Thank guys for all your infos. I put them all in a page on my website, The Champlain & St. Lawrence. Go at: http://trainweb.com/montreal/g-scale Go in the yard, and look for the page called "How to decode loco model number". Please don't be shy to send me any correction /omission /mistake Thnaks again!! PS: take some time to look around (It's a 100+ woo woo woo site, with hundreds of pictures of my outdoor layout, plus movies and pages about railfanning and prototype train!). If you want, send me your comments about ht esite as well Yvan-Martin
Nice site, Yvan-Martin...lots of excellent information! Couple of additions/corrections for you... -The GE U-series was introduced in 1960 with the U25B (Demo units 751-752). Four more U25B demo units were built in February 1961 (753-756), and the first U25B's sold to a railroad were 4 units sold to UP later that year(UP 625-628). -The "X" suffix added to EMD designations (SD40X, GP40X, etc.) doesn't really have anything to do with h.p., it's just used to denote an eXperimental testbed unit, to test new technologies. -The SD40A (built for IC) was built on a longer frame than the SD40 or SD45, to allow for a larger fuel tank (btw, the SD40 and SD45 have the same length frame, and are 65', 9.5" over the pulling faces). -Another suffix added to the end of current EMD model designations is "I", for Isolated cab. The cab is isolated from the rest of the locomotive with rubber pads, reducing noise and vibration. The SD75I model is an example, as well as the F59PHI. -Another suffix is "H", added to indicate a unit equipped to generate Head-end power to light passenger cars. F40PH and F59PHI are a couple of examples of this. All in all, great work, keep it up.
Thank you Paul!! My source for the SD40A was Modern Diesel Spotter Guide, published by Diesel Era. But your explanation make more sense I will add and correct the infos on my page tomorrow (I'm at work now ). Once again, anybody out there who knows the meaning of HR (from MLW)? ? Yvan-Martin
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>-The SD40A (built for IC) was built on a longer frame than the SD40 or SD45, to allow for a larger fuel tank (btw, the SD40 and SD45 have the same length frame, and are 65', 9.5" over the pulling faces).<hr></blockquote> Don't you mean the SD40-2 and SD45 have the same frame? If you look at an SD40 and an SD40-2, there is more porch room on the front and rear of the SD40-2 than an SD40. Not entirely sure, but pretty positive on this one.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> Don't you mean the SD40-2 and SD45 have the same frame? <hr></blockquote> No. The SD38, SD39, SD40 and SD45 models were all built on the same frame. As for the Dash 2's, the SD38-2, SD40-2 and SD45-2 were all built on the same frame. Chris Toth
To add to what slimjim375 and NSDash9 have said already... Prototype Lengths (Lengths are over pulling faces): SD38,39,40,45 65', 9.5" length Dash-2 units: SD38-2, 40-2, 45-2 68', 10" length SD45X, SD40T-2, 45T-2 70', 8" length Later EMD's SD50, 60 71', 2" length SD70M 72', 4" length Hope this helps.
The changes has been on my page. An F40PH mean an F40 equipped for passenger (P) hauling and Head-end (H) power. Right? And if yes, does any company uses brand new F40 or F59 for freight hauling? I know that Canadian American uses old modified F40, but not new. Yvan-Martin.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Yvan-Martin Levesque: The changes has been on my page. An F40PH mean an F40 equipped for passenger (P) hauling and Head-end (H) power. Right? And if yes, does any company uses brand new F40 or F59 for freight hauling? I know that Canadian American uses old modified F40, but not new. Yvan-Martin.<hr></blockquote> Correct on the F40PH designation. As for anyone buying new F40PH's for freight duty, that has never happened. The F40PH, and successor F59PHI were designed from the onset for passenger duty. The cowl carbody design gives poor visibilty rearward (not good if you're trying to switch cars). Also, these units lack front and rear stepwells that would give crewmen a safe place to stand during switching moves. The ones that Canadian-American picked up were heavily modified; they got new stepwells, front platform, cut-back nose with entry door, as well as other mods to make them more suitable for freight duty. I know SP/UP leased a few surplus Amtrak F40PH's several years back during a motive power shortage(and they were always trailing units in a consist), but beyond that, I don't know of anyone else using F40PH's in regular freight duty.
CSX ran some AMTRAK F40's as freight power into New Orleans a few years back, but I haven't seen any lately. Did anyone see them up north in the more mountainous areas?
