Hello everybody,
spend some time on the web and ran across this modified SD40-2:http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=98097 . Apparently it is a locomotive with a cat engine in it. Are the cooling requirements for the cat diesel so different that these different air intake/exhausts are required to cool the diesel?
It would certainly make for an interesting kit bash project.
Frank
Impressive!
That is unusual. What’s so ironic is that railroads have been scrapping or trading in SD50 series units, yet the SD40-2 lives on!
BTW: Consider posting this over on the Model Railroader Thread. Would definetly stir up some interest by kitbashers. [;)][tup]
High Greens and thanks for posting this.
Thank you Antonio, was not quite sure about posting in the MR section, but will do.
Frank
The flared radiators probably have to do with making this SD40 tier 2/3 compliant. Maybe EMD should think of a similar option for rebuilding 40/50 series locos with their 710ECO.
I have to agree with the photo caption about it being an interesting looking contraption.
I think I have a new favorite locomotive. After 25 years I’m finally going to tear down my Farrah Fawcett poster. I think you know what I’m replacing it with.
Not so fast, Ted. That poster is probably a collectible now!
Great locomotive
I wonder if this locomotive will be any more successful than all the previous Cat repowered locomotives have been. Obviously it is not intended for the Class I railroads, since it lacks dynamic brakes.
Would that be a SD40ACe-2CAT? I would hate to have to remember that symbol, lol! [:)]
It will be interesting to see if any more of those Cat powered SD40-2s come out, if EMD or GE doesn’t come up with a new four axle or medium HP engine I think you’ll probably see more stuff like this engine shown here come out in the future. You can’t use GEVOs for everything! I think rebuilders will take advantage of the lack of new smaller engines.
In all honesty, I think that looks pretty cool! It almost looks like a modified version of CNW’s SD45s that didn’t have dymamic brakes.
Hello everybody,
Thank you for all the replies.
Last year I worked in a banks data storage facility. They added one of these to an already existing generator: http://www.cat.com/cda/components/securedFile/displaySecuredFileServletJSP?x=7&fileId=303726 . This was the prefered make, they already hat two different smaller generator sets from another manufacturer in place. So this gave an opportunity to speak with some cat technicians. They were aware of the GP9’s that were repowered with Cat gensets for the Ontario Northland Railroad. The Cat units worked out quite well but the person that was head of the maintenance wanted only EMD.
The problem with these units on the railroads will be maintenance and unless cat comes up with some kind of a maintenance deal it will be difficult to get into the rail business. In small quantities maybe but not to really affect the two big players. In Europe cat has had more luck.
Frank
Those are not ACe parts more like the radiator cores from a scrapped sd9043mac…a ACe has two fans on top and this one has three but I could be wrong but maybe the reused some fan components from other units.