Hey guys, we haven't had a good discussion about EMD engines in the military in a long time now. Is there anybody out there who served on an aircraft carrier with EMD engines, either fossils or nukes? Or on any of the fleet tugs or YTB's with EMD propulsion engines? Or maybe one of the many LST's that had EMDs?
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EMD engines on Bird Farms and other large gray stuff...
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I was never in the military, but I do work on and around ships a bit. I recently installed some equipment aboard a retired Navy ocean-going tug being used as a general-purpose research vessel. She's just a little bit <sarcasm> overpowered for her new job with a pair of 20V-645s! I got a chance to prowl around the engine room one afternoon, and its certainly impressive.
I know of a back-up generator over on Andrews AFB here in the DC region. But can't tell you where it .
Phil Hom
Phil Hom
FDL4ever--
The tuboats-- I think there were two different ones, and that they belonged to a commercial towing company and not the Navy-- that towed the battleships Missouri and New Jersey from their reserve ports to their museum-ship locations were also powered by the equivalent of two SD-45 each.
--
Given your pen-name... I'm not sure it's still up, but the GE Transportation website for a while had an entry page with a story about use of FDL engines for marine-- in particular, tow-boat-- applications.
Does anyone here have statistics about comparative rail and non-rail engine sales by the two big locomotive builders? I assume locomotive 645 and FDL engines outnumber marine ones by a healthy margin, but have no idea what the proportions would be!
The tuboats-- I think there were two different ones, and that they belonged to a commercial towing company and not the Navy-- that towed the battleships Missouri and New Jersey from their reserve ports to their museum-ship locations were also powered by the equivalent of two SD-45 each.
--
Given your pen-name... I'm not sure it's still up, but the GE Transportation website for a while had an entry page with a story about use of FDL engines for marine-- in particular, tow-boat-- applications.
Does anyone here have statistics about comparative rail and non-rail engine sales by the two big locomotive builders? I assume locomotive 645 and FDL engines outnumber marine ones by a healthy margin, but have no idea what the proportions would be!
Many members of my family worked for Moran tugboats out of NY Harbor, and a few other tugboat companies in the NY area, and most of the engines used were the old reliable 567 and 645's. They loved them as much as the railroads did.
My uncle is actually down from his home in CT this week, so Ill see if i can pick his brain about what engines were used on his most recent boats, but he's no longer in the tugboat industry, but rather now a pilot boat captain.
My uncle is actually down from his home in CT this week, so Ill see if i can pick his brain about what engines were used on his most recent boats, but he's no longer in the tugboat industry, but rather now a pilot boat captain.
On the RR, "believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see"
John, aka "JTGSHU" passed away on August 26, 2013. We honor his memory and his devotion to railroading at railroad.net.
John, aka "JTGSHU" passed away on August 26, 2013. We honor his memory and his devotion to railroading at railroad.net.
The oceanographic vessel described earlier sounds like it may have been one of the POWHATTAN class fleet tugs which were built during the 1970s with two 20-645 engines for propulsion. The 20-645 was a very popular engine for service in tugs, and generally did not suffer the bearing and crankshaft problems in marine applications which were sometimes encountered in locomotives.
Crowley Maritime was one commercial operator with many of the 20-645 engines in their tug fleet.
EMD engine production capability was about 11 engines per working day, their locomotive production capability was 5-1/2 locomotives per working day. The difference does not fully reflect the marine and industrial market, because some of the engines produced were for locomotive "kits" which went to contractors in other countries.
GE has a few of their engines in marine service, but their market penetration in that industry has not been as extensive as EMD.
Crowley Maritime was one commercial operator with many of the 20-645 engines in their tug fleet.
EMD engine production capability was about 11 engines per working day, their locomotive production capability was 5-1/2 locomotives per working day. The difference does not fully reflect the marine and industrial market, because some of the engines produced were for locomotive "kits" which went to contractors in other countries.
GE has a few of their engines in marine service, but their market penetration in that industry has not been as extensive as EMD.
Hi there, 
Crowley Maritime's Sea Victory has been hauling around all the Battlewagons and an aircraft carrier.
http://www.crowley.com/mediaroom/newsline.asp?ID=93
I can't find the specs. on the tug though. Crowley lists all the specs. of other tugs on their website, but not the 3 in the Sea Victory class.
Crowley Maritime's Sea Victory has been hauling around all the Battlewagons and an aircraft carrier.
http://www.crowley.com/mediaroom/newsline.asp?ID=93
I can't find the specs. on the tug though. Crowley lists all the specs. of other tugs on their website, but not the 3 in the Sea Victory class.
Hi there,
Found the specs. on the Sea Victory class tugs.
http://www.crowley.com/mediaRoom/images ... essels.pdf
Found the specs. on the Sea Victory class tugs.
http://www.crowley.com/mediaRoom/images ... essels.pdf
Very interesting to see the difference in bollard pull (the marine equivalent of tractive effort) between the new boats and the older ones with the same main engines. Either those new boats have the propellers sized for very slow towing speeds or they have an efficiency enhancement like Kort nozzles.
Hey All,....I worked for Canal Barge Lines for 3 years up and down the
mississippi river. I was on the tow boat MV Walter Hagestad, it as well as most other water vessels on the mississippi were powered by mostly by
EMD 645's. However, there were other boats powered by G.E.-FDL's, 567's, occasional ALCO 251's and even Fairbanks Morse diesels. These were all the large towboats that pushed the huge barge tows up and down the river.....L8ter
mississippi river. I was on the tow boat MV Walter Hagestad, it as well as most other water vessels on the mississippi were powered by mostly by
EMD 645's. However, there were other boats powered by G.E.-FDL's, 567's, occasional ALCO 251's and even Fairbanks Morse diesels. These were all the large towboats that pushed the huge barge tows up and down the river.....L8ter
Hey, Vegas...did you work the south end of the river (Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, New Orleans)? Also, are you familliar with Terral River Service?
--Why did it say "84 axles" when we have 20 cars?
--It counts the engine, too
--It counts the engine, too
1
Last edited by shortlinerailroader on Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
--Why did it say "84 axles" when we have 20 cars?
--It counts the engine, too
--It counts the engine, too
mxdata wrote:The oceanographic vessel described earlier sounds like it may have been one of the POWHATTAN class fleet tugsThat's precisely what she was- the second of the class built, retired sometime in the late 90s. The Narragansett.
GE has a few of their engines in marine service, but their market penetration in that industry has not been as extensive as EMD.I seem to recall GE making some publicity hay when that ship lost power on the Mississippi and hit a hotel/casino (can't remember any more details). GE was quick to point out that the first few tugs that were on-site to stabilize the situation were GE-powered. I've never run across a GE-powered ship during my aquatic adventures.
The EMD 645 and FM OP engines both meet both the fast start and seismic qualification requirements for nuclear service, and have been widely used in nuclear reactor emergency protection system service. The ALCO 251 also meets the qualification requirements and they were used in a few nuclear plants as well. There are also a number of diesel engines not widely used in railroad service which were also qualified for nuke plant applications, including certain models from Cooper Bessemer, Detroit Diesel, and CAT, among others.
For use on most USN combattant vessels built since the 1960s, a much more stringent set of qualification tests are required. The list of engines that can meet these standards is much more limited. The EMD 645, ALCO 251, and FM OP have all met these requirements.
For use on most USN combattant vessels built since the 1960s, a much more stringent set of qualification tests are required. The list of engines that can meet these standards is much more limited. The EMD 645, ALCO 251, and FM OP have all met these requirements.