EMD SDL39
Encyclopedia
An EMD SDL39 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive
built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between March 1969 and November 1972. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 12-cylinder
engine which generated 2300 horsepower
(1.7 MW). All 10 examples of this locomotive model were built for Milwaukee Road, who wanted a lightweight road-switcher to replace their fleet of 1947-built ALCO RSC-2
s. The unit was built on a short 55-foot, 2-inch frame with customized export-style trucks, barely tipping the scales at 250,000 pounds and managing a light-footed axle-loading of just 20.8 tons per axle.
These Milwaukee Road units were numbered 581-590. The 581 was wrecked at Sacred Heart, MN in 1983, and scrapped the following year. The remaining nine units were transferred to the Soo Line Railroad
when it acquired the Milwaukee Road. All were subsequently included in the sale of the Soo's Lakes States Division (most of its network in Wisconsin and upper Michigan, plus some lines in adjoining Illinois and Minnesota) to the new Wisconsin Central Limited. After the Wisconsin Central was purchased by, and merged into the Canadian National Railway
, the nine units were returned to the leaser, and were sold to FEPASA, Chilean Freight Operation Concession.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between March 1969 and November 1972. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 12-cylinder
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
engine which generated 2300 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(1.7 MW). All 10 examples of this locomotive model were built for Milwaukee Road, who wanted a lightweight road-switcher to replace their fleet of 1947-built ALCO RSC-2
ALCO RSC-2
The ALCO RSC-2 was a diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type that rode on three-axle trucks, having an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement....
s. The unit was built on a short 55-foot, 2-inch frame with customized export-style trucks, barely tipping the scales at 250,000 pounds and managing a light-footed axle-loading of just 20.8 tons per axle.
These Milwaukee Road units were numbered 581-590. The 581 was wrecked at Sacred Heart, MN in 1983, and scrapped the following year. The remaining nine units were transferred to the Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
when it acquired the Milwaukee Road. All were subsequently included in the sale of the Soo's Lakes States Division (most of its network in Wisconsin and upper Michigan, plus some lines in adjoining Illinois and Minnesota) to the new Wisconsin Central Limited. After the Wisconsin Central was purchased by, and merged into the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
, the nine units were returned to the leaser, and were sold to FEPASA, Chilean Freight Operation Concession.