Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
realy numerous differences......cab placement/visibility............trucks/gear ratio/max speed..........dynamic brakes /no dynamic brakes
generally speaking the SW is a yard switcher gear for slow speeds max torq the GP is a road engine geared accordingly and cab so as to protect the crew and offer good visibility and the MP is really just a modern SW
The MP15 and SW1500 are switchers- designed to be used in yards, mostly, so have high visability.
The SW1500 is designed mainly as a yard switcher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_SW1500).
The MP15, though, uses Blomberg trucks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_MP15DC) instead of Flexcoil, rendering it something more like a Road Switcher- capable of higher speeds.
The GP15, now, were intended as either a road or yard engine, and specifically as an alternate to rebuilt engines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GP15-1).
The similarities you note are actually one of the reasons you don't SEE many new yard engines built in the past couple of decades, although that is starting to change again with the new Railpower genset locos like UP is purchasing. Why purchase a limited-use switcher loco, when you can buy a multi-purpose road switcher?
For the past couple of decades, therefore, the most-common users of "switcher" engines would be industries, short-lines, and so-forth, which are 1) doing lots of switching and want the visability, and 2) like the lower-cost, and 3) don't need the speed capabilities of a road switcher.
Brian Pickering
bpickering wrote: The MP15, though, uses Blomberg trucks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_MP15DC) instead of Flexcoil, rendering it something more like a Road Switcher- capable of higher speeds. Brian Pickering
MP15 usually came standard with the flexcoil trucks....they were the replacement trucks for the AAR type A trucks under most EMD switchers....Bloomberg trucks were an option for raods wanting more flexibility......
You left one out...
The MK1500D, Blomburg trucks, great visability, and yes, they will do 70mph...
23 17 46 11
The key to understanding these three models is to understand when they were built. The SW1500 was the replacement for the SW1200 as the V12 powered switcher, it was built by EMD from 1966 to early 1974. Many railroads ordered their SW1500s with the Flexicoil light road truck for better tracking at speed, most railroads limited all switchers equipped with the Type A switcher trucks to 45 mph or less. Near the end of SW1500 production orders for Type A trucked examples had dwindled to none, and at the request of NdeM (Mexican National) EMD came up with a light roadswitcher variant of the SW1500 with a little more fuel capacity and space for a toilet , this model was called a SW1504 and 60 were built for NdeM it was equipped with the Blomberg road truck like most GP locomotives ( at least two are now operating in the US). The Missouri Pacific saw these and requested something similar for their use, and the result was the MP15 which replaced the SW1500 in the EMD catalog, an MP10 was offered but none were ever built. Seaboard System requested a variant built with an Alternator replacing the DC main Generator and also asked EMD to replace the belt driven cooling fan and the MP15AC was the result. With many railroads conducting large rebuilding programs for older GP7s and GP9s, EMD decided to take MP15 and repackage it as a replacement for rebuilt older GPs. The idea was that trucks, Main DC Generators and certain other components would be reused to hold down the price, but the railroad would get a more fuel efficent locomotive for only a little more than their rebuilds. The idea did go over to well and only MP and Conrail but significant numbers, The last 40 GP15s built for MP were equipped with the same Alternator as the MP15AC switchers. The final development for both the MP15 and the GP15 were turbocharged V8s rather than the Roots Blower equipped V12s of earlier production. C&O and Appilachicola Northern were the only buyers of the GP15T, while Seaboard System and Dow Chemical bought MP15T.
ah thanks for the help. yes.. i forgot i posted this. the 2+ months of silence probably tipped you off.
so is that why the GP15-1 has a dash 1 in its name? because it was built with GP7, GP9, SW1200, etc parts? and why does it have what resembles a tunnel motor?
yeah now that i think about it, i cant name any road that bought a lot of GP15-1s. CNW bought, like, 10 or 11. not many. and i dont know what road the Wisconsin Northern got theirs from
C&NW had 25 at the peak but returned 4411-4425 to the leasor in March 1992.
Conrail had 100 GP15's.
UP now has right about 200 GP15's, 190 of them coming from Mopac (Both GP15-1's and GP15AC's)
Lord Atmo wrote: ah thanks for the help. yes.. i forgot i posted this. the 2+ months of silence probably tipped you off.so is that why the GP15-1 has a dash 1 in its name? because it was built with GP7, GP9, SW1200, etc parts? and why does it have what resembles a tunnel motor?yeah now that i think about it, i cant name any road that bought a lot of GP15-1s. CNW bought, like, 10 or 11. not many. and i dont know what road the Wisconsin Northern got theirs from
At the time the GP15-1 was introduced, EMD's product line was the Dash 2 (GP38-2, SD40-2, etc., and not to open up the other conversation again about is a Dash 2 a Dash nothing), but EMD called it the Dash 1 because in reusing parts, it would not have the same Dash 2 mechanics (I believe I recall).
edblysard wrote: You left one out...The MK1500D, Blomburg trucks, great visability, and yes, they will do 70mph...
Looks like a gigantic grasshopper or cricket to me. I can imagine the view from that cab.
WHAT are those things on the flats? IM STUMPED.
The view is fantastic...note the same body on the UPs hybrids...Boise Locomotive, (Motive Power Inc) .
The things on the flats are the nacelles housing the generators for the GE/ Siemens windmills.
The blades attach to hubs, which attach to them, and the whole shooting match sits on a pylon.
Power from the wind.
Or wind farms, if you like.
We send five or six "windfan trains" a year out on UP and BNSF.
UP's hybrid.
Blades and hubs.
I believe those are nacelles (housing) for the big wind power generators...
EDIT- beat me to it, Ed!
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
http://cwcdn.geimaginationatwork.com/@v=061704@/HTML/wind/page3.shtml
A link for more info...
http://www.sijournal.com/energy/2699461.html
Ive seen those fans on the Techcahpi (Spelling is butchered, sorry) Pass and thought they rock.
They need to put the dynamos down the poles themselves and gear the whole thing down so the entire thing works to generate instead of just a little pod.
Opps gone off topic have we? SOrry.
I would think we wont be seeing such CUTE little engines like those any time soon out on the big main. Oy! Maybe one day they will minaturize the power plant to run off a hearing aid battery and a dallop of solar power hauling coal out of WY to all points of the USA. How bout that.
beaulieu wrote: Near the end of SW1500 production orders for Type A trucked examples had dwindled to none, and at the request of NdeM (Mexican National) EMD came up with a light roadswitcher variant of the SW1500 with a little more fuel capacity and space for a toilet , this model was called a SW1504 and 60 were built for NdeM it was equipped with the Blomberg road truck like most GP locomotives ( at least two are now operating in the US).
Near the end of SW1500 production orders for Type A trucked examples had dwindled to none, and at the request of NdeM (Mexican National) EMD came up with a light roadswitcher variant of the SW1500 with a little more fuel capacity and space for a toilet , this model was called a SW1504 and 60 were built for NdeM it was equipped with the Blomberg road truck like most GP locomotives ( at least two are now operating in the US).
Long Island Railroad used their MP15ACs in passenger service too. I don't recall if they were equipped with any sort of HEP, but I don't think they were.
LIRR had HEP cars made out of old Alco FA1s and FA2s at the time (later they made some more out of F7As and F9As). So that would mean the MP15ACs wouldn't need to have HEP... but I have some photographs I took of MP15ACs pulling passenger trains without an HEP car. Anyone else know how that worked?
Erie Lackawanna wrote:Long Island Railroad used their MP15ACs in passenger service too. I don't recall if they were equipped with any sort of HEP, but I don't think they were.LIRR had HEP cars made out of old Alco FA1s and FA2s at the time (later they made some more out of F7As and F9As). So that would mean the MP15ACs wouldn't need to have HEP... but I have some photographs I took of MP15ACs pulling passenger trains without an HEP car. Anyone else know how that worked?
The MP15AC replaced the FA cab cars, when working passenger services the locomotive provides HEP but no traction power, The alternators output is diverted.
For Gribble Siding, the SW1504s had no need for Steam Generators, Mexico hasn't had a significant amount of branchline passenger service for nearly 40 years, their various Geeps provided more than enough S/G capacity for the few passenger trains.
John Beaulieu
The MP15 variants have space for a toilet but I don't think anybody installed them.
J. Edgar wrote: bpickering wrote: The MP15, though, uses Blomberg trucks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_MP15DC) instead of Flexcoil, rendering it something more like a Road Switcher- capable of higher speeds. Brian Pickering MP15 usually came standard with the flexcoil trucks....they were the replacement trucks for the AAR type A trucks under most EMD switchers....Bloomberg trucks were an option for raods wanting more flexibility......
Edgar,
Brian is correct. No MP units were built with Flexicoil B trucks. Those only came on SW units. Blombergs were standard fare on the MP15DC and MP15AC units.
wow. those things on the flatcars are wind turbine parts? wind farms seem to be popping up everywhere. the eerie thing was this was about when i was thinking about why we dont seem to have too many of them when they're such a great source of electricity. they have to be popping up if trains keep hauling parts of them!
thanks for the answers to my questions, guys, it's been a great help. looks like the goats and gensets are becoming the norm now. but is it common for roads to use GP38-2s for yard switching and local wayfreights from the same yard? Altoona has 2 pairs of geeps that they use for kicking cars and locals.
i saw another green goat picture, and it looked much different. i heard it was built from an MP15's body. the nose was clearly higher. anyone know anything about these? it has a very ALCO RS look to it
Lord Atmo wrote:wow. those things on the flatcars are wind turbine parts? wind farms seem to be popping up everywhere. the eerie thing was this was about when i was thinking about why we dont seem to have too many of them when they're such a great source of electricity. they have to be popping up if trains keep hauling parts of them!thanks for the answers to my questions, guys, it's been a great help. looks like the goats and gensets are becoming the norm now. but is it common for roads to use GP38-2s for yard switching and local wayfreights from the same yard? Altoona has 2 pairs of geeps that they use for kicking cars and locals.
Yes, very common.
Don't confuse a Gen-set Switcher with a Green Goat. The Green Goat used batteries for its main power. A Gen-set Switcher uses two or three large off-road diesels (bulldozer motors) for power, with only as many as needed running. Even Railpower, the originator of the Green Goat, is now building Gen-set Switchers.
JB
Lord Atmo wrote: wow. those things on the flatcars are wind turbine parts? wind farms seem to be popping up everywhere. the eerie thing was this was about when i was thinking about why we dont seem to have too many of them when they're such a great source of electricity. they have to be popping up if trains keep hauling parts of them!thanks for the answers to my questions, guys, it's been a great help. looks like the goats and gensets are becoming the norm now. but is it common for roads to use GP38-2s for yard switching and local wayfreights from the same yard? Altoona has 2 pairs of geeps that they use for kicking cars and locals.i saw another green goat picture, and it looked much different. i heard it was built from an MP15's body. the nose was clearly higher. anyone know anything about these? it has a very ALCO RS look to it
I think you're thinking of the prototype of the NRE Gensets. It's a GS14B and is unique in that it's a center cab. The production Gensets from NRE are GS21Bs, have an offset cab (like most locomotives) and are built on brand new frames... not rebuilt like the GS14B was from an MP15.
It's a Dash 1 because it uses Dash 2 style modular electronics but has DC main generator. All Dash 2's have AC main generators.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Those battery powered switchers must be pretty quiet.
Anyone know what happened to the WC SW1500's?
Dan
cnw8835 wrote: C&NW had 25 at the peak but returned 4411-4425 to the leasor in March 1992.Conrail had 100 GP15's.UP now has right about 200 GP15's, 190 of them coming from Mopac (Both GP15-1's and GP15AC's)
GP15-1 production
CNW 4400-4424 25 4400-4410 are UPY 545-554, 4411-4424 are CFNR 100-111
CR 1600-1699 100 Split bwteen NS & CSX. NS is selling most of theirs
MP 1555-1714 160 Now UPY 555-714
SLSF 100-124 25 Now BNSF 1475-1499
GP15AC
MP 1715-1744 30 Now UPY 715-744
GP15T
C&O 1500-1524 25 Now CSX 1500-1524
AN 720-722 3
CNW 6000 wrote:Anyone know what happened to the WC SW1500's?
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.