E8 electrical drawings

[Anonymous]

Does anybody have a set of accurate electrical drawings of a working E8 locomotive with dynamic brakes that they would be willing to share?

Thanks!

[kenneo]

EMD won't supply any? Try the UP, they have2 A's and a B that fit your request. At one time, and I think still do, a Washington area commuter (VRE?) line ran former BN E's

[Anonymous]

I have a set of old EMD drawings for the unit that I have, but I believe that they were designed one way and the shop built and debugged them and the drawings were never updated to show any changes that the shop made. This was the custom at that time in many indusrties where you had extremeny capable construction forces.

The UP and VRE ideas are good.

[Anonymous]

Try Illinois Railway Museum's Strayhorn Library. Tel: [phone]

Rich Witt

[Overmod]

e-bob:

Can you tell us a bit more about this particular E8 -- build date, railroad, dates and contractors doing upgrades, etc.?

I believe the UP locomotives are E9s, and have had some wiring changes. Don't remember seeing VRE operate E8s -- but if they got 'em from the Midwest, they might have been later rebuilds (e.g., "E10s") with even more dramatic changes.

Are there particular areas of the wiring that are a focus of immediate interest? It might be easier to line up relevant sources if we know in advance which locomotives were 'closest' to the one you have, in the specific areas of interest...

I would check rather quickly with the folks in East Tennessee who are running excursions with three ex-NYC E8s (and presumably know how to restore and maintain them). I had the appropriate link, but have lost it in configuration changes somewhere... you guys can probably find and contact the appropriate people faster than I could run searches on it anyway...

[Overmod]

One other possibility (and I apologize in advance if you are actually it!)

The North Carolina Museum of Transportation has a Southern E8, equipped with dynamic brakes in 1957, which was recently overhauled by the Norfolk Southern System Assembly Shop in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They might have the appropriate drawings, or be able to modify or create appropriate material for you.

[daveklepper]

Have you tried contacting Amtrak? Don't laugh! Some time ago I wanted information on the SEPTA "Almond Joys" being phased out of Market Street El service to see if the bodies (stainless steel) could be recycled for the Tel Aviv subway, now to be light rail instead of heavy, nixing the idea completely, and it was through Amtrak that I got the drawings. They were happy to contact the right people at SEPTA! I think they would be happy to help you if they haven't discarded the drawings already . I doubt they have. I think Wilmington Shope and possibly Beech Grove still have them, and their people will be glad to help you. Dave Klepper

[Anonymous]

You might try the California State RR Museum. They have rebuilt an SP E-8 #6051 back to factory specs..

[Anonymous]

Gang,

The unit we have has the following data. The build date is around July of 1957. Its EMD number is #2063. It was built for the southern RWY. Virtually all of the wiring in the #1 & 2 control cabinets it is toast due to age and various fires and corrosion.

As far as contractors doing mods is concerned....who knows? I know the ICG owned it for a while. We obtained a set of drawings from them, but they were for the most basic, stripped down E8 ever built.

There is a 14" x 14" box of aftermarket electrical controls on the Fireman's side by the #1 engine. It has seven tube type resistors of various sizes in it, three rectifiers, one regular four contact control relay, and one EMD micro control reverse current relay p/n 8327263. There are 13 control wires that leave this box and go forward to the cab area. I've just sketched the box up and are in the process of trying to figure what it does.

Also someone added two multi-contact control relays: "PCRP" and "DA". These are in the #1 control cabinet. I can eventually figure out what they were for, but do they ring any bells with anybody?

I know these two items don't have anything to do with my original request, but these just came up.

Thanks,

E-bob