So are they rare now, because I saw one going into Proviso Leading a Coal Drag today.
History seemed to repeat itself here, horsepower wise at least. Years back, the railroads were all out for as much hp in a single unit as possible, culminating in the SD45. With the technology back then this was pushing it and the 20 cylinder diesel was a maintenance issue. The result was that it was deemed that 3000hp was fine, and the extra 600hp per unit for the bigger models wasn’t worth it. Now in modern times, for all their new engines and what have you from GE and EMD, they beefed things up to 6000hp in a single unit. And guess what?..it’s not worth it. The GE units may outlast but I know they have had their problems too. I think Norfolk Southern, who seemed to never see a reason to go much above 4000hp, has the right idea all along. They don’t seem to be having any problems and don’t even use the full 4400hp available from what I understand.
What you saw was likely an SD9043AC as all of the remaining 21 SD90MAC units are stored in a deadline in Denver awaiting their fate.
I still think the Wheeling and Lake Erie has there pure 90MACS.
The locomotives in question on W&LE are indeed SD90MAC’s with 265H engines, but they are leasers from Electro-Motive Leasing. They are from the UP 8522-8561 series which were not owned by UP.
all i got to say is good ridens… nothing but junk… anything from the 70macs on are crap… would get them on coal trains from time to time… would have nothing but problems with them time and time agin… they only thing that i liked about them at all is they are an overall quieter ride in the cab compaired to GEs… but that is it…
csx engineer
What is the differened between the SD9043AC and the SD90MAC? I have seen both. Is it the fact that the SD9043AC is only 4300 HP? I seem to recall being told, or reading somewhere that not all of the SD90’s were 6000HP that some of them were a lower horsepower, with the option to upgrade it to 6000, or something like that.
Tim, you are correct…the SD9043 is a 4,300 HP unit with an EMD (older style) model 710 prime mover and the SD90MAC has a newer model 265 prime mover making 6,000 HP. Evidently the 710 is much more reliable. By the way, it seems like only yesterday that I was in the La Grange plant on business when EMD was switching away from the model 645 to the model 710 prime movers, but that was way back in the mid eighties as I recall.
The SD70ACe has a car body very similar to the SD90, and Uncle Pete seems to have a LOT of the former running in CA.
It is a little supprising that it is more economical to scrap the SD90 than drop a 710 in it.
Phil
I think someone else already mentioned that each SD90MAC had its own individual wiring diagram, which would be a nightmare if you’re trying to rewire it. There’s miles of wiring in one of those things! Not worth it. It kind of reminds me of the Baldwin Centipedes, which were like steam locomotives in that each individual loco was built, plumbed, and wired differently from one another, which made them maintenence headaches.
Pretty sure all of the SD90MAC-II’s that were on W&LE are now operating on the B&P.