Trains.com

re:favorite diesel locomotive

9007 views
39 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • 164 posts
Posted by blade on Sunday, April 29, 2007 9:22 AM
what is your favorite diesel locomotive?
  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: North Idaho
  • 1,311 posts
Posted by jimrice4449 on Sunday, April 29, 2007 3:08 PM
A CB&Q E-5 AB set coupled to a matching stainless steel train.   Apparently the Q agreed because when they trotted out the re-equiped Denver Zephyr in the late 50s they scrounged up a set to use for the publicity pix.
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: The Beautiful North Georgia Mountians
  • 2,362 posts
Posted by Railfan1 on Sunday, April 29, 2007 4:05 PM
An SD40-2 switching cars is about the best sound in the world!
"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
  • Member since
    July 2005
  • From: In the New York Soviet Socialist Republic!
  • 1,391 posts
Posted by PBenham on Sunday, April 29, 2007 6:47 PM

 blade wrote:
what is your favorite diesel locomotive?

No contest whatsoever. A Lehigh Valley PA1, looked great, sounded wonderful, smoked like crazy when it was pulling hard, and it had excellent riding qualities, thanks to their GSC A1A-A1A trucks.

Favorite hood unit? A Lehigh Valley C420. In the original grey and yellow "yellowjacket scheme" Hands down. But, the dark red scheme on 406 was nice, as was the bright red on 410..

  • Member since
    October 2003
  • 7,968 posts
Posted by K. P. Harrier on Sunday, April 29, 2007 6:58 PM

 Railfan1 wrote:
An SD40-2 switching cars is about the best sound in the world!

An SD24 had the most memorable sound.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Along the old Milwaukee Road.
  • 1,152 posts
Posted by CMSTPP on Sunday, April 29, 2007 8:57 PM

It's between the Milwaukee road SD10, and the SD40 series locomotives. I just like to hear that 567 diesel engine.Big Smile [:D]

James

The Milwaukee Road From Miles City, Montana, to Avery, Idaho. The Mighty Milwaukee's Rocky Mountain Division. Visit: http://www.sd45.com/milwaukeeroad/index.htm
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: west central Illinois
  • 417 posts
Posted by Rodney Beck on Sunday, April 29, 2007 9:57 PM

For road use and throttle response I prefer to run the sd40-2 they load when i want them to load, genreal switching I love the gp38-2 when kicking cars no turbo lag when i go to throttle 8 the gp38-2 is going their right now. Those are my prefs being a engineer.

 

Rodney

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • 195 posts
Posted by NS SD70M-2 on Sunday, April 29, 2007 11:42 PM

 

        NS sd70m-2 ,sd70m ,sd40-2 ,gp38&50 ,c39-8 c40-9 es40dc & of corse the c40-9w!

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 30, 2007 12:14 AM
The one I haven't seen and photographed, YET.
  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Eau Claire, WI
  • 1,882 posts
Posted by Lord Atmo on Monday, April 30, 2007 10:26 AM
anything CNW of course

Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Aurora, IL
  • 4,515 posts
Posted by eolafan on Monday, April 30, 2007 10:31 AM
Just about anything running and in service will do for me.
Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: weatherford,Tx
  • 367 posts
Posted by zapp on Monday, April 30, 2007 4:10 PM
 Rodney Beck wrote:

For road use and throttle response I prefer to run the sd40-2 they load when i want them to load, genreal switching I love the gp38-2 when kicking cars no turbo lag when i go to throttle 8 the gp38-2 is going their right now. Those are my prefs being a engineer.

 

Rodney

Sign - Ditto [#ditto]

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: The Beautiful North Georgia Mountians
  • 2,362 posts
Posted by Railfan1 on Monday, April 30, 2007 4:46 PM

 Lord Atmo wrote:
anything CNW of course

I guess you mean anything CNW with a big yellow patch?

"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Eau Claire, WI
  • 1,882 posts
Posted by Lord Atmo on Monday, April 30, 2007 6:26 PM
 Railfan1 wrote:

 Lord Atmo wrote:
anything CNW of course

I guess you mean anything CNW with a big yellow patch?

noooo i hate hate hate the patched units

Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: Phoenixville, PA
  • 3,495 posts
Posted by nbrodar on Monday, April 30, 2007 9:58 PM
 Rodney Beck wrote:

For road use and throttle response I prefer to run the sd40-2 they load when i want them to load, genreal switching I love the gp38-2 when kicking cars no turbo lag when i go to throttle 8 the gp38-2 is going their right now. Those are my prefs being a engineer.

 

Rodney

Sign - Ditto [#ditto] Sign - Ditto [#ditto]

Nick

Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/

  • Member since
    January 2002
  • 229 posts
Posted by Ham549 on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 8:15 AM

F40PH

Save the F40PH!
  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: heart of the Pere Marquette
  • 847 posts
Posted by J. Edgar on Thursday, May 3, 2007 8:06 PM
Sigh [sigh]........from a die hard steam nut case..........any ALCO PA....ALCO DL-109 ........Baldwin Locomotive Works early Babyface Centipieds........Balwin Locomotive Works passenger Sharks......Fairbanks Morse "Erie-Builts".......and death to the FT.....SoapBox [soapbox]
i love the smell of coal smoke in the morning Photobucket
  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Marion,Iowa
  • 239 posts
Posted by billbtrain on Thursday, May 3, 2007 9:20 PM

EMD SD40-2! All 4 phases! All 3500 and something built! USA and Canadien!

Mine!Mine! Mine!  You can't have them!Laugh [(-D] Laugh [(-D]

Have a good one.

Bill B

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: rossville ga
  • 40 posts
Posted by bushhog8fan on Friday, May 4, 2007 10:34 AM
Southern E-8 in green and white
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Southwest US
  • 12,914 posts
Posted by tomikawaTT on Saturday, May 5, 2007 3:31 AM

Nihon Kokutetsu DD-13 class B-B diesel-hydraulic.

Runner up, Nihon Kokutetsu DD-51 class B-2-B diesel hydraulic.  (Yes, there's a non-powered truck in the center of a non-articulated frame!)

Japanese locomotives with traction motors take their power off catenary, not on-board prime movers.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: narragansett,ri
  • 21 posts
Posted by catpoppa on Monday, May 7, 2007 9:39 AM

ALCOS ROCK!!!

  • Member since
    November 2006
  • 30 posts
Posted by fordv10 on Monday, May 7, 2007 5:44 PM
In this order: SD-90,SD-70 and any SD-40
  • Member since
    March 2006
  • 60 posts
Posted by bakupolo on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 11:36 PM

For looks - the SD90 - baddest looking loco ever

For Sound - the SD40-2 at full chat it sounds just awesome.

The C60AC UP locos sound really good too but the GE and EMD engines sound so radically different - the big GEs sound more like a Harley than a locomotive. They chug.

Strangely, the C60AC, which I understand was designed to haul fast inermodals, is usually seen here hauling rocks. Every afternoon I see a couple of the monsters hauling rocks up the MOPAC grade. I guess that's what UP likes them for.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 10, 2007 2:44 PM
for an intermodal stack train give me GP60's, they are better top ender's than any six axle and have better wheel slip controls, ride and throttle response than GE's comparable models Dash 8 39B, Dash 8 40B.  for a manifest or a rack train, SD70M's, they pull good, respond to throttle much better than C44 Dash 9's (especially to keep the slack on a rack train or poorly made up manifest off of you in a swag) and they ride better than the GE's.  For a very heavy loaded coal or grain train I would take this comination (not taking into account any DP's, just head end power), SD90MAC, AC4400CW or ES44AC, and either as rear motor(s).  The 90 to pull immediately at the bottom of hills and when starting, the GE for lugging ability once it finally decides to load, and both for their dynamics.  The GE is better in Dyno's at higher speed while the EMD is simply unbelievable at lower speeds all the way down to zero..(by the way this is because the SD90mac has extended range tapered dynamics while the GE has extended range flat).  Switching...well if I had my choice for just pure switching an MP15AC, but where I'm at we usually get GP38's so make sure it has the 2 shoe per wheel brakes (better stopping, don't have to change shoes as often).  I'm still with-holding judgement on SD70Ace's as I haven't had enough experiences with them yet to judge 'em.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 10, 2007 4:55 PM
SD80MAC, FP45, SD50. Long live EMD!
  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Saskatchewan
  • 2,201 posts
Posted by last mountain & eastern hogger on Friday, May 11, 2007 12:43 PM

Whistling [:-^]

Come on guys and gals,

You know it is so.

The CZ/WP silver and orange Fs. None were classier. At least that is my opinion...........

Long live the "wobbly".

Johnboy out.................................

from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North.. 

We have met the enemy,  and he is us............ (Pogo)

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: East-Side Seattle
  • 455 posts
Posted by bpickering on Friday, May 11, 2007 2:12 PM
 tomikawaTT wrote:

Runner up, Nihon Kokutetsu DD-51 class B-2-B diesel hydraulic.  (Yes, there's a non-powered truck in the center of a non-articulated frame!)

Got a picture of that one? Sounds interesting! 

Brian Pickering "Typos are very important to all written form. It gives the reader something to look for so they aren't distracted by the total lack of content in your writing." - Randy K. Milholland
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Peak District UK
  • 809 posts
Posted by cabbage on Friday, May 11, 2007 4:09 PM
DELTIC of course!!!! But a good case could be made for the Class 43 as well.

regards

ralph

The Home of Articulated Ugliness

  • Member since
    February 2006
  • From: Gilbert, Arizona
  • 67 posts
Posted by Mimbrogno on Saturday, May 12, 2007 4:24 PM

That's an easy one for me: Baldwin DRS 6-6-1500/1 SC83 cn#74812, Blt. June 1950. 56 years young and still able to move 150 cars at a time. It's been an orfan for over 25 years and running without spare parts for just about as long. Baldwin built them for serious business, and they didn't earn the name 'Dragon' by sittin' around all day waiting for a mechanic. There's nothen better to drive either, even though they don't have the best creature comforts. They load instantly, pull enough for two other locomotives, and keep pulling all day and night. They have a soft starting feature that allows you to start a train without the slightest jolt from the locomotive. They have an infinit position, notchless throttle that lets you set the exact amount of power you need and not have to cycle between two notches to maintain a set speed. They have an automatic wheelslip control system, which limits and redirects power to other motors to keep slipping to an absolute minimum. Their dynamic brakes had a very high braking power even at crawling speeds, with an range as wide or wider than modern computer controlled systems, and in service they have even stopped trains with the DB alone.

 If you want a locomotive for high speed passenger service, then BLW #6000 would be the only thing I want. With a 120mph top speed and an articulated running gear that was smooth and light even at ultra high speeds, there's nothing better to have on the front of a crack limited. Had it been fully completed put into production, it would have been the diesel version of the venerable GG1. Unfortunatly WWII interupted the production of this 6000hp locomotive, but man it had some awsome potential. It also had an awsome one of a kind apperance that blows the socks off the EMD E, F, Alco FA, PA, 109, FM C-liner, and BLW Babyface and Sharknose. It had an art-deco headlight housing that jutted out like a battering ram, giving it a fearsome image of strength and beauty. That was backed up with the way it was built, with a single piece cast frame, full length articulated trucks, and 120mph top speed, it could have crushed the all steel bodies of the automobiles of the day like so many bugs on a windshield. It looked like it could plow a batteship, and in the Baldwin demo colors of red, cream, and blue, nothing came close to it's beauty.

 Baldwin knew how to build a real locomotive!
-Matthew Imbrogno

Helping to keep Baldwins alive in the 21st century!
  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: Canoga Park (Los Angeles)
  • 494 posts
Posted by TheS.P.caboose on Monday, May 14, 2007 1:30 AM

 blade wrote:
what is your favorite diesel locomotive?

 I've always enjoyed SD40-2, SD45, SD40T-2 and SD45T-2.

Regards Gary

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy