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EMD And Wabtec - Current Supplier For Electric Motors?

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EMD And Wabtec - Current Supplier For Electric Motors?
Posted by JoeBlow on Sunday, March 24, 2024 7:58 AM

Who builds the electric traction motors for the current generation of EMD and Wabtec locomotives? Is this done inhouse, like both companies do with the diesel engines (Wabtec-Inhouse/EMD-Catipillar), or do they depend on outside suppliers?

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 9:01 AM

When I worked for EMD 72 years ago, they built their own DC  traction motors and generators.

Auxiliary smaller motors foir air-compressors, head-end power for suburban service, etc. were purchased.

This may have changed since.  Especially with AC technology.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 10:19 AM

To my knowledge, EMD built their alternators in-house from the beginning (AR-10?).  The first AC motors I remember on EMD power were on the 'white wonder' GM10B and they (like much of the other electrical gear) were outsourced from ASEA.

Be interesting to hear from Dave Goding on what was and wasn't built in-house as the AC 'revolution' proceeded into the MAC era.

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Posted by bogie_engineer on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 10:21 AM

Progress Rail/EMD builds all their motors in a factory in Mexico, San Luis Potosi, IIRC. Prior to that, the motors were built at EMD and then moved to Diesel Division in Canada after EMD closed the main plant building in LaGrange. Alternators were built in the Engine Plant building until recently in LaGrange, then moved with engine manufacture to a CAT plant.

Dave

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, March 29, 2024 11:49 PM

daveklepper

When I worked for EMD 72 years ago, they built their own DC  traction motors and generators.

Auxiliary smaller motors foir air-compressors, head-end power for suburban service, etc. were purchased.

This may have changed since.  Especially with AC technology.

 

 
It would seem with retirements and rebuilding DC traction locos to AC that new DC traction motors might become manufactured discontinued in builder's sales books?
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Posted by D.Carleton on Saturday, March 30, 2024 3:36 AM

Starting with EMD's MAC series traction motors and inverters were supplied by Siemens. The ACE series has this equipment supplied by MELCO. GE always built their own stuff.

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Posted by bogie_engineer on Saturday, March 30, 2024 9:24 AM

D.Carleton

Starting with EMD's MAC series traction motors and inverters were supplied by Siemens. The ACE series has this equipment supplied by MELCO. 

 

EMD built all the AC motors starting with the 70MAC in house in LaGrange, then London, ONT, now San Luis Potosi; not sure where the 60MAC motors were built. Melco and Siemens only supply the inverters. For Siemens, that included the entire inverter cabinet or cabinets plus a SIBAS inverter controller computer. Melco only supplies the inverter modules; EMD installs the inverters in the electrical locker it builds and controls the inverters with the EM2000 directly. The cost for the SD70ACe Melco inverters alone was less than 1/3 what Siemens charged for the inverters plus cabinet and SIBAS for the SD70MAC so it was a big cost savings to switch, along with more control over the system.

Dave

 

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Posted by D.Carleton on Saturday, March 30, 2024 1:35 PM

bogie_engineer
EMD built all the AC motors starting with the 70MAC in house in LaGrange, then London, ONT, now San Luis Potosi; not sure where the 60MAC motors were built. Melco and Siemens only supply the inverters. For Siemens, that included the entire inverter cabinet or cabinets plus a SIBAS inverter controller computer. Melco only supplies the inverter modules; EMD installs the inverters in the electrical locker it builds and controls the inverters with the EM2000 directly. The cost for the SD70ACe Melco inverters alone was less than 1/3 what Siemens charged for the inverters plus cabinet and SIBAS for the SD70MAC so it was a big cost savings to switch, along with more control over the system.

Dave

Okay. Did not know that. MACs had 1TB2830 TMs and ACes A3432 TMs. My assumption (oops) was those were manufacturers' numbers from separate vendors. So, why different TMs? And as for the cost difference, you get what you pay for. (Sorry. The chip in my neck still works sometimes.)

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Posted by bogie_engineer on Sunday, March 31, 2024 9:20 AM

SD70MAC's used the 1TB2630 motor, SD80/90MAC used the 1TB2830 motors, about 4" bigger in diameter requiring a new truck frame, hence the HTCR-II. Those are Siemens designations as they did the electrical design, but the mechanical design was a joint EMD-Siemens effort for both. When EMD moved to the 70ACe with the Melco inverters, we wanted a more capable motor than the 1TB2630, so designed a new motor about halfway in between in diameter, the A3432. Melco had no involvement in that motor design. For export locos, EMD has a range of motors with either the diameter of the 1TB26XX series or A34XX series in various core lengths to fit the gauge and power requirements.

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