VGN EL-2B
| Virginian EL-2B | |
|---|---|
|
Virginian EL-2B, near Salem, Va., July 11, 1953 | |
| Type and origin | |
| Power type | Electric |
| Builder | GE Erie Works |
| Build date | 1948 |
| Total produced | 4 |
| Specifications | |
| Configuration | (4-4-4-4)+(4-4-4-4) |
| AAR wheel arr. | (B+B-B+B)+(B+B-B+B) |
| UIC classification | (Bo′Bo′)(Bo′Bo′)+(Bo′Bo′)(Bo′Bo′) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Wheel diameter | 42 in (1.1 m) |
| Length | 150 ft 8 in (45.92 m) |
| Width | 11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) |
| Height | 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) |
| Weight on drivers | 1,000,000 lb (450 t) |
| Locomotive weight | 1,000,000 lb (450 t) |
| Electric system(s) | 11 kV, 25 Hz AC |
| Current collection method | Pantograph |
| Traction motors | 16 × 500 hp (370 kW) GE 746 |
| Transmission |
AC Synchronous motors(2x)/ DC Generators(4x)/ DC traction motors(16x) |
| Performance figures | |
| Maximum speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| Power output | 6,800 hp (5,100 kW) |
| Tractive effort | 162,000 lbf (720 kN) |
| Train heating | None |
| Locomotive brake | Air/Regenerative |
| Train brakes | Air |
| Career | |
| Operator(s) | Virginian Railway |
| Class | EL-2B |
| Number in class | 4 |
| Number(s) | 125–128 |
| Delivered | 1948 |
| Retired | 1959 |
| Disposition | All scrapped |
The Virginian Railway's class EL-2B comprised four two-unit electric locomotives with AAR (B+B-B+B)+(B+B-B+B) wheel arrangements. The locomotives were used on the 133-mile (214 km) electrified portion of the railroad, from Roanoke, Virginia to Mullens, West Virginia. These large motor-generator locomotives weighed 1,000,000 pounds (450 t), were 150 feet 8 inches (45.92 m) long, and were capable of producing 6,800 horsepower (5.1 MW).
The EL-2B locomotives were built at General Electric's Erie works in 1948. Numbered 125–128, they were the largest two-unit electric locomotives used in North America.
The locomotives were retired and sold for scrap shortly after the 1959 merger of the Virginian with the Norfolk and Western Railway.
References
- Newton N. Gregg (1979). Train Shed Cyclopedia, No. 80: Locos of the 40s and 50s (Part 11) from the 1941 LOC CYC and Railway Mechanical Engineer. Newton K. Gregg. ISBN 978-0-87962-083-7.
- "ELECTRICS IN THE SOUTHEAST". Retrieved 2009-03-29.
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