Switchers??

[Anonymous]

Do they make switchers any more? I read a very interesting article on the MK1500D. It sounds like that in a pinch they can also be used as a road unit. From what I have read they sound much more efficent then a converted road unit. Why are there not more being built?
Also in this article they interviewed several engineers who use them that work for Port Terminal Railroad Association. When asked what was the best feature of the MK1500D, they all responded "AIR CONDITIONING". Do I take it most of the old switchers are not Air Conditioned?
TIM ARGUBRIGHT

[Anonymous]

Sure they're air conditioned; 220 air conditioners...open two windows and crank it up to 20 mph. (Shoot, if it's hot enough, 5 mph works pretty good too!)

[edblysard]

Hi Tim,
I work for the PTRA, and yes, the a/c woks really good, especially in Houston's 100 degree, 90% humidity summers.
No need for there to be a pinch, we routinly pull 100 car loaded plastic trains with them. Two of them, MUed have 3000 hp, and even though they have cat engines, they work their wheels off.
The reason our engineers are so happy for the a/c is, that untill 1996, when we received the MK1500d's, we used hand me down lease switchers, old SW9s, some leased UP SW10s, and just about anything with wheels that we could beg, borrow or steal.
You didnt even need to open the windows on them, the air just blew in through the rusted holes in the cabs, along with oil, dirt and diesel fumes.
UP is getting a batch, leased from City Finiancal, CEFX, in 1500 hp and 2000hp versions. The 2000s have dynamic brakes. These were built under the EMD badge, but are still the same motors we have. Our diesel shop has them lined up in our ready track, our shop forces are employees of MK Rail, or Motive Power Inc, or Boise Locomotive, depends on what year you asked. The reason no one is buying big orders is due to the replacement of older road switchers, GP38s and such by newer motors, and the old one still have enough life in them to do duty as switchers, so why scrap them and buy new switchers?
Which article, and where was it published?
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

I read 2 articles on these switchers. 1. Was a piece written in the L.A. Times that talked mostly about the MK1200G. (The natural gas version). I did not write down the date or Author. It was on Micro-fish at my local library. 2. Was a Article written in a book titled The American Diesel Locomotive by Brian Solomon Published by MBI Publishing. The actual article is on page 164 Titled Houstons Switchers on the Prowl by Sean Graham-White. In the article he mentioned that PTRA got rid of 30 old road units and purchased 24 MK1500D's. It was said that PTRA saved over 600,000 gallons of fuel in the first year.
TIM A

[edblysard]

Thanks, Tim.
And yes, we did save a lot of fuel. The MK1500d has a cat prime mover, and a sealed cooling system, just like your car,which allows us to use antifreeze. Due to that, our motors come equiped with a auto start/stop system, where, if none of the control surfaces are moved within a 15 minute time frame, the diesel shuts off. If air pressure in the main tank drops, or the engine temp drops below a pre set temp, the motor restarts by its self. A lot of road units have some variation of this, it does save fuel ove time, a lot more than you would think.
And something not mentioned in the articles, the inital order was from 36 MK1500Ds, the first 24 went to the PTRA, the other 12 went to HB&T, Houston Belt and Terminal, a belt line around Houston, owned by UP, BN, Santa Fe and KCS, later BNSF and UP. It was absorbed back into its parent railroads a few years ago. BNSF ended up with them, units #9625 thru #9636, and use them in transfer service through out Houston.
Send me a e-mail address to
[e-mail] and I will send you a few photos.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

I might be dating myself here, but around 1980, my hometown railroad (Grand Trunk Western), rebuilt several old ALCO S-4's with Caterpillar engines, and new electricals. These worked very well around the B.C. yards and industrial switching for only 4-5 years. I had the privelage of running one at the "Postum" yard when it was fresh from the shop. I thought it had good response, and adequate power for the assignment. Management however, must have thought otherwise. Within a few years, all 4 CS-9's were set out to pasture. They disappeared in the late 1990's, and I never found out if they were scrapped, or found another home. From what I remember though, they were pretty decent units. Not as much power as the ALCO S-4's whence they came from, but still more responsive than the comparable EMD switchers they were intended to replace. And, yes, these critters could be shut down when not in use.... Although, GTW was so old fashioned at that time, the "Alley-Cats" never seemed to be shut down.
For what it's worth, I recall that these units were equipped with GE "Dash-7" control stands. A bit strange for a company that was at the time trying to standardize on EMD units.
Todd C.

[edblysard]

Hi Todd,
The only real gripe our engineers have is that the cat engines do not rev up as fast as EMD prime movers, and therefor dont load as quickly. But they are tough little beasties, and you can see all the way around through those big windows MK put in.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

ED, Sorry to be a bother, In the article I read on the MK1500D it mentioned atomatic sanders. Does that mean sand is constantly being put down? Also, do switchers go through a lot of sand? How often do you have to fill your sand tanks?
TIM A

[edblysard]

No bother at all, thats what we are here for.
No, the sanders do not run all the time. The MK1500 and 2000Ds have wheel slip moniters, so if one set of wheels slips, the microchip cuts power to it till it slows to match the other wheel set. If both sets of wheels slip, the chip turns on the sanders, if your are sliping both wheels, your pulling more tonnage than the weight of the locomotive/tractive effort can overcome, or your going up a steep grade. Either way, the chip is programed to sand the wheels till sliping stops.
Of coures, the sanders can be turned on via a manual sanding switch, front or rear truck.
We fill the sand boxes every time we fuel the locomotive. As a side note, our rule book prohibits sanding over a turnout,(switch) frogs and power switches, because it clogs the switch grease and switch points, and you can get enough sand in a frogs flangeway to lift a wheel flange out of the flangeway, not a good idea.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[SSW9389]

A couple of those CS-9s ended up on the Louisville, New Albany, & Corydon in Corydon, Indiana. Will have to check to see if they are still there.

[Anonymous]

Ed, There is more hope for your MK1500D's. There was a article in the Chicago Tribune (Sunday, April 6, 2003) Business section. In this article they talked about the battery operated Green Goat made by Railpower Technologies. What I found most interesting in the article was the last paragraph When Michael E. Iden Union Pacific's director of locomotive engineering stated "The Omaha rail giant will, out of necessity, be buying hundreds of rail-yard goats in coming years." He also stated all new yard units must be fuel efficent and envirmental friendly. Maybe they will buy a couple hundred MK1500D's if they work as good as everyone claims!!
TIM ARGUBRIGHT
Chicago Tribune, Sunday, April 6, 2003 Section 5 Business (Pages 1 and 6) Titled "Yard locomotives try to clean up act" by James P. Miller

[edblysard]

Hi Tim,
They have 10 on lease already. Our shop force is staffed by MK Rail, or Boise Locomotive, or Motive Power Inc, which is the last name MK used.
We have 5 MK 1500Ds, and 5 MK 2000 Ds in our ready track, being fine tuned by our shop for UP to Use in Englewood, and Settagast yards, although they are labled as GP 15s and GP 20s, due in part to EMD buying Motive Power Inc last year. I have a photo of them, if you want it. The GP 20s have dynamic brakes. The motors ore owned by City Financal, CEFX, and are on a trial lease to UP.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Soo2610]

Tim forgot to mention that the same article also mentioned something called hot start which BNSF is testing. This device keeps the engines warm when shut down so they can easily be restarted in colder temperatures thus saving fuel and keeping noise and emissions down. It is a small diesel motor which circulates oil and coolant thru a heater thus keeping the engine warm enough to start.

[wabash1]

Ed in my opinion dynamic brake is about the most useless option on a yard switcher. if you go out on the road with one then its ok. but when kicking cars and pulling cuts for building trains it is useless. why a company would opt to have the extra cost for instalation and up keep for this option i dont understand. Also as you are a fround man you may not know what i am asking for next but do you know if these units use the series forestalling . I have only had a few of these engines with this function on it. Just wondering if they are getting away from this on new switchers.

[edblysard]

Wabash,
The 2000 HP units seem to be designed for road and switcher use. Neither the 1500 or the 2000 hp are remote control. No I dont know if they use forestalling or not, but I will find out wed. The units are owned by CIT corp, or City Financial, the CEFX guys, so I imagine they were purchased with all the goodies, and are leased to UP to test. The Motive Power guys said if UP likes them, they plan on either a long term lease, 10 years, or purchase out right. All the units have B-B blomburg trucks, from old F units, two brake shoes per wheel, in the clasp arrangement. All have EFI cat engines, as opposed to manuel or mechanical injectors. The control stands are standard EMD stands, looks like a GP38 or SD40 stand, nothing new about them, same brake valve and handle arrangements. I would guess the 2000s would be used for hump and transfer service, the 1500s for flat switching. Yeah dynamics seem kinda useless in Houston. Will let you know about the forestalling wed.
Stay Frosty,
Ed