Diesel of the Day 7/14: EMD SD70MAC
16The diesel of the day for today is the EMD SD70MAC. This was the first production alternating current traction equipped locomotive from EMD. 1,109 units were produced between 1993 and 2004. Alternating current (AC) is better for pulling trains than traditional direct current (DC) because the traction motors can be run under very heavy loads at low speeds continuously; doing so with DC motors would burn them up quickly. An example is pulling a heavy train up a mountain grade. Most railroads quickly adopted AC locomotives, though a few, like Norfolk Southern, continued ordering DC units because they were cheaper to buy. Most SD70MAC units remain in service today; they are powerful, reliable machines, with an EMD 16-710G3A two-stroke turbocharged V16 churning out 4,300 horsepower. These engines have an amazing sound to them; video provided on request! Today’s photo depicts CSX first generation SD70MAC number 4542 inside CSX’s Selkirk, New York service facility. (The unit in the background is a third generation model - notice the flared radiators at the rear.) Tragically, this one would be involved in a landslide a year after the photo was taken, and written off despite only minor damage. No crew members were injured.
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You have my curiosity piqued. Sound sounds good!
@mehcuda67 Here’s a video of a pair of SD70MACs I shot several years ago. This is just the tip of the iceberg…most locomotives sound what I’d call awesome.
@mehcuda67 @PooltoyWolf
@mehcuda67 @therealjrn If you want more, try a YouTube search for ‘EMD 710’.
@PooltoyWolf @therealjrn Symphony on wheels
@mehcuda67 @therealjrn Aaaaa I love them so much. This is a 645, not a 710, but still one of my favorite clips.
@PooltoyWolf @therealjrn That gave my subwoofers a workout
@mehcuda67 @therealjrn Try this one on for size! >:3
(Apologies for the farting zoom lens.)
@PooltoyWolf lol, that lens noise was great.
@RiotDemon It was great. I had so many comments about it while I was using that camera
So I’m wondering if the big train horns use enough power to justify a second small engine. I can just see some wag suggesting an auxiliary engine, like an old VW 40 horsepower, or better a little Yanmar type diesel just to drive the horns. But I suppose those big engines have the oomph to spare.
I used to want a train horn on my truck… but I would doubtless have gotten in trouble with it
@duodec The horns on locomotives are air horns, powered off the same air supply that operates the train air brakes. Most require about 100 PSI for a big blast!
@duodec @PooltoyWolf Ahh how I’ve wanted a nice AirChime K5LA on my truck … the cost of entry and the questionable legality has always kept me one step away from playing, though.
@duodec @nolrak @PooltoyWolf There’s a big underpass near my home that I travel daily. There’s some jackhole in a big red pickup that has a train horn…he’s snuck up on me twice so far and blew that horn while we were in the underpass…
The second time I even knew what was going to happen, yet I still jumped. Those horns are LOUD. And scary when you’re not expecting it!
@duodec @nolrak Just go get a nice used Leslie RS3L. Cheaper and sounds much better
Here is the one I saw out the window of Amtrak one day. Seen in Rocky Mount, NC.
@Euniceandrich Wow, nice catch! From left to right, that’s an EMD GP38-2, a third generation EMD SD70MAC, and a GE AC4400CW. That’s some wicked paint fade on the MAC in the middle! That one’s wearing almost quarter century old original paint; the others have recently been repainted.
@Euniceandrich (Oops, on closer inspection, the rightmost engine is actually a GE ES44AH!)
@pooltoywolf The 2010 movie Unstoppable is on Paramount network right now. Is it very realistic?
@therealjrn Yes and no. It’s a great movie from an action and cinematic standpoint, but if you’re anything even remotely resembling a railfan, you have to sort of turn off your brain to fully enjoy it, haha. There are countless inaccuracies and mistakes from a railroading perspective. I remember having to stifle laughter at several ‘inappropriate’ moments in the theater when it first came out. That said, it’s still a very fun movie, and I do recommend it. Go watch it!
@PooltoyWolf Thanks, I’m already there
@therealjrn No problem! Come back and tell me how you liked it.
@PooltoyWolf Very exciting! Tragic backstories! Schoolchildren in peril! I do like the action and the filming.
My favorite scene so far is where the trooper were trying to shoot the train to stop it.
@PooltoyWolf
@therealjrn Glad you enjoyed! I had to really try hard not to laugh at the dinging and flashing railroad wayside signal LOL!!
@therealjrn The irony is palpable…especially considering on the railroad, it’s always ‘SAFETY FIRST’!