EMDX 1502 and 1503 Tier IV locomotives testing

[Lord Atmo]

I really like how these look. Would be nice to see them in various schemes

[CAZEPHYR]

The EMDX Tier IV set is now broken up.  EMDX Test Car 820 has been sent back east on the Roper 7/6/16.  1503 Tier IV unit is in the yard at Roseville but 1502 was not in view on the morning of 7/7/16. 

FYI

[CAZEPHYR]

This is the current news in the Railway Age Magazine this week. 

 

From Chicago, and Railway Age's Rail Insights Conference and Expo today, June 7:

William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief, Railway Age: What is the outlook for Union Pacific locomotive orders?

Rob Knight, Chief Financial Officer, Union Pacific: We [plan to acquire] 230 new locomotives this year, 70 next year, and after that, no orders are planned. What will drive our orders after that will be how our business and the broader economy is doing.

[YoHo1975]

UP is getting credit units as well. There was word out that UP is curtailing their orders from EMD and GE after this year. Basically they declined the option on the EMD order and no new GE order is forthcoming. This doesn't appear to be any concerns with the engines, rather somebody finally realized they have more power than they know what to do with.

[CAZEPHYR]

 

The Union Pacific order is for the new model with six driven axles, but the T4 is for Tier IV designation.   Those new GE with the 4 axles seem to be less than great for drag freights since they were designed for high HP per axle stack trains.

RR 

[Leo_Ames]

Michigan

Union Pacific has a order for 60 SD70Ace-4 with more to come/.

What are those? 

I know of the SD70ACe-T4, which you're more than likely talking about. But there's also Tier 4 credit units that some fans are adding a 4 to the end of the existing model designation, despite still being a regular SD70ACe with the difference only being the build date (And T4 for GE's previous model).

Not to mention the SD70ACe-P4 that BNSF took 20 of and could add to with emission credits. 

[YoHo1975]

Probably not there today. Well, the one in the shop might be. I'll have to swing by on the way home.

 

Hopefully they are getting fueled at the racks...unlike the GE's which went up the hill with empty tanks when testing. 

[CAZEPHYR]

They are in Roseville as of Monday, 27th, but the 1503 is in the Diesel shop.  The other unit was parked in the fuel station with the EMDX 820 test car.

RR

[YoHo1975]

BLAST! OF course I didn't see anything coming down I80 the other day. DO you know their schedule on the Hill? Basically, I want a chance to snap a pick in the yard at roseville on my way to from work.

[Michigan]

Union Pacific has a order for 60 SD70Ace-4 with more to come/.

[kgbw49]

If I recall correctly, in another thread one of our other contributors who was in a position to know indicated that UP had signed for somewhere in the range of 5 or 6 dozen SD70ACe-T4 units for 2016 delivery, which also allowed them to also receive a significant number of "Tier 4 Credit" SD70ACes in 2016. The credit units are in the 9000 series.

Here is one of the UP Tier 4 Credit SD70ACe units recently delivered...

[longhorn1969]

kgbw49

You can see the EMD heritage in the cab with the return of the tear drop windows and the backward slant of the windows. If one took an SD75M cab and slanted the outside faces downward for better visibiilty of crewmen on the steps it would look a lot like the Tier 4 demonstrators. They are good looking units, and I hope EMD is successful at getting them on the road for the long term.

 

 

 

 

Put a full cowl on it, clean up the top of the nose, add phase three livery and one has the making of a nice Amtrak long distance locomotive. Yeah, yeah, the last six axle loco was the GE Pooch, but one can dream, can't he?

Back to this locomotive, we neec UP to step up to the plate and once again order a 1,000 units for a 20 year lease, that will get EMD back in the game instantly.

 

[Overmod]

I'm assuming that the video in question is this one:

See around 1:45 -- the design process is referenced a couple of other places, too.

Note the brief view of the prime mover at 0:58, and the very cool shots of the CAVE visualization environment.

Does anyone have a list of the 250-odd items of feedback?  (Note that the 82 changes were just the ones that were made before Progress EMD started construction on the prototype...)

[CAZEPHYR]

i would think that was one of the crew type suggestions!!

CZ

[kgbw49]

You can see the EMD heritage in the cab with the return of the tear drop windows and the backward slant of the windows. If one took an SD75M cab and slanted the outside faces downward for better visibiilty of crewmen on the steps it would look a lot like the Tier 4 demonstrators. They are good looking units, and I hope EMD is successful at getting them on the road for the long term.

 

 

[CAZEPHYR]

 

 

 

Yes, they are fabricated by the new EMD group.   The units are different in every way from the present model including the two tear drop windows and the six step stairwells.   The video on the Progressive EMD web site is interesting to watch.  They included 80 new changes from suggestions from 220 train crew members to address issues that the crews would like see fixed.

 

 

 

 

[CAZEPHYR]

Excellent pictures.   Those are in Union Pacific colors but the testing on the UP is the demo colors.  Go figure!!!

 

Thanks

[rdamon]

1609 and 1610 are being tested on CSX. Sharp looking units!!

 

[Overmod]

Are those the fabricated HTCR-6 trucks?

[CAZEPHYR]

 

The two Tier IV locomotives have been testing in California recently running from Roseville to Sparks over Donner pass in regular trains.   The paint scheme is very attractive and the units are much different than the standard SD70ACe models.  This new model uses a 4 cycle motor with individual axle control along with many new features. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57584342@N03/27548840516/in/dateposted-public/

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/57584342@N03/27277972870/in/dateposted-public/