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"Greener" Norfolk Southern locomotives ready for testing

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Posted by rdamon on Monday, January 12, 2015 2:12 PM

And maybe sooner if there is grant money at stake ...

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, January 12, 2015 1:21 PM

carnej1
 
D.Carleton

With the right hammer, yes.

That said, with these units NS now has two classes of locomotives with the 12N-710G3B engine: GP33 and GP59E. If this is deemed to be a success there are 37 GP38-3s on the roster that are derated GP50s. Could these be future candidates for a 710 transplant?  

Correct me if I'm wrong but I read that the GP38-3s rebuilt from GP50's had their as-built 16-645F engines removed and replaced with remanufactured 645E's. The reason supposedly being an oil line issue with the "F" engine that was difficult to correct in the rebuilding process.

 I know that this engine swap was done on the SD40E units the railroad has rebuilt from SD50s...

 I would suspect that the process was more capital intensive ($) than just derating the existing engines so I would doubt that NS would turn around and do a capital rebuild a second time..

CSX has converted SD50's to "SD40-3s" by derating the "F" series engines so not all railroads seem to share NS's concerns..

Yes, but the GP38-3 project started 11 years ago. These units will be ripe for another rebuild in a few short years.

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Monday, January 12, 2015 12:07 PM

I thought that aftermarket (GE) 645F blocks had the issues resolved.

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Posted by carnej1 on Monday, January 12, 2015 11:33 AM

D.Carleton

With the right hammer, yes.

That said, with these units NS now has two classes of locomotives with the 12N-710G3B engine: GP33 and GP59E. If this is deemed to be a success there are 37 GP38-3s on the roster that are derated GP50s. Could these be future candidates for a 710 transplant?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I read that the GP38-3s rebuilt from GP50's had their as-built 16-645F engines removed and replaced with remanufactured 645E's. The reason supposedly being an oil line issue with the "F" engine that was difficult to correct in the rebuilding process.

 I know that this engine swap was done on the SD40E units the railroad has rebuilt from SD50s...

 I would suspect that the process was more capital intensive ($) than just derating the existing engines so I would doubt that NS would turn around and do a capital rebuild a second time..

CSX has converted SD50's to "SD40-3s" by derating the "F" series engines so not all railroads seem to share NS's concerns..

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Posted by rdamon on Friday, January 9, 2015 9:46 AM
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Posted by D.Carleton on Friday, January 9, 2015 9:36 AM

With the right hammer, yes.

That said, with these units NS now has two classes of locomotives with the 12N-710G3B engine: GP33 and GP59E. If this is deemed to be a success there are 37 GP38-3s on the roster that are derated GP50s. Could these be future candidates for a 710 transplant?

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Posted by caldreamer on Friday, January 9, 2015 8:37 AM

Yes, but does tab A really fit into slot B???

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Friday, January 9, 2015 12:02 AM

Yep, looks exactly like the SD59MX and the SD30C. No NS design there. Only work they did was to follow the Instructions....on this one.

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Posted by D.Carleton on Thursday, January 8, 2015 11:36 PM

oltmannd

Radiators change has to be for split cooling, no?

Must be. The rebuild does not have NS' designed intercooler forward of the D/B blister. This looks to be a 'straight up' EMD concept for an ECO rebuild.

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Posted by caldreamer on Thursday, January 8, 2015 8:56 PM

That is correct.  Probably the Norfolk Southern designed version like those used on theirGP59E's. They really are good over at the Juniata Shops.

 
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Posted by oltmannd on Thursday, January 8, 2015 8:21 PM

Radiators change has to be for split cooling, no?

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Posted by Wizlish on Thursday, January 8, 2015 6:48 PM

I was just reading about this ... http://www.altoonaworks.info/rebuilds/ns_gp33eco.html

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"Greener" Norfolk Southern locomotives ready for testing
Posted by rdamon on Thursday, January 8, 2015 3:58 PM

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/01/greener-norfolk-southern-locomotives-ready-testing

Two new environmentally friendly locomotives are on track for use in the Chicago and Atlanta areas.

Norfolk Southern Corp. this week rolled out a pair of GP33ECO diesel-electric, switching locomotives at its Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, Pa.

The locomotives, designed to generate fewer emissions, are the first of 25 to be built for Norfolk Southern by Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. They will be funded in part by $35 million from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program.

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