EMC E3
| EMC E3 | |
|---|---|
 ACL #501 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. | |
| Specifications | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Builder | Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC) |
| Model | E3 |
| Build date | September 1938 – June 1940 |
| Total produced | 17 A units, 2 B units |
| AAR wheel arr. | A1A-A1A |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Trucks | EMC Blomberg A-1-A passenger |
| Wheel diameter | 36 in (914 mm) |
| Minimum curve | 21° (2,273 ft (692.81 m) radius) |
| Wheelbase | 57 ft 1 in (17.40 m) |
| Length | 70 ft 4 in (21.44 m) between couplers |
| Width | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
| Height | 15 ft (4.5720000000 m) |
| Locomotive weight | 308,400 lb (139,900 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 1200 gal. |
| Prime mover | (2) EMC 567 |
| Engine RPM range | 800 max |
| Engine type | Two-stroke diesel |
| Aspiration | Roots-type supercharger |
| Displacement | 6,804 cu in (111.50 L) each |
| Generator | (2) EMC D-4 |
| Traction motors | (4) EMC D-7 |
| Cylinders | (2) V12 |
| Power output | 2,000 hp (1,490 kW) total |
| Career | |
| Disposition | one preserved and in mostly static display at the North Carolina Transportation Museum |
The EMC E3 was a 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation of La Grange, Illinois. The EMC demonstrator #822 was released from La Grange for test on September 12, 1938. The cab version, or E3A, was manufactured from September 1938 to June 1940, and 17 were produced. The booster version, or E3B, was manufactured in March 1939 and September 1939, and 2 were produced. The 2,000 h.p. 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 E3 was the fourth model in a long line of passenger diesels of similar design known as EMD E-units.
Compared with passenger locomotives made later by EMD, 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. Later E models had the "bulldog nose" of the F series.
Engine and powertrain
The E3 introduced a 12 cylinder version of the 567 series engine, two were used, developing a total of 2,000 hp at 800 r.p.m. Earlier E models had used twin Winton 201As, but that engine was ill-suited to railroad use and was unreliable. The 567 was designed specifically for railroad locomotives, a supercharged 2 stroke 45 degree V type with 567 cubic inches displacement per cylinder which remained in production until 1966. Two D.C. generators, one per engine, provide power to four motors, two on each truck, in an A1A-A1A arrangement. This truck design was used on all E units and on MP 7100 and CB&Q 9908 power cars. EMC/EMD has built all of its major components since 1939.[1][2]
Original owners
A units
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electro-Motive Corporation (demonstrator) | | 822 | to Kansas City Southern Railway #1 |
| Atlantic Coast Line Railroad | | 500, 501 | 501 was wrecked before delivery and rebuilt by EMC as an E6A. It has been preserved. |
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | | 11 | |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | | 5001A, 5001B, 5002A, 5002B | Initially used in A-A back-to-back pairs on the Twin Cities 400. |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | | 625, 626 | |
| Florida East Coast Railroad | | 1001, 1002 | |
| Kansas City Southern Railway | | 2, 3 | |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad | | 7000, 7001 | |
| Union Pacific Railroad | | LA-5 | |
| Total | 17 |
B units
| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | | 11A | |
| Union Pacific Railroad | | LA-6 | |
Surviving units
Only one E3 survives today. It was formerly owned by the late Glen Monhart, and operated on excursions in Wisconsin. Today, it is owned by the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation Rail Division, and is on long term loan to the North Carolina Transportation Museum, in Spencer, North Carolina. It is ex-Atlantic Coast Line Railroad E3A #501. It is stored in operating condition, and will be run occasionally. In January 2013, NCDOT transferred ownership of the engine to the NC Department of Cultural Resources, Spencer Shops parent organization.
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Dorin, Patrick C. (1972). Chicago and North Western Power. Superior Publishing. p. 128-129. ISBN 0-87564-715-4.
- Lamb, J. Parker (2007). Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive. Railroads Past and Present. Bloomington, IN, USA: Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253348630.
- Marre, Louis A. (1995). Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years: A Guide to Diesels Built Before 1972. Railroad Reference Series (Book 10). Waukesha, WI, USA: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0890242585.
- Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
- Ross, David, ed. (2003). The Encyclopedia of Trains and Locomotives. Barnes and Noble. ISBN 978-0-7607-9679-5.
- Schafer, Mike (1998). Vintage Diesel Locomotives. Enthusiast Color Series. Osceola, WI, USA: MBI Publishing. ISBN 0760305072.
- Solomon, Brian (2000). The American Diesel Locomotive. Osceola, WI, USA: MBI Publishing. pp. 53–56, 63, 65, 67, 68, 70. ISBN 0760306664.
- Solomon, Brian (2006). EMD Locomotives. St. Paul, MN, USA: Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760323960.
- Solomon, Brian (2010). Vintage Diesel Power. Minneapolis, MN, USA: MBI Publishing. ISBN 9780760337950.
- Solomon, Brian (2011). Electro-Motive E-Units and F-Units: The Illustrated History of North America's Favorite Locomotives. Minneapolis, MN, USA: Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760340073.
- Solomon, Brian (2012). North American Locomotives: A Railroad-by-Railroad Photohistory. Minneapolis, MN, USA: Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760343708.
- Wilson, Jeff (2002). E Units: Electro-Motive's Classic Streamliners. Classic Trains / Golden Years of Railroading series. Waukesha, WI, USA: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0890246068.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to EMD E3 locomotives. |
| |||||||||||