Questions about diesel switchers

[rayw46]

Actually LongIandTom, Norfolk Southern regularly uses 3000 horsepower SD40-2's in switcher service, less the turbocharger. There are a bunch (is that a prototype railroad term) of them, along with GP38-2,s, assigned to the Gainesville, Georgia yard which services several Feed Mills, Cargill Food and a variety of other industries up and down the line.

[rayw46]

There are two large CSX yards in Atlanta, one on the northwest side of town and the other next to the East MARTA line between Decatur and Downtown Atlanta. Check out a good area map. Unfortunately, neither has easy and safe access for photography, especially in this day and age of tight security. Goggle CSX Photos or Railroad Photos. There are a ton of sites out there.

[markpierce]

Actually, one of the reasons the early three-axle-truck road switchers like the SD-7 and SD-9 were purchased was because they could operate on lighter rail as might be found on a branch. The six axles of the two trucks spread the weight of the locomotive over a wider area.

[jimrice4449]

To make a 70' engine w/ the power of a 35' switcher means you're paying for tons of material and many many man-hours of production time that isn't necessary, to say nothing of the cost of dragging that unneeded wieght around for the 30-40 year life expectancy of the engine. That said, nowadays most yard jobs are handled by demoted road power, sometimes regeared for lower speeds. Back when specialized switchers were the norm they were geared for a top speed of around 35 MPH which was why they ccould move an entire train on the flat of a yard that might have required 4 units to get over the road. I been on jobs (frequently) where the switcher was at full throttle and a switchman could bail off and run ahead to line a switch and wait there for the engine to catch up with him.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jshrade

First off.... why? What practical purpose does a smaller size locomotive serve, versus using a standard chassis and body designed with less horsepower? In other words... why not have high and low horsepower versions of the same locomotive, rather than have completely different designs?

Switchers are well-adapted for their environment... Low-height hoods permits better visibility in all directions, crucial for manpower-intensive operations such as shunting cars. Their 4-axle configuration also works best on branch lines where there are sharp curves and poor track conditions that might derail heavy 6-axle road locomotives. That's why it doesn't make sense to build a switcher out of a 6-axle heavy road-diesel locomotive chassis such as an SD90MAC.

It is also an issue with fuel economy... You don't need a locomotive with a fuel-guzzling turbocharged 16-cylinder 3000HP engine to shunt one or two cars at a time.

Switchers can be found in yards and in short-haul local service that involves shunting cars onto destination sidings.

[conrail92]

QUOTE: why not have high and low horsepower versions of the same locomotive, rather than have completely different designs?

Why pay for a SD80mac with low horsepower when you can have a small switcher with the same low horsepower for lower cost. you wont waste steel and resources to uild big things when you can build small things with the same HP, just my thought

[conrail92]

QUOTE: why not have high and low horsepower versions of the same locomotive, rather than have completely different designs?

Why pay for a SD80mac with low horsepower when you can have a small switcher with the same low horsepower for lower cost. you wont waste steel and resources to uild big things when you can build small things with the same HP, just my thought

[twcenterprises]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jshrade

First off.... why? What practical purpose does a smaller size locomotive serve, versus using a standard chassis and body designed with less horsepower? In other words... why not have high and low horsepower versions of the same locomotive, rather than have completely different designs?

Having the cab on the end (with no "nose") gives the engineer better visibility on the end of the loco. Switchers usually don't need to carry as much fuel, so tanks can be smaller/shorter. Some industries and shops need loco's with smaller clearances to get in and out. Switchers often, especially before the '50's, served industrial trackage with tight turns, and longer engines couldn't take the sharp turns.

QUOTE: Secondly... where do you find most modern diesel switchers? Yard duty? Dedicated to a particular industry (coal mine, quarry, industrial park, etc)? or just whereever they're needed?

Generally, yes to all of the above.

QUOTE: And third... what horsepower are most switchers rated at? I know the earlier models probably had lower ratings, but what were SW1000's up to SW1500's and MP15's rated at? How many loaded cars could you reasonably expect them to pull?

1000, 1500, and 1500, respectively. About tonnage ratings, I'd guess 20-30 cars each would be about right.

QUOTE: Oh, and for any CSX buffs out there, anybody know where I could see switchers in Georgia?

Thanks!

Not a fan of CSX myself, even though I will be seeing them a lot after my upcoming move to Winder. Maybe someone else has suggestions?

Where do you live, maybe we can get together sometime, send me an email.

Brad

[tstage]

jshrade,

I'm afraid that I can't really answer your first two questions. I can partly answer question three.

Most of the time, the early diesels were given names that corresponded to the amount of HP that they had. Baldwin VO-660s and 1000s were rated at 660 and 1000 HP, respectively. Alco HH300s, 600s, 660s, and 1000s would therefore put out 300, 600, 660, and 1000 of HP. The SW1000s and 1500s should be rated at 1000 and 1500 HP. Not sure about the MP15 but probably 1500 HP, as well.

Tom

[Anonymous]

First off.... why? What practical purpose does a smaller size locomotive serve, versus using a standard chassis and body designed with less horsepower? In other words... why not have high and low horsepower versions of the same locomotive, rather than have completely different designs?

Secondly... where do you find most modern diesel switchers? Yard duty? Dedicated to a particular industry (coal mine, quarry, industrial park, etc)? or just whereever they're needed?

And third... what horsepower are most switchers rated at? I know the earlier models probably had lower ratings, but what were SW1000's up to SW1500's and MP15's rated at? How many loaded cars could you reasonably expect them to pull?

Oh, and for any CSX buffs out there, anybody know where I could see switchers in Georgia?

Thanks!