Didn’t the FM “Speed Merchant” locomotives compete for the order for the New Haven FL-9s?
If I remember correctly the Speed Merchant locomotives themselves were a bit kludged to operate with lightweight equipment. I’m sure there was some effort to market widespread replacement of trains together with new locomotives, the object in mind being replacement of the whole electric-locomotive infrastructure (which then occurred following the FL9 order).
Thing is that the FL9s were essentially underpowered for conventional trains, and often had to run in pairs. FM of course had answers to this, notably with the 2400hp version of the power plant in the TrainMaster, but to use that engine with four motors on the Park Avenue approach, which is both height and weight restricted, would have required the same extra axle, and it may be that the additional weight for the obligate DC equipment and non-combusting switchgear would have demanded the lightweight carbody construction to get everything in on ‘just’ the five axles. How satisfactory the third-rail shoe arrangement would have to become (the setup on the Speed Merchants was laughable, a pony motor only capable of moving the lightweight consist 20mph inside the physical Park Avenue tunnel and GCT plant; it would have to be more for effective handling of typical New Haven consists of that day).
At which point you would hit the issue of heat. Now FMs were not poster children for cost-effective cooking circuits to begin with, and GE famously dropped the ball with the ‘Jets’ that became PC class E-40, which merited the name ‘toaster’ far more than AEM-7s did.
Perhaps there are models of the heavier FM designs and the truck arrangements they would use, and it would be interesting to have seen follow-on use of this as we entered the high-horsepower era for passenger power ‘without FM or Alco’ half a decade later with the advent of the SDPs and those comical GE cowls.
Still not as good as a couple of Superior diesels running Bowes drives, which could have become s
Question: Why did ‘we regret the awarding of the contract?’
I do know something about that… I worked at Super Steel who built those units for GM, in NY state. GM built the plant which Super Steel ran & managed.
The first unit, perhaps it was 2 units, were built in Milwaukee…
As I recall the units weighed some 20,000 pounds more than the design called for…
Thanks…
Since you asked,
It’s a long sad story but the gist of it was that EMD had never had a contract written in the design detail and the design oversight that LIRR insisted on. I was the design engineering lead mechanical designer of the the DE/DM30AC creating the general arrangement drawings that got us the contract. The contract was throughly reviewed and responded to with respect to the technical details, all 400 pages of them, but the commercial details did not get the review they should have and we agreed to impossible terms and conditions. LIRR was anxious to get new power but insisted on delivery of the first unit in 24 months when we said we needed 36 months to design, build, and test. Our general manager at the time desperately wanted us to get the award as he was previously the passenger loco sales manager, so he agreed to the 24 months. The design requirements required development of many mechanical and electrical systems that were totally new, such as the monocoque carbody with crash requirements beyond industry standards and the isolation mounted engine/alternator skid as well as the whole AC traction with HEP and third rail power system. The contract required the RR to review and approve all drawings before any metal was cut and they gave themselves 3 weeks for each submission review - they rarely approved our submissions on the first try. Their spec required us to submit 12 copies of each drawing folded in a special way and no Shar
[quote user=“bogie_engineer”]
DONALD C ZUNKER
Question: Why did ‘we regret the awarding of the contract?’
I do know something about that… I worked at Super Steel who built those units for GM, in NY state. GM built the plant which Super Steel ran & managed.
The first unit, perhaps it was 2 units, were built in Milwaukee…
As I recall the units weighed some 20,000 pounds more than the design called for…
Thanks…
Since you asked,
It’s a long sad story but the gist of it was that EMD had never had a contract written in the design detail and the design oversight that LIRR insisted on. I was the design engineering lead mechanical designer of the the DE/DM30AC creating the general arrangement drawings that got us the contract. The contract was throughly reviewed and responded to with respect to the technical details, all 400 pages of them, but the commercial details did not get the review they should have and we agreed to impossible terms and conditions. LIRR was anxious to get new power but insisted on delivery of the first unit in 24 months when we said we needed 36 months to design, build, and test. Our general manager at the time desperately wanted us to get the award as he was previously the passenger loco sales manager, so he agreed to the 24 months. The design requirements required development of many mechanical and electrical systems that were totally new, such as the monocoque carbody with crash requirements beyond industry standards and the isolation mounted engine/alternator skid as well as the whole AC traction with HEP and third rail power system. The contract required the RR to review and approve all drawings be