Western Railroad Discussion > New UP locomotive?

UP, Progress Rail to test low-emission, intermediate-haul locomotive
Union Pacific Railroad and Caterpillar Inc.’s Progress Rail Services soon will begin testing a 1970s vintage SD40-2 that has been retrofitted with a low-emission 3,005 horsepower Caterpillar engine. I like the extra 5 horsepower!

The test — the first of its kind on an intermediate-haul locomotive, according to the companies — will be conducted later this month at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The equipment hasn’t yet been fitted onto a full-scale locomotive platform or tested in an operating environment. UP and Progress Rail Services will field-test the locomotive in a controlled local application to closely monitor its performance and durability over the testing period.

The clean-diesel engine, model 3516C-HD, exceeds the EPA’s Tier 2 locomotive emissions requirements and features advanced emission control technologies, UP said. The engine has more power than a typical 2,000-horsepower Genset switcher used around terminals, but less than a traditional 4,400-horsepower line-haul locomotive used for transcontinental freight service. Wonder what this unit will look like!!!!!

NS has got 3 of them coming too for testing. Looks like an SD50 did the nasty with an SD70ACe and this is the result.

First???? What about the SF and CNW SDCat? Or MKs 5000Cs? Cat should put their heart into it. Instead of take it or leave it attitude. As told to me by someone using the Cat engines in locos.

Anyone got pictures? Or the loco numbers for NS's?

The two NS units will be NS 4000 and 4001.


Chris Toth
NSDash9.com

Hmmm, previous UP press last fall said they'd test five of them ... wonder what happened.

Bath_wildcat Wrote:
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> NS has got 3 of them coming too for testing. Looks
> like an SD50 did the nasty with an SD70ACe and
> this is the result.


NS has 2 units coming, NS #4000 and 4001. Both are currently at Progress Rail in Mayfield,Kentucky undergoing final work. They are different from the UP units, being rebuilt from SD50's and are rated at 4000hp and are classed as model PR43C. Given the designation, the units should be capable of 4300hp but rated at 4000hp per NS specification. The 5 units headed for UP are rebuilt from SD40-2's, rated at 3000hp (ok its actually 3005hp) and are class PR30C.

Bryan Jones
Brooks, KY
Bryan's Train Photos

What are they trying to prove with that 5 HP when engines of that size can easily vary in maximum output by several hundred HP based on exact load regulator & governor settings?

(I also thought it was funny how both EMD and GE for many years had their highest powered offerings rated at 3600 HP. Not an even thousand. Not an even 500. Nope...3600...don't want to be outdone even by a trivial hundred HP.)

How about a Dash-8 at 3150 or a P42 at 4250?

Maybe the 5hp is a lawnmower engine running a coolant circulator and using exhaust heat to heat the coolant and fuel, so the main engine can be completely shut down?