It is believed that in 1959 both Santa Fe and Union Pacific bought the SD24 heavily, 80 for AT&SF and 75 for UP, the latter in two versions, A (30) and B (45) units. Santa Fe’s initial units were in the black and white tiger stripes, but soon were repainted to blue and yellow. As an impressionable kid that hadn’t even reached teen status, the SD24’s had the coolest sound, unlike anything ever heard before! EMD thereafter went through a quick succession of dual model design changes for the GP and SD units. It is too bad the generations that followed in the last 40 years never got to hear that great sound, or at least very, very few have!
croteaudd It is believed that in 1959 both Santa Fe and Union Pacific bought the SD24 heavily, 80 for AT&SF and 75 for UP, the latter in two versions, A (30) and B (45) units. Santa Fe’s initial units were in the black and white tiger stripes, but soon were repainted to blue and yellow. As an impressionable kid that hadn’t even reached teen status, the SD24’s had the coolest sound, unlike anything ever heard before! EMD thereafter went through a quick succession of dual model design changes for the GP and SD units. It is too bad the generations that followed in the last 40 years never got to hear that great sound, or at least very, very few have!
Now I wish I'd heard them, but they were a little before my time. The modern 4 stroke engines sound great too..
I've run a couple of F's and a Geep - they have a sound all their own.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
The EMD 567/645 sound is unique - no matter if it is on rail or on water.
Being 2-stroke is sounds like smooth power. 4-stokes by comparison, to my ear, sound out of tune. ALCO's or GE's.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
The closest that I ever heard to the SD24 sound came from de-rated Paducah rebuilds on Illinois Central and various other roads (IHB, IAIS, WSOR) that purchased them third-hand from IC.
I grew up hearing those EMD prime mover sounds of C&NW Fs, Es and GP7s and GP9s. Wonderful, especially as they went through notch transitions starting up scoots.
The early 567s sounded lovely when Descending 5-Coupled in Dynamic
echoing in the Mountains in the quiet of the evening.
Thank You.
'Twas not for nothing that DPM referred to the 567 sound as Gregorian chant.
Growing up in Tenafly, the Northern Branch passenger trains were handled by tractor-engine 244s, but there was often a SW or NW switcher idling just west of Palisade Avenue, making that lovely mechanical idle -- one of the great 'sounds of the Twentieth Century'.
When I lived in Shreveport in the early 1990s, the Mid-South was operating what became the Meridian Speedway with multiple frogeye GP10s...there was an overpass at one end of their engine-terminal facility where they would routinely park sets of up to five units idling in multiple. That was a joy.
I never heard a SD24 (which had the first-generation overrunning turbo setup) so I can only imagine how it sounded at full boost. If anyone knows an accurate recorded source, perhaps one of those albums of early SP diesels, please provide a link.
My first two years on the railroad, I worked what were nominally 'flat land' locations, trains would pass me with the engines operating at less than full throttle to manage their speed and their trains. In the Summer of 1967 I got instructions to work the Operators job at Bakerstown, PA. The office at Bakerstown was about 30 car lengths from the top of Bakerstown Hill - the ruling grade on the P&W Subdivision between Glenwood Jct. and New Castle (the original route of the Capitol Limited before the P&LE trackage rights agreement).
Every Train Order station has a 'bell circuit' that notifies the Operator of the approach of the train and in normal circumstance the Operator will notify the Dispatcher of the train's approach, so he can issue a Train Order if he desires. At Bakerstown one could hear the head end power, in the 8th notch, a minute or more in advance of the bell being actuated - the B&O being primarily an EMD road, it was the chant of 4 to 6 EMD's on the head end of a 100 car coal train and another two GP9's shoving (PA had a state law that with helpers of GREATER than 3500 horsepower, the caboose could not be occupied).
With the train insight, the power emitted a crescendo of the 567 chant passing the station at 10-12 MPH with the engine's load meters right at the threshold of their short time rating. Welded rail had not been installed yet, and you got the repetitive clinking of the axles crossing each rail joint. After about 30 cars passed, the speed of the clinking started increasing at a faster and faster rate and then the next thing you know you see the markers of the caboose approaching and the GP9 helpers that are throttling down as once they get past the station they will cut off from the train on the fly and await the Operator to line the crossovers and give the hand signal to permit the helpers to proceed downgrade for their next shove.
That was 1967 - in the early 1970's the P&W's double track route was converted to single track CTC. When CSX sold off the former B&O Buffalo Division to form today's Buffalo & Pittsburgh RR, the B&P got trackage rights from Eidenau into New Castle on the P&W Sub. In the early 2000's CSX decided to stop using the P&W except as necessary to handle Amtrak between Glenwood Jct and the NS connection to the former PRR station in Pittsburgh. In 2017 the part of the P&W from Allison Park to the NS connection was leased to the Allegheny Valley and the part from Allison Park to New Castle was formally least to the B&P.
BaltACDIn 2017 the part of the P&W from Allison Park to the NS connection was leased to the Allegheny Valley and the part from Allison Park to New Castle was formally least to the B&P.
An extra step: In 2019, CSX sold that part of the P&W, along with several other lines in the Pittsburgh area, to the AVR.
Found this:
I believe the Chesapeake and Indiana, based out of Lacrosse, In (old C&O line) runs an SD24. Quite an operation and the Hoosier Valley Museum in North Judson is nearby.
Ed
BaltACD The EMD 567/645 sound is unique - no matter if it is on rail or on water. Being 2-stroke is sounds like smooth power.
Being 2-stroke is sounds like smooth power.
If that isn't the truth! One night I just happened to be waterside in Port Huron, MI, when American Steamships Indiana Harbor came upbound on the St Clair River. It was a clear calm night. You could feel the throbbing from those 4 V20-645E7B's shoreside.
Footage from the engine room of the MV American Integrity, one of the 1,000' lakers. The sound of four SD45's in notch 8.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzVTTfj6OUI
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
SD70Dude Footage from the engine room of the MV American Integrity, one of the 1,000' lakers. The sound of four SD45's in notch 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzVTTfj6OUI
That 14,400 HP turns two variable pitch propellers and gets them 18.4 knots, or a shade over 21 MPH.
There's still a lot of ALCO power running boats on the lakes, too.
Spent the 1980's around Santa Fe's SD-26 fleet (SD24m's, 4600 class) between La Junta and Albuquerque ... Got used to them I guess, mixed-in with the SD39's.
Tractive effort was more important than pure horsepower over Raton and Glorieta. A normally aspirated anything was oddball in CO, so anything with a turbo was normal in these parts, even if the rack settings were set for lower altitudes.
A good number of the 4600's spent their last days on Guilford/B&M...
croteaudd It is believed that in 1959 both Santa Fe and Union Pacific bought the SD24 heavily, 80 for AT&SF and 75 for UP, the latter in two versions, A (30) and B (45) units. Santa Fe’s initial units were in the black and white tiger stripes, but soon were repainted to blue and yellow. . . .
It is believed that in 1959 both Santa Fe and Union Pacific bought the SD24 heavily, 80 for AT&SF and 75 for UP, the latter in two versions, A (30) and B (45) units. Santa Fe’s initial units were in the black and white tiger stripes, but soon were repainted to blue and yellow. . . .
Santa Fe added 45 SD24s in 1959. And another order was made for an additional 35 for 1960 delivery. The overall majority of SD24s were delivered in 1959 and early 1960. That would include the 45 Santa Fe units, Union Pacific's 30 SD24s and 45 SD24Bs, Burlington's 16 and Southern's 48 units. The 1960 Santa Fe reorder was delivered in the then new book ends paint scheme. After the Santa Fe's 1960 order was built another three units were built as demonstrators #7200-7202, painted in Southern Pacific's gray and scarlet scheme, but without lettering. The hoped for sale to Southern Pacific never happened and those three demonstrators, plus the original 1958-built SD24 demonstrator were sold to the Union Pacific. The very last SD24 was built for Kennecott Copper in March 1963.
Personally I've seen Santa Fe's SD26s rolling across Northern Arizona, usually mixed in with other units. My last sighting of these was a three unit set hauling a light train east the year they were sold to Guilford. And that should have been the last time to see them I'd thought, but a move to New Hampshire proved that observation wrong because they showed up frequently on the Bow unit coal train.
Ed in Kentucky
More EMD marine power on an Ingram Pusher Boat
https://youtu.be/lJMvttk1tvg?si=mIgq426mkLQBfsTk
You can go over here:
https://projects.esu.eu/projectoverviews/18
and explore LOTS of diesel sounds.
Electrinic Solutions, Ulm (ESU) produces excellent sound decoders (Lok Sound) for model railroads, but not the same as hearing the real thing.
MP173 I believe the Chesapeake and Indiana, based out of Lacrosse, In (old C&O line) runs an SD24. Quite an operation and the Hoosier Valley Museum in North Judson is nearby. Ed
You likely saw an SD18 . . .
Has your email address changed? I have tried contact and am curious how you are doing. Especially if a book about the North end of SSW is forthcoming. endmrw
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