Railroad Forums
GP60B
- 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
Santa Fe bought GP60M safety cab "A" units and GP60B cabless "B" units originally painted in warbonnet colors to pull hot intermodals on the transcon route. This was before double stack trains ruled and intermodals in general got too heavy to make four axle units less desirable than six axle units for this task. Since most of these hot ATSF trains would have 3 or more units anyway, and the safety cab was an expensive option at that time, I assume the "B" unit order saved them pretty good money, or at least they got them more units for their buck.
mp15ac wrote:If I correctly recall they were able to get three extra "B" units for the price saved in not having the extra cabs (23 vs 20).Although when they wanted GE to build them cabless Dash-8s, the answer they got was that that would be more expensive than building them with cabs...
Stuart
Then there some B30-7A from BN they claimed it saved a bunch of money. So maybe other RR's will look into Slugs.
AmtrakFan wrote:Then there some B30-7A from BN they claimed it saved a bunch of money. So maybe other RR's will look into Slugs.The cabless unit always seems to be a niche product, though, although they find some odd uses. The BN cabless GE's found a new use on the Providence & Worcester:
http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?pho ... _Worcester
Since Amtrak requires any lead capable units operating on the New England portion of the Northeast Corridor (New Haven-Boston) to have the expensive ACSES system installed, the P&W got diesels to use as trailing units that will never have to have it installed. My guess is they probably picked them up for a lot less than cabbed units.
Wondering if I'll see the Western Route double-tracking finished before I retire...
Photo: Melbourne W7 No. 1019 on Route 78, Bridge & Church Streets, Richmond, Victoria. 10/21/2010
Photo: Melbourne W7 No. 1019 on Route 78, Bridge & Church Streets, Richmond, Victoria. 10/21/2010
AmtrakFan wrote:So maybe other RR's will look into Slugs.Slugs are units that have no prime mover (main engine). The units described above are not slugs; they have prime movers and are complete locomotives, with the exception of the cab.
MEC407
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
MEC407 wrote:Thank You I stand corrected.AmtrakFan wrote:So maybe other RR's will look into Slugs.Slugs are units that have no prime mover (main engine). The units described above are not slugs; they have prime movers and are complete locomotives, with the exception of the cab.
At work there alot of guys who refer to the 60'Bs as "slugs'' and they work for the railroad. I have had them in consists they are good motors. It is weird opening the door going into that tiny cab. They have all the goodies as a normal motor would as far as guages and such but no control stand. Now the SD45-2B's that we have (or had I think they are leasers for NRE or FURX now) now that is a B unit !