Diesel of the Day 7/17: GE AC6000CW

Today we take a look at the other final entry into the diesel horsepower race: the General Electric AC6000CW. This similarly hulking locomotive was GE’s answer to EMD’s SD90MAC, producing the same 6,250 horsepower. 205 were built between 1995 and 2001. GE also had an entirely new engine developed for their machine, in this case the 7HDL16 turbocharged four-stroke V16, built under license by the German firm Deutz-MWM. This engine, perhaps unsurprisingly, also had teething troubles, mostly related to the engine vibrating at high speeds due to thin cylinder and block walls, in extreme cases literally shaking itself apart! These problems were rectified by redesigning and thickening the block and head, and the engine was then more reliable. The AC6000CW ended up being a more popular and serviceable locomotive than the ill-fated EMD counterpart, and until very recently, CSX rostered over 500 of them. Union Pacific still has several dozen, too. They are distinguishable from earlier, less powerful GE widecab diesels by their massive rear radiators, which actually overhang the rear platform. They are also twin turbocharged, which can be seen in the form of two exhaust stacks at the rear of the hood, side by side. The photo is one I took several years ago in the yard near my house, before these units were retired by CSX. Notice the special twin lightning bolts on the cab, indicating the very high horsepower. These units also wore a special paint scheme, with the ‘CSX’ lettering in yellow with a blue border, rather than the traditional blue lettering on gray.