EMD SD40 series official thread (covers all variations)

[SSW9389]

UP SD40X 3042 is with the collection at Cheyenne. The locomotive just turned 40 in February. I wonder how many miles it had on it as EMD 434B in July 1965 when Alco sold the first alternator drive C630 to ACL?

I remember reading that UP has saved one of the 3040-3045 group, upon realizinig its significance.

Stuart

[Bryanjones]

UP SD40X 3042 is with the collection at Cheyenne. The locomotive just turned 40 in February. I wonder how many miles it had on it as EMD 434B in July 1965 when Alco sold the first alternator drive C630 to ACL?

I remember reading that UP has saved one of the 3040-3045 group, upon realizinig its significance.

Stuart

Up #3042 is nolonger with the historical collection. UP sold the unit to National Railway Equipment a few years ago. The unit ended up at the NRE facility in Mt. Vernon,Illinois. Last sighting of any of it was a year or so ago though it was being stripped, with the hulk likely being scrapped if hasn't been already.

Bryan

[emd_SD_60]

UP SD40X 3042 is with the collection at Cheyenne. The locomotive just turned 40 in February. I wonder how many miles it had on it as EMD 434B in July 1965 when Alco sold the first alternator drive C630 to ACL?

I remember reading that UP has saved one of the 3040-3045 group, upon realizinig its significance.

Stuart

Up #3042 is nolonger with the historical collection. UP sold the unit to National Railway Equipment a few years ago. The unit ended up at the NRE facility in Mt. Vernon,Illinois. Last sighting of any of it was a year or so ago though it was being stripped, with the hulk likely being scrapped if hasn't been already.

Bryan

So it's finally joining its sisters 3043 and 3044, in locomotive heaven.
I assume that makes 6 remaining.

[Bryanjones]

Up #3042 is nolonger with the historical collection. UP sold the unit to National Railway Equipment a few years ago. The unit ended up at the NRE facility in Mt. Vernon,Illinois. Last sighting of any of it was a year or so ago though it was being stripped, with the hulk likely being scrapped if hasn't been already.

Bryan[/quote]

So it's finally joining its sisters 3043 and 3044, in locomotive heaven.
I assume that makes 6 remaining.[/quote]


No, only 2 of the 8 former UP SD40X's are left. One is HLCX SD40M-2 #6399, with flared radiators. The other is Wheeling and lake Erie SD40-3 #3046, the former UP 3046 with flat panel radiators.
IC #6071 is still around, rebuilt to DASH 2 specs. This was GM&O #950 and has flat radiators. So that makes 3 of the 9 SD40X demo's operable, possibly the hulk of UP 3042 still at NRE and the others scrapped.

Bryan Jones

[espeefoamer]

Up #3042 is nolonger with the historical collection. UP sold the unit to National Railway Equipment a few years ago. The unit ended up at the NRE facility in Mt. Vernon,Illinois. Last sighting of any of it was a year or so ago though it was being stripped, with the hulk likely being scrapped if hasn't been already.

Bryan

So it's finally joining its sisters 3043 and 3044, in locomotive heaven.
I assume that makes 6 remaining.[/quote]


No, only 2 of the 8 former UP SD40X's are left. One is HLCX SD40M-2 #6399, with flared radiators. The other is Wheeling and lake Erie SD40-3 #3046, the former UP 3046 with flat panel radiators.
IC #6071 is still around, rebuilt to DASH 2 specs. This was GM&O #950 and has flat radiators. So that makes 3 of the 9 SD40X demo's operable, possibly the hulk of UP 3042 still at NRE and the others scrapped.

Bryan Jones[/quote]
One can only hope that the HLCX unit ends up in some museum.

[scottychaos]

http://train.hamlink.org/LEASE/HLCX6399.html

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=99715

[Phil Hom]

The subject line is misleading. The SD40X were test locomotive to confirm the lab study of the 645E blocks. These SD40 were not part of a sale promotions.

This thread should be titled "Where are the SD40X test locomotives today?"

The ALCO Black Maria were also were not demos, even though they were painted the same colors as the SD40.

[CSX Conductor]

As a newly removed yard hog due to remote control

It's sad to see humans losing jobs to machines. There's only one group to thank, and that's the UTU.

[emd_SD_60]

I was looking at some pics, and here's some:

GM&O 950:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=187255

UP 3040:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=184063

[Kevin B.]

Can someone please explain the difference in EMD's "Flexicoil" and "HTC" trucks that were on the SD40-2s. Thanks

[mxdata]

The Flexicoil and the HTC are totally different designs developed two decades apart. The Flexicoil truck uses an all coil spring suspension and has two traction motors facing in one direction and one traction motor facing in the other direction. This keeps the truck frame short, allowing maximum space between trucks for the fuel tank and other equipment. However the motors facing in different directions generate unequal torque reactions that affect axle loadings and make the truck more prone to wheelslip. The HTC truck uses a simpler rubber pad suspension between the bolster and truck frame, and all the motors are facing in the same direction so there is less tendency for the torque reaction to create unequal axle loadings. However the extended frame transom of the HTC needed to support the inboard motor uses up more of the available space under the locomotive than a Flexicoil truck frame requires.

The Conrail SD40-2 units with the Flexicoil truck were primarily the result of one person on the railroad (whose name I will not post here) who insisted on retaining the older truck design after the Amtrak SDP40F units that had the HTC truck encountered derailment problems. Conrail procured these units despite having the former Erie Lackawanna SD45-2 fleet, which had HTC trucks, and had operated quite successfully in UPS van train service on the EL for several years prior to Conrail.

[Kevin B.]

Thanks for the info, mxdata. Are there any tale-tale visual differences?

[Tadman]

Flexicoil trucks are symmetrical when viewed. HTC's are assymetrical, with a "wing" facing toward the fuel tank. To simplify, look at an SD9 and SD50. The 9er has Flexi's and the 50 has HTC's.

[junction tower]

Flexicoil trucks are symmetrical when viewed. HTC's are assymetrical, with a "wing" facing toward the fuel tank. To simplify, look at an SD9 and SD50. The 9er has Flexi's and the 50 has HTC's.

Unless it is from the first batch of Conrail SD50's then it still has Flexicoils.

[LongIslandRRTom]

Other visual differences:

- Flexicoils have two holes on the sideframes between wheels while HTCs have three holes.

- Flexicoils have no snubbers while HTCs have a snubber on the center wheel journal.