I have heard a road slug is a loco with the engine removed and replaced by concrete. What is the point of doing this? Does it serve an actual purpose in the real world?
It gives you twice the power with half the fuel usage. The concrete replaces the weight of the diesel engine to give traction. A locomotive like this is always paired with a powered locomotive to give it the electrical input needed for the traction motors.
You mostly find these in yard work.
Gordon
By definition a road slug would be used on a road train.
The benefit of a road slug is to allow a locomotive to fully use all the power it can generate in a low speed operation. Take a fairly heavy train operating on a low speed branch, a gravel train or a pulpwood train. By using a road slug a railroad can get twice the tractive effort with the same number of cylinders and and less than double the fuel use.
Dave H.
Do locos working with slugs require any special MU cabling or can any loco work with a slug? Not sure how US MU equipment works, so any info would be appreciated!
The “mother” of a slug needs extra cables to carry power from its main generator to the traction motors on the slug. Only designated “mother” units will have this cabling, so it’s rare to see a slug without its companion locomotive.
This site has some nice information and photos of slugs from various liveries.
http://www.nwownrailfan.com/archives/features/0201camp.html
Warren
Big users of road slugs are/have been N&W, NS, SCL, CSX. These are for coal or phosphate service.
SCL had GE U36B mated to slugs; one or two “mothers” per slug. This produce a consist that had the tractive effort and power of a pair of U36C, but was much easier on the track, and could go around tighter radius.
N&W (now NS) re-built several GP9 into road slugs, keeping thier dynamic brakes, for use on mine runs with GP40 where SD40/45 could not go.
CSX has rebuilt several GP30 into road slugs, keeping the dynamic brakes, cab and fuel tank. The crews like running the train from these because they are quiet. They are mated with GP40-2, and used for the same purpose as NS.
Basical two GP (or equivalents) with a 4 axle slug is equivalent to a pair of SD units, but with the weight spread out further.
CSX also has a few slugs made from old Alcos that are paired with SD38s (at least they did when I was there) at Selkirk Yard. These slugs were built by Penn Central, and later Conrail.
These are YARD slugs, not ROAD slugs.
CSX also did it to some GP30’s and I think some GP15’s but that needs to be checked. Usually they are solid gray.
Man, some of those slugs are significantly smaller than their mothers. Cool idea on the RR’s part. Hope I can see one someday.
Speaking of slugs, does anybody know why Conrail (CSX) 1005 is sitting at the end of a shortline in Monroe, GA? It has been shoved all the way to the just about unusable track at the end. I can’t figure out why this shorline full of old GP7s and 9s would want this slug. Do any of you have a clue as to what they may be doing with it?
Also I took some pictures of Conrail (CSX) 1007 in Frontier Yard, NY a while back. Is that slug still operating there?
There is an ex NS (N&W) yard slug at the Virginia Museum of Transportation http://www.vmt.org/. It was made from a Fairbanks Morse T-M. The mothers were originally Alco C630 and EMD SD40. The Alco’s often ran with two slugs, providing well over 300,000 lbs of tractive effort. They were used to switch whole trains, locomotives included.
This is one of the two road slugs N&W built from EMD SD loco, NS sold them the W&LE. http://www.homestead.com/johnsmurrayphotography/photo101806.html
Slugs are becoming a popular option for many shortlines as well. WATCO, who operates several shortlines throughout the country is building them as hard as they can from any EMD hulk they have they have in Witchita or Jacksonville. Being as they have slow speed limits it works out real well for them. A GP30 or GP35 with a slug will work great in place of 2 SW1000’s and be considerably cheaper to purchase and modify with basically the same performance.
I live in Brunswick MD and I see road slugs used here on a gravel drag almost every day. there are 2 Mothers and 2 slugs in the consist. And the engineers are driving from the one of the slugs
St Lawrence and Atlantic uses road slugs.
