Question for ALL Burlington Northern Railfans

[AlcoRS11Nut]

Me and my cousin were talking and he said he saw a SD90MAC or a SD9043AC in Burlington Northern paint. I said he could not have because BN never ordered any SD90MAC/SD9043AC's from EMD. He firmly beleives that he saw one. I would like to know if any one out there has seen this locomotive. Any info would be helpfull in solveing this matter. Thanks.

[SSW9389]

BN had two types of MACs: The rare SD60MAC only four built and the much more common SD70MAC. BNSF continued buying the SD70MAC.

[Anonymous]

BNSF never ordered, owned, or even leased a SD90MAC-H , or SD9043MAC. My thought is that he most likely saw one of BNSF's SD70MAC's. However, he for sure did not see a SD60MAC, this as all of the units were returned to EMD, and are now an active part of EMD's test fleet. Hope that helps. [:)][:D][8D][;)]

[M636C]

Any chance at all that there is an SD70ACe out there lettered for BNSF yet?

That looks convincingly like a SD90MAC, and I'm sure EMD would make one available on trial to their biggest MAC customer!

Peter

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C

Any chance at all that there is an SD70ACe out there lettered for BNSF yet?

That looks convincingly like a SD90MAC, and I'm sure EMD would make one available on trial to their biggest MAC customer!

Peter

Peter, very good guess and could be the answer but I have not heard a peep about a SD70ACe being out on the road yet, and for certain if it were it would not have been in BN paint but rather BNSF paint, if anything.

[Anonymous]

BN NEVER HAD SD90MAC/SD9043MAC THEY HAD SD60MAC AND SD70MAC

[ironhorseman]

So how do you tell the difference between an:
SD60MAC
SD70M
SD70MAC
SD75M
SD80
&
SD90MAC?

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ironhorseman

So how do you tell the difference between an:
SD60MAC
SD70M
SD70MAC
SD75M
SD80
&
SD90MAC?

You look at your cheat sheet or read the name on the fronts piece.

[M636C]

Ironhorseman,

Part of the problem here is that with all the SD70Ms built for UP lately, there are more differences within the SD70Ms than between them and some other types.

These locomotive break into two groups SD60MAC/SD70M/SD70MAC/SD75M and SD80MAC and SD90MAC.

The 80s and 90s have really big radiator bulges, and the dynamic brakes are at the rear of the locomotive, behind the radiators. There are two types of SD90MAC, with 6000HP H engines or with 4300HP G engines. The ones with the big engine have angled tops to the engine hoods. The ones with G engines have flat tops to the engine hoods, but the 4300 HP units are almost the same as the 5000HP SD80 MACs. If it belongs to UP or Canadian Pacific, it's an SD90MAC. If it belongs to CSX or NS, its an SD80MAC.

The other group is harder, because they are all similar and there are a lot more of them. As indicated above, there were only four SD60MACs, they had three front cab windows, they were all owned by EMD and painted for BN in green and white, and they are no longer in regular service.

SD70Ms and SD75Ms are very similar, and in theory you can tell by a bulge below the air intake on the RIGHT side, not the usual bulge on the left side. If it is a BNSF in Red and Silver, it's an SD75M (or SD75I with isolated cab). If it's CN, they had both, check the roster for numbers or read the cabside (If it says GF-643, its an SD75M (or I), if it says GF-640, it's an SD70M - a quaint Canadian custom of giving class designations).

If it belongs to NS, it's not a MAC, they don't buy AC locos, even from GE. If it belongs to CSX, it probably is a MAC, because they mainly buy AC locos. If it belongs to UP and the first number is 4, it's an SD70M, or even from the high 3900s to 5126, since they have more than 1200 of them.

In fact, the SD70MAC is 1'8" longer than an SD70M and has two small grilles low on the hoods each side at each end to ventilate the AC inverters, but you mightn't see that as it rolls past.

All these units have steering trucks, type HTC-R. If it doesn't have them, it might be an SD60M (or I).

Peter

[eolafan]

Mookie if right on. Most roads, and certainly the BNSF, have the locomotive model number stenciled somewhere near the front of the unit. On BNSF it is normally on the frame just behind the front steps going up into the cab...on other roads it is sometimes under the unit number below the cab windows. Eolafan

[coborn35]

Your cousin probably saw a Burlington Northern SD60 because I believe that was the highest locomotive painted for the BN.

[coborn35]

correction, the BN also had SD70's but they were all repainted. Oh, update on the wherabouts of the four BN SD60's: they are commonly seen on BNSF Powder River coal trains through Staples,MN to Superior,WI. They are still in BN paint[yeah]

[Anonymous]

Dito!