I just read this article in CT: https://ctr.trains.com/way-it-was/railfan-stories/2019/06/like-hell-they-will
It mentions radio-controlled DPUs in 1967. I wouldn’t have thought that was done yet back then. Could the writer be mistaken?
I just found an article on Southern remote operations in the October 1964 Trains. The article, “One throttle, One engineer” shows three GP30s leading the train and a remote B unit receiver with another three GP30s. The train is #154, photos by Curt Tillotson, article by David P. Morgan. Southern was a pioneer in remote operations. Morgan writes that the remotes are still experimental, but have been running for more than a year.
Ed in Kentucky
According to this article Locotrol was first tested in 1963.
https://ncrails.com/sr-locotrol-exclusive/
Ed in Kentucky
Southern was probably the prime user of Locotrol in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, using them on more than unit trains. Some other roads used them but almost exclusively on mineral tonnage.
CPR Robot Car Development.
Scroll Down. Page 28.
https://www.canadianpacificmagazine.ca/media/CP-Magazine-Volume-17-EN.pdf
Happened to be at St. Luc that day. Note white wheel rims.
They were running the Remote Consist on a separate track from the Master Unit.
Robot Cars.
http://www.mountainrailway.com/CP%201000%20Page%203.htm
The Robot Cars rebuilt from CLC/F-M B Units were called Fairbots.
Thank You.
Santa Fe started radio control with two RSD-15s #844 and #846 and RC control car #10 rebuilt from an F7B in August 1967. This equipment was used on a unit coal train between York Canyon, New Mexico and Fontana, California. Data from Santa Fe Motive Power by Joe McMillan see page 90. Ed in Kentucky
Yes, Locotrol got started that far back. It wasn’t until the 70s that it was integrated into the locomotives and we got Snoots where the nose was elongated to hold the equipment.
Locotrol (RCE) and DPU are slightly different animals in application. The ATSF RCE F-units (just the carbody with the engine removed, replaced with a big block of concrete and the radio gear)ran between La Junta CO and either Albuquerque/Belen or Winslow) in the company of SD-26, SD-39 and later SD-40/45 units well into the 1980’s. (Some SD40-2’s got the extended nose, “honorary alligator” treament for the locotrol radio gear).
With the RCE equipped trains, the idea was it was the tractive effort, not the extra horsepower that got you over Raton and Glorietta without drawbar or knuckle failures. (coal and mixed freight, occasionally really long pigs)
As it happens, SFe slave/master SD40-2s and SP slaves/master SD40T-2s had long noses, but didn’t some standard UP SD45s carry the radio equipment in the 1970s?
I remember something specifically describing the progressive reduction in size and complexity of the packaged equipment during the late '60s and '70s, which at some point almost certainly would have allowed ‘new’ installation in an otherwise-unmodified EMD locomotive. Can’t remember now if that was put out by a company like Harris, or by some radio trade press, or available online as some kind of article or on a forum like Trainorders.
Someone knowledgeable in the engineering history of Locotrol/DPU could almost certainly answer this definitively, perhaps to the month and year of introduction or when ‘enabling’ antenna technology or protocols became available.
I am embarrassed that I do not remember details.
I believe that Detroit Edison had the only Locotrol units in the Northeast/Midwest at that time.
Southern Rwy. and I believe Southern Pacific were the earliest users of radio control DPUs in the late 60s. In some cases “B” units and sometimes even box cars were converted to house the receiving equipment.
How physically large was the recieving equipment back then, compared to now?
Do virtually all currently-manufactured engines have DPU send/recieve equipment?
Penn Central had remote equipment on some SD45s. See the article, “A day in the life of a road foreman” by John R. Crosby in the July 1972 Trains. Crosby on pages 26-28 tells about teaching a young engineer how to handle five SD45s hauling 21,000 tons of unit coal train. I don’t have a date when the equipment was installed on the SD45s. PRR and PC SD45s were built between 1966-1968.
Ed in Kentucky
Union Pacific SD45s #3622-3623 were the first two radio control units on that railroad. The units were built in March 1968 and RC testing was first tested in Weber Canyon, Utah. Additional SD45s had RC equipment added later in 1968 and into 1969. A DD35A and a DD35 were additionally equipped with RC. The complete story of UP’s early RC operations is in Diesel Era’s, “Union Pacific SD45s” by Steve Orth and Don Strack. See Diesel Era March/April 2000 pp 10-23.
Ed in Kentucky
I used to really enjoy his stories. I wonder why I’ve never seen them reprinted in Classic Trains. I remember one about being an engineer on the Ft Wayne line and another about firing a K4.
Detroit Edison’s first remote SD40s were built in May and June 1970. The units were first operated on Penn Central before DE unit trains began operating later that year. See the Trains article, “The case of the shipper who owns his own train” by David H. Hamley in the September 1971 issue.
Ed in Kentucky
Looking through some 1968 editions of Extra 2200 South last night I found a couple more early users of remote control. Kansas City Southern purchased SD40s for remote control service in the last quarter of 1966. These units were first used on the grades between Pittsburg, Kansas and DeQueen, Arkansas. The area of operations was further extended to Shreveport, Louisiana. The other early remote control operator was Canadian Pacific. I found reference to “robot” units, but no exact information on what equipment or where it was operated. Who has information on these early CP operations.
Ed in Kentucky
We had recent posts on this specific subject in a different topic and threads. This included a publication that covered some of the early history including the Fairbots. I’ll let someone like SD70dude or NDG provide the definitive story and links here.
Pennsylvania Railroad SD45s #6200-6209 were remote units. The EMD orders are #7090 and 7091. The even numbered units are the transmitters and the odd numbered units are the recievers. These units were delivered in January and February 1968.
The UP SD45s were also set up as remote transmitters and receivers in 1968.
Ed in Kentucky