Can’t compare them Apples to Apples. Ones DC ones AC.
In terms of cost of ownership the SD70M is good with its mechanical injectors, conventional TM blower/aux gen, and Tier 0/1 engine. TE 163,000lbs (starting).
SD70ACe has more tractive effort, almost 200,000lbs (starting) ; and can better handle wheel slip, both largely in part due to AC traction.
ACe is better in heavy haul where 70M would do well in intermodal and mixed freight.
The trend in railroading is moving toward AC traction with it’s lower maintenance, and higher TE’s, translates into a 4 DC - 3 AC unit swap for a class 1.
In a cost comparison 3 AC units may cost what 4 DC units cost, however it’s still 12/16 less cylinders to maintain and less fuel used over the long run.
SD60 M & SD60I are wonderful locomotives and CSX still uses both. They are receiving PTC and have cab signal. The SD70MAC is not too bad in both generations but the SD70ACe is a bad experience to operate and maintain. They were designed by Rube Goldberg and slapped together by the Three Stooges. 20 units was 20 too many. I know CSX is testing Cat’s tier 4 ACe and I hope the results are better. EMD locos have always been more durable and longer lasting than GEs but the first ACe units were a far cry from the quality of the SD40-2 units of which there are still many on the CSX roster.
As mentioned piecemeal above, these CSX SD70ACe units were the actual pre-production units, bound to have bundles of problems. Not only that, but they also didn’t get the best attention in shaking out those issues.
Running through the other big EMDs on the CSX here for a minute, we find:
The SD80MACs traded to NS. CSX would rather have SD40-2s than 12 big EMDs they don’t really care for. Altoona loves them though, I’m sure.
The SD70MACs are fine units, they’ll be around a good while yet.
The SD70Ms are oddballs on the roster, confined to Florida for the most part. There is noise that these units aren’t provisined for PTC, either.
The SD60Is are also rumored to be on the chopping block because they’ve got old electonic tech which is no longer supported, and conversion isn’t considered a cost-fesible option.
The SD60Ms and SD60s, aside from being oddballs, don’t seem to have any major marks against them.
We know early ACe’s were loud and rougher ride, these units were non isolated cabs and non radial trucks. Beyond that, I don’t know how that translates into the build quality you suggest.
Leo_Ames stated “…20 non-standard oddballs in a fleet of over 4,000 units, no matter how well they perform, are often an attractive target of elimination well before their time…” Seems to be a fairly ‘safe’ statement to make! It would make sense for CSX to dump 20 'orphan units as soon as they had extracted all the ‘value’ of those units in their system. They would seem to be good foder for NS and their locomotive rebuilding machine ,called Altoona. NS sure seems happy with their SD70AACe’s.
NS rosters aproximately 176 SD70ACe’s of which 10 are part of the NS Heritage Fleet (#s in 1000/1174 ) also Chris notes that NS has rebuilt a number of EMD SD90MACs into SD70ACU’s. The assumption would seem to be that NS is ‘happy’ with the SD70 style EMD… After they have made 'Their Own"' modifications.
It would seem that in the case of CSX and their SD70’s: “…One man’s meat, is another’s belly ache…”[banghead]
I wonder if this is actually the isolated cab… did they really have greatly different equipment from the CR SD60Ms from about the same time? EMD isolated cabs from that era haven’t aged particularly well when it comes to the rubber bushings that hold the cab to the frame.
What is the status of the retired unit? I think there are still the ex-BHP SD70ACes of similar vintage still at Muncie.
Good to have you on this forum. I’ve been apreciating your CSX fleet updates elsewhere.
Had some of them years ago on a remote job. When they were running, they weren’t completely terrible (still better than being stuck with a -9), but that was the thing. When they were running.
A couple times I went to try and start it, and all I could get out of it was the little RJCorman train dancing across the info display screen in the cab. Luckily we didn’t buy too many of them, and I think all of them are now semi-retired / confined to shop duty. I did enjoy having what sounded like a tractor pulling the train, though. Ones I had featured some Deutz engines (some of which ran once in a while), I believe.
What I’ve heard is that the computer interface is different and there may be some different controls in the electrical cabinet which are no longer supported. It makes them full re-wire candidates, which is something more akin to Altoona than to Huntington these days.
The retired SD70ACe is still on property last we heard. It was removed from the roster for a grounded alternator, the same malady as several of the other SD70ACe currently in storage.
For railroads, which keep track of performance metrics, the SD70ACes on CSX are below 50% availability…akin to absolute garbage.
D’oh! Of course I knew that. There are 26 Gensets technically on the CSX roster. You could also argue for or against the Road Slugs. I guess you could consider them E
One thing you need to understand, the BHP units are equipped differently from anything used on a North American Class 1 railroad. This makes using them in NA a hard fit for most, or alot of rework.
For example they have 220VAC 50hz outlets, dual air conditioners, no heaters, drains arn’t heated, no awnings. The list goes on.
Not much of one. I just like running them better. Many have analog gauges (none of that computer screen crap), older style air brake set-up, seem to respond quicker to throttle inputs, and the GM models just have better fit and finish than the post-GM. Fewer rattles, better materials, etc. I can’t speak to the mechanics of them, just that they are more of an old-school locomotive. Last of their breed.
Interesting notes, to which I’ll add that even some units equipped for North American service aren’t the best suited to it. CN has found their SD70M-2s to not be well suited to the harsh winter conditions of western Canada, they just can’t keep them from freezing up like an ice cube. So, they attempt to keep them in the US during the winter.
Hey, remember on January 16th I said railfans have to get trackside, because you never know what you might see?
Me neither, but anyway I was taking lunch today at one of my favorite spots on the periphery of the local Amtrak station, and there, parked and idling, was an NS Dash-8. What was it doing at an Amtrak station in CSX territory? Who knows, but it sure was an interesting find.
Got to get out there, especially if you live near a busy line. You might see anything!
