Metra orders remanufactured EMD SD70MAC locomotives

[keelhauled]

Press release.  15 locomotives to be rebuilt by Progress Rail at a cost of $70.9 million, with options for up to 27 more.

 

[cpotisch]

Metra wants 15 six-axle rebuilt freight road switchers? Why?

 

[Acela150]

Metra wants 15 six-axle rebuilt freight switchers? Why?

SD70MAC's are far from Switchers. They're road units. But I'm curious as to how this will go. 

 

[cpotisch]

SD70MAC's are far from Switchers. They're road units. But I'm curious as to how this will go. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_SD70_series

All locomotives of this series are road switchers with C-C trucks

 

[keelhauled]

Metra wants 15 six-axle rebuilt freight switchers? Why?

They need cheap power.  If you had read the link, you would have discovered that "Metra chose remanufactured locomotives primarily because it can buy more of them than new locomotives."

 

[bcanedy]

My observations have been that the SD70MACs have mostly earned their keep in coal service, so I wonder how that translates to a passenger service use. Are they best suited to pulling long local trains, or would poor start/stop performance make them more suitable for express service? Any thoughts on how Metra would best use these locomotives?

 

[Acela150]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_SD70_series

You're missing one key word.. Road.  And again they're not switchers. But then again I guess Wikipedia concurs someone who has actually worked on SD70's. 

 

[Dutchrailnut]

at 415 000 lbs (before adding HEP system) these things will be track destructors.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

at 415 000 lbs (before adding HEP system) these things will be track destructors.

Metra has lines that are operated by BNSF and UP, which coincidentally both railroads own SD70MACs themselves. Metra also shares trackage operated by freight trains too, so they'll be fine on Metra.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

yes but those do not run at passenger speeds with heavy stops at every station .

 

[bcanedy]

Has there been any indication on whose old SD70MACs Metra will be getting?

 

[Agent]

Metra has lines that are operated by BNSF and UP, which coincidentally both railroads own SD70MACs themselves.

I don't believe UP has any SD70MACs.  Though the SD70M they went with at that time I'm guessing is around the same weight.

 

[Trogdor]

What you’re seeing here is an agency so desperately short of money that they have to basically take whatever scraps they can find behind the dumpster and make a meal out of it.  

 

[Seaboard92]

I'm interested to see the performance of these road engines. They are great pullers but the few times I've done anything with them they were slow to load.

 

[jis]

This is a common site in India these days. 4500HP WDP-4D (dual cab), EMD designation GT46PAC, using a 710 variant prime mover. hundreds being manufactured each year.

They are normally limited to 130kph (80mph) in commercial service, but have been tested at upto 180-kph (112mph). There are single cab variants of them around too, but running them LHF is borderline dangerous due to signal visibility issues.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

Jis what has this to do with US content ? Or as like to say, what has this to do with price of coconuts ??

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Jis what has this to do with US content ? Or as like to say, what has this to do with price of coconuts ??

Well, he IS showing it pulling a commuter train....

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Essentially proof that an SD70MAC variant can be used in passenger service just like what is done in India. Now if you need US proof, go to Alaska, those SD70MACs pull passenger trains. Fact is, freight engines modified to pull or push passenger trains is nothing new. It's been done for a while folks, matter of fact at one time Metra had F40Cs, which basically are six axle versions of the F40. They still have 611 and 614, which haven't run in some time. 

 

[cpotisch]

Essentially proof that an SD70MAC variant can be used in passenger service just like what is done in India. Now if you need US proof, go to Alaska, those SD70MACs pull passenger trains. Fact is, freight engines modified to pull or push passenger trains is nothing new. It's been done for a while folks, matter of fact at one time Metra had F40Cs, which basically are six axle versions of the F40. 

Actually, an F40C is essentially a shorter SDP40F, not a six axle F40. Metra most definitely not go out of their way to get six axles in that case. They just shrunk an existing six axle model to a more reasonable size.

 

[Acela150]

What you’re seeing here is an agency so desperately short of money that they have to basically take whatever scraps they can find behind the dumpster and make a meal out of it.  

Sadly you're right. Illinois doesn't really put any money towards Metra these days. And it's sad. 

I'm interested to see the performance of these road engines. They are great pullers but the few times I've done anything with them they were slow to load.

I am as well. In freight service they're great. But making extreme changes to take a unit from freight to passenger has me interested. 

Jis what has this to do with US content ? Or as like to say, what has this to do with price of coconuts ??

It shows that it can be done. 

 

[cpotisch]

Jis what has this to do with US content ? Or as like to say, what has this to do with price of coconuts ??

It shows that it can be done. 

I also don’t quite understand. What does this show can be done? How does that locomotive connect to an SD70MAC?

 

[Ryan]

He explained that:

using a 710 variant prime mover.

 

[jis]

710 prime mover. Co-Co. AC drive. Derived from a freight locomotive, like is proposed by METRA. The WDP-4 series was actually re-geared with more appropriate ratio for passenger service. I don;t know whether METRA plans to do that.

Actually more precisely three axle/six wheel trucks. The original delivered by EMD were oB1-1Bo 4000HP. Later ones manufactured in India under license were and are 4500HP Co-Co.

Incidentally a legitimate true blue all American passenger diesel, except perhaps for the fact that the power electronics comes from Siemens.

 

[cpotisch]

He explained that:

using a 710 variant prime mover.

Didn’t know that the SD70 uses a 710, so didn’t get the significance of it.

 

[jis]

Actually, my focus really was more on the Co-Co trucks, since there appears to be tacit belief in this country that Co-Co trucks are unsuitable for passenger usage. That is why I quoted the normal max and test max speeds (in India), which suggests that they would be quite capable of doing what P42s do. They do use a passenger specific gear ratio, which is different from their freight cousins (WDG4). I don't know if in the process of rebuild METRA will change the gear ratio on the SD70MACs.