GP69 ?

I was reading on the Alaska railroad news forum that in 2002 they were talking to EMD about the posibility of building a GP69, basically an updated version of the GP60, 3800 HP an all, did anything materialize?

It's the first I've heard of this... I don't think any were built.

ask TerryC

he is certainly informed when it comes to fantasy-land locomotives that only exist in the imaginations of foamers

They (ARR) may have talked to EMD about various possibilities, but they seem to have decided, in the end, on getting SD70MAC (including some with extra equipment to provide HEPfor passenger trains).
Model numbers ending in 9 have, since the late 1960s, designated locomotives with turbocharged 12-cylinder engines, technologically equivalent to the 16-cylinder-engined models with model number one greater:
GP39/SD39 corresponding to GP40/SD40
GP39-2
GP49, corresponding to GP50
GP59, corresponding to GP60
Logically, then (but when did EMD model numbers show logic?), a GP69 should be a locomotive of the technological generation of the SD70 but with a 12-710 engine, probably rated around 3000 hp. Since the ARR was one of the few (the only?) purchasers of the GP49, it would not be surprising if they were interested in this possibility. My guess is that the "talk" with EMD might have been one phone-call, in which the EMD person said "Well, yes, we COULD do that, but I don't think any other railroad would be interested, so the price would have to be very high to cover the development costs. Could I interest you in something along the lines of an SD70? It's bigger and more powerful, but with the radial truck it meets the concerns with track curvature that got you interested in 4-axle units in the first place!"

Allen Hazen wrote:Since the ARR was one of the few (the only?) purchasers of the GP49

Don't Norfolk Southern have GP49s (with high short hoods) too?

USRailFan wrote:

Allen Hazen wrote:Since the ARR was one of the few (the only?) purchasers of the GP49

Don't Norfolk Southern have GP49s (with high short hoods) too?

Southern bought six GP39X rated at 2600HP. About the time that ARR bought their GP49s, Southern had up-rated theirs to 2800HP as well and changed the model desgination to GP49. ARR was the only ones bought new.

Stuart

Hi there,

The ARR ended up getting 8 new SD70MACs rated at 4,300 horsepower. They are now getting the HEP units installed into them. I think the HEP conversion leaves 3,000 horsepower for tractive effort. I don't think the ARR needs 8 SD70MACs with HEP, but all 8 are to have them installed. Now the ARR has 16 SD70MACs at 4,000 horsepower and 8 MACs at 4,300 horsepower. They are still using all the older units and they also have 6 GP40-2s with HEP.

They came from London Ont with HEP inverters installed and tested.

It seems like the days of new 4 axle ROAD freight locos is over. But what makes you wonder though is how many times will railroads attempt to rebuild a geep? Not all lines can handle a six axle unit for curvature or weight purposes... Sooner or later there will be a point where rebuilding is no longer feasible so how what will run on those lines with curve or weight restrictions.... Hmmm.

When you consider how many thousands of four axle locomotives have been built over the past fifty years, there are plenty of "platforms" available for rebuilding. Look at what Norfolk Southern is doing with their old GP50s. Deturboing them, chopping the short hood, and in effect making them into GP38s (new designation GP38-3). Plenty of GP40s have also been deturboed into GP38s asa well. So I don't think there is a major problem for the near future.

Stuart

Hi there,

From www.alaskarails.org

New MACs to receive head end power - 10/13/04
Submitted by an anonymous source
Transformer was set into 4317 yesterday, just after noon. This is the first unit. All eight locomotives will be equipped in the next couple of weeks. During the week of 25 October, two more EMD people will be here with the software to install and test the units. The railroad will use load boxes to test initially, then will connect to passenger cars

I agree that sooner or later someone will have to produce a 4 axle loco, most of the GP40 and -2s are 30+ years old, a lot of GP38s were retired from the class ones, in favor of -2s, I know there is still a lot of GP9s out there but there like 50+ years old. This also goes to show how good a product EMD produced for years. It be nice to see some new 4 axles but if the class 1s wont buy in large numbers we'll never see it.

dave76 wrote:I agree that sooner or later someone will have to produce a 4 axle loco, most of the GP40 and -2s are 30+ years old, a lot of GP38s were retired from the class ones, in favor of -2s, I know there is still a lot of GP9s out there but there like 50+ years old. This also goes to show how good a product EMD produced for years. It be nice to see some new 4 axles but if the class 1s wont buy in large numbers we'll never see it.

Well, you have those ugly-as-hell GP15Bs that Amtrak is receiving in these days....

I realize you can rebuild a loco and reuse frames. But even that is not an infinite possibility. Sooner or later someone somewhere will have to make a new 4 axle. Its not gonna be like they're be able to take an old battered Dash 9 years from now and assign it to local industrial work like they could when the geeps, even the newer ones started coming to age. That is, if years from now if there still are small branch lines and industrial tracks and its not just mainline intermodal point a to point b....

Hi there,

I went back and did some checking. The HEPs will rated at 800KW. I don't know what that translates to for HP taken from the traction motors.