The EMD F2 was a
freight
In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
-hauling
diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...
built by
General Motors Electro-Motive Division between July 1946 and November 1946. It succeeded the
FT model in GM-EMD's
F-unit sequence, and was replaced in turn by the
F3. The F2 was in many respects a transitional type between those two; it kept the rated D8 generator from the FT due to late development of the new D12 generator intended for the F3, but in a revised carbody design and internal layout that would be continued through the rest of the F-unit series. 74 cab-equipped lead
A units and 30 cabless booster
B units were produced.
There are no reliable recognition features for an F2. They were built with what has become known as 'Type 1' side panels, with three portholes and no filter grilles, but this was carried over into early F3 production and in any case, could be changed later by the customer. Like some early F3s, they were built with small side numberboards on the nose. They, and all subsequent F-units, are readily distinguished from the FT by having two exhaust stacks instead of four, and by having no large overhang on the end of the B units, while the trucks were a little further away from the other ends.
They also had four
radiator
A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics.
A radiator is always a ...
fans at the center of the unit next to each other in line on the roof instead of two at each end. This external feature was the result of a major change in internal arrangement, the replacement of all mechanical and belt-drives for radiator fans and
traction motor blowers with
electric motor
An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...
s. Power for these accessories was produced by a new D14
three phase
Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3ϕ) is a common type of alternating current (AC) used in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. It is a type of polyphase system employing three wires (or four including an optional n ...
alternator
An alternator (or synchronous generator) is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field wit ...
built into the main DC generator, called a “companion alternator”. This device has been used in all later EMD road locomotives to the present.
All F2's were scrapped, making them the only EMD F-unit model with no extant examples.
Original owners
EMD built 104 F2 locomotives: 74
A units and 30
B units. Nine railroads purchased A units; of these, four purchased B units. The most significant buyers were the
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México,
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...
, and
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Railroad was a United States, U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. It was chartered in 1835, and became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022).
At the e ...
, which purchased 28, 24, and 21 locomotives, respectively.
Notes
References
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External links
EMD "F2" Locomotives: Specs, Roster, History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emd F2
B-B locomotives
F02
Diesel–electric locomotives of the United States
Railway locomotives introduced in 1946
Locomotives with cabless variants
Scrapped locomotives
Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States
Standard-gauge locomotives of Mexico
Diesel–electric locomotives of Mexico
Streamlined diesel locomotives
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy locomotives
New York Central Railroad locomotives