EMD SW900

{{Short description|Model of 900 hp American diesel switcher}}

{{Infobox locomotive

|name=EMD SW900

|powertype = Diesel–electric

|image=CRIP 907 (SW900) at Seneca, IL on January 28, 1967 (21798162974).jpg

|caption=Rock Island 907 at Seneca, Illinois on January 28, 1967

|builder={{ubl|General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division (EMD)|General Motors Diesel (GMD), Canada}}

|buildmodel=SW900

|builddate=December 1953 – March 1969

|totalproduction=EMD: 274; GMD: 97

|primemover = EMD 8-567C

|enginetype = V8 Two-stroke diesel

|aspiration = Roots-type supercharger

|cylindercount = 8

|poweroutput = {{convert|900|hp|kW|abbr=on|lk=in}}

|locale = {{ubl|North America|South America|Africa}}

}}

The EMD SW900 is a diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel (GMD) between December 1953 and March 1969.{{cite book |last1=Foster |first1=Gerald L. |title=A field guide to trains of North America |date=1996 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston |isbn=0-395-70112-0 |pages=10, 14}} Power was provided by an EMD 567C 8-cylinder engine that generated 900 horsepower (670 kW). Built concurrently with the SW1200, the eight-cylinder units had a single exhaust stack. The last two SW900s built by GMD for British Columbia Hydro were built with 8 cylinder 645E engines rated at {{convert|1000|hp}}.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

260 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads and 97 were built for Canadian railroads. Canadian production of the SW900 lasted three and a half years past EMD production. Seven units were exported to Orinoco Mining Co (Venezuela); two units were exported to Southern Peru Copper Co; and five units were exported to the Liberian American-Swedish Minerals Company. Total production is 371 units.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Some SW900s were built with the generators from traded in EMC Winton-engined switchers and were classified as SW900M by EMD. Units rebuilt from SW or SC model locomotives developed 600 or 660 horsepower with the older generators instead of the full 900 horsepower of the SW900.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

In the early 1960s, the Reading Company sent 14 of their Baldwin VO 1000 model switchers to EMD to have them rebuilt to SW900 specifications. The Reading units retained the Baldwin switcher carbody and were rated at 1000 horsepower by EMD.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

A cow–calf variation, the TR9, was cataloged, but none were built.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Rebuilds

= SW900E =

In 1974, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company had decided to rebuild all ten of their EMD SW900 diesel locomotives at their own Houston Shops.{{Harvp|Jewell|1976|p=15-17}}

The rebuilds included the installation of a 12-cylinder EMD 645E engine, which increased the horsepower from {{Convert|900|hp|kW|abbr=on}} to {{Convert|1,200|hp|kW|abbr=on}}.

The rebuilds had also included the installation of a new electrical system, which included a newer generator, newer traction motors, and a newer control system. The rebuilds were done specifically to extend the life of the locomotives and to increase their power and reliability.

Original buyers

=Built by Electro-Motive Division, USA=

class="wikitable"

!Railroad !! Quantity !! Road numbers !! Notes

rowspan=2| Electro-Motive Division demonstratorstyle="text-align:center;" | 1style="text-align:center;" |6534to River Terminal 99
style="text-align:center;" | 1style="text-align:center;" |6535to Waterloo Railway 4
Alabama By-Products Corporationstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |900
American Steel and Wirestyle="text-align:center;" |4style="text-align:center;" |3–6
Armco Steel Corporationstyle="text-align:center;" |13style="text-align:center;" | B80, 1203–1214
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |4style="text-align:center;" |650–653
Baltimore and Ohio Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |29style="text-align:center;" |625–653
Birmingham Southern Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |5style="text-align:center;" |91–95
General Motors-Buick Motor Divisionstyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" | 792, 818
Canton Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |5style="text-align:center;" |44–48
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |94
Champion Papers Incstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |3
Chicago and North Western Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |144–145
Chicago Great Western Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |5
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |29style="text-align:center;" |550–563, 900–914550-563 are 600 h.p. SW900M
Colorado and Wyoming Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |214
Texas Construction Material Company (Colorado River and Western Railroad)style="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |201
Corinth and Counce Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |901–902
Cuyahoga Valley Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |960–961
DeQueen and Eastern Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |D-4
Detroit Edison Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |214
Hammond Lumber Company (Feather River Railway)style="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |102
Fernwood, Columbia and Gulf Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |900
Grand Trunk Railroad (of Maine)style="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |7225-7226
Grand Trunk Western Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |13style="text-align:center;" |7227–7232, 7262–7268
Granite City Steel Companystyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |900–901
Great Lakes Steel Corporationstyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |6-7
Hanna Furnace Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |17
Hercules Powder Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |61
Inland Lime and Stone Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |10
Jacksonville Terminal Companystyle="text-align:center;" |3style="text-align:center;" |37–39
Lancaster and Chester Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |90–91L&C 91 was the last EMD built SW900 in 11/65
Lehigh Valley Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |12style="text-align:center;" |106-107, 110, 120–127, 130107,110 are 600 h.p. SW900M, 106 is 660 h.p. SW900M
Liberian American-Swedish Minerals Companystyle="text-align:center;" |5style="text-align:center;" |201-205Liberia, Africa
McLouth Steel Corporationstyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |6–7
Missouri Portland Cement Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |1
Monessen Southwestern Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |3style="text-align:center;" |28–30
New York Central Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |16style="text-align:center;" |9631–9646
New York Central System (Cleveland Union Terminal Company)style="text-align:center;" |3style="text-align:center;" |9628–9630
Orinoco Mining Companystyle="text-align:center;" |7style="text-align:center;" |1090–1096Venezuela, South America
Philadelphia Bethlehem and New England Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |51-52
Pickering Lumber Companystyle="text-align:center;" |4style="text-align:center;" |101–104
Raritan River Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |6style="text-align:center;" |1–6
Reading Companystyle="text-align:center;" |21style="text-align:center;" |10-15, 1501–151510-15 are 660 h.p. SW900M
Republic Steel Corporationstyle="text-align:center;" |12style="text-align:center;" | 345, 347–349, 354–359, 373–374
River Terminal Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |10style="text-align:center;" |90–98, 10099 was EMD demo
Sand Springs Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |3style="text-align:center;" |100–102
Simpson Logging Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |900Built with dynamic brakes.
South Peru Copper Companystyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |9-10Peru, South America
Southern Pacific Transportation Companystyle="text-align:center;" |10style="text-align:center;" |4624–4633
Steelton and Highspire Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |2style="text-align:center;" |21, 27
U.S. Steel Corporationstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |157
U.S. Sugar Corporationstyle="text-align:center;" |3style="text-align:center;" |154–156
Valdosta Southern Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |955
Virginia-Carolina Chemical Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |1
Waterloo Railroadstyle="text-align:center;" |3style="text-align:center;" |1–3Waterloo 4 was EMD demo 6535
Woodward Iron Companystyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |62
Youngstown Sheet and Tube Companystyle="text-align:center;" |5style="text-align:center;" |900–904
Total274

=Built by General Motors Diesel, Canada=

class="wikitable"

!Railroad !! Quantity !! Road numbers !! Notes

Algoma Steelstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |51
Aluminum Company of Canada ("Alcan")style="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |1003
British Columbia Electric Railway / BC Hydrostyle="text-align:center;" |12style="text-align:center;" |900–911to Southern Railway of British Columbia BC Hydro 911 was the last SW900 built in 3/69, all twelve built with road trucks and M.U. and sometimes referred to as SW900RS
Canadian National Railwaysstyle="text-align:center;" |54style="text-align:center;" |7233–7261, 8535–8559CN group 8535-8542 production started 12/53 first built
Canadian Pacific Railwaystyle="text-align:center;" |11style="text-align:center;" |6710–6720
McKinnon Industriesstyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |47074
Midland Railway Company of Manitobastyle="text-align:center;" |1style="text-align:center;" |1
Steel Company of Canada ("Stelco")style="text-align:center;" |16style="text-align:center;" |78–93
Total97

See also

References

{{reflist}}

  • {{Pinkepank diesel spotters guide 2}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Jewell |first1=Donald V. |title=Southern Pacific Motive Power Annual, 1974-1976 |date=1976 |publisher=Chatham Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-89685-008-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgDaPAAACAAJ |language=en}}
  • Extra 2200 South Volume 7 No.3 August September 1968 page 3