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From: mosier@iuvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: ALCO<->EMD<->GE - (nf)
Message-ID: <1205@pur-ee.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 4-Dec-83 03:26:36 EST
Article-I.D.: pur-ee.1205
Posted: Sun Dec  4 03:26:36 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 6-Dec-83 22:58:51 EST
Sender: notes@pur-ee.UUCP
Organization: Electrical Engineering Department , Purdue University
Lines: 52

#N:iuvax:4100001:000:2514
iuvax!mosier    Dec  3 21:58:00 1983

	Actually, from an employee standpoint, I always liked the EMD's
for road work, the ALCO's for yard and local work, and NEVER did like
the GE's.  EMD's road far and away the best of all the engines I worked
with, had good adhesion to the rail, and they were reliable.  They were,
excluding the EMD yard engines, rather slow to load up, so were never
good for flat switching (kicking or dropping).  The ALCO's were rather
rough on the bunns, had fair adhesion but were great switching machines.
GE's had terrible wheel slip problems ON DRY RAIL.  If one had a tonnage
train of coal etc. and more than one GE up front, it was hard at best, and
impossible if wet to get over the road on anything other than flat level
ground (which doesn't exist in southern Indiana).  You could always tell
a GE from any distance by their sound - they always sounded like a old
one cylinder John Deere tractor about to die.  In contrast, the revolution
of a ALCO's camshaft at idle suggested it may be its last.  Oldies but goodies
were the the GP-9 - SD-9 (six axle) with 24RL brake equipment (took a little
skill!), for road work and RS-3's for yard and local, though worked every-
thing from second generation F, E and FP units (called them 'covered wagons')
through GP-36/38/40.  The only real lemons I saw from EMD were the GP-20's;
they were actually worse than the GE's.
	I worked for 16 years with the Pennsylvania ala Penn Central ala
Conrail as fireman - engineman (last 11) before getting fed up with the whole
mess and taking up computers, don't ask me why -- I still don't know!!

	Good as the second generation diesels were, their downfall was
their fuel consumption, which could be as high as 4 gal./hr just sitting
at idle, EMD's being one of the worst.  EMD diesel engines were/are
known the world over for their durability and strength, not just for
locomotives, but marine and stationary plants.  Listen to a river tug
sometime, if your close enough you can almost tell which model it is.

	Don't know about the first generation diesels (the Baldwin's,
early EMD's, Fairbanks etc.), they were all gone when I started.  ALCO's,
I'm told, are still being made in Canada.  Also, I'm told that GE is
working on better quality control.  Last engines I worked with were
GP-38's, a more or less standard replacement for the GP-9. 


	Are there other ex RR's on the net?

				   steve mosier

			CSNet:	mosier@Indiana
			 ARPA:	mosier.Indiana@Rand-Relay

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