SD9 as yard switcher?

[7j43k]

rrnut282

 

 

caldreamer

Did any railroad ever have SD9B units?  I have an SD9B unit shell that I kitbashed and I am wondering if they existed on any actual railroad.

                      

 

 

 

 

 

IINM both UP & SP both bought SD-9bs new from EMD.  Maybe PRR, too.

 

 

Nope.

UP and PRR did buy GP9B's.

 

 

Ed

[rrnut282]

caldreamer

Did any railroad ever have SD9B units?  I have an SD9B unit shell that I kitbashed and I am wondering if they existed on any actual railroad.

                      

 

 

IINM both UP & SP both bought SD-9bs new from EMD.  Maybe PRR, too.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Burlington Northern rebuilt a batch of SD9's into slugs but their appearance changed dramatically in the conversion.

[SD70Dude]

Did EMD build any new SD B-units besides the 45 SD24Bs for Union Pacific?

Several railroads rebuilt wreck damaged SD40s and SD45s (or their Dash-2 counterparts) as cabless B-units, but I'm not aware of this being done to any SD7s or SD9s.

[caldreamer]

Did any railroad ever have SD9B units?  I have an SD9B unit shell that I kitbashed and I am wondering if they existed on any actual railroad.

                      

 

[Anonymous]

ghighland-

Boy, ya got me on that one! I remember the track to Rockwell and through the campus, but have no idea where it went beyond there. The Hortonville line hasn't been used much since WC/FRV days, and I believe most if not all of it is torn up now, except for the industrial park on the north end of town. I used to check out that area when I was working up there(construction) but haven't checked it out lately. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

rebelfdl -

Man, this makes me feel REAL guilty about not trying to learn more about the WC/FRV
operations while I lived there in the Fox River Valley! I just loved watching the action,
and was too busy otherwise to learn about the operations.

Now - since you are definitely up to speed on that area - while I lived in the apartments
in Oshkosh, right at the crossing of Hwy. 21 and the ex-CNW Hortonville line that
roughly paralleled Hwy. 110 northwest, I'd see a slow-moving FRV train heading north
around 11 AM on weekdays. It had passed behind the Rockwell plant and through the
UW-O campus (my alma mater). The tracks have since been paved over at the
crossing and probably ripped-up by now. The tracks bent-around back to the north and
crossed Hwy. 110 on the otherside of Riverside Cemetary - where they curved back
towards 110 I believe is where a switch existed (maybe a wye?) where the line also
continued on towards Hortonville.

I've been curious for a long time now what business those trains had on that stretch
of trackage. I believe it eventually connected-back to the ex-CNW main north of town
and I never saw the train coming the other direction (south).

[JoeKoh]

The Maumee & western uses an old f 7 covered wagon with a a geep looking hood (thanks ed) and rebuilt gp11s.Csx uses gp 38-2s and sd 40s or whatever they can get their hands on.
stay safe
Joe

[f14aplusfl]

Yeah sure. Whatever works. Another thing, its your model rialroad where you can do pretty much whatever you want. On mine (no era, locale, or scenery chosen.... i.e. need to graduate from college first!) Ithe only true switcher I have is a Great Northern 0-6-0! I've used GPs, f units, and a M363 I think... its a model of one of those MLW built Alco for Canadian Pacific. Whatever is handy.... including a GG1. man that one pulls one long cut of cars. Wi***ehy still had them in real life whizzing by with 14 or so cars like tis nothing. And they are a lot prettier than their modern day replacements... even witha cut of old heavyweights.

[eolafan]

You never can tell what you will see these days. I have seen GP-9 and SD-9 units in switching service on BNSF and just last weekend saw two SD-9's along with a Dash-9 on an intermodal out of Chicago...go figure. Guess whatever is available and will get the good to their destination without breaking down will work. Jim

[Anonymous]

ghighland-

The 6 axle CNW unit that you saw at the NFDL yard was the southbound run-through. At the time that FRV existed, the CNW still had trackage north of Green Bay into Upper Michigan(ore lines). The CNW route up the Lakeshore through Manitowoc was embargoed north of Sheboygan, so they used the Valley route to get up there. The run-throughs used CNW, FRV, run-through units from other roads to pay back motive power hours, and leased units from various sources. HTH[8D]

[Anonymous]

Yes, the "30" in GP30 was a sales gimmick, a GP"22" just didn't sound as powerful as a General Electric U"25"B. From the GP30 on, EMD used a simple number progression through the models. This progression usually went by fives or tens (30-35-40(-2)-45-50-60). EMD used a "38" for the 2000hp 645 engined GP38(-2)'s and SD38(-2) to make it clear that the 38-models were a non-turbo (less h.p.) version of the GP/SD40(-2) models. Where as if you said maybe a "GP45", naturally you would assume that it was a more powerful model. The "nines" models were generally used for expierimental, and custom/"special needs" models like the GP49 and GP59 (the GP39(-2) is an exception), other expierimental models had an X added to their designation (ex. GP40X, SD40X, SD45X). The GP/SD39(-2) used a "39" designation to indicate that it was more powerful than the GP/SD38(-2), but still not as powerful as the GP/SD40(-2) as the 39 series only had 2300hp. Another fact, the GP/SD28's (very, very few produced) are actually just a non-turbo version of the GP/SD35 as it used an 1800hp 16-567D1 for power. Is that enough info for ya'll?[}:)][:)][:D][8D][;)]

[Anonymous]

rebelfdl -

Yes I do remember the ex-FRV SD24s and the SD45s quite well. I lived on the
south side of town but I often got up near the yard while taking the "scenic route"
up to Oshkosh on Hwy. 45. I often speculated that maybe the WC wasn't
doing all that well because so many of their "big units" (later after I got back
into railroading in earnest I learned they were SD45s) were still in the old
BN paint scheme. Later I learned that it was just because those locomotives
were being used so often they hadn't much time to repaint them quickly. I took
a photo once of a long lashup of both CNW and FRV power (I mean actual
CNW power, not ex-CNW under FRV ownership) in the former C&NW yard
there adjacent the WC yard. They were performing an air test prior to
departing southbound. The crew said they were CNW but I didn't get the
reason the train was running - looked like a big power transfer. The lead
unit was a CNW 6-axle hood unit, there was one or more other CNW engines,
and the rest were FRV including one in the FRV livery (not just CNW paint-out).

[CShaveRR]

The SDs you would have seen at Russell would have been C&O's old SD18s (very unusual animals...they had Alco trucks!). On the CNW, we had a couple of SD9s on the hump for a while, before we bought the SD38-2s for that purpose. They might have seen how well the SD9s worked.

(Hmmm...maybe the subject for anoher post: these SD38-2s are nearly 29 years old now, and still functioning somewhat as expected. When we got 'em in 1975, the junk they replaced--TR2s, GP7s, and, yes, those SD9s--was no older than 25.)

[dehusman]

GP's don't accelerate quicker because they are smaller, they accelerate quicker because they have more horsepower per axle. A GP40 has 3000 hp and 4 axles, 750 hp/axle while a SD40 has 3000 hp and 6 axles, 500 hp/axle. More hp/axle means faster acceleration.

Dave H.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

GP/SD18, GP20 & SD24 were horsepower-based designations. The GP30 was originally planned to be GP22 (2250 HP). Beyond that, I'm not sure of the logic behind the other numbers used.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Mook,

GPs and SDs are both EMDs (GMs)

GP is General Purpose and I believe that SD is Special or Specific Duty if I remember correctly

Dan - I think it is Special ?, but the fog is starting to lift a little. I see both here in the yards and keep wondering what the difference was and the history on them.

Moo

Yes, the original designation was Special Duty, but today the roles are reversed - the SD's have become general purpose locomotives while the few new GP's that are produced nowadays by the manufacturer in Boise, Idaho (they keep changing their name so I can't remember which one is the current one, ask Ed) in cooperation with GM, actually have "special" duties (ask Ed!). I think the last "real" GP's built were GP60's, and that was years ago.

I was wondering why they named the first GP model the GP7, and then I realized that GP7s were built at the same time as the F7s (with the same prime mover?), and I can see no other reason for that designation. Does anyone have any info on that detail? I think the same goes for GP9/F9? Can this logic be applied to (at least some models of) E units? Later they got even more mysterious with their designations - maybe only the GP18 and GP20 stood for 1800 and 2000 horsepower prime movers, while the GP30's name was a "sales gimmick" - I remember that from a book I read - it was advertised as a new model with 30 improvements over the previous one, which was I think the GP20.

Hope the marbles (my marbles) remember it right?
Best regards,
Oliver.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

SD7's/SD9's as yard switchers and hump pushers is really no big deal. BN regularly used them at Clyde when it was still a hump yard and were also found as transfer power in the Chicago area. A fair number of SD38's and SD38-2's were used in the same service for the reasons cited in the other postings.

[kenneo]

SD9s, since the SP first received them, were used as yard goats and local engines. They can pull the guts out of a standing cut without taking slack.

[Anonymous]

ghighland-

Since you mentioned Oshkosh, do you remember Wisconsin Central using the 2 SD-24's they got from the FRV as switchers in the Fond du Lac yard? Quite a site. They also used SD-45's in the yard, especially to make up the Chicago trains.[8D]

[corwinda]

Southern Pacific regularly used SD 9s (and some SD 7s) in yard and local service up to the merger with UP.

[DSchmitt]

I could be mistaken, but I believe a U30C was used for switching by a company located in the Port of Stockton about 20 years ago. I may have a picture of it.

[coalminer3]

I have seen "early" SDs (different models) being used as switchers at Russell, KY; Cumberland, MD and Elmore, WV: I'll go along with Skeets's post above - incredible sound.

work safe

[Anonymous]

I've used SD7/9's in flat switching; hump switching; shoving long cuts of coal up onto the pier. In short, an SD could do about anything a GP could do, as long as curvature and railweight were compatible. Oh, and the sound! Nothing EMD ever built sounded ANYTHING like it! I loved 'em...

[Mookie]

Mookie must admit to being very lazy - it is easier to ask here than to go home and take the time to look through her nice picture books. Besides, when the Mookie reads, she sleeps - never happens here, however.

I will print out the info and take it home and put it will all the other printouts I have and will read them all while home for the holidays!

Thanx guys - you're the best

Mookie

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth, the Monon book I have states the BL2s didn't work and play
well with other road units on a fairly frequent basis. But, the GORGEOUS photo of
the Wisconsin & Calumet's ("Janesville & Southeastern" lettering) BL2 I took some
years ago looks great in a frame.

[AntonioFP45]

Very good Dharmon!

You're right on the money!

I left out the earlier diesel history and even some on what I covered as Mookie was focused on the GP, SD designations. But, Great job, Good info guy! You know, this for me is the fun part of the hobby, helping a fellow railfan or modeler. Mookie, I hope that our info is helpful. Ask questiions, do your research! God Bless!

[dharmon]

See...mo better quailified[:)]

[dharmon]

I will be the first to admit that I am no expert. But I believe that after the F units came the GPs becasue the F units did not lend themselves to raod switching duty because of visibility. The BL2 came out but weren't real successful. The GPs were next in the form of GP7/9s. The SDs came about to add two more traction motors and also becasue the six axle tracks spread the weight of the loco out more on lighter rail. I think. There are more qualified than me to answer this though[:)]