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  • The FL9: What do you think of this classic EMD?

  • Discussion of Electro-Motive locomotive products and technology, past and present. Official web site can be found here: http://www.emdiesels.com/.
Discussion of Electro-Motive locomotive products and technology, past and present. Official web site can be found here: http://www.emdiesels.com/.

Moderator: GOLDEN-ARM

 #161879  by DutchRailnut
 
The first four CDOT's 2002 - 2006 - 2019 - 2023 were done by Chrome Crankshaft of Boisy Idaho. this later became Crome Locomotive works, Morrison Knudsen. and I believe is now Natiolal railway supplys.
Basicly same outfit that later did the FL9m's but under different ownership.
The Metro North units were done by Coastal in Cheasapeak and New Jersey.
and the B units and a few HEP's were done inhouse at Harmon.

 #161900  by AmtrakFan
 
DutchRailnut wrote:The six FL9m's are still in service, none are in museums yet.
The FL9m's are the MK rebuilts from 1996.

The preseved FL9's are:
2002-2019 at Naugy.
2006-2013 at Danbury Railway museum.
2023 at CERM at Willimantic.
3 FL9's went to Cooperstown & Charlotte RR.
and 3 or 4 went to Adirondac scenic RR.
Thanks for the list.
 #162342  by H.F.Malone
 
Almost, but not quite.....the 1984 CDOT FL9 rebuilts were done by Chrome Locomotive at their Silvis, IL shops, formerly the Rock Island's main diesel shop (RI was shut down and assets sold off in March 1980). Morrison-Kundsen was already in operation at Boise, Idaho--the D&H PAs were done there in 1974-75, well before the CDOT FL9s.

Chrome Locomotive grew out of Chrome Crankshaft Co., a remanufacturer of EMD (primarily) loco cranks. In the late 60s and 70s, they leased out used locos, and eventually bought Silvis and most all of the old used RI locos stored at Silvis. National Railway Equipment now owns the Silvis facility, Chrome Crank having sold that part of their business a few years ago.

M-K, a large engineering and construction company based in Boise, ID, got into the loco rebuild biz about 1970, and upon the split-up of M-K in the late 80s-early 90s, the loco biz became known as Motive Power Industries.

Chrome and M-K were two totally different companies and facilities.

The six CDOT M-K rebuilds were done in 1990.

mxdata, care to jump in here and review for accuracy? You know more than almost anyone on here, about all this....

And, MNCR 2033 was forgotten... it started life in Nov 1960 as NH 2059, the LAST F-unit built. It's at RMNE, also.

 #162367  by DutchRailnut
 
thanks for correctiom on chrome, the six CDOT units show 1996 as blue card date.
And I show 1996 on test trains in my runbook.'

 #162379  by mxdata
 
HFM, looking through your excellent post there is very little for me to add. The sequence of name changes on the former Morrison Knudsen Boise Locomotive Shop included a short time as part of "MK Rail" before the spinoff company became Motive Power Industries (MPI). Following the Wabtec merger the Boise operation assumed the "Motivepower Inc." name. This name had previously been associated with part of the lease fleet operations.

A very interesting discussion string.
 #162471  by Ol' Loco Guy
 
The Morristown & Erie also purchased a group of FL-9's, in this case former Amtrak units that were remanufactured by MK. These were done after the first four CDOT units by Chrome. Believe that the AMTK units saw some EMD field mods that the NH never managed to apply.

Not sure of the number, but I know that at least two of the units are running on M&E subsidiary Maine Eastern. These FL-9's replaced a pair of newer-but less fuel efficient F40's.

To put the issue of FL-9 longevity in perspective, a group of six Alco PA's that were purchased by the SR in 1953 were in storage by 1960 and traded-in to EMD on GP-30's. Those PA's may have been the last Alcos ever purchased new by SR.

 #162890  by MEC407
 
The 488 and 489 are running on the Maine Eastern between Brunswick and Rockland and seem to be doing just fine. They look gorgeous, too.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=114177

 #163031  by Phil Hom
 
The last 30 FL-9 could have been FL-18!

 #163122  by DutchRailnut
 
The 9 is type indication, not a HP designation.