The BNSF Layout For My Grandkids

Two of my Grand children are coming over while their mother runs a few errands. I have their BNSF freight train all set up for them to play with. Billy picked out a new building that I've added to the layout, and I've added a better transformer to the track to make the train run smoother.

Ann Arbor Railroad (AA)

East Region

The Ann Arbor began operations under Watco ownership in January of 2013. The 50-mile short line serves Customers in the middle of an automotive industry corridor. Finished automobiles are processed at AA’s three vehicle distribution facilities in Toledo and serve Customers Chrysler, General Motors and Ford.

In addition to just-in-time automobile parts and finished automobiles, the AA also handles a full range of commodities such as bulk materials like flour, sugar, grain, plastics, sand, cement, recyclables, paper, lumber and petroleum.

My Outdoor Railroad

Upon inspection of the track I find I need to get some vegetation killer to keep the weeds and grass away from the track bed. This year the weeds have grown up quickly and are taking over the track. I need to get that taken care of before I can think about running the train.

My CP Rail Locomotive Breakdown

My coffee table N scale layout is suffering a CP Rail GP35 locomotive breakdown. The motor seems to have stopped running. I had 2 GP35's pulling a freight train, road numbers 5023 and 5024. 5023 is the locomotive that broke down. I need to take it and my Ann Arbor GP35 to Brasseur's Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan for repair. This will be the first time I have used them to repair N scale Locomotives. I have used them many times to repair HO scale Locomotives and have been very satisfied. I hope they can fix my N scale Engines as well.

GE ES44AC

The General Electric ES44AC (or simply, "GEVO") is a energy-efficient, 4,400 hp locomotive which was first introduced into full production in 2005, with the first ES44AC prototype built in November 2002. The ES44AC is the direct successor of the AC4400CW, which could not be produced domestically after 2004. Like EMD, GE had to essentially design a new locomotive to comply with EPA Tier 2 standards. Unlike EMD, GE had to give its new locomotive a new power source; the 7FDL16 prime mover was replaced with a more efficient prime mover, the GEVO12. Only a handful of production units operate with this engine. Most newer units have a completely reworked 7FDL-16 prime mover.

The ES44AC is selling very well, far surpassing EMD's output. The ES44AC has a few other variants. The ES44C4, introduced in 2009, has seen the most orders from BNSF. This type of ES44AC is a standard model, rather with the outer two axles of each truck being powered and the middle axle of each truck being a trailing axle. Another variant is the ES44AH, ordered by CSX, (classified as CW44AHs by the CSX, similar to their designation for the heavier AC4400CW predecessor) and as of late 2014, the Union Pacific (UP calls them C45AHs.) These units are weighted to 432,000 lbs compared to the usual 415,000 lbs. CSX's version utilizes GE's Radial Steering trucks. The Union Pacific has continued a tradition with their ES44AC locomotives as they have done with the AC4400CWs, in which they have been ordered with "Controlled Tractive Effort" for DPU service. Which brings the final designation to "C45ACCTE." The -45 in this case, does not indicate horsepower, rather it distinguishes these newer units from older AC4400CWs.

The ES44AC is selling very well, far surpassing EMD's output. The ES44AC has a few other variants. The ES44C4, introduced in 2009, has seen the most orders from BNSF. This type of ES44AC is a standard model, rather with the outer two axles being powered and the middle axle of each truck being a trailing axle. As well as the ES44AH, ordered by CSX, (classified as CW44AHs by the CSX, similar to their designation for the heavier AC4400CW predecessor) and as of late 2014, the Union Pacific (UP calls them C45AHs.) These units are weighted to 432,000 lbs compared to the usual 415,000 lbs. CSX's version utilizes GE's Radial Steering trucks. The Union Pacific has continued a tradition with their ES44AC locomotives as they have done with the AC4400CWs, in which they have been ordered with "Controlled Tractive Effort" for DPU service.

The ES44AC in Late 2011 was reworked to meet EPA Tier 3 standards which went into existance Jan 1st, 2012. There are no visable changes. However in August 2012, GE released its Tier 4 ES44AC prototype, this locomotive looks very different from a Tier 2/3 ES44AC. GE is now in the process of building 20 more Tier 4 ES44AC's. Tier 4 regulations started on Jan 1st , 2015. This Tier is the final and most stringent of the standards. Several Tier 4 ES44AC's are testing on the UP over Donner Pass and in the Powder River Basin. Tier 4 ES44AC's retain most features of previous ES44AC's, but they have raised "humps" in the middle, as well as a larger, more sloped radiator in back with two cooling fans. These require more space in the car body for Exhaust Gas Recirculation equipment. It has been confirmed that production units will not have the "humps" in their carbodies. GE currently rosters six Tier 4 ES44AC demo units (GECX #2015, 2020-2014). Only #2015 has an official paint scheme of blue, white and green, while #2020-2024 have a basic solid blue scheme. GECX numbers 2021 and 2024 are testing on the Union Pacific.

In 2013, GE built an LNG (liquefied natural gas)-powered ES44AC, GECX #3000. This unit is equipped with a NextFuel LNG conversion kit, and is currently used as one of two units in BNSF's GE LNG test set (the other unit is BNSF 5815, an older ES44AC also equipped with the NextFuel kit). 3000 and 5815 are separated by a BNSF LNG fuel tender.  

EMD SD60

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The EMD SD60 is a 3,800 horsepower (2,800 kW), 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Intended for heavy-duty drag freight or medium-speed freight service. It was introduced in 1984, and production ran until 1995.

History and development

The development of the GP50 and GP60 series (B-B) the SD50 and SD60 series (C-C) locomotives (all of these being 16 cylinders; EMD did offer 3,600 HP in a 20-cylinder model, but it had a reputation for being a fuel guzzler, although the technology was identical to the concurrently available 16-cylinder models) in the late 1970s and early 1980s was spurred by the introduction of 3,600 horsepower (2,700 kW) GE B36-7 (B-B) and GE C36-7 (C-C) locomotives (both of these being 16 cylinders, as were most of its predecessors, but with major modifications to the "power assemblies" to cope with the higher temperatures and pressures encountered at this power level in a 16-cylinder engine) by EMD's main competitor General Electric. In 1980, the SD50 model was added to the EMD Catalog. However, the SD50's electrical reliability was poor and, similarly, the 3,500 horsepower (2,600 kW) 16-645F engine had poor mechanical reliability, both believed to be largely due to excessive vibration from the 950 maximum rpm of the 645F prime mover. It was time to develop a replacement for the venerable 645 engine which, in its earlier 16-645E form, had proved to be exceptionally reliable. EMD therefore quickly commenced development of the SD60 series, which would eliminate the weaknesses of the SD50. The lessons learned in developing the 645F crankcase and crankshaft (for the earlier 20-645E, and the then-current 16-645F) were incorporated in the replacement, the 710G, first employed in the SD60. Although the carbody and frame are nearly indistinguishable from the earlier SD50, the SD60 featured the new 16-cylinder EMD 710G3A prime mover, AR-11 traction alternator, D-87 traction motors and a microprocessor-based control system that governed various electrical systems within the locomotive (e.g., wheel slip and transition).

The SD60 proved to be more reliable and fuel-efficient than the SD50, but it was not a resounding success in terms of regaining the market share that was lost due to the electrical and mechanical issues that plagued the earlier SD50. The goal was to equal or exceed the reliability of the earlier 645E-powered 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) SD40-2, which was an industry standard benchmark for reliability, in the new 710G-powered 3,800 horsepower (2,800 kW) SD60. This goal was largely achieved and the later 710G-powered 4,000 horsepower (3,000 kW) SD70M received what would be the largest single order for new locomotives, a 1,000 unit order from Union Pacific, (numbered UP 4000 through 4999, inclusive), which was later extended by nearly 500 additional SD70M units (numbered UP 3999 and below, and UP 5000 and above), and by nearly 1,000 additional units if UP's SD70ACe orders are included.

As an indication of its sound design, many SD60s are now being re-manufactured by their owners or by subcontractors for another 30 years of trouble-free service, 240 such units by Norfolk Southern alone, some of which will be acquired on the secondary market from locomotive lessors. These NS conversions are reported to be upgraded to include electronic fuel injection, intercooling, "crash-worthy" fuel tanks and other components and features found in late SD70s. The traditional "spartan" cab will also be replaced with a new "crash-worthy" cab built to NS specifications ("Crescent cab"). Early units were completed at the original SD60's 3,800 HP rating, but all were later uprated to the SD70's 4,000 HP rating, thereby becoming for all intents and purposes the equivalent of a late SD70M, but at a fraction of an SD70M's cost.

Norfolk Southern's Tribute

I felt this was worth sharing.

My G Scale Layout

The weather has turned a lot nicer and the temps are reaching the 70's the out door layout is just about ready tto go for the season. I have dusted off the rolling stock and oiled the locomotives. The extention cords are strung out to the transformer. I have repaired the buildings and the landscaping looks good. The main train I run on the out door track is a New York Central freight train pulled by an Alco F1 Locomotive followed by a Boxcar, a Reefer, a Tank car, a Hopper, a Coal car, a Log car, a covered Goldola, and a caboose.

 Alco F1 Locomotive

Boxcar

Reefer

Tank car

 Hopper

Coal car

Log car

covered Goldola

Caboose