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QUOTE: Originally posted by James_the_Mad Other than the air intakes, the tunnel motors are mechanically identical to the SD40-2 & SD45-2. They were developed specifically to counter overheating problems experienced by the SP in long tunnels.
QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken EdBenton: Tunnel Motors shared a common frame with their straight SD40-2 and SD45-2 cousins, all that changed was the length of the hood.
QUOTE: Originally posted by CSSHEGEWISCH The low intakes for radiator air are hardly unique to the tunnel motors. GE designs from the U25B onward (and possibly earlier in Universal line export designs) all have a similar arrangement. Alco Century and M-line radiator arrangements are similar. The rear end of the tunnel motors also look like they were borrowed from any number of EMD export locomotives.
QUOTE: Originally posted by NscaleMike Here is a "Snoot" nosed version, lettered for the Cotton Belt... Would the frame be the same length as a regular T-Motor?
QUOTE: Originally posted by James_the_Mad Ooookay, looks like The Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide got this one wrong, not Wikipedia. Turns out, the tunnel motors are approximately 2' longer: http://www.trainweb.org/utahrails/drgw/locolength.html So it looks like they used the longer SD40A frame after all. Hmm, that just opened up a couple of possibilities. Since the frames are nearly identical, I wonder how hard it would be to cobble up an SDP45? [(-D]
QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates The tunnel motor design had nothing to do with the location of hot exhaust gasses while inside the tunnels. It was all about their ability to cool down faster while between tunnels. Former EMD guru Jack Wheelihan covered this in an earlier issue of trains magazine. with the force of exhaust flow and the air turbulance caused by the trains movement inside the tunnel, the fact that 'heat rises" is not by itself sufficient to keep the heat stagnated near the top of the passageway.
QUOTE: Originally posted by equinox if that is true then what is the design advantage of the tunnel motor configuration
QUOTE: Originally posted by fuzzybroken :About the only limitation would be the Flexicoil vs. HTC truck, as well as truck/wheelbase spacing. Then again, if you can live with the differences (if any), then you're good to go!
QUOTE: Originally posted by cpbloom Ok I got an add-on question. Are GP15-1s similar to tunnel motors or are they similar only in looks?
QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding QUOTE: Originally posted by cpbloom Ok I got an add-on question. Are GP15-1s similar to tunnel motors or are they similar only in looks? Are you saying similar, because the intakes for the radiators are down low?
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
QUOTE: Originally posted by chad thomas What it boils down to is the 40-45 series locomotives cooling system was insufficient for the conditions in snowsheds and tunnels. The tunnel motors were a "band aid" for the insufficiency of those.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding QUOTE: Originally posted by chad thomas What it boils down to is the 40-45 series locomotives cooling system was insufficient for the conditions in snowsheds and tunnels. The tunnel motors were a "band aid" for the insufficiency of those. Did others EMD units up untill then not have that problem?
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