Eastern Railroad Discussion > A unit in the Wheeling's 1990s era image still working today

The Akron Barberton Cluster stone trains in the Akron, Ohio area usually run with a trio of 6 axle Wheeling units, and today was no exception- except an old GP35 was added for the return empty move. The first photo is the train running as Z641 on CSX in downtown Akron. Normal practice is to drop the empties in Rock Cut siding and go back to the Wheeling's Brittain yard on the east side of Akron. That would make that old high hood the leader, so I ventured down to said siding to catch the W&LE #108 clean nose, ie: not coupled. The 108 is the last active unit still in the early 1990s image that featured large yellow lettering over the patch jobs. It's now a GP35-3, but never received the new "tiger" image after the upgrade. Of interest, the WE 7012 is a former Algoma Central unit.

Roger Durfee
Akron, OH

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Detail of the long hood on the 108- W&LE, NS, and Southern lettering can be seen through the layers. IIRC this unit was delivered in tuxedo paint and lettered Savannah and Atlanta.

Roger Durfee
Akron, OH

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Bet Mr. Brosnan would be proud of the longevity of those GP35's.
Thanks for your interesting photo posting.
ALLEN

A lot can be said about the longevity of those ALCO RS trade-in trucks under the GP35's.

I suspect the end of 108's career is going to go something like this...

 

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Those Alco trucks also retained their GE 752 traction motors...
They could take everything the teo-cycle engine could throw at them..

The two-stroke engine couldn't 'hit' as hard as the four stoke engines---- but,
the two stroke engine, becsuse it didn't hit as hard, was more durable...
So, to keep RPM's high, you add more cylinders --- up to 20!

GMs engine was more lightly loaded, so they had greater "availability".
So, with stronger TMs, you have a loco that will last a very long time..

Finally, when A/C traction came along, and the EPA, the two-stroke engine
was doomed .... but,  for railroading, EMD wins, hand-down, for greater 
availability and durability.... over the decades 1940s to 2010...

3-phase A/C, allows you to use a variable-speef , rotating "magnetic cage" as an
inducing field in the rotating aramatures of the traction motors..

You can match that field's rotating speed to 102% of axle RPMs ...at near-stall
electrical currents --- you never generate "reverse-EMF" --- like happens with 
DC motors... as their RPMs build-up.

The "rotating field" can be just as strong at 60-mph as at 6 mph..
So, you need a strong, 4-stroke cycle prime-mover.. to make the current available 
to the motors, at all road speeds ....
You spend a lot more time at high rpm's ( and high fuel consumption) with A/C traction. 

The current  'fad' by some class one's has been to run A/C powered locos at 
slow soeeds, all day long ---- WRONG!..  That just wastes fuel..

Anyway, I'm a big fan of A/C traction...because you're able to put high current to work,
at high speeds..with only a couple of BIG locos at the front.... and maybe a mid-train 
booster, or two.

Amother advantage is greater turbo-boost, and better fuel mileage for the supercharged
engines.... you get higher intake manifold pressures ( more oxygen per BANG!)
over a wider speed-range, at the rails...

Also, EMD's load-modulating governors, always favored the 'engine' over the
'load'':   too much train, and the governor reduced the excitation to the main generator ---
to keep the engine RPMs up....

A very wise approach --- add more units, if you want  to make speed!
Also, EMD understood the realities of DC traction..... the highest current load
only occurs at slow T/M armature RPMs ...ergo, slow track speeds.
( they contolled fuel-feed rates, instead of beating their engines to death,
   generating a lot of current ...)

With thousands of products out there, you want your prime-movers to 
LAST!

            ( So, design your locos to be able to withstand low-peed 'abuse'...
               'cause you know the RRs are gonna' beat your products to death
               when in service... pulling hard grades, and heavy loads.

              Design the load-control system to keep current-loads within the 
               RPM range capabilities of your engine.... reduce the load
               from the traction motors,   to maintain your products' engine RPMs;
               the Wise Choice..).

W.