Question.
Are the Union Pacific’s GE AC6000CW Locomotives “true” 6,oooh.p. or are they a 4,4ooh.p. like the GE AC4400CW’s?
Also, Does the AC6000CW have the V20 Primemover or Does it have the V16?
Because the AC6000CW “Does not sound like an AC4400CW at all”.
Thanks.
UP ordered 106 C44/60AC (4,400 HP versions) and 80 “true” C60AC’s. An AC6000CW still uses a 16 cylinder prime mover (7HDL vs. 7FDL in AC4400CW) but it is twin turbocharged. UP’s C44/60AC’s are numbered 7300-7405 and AC6000CW’s are 7500-7579.
From what I understand, they were all 6000 hp but UP was unsatisfied with their performance (wheel slipping) so derated some to 4400 hp.
The AC 6000 locomotives run by BHP Billiton in Western Australia are all still rated at 6000 HP. I’d agree that the AC6000 sounds quite different to the Dash 8s run by BHPB.
The 7HDL-16 is in fact a German design engine, built by Deutz as their model 632. The engine is bigger in both bore and stroke, and I think it has a narrower vee-angle. The new GEVO engine appears to be an “Americanised” version of this HDL, with a single turbocharger, and it might sound different too.
I think the sound is more “hollow” and resonant , although it is difficult to define!
Peter
The only thing I will add to that Peter is that GEVO is a V-12, and the HDL has about a 3/4" bigger bore than the FDL (AC4400) and about a 2" longer stroke.
Good engough to make your heart skip a beat though.
And the AC6000s were delivered that way and the upgradeables were designated AC60/44s by UP and delievered with FDLs not derated HDLs. To my knowledge UP hasn’t dereated the HDLs, although they use them in odd jobs not on coal trains like the AC4400s and AC60/44s.
Has anyone heard anything with regards to reliablility of the HDLs or any other problems with AC6000s as a whole?
Checking “GE Locomotives” by Brian Solomon, GE bought the rights to produce the Cooper-Bessemer Diesel in the late 50’s, and at that time they expected that with developement it could eventually produce about 4000 hp.
At 4400 hp, the FDL (originally Cooper-Bessemer design) had reached its limit.
GE teamed with Duetz MWM (pronounced DOYTS) to design the HDL engine, a four stroke, 45 deg. angle V, rated speed 1050 rpm.
The AC6000CW has a larger carbody and larger radiators.
The UP wanted the AC6000CW, but could not wait for the HDL engine, so purchased an order of AC6000CW’s with a 4400hp FDL engine and dubbed them C44/60AC.
A little trivia: Duetz was one of many original licensees authorized by Rudolf Diesel to produce diesel engines.
Thanks to all for the info…Thank you!
Junctionfan–
CSX derated some of its 6000-horsepower units, but UP did not. Those “6044s” always had 4400 horsepower. The plan once was to put 6000-horsepower engines in them once the bugs were worked out, but that (ambiguity intentional) hasn’t happened yet.