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EMD E8

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EMD E8
Rock IslandE8 #652, Formerly operated byMidland RailwayofBaldwin City, Kansas.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division(EMD)
ModelE8
Build dateAugust 1949 – January 1954
Total produced450A units,46B units
Specifications
Configuration:
​
•AARA1A-A1A
Gauge4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge
TrucksEMDBlombergA-1-A passenger
Wheel diameter36 in (914 mm)
Minimum curve21°(274.37 ft or 83.63 m radius)
Length70 ft 3 in (21.41 m)
Width10 ft7+1⁄2in (3.24 m)
Height14 ft 7 in (4.45 m)
Loco weightA unit:315,000 lb (142,882 kg),
B unit:290,000 lb (131,542 kg)
Prime mover(2)EMD 12-567B
Engine typeV12Two-stroke diesel
AspirationRoots blower
Displacement6,804 cu in (111.50 L) each
Generator(2) EMD D-15-A
Traction motors(4) GM D-27-B
Cylinders(2) 12
Performance figures
Maximum speed85–117 mph (137–188 km/h)
depending on gearing
Power output2,250hp(1,678kW) total
Tractive effort56,500 lbf (251,000 N) starting,
31,000 lbf (140,000 N) continuous
Career
LocaleUnited States
DispositionAbout 58 preserved, remainder scrapped

TheEMD E8is a 2,250-horsepower (1,678 kW),A1A-A1Apassenger-train locomotive built byGeneral Motors'Electro-Motive Division(EMD) ofLa Grange, Illinois.A total of 450cabversions, or E8As, were built from August 1949 to January 1954, 447 for the U.S. and 3 for Canada. 46 E8Bs were built from December 1949 to January 1954, all for the U.S. The 2,250 hp came from two12 cylindermodel 567B engines, each driving ageneratorto power the twotraction motorson one truck. The E8 was the ninth model in the line of passenger diesels of similar design known asEMD E-units.Starting in September 1953, a total of 21 E8As were built which used either the 567BC or 567C engines.[1]

In profile the front of the nose ofE7,E8, andE9units is less slanted than earlier EMD units, so E7/8/9s (and their four axle cousins, theF-unit series) have been nicknamed "bulldog nose"units. Earlier E-unit locomotives were nicknamed" slant nose "units. After passenger trains were canceled on theErie Lackawannain 1970 (excluding their commuter service, which the State of New Jersey subsidized starting in the late 1960s), the E8s were re-geared for freight and were very reliable for the EL. These units were on freight trains until the early years of Consolidated Railroad Corporation ( "Conrail").Amtrakused 148 E8As, 3 E8AMs, and 5 E8Bs, these all being retired between 1975 and 1985.[2][3]

Units noted with the designation E8m were rebuilt using components from earlier EMC/EMD locomotives. Externally the units look just like E8s. The difference in horsepower produced in these E8m units is because the older generators are reused.

Original owners

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Railroad Quantity
A units		 Quantity
B units		 Road numbers
A units		 Road numbers
B units		 Notes
Electro-Motive Division(demonstrator) 1 — 5600A — to Southern Pacific 6018
Electro-motive Division (demonstrator) 1 — 952 — to Rock Island 643 1st E8A built
Electro-motive Division (demonstrator) 2 — 810-811 — to Delaware Lackawanna & Western 810-811
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway — 2 — 83A–84A Model E8m, rebuilt fromATSF 1& 1A
8 3 2, 4, 5, 82, 84–87 4A, 80A, 82A Model E8m, rebuilt from E1A and E1B
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad 6 — 532, 544–548 — 532 rebuilt from E7
1 — 500 — Model E8m, rebuilt from E3A
Boston and Maine Railroad 1 — 3821 — to Missouri Pacific 42 in 1962
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 16 — 26,A–32,A, 90,A–96,A — Even numbers only; 26,A-32,A were built with 567BC engines.
5 6 51, 53–56 51X–56X Model E8m, rebuilt from EA and EB
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 38 — 9937B, 9938A,B–9948A,B, 9949A, 9964–9977 —
Central of Georgia Railway 2 — 811–812 Delivered in CofGa Blue/Gray/Orange, later repainted into Illinois Central Chocolate/Orange and used as pool power for the Seminole
Chicago and North Western Railway 22 — 5019B, 5021A,B–5030A,B, 5031A 5019B rebuilt from E7 Several former Union Pacific B units rebuilt and fitted with "Crandall Cabs"[4][5]
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad 13 — 644–656 — 656 is Model E8m (Rebuilt from an E6A by EMD)
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 31 — 4000–4030 —
Canadian Pacific Railway 3 — 1800–1802 — Bought for joint Boston and Maine service inNew England;only E-units purchased new by a Canadian railway. 1800 and 1802 to VIA Rail.
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad 9 — 812–820 — EMD Demonstrators 810-811 became DL&W 810-811
Erie Railroad 14 — 820–833 — E8A No. 833 survives.
Fort Worth and Denver Railway 2 — 9981A,B —
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, 1 — 100A — Model E8m, rebuilt from an ex-B&O EA
Illinois Central Railroad 16 2 4018–4033 4104–4105 4031 and 4109 destroyed in the1971 Salem, Illinois derailmentand retired and scrapped.
Kansas City Southern Railway 4 — 26–29 —
1 — 23 — Model E8m, rebuilt from E3A
Louisville and Nashville Railroad 4 — 794–797 —
Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad 9 — 106A,B, 107A,B, 131–135 —
Missouri Pacific Railroad 4 — 7018–7021 — renumbered 38–41
New York Central Railroad 62 — 4036–4095, 4003, 4020 — 4003 and 4020 rebuilt from 1953 wrecked E7s; same numbers
Pennsylvania Railroad 74 — 5700A–5716A, 5760A–5769A, 5788A–5799A, 5801A–5810A, 5835A–5839A, 5884A–5899A, 5902A–5905A —
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad 15 5 1001–1015 1051—1055 1013-1015 were built with 567BC engines
Seaboard Air Line Railroad 11 — 3049–3059 — toSeaboard Coast Line588-598
St. Louis–San Francisco Railway 17 — 2006–2022 — Named after famous horses, mostly racehorses.[6][7]
Southern Railway 7 — 2923–2929 — renumbered 6900-6905, 6916
Southern Railway (New Orleans and North Eastern) 10 — 6906–6915 — 6906-6909 were built with 567BC engines; 6910-6915 were built with 567C engines.
Texas and Pacific Railway 8 — 2010–2017 — renumbered 30–37
Union Pacific Railroad 18 24 925–942 926B–949B
— 4 — 922B–925B rebuilt from E2B
Wabash Railroad 14 — 1003–1015, 1000 —
Totals 450 46

Surviving examples

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The Engineer / Operator position of an E8A

It is estimated that 58 E8s have survived.[8]The former NYC 4085, preserved at theNew York Central Railroad Museum,was the lead locomotive on the final eastbound20th Century Limited.[9]Another surviving E8 was operated by theMidland Railway,inBaldwin City, Kansas.Privately owned, this unit is ex-Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific RailroadE8A #652 and was used for special events. It and its companion, E6A #630, have been sold to a new museum in Iowa, which will be centered around the Rock Island. New York Central 4097, privately owned, is on display at Merli Manufacturing Company in Duanesburg, New York.

TheMonticello Railway Museumowns a former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A. It is currently undergoing restoration, and Monticello plans to paint it up as an Illinois Central E8 to match their collection of former Illinois Central passenger cars.

There are fourSouthern RailwayE8As preserved. Unit #6900 is operational at theNorth Carolina Transportation Museumin Spencer, North Carolina, while the railway's #6901 is preserved at theSoutheastern Railway Museumin Duluth, GA, and recently underwent an operational restoration by Norfolk Southern. These engines have pulled theSouthern Crescentand both bear this train's distinct logo. A Southern Railway E8, #6913, is being restored at theSouthern Appalachia Railway Museumin Oak Ridge, TN for their Southern excursion train. Yet another, Southern #6914, is nearing the completion of a nearly two-decade-long restoration at theTennessee Valley Railroad Museum,having been unveiled at the railroad's 2018 "Railfest", resplendent in green and gold complete with "NO&NE" sublettering.

The St Louis, Iron Mountain, & Southern Railway owns former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A #5898. It was previously owned by the Blue Mountain & Reading. It is the main engine used on their tourist train, and it was repainted in 2015.

Union Pacific E8AM #942 is owned by theSouthern California Railway Museum,and is occasionally used on their tourist train, usually pulling the museum's small collection of former Union Pacific passenger cars. It carries the designation E8AM from its time in Chicago-area commuter service. After its time on the Union Pacific, #942 was sold to the Chicago and Northwestern, which used it in commuter service. After serving with CNW, the 942 moved on to serve Chicago's RTA. Upon retirement, it was donated to the museum, and subsequently restored to UP colors in 2012. It was rebuilt with a HEP generator which is what gives it the designation E8AM. However, unlike many E units rebuilt for commuter service, it retained its twin EMD 12-567B prime movers.

Chicago and North Western #5022B, later renumbered to 519 and then used byMetra,is now labeled as "MREX 97", is at theArizona Railway Museum.It is privately owned and stored on display.[10]

Baltimore & Ohio E8A #92 was kept offsite on a relic track at theB&O Railroad Museumin Baltimore, Maryland for many years after obtaining the unit from Amtrak (DOTX #210). On March 4, 2004, the museum gifted the unit to the West Virginia Railroad Museum. The WVRR Museum partnered with the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad to undertake restoration of the unit as of February 20, 2024.[11]

Of the units owned by Conrail, three were saved after their freight-service retirement and went on to be refurbished by theJuniata Locomotive Shopsin Altoona, PA for use as Conrail's Office Car Special (OCS) until the merger of 1999. One unit went to CSX (never operated[12]), and two were sold off to Bennett Levin, CEO of theJuniata Terminal Company,where they have been overhauled and painted as twin Pennsylvania Railroad E8's. As of 2019, these units are not in operation due to a decision by the owner not to retrofit them withpositive train control(PTC).[13]

Another, the former EL 833, was purchased by theNew York and Greenwood Lake Railroadin 2007. The unit was repainted in its original livery as Erie 833, and was on display for a while on the turntable at Port Jervis, NY.Erie Railroad's E8A No. 833 is stored atPort Jervis station,inPort Jervis, New York,and had occasionally run on excursion trains.

In June 2008, two authentic New York Central E8 units (4080 & 4068) were brought to theMedina Railroad Museumin Western New York.[14]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^Foster, Gerald L. (1996).A field guide to trains of North America.Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 100.ISBN0-395-70112-0.
  2. ^jackmp294.5, Jack."Amtrak E8's on the NYC Water Level Route on the Hudson River, 1976-1978".jackmp294.5.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2021.RetrievedAugust 3,2021.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^jackmp294.5, Jack."AMTRAK E8's, late 1970's... Bonus, AMTRAK FL9's, 1996".jackmp294.5.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2021.RetrievedAugust 3,2021.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^"C&NW Number Index".
  5. ^"C&NW's" Crandall Cab "Locomotives: Specs, Photos, History".American-Rails.com.RetrievedAugust 3,2021.
  6. ^"Twenty-Four of Frisco's diesel passenger locomotives were named after famous horses"(PDF).All Aboard, The Frisco Railroad Museum, May, 1987 (accessed on CondrenRails.com).RetrievedJanuary 20,2021.
  7. ^"The Frisco Stable"(PDF).All Aboard, The Frisco Railroad Museum, June 1987 (accessed on CondrenRails.com).RetrievedJanuary 20,2021.
  8. ^"Surviving E Units List".Andrew Toppan.RetrievedAugust 5,2007.
  9. ^"National New York Central Railroad Museum - Tour".nycrrmuseum.org. Archived fromthe originalon August 11, 2007.RetrievedAugust 5,2007.
  10. ^"ARM Equipment Roster".
  11. ^"B&O #92".
  12. ^"Conrail E8A 4022".
  13. ^"Private car owner: Safety issues, behavior led to Amtrak decision".Trains.Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Media. April 16, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2018.RetrievedJuly 17,2019.
  14. ^Widdifield, Noel F. (June 12, 2008)."NYC E8's move to Medina, NY".New York Central System Historical Society.RetrievedAugust 3,2021.

Bibliography

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  • Dorin, Patrick C. (1972).Chicago and North Western Power.Burbank, California: Superior Publishing. p. 132.ISBN0-87564-715-4.
  • Lamb, J. Parker (2007).Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive.Railroads Past and Present. Bloomington, Indiana:Indiana University Press.ISBN978-0-253-34863-0.
  • Marre, Louis A. (1982).Rock Island Diesel Locomotives - 1930-1980.Railfax, Inc.ISBN0-942192-00-1.
  • Marre, Louis A. (1995).Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years: A Guide to Diesels Built Before 1972.Railroad Reference Series. Waukesha, Wisconsin:Kalmbach Publishing.ISBN978-0-89024-258-2.
  • Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973).The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide.Milwaukee, Wisconsin:Kalmbach Publishing.pp. EMD–124.ISBN978-0-89024-026-7.
  • Reich, Sy (1973).Diesel Locomotive Rosters – The Railroad Magazine Series.Wayner Publications. No Library of Congress or ISBN.
  • Schafer, Mike(1998).Vintage Diesel Locomotives.Enthusiast Color Series. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing.ISBN978-0-7603-0507-2.
  • Solomon, Brian (2000).The American Diesel Locomotive.Osceola, Wisconsin:MBI Publishing Company.ISBN978-0-7603-0666-6.
  • Solomon, Brian (2006).EMD Locomotives.St. Paul, Minnesota:Voyageur Press.ISBN978-0-7603-2396-0.
  • Solomon, Brian (2010).Vintage Diesel Power.Minneapolis, Minnesota: MBI Publishing.ISBN978-0-7603-3795-0.
  • Solomon, Brian (2011).Electro-Motive E-Units and F-Units: The Illustrated History of North America's Favorite Locomotives.Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press.ISBN978-0-7603-4007-3.
  • Solomon, Brian (2012).North American Locomotives: A Railroad-by-Railroad Photohistory.Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press.ISBN978-0-7603-4370-8.
  • Wilson, Jeff (2002).E Units: Electro-Motive's Classic Streamliners.Classic Trains / Golden Years of Railroading series. Waukesha, WI, USA: Kalmbach Publishing.ISBN0890246068.
  • EMD Product Reference Data Card dated January 1, 1959 has the 567BC and 567C engine data used in the as-built roster.
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