freight. There is no reason to spend an aditional $500,000 per unit on A.C. traction just to sit back and enjoy the ride at throttle 5." Now I am not entirely anti-EMD. I like many of their locomotives as well, particullarly their E-1 and E-8, and the SD-9. But I also like GE, and of course, Alco. I think it is time that we give everybody their due. Respectfully yours, Daniel
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag