SD40 problems

[Boomer Red]

           I've heard before that the original SD40 units (built prior to GM starting the Dash2 line) were not that popular, and that the reason was they suffered from problems related to wheel slip. I also heard that CP Rail was so disapointed  with their units that they started buying the C630Ms from MLW to replace them. Are there any diesel experts that can shed some light on these issues and add any other information!

[wctransfer]

I wouldnt say that they werent popular. Quite a few people bought them. Heres a few that come off the top of my head,

GTW,DWP,CN,CP,ACR,SOO,PRR,B&O,C&O,WM,CNW,CGW,CB&Q,UP,SP,KCS,ATSF,GM&O,BN,DE,IC,L&N,MP,PC and SOU.

Not a bad group IMO.

[Boomer Red]

         I suppose sales wise they were popular but so were many diesels that turned out to have problems. For example the SD45/-2 turned out to have problems with crankshaft failures but that didn't hinder their sales. Also the GP/SD35 had electrical problems related to the DC main generator being over taxed combined with it's extremely complicated switch gear. By unpopular I meant in the sense that after the units were bought and in service for atime problems with their design began to pop up. 

[CAZEPHYR]

I wouldnt say that they werent popular. Quite a few people bought them. Heres a few that come off the top of my head,

GTW,DWP,CN,CP,ACR,SOO,PRR,B&O,C&O,WM,CNW,CGW,CB&Q,UP,SP,KCS,ATSF,GM&O,BN,DE,IC,L&N,MP,PC and SOU.

Not a bad group IMO.

 1100 units for USA and Canada not counted export models. 

 

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Order #	Date	Serial Numbers	Model	Road	Numbers	Qty.	Weight	Remarks
7894	06.66	31766	SD40	ASAB	506	1	.	.
7872	03.66	32036	SD40	ATSF	1700	1	.	.
7908	04.66	32037, 32038	SD40	ATSF	1701, 1702	2	.	.
7909	04.66	32039-32046	SD40	ATSF	1703-1710	8	.	.
7910	03.66 to 04.66	32047-32055	SD40	ATSF	1711-1719	9	.	.
5801	10.71 to 11.71	.	SD40	BN	6300-6324	25	.	.
7998	05.67	33161-33173	SD40	B&O	7482-7494	13	.	.
7159	04.69	34775-34778	SD40	B&O	7497-7500	4	.	.
7073	10.67	33516-33519	SD40	CBQ (C&S)	875-878	4	.	.
7103	04.68	33918-33926	SD40	CBQ (C&S)	879-887	9	.	.
7912	08.66 to 09.66	32092-32100	SD40	CGW	401-409	8	.	.
7846	01.66	31263-31275	SD40	CNW	867-879	13	.	.
8075	01.66	31276	SD40	CNW	880	1	.	.
7874	01.66	31277-31282	SD40	CNW	881-886	6	.	.
7892	04.66	31760	SD40	CNW	887	1	.	.
7893	04.66	31761, 31762	SD40	CNW	888, 889	2	.	.
5701	04.66	31763-31765	SD40	CNW	890-892	3	.	.
7927	10.66	32314	SD40	CNW	893	1	.	.
7952	01.67	32686-32688	SD40	CNW	894-896	3	.	.
7886	08.66	31929-31933	SD40	C&O	7450-7454	5	.	.
7907	07.66 to 08.66	31934-31936, 31939-31948	SD40	C&O	7455-7457, 7460-7469	13	.	.
7906	08.66	31937, 31938	SD40	C&O	7458, 7459	2	.	.
7972	05.67	33154-33160	SD40	C&O	7475-7481	7	.	.
7159	04.69	34779-34784	SD40	C&O	7501-7506	6	.	.
7276	06.70 to 07.70	36696-36705	SD40	C&O	7507-7516	10	.	.
7276	07.70	36746-36755	SD40	C&O	7517-7526	10	.	.
7302	03.71	37204-37213	SD40	C&O	7527-7536	10	.	.
5710	09.66	32141-32148	SD40	CRR	3000-3007	8	.	.
7124	09.68	34177	SD40	CRR	3008	1	.	.
7152	02.69	34742-34747	SD40	CRR	3009-3014	6	.	.
7311	06.71	37417-37421	SD40	CRR	3015-3019	5	.	.
5776	06.71	37422	SD40	CRR	3020	1	.	.
5776	06.71	37538-37541	SD40	CRR	3021-3024	4	.	.
7252	04.70 to 05.70	36124, 36125	SD40	DEEX	001, 002	2	.	.
7253	04.70 to 05.70	36127, 36128	SD40	DEEX	003, 004	2	.	.
7254	04.70 to 05.70	36126, 36129	SD40	DEEX	005, 006	2	.	.
5817	07.72	.	SD40	DEEX	013 to 014	2	.	.
5818	07.72	.	SD40	DEEX	015 to 017	3	.	.
5702	06.66	31799

[nsrayman]

 

here is one that is 40 years old ,   it was in active service until it was retired earlier this year.

 

[Anonymous]

The SD40 would have sold far more if it didn't have to compete with the SD45. But it the '66 line was introduced during the horsepower race so the stronger SD45 sold better. After a fwe years when the SD45 began to show its flaws, RRs that had bougth the 45s started buying the SD40. So by the time the dash-2 came out the race had settled down at 3000hp, and thus the stage was set for it to become the all time sales leader. I have read elsewhere that there were issues with the SD40 in the beginning so some RRs skipped to the 45.  As for the SD45-2 i understood that the mechanical problems associated with the 45s had been corrected in the last years of the SD45's production run. The dash-2 version didn't have those problems. 

[Newyorkcentralfan]

According to wikipedia, the SD40 outsold the SD45 by fifteen locomotives. 1260 vs. 1275.

IIRC, the SD45 sold better in the beginning of the 645 production run, while the SD40 sold better in the second half and caught up and surpassed the SD45 when the crankshaft failures and fuel consumption became an issue.

 

           I've heard before that the original SD40 units (built prior to GM starting the Dash2 line) were not that popular, and that the reason was they suffered from problems related to wheel slip. I also heard that CP Rail was so disapointed  with their units that they started buying the C630Ms from MLW to replace them. Are there any diesel experts that can shed some light on these issues and add any other information!

[J. Edgar]

 

here is one that is 40 years old ,   it was in active service until it was retired earlier this year.

 

 ya know your old when a Diesel built the year your born is retired.....and someone makes a big deal about it    

[Anonymous]

Here in the heat of the Pilbara, BHPBIO have 16, 40yr old 2nd hand (ex UP and SP) SD40's working mainline (slaves) and 4 as yard shunt locos.  There are 15 SD40R (ex SP) and 5 SD40-2 (ex UP)and 1 SD40T-2 (ex SP) used for spares.

They have their issues, but considering their age and the >50 temperatures in summer, they do an exceptional job.

In the yard, one SD40 will normally, haul loaded rakes of between 106 - 112 iron ore cars, weighing in excess of 15000 tonne.

On the mainline they are normally teamed up with either 1xSD70Ace LC or 1xGE AC6000 or if with a Dash 8 there are normally 2xSD40's

Mainline train nowadays are either 212 or 318 cars long, with the locomotive consists, of either 4 (212 cars) or 6 (318) depending on  locotrolled.

This means the loco consists are on the head of each 106 car rake, and are controlled by radio link from the front loco. All trains are 1 man operated, all mainline locos with exception of 40's have ATP (Automatic Train Protection) fitted 

200 car train weighs in at around 30000 tonnes, and 300 car 45000 tonnes.

If you are interested in checking out pictures  and stats go to :www.railways.pilbara.net.au

Check out BHP Billiton

[beaulieu]

CP had problems with their early SD40s, however they are all relative. A big problem is that early SD40s were built without the IDAC wheelslip control, so in heavy coal train service like CP was using them, they had slipping problems. CP switched to M630s and after brief success found that the MLWs mechanical issues were bigger problems than GMDs wheelslip problem. Also this was about the time that GM came up with the IDAC wheelslip control which solved the slipping problem. Note that after the first two batches CP didn't buy any more SD40s until after the SD40-2s came out.

[Boomer Red]

          I guess I should have said early SD40s. Either way hearing that those poor little EMDs could'nt cut it and had to be replaced by Alcos ( even if only briefly ) made my day!

[Randy Stahl]

If they thought they had, slipping problems with the SD-40s ,I'll bet the ALCO's really showed them what wheel slipping was really like !