by Triplex
Pardon the amateurish question, but why haven't there been more rebuilds of DC locomotives to AC?
There were a number of experimental one-off rebuilds; those wouldn't have to be economical. The only "production" AC rebuilds were the FL9ACs, and those weren't too successful. I don't know how much that says about the general feasibility of such schemes, as they were rebuilt by Republic, whose DC locomotives didn't turn out well either.
Did most locomotives simply not have the room? I know the F40PHACs required a frame stretch. The rebuilt SDP40F would've had the space originally used for a steam generator. I'm guessing an FL9 has a significant amount of internal space free.
There were a number of experimental one-off rebuilds; those wouldn't have to be economical. The only "production" AC rebuilds were the FL9ACs, and those weren't too successful. I don't know how much that says about the general feasibility of such schemes, as they were rebuilt by Republic, whose DC locomotives didn't turn out well either.
Did most locomotives simply not have the room? I know the F40PHACs required a frame stretch. The rebuilt SDP40F would've had the space originally used for a steam generator. I'm guessing an FL9 has a significant amount of internal space free.
Fan of late and early Conrail... also transition-era PRR, 70s Santa Fe, BN and SP, 70s-80s eastern CN, pre-merger-era UP, heavy electric operations in general, dieselized narrow gauge, transition-era DB and DR, modern EFVM and Brazilian railroads in general... why bother trying to list them all?