Locomotive "naming" question...

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I know that for the most part GE and EMD build the locomotives that run on US/Canadian railroads…

I have a question: Why is it that some railroads (Pennsy and CN come into mind) feel the need to rename, or rather, re classify locomotives with their own nomenclature? It’s confusing to people like me who rely on the fact that the locomotive type is stenciled somehwere on the cab for the most part (UP,BNSF,NS,CPRail), and instead of seeing say “Dash 9-44CW”, it says “EF-644g”, and it leaves me scratching my head because the only locomotives I can identify correctly 3 times out of 5 is the SD40-2 and the SD70… But seriously, why does the CN do that? Is it an internal thing? Or, is it just how they want to be? Or, do they modify the locomotive in some way according to their own internal specifications? I have a book on the Pennsylvania and I noted that they did the same thing. (Secretly, I think CN knows it irritates me, and that’s why they do it.) [(-D][(-D]

2

Well, the way it used to work on the Southern Pacific years ago was like this:

First letter E or G depending on manufacturer. E=EMD G=GE

Second letter was service, P=Passenger, F=Road Freight, S=Switcher

3rd digit was axle count.

4th and 5th digit would be first two digits of HP rating.

For example, an EMD SD40T-2 would be classified EF630. A GP60 would be EF438. A B40-8 would be GF440. And it goes on.

3

Well then I like GF643’s!

4

Actually, Silicon, on CN it’s the opposite: G is/was General Motors, and E is General Electric. M was Montreal Locomotive Works/Alco, C was Canadian Locomotive Co. (roughly equivalent to Fairbanks-Morse).

To the second-letter choices, add “R” for road engines. This would include a lot of things as big as SD40s, until the wide noses or wide carbodies made them useless in reverse.

There was sometimes a third letter, “G”, on road engines equipped with steam generators, “A” for cab units, and “B” for booster units.

5

Sounds rather like steam locomotives, which sometimes had three designations, if you will:

  1. The Whyte wheel arrangement

  2. The name - which often varied by railroad for the same wheel arrangement (Northern, Berkshire, Allegheny, etc)

  3. The railroads often also had an alpha-numeric designation for the locomotives as well.

6

Think PRR K-4s Pacifics.

7

When I read the title, I thought that the question would pertain to applying individual names to individual (usually steam) locomotives. The practice was common in the 19th century (General, Texas, J. W. Bowker, El Gobernador, Jupiter, most of the V&T roster…) and reappeared to a limited extent in the 20th (the RF&P 'General" and ‘Governor’ classes, named after famous Virginians…)

As for why the different railroads designated locos to suit themselves, I think there’s a bit of, “the railroad company is older than your diesel factory,” thinking involved. It’s in the same category as, “There are two ways, the (fill in railroad or other name of choice) way and the wrong way.”

You can safely assume that any confusion this might cause to non-employees was rather low on their list of things to consider.

Chuck