As you may be able to tell, I like EMD’s also, and I have to agree with the comment about the 50’s, EMD pushed the 645 engine too hard, but the control system (super series in particular) was a tremendous leap in performance that GE still can’t match on a DC engine. I have no experience with the 75’s but did hear they had a lot of problems initially. The 90’s (the true 6000 horse ones) did have some problems initially, mainly software, and they are currently restricted to 60mph due to ride issues, however they are currently doing quite nicely on the UP in manifest, manifest DPU on the west coast, and grain service. As a comparison, I haven’t seen an AC6000 from GE, running, without a million faults in the computer for a long time, and they had as many or more problems as the EMD’s when they came out and still have a ton of problems. Also, I don’t know who slapped that 60mph speed limit on the 90’s, but they obviously haven’t ridden ANY wide body GE over 50-60mph when the whole darn unit starts hunting side to side, they almost all do this and it’s definately not fun! I’d rather bounce than go side to side. I read something about the Santa Fe having this same problem with the GE’s, perhaps they made a modification to take care of this, but almost all UP GE’s do this at speed. I think it’s the truck design, the wide bodies with the older style truck generally don’t do this, but you’ll notice the newer full adhesion trucks all have 2 shocks on one side and none on the other, and the opposite on the other end. Can you imagine riding an auto with shocks on only one side? I can’t believe GE was silly enough to design these trucks this way. Also, on the issue of availability, seen the stats on UP’s fleet of 70M’s? They are setting records, and most of these units are assigned to very high mileage intermodal trains, and how about BNSF’s love affair with 70MAC’s for coal trains? UP doesn’t care whether they have an EMD 9043MAC or a GE4400 as long as it is an AC on coal trains. Also, how about SP when they order
Derek, as always I enjoy your in put. As I said earlier, I am an EMD fan also but do appreciate all locomotives. As an observation to the DASH 9 trucks, they seem to have gone through several design changes and the ones with only two shocks per truck are the current ones. If you notice, the shocks are canted roughly 45 degrees which to me means that they are trying to control movement from side to side. This adds to your observation of the side to side movement. Why they only have two I do not know. The first DASH 9 trucks had 4 shocks but were not canted. And as for the BNSF in love with the 70 MAC, I wonder why the last AC power ordered by them was GE?
Dear Derek, how are you doing? Fine I hope.
I was in Kismet the other day, and there was an eastbound sitting there with 2 70M’s and a GE C44-9. I don’t know if you saw it or not. The lead unit was UP 4522, UP 4507, and UP 9618. It was the IICIM, he was 5996 ft. long. The reason they were stopped is because they were cutting in switches at Missler siding, they have already cut the CTC in there. Man, they have done tons of work here already. About half of the route from Pratt to Dalhart is already CTC. Its CTC from Dalhart to the east switch at Stevens. Then the Optima block (don’t ask me why I still call them blocks). Liberal is all CTC now, they have holding signals on either side of town now. Missler, they are currently working on Bloom, and Bucklin is, then the Pratt block is CTC. So its about every other siding is CTC now. Anyways, I went over there and took a look at those beautiful machines. Well my dream finally came true, I finally got to get up inside one of them things. Very nice inside, clean, fairly new, I didn’t get to see the builders date. I just have one questions. I thought the 70M’s had the old style control panel? These had the desktop controls as all the other new models. I figured that when they said old style, I thought they were talking about like the SD40-2 controls, or the GP60’s. I was rather disappointed in that, but I guess I should have known that the desktops would’ve been in there. I guess I had another railroading brainfart. Anyways, I guess I had better let you go, and don’t wait so long to write me back. I wrote you back before Christmas and you never did write back until now. I hope that everything is going well with you. I’ll see sometime when I’m up there next. Keep on working, and stay out of trouble.
Laters, Dru
Hello spekarik…just a brief reply. I did’nt read all of your reply’s to your new ‘thread’, but one thing I have to say is how ‘kick-butt’ the 2 stroke EMD unit’s are compared to the 4 stroke eng’s. They ‘load-up’ in half the time, and in a drag-race, (and I have done these for fun when on adjacent track’s) the EMD’s kick-_ss. I recently ran 3 SDMAC 60’s (light-power) for a short distance in 50 mph. territory, and the pick-up was unbelievable! Compared to the new Dash-9 4 stroke’s, EMD’s RULE!
i work out of louisville,ky right now. and from what i read on here people wonder why they are buying ge over emd. it is cost. you can get 2 ge for the price of one emd. but they have learned that ge are falling apart. my last few trips i have had to be pulled pushed in or given a engine couse my main power dash 9 went down i had 2 main generators burn up and one engine burn up due to injectors. i have yet to have a emd go bad dont know why. maybe luck. but the emd dont work as hard as the ge do. a emd will load up and work a ge will only do what little it wants to so you lose alot of speed with a ge pulling the grade compared to a emd. and a emd is more fun to run its easier to controll the slack with a emd. but in defense of a ge they have very good dynamic brakes.
What number are we talking about with BNSF Dash 9’s??
I think BNSF only ordered 3 units. BNSF is upset because the lost GM’s auto business. Maybe they will go with GE, maybe EMD. Why mix AC4400 with 70mac’s?
Hey Dru,
Sorry bout not repliing around Christmas, it was a very hectic time for me. Supposedly this spring or early summer, a CTC gang is going to come to Herington and start working west to meet that other gang, so it should be all CTC by sometime late next year. Rumors abound that they are gonna change the crew change when that is done. That they are gonna run Herington to Bucklin, and Bucklin to Dalhart, guess we’ll just have to see on that one. About your question, what we mean by older style, is they still have gauges instead of those darn computer screens, and the air is just air, no electronic air brake junk in 'em. The only one that I know of that has older style stands in any wide body is the NS. Keep your eyes peeled for the new painted units with the flag on new slogan on the side, now those are sharp looking units!
later
Derek
One thing i do like about GE is their screen saver. Wish EMD had one.