Top Three Most Powerful GE Diesel Locomotives
Adding to the Electro-Motive blog post, let’s review the top three most powerful diesel locomotives built by General Electric.
First, the Gold Medal of Horsepower goes to the AC6000CW, produced between 1995 and 2000. Measuring 76 feet long, it featured a single 6,000-hp 7HDL-16 diesel engine and six AC traction motors. Union Pacific and CSX were the only domestic purchasers of these giants. Despite its reliability issues in the end, the AC6000 definitely still holds the record of high horsepower in the history of GE locomotives.
The Silver Medal of Horsepower goes to another 6,000-hp diesel locomotive, albeit a multiple-unit consist: the Erie Railroad A-B-B-A demonstrator set number 750 built in 1954. The first A-B half was powered by two of the 12-cylinder Cooper-Bessemer engines (1,800 hp each) while the second half used a pair of 8-cylinder engines (1,200 hp each). As a similar case to the Electro-Motive Corporation’s FT set No. 103 that came out 15 years earlier, the Erie 750 only had four individual units (that is, two with cabs and two cabless booster units in between). However, since they all had multiple-unit connections, the entire set was indeed rated at 6,000 hp. Ultimately, these unique locomotives (renamed as UM20B) were upgraded with the 2,000-hp, 12-cylinder Cooper-Bessemer engines and acquired by Union Pacific, but that’s another story.
The Bronze Medal of Horsepower goes to the eight-axle U50 (built 1964) and the six-axle U50C (1969-1971), powered by pairs of 16-cylinder and 12-cylinder 7FDL engines respectively. Although less powerful than the Erie 750 set, the 5,000-hp U-boats were an early attempt at maximizing the amount on a single locomotive frame instead of multiple units. Most of the U50’s were delivered to Union Pacific but there were also three built for Southern Pacific; all examples of the six-axle version were for UP only. Technically, the U50C used the more fuel-efficient V12’s than its eight-axle predecessor. Yet regardless of their engine configurations, both types would still deserve the bronze medal for their 5,000-hp rating.
Click on the links below to learn more about the U50 and U50C.
