I want to model a Locomotive testing Facility. Would any one tell me the location of some of locomotive facilities. GE or EMD. I want to use something like Google earth to look at track arrangements. Thanks for any help.
Don
Try Erie, PA for GE; London, ON for EMD; and Pueblo, CO for the AAR.
Google Earth LaGrange, IL - This was EMD’s largest production facility. Here is the link from TerraServer. You can zoom in more on it, as well as a newer color image:
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=16&X=537&Y=5784&W=3&qs=|La+Grange|IL|
Testing is done anywhere and everywhere these days. The onboard computers can datalog very well. They still send the engines out into extreme conditions to make sure everything works as intended. I recall testing on Tennessee Pass and other high-altitude locations, and out in the desert, places like that. The TTCI in Pueblo CO has a laboratory to do other kinds of testing indoors, as well as tracks outside.
I work at GE in Erie , PA. our test track is located on the south side of the plant. However most testing is static load testing in the test building. Many times they are sent out into the real world with a test car (converted passenger car) with full equipment on board for montioring test parameters.
the ttci is a large circle of track
tom
I first saw it while flying over. I thought it looked like a giant 4x8 layout. I would hardly call it a large circle of track. http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&q=&om=1&z=12&ll=38.430732,-104.322739&spn=0.116184,0.199814&t=k
They also have building to do instrumented testing in.
The test loop runs 315k cars to find out how much the track gets beaten down, and how new components work in the real world, without tying up a mainline if something breaks.