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SD70ACe-T4 - does EMD actually have a T4 locomotive?

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 5:59 PM

BOB WITHORN

September 2015 issue of Railway Age on page 36 is a Progress Rail Services advertizement for an SD70ACe-T4 locomotive featuring an EMD 12 cylinder 1010 engine, AC traction, etc, etc.  What gives? Guess I've been in a fog or something, thought they were way behind GE?

They are.  GE is delivering production T4 engines to multiple carriers as we speak.

EMD is projecting 2017 for their T4 locomotive deliveries.

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Posted by NorthWest on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 8:51 PM

First I had heard that the new engine was going to be the 1010. Interesting.

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Posted by GDRMCo on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 5:29 AM

ML

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Posted by carnej1 on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 11:32 AM

NorthWest

First I had heard that the new engine was going to be the 1010. Interesting.

 

I'm not surprised that they are marketing the 265-H derivative with a new engine series name.

After all, GE chose to name their HDL evolved engine the GEVO series rather than an calling it an "HDL plus" or whatever..

After all both the HDL and 265 series engines were not widely accepted by the railroad industry, at least in North America.

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Posted by GDRMCo on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 12:08 PM

They've not changed the name of the locomotive tho, a 4-stroke SD70? Never...

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Posted by carnej1 on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 2:30 PM

GDRMCo

They've not changed the name of the locomotive tho, a 4-stroke SD70? Never...

 

A continuation of EMD's campaign to befuddle railfans; after all the SD75 model was superceded by SD70 variants with the same power rating...I agree though, it really should be an SD89Ace except what if they rated the engine at 4300 HP rather than 4500? Would that make it an SD88?

 

 

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Posted by GDRMCo on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 2:51 PM
It'd be rated at 4500hp....

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Posted by NorthWest on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 5:36 PM

I'm not either, I am just interested in whether or not the 1010 represents the cylinder displacement in the new prime mover.

Regarding designation, EMD sort of put themselves in a tight spot. 80 and 90 series models were built, and they probably don't want to go to the 100 series, so 70 it stays.

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Posted by Wizlish on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 6:09 PM

Yes, 1010 is the (metric dimensions for inch volumetrics - thanks, Peter!) cylinder displacement.  Give me some time and I'll look up the bore and stroke for you (but someone who knows the tech blindfolded will beat me to it).

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Posted by M636C on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 7:08 PM
Wizlish wrote the following post an hour ago:

Yes, 1010 is the (metric) cylinder displacement.  Give me some time and I'll look up the bore and stroke for you (but someone who knows the tech blindfolded will beat me to it).

My recollection is that the 265 was 265 bore (of course) by 300 stroke

That gives 16543 cubic centimetres = 1009.51 cubic inches....

So it is a 265 in one respect...

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Posted by NorthWest on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 9:37 PM

Thanks, guys, for the information.

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Posted by LensCapOn on Thursday, September 10, 2015 9:59 AM

But, But, Does CAT know anything about 4-Stroke engines?

 

 

 

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Posted by owlsroost on Thursday, September 10, 2015 11:02 AM
I didn't think they made any other sort (the main part of CAT that is, not EMD) Smile
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Posted by carnej1 on Thursday, September 10, 2015 11:21 AM

GDRMCo
It'd be rated at 4500hp....
 

Is there a source for that?

I ask because the GEVO engine could technically have had a 4500 HP rating (the 16 cylinder version is rated between 5800-6000 HP depending on settings) but GE rated it at 4400 HP.

 Also there seem to be a few questions on this thread about whether ot not the 1010 is a "clean sheet of paper" desing but industry sources like "Railway Age" have clearly reported that it is derived from the 265H engine.

 Of course the GE GEVO has significant improvements compared the earlier HDL it was developed from, enough thet the manufacturer marketed it as a new engine line. So it makes sense that EMD is persuing a similiar strategy with the 1010.

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Posted by caldreamer on Thursday, September 10, 2015 1:12 PM

Does anyone know what the SD70ACe-T4 locomotive will look like?  Will it look likethe non tier 4 SD70ACe's or will it be completly different?

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Posted by timz on Thursday, September 10, 2015 2:55 PM

carnej1
whether ot not the 1010 is a "clean sheet of paper" desing

Is everyone agreed it's 265 mm bore and 300 mm stroke? Was the 265 the same?

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Thursday, September 10, 2015 3:19 PM

caldreamer

Does anyone know what the SD70ACe-T4 locomotive will look like?  Will it look likethe non tier 4 SD70ACe's or will it be completly different?

Only an insider might have an idea at this time, but I'd say it's safe to assume that it will have a family resemblance to what they were producing before Tier 4.

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Posted by NorthWest on Thursday, September 10, 2015 5:10 PM

I expect the same cab, same trucks, same aux cab and inverter box, same fuel tank, and modified radiator and long hood.

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Posted by caldreamer on Thursday, September 10, 2015 5:15 PM

That was what I was thinking.  Very similar to lwhat the GE Gevo's and the T4's are.  Very similar, bu not exactly the same.

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Thursday, September 10, 2015 7:10 PM
Ugh, what a dumb name. Didn't we already hear that it was going to be the 1010 engine in the other EMD T4 thread?
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Posted by GDRMCo on Thursday, September 10, 2015 7:53 PM

According to insiders it'll have a new wide cab, the 4th (well 5th) new wide cab on an EMD since the first SD70.

 

Also, all CAT makes for the most part are 4-stroke engines....

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Posted by M636C on Thursday, September 10, 2015 7:57 PM
timz wrote the following post 4 hours ago:
 
carnej1
whether ot not the 1010 is a "clean sheet of paper" design

 

Is everyone agreed it's 265 mm bore and 300 mm stroke? Was the 265 the same?

 
All I said was that the 265H displaced 1010 cubic inches per cylinder...
 
The GEVO is 250 x 320, so about 953 cubic inches per cylinder...
 
But GE kept the bore and stroke of the HDL when they developed the GEVO, concentrating on detail changes to improve the performance, reliability and fuel economy.
 
The published photo of the EMD engine showed an engine that appeared to be based on the 265H, in that it retained the cross flow head. The big flat intercoolers that hadn't been a success have gone, replaced by cylindrical air ducts. The turbocharger had changed ends and appeared to sit above intercoolers and exhaust gas coolers for Exhaust Gas Recirculation (both these features appear on the GE Marine V250 and probably on the T4 Gevo).
 
The 265H had a cast engine crankcase, and this basic casting could be reused on the 1010 with minor changes. The individual cylinder heads on the 1010 (if that's what we've seen) look a bit like those on the smaller Cat C175, suggesting influence in that aspect of design.
 
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Posted by timz on Friday, September 11, 2015 2:21 PM

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Posted by M636C on Sunday, September 13, 2015 7:34 AM

timz

 

 
M636C
GEVO is 270 x 320

 

250 by 320, you mean?

Indeed I did... Post edited to remove typo...

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Posted by CPM500 on Monday, September 14, 2015 7:55 PM

The photo shown in TRAINS is a 'test mule.'

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Posted by M636C on Monday, September 14, 2015 9:56 PM
CPM500 wrote the following post 1 hours ago:

The photo shown in TRAINS is a 'test mule.'

But I think that "mule" is testing the C175 for the F125, not the 1010 for the SD70ACe-T4...
 
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Posted by GDRMCo on Monday, September 14, 2015 10:15 PM
There's 2 mules, 1 with the F125 engine and the other has the 1010J.

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Posted by bcrnfan on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 8:38 AM

There's no such thing as a 'wide cab'.

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 9:58 AM

bcrnfan

There's no such thing as a 'wide cab'.

There is when compared to a narrow cab.

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Posted by flare40x on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 10:31 AM

BaltACD

 

 
BOB WITHORN

September 2015 issue of Railway Age on page 36 is a Progress Rail Services advertizement for an SD70ACe-T4 locomotive featuring an EMD 12 cylinder 1010 engine, AC traction, etc, etc.  What gives? Guess I've been in a fog or something, thought they were way behind GE?

 

They are.  GE is delivering production T4 engines to multiple carriers as we speak.

EMD is projecting 2017 for their T4 locomotive deliveries.

 Yes, and the prototype they're fielding this year is based on the four-cycle 265H engine, not the aged 710.

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Posted by flare40x on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 10:33 AM

Presumably the "1010" is the reworked 265H, based on experience with 300 JT56ACe's in China.  Has the same displacement.

 

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Posted by beaulieu on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 11:17 AM

First SD70ACe-T4 now exists and is on its way to Minneapolis for the RSIA show. Unfortuneately the locomotive is tarped so no good photographs until the show opens. Routing is NS from Muncie to Chicago, then BNSF to Minneapolis. The large exhibits were on display at BNSF's Northtown Yard in previous shows.

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Posted by M636C on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 6:59 PM
flare40x wrote the following post 8 hours ago:

Presumably the "1010" is the reworked 265H, based on experience with 300 JT56ACe's in China.  Has the same displacement.

As I think I mentioned earlier, the cylinder heads and the intake ducts look a bit like the C175, which is itself the first big CAT engine with cross flow heads. So the "rework" does appear to make use of years of CAT development of four stroke engines, as well as EMD's experience with locomotive engines and the 265 itself.

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Saturday, October 3, 2015 2:41 PM

GDRMCo

According to insiders it'll have a new wide cab, the 4th (well 5th) new wide cab on an EMD since the first SD70.

 

 

 

 

I'm thinking they'll keep the current wide nose, but rake the windshield area of the cab like the SD70M/MAC. Alot of crews can't stand the current ACe cab even with the isolated option. They should've called the new locomotive,SD45ACeBig Smile Since it will be rated at 4500HP.

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Saturday, October 3, 2015 3:45 PM

Just found this. Here's the newest EMD ad from the 10/15 issue of RailwayAge.

Here's the link it's on page 56.

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Posted by Lyon_Wonder on Saturday, October 3, 2015 7:02 PM

I guess EMD's keeping the SD70ACe name for marketing reasons, even though a SD70ACe-T4 has about as much in common with a 710-powered SD70ACe as an ES44AC has with an AC44CW.

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Posted by ottergoose on Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:09 AM

I'm sure we'll get a better look in a few hours, but I was able to grab a couple of shots of 1501 here in Minneapolis sans tarp last night: https://flic.kr/p/yst52K

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Posted by NorthWest on Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:49 AM

Thank you!

It is really strange that EMD is going back to teardrop windshields. As I recall many of the railroads became sick of finding replacements. The cab is similar to the meter gauge SD70ACes demonstrators built in Brazil. The radiator appears to be a modified SD80ACe radiator, but I can't quite count the radiator fans.

 

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Posted by SD70M-2Dude on Sunday, October 4, 2015 10:21 AM

The teardrop windshields really do make a difference in the crew's visibility, especially when the engineer is watching for the conductor to get on or off.  Hopefully they've redesigined the cab a bit too, the phase II cab sucks with a tiny desk and nowhere to store all the paperwork.  Then again, as long as it's a whispercab I can probably live with whatever else they've thrown in there. 

I'm also curious about how it sounds, IIRC the 265 sounded similar to a GEVO with quite a pronounced chugging, which being a 4-stroke makes perfect sense.

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Sunday, October 4, 2015 11:34 AM

Thanks Ottergoose for the pics. I figured that's what the cab would be like.

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Posted by ottergoose on Sunday, October 4, 2015 11:37 AM

Here's the official intro from EMD / Progress Rail:

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Sunday, October 4, 2015 11:56 AM

Thanks again for posting the promo. Hmm the castings on the HTCR have took on a European look?! Looks like the exhaust is routed toward the front of the unit. Lets see how this unit performs in tunnels.

SD70ACe-T4 brochure

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Posted by owlsroost on Sunday, October 4, 2015 1:18 PM

Interesting that the brochure only talks of 'Individual Axle Control' so presumably this is the end for the traditional 'per truck' EMD traction control.

Also it refers to 'bogies' not 'trucks' - curious for a home-market locomotive brochure.

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, October 4, 2015 1:35 PM

ottergoose

Here's the official intro from EMD / Progress Rail:

 

3 mins 42 seconds of all the buzz words you can apply.

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Posted by ValorStorm on Sunday, October 4, 2015 2:01 PM

SD70ACe-T4 reveal is online today (4 Oct 2015) on Progress Rail's Youtube channel.

Tags: SD70ACe-T4
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Posted by CPM500 on Sunday, October 4, 2015 5:23 PM
Bogies, or truck frames if you like, are of fabricated construction like the Krupp/Siemens/Vossloh 2 motor passenger truck.
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Posted by LensCapOn on Sunday, October 4, 2015 8:42 PM

EMD/CAT have a lot riding on this.

 

I like the new cab on the vision thing.

 

Some of those workers look like they could lose a few pounds (to keep my healthcare costs down)

 

Good luck to them. (since I like seeing more than just GE's...)

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Posted by NorthWest on Sunday, October 4, 2015 8:51 PM

The new cab is growing on me the more I look at it. Hopefully the units are reliable and sucessful.

The fabricated instead of cast radial truck does still look strange to my eye.

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Posted by Wizlish on Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:55 PM

Thereis a brief, but pretty clear, view of the 1010 engine a couple of minutes in.

According to a post to LocoNotes, this locomotive won't have the Whispercab, but the engine and generator will be resiliently mounted.  May be interesting to see how that works out.

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Posted by NorthWest on Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:58 PM

That is how GE has done it in their locomotives. There has been concern with isolated cabs breaking off of the locomotive frame in crashes, and this is no doubt an attempt to fix this.

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Posted by carnej1 on Monday, October 5, 2015 11:20 AM

owlsroost

Interesting that the brochure only talks of 'Individual Axle Control' so presumably this is the end for the traditional 'per truck' EMD traction control.

Also it refers to 'bogies' not 'trucks' - curious for a home-market locomotive brochure.

 

EMD has been working on going to an inverter for each traction motor system similiar to General Electric's for several years now.

 They built 4 demonstrators so equipped called SD70acE-P6s which were bought by Canadian National and then an order of SD70ACe-P4s (with 4 rather than 6 traction motors in 1-B three axle trucks) for BNSF.

 

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Posted by rdamon on Monday, October 5, 2015 11:52 AM

I like the return of the angled windshields.

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Posted by oltmannd on Monday, October 5, 2015 2:50 PM

BaltACD

 

 
ottergoose

Here's the official intro from EMD / Progress Rail:

 

 

 

3 mins 42 seconds of all the buzz words you can apply.

 

Wait!  It's not a locomotive, it's a "business solution"!

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Posted by Lyon_Wonder on Monday, October 5, 2015 7:24 PM

The SD70ACE-T4's cab with the teardrop windows reminds of UP's late phase SD70Ms, which too combined a SD70ACE-style nose with teardrop windows.

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, October 5, 2015 10:26 PM

Lyon_Wonder

I guess EMD's keeping the SD70ACe name for marketing reasons, even though a SD70ACe-T4 has about as much in common with a 710-powered SD70ACe as an ES44AC has with an AC44CW.

This has the potential for a lot of confusion down the road. The machanic sees the locomotive parked and blued for its 92, assembles the appropriate filters and other parts, opens the doors only to find it's not what he was expecting which means more time spent collecting the right stuff. It happens enough with what is already out there.
 
There had been a SD89MAC prototype. Strange they didn't keep with the tradition and dub this as SD89ACe. Then again they may be trying to distance themselves from the SD90 series.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 6:46 AM

The model designation may not be that much of an issue if the owning railroad numbers them in a different series from its other SD70 iterations.

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 7:49 AM

If the company mechanical personnel are looking at the manufacturers model identification of a locomotive to plan their work they area in the wrong line of work.  Follow the company's own identification, not the manufacturers.  My carrier has 20 years worth of GE AC's that have been recieved in different batches over the years - I am certain each batch received has different details that require different service techniques from their predecessors.

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Posted by D.Carleton on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 9:42 AM

BaltACD

If the company mechanical personnel are looking at the manufacturers model identification of a locomotive to plan their work they area in the wrong line of work. 

A lot of them are...

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Posted by carnej1 on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 11:22 AM

GDRMCo
It'd be rated at 4500hp....
 

Per the EMD factsheet on the model posted in another reply in this thread the locomotive's power available for traction is 4400 HP. So it's 100 HP less than he SD89MAC (undoubtedly due to engine settings to meet Tier IV) but 100 HP More than the SD70ACe/SD70M-2.

 So should the model number SD88Acet-4 or SD71xxxxx?????????? Proof of Cat/Progress/EMD's insidious plot to confuse us poor railfans...

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Posted by nfotis on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 2:43 PM

I wonder, will the 'new' engine fit inside existing 710G-equipped locomotives as an upgrade?

For a start, this is a 12-cylinder engine, while the equivalent 710G was 16-cylinder. And I suspect that the engine block will be taller.

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Posted by GDRMCo on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 6:30 PM

Likely not, but then again it might if they sell a version of it without all the Tier 4 appliances.

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Posted by M636C on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 11:37 PM
nfotis wrote the following post 8 hours ago:

I wonder, will the 'new' engine fit inside existing 710G-equipped locomotives as an upgrade?

For a start, this is a 12-cylinder engine, while the equivalent 710G was 16-cylinder. And I suspect that the engine block will be taller.

N.F.

The engine block itself won't be any taller than the 265H, and the 265H engine SD90MAC had a lower engine hood than the version with the 710G3. However as seen from Fortescue Metals, the 710G3 fitted under the lower 265H hood.
 
The SD70ACe-T4 has a tall engine hood, and until I find out more, I assume that this is associated with the exhaust ducting required by what appear to be three turbochargers mounted in a triangular arrangement and a large duct that may contain some type of particulate filter.
 
But the early GE prototypes had a taller hood than the production ET44 units, and this might be to provide more room for access and test equipment on what are more or less experimental locomotives.
 
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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Thursday, October 8, 2015 8:52 AM

Looks as if EMD rushed their tier 4 unit. GE will still be the leader as it's unit requires no exhaust aftertreament. EMD's unit does have a diesel particulate filter. The three turbochargers, compared to GE's twin turbo setup, will see how that turns out in the overall maintenance of the unit. EMD's unit will require somewhat higher maintenance cost, and a slight fuel loss compared to GE's unit. Plus those fabricated trucks while used in lighter axle loadings, could be a problem in heavy haul service. I don't see those welds holding up for long. Thats just my observation, facts will tell us later. 

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Thursday, October 8, 2015 10:44 AM

Wait, when did the GEVO lose the DPF unit?

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Thursday, October 8, 2015 3:39 PM

Here a link to GE's transportation website YoHo1975. Yes there's no DPF on the GE's tier 4. Now the first prototype released in 2012 I believe had DPF, but due to continued r&d at GE they were able to optimize internal temperature and firing pressure at which most particulates wouldn't form. Hence they were able to meet the PM requirements of tier 4 emissions without DPF.

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Posted by GDRMCo on Thursday, October 8, 2015 9:02 PM

The fabricated trucks will hold up just fine, ask nearly every railroad outside the US running high axle loads on fabricated trucks....LKABs IOREs for one.

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Posted by M636C on Friday, October 9, 2015 5:36 AM

SD60MAC9500

Here a link to GE's transportation website YoHo1975. Yes there's no DPF on the GE's tier 4. Now the first prototype released in 2012 I believe had DPF, but due to continued r&d at GE they were able to optimize internal temperature and firing pressure at which most particulates wouldn't form, hence they were able to meet the PM requirements of tier 4 emissions.

 
That would explain the tall engine hood on the earlier GE prototypes and that on EMD 1501 now, of course. I note that the GE leaflets explain may of the things I had to work out from photographs...
 
However it was drawn to my attention that to achieve the particulate standard without a filter that ultra-low sulphur fuel is required. This is specified in the GE documentation. I would guess that such fuel would command a premium price and that might have influenced EMD's choice to go with or without a filter (always assuming that's what it is...)
 
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Posted by Wizlish on Friday, October 9, 2015 10:57 PM

M636C
However it was drawn to my attention that to achieve the particulate standard without a filter that ultra-low sulphur fuel is required. This is specified in the GE documentation. I would guess that such fuel would command a premium price and that might have influenced EMD's choice to go with or without a filter (always assuming that's what it is...)

I believe production cost for commercial ULSD is 4 to 5 cents higher per gallon, and even if profit margins for the fuel 'as marketed' were higher, the cost would be passed along as a surcharge or even constitute a little 'profit center' as the runaway price increases a couple of years ago did.

It was my understanding the ULSD was mandated for locomotives either in 2010 or 2012, but certainly by now.

It is likepulling teeth to get a straight answer about how ULSD actually reduces nanoparticulates.  In at least one respect itprobably hampers this -- its lubricosity is lower in the precise fuel injectors needed for high-pressure pilot injection, leading to a need for relatively expensive additives.  Of course in the days of diesel oxidation catalysts, the fuel sulfur was selectively oxidized to SO2 or SO3 (remember acid rain?) but this is something different.  Out of a wide range of sources that did little more than make claims or handwave, I found a couple of references indicating that sulfur interfered with promotion of NO to NO2 in the plume, and NO2 being highly oxidative was critical in reducing nanoparticulates 'quickly enough' to matter.  I am not quite sure this is accurate chemistry..

Something that might be of interest is that a considerable amount of the nanoparticulates originate in crankcase emissions rather than exhaust.  Conventional filtration in the absence of PCV does not filter much of this out, and it seems to me  that about the only practical approach here is (as with PCV) to 'pyrolyze' the crankcase emissions by passing them in with the charge air (it remains to see if they would have promoting effect; I can't find references that say unequivocally that investigators have looked for that).

I still find it amazing that no one seems to be commenting on  how close everyone (specifically including Progress/EMD) came to meeting Tier 4 Final NOx standards without SCR-urea ... no more than 1 or 2 tenths of a percent!  Why there was no organized lobbying or effort to emend what Istrongly suspect were politically-chosen target numbers, I can't say -- an analogy was the imposition of 55 mph as a 'national speed limit' when trucks were proven to be more efficient at around 62.5 mph ... the very logical thing at the time being to implement a nice round "100 kph" number (yes, I know it ought to be km/h) and kill two birds with one stone. 

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Posted by BILLY HUNTER on Saturday, October 10, 2015 11:06 AM

[quote user="BOB WITHORN"]

September 2015 issue of Railway Age on page 36 is a Progress Rail Services advertizement for an SD70ACe-T4 locomotive featuring an EMD 12 cylinder 1010 engine, AC traction, etc, etc.  What gives? Guess I've been in a fog or something, thought they were way behind GE?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQQ-p_eXDKM

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Saturday, October 10, 2015 11:29 AM

GDRMCo

The fabricated trucks will hold up just fine, ask nearly every railroad outside the US running high axle loads on fabricated trucks....LKABs IOREs for one.

 

 

Yeah true. The IORE units are the heaviest in Europe I believe at 180,000 KG (396,000 lbs). We'll see though in service. I wish EMD took more of an approach to testing units like GE. Get a large group of pre-production units in the field a year prior to work out most teething problems before production.

Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!
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Posted by NorthWest on Saturday, October 10, 2015 12:32 PM

SD60MAC9500
Looks as if EMD rushed their tier 4 unit. GE will still be the leader as it's unit requires no exhaust aftertreament. EMD's unit does have a diesel particulate filter. The three turbochargers, compared to GE's twin turbo setup, will see how that turns out in the overall maintenance of the unit. EMD's unit will require somewhat higher maintenance cost, and a slight fuel loss compared to GE's unit.

This is not the final product, which EMD apparently expects to have on the road in the third quarter of 2016. The locomotive is a testbed similar to the GE blue units (I am blanking on their designation now) and will undoubtably see many changes during the year or so these are in road testing. The final product may be very different.

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Posted by CPM500 on Saturday, October 10, 2015 5:38 PM

Nfotis....

Why would the new engine be considered an upgrade ? If not for the EPA, most railroads would have continued to purchase 710 powered locomotives.

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Posted by M636C on Saturday, October 10, 2015 8:07 PM

Clearly 1501 won't be the only prototype, just the first publically revealed.

Having got my copy of Locomotive 2015 on Friday, I noticed a photo of a blue GE prototype numbered 2041.

While a bit off topic for this thread, how many of these GE prototypes are there and what are their numbers (in order to compare with the EMD prototypes when we know more about them.)

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Posted by NorthWest on Saturday, October 10, 2015 9:02 PM

I think that there are 23, numbered 2021-2043. GE apparently designated them as ES44A6s, though that may just be a rumor. It will be interesting to see what will eventually happen to them. Some are still on the road.

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Posted by GDRMCo on Saturday, October 10, 2015 11:37 PM
The GE Demos are ES44A6 on the builders plate, what the A6 bit means I have no idea.

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, October 11, 2015 4:57 PM

GDRMCo
The GE Demos are ES44A6 on the builders plate, what the A6 bit means I have no idea.

I suspect 6 AC traction motors, as opposed to 4.

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Posted by noemdfan on Monday, October 12, 2015 4:57 PM

GDRMCo

They've not changed the name of the locomotive tho, a 4-stroke SD70? Never...

 

 

 In the name "SD-70ACe-T4," "T4" is short for Tier-4 (final or "B") Emissions

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Posted by erikem on Monday, October 12, 2015 10:59 PM

Wizlish

 I still find it amazing that no one seems to be commenting on  how close everyone (specifically including Progress/EMD) came to meeting Tier 4 Final NOx standards without SCR-urea ... no more than 1 or 2 tenths of a percent!  Why there was no organized lobbying or effort to emend what Istrongly suspect were politically-chosen target numbers, I can't say -- an analogy was the imposition of 55 mph as a 'national speed limit' when trucks were proven to be more efficient at around 62.5 mph ... the very logical thing at the time being to implement a nice round "100 kph" number (yes, I know it ought to be km/h) and kill two birds with one stone. 

It does bring up a question of whether anyone in the appropriate regulatory agencies thought about the tradeoffs involved with emissions reductions rather than just assuming that locomotive sales would not be affected by the price increase and increased operating cost associated with Tier 4. I suspect a Tier 3.5 would have resulted in lower emissions overall as there would be less of a disincentive to buy new locomotives to replace old Tier 0 units.

I did have a bit of an awakening with respect to NOx regulations. The water heater sprung a major leak a few weeks back, did a bit of on-line research into water heaters and saw a note about not being in an area that required ultra-low NOx water heaters. Just hope the ultra-low NOx technology doesn't result in what happened with low NOx burners on furnaces. There were a number of house fires attributed to the NOx control design, though don't remember any reports of fatalities.

 - Erik

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 11:36 AM

NorthWest

 

 
SD60MAC9500
Looks as if EMD rushed their tier 4 unit. GE will still be the leader as it's unit requires no exhaust aftertreament. EMD's unit does have a diesel particulate filter. The three turbochargers, compared to GE's twin turbo setup, will see how that turns out in the overall maintenance of the unit. EMD's unit will require somewhat higher maintenance cost, and a slight fuel loss compared to GE's unit.

 

This is not the final product, which EMD apparently expects to have on the road in the third quarter of 2016. The locomotive is a testbed similar to the GE blue units (I am blanking on their designation now) and will undoubtably see many changes during the year or so these are in road testing. The final product may be very different.

 

There may be some incremental changes, but you're pretty much looking at the final product.

Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!
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Posted by NorthWest on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 5:37 PM

EMD may find a way to eliminate DPF as well if road testing proves it is possible. We shall see what happens.

Walk through article:

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/trade-shows/take-a-tour-of-emds-sd70ace-t4.html?channel=492&Itemid=502

 

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 10:09 PM

NorthWest

EMD may find a way to eliminate DPF as well if road testing proves it is possible. We shall see what happens.

Walk through article:

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/trade-shows/take-a-tour-of-emds-sd70ace-t4.html?channel=492&Itemid=502

 

 

I hope they do...even if they don't. It's a small penalty if they can't find a solution to eliminate the DPF. GE will always have that slight edge requiring no aftertreatment at all. EMD needs a renaissance. Whether this happens under Progress Rail remains to be seen. I noticed Wizlish in the earlier post commented about crankcase emissions, and what he said's true. Majority of particulate develops in the crankcase. Perhaps GE took notice of this, and developed a way to "pyrolyze" the PM. Hence, with the additon of other internal improvments requiring no DPF.

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Posted by BILLY HUNTER on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 2:14 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUsg2s0vcAA

BOB WITHORN

September 2015 issue of Railway Age on page 36 is a Progress Rail Services advertizement for an SD70ACe-T4 locomotive featuring an EMD 12 cylinder 1010 engine, AC traction, etc, etc.  What gives? Guess I've been in a fog or something, thought they were way behind GE?

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 5:56 PM

BILLY HUNTER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUsg2s0vcAA

BOB WITHORN

September 2015 issue of Railway Age on page 36 is a Progress Rail Services advertizement for an SD70ACe-T4 locomotive featuring an EMD 12 cylinder 1010 engine, AC traction, etc, etc.  What gives? Guess I've been in a fog or something, thought they were way behind GE?

Poor EMD guy couldn't speak into the microphone consistantly.

Yes they are behind GE - GE's production locomotives are currently being delivered to the carriers and are actively pulling tonnage.  EMD is still in the testing stage.

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Posted by GDRMCo on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 7:20 PM
EMD guy is an engineer not a salesperson or PR rep.

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Posted by M636C on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 8:54 PM
Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 5:56 PM
 
 

 

Poor EMD guy couldn't speak into the microphone consistently.

Yes they are behind GE - GE's production locomotives are currently being delivered to the carriers and are actively pulling tonnage.  EMD is still in the testing stage.

I' d say they were at the demonstration stage rather than testing. Showing 1501 would be an invitation for roads to ask for a few locomotives to try, and maybe reserve some production places for 2017. The same as GE were when the blue units appeared. They are still testing. but it will be testing on the road, which GE are still doing. Realistically they are a year or so behind GE in getting locomotives for sale.

But there is a lot of new design in both units and either could be more successful technically, we just need to wait and see. GE have redesigned their EVO engine again and EMD have an in house design engine with a lot of Caterpillar input.

I notice that the cab appeared first on the demonstrator eight axle units in Brazil, as illustrated in a couple of issues of Trains recently.

I think Swenson was one of the EMD engineers I met on the first road trials of the Australian GT46C-ACe some years ago in Victoria.

M636C

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Posted by caldreamer on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 9:39 PM

EMD had said that the first production models will not be out until the fourth quarter of 2016.  Just like GE, they will be sending the demonstrators on the road to test for tier 4 compliance and pulling ability on all types of trains in all possible terrain conditions.  GE's tier 4 units had some early teething problems which they worked out.  I expect the same may be true for the EMD units once they start pulling trains.  U expect to see them on the road by years end.

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Posted by M636C on Thursday, October 15, 2015 11:28 PM

Having read through the details on the GE website, it seems that while GE superficially appear to be making fewer changes to their Tier 4 locomotive compared to EMD, who have an engine with a new designation, the changes to the GE are pretty dramatic...

New engine crankcase, 8" longer and 7000 lb heavier. New crankshaft with larger bearings. New Power Assemblies with relocated injectors. New two stage turbochargers.

If that was an Alco it would have a new designation. Nearly as many changes as from a 244 to a 251....

Of course there are substantial changes from the 265 to the 1010, maybe more than in the GE engine, but EMD admit they are making a major change, since their previous engine was the 710G.

This is the second set of major changes that GE have made to the engine since it was called the HDL. I wondered if the GEVO was less susceptible to fatigue cracking in the crankcase compared to the FDL. If the Tier 4 GEVO is substantially heavier and bigger, I guess the answer to the question for the previous GEVO engine version was "no, not less susceptible".

I wonder if EMD have addressed this problem in the 1010. The 265s in the USA didn't run long enough to give fatigue problems in the crankcase...

EMD at least designed the 265 (and the 1010) themselves and it has still a number of FDL features not in the GEVO.

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Posted by carnej1 on Friday, October 16, 2015 11:18 AM

M636C

 

EMD at least designed the 265 (and the 1010) themselves and it has still a number of FDL features not in the GEVO.

M636C

 

I'm confused?

What features does the 1010 engine share with the GE FDL (other than being a 4 cycle medium speed engine)?

 Also as far as EMD designing the 265 and 1010 themselves are you referring to GE's partnership with Deutz? That partnership was dissolved before the GEVO was introduced.

 Many would argue that Cat/Progress/EMD is a diffferent entity than GM/EMD. Cat seems to have had a lot of input in the 1010 design process. You can refer to earlier posts in the thread where the point was made that the 1010 draws on Cat C280 series engine technology as well as the design of the 265H......

"I Often Dream of Trains"-From the Album of the Same Name by Robyn Hitchcock

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Friday, October 16, 2015 2:09 PM

SD60MAC9500

 

 
NorthWest

 

 
SD60MAC9500
Looks as if EMD rushed their tier 4 unit. GE will still be the leader as it's unit requires no exhaust aftertreament. EMD's unit does have a diesel particulate filter. The three turbochargers, compared to GE's twin turbo setup, will see how that turns out in the overall maintenance of the unit. EMD's unit will require somewhat higher maintenance cost, and a slight fuel loss compared to GE's unit.

 

This is not the final product, which EMD apparently expects to have on the road in the third quarter of 2016. The locomotive is a testbed similar to the GE blue units (I am blanking on their designation now) and will undoubtably see many changes during the year or so these are in road testing. The final product may be very different.

 

 

 

There may be some incremental changes, but you're pretty much looking at the final product.

 

Uh, why would you believe this?

 

It's the first prototype unit just like GE's prototype units were prototypes.

The idea that this is final product makes zero sense based on the literature put out and history.

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Friday, October 16, 2015 2:15 PM

erikem

 

 
Wizlish

 I still find it amazing that no one seems to be commenting on  how close everyone (specifically including Progress/EMD) came to meeting Tier 4 Final NOx standards without SCR-urea ... no more than 1 or 2 tenths of a percent!  Why there was no organized lobbying or effort to emend what Istrongly suspect were politically-chosen target numbers, I can't say -- an analogy was the imposition of 55 mph as a 'national speed limit' when trucks were proven to be more efficient at around 62.5 mph ... the very logical thing at the time being to implement a nice round "100 kph" number (yes, I know it ought to be km/h) and kill two birds with one stone. 

 

 

It does bring up a question of whether anyone in the appropriate regulatory agencies thought about the tradeoffs involved with emissions reductions rather than just assuming that locomotive sales would not be affected by the price increase and increased operating cost associated with Tier 4. I suspect a Tier 3.5 would have resulted in lower emissions overall as there would be less of a disincentive to buy new locomotives to replace old Tier 0 units.

I did have a bit of an awakening with respect to NOx regulations. The water heater sprung a major leak a few weeks back, did a bit of on-line research into water heaters and saw a note about not being in an area that required ultra-low NOx water heaters. Just hope the ultra-low NOx technology doesn't result in what happened with low NOx burners on furnaces. There were a number of house fires attributed to the NOx control design, though don't remember any reports of fatalities.

 - Erik

 

 

If by Tier 3.5 you mean the emissions achieved by UP 9900, the SD59MX with the full after treatment, I'm not sure, given how finicky I'm told it is, that it would be a bonanza. 

 

I do have to wonder, and I've pondered before. I've been told in other threads that EMD got close with 710 and that on the other hand, the trials and tribulations with GM, then independence, the Cat really undermined R&D's focus.

If we could go back in time and give R&D stability, and maybe some slightly relaxed standards, where could the 710 have gone...or, if they had iterated to a new 2 cycle design.

An academic question obviously, but a curious one. If they got so close on a decades old design in a horrible work environment...

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Posted by CAZEPHYR on Friday, October 16, 2015 3:08 PM
Yes and No on the question does EMD have a T4 unit. They have one but it is not for sale yet.
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Posted by CAZEPHYR on Friday, October 16, 2015 3:20 PM

 

 

I have watched the 9900 since it started running out of Roseville when it was newly rebuilt.  It ended up around the shop much of the time so the results might be OK but it seems to require a lot of maintenance. 

It normally runs to Redding and return or to the Bay area and returns.  The Union Pacific has not release any data to the general public as far as I am aware and it is still in a test mode.  I got to attend the so called coming out display for the unit at Roseville and each cylinder has two canisters to filter the exhaust.  Those probably need cleaning or replacing fairly often.  Just my thoughts watching from the sidelines.

  

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Saturday, October 17, 2015 1:00 AM
Uh, I live 5 blocks from the Roseville station and I never see 9900 around the shops. In fact, I thought they moved her down to Colton. In fact, none of the 59mx units seem to be regulars in the shop.

I know from talking to friends that work at the shops that 9900 is finicky, but I can't say as I've seen her in the shops too often.
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Posted by M636C on Saturday, October 17, 2015 4:22 AM

carnej1
 
M636C

 

EMD at least designed the 265 (and the 1010) themselves and it has still a number of FDL features not in the GEVO.

M636C

 

 

 

I'm confused?

What features does the 1010 engine share with the GE FDL (other than being a 4 cycle medium speed engine)?

 Also as far as EMD designing the 265 and 1010 themselves are you referring to GE's partnership with Deutz? That partnership was dissolved before the GEVO was introduced.

 Many would argue that Cat/Progress/EMD is a diffferent entity than GM/EMD. Cat seems to have had a lot of input in the 1010 design process. You can refer to earlier posts in the thread where the point was made that the 1010 draws on Cat C280 series engine technology as well as the design of the 265H......

 
The 1010 has crossflow heads and power assemblies attached in the same manner as the FDL.
 
Crossflow heads went away with the Deutz HDL and haven't reappeared in any GEVO yet. The GEVO shares a lot more than the same bore and stroke with the HDL, and the earlier GEVOs were little more than stronger HDLs. The latest 'GEVO' is a complete redesign and very little will be common except maybe the pistons.
 
I don't see any similarity between the 1010 and the C280, which is little more than a 3600 with a new name. The C175 does have cross flow heads and is the first CAT engine to do so, and looks quite a lot like a smaller 1010.
 
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Posted by Wizlish on Saturday, October 17, 2015 6:56 AM

M636 may be too modest to mention it, but some of the discussion of crossflow heads on locomotive prime movers can be found here, to start.

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Saturday, October 17, 2015 10:45 AM

YoHo1975

 

 
SD60MAC9500

 

 
NorthWest

 

 
SD60MAC9500
Looks as if EMD rushed their tier 4 unit. GE will still be the leader as it's unit requires no exhaust aftertreament. EMD's unit does have a diesel particulate filter. The three turbochargers, compared to GE's twin turbo setup, will see how that turns out in the overall maintenance of the unit. EMD's unit will require somewhat higher maintenance cost, and a slight fuel loss compared to GE's unit.

 

This is not the final product, which EMD apparently expects to have on the road in the third quarter of 2016. The locomotive is a testbed similar to the GE blue units (I am blanking on their designation now) and will undoubtably see many changes during the year or so these are in road testing. The final product may be very different.

 

 

 

There may be some incremental changes, but you're pretty much looking at the final product.

 

 

 

Uh, why would you believe this?

 

It's the first prototype unit just like GE's prototype units were prototypes.

The idea that this is final product makes zero sense based on the literature put out and history.

 

 

I never said this was the final product. I stated you're pretty much looking at the final product. Pretty much, which means approximate or close too. 

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Posted by M636C on Sunday, October 18, 2015 5:46 AM

Wizlish

M636 may be too modest to mention it, but some of the discussion of crossflow heads on locomotive prime movers can be found here, to start.

 
I have been known to find my own work when googling an obscure topic.
 
There have been two printings of the Locomotive book with minor updates in the second and a complete second edition this year with updated photos and new entries for recent units including genset units. I believe there is a e-book option.
 
I always thought that since the EMD two strokes were uniflow engines, that EMD would favour a cross flow head on a four stroke simply because they were used to gases going one way...
 
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Posted by longhorn1969 on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 10:46 AM

Why would the rake window return? Why did the tear drop window go away in the first place?

EMD really needs a shot in the arm, maybe UP will order errrrr.........lease 2,000 of these like they did the SD70Ms.

 

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Posted by M636C on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 7:16 PM
longhorn1969 wrote the following post 8 hours ago:

Why would the rake window return? Why did the tear drop window go away in the first place?

EMD really needs a shot in the arm, maybe UP will order errrrr.........lease 2,000 of these like they did the SD70Ms.

EMD say the teardrop window returned for improved visibility. It went away as a cost saving measure on the SD90MACII and SD70ACe (It may have been the same size as GE front cab windows allowing a single size to be held in stock). While the later cab was different, it wasn't much liked by anybody. Raking the cab windows increased space in the cab for equipment forward of the crew. The New cab is very similar to the final SD70MAC cab with the raised central door. Possibly something that was a familiar EMD feature was thought to be reassuring on a loco with major changes like the SD70ACe-T4.

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Posted by CPM500 on Thursday, October 22, 2015 8:56 AM

FYI:

The T4 is a 'clean sheet of paper' design. Underframe is all new, as is the control system, starting system...and a long list of other items.

There are a number of locos being constructed for a formal test program. Additionally, there is a second group being built as 'demonstrators.'

Caterpillar was the design lead on the 1010 engine. The first GEVO engine design  was created utilizing the services of an outside consultant.

CPM500

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Thursday, October 22, 2015 1:02 PM

When you say Caterpillar, are you using that as an umbrella term for all the owned subs? Or do you literally mean Caterpillar R&D as opposed to EMD R&D? Because all indications to now were that EMD R&D lead.

 

And on the GEVO. When you say first GEVO engine design, are you referring to the HDL on which the GEVO is based which was designed by Duetz, or do you mean that the redesign used an outside consultant?

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Posted by CPM500 on Thursday, October 22, 2015 3:56 PM

Question 1: Caterpillar Large Engine Group.EMD staffing has been lean since the days of private equity ownership.

 

Question 2: The GEVO engine that debuted in 2005.

 

CPM500

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Posted by Wizlish on Thursday, October 22, 2015 4:50 PM

CPM500
Question 1: Caterpillar Large Engine Group.

Is that the same thing as Tana Utley's "Large Power Systems (& Growth Markets)"?  I can't find any references for a 'Large Engine Group' (and I thought the 'Large Engine Center' was the facility in Lafayette).

 

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Posted by M636C on Thursday, October 22, 2015 7:06 PM
CPM500 wrote the following post 9 hours ago:

FYI:

The T4 is a 'clean sheet of paper' design. Underframe is all new, as is the control system, starting system...and a long list of other items.

There are a number of locos being constructed for a formal test program. Additionally, there is a second group being built as 'demonstrators.'

Caterpillar was the design lead on the 1010 engine. The first GEVO engine design  was created utilizing the services of an outside consultant.

CPM500

While Caterpillar may have had the design lead, it is clear that the basic 1010 engine was developed from the EMD 265 and not any Caterpillar engine. As I've said, it shares features with the C175 which was iself a fairly radical development of the 3500 series. While the engine may be a Caterpillar developed from an older EMD design, its designation is purely EMD, presumably to reassure customers. The designation in the Caterpillar series would be C265....

Presumably the outside consultant on the first GEVO was anybody except Deutz. It seemed to adopt a few FDL features with the redesign of the crankcase, but that might be my imagination... The engine was effectively little more than a strengthened HDL (although the GEVO-16 sounded quite different to the HDL-16....)

The current GEVO is still based on the early GEVO, but has a new crankshaft with larger main bearings making the whole crankcase longer with increased spacing between the cylinder bores. I'd be surprised if much was interchangeable between the GEVO models, maybe the pistons themselves and the connecting rods....

I'd expect the earlier locomotives to be test units and the later ones to be demonstrators, but once they are working as desired, they could all be demonstrators.

M636C

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Posted by CPM500 on Friday, October 23, 2015 3:41 PM

M636C
CPM500 wrote the following post 9 hours ago:

FYI:

The T4 is a 'clean sheet of paper' design. Underframe is all new, as is the control system, starting system...and a long list of other items.

There are a number of locos being constructed for a formal test program. Additionally, there is a second group being built as 'demonstrators.'

Caterpillar was the design lead on the 1010 engine. The first GEVO engine design  was created utilizing the services of an outside consultant.

MY COMMENTS IN BOLD

 

CPM500

While Caterpillar may have had the design lead, it is clear that the basic 1010 engine was developed from the EMD 265 and not any Caterpillar engine. As I've said, it shares features with the C175 which was iself a fairly radical development of the 3500 series. While the engine may be a Caterpillar developed from an older EMD design, its designation is purely EMD, presumably to reassure customers. The designation in the Caterpillar series would be C265....

I am aware that the 1010 is based on the 265. Not only that-the 265 engine block was supplied by CAT so many years ago. In fact, the first pour of the block became the  basis  of the prototype 265 engine.  Accordingly, they have some degree of familiarity with the engine.  I'll take you at your word re: C175 design features worked into the 1010, as I am not familiar with the C175.

 

Presumably the outside consultant on the first GEVO was anybody except Deutz. It seemed to adopt a few FDL features with the redesign of the crankcase, but that might be my imagination... The engine was effectively little more than a strengthened HDL (although the GEVO-16 sounded quite different to the HDL-16....)

The consultant was AVL List of Austria.

 

The current GEVO is still based on the early GEVO, but has a new crankshaft with larger main bearings making the whole crankcase longer with increased spacing between the cylinder bores. I'd be surprised if much was interchangeable between the GEVO models, maybe the pistons themselves and the connecting rods....

I'd expect the earlier locomotives to be test units and the later ones to be demonstrators, but once they are working as desired, they could all be demonstrators.

The formal test program will be executed on a railroad easily accessed by PR/EMD personnel. This is a continuation of past practice. The demos will go to past large-scale EMD customers.

 

M636C

 

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Posted by mark the diesel guy on Saturday, October 24, 2015 8:08 AM
It is ,and will be sad to see the 2 stroke go away. looking at these pictures of this new engine it is going to be a nightmare to work on. I've been a diesel tech for 30 years, working on Cat's, Cummins, and Detroit diesel 60 Series. currently employed with Cummins Power Systems in Rocky Hill CT. these egr engines keep us employed as will the rail shop forces with all of the failures, relating to leaking egr coolers, stuck open or closed egr valves, bad vgt turbos with the actuators and sector gears. The coolant entering the cylinders will score liners and during engine shut downs, will cause hydro locking. If the new 1010 engine does not have "test cocks" to push coolant out during cranking for engine start cycles you will have engine failures. I could go on for hours, with stories of engine problems. There are now predictions from my circle that the egr on engines will be eliminated in the future. Anybody who knows anything about diesel engines, should know that you cannot put soot into a cylinder with success. Carbon damning of the piston rings has been a problem, with a lot of premature piston and liner change outs. The rail road shops have always liked to get units in and out as fast as possible. I am no expert in loco engines, but it looks like the days of single cylinder power pac assembly change out's in 5 hours by one tech could be done. Hopefully there is no aftertreat.ment to deal with under the hoods.
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Posted by YoHo1975 on Saturday, October 24, 2015 5:51 PM
Is there a source I can reference on Caterpillar developing and doing the initial block production on the 265? I've never heard that before. Also, does EMD even have it's own Engine R&D anymore?
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Posted by Entropy on Monday, October 26, 2015 7:06 AM

YoHo1975
does EMD even have it's own Engine R&D anymore?

Yes.

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Posted by creepycrank on Monday, October 26, 2015 10:42 AM

The 710 engine is a direct descendant of the original 567 U deck engine of 1938. The main feature of that engine is that it is in a "V" configuration. The exhaust risers come from each bank and rise up to the central exhaust manifold. In an early redesign the "V" was plated over the stiffen the crankcase. This resulted in the volume becoming part of the cooling system with the exhaust risers running through the water jacket. On the 710 they are about 18 inches long. I was told that the exhaust passing through this loses about 100 degrees to the water by the time it gets to the exhaust manifold. This is not a problem on the blower engines but it robs the turbo of needed energy. In 2011 EMD was confident that they could meet tier 4 on the results of single cylinder test engine but they may have left out this factor. I think that they also thought that a lot of these outfits that have sprung up with wonder exhaust cleaning gadgets would work. 

One thing that CAT is good at is they produce the lowest cost engines per horsepower. EMD engines are expensive but the parts are cheap, whereas CAT engines are cheap but the parts are expensive. The C175 sales brochure made a point that the cylinder head was designed in such a way the exhaust passage was very short to minimize exhaust heat loss on the way to the turbo and I'm sure that the 1010 engine is similar. The heat balance for non turbo diesels (from a WW 2 submarine manual) that 33% of the heat energy is the power output, 32% goes up the exhaust, 22% goes into the cooling system and 13%. The turbo takes energy from exhaust and puts it into the power column.

The two stroke engine would require a complete redesign starting with a crankcase more like that of the Cleveland Diesel 278A. The 1010 engine is as I see it the produce and engine for the locomotive market and a spark ignited version should be easier to design as is the latest fashion.. ( Yes there is a spark ignited version of a 645 blower engine that runs on methane but its a messy installation.

As far as marine versions of the 719 is concerned fhey don't have to be tier 4 until next year and has a lot of orders. Since marine installation have a riding mechanic and plenty of room above the engine a scrubber would suffice

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Posted by flare40x on Monday, October 26, 2015 5:27 PM

Have to wonder if the locomotive pictured is anything other than a showpiece for display.  Haven't seen the slightest evidence of it running so far.

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Monday, October 26, 2015 6:32 PM

Entropy

 

 
YoHo1975
does EMD even have it's own Engine R&D anymore?

 

Yes.

 

 

So, EMD has a seperate engine R&D, but the 265H was initially a Cat design and the updated 1010 also came out of Cat? IF this is true, what is EMD engine R&D working on?

I mean, they've been producing 265H engines all along which means SOMEONE has been assigned to them from R&D right? Argonne had a 1 Cylinder 265 as well. 

Creepycrank, thanks for the explanation on the 567-710 exhaust.

That's the kind of detail I was hoping for.

Out of curiosity, would there have been value to staying with a green field 2 Cycle presuming that exhaust cooling is the primary barrier to Tier 4, versus 4 Cycle for locomotive applications?

 

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Posted by pafan on Monday, October 26, 2015 7:12 PM
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Posted by Wizlish on Monday, October 26, 2015 8:47 PM

YoHo1975
So, EMD has a separate engine R&D, but the 265H was initially a Cat design and the updated 1010 also came out of Cat? IF this is true, what is EMD engine R&D working on?

For some reason I remember that one Caterpillar contribution to the EMD H-engine was in the design and fabrication of the cast crankcase.  EMD's in-house design expertise was of course in fabricated structures.  (If I'm not mistaken, the relatively thin-wall and complex casting turned out to be a rich source of cavitation points during peak-load operation.)

I did not get to see the early promotional material on the H-engine,and much of it is apparently 'gone', but I thought EMD claimed much of the engine design was their's ... before the problems started, and market demand didn't.

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Posted by Entropy on Monday, October 26, 2015 10:38 PM

YoHo1975

 

 
Entropy

 

 
YoHo1975
does EMD even have it's own Engine R&D anymore?

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

So, EMD has a seperate engine R&D, but the 265H was initially a Cat design and the updated 1010 also came out of Cat? IF this is true, what is EMD engine R&D working on?

265H I don't believe was originally a Caterpillar design, the actual H engine design dates back to I believe started around 1984 and was originally the 854 engine (or 854H) by time a functioning prototype was run (1990ish?), when it came time to create a production 6000hp engine, the original design was sized up to 1010ci with crankshaft and pistons bore size 265mm in the mid 1990s. 

Source: Railway Gazette 4/98

EMD began investigating the advantages of four-stroke engines in 1984, eventually building two prototype 16-cylinder '854H' engines rated at 4500hp. After recognising the need for a 6000hp engine, EMD searched world-wide for existing designs. Nothing suitable could be found to meet the tough locomotive performance and reliability standards required. EMD then decided to develop the engine itself - a process that was accomplished in only 18 months from design concept to first prototype.

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Monday, October 26, 2015 11:28 PM
So is the 1010 update a product of Cat R&D or EMD R&D with Cat support?
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Posted by creepycrank on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 8:56 AM

YoHo1975
Out of curiosity, would there have been value to staying with a green field 2 Cycle presuming that exhaust cooling is the primary barrier to Tier 4, versus 4 Cycle for locomotive applications?

First of all the new T4 locomotive I think is being designed to be cheaper than GE's for the first time in history which I think is really behind GE's decision to buy a plant in Texas. The 710 engine is expensive to build but in high load factor service such as marine propulsion, peaking generators, and emergency generators long service life and high reliability are of primary importance. According to the EPA line haul locomotives only run at run 8 for 19% of the time with rest split evenly except a large percentage in idle. Off shore and river marine units (voyage time between New Orleans and St. Louis is about 23 days) normally run at 95% load factor.

A high stress part on a 4 stroke diesel is the piston pin. It gets hit twice as hard half as often as a similar size 2 stroke. A while back on another forum there was a discussion about a 10,000 KW base load engine in Kenya where they had to replace the piston pins due to fatigue cracking. They thought they should have been replaced under warranty but there wasn't anything materially wrong they just needed to buy 2 more gen sets to reduce the load to 80%.

CAT may not like it but between EMD and CAT they have most of the marine market. In locomotives I think that its the purchasing agents and bean counters who have the last say. Maintenance costs come out of another pocket.

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Posted by Entropy on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 1:36 PM

YoHo1975
So is the 1010 update a product of Cat R&D or EMD R&D with Cat support? 

While I have no means of answering that, I would recommend looking at October 2015 issue of Trains magazine which shows an SD90MAC demo unit running what is presumably a test engine, said the location is EMD La Grange, IL. 

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Posted by M636C on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 5:44 PM
Entropy wrote the following post 4 hours ago:
 
YoHo1975
So is the 1010 update a product of Cat R&D or EMD R&D with Cat support? 

 

While I have no means of answering that, I would recommend looking at October 2015 issue of Trains magazine which shows an SD90MAC demo unit running what is presumably a test engine, said the location is EMD La Grange, IL. 

I was under the impression that the October issue illustrated an SD90 test unit running a CAT 20-C175 engine....

M636C

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Posted by beaulieu on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 10:32 PM

EMD had two test mules, one was converted from the SD89MAC prototype and the other from one of the two SD90MAC-H prototypes. One was set up to test the 20-cyl. C175 diesel for the F125 passenger locomotive, will the other mule tested the 1010J engine. 

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Posted by M636C on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 11:57 PM
beaulieu wrote the following post an hour ago:

EMD had two test mules, one was converted from the SD89MAC prototype and the other from one of the two SD90MAC-H prototypes. One was set up to test the 20-cyl. C175 diesel for the F125 passenger locomotive, will the other mule tested the 1010J engine. 

Indeed there were at least two test units...

But the one illustrated in October with its full width body and distinctive radiator arrangement could only be testing the C175 and not the 1010....  There would be no reason to test a 1010 with that radiator layout, particularly since the radiators on 1501 look a lot like those that would have come with an SD 90 as a test unit. Just because you can't see the engine, doesn't mean that you don't know what it is...

But to return to the question that started this part of the thread. Presumably EMD R&D designed the test layout for the 20-C175 as well as that for the 1010 and actually carried out the tests, with suitable support from CAT R&D. EMD would have a better idea of what they want the CAT C175 to do in a locomotive than CAT who build a standard engine to be used in a variety of applications.

I think the photo caption in Trains October implied that the photo showed a 1010 which was odd because they had previously illustrated a 1010 on test in another test unit in an earlier magazine and they should have realised that that illustration did not show a 1010 on test.

But if EMD R&D are testing a standard CAT engine in a railroad application, as well as testing an engine derived from an EMD in house design with CAT assistance, there is probably plenty for them to do for both engine designs.

I'd imagine GE diesel engine R&D have been pretty busy with the "new GEVO" that isn't much like the "old GEVO" for the last couple of years and they might be busy for some time to come. It seems to me that GE's new engine is just as risky as EMD's new engine, even if GE are a year ahead.

GE's new locomotive looks a lot like their previous unit, but it is different. Not fitting through coal car dumpers is just one of the problems.

I'd say EMD R&D will have to work hard to ensure the T4 units run as intended, and they might be able to learn from GE who are further down the track, but not yet perhaps at the finish line...

M636C

 
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Posted by Entropy on Friday, October 30, 2015 7:07 AM

M636C
beaulieu wrote the following post an hour ago:

EMD had two test mules, one was converted from the SD89MAC prototype and the other from one of the two SD90MAC-H prototypes. One was set up to test the 20-cyl. C175 diesel for the F125 passenger locomotive, will the other mule tested the 1010J engine. 

Indeed there were at least two test units...

But the one illustrated in October with its full width body and distinctive radiator arrangement could only be testing the C175 and not the 1010....  There would be no reason to test a 1010 with that radiator layout, particularly since the radiators on 1501 look a lot like those that would have come with an SD 90 as a test unit. Just because you can't see the engine, doesn't mean that you don't know what it is...

M636C

Saw this on another site.

EMDX #92 is the former SD89MAC test unit and is fitted with the Caterpiller C175-20 prime mover for test purposes. This unit is the mechanical testbed for the F125 "Spirit" passenger service locomotive and is the reason why it has the full width carbody. 

EMDX #91 one of the former SD90MAC-H II test units and is the unit modified with the 12-1010J prime mover for test purposes. This is the mechanical testbed for the Tier 4 replacement of the previous SD70ACe. 


Bryan Jones
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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Sunday, November 1, 2015 8:46 AM
 

.

 

 
 
Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!
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Posted by NorthWest on Sunday, November 1, 2015 10:42 PM

Very interesting. DOC is much less troublesome to maintain that DPF (EMD's 'Tier 3.5' SD59MX had DPF and DOC IIRC. I wonder if some of the test data in the brochure came from this unit?). The brochure is dated 2012, so this product has been around for a while. I haven't heard of anyone using it though. It seems to be designed to have need least amount of modifications possible.

I imagine that EMD will be using the same unit to preserve their famed backwards compatability.

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Posted by Entropy on Monday, November 2, 2015 8:02 AM

NorthWest

I imagine that EMD will be using the same unit to preserve their famed backwards compatability.

 

 
You're implying that 710 engine DOC will be retained on Tier 4? If so, negative. 
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Posted by nfotis on Wednesday, November 25, 2015 10:31 AM

According to a FB poster, there are already multiple copies of the new locomotive.

The first are already going to Pueblo, CO for testing:

https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12299141_10205085318639839_5190447289790209676_n.jpg?oh=c69ac49960aefbc4a9bd9f8e7bb0491e&oe=56DFD9CF

 

N.F.

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Posted by Wizlish on Thursday, November 26, 2015 7:06 PM

Entropy
You're implying that 710 engine DOC will be retained on Tier 4? If so, negative.

I concur.  It was my understanding that DOC added to rather than reduced NOx emissions.  Since NOx was the 'sticking point' for EMD tier 4 final compliance, why would an oxidation catalyst become a requirement now?

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Posted by noemdfan on Saturday, November 28, 2015 7:44 PM

The "GE" HDL Series Prime Mover was built by Deutz

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Posted by M636C on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 6:11 AM

noemdfan

The "GE" HDL Series Prime Mover was built by Deutz

 
My understanding was that the design was by Deutz but that GE were to build all the vee engines and Deutz would build all the in line engines.
 
All of the HDLs in USA production locomotives were built by GE. Deutz may have built some early prototypes used by GE, but most of the Deutz Model 632 vee engines were built after Deutz and GE dissolved the partnership.
 
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Posted by JayPotter on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 8:17 AM

The 6-15-93 HDL agreement was between GE and Moteren-Werke Mannheim AG, a subsidiary of Deutz AG.  Moteren-Werke was to design the engine; and GE was to manufacture it.  Deutz's direct involvement was to guarantee the performance of Moteren-Werke.

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Posted by Lyon_Wonder on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 5:39 PM

There's a rumor that UP's going to order 66 SD70ACe-T4s, even though testing of demostrators has just started.

Don't know if it's true or not.

http://www.locophotos.com/Read.php?ThreadID=32892

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Posted by beaulieu on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 12:31 PM

It has been reported on another forum that EMD SD70ACe-T4 demos 1501 and 1504 are on the move from Muncie to LaGrange, IL for testing. EMDX 1501 is the locomotive displayed at Railway Interchange in Minneapolis and is in the new EMD demo paint scheme. EMDX 1504 is the first of two locomotives intended for demonstration and testing on the Union Pacific and is in the Union Pacific paint scheme, but with EMD lettering. 

I have also heard that UP has ordered 66 SD70ACe-T4 locomotives for delivery in the second half of 2016.

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 3:28 PM

beaulieu

It has been reported on another forum that EMD SD70ACe-T4 demos 1501 and 1504 are on the move from Muncie to LaGrange, IL for testing. EMDX 1501 is the locomotive displayed at Railway Interchange in Minneapolis and is in the new EMD demo paint scheme. EMDX 1504 is the first of two locomotives intended for demonstration and testing on the Union Pacific and is in the Union Pacific paint scheme, but with EMD lettering. 

I have also heard that UP has ordered 66 SD70ACe-T4 locomotives for delivery in the second half of 2016.

Class 1's, at this point in time, will provide 'token' orders to EMD, if for no other reason than to keep EMD in business and not give GE a monopoly.  Once the orders are received on property, the real world testing will begin, comparing the overall economics of each brand.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by YoHo1975 on Thursday, December 3, 2015 2:50 PM
Woo Hoo, can't wait for testing up on Donner. Maybe they painted em in UP colors so Roseville would know to fuel them up unlike the GE units that they missed. :)

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