| EMD E6 | |
|---|---|
| Rock Island E6A #630, operated by Midland Railway, at Baldwin City, Kansas on November 28, 2004 | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Builder | General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) |
| Model | E6 |
| Build date | November 1939 – September 1942 |
| Total produced | 91 A units, 26 B units |
| AAR wheel arr. | A1A-A1A |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Engine type | EMD 567, 2 off |
| Cylinders | V12 |
| Power output | 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) |
| Disposition | Two preserved, remainder scrapped |
The EMD E6 was a 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW), A1A-A1A, passenger train locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors Electro-Motive Division, of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E6A, was manufactured from November, 1939 to September, 1942, and 91 were produced. The booster version, or E6B, was manufactured from April, 1940 to February, 1942, and 26 were produced. The 2,000 hp was achieved by putting two 1,000 hp, 12-cylinder, model 567 engines in the engine compartment. Each engine drove its own electrical generator to power the traction motors. The E6 was the seventh model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.
Compared with other passenger locomotives made by EMD before and after these models, the noses of the E3, E4, E5, and E6 cab units had pronounced slants when viewed from the side. Therefore, these four models have been nicknamed “slant nose” units. Some units made before these models were called “shovel nose” units because of their appearance. Some units made during and after these models were called “bulldog nose” units, because of their appearance.
Two E6s survive today. One was operated by the Midland Railway, in Baldwin City, Kansas but has since been sold and may become part of a future museum in Manly, Iowa or possibly be restored to operation. It is ex-Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad E6A #630.
The other E6 is located at the Kentucky Railway Museum, in New Haven, Kentucky. It is ex-Louisville and Nashville E6A #770. This unit is for display only, as it came to the museum without a majority of its internal parts.
One interesting E6 variant custom-produced for the Missouri Pacific was the model EMC AA. This was a motorcar-style unit which had only one prime mover and 1000 horsepower, and substituted a baggage compartment where the other diesel V-12 would have been.
| Railroad | Quantity A units |
Quantity B units |
Road numbers A units |
Road numbers B units |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electro-Motive Division (demonstrator) |
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to Seaboard Air Line 3014 |
| Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
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ACL 501, often identified as an E6A, was built as an E3A but wrecked before delivery and rebuilt by EMC as an E6A. |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
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| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
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| Chicago and North Western Railway |
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| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad |
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| Florida East Coast Railway |
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| Illinois Central Railroad |
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| Kansas City Southern Railway |
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| Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
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| Milwaukee Road |
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| Missouri Pacific Railroad |
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| Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
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EMD Demonstrator 1940 became SAL 3014 |
| Southern Railway |
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2900–2903 |
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| Union Pacific Railroad |
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| UP-C&NW joint City of Los Angeles |
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| UP-SP-C&NW joint City of San Francisco |
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| Total | 91 | 26 |
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