there was talk GE rebuilding the E-44 locomotives, What would have done to update these locomotives. Gary
See discussion of the one that was actually done (Conrail 4453). As I recall this was done circa 1980, and represented a kind of conversion to "E60" capability (e.g. 6000 continuous hp) and the ability to be used as a MATE in unelectrified territory. I never saw it run, so I don't know if the vacuum-cleaner blower noise was remediated. Cost to rebuild was not quite the ~4.2 million for high-speed GG1 rebuild (I think it was around $3.8M as done; I think Don Oltmann will know) but for that price you'd still have a heavy and somewhat unwieldy freight unit that wouldn't happily go through the North River tunnels and likely was no run to ride at even 70-75mph.
The likely short-term thing that killed it was the failure of the E60s in high-speed anything and the coming of the AEM-7s. This provided a potential cheap alternative, already 6000hp and 60Hz compatible, for less than the likely conversion cost. It would have been far more cost-effective to put Draper Tapers or whatever on the E60s and ballast them as needed; they were still used on heavy M&E in 2001 so the longevity was there.
Of course the Amtrak-related bickering is what killed continued Conrail freight electrification by the time a fleet of rebuilds might have become relevant...
It is still a great shame that 4453 was not preserved.
Overmod See discussion of the one that was actually done (Conrail 4453). As I recall this was done circa 1980, and represented a kind of conversion to "E60" capability (e.g. 6000 continuous hp) and the ability to be used as a MATE in unelectrified territory. I never saw it run, so I don't know if the vacuum-cleaner blower noise was remediated. Cost to rebuild was not quite the ~4.2 million for high-speed GG1 rebuild (I think it was around $3.8M as done; I think Don Oltmann will know) but for that price you'd still have a heavy and somewhat unwieldy freight unit that wouldn't happily go through the North River tunnels and likely was no run to ride at even 70-75mph. The likely short-term thing that killed it was the failure of the E60s in high-speed anything and the coming of the AEM-7s. It would have been far more cost-effective to put Draper Tapers or whatever on the E60s and ballast them as needed; they were still used on M&E in 2001. It is still a great shame that this unit was not preserved.
The likely short-term thing that killed it was the failure of the E60s in high-speed anything and the coming of the AEM-7s. It would have been far more cost-effective to put Draper Tapers or whatever on the E60s and ballast them as needed; they were still used on M&E in 2001.
It is still a great shame that this unit was not preserved.
Don't know the cost, except it was covered by the Feds as part of the NECIP that was supposed to change the NEC to 60Hz. Conrail would need a locomotive that could operate on both (ala th NJT Arrows that were converted)
Conrail quit the electrics after a long dispute over power billing and trackage rights, moving a lot of traffic over to the LV/RDG route. However, the contract to rebuild the one E44 and test it were still in force. The locomotive made a couple round trips from NJ to DC, using diesels to get it over the gaps in the wire where Conrail had dropped the power (Phila highline, Anacostia to Pot Yard, etc.)
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
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