Western Railroad Discussion > Where are the EMD T-4 demo's?

UP bought the first 5 demo's #1501-1505 and were to be sent to Denver to be turned over to UP. Has anyone seen them? Anyone spot the #1600 series un its?

Meanwhile GE is once again blowing EMD away!

Posted from Android

Nobody....INCLUDING U.P seems to be in a hurry to get the damn things on a decent size train and give them a REAL test. Maybe there afraid of what might happen.

It's really tough to get the train to move when the whole consist is DIC. I mean compare all this to the
"Blues" which have been running all over the place for months, does make you wonder.

Out

Pffffffftt Maybe that cant even get em started!

So seriously, is UP testing them or are they just sitting?

Posted from Android

nygiant Wrote:
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> UP bought the first 5 demo's #1501-1505

Nope - they are owned by EMD

> and were
> to be sent to Denver to be turned over to UP.

Nope. Two went to the Pueblo AAR test center and then were released to the UP for testing.

> Has
> anyone seen them? Anyone spot the #1600 series un
> its?

As has been reported on this group previously 1504 and 1505 are at EMD's McCook plant for testing. 1501 is also there. None of the 1600s have been released from Muncie.

I'm an EMD fan and I do believe EMD is on the right track for success but with the abundance of secrecy one must think that they are having some problems. I just hope they solve them soon and turn the horses loose.

Posted from iPhone

KDC Wrote:
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> with the abundance of
> secrecy one must think that they are having some
> problems.

Abundance of secrecy?  I don't recall seeing any GE data when their new Tier 4s first started running.

I think there's a good chance that the recent testing in Colorado has highlighted some minor mods and tweaks that need to be made and that's what's happening in this quiet period now. Hopefully that won't take very long and then the five 1500's and ten 1600's will be let loose.

I posted on another thread about the signirficant engineering difficulties in meeting Tier 4 diesel emission standards using the combination of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) and Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) solution that the railroads insisted upon.  At best, the engines present significant issues in both maintenance requirements and lower fuel economy.

General Motors relied for decades (going back to the 1930's) on a 2-cycle diesel engine design for nearly every diesel engine it manufactured.  It is interesting to note that GM sold EMD at about the same time in the 1990's that it concluded that there was no way a 2-cycle diesel engine design could meet the upcoming Federal diesel engine emission requirements and abandoned the 2-cycle design.  For whatever  reason, EMD, under its various new owners, persisted in trying to make the 2-cycle design emission compliant for a number of more years, rather than pursuing a 4-cycle design much earlier.  That cost EMD dearly in design time, while GE--which had used 4-cycle diesels since the beginning--had lots of time to develop and refine emission-compliant engines.  So, EMD is likely still playing catchup and, who knows?,EMD  may still not have a compliiant engine that will also pass muster with railroads as far as reliablilty and fuel economy requirements go.  All of this has to be a scary moment for EMD because, in the current economic scenario, GE can probably easily meet any new locomotive demand that is out there in the next few years all by itself.