EMD MP15DC
| MP15DC | |
|---|---|
 Mosaic 212, an EMD MP15DC - Fort Meade, Florida .
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| Number: | 351 |
| Manufacturer: | Electro-Motive Division (EMD) |
| Year of construction (s): | February 1974-November 1980 |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length: | 14.53 m |
| Height: | 4.57 m |
| Width: | 3,067 m |
| Wheel diameter: | 1016 mm |
| Number of cylinders: | 12 |
| Cylinder diameter: | 229 mm × 254 mm |
| Motor type: | EMD 12-645E |
| Motor type: | V12 diesel |
The EMD MP15DC is a 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW ) diesel locomotive manufactured between March 1974 and January 1983 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors . 351 copies were built. An MP15AC variant with an AC drive was also offered. Between August 1975 and August 1984, 246 MP15ACs were built, 25 of them for export to Mexico and four in Canada . The MP15DC replaced the SW1500 in the EMD catalog and is superficially very similar to the previous model as it uses the same engine (a V12 engine from the EMD 645 series) in a similar vehicle design and chassis. The main difference is that the MP15 is equipped with standard Blomberg B bogies.
development
Shunting locomotives up to the SW1500 were limited to AAR type A shunting locomotives or light flexicoil axles, both with a 2,438 mm (96 inch) wheelbase. In 1973, 60 exclusively Mexican SW1504s were built to special order on a slightly longer frame, so that the standard Blomberg B axles from EMD with a wheelbase of 2,743 mm (108 inches) could be used. In the eyes of EMD (among other things), this made the new locomotive a route-capable shunting locomotive rather than a pure shunting locomotive, as it was suitable for line speeds of up to 97 km / h (60 mph) or so. The new model name MP15DC therefore meant a multi-purpose locomotive, 1500 HP, direct current generator. Originally the locomotive was simply called the MP15 ; with the appearance of the MP15AC alternator / rectifier in 1975, the name changed.
With the success of the MP15, there has been a demand for a model with an advanced AC drive system. The MP15AC replaced the direct current generator of MP15DC by an alternating current generator that generates alternating current with a silicon rectifier is converted into direct current to the traction motors. The MP15AC is 457 mm (1.5 ft) longer than the MP15DC, with the additional space required for rectifying equipment. The generator-rectifier combination is more reliable than a generator, and this equipment has become the standard for new diesel-electric locomotive designs.
The MP15AC is easy to distinguish from the DC models. Instead of the front-mounted cooler inlet and belt-driven fan used on all previous EMD switches, these have inlets on the lower front front panels and electric fans. The side inlets allowed the device to draw in cooler air, and the electric fans improved a serious reliability problem that the earlier DC sisters had.
engine
The MP15 had a twelve-cylinder version of the engine of the 645E series with 1500 hp (1119 kW) power at 900 rpm. The engine introduced in the SW1500 was a two-stroke engine in 45 ° V12 design with 9 in (228.6 mm) bore and 10 in (254 mm) stroke , with a displacement of 645 in 3 (10.57 dm 3 ) per cylinder enabled. The 645 series, introduced in 1966, was EMD's standard engine until the 1980s.
Original owner
MP15DC
The first railroad buyers were Pittsburgh & Lake Erie at 25 and Missouri Pacific , which bought 62 railroads between 1974 and 1982. Chicago & Northwestern (15), Southern Pacific (12), Louisville & Nashville (10), and Reading (10) all placed smaller orders. Later, from 1977 to 1982, Southern bought the largest fleet, 88 units under six names. Over 50 more were sold to 37 other customers.
MP15AC
In the early 1970s, the railways began switching to AC, and the six biggest buyers, Milwaukee (64), Southern Pacific (58), Seaboard (40), Nacionales de México (25), Long Island (23) and Louisville & Nashville (10), bought all AC mainline locomotives. Another 36 units were sold to 8 other customers.
Current owners
MP15DC
The Union Pacific Railroad is perhaps the current largest user of the MP15DC, with 102 of this type in service (Strack, 2004). None of these were originally owned by the UP; instead, they were acquired through merger or takeover, or bought in the used locomotive market. The vast majority (62) came from the Missouri Pacific Railroad , while locomotives were also purchased from the Chicago and North Western Railway (14) and the Southern Pacific Railroad (9). Another 15 were acquired by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad because they did not meet their needs, while two more were leased from Helm. The Alaska Railroad had four MP15DC with the numbers 1551–1554, which were used as shunting locomotives. On February 28, 2011, LEF & C (1551) # 25 & (1552) # 26, 1553, 1554 were sold to GATX, an RR leasing fleet. Two of them were from the Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad, the other two from the Kelley's Creek and Northwestern Railroad. Caltrain has two MP15DCs with the numbers 503 and 504, which are used for shunting and work train services. Southern Railway of British Columbia, the successor organization to the BC Hydro Railroad, continues to operate its three units (SRY 151, SRY 152 and SRY 153) built in November 1975 for shunting and relocation work.
MP15AC
Former Milwaukee Road units are now owned by Soo Line Railroad (an American subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway ); those not painted the Canadian "Golden Beaver" scheme have worn a Soo Line patch; those who wear it are often called "bandits". Six former Milwaukee units returned to the Home Rails in 2008, serving the growing regional Wisconsin & Southern Railroad WSOR in Milwaukee, Madison and Horicon. In addition, Union Pacific has bought many examples in the used locomotive market. The New York & Atlantic Railway, which carries freight on Long Island, uses 4 former Long Island Rail Road MP15ACs along with other former LIRR locomotives for freight transport. Two units newly sold to the Department of Energy in Hanford, Washington, now operate as Tri-City Railroad # 16 and # 15. The Knoxville and Holston River Railroad also has a unit.
literature
- Bob Hayden (Ed.): Model Railroader Cyclopedia. Volume 2: Diesel Locomotives . Kalmbach Books, 1980, ISBN 0-89024-547-9 .
Web links
- John Combs: Alaska Railroad Locomotive Roster . 2006.
- GATX Rail Locomotive Group: MP15DC specification page .
- Don Strack: Union Pacific Railroad Locomotive Model Quantities - All-Time (1934-2002) . 2004.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Jerry A Pinkpank: The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide . 1973.
- ↑ a b Diesel spotter's guide update . Kalmbach, 1980, ISBN 0-89024-029-9 .
- ↑ Jane's train recognition guide . Collins, London 2005, ISBN 0-06-081895-6 .
- ↑ Pictures of KXHR 2002. Retrieved July 11, 2020 .