A related note about cowl units: Here is a previous story about another trip I had with an SDP40F.

5-5-00
Today I got the Trough Train empties out of Laurel,MT to Sheridan,WY. I had 2 SD70MACs sandwiching the BNSF 6970 which is one of the ex-ATSF ex-AMTK SDP-40s. (I think BNSF calls them SDF-40 or something like that).

It was 12:15pm daylight when I got on the train. I walked back through the units to check them out. I opened the nose door on the SDF-40 and stepped inside. Foolishly I let the nose door slam behind me. ARGH! It was dark in there man. Pitch black! The nose light was burned out. So I felt around the bulkhead for the cab door latch but couldn't find it. I felt my way back across the nose floor to the front, bonking my bean on some low hanging bracket, and searched for the nose door handle. I had visions of the conductor having to rescue me and wondered how long he'd wait to come looking for me. Finally I found the nose door latch and opened the door again. Light flooded in and I opened the cab door and went up into the cab. I sat down in the engineer seat a few seconds. Yep, just as I remember our BN F45s. Those are very nice cabs. The view is entirely different than from the modern wide nose units and that standard verticle control stand is sublime. Also tons of leg room with no blankety blank desk in front of me. I opened the engine room door and walked down the steps into the engineroom. Its been a long time since I was inside an engine room but it immediately brought back memories of walking through multiple units of F7s and F9s and F45s. At first the 16 cylinder 645 engine looked longer than I remembered so I had to count the cylinders to make certain this was not a 20 cylinder '45. Nope, only 16 cylinders, 3000 HP. At the rear of the engine is the water expansion tank and the air compressor which was thumping away. (I had just released the airbrakes to begin recharging them before I left the lead unit so the aircompressor on this 2nd unit was still helping out with the chores). Behind the aircompressor was a large concrete weight to ballast and balance the long locomotive. It took the places of the steam generator and water tank that were on this unit when it was built for Amtrak. It was a concrete filled steel cylinder about 6ft in diameter and 7 ft tall. (about 30,000 lbs if I did my math correctly). Behind the weight was an open area about 10 by 12 feet. You could have a banquet in there. Of course the women guests may not enjoy the heat, noise, and smell of hot oil; but it was pleasant to me. (for a few seconds anyways). I walked around the other side of the diesel and checked the fuel filter sight glasses. They were Ok. I then walked out the back door and stepped onto the last SD70MAC. It was isolated and red tagged account over due FRA inspection. Great. Just friggin lovely.

A few minutes later we departed and the acceleration was anything but stellar. It seemed to me that even taking into account the 3rd unit being off line we were a bit anemic. So I walked back to the SDF-40 and checked the ammeter. (I won't walk through engine rooms anymore when the throttle is in #8, or even above #4, but this unit was facing forward so I could reach its cab without traversing the engineroom). The ammeter was about 2/3rds of what I thought it should be for a comparable SD-40.

A couple of hours later we got a hotbox alarm from the Wyola detector. "Hotbox, right side, axle 9". Nine? That is the 3rd axle on the 2nd unit, the SDF-40. I stopped the train and we inspected the indicated axle. Nothing. Not even warm. We inspected all the other of the 18 loco axles and most were warm but nothing even approaching hot. So we took off again. Going up the hill I calculated the total HP we actually had using my formula for tonnage, grade, and speed. It worked out to a total horsepower of 6157. Ah Hah! With the SD70MAC on the point churning out 4000 HP that left the SDF-40 only putting out 2157 instead of its rated 3000 HP. I THOUGHT that SDF-40's ammeter was low when I'd checked it earlier. I radio'd that info to the dispatcher and when we got to town we tied the train down in the yard.

I had this Trough Train up to Laurel about 10 days ago on this round trip and then it had the 2 SD70MACs it had today plus 2 more. Someplace they cut off 2 MACs and added the SDF-40. They should have left it alone. In any case I think these old cowl units are just a tad past their prime. AK

Train of Visitors

Created 05-05-2000
Updated 10-21-2001